LAW
(IN
NT)
Jer
31"-'');
but
it
was
only
the
hard
discipline
of
the
law
that
made
them
reaUze
the
necessity
and
superiority
of
a
more
spiritual
covenant
between
man
and
his
God.
11.
AvfordmayheaaidahoutthegimTigofthelaw.
What-ever
physical
disturbances
may
have
accompanied
its
original
proclamation,
it
is
not
upon
such
natural
phenomena
that
ita
claims
to
the
homage
of
mankind
are
based.
It
is,
in
a
manner,
far
more
miraculous
that
God
should
at
that
early
age,
among
those
half-civilized
tribes,
have
written
these
laws
by
His
spirit
on
man's
conscience
and
underatanding,
than
that
amid
thunder
and
Hame
He
shoxild
have
inscribed
them
with
His
own
fingers
upon
two
tables
of
stone.
The
Old
Testament
itself
teaches
us
that
we
may
lools
in
vain
for
God
among
the
most
orthodox
manifestations
of
a
theophany,
and
yet
hear
Him
spealring
in
tlie
still,
small
voice.
Miracle
is
not
the
essence
of
God's
revelation
to
us,
though
it
may
accompany
and
authenticate
His
message.
The
law
stands
because
the
Saviour,
in
laying
down
for
us
the
correct
lines
of
its
interpretation
has
sealed.it
with
the
stamp
of
Divine
approval,
but
also
because
the
conscience
and
reason
of
mankind
have
recognized
in
its
simplicity
and
comprehensiveness
a
sublime
exposition
of
man's
duty
to
his
God
and
to
his
neighbour;
because
*by
manifestation
of
the
truth
it
has
commended
itself
to
every
man's
con-science
in
the
sight
of
God'
(cf.
2
Co
4^).
Eenest
Arthur
Edghill.
LAW
(IN
NT)
.—This
subject
will
be
treated
as
follows:
(1)
the
relation
of
Jesus
Christ
to
the
OT
Law;
(2)
the
doctrine
of
law
in
St.
Paul's
Epistles;
(3)
the
com-plementary
teaching
of
Hebrews;
(4)
the
attitude
of
St.
James
representing
primitive
Jewish
Christianity.
1.
Our
Lord
stated
His
position
in
the
saying
of
Mt
5":
'I
did
not
come
to
destroy
the
law
or
the
prophets,
but
to
fulfil.'
The
expression
covers
the
whole
contents
of
Divine
Scripture
(sometimes,
for
brevity,
spoken
of
simply
as
'the
law';
see
Jn
IC
12''
15^),
which
He
does
not
mean
to
invaUdate
in
the
least
(Mt
5"),
as
the
novelty
of
His
teaching
led
some
to
suppose
(see
T"'),
but
will
vindicate
and
complete.
But
His
*
fulfilment
'
was
that
of
the
Master,
who
knows
the
inner
mind
and
real
intent
of
the
Scripture
He
expounds.
It
was
not
the
fulfilment
of
one
who
rehearses
a
pre-scribed
lesson
or
tracks
out
a
path
marked
for
him
by
predecessors,
but
the
crowning
of
an
edifice
already
founded,
the
carrying
forward
to
their
issue
of
the
lines
projected
in
Israehte
revelation,
the
fulfilment
of
the
blade
and
ear
in
'the
full
corn.'
Jesus
penetrated
the
shell
to
reach
the
kernel
of
OT
representations;
and
He
regarded
Himself
—
His
Person,
sacrifice,
salvation.
Kingdom
—
as
the
focus
of
manifold
previous
revelations
(see
Lk
4"-2i
16«
24",
Jn
1"
6«).
The
warning
of
Mt
617-20
^as
aimed
at
the
Jewish
legists,
who
dissolved
the
authority
of
the
law,
while
jealously
guarding
its
letter,
by
casuistical
comments
and
smothering
traditions,
who
put
Ught
and
grave
on
a
like
footing,
and
blunted
the
sharpness
of
God's
commands
in
favour
of
man's
corrupt
incUnations.
The
Corban
formula,
exposed
in
Mk
7'
-13,
was
a
notorious
instance
of
the
Rabbinical
quibbling
that
our
Lord
denounced.
It
is
a
severer
not
a
laxer
ethics
that
Jesus
introduces,
a
searching
in
place
of
a
superficial
discipline;
'Your
righteousness,'
He
says,
'
must
exceed
that
of
the
scribes
and
Pharisees.'
Our
Lord's
fulfilment
of
'
the
law
'
—
i.e.
in
the
stricter
sense,
the
body
of
Mosaic
statutes
regulating
Israelite
life
and
worship
—
^included
(o)
the
personal
and
free
submission
to
it,
due
to
His
birth
and
circumcision
as
a
son
of
Israel
(Gal
4';
cf.
Mt
3''
8'
15«
17",
Lk
2«i«).
His
fulfilment
included
(6)
the
development
of
its
un-recognised
or
partially
disclosed
principles.
Thus
Jesus
asserted,
in
accordance
with
views
already
advanced
among
the
scribes,
that
'the
whole
law
and
the
prophets
hang
on
the
two
commandments'
of
love
to
God
and
to
our
neighbour
(Mt
223'-'»,
Lk
lO^s-")—
the
parable
of
the
Good
Samaritan
gives
to
the
second
command
an
unprecedented
scope.
His
distinction
between
"the
weightier
matters'
of
'justice,
mercy,
fidelity,'
and
the
lighter
of
tithes
and
washings,
was
calculated
to
revolutionize
current
Judaism.
(c)
A
large
part
of
the
Sermon
on
the
Mount
(Mt
LAW
(IN
NT)
521-4B)
ig
devoted
to
clearing
the
law
from
erroneous
glosses
and
false
applications:
on
each
point
Jesus
sets
His
'I
say
unto
you'
against
what
'was
said
to
the
ancients'
—
mere
antiquity
goes
for
nothing;
nor
is
He
careful
to
distinguish
here
between
the
text
of
the
written
law
and
its
traditional
modifications.
With
each
correction
the
law
in
His
hands
grows
more
strin-gent;
its
observance
is
made
a
matter
of
inner
dis-position,
of
intrinsic
loyalty,
not
of
formal
conduct;
the
criterion
appUed
to
all
law-keeping
is
that
it
shall
'proceed
out
of
the
heart.'
((f)
Further,
our
Lord's
fulfilment
of
the
law
necessi-tated
the
abrogation
of
temporary
and
defective
statutes.
In
such
instances
the
letter
of
the
old
precept
stood
only
till
it
should
be
translated
into
a
worthier
form
and
raised
to
a
higher
potency
(Mt
5"),
by
the
sweeping
away
of
limiting
exceptions
(as
with
the
compromise
in
the
matter
of
wedlock
allowed
to
'the
hard-heartedness'
of
Israehtes,
Mt
IQ'-'),
or
by
the
translation
of
the
sym-bohc
into
the
spiritual,
as
when
cleansing
of
hands
and
vessels
is
displaced
by
inner
purification
(Mk
7"-^,
Lk
11"-";
cf.
Col
218'-,
He
9").
Our
Lord's
ref-ormation
of
the
marriage
law
is
also
a
case
for
(6)
above:
He
rectifies
the
law
by
the
aid
of
the
law;
in
man's
creation
He
finds
a
principle
which
nulhfies
the
pro-risions
that
facihtated
divorce.
The
aboUtion
of
the
distinction
of
'meats'
(Mk
7"),
making
a
rift
in
Jewish
daily
habits
and
in
the
whole
Levitical
scheme
of
Ufe,
is
the
one
instance
in
which
Jesus
laid
down
what
seemed
to
be
a
new
principle
of
ethics.
The
maxim
that
'what
enters
into
the
man
from
without
cannot
defile,'
but
only
'the
things
that
issue
out
of
the
man,'
was
of
far-reaching
application,
and
supplied
afterwards
the
charter
of
Gentile
Christianity.
Its
underlyiiig
principle
was,
however,
implicit
in
OT
teaching,
and
belonged
to
the
essence
of
the
doctrine
of
Jesus.
He
could
not
consistently
vindicate
heart-
religion
without
combating
Judaism
in
the
matter
of
its
ablutions
and
food-regulations
and
Sabbath-keeping.
(e)
Over
the
last
question
Jesus
came
into
the
severest'
confiict
with
Jewish
orthodoxy;
and
in
this
struggle
He
revealed
the
consciousness,
latent
through-out
His
dealings
with
OT
legislation,
of
being
the
sovereign,
and
not
a
subject
like
others,
in
this
realm.
Our
Lord
'fulfilled
the
law'
by
sealing
it
with
His
own
final
authority.
His
'
I
say
unto
you,'
spoken
in
a
tone
never
assumed
by
Moses
or
the
prophets,
Imphed
so
much
and
was
so
understood
by
His
Apostles
(1
Co
7'°,
Gal
62,
1
Jn
2«-
etc.).
Christ
arrogates
the
rSle
of
'a
son
over
his
house,'
whereas
Moses
was
'a
servant
in
the
house'
(He
3"').
Assuming
to
be
'greater
than
Solomon,'
'than
Abraham,'
'than
the
temple'
(Mt
12'-
«_
Jn
85a)_
He
acted
as
one
greater
than
MosesI
The
Sabbath-law
was
the
chosen
battle-ground
between
Him
and
the
established
masters
in
Israel
(Mk
2^-2'
SaJ-,
Lk
13i»-",
Jn
69-'«).
In
the
pubUc
Sabbath
assembUes
Jesus
was
oftenest
confronted
with
cases
of
disease
and
demoniacal
possession;
He
must
do
His
work
as
God's
'sent'
physician.
The
Sabbath-rules
were
clear
and
familiar;
His
infraction
of
them
in
acts
of
healing
was
flagrant,
repeated,
defiant;
popular
reverence
for
the
day
made
accusations
on
this
count
particularly
dangerous.
Men
were
placed
in
a
dilemma:
the
Sabbath-breaker
is
ipso
facto
'a
sinner';
on
the
other
hand,
'how
can
a
sinner
do
such
signs?'
(Jn
9
u.
24ft.).
Jesus
argues
the
matter
on
legal
grounds,
showing
from
recognized
practice
that
the
4th
Com-mandment
must
be
construed
with
common
sense,
and
that
'it
is
lawful
to
do
good
on
the
Sabbath
day'
and
to
work
in
the
service
of
God
(Mt
125-
i^).
He
goes
behind
those
examples
to
the
governing
principle
(see
(!))
above),
that
'the
Sabbath
was
made
for
man,
and
not
man
for
the
Sabbath'
(Mk
2"'):
the
institution
is
designed
for
human
benefit,
and
its
usages
should
be
determined
by
its
object.
But
He
is
not
content
with
saying
this:
the
war
against
Him
was
driven
on
the
