bers of this body. They have different offices, but each is to labor for the good of the others, and thus promote the well-being of the whole. All cannot have the same business; each one might, however, strive after the highest gifts, but still there is a more excellent blessing-love. Without this, no gift, no knowledge, no power, no virtue even would be of any value. The Corinthians should rather desire prophecy than speaking with tongues. The one who spoke with tongues edified himself only, since no one could understand him; the prophet edified the church. Paul desired indeed that all might enjoy the gift of tongues, but rather that they should prophesy, since the former consisted in unintelligible words, and, without interpretation, was useless, etc. In addition to the authors, before mentioned, who have written on the Gift of Tongues, we may name Baur and Steudel in the Tübingen Zeitschrift, 1830; and Bäumlein, in Klaiber's Stud. der Evang. Geistlichkeit Würtemb. VI. No. 2. 1834-TR.] SERMONS OF PROF. THOLUCK.' SERMON I.2 THE RELATION OF CHRISTIANS TO THE LAW. If we institute a comparison between the form which piety assumes in our own time, and that which it assumed in the time of our forefathers, we shall find that a prominent distinction between the two is the following the piety of our forefathers was connected in a high degree with an external discipline in religious duties, while piety with us is dependent upon this discipline no further than the feelings of any one may more or less incline him to make it so. Our fathers were stimulated by faith in these words of the apostle,— 'God will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth;' and they demanded therefore of every one, that he pray with fear and trembling,' that he seek, that he knock, until the door be opened, until Christ come and keep the sacramental feast with his soul. We, on the contrary, seem to be often influenced by an impression, that the language of the apostle, all men have not faith,' has no other meaning than this,-in order to have faith men must be inwardly organized as it is called, in an appointed way. And accordingly we see, that the one class of believers displayed, in their life, a fertile power of faith, and brought forth much fair fruit; while the other class remain dry and unfruitful trees. Our fathers however found a great part of their guilt to consist in the fact, that the discipline of the law did not control, with sufficient power, their internal christian character. If now we take notice that Christians of modern days are speaking constantly and exclusively of Freedom, of Spirit, of the Children of God, but very seldom of the Discipline of Law, of Self-denial, and the true idea of 1 See Note A, at the close of the Sermons. 2 An Analysis of each sermon is given in the notes. For an analysis of this, see Note B, at the close of the Sermons. the word Servant of God; we shall regard it as a profitable exercise, to examine the question, what is the true idea of the outward disciplinary influence of law upon the inward christian character. A comprehensive and profound explanation of the subject we find in the expression of our Lord, Mark 2: 27, 28. "And he said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath day." There is something enigmatical in these words, and yet their meaning may be easily discovered. That the Saviour permitted his disciples to pluck the ears of corn on the Sabbath, and thus to break the law of a rigid observance of the day, has been a stumbling stone to theologians. By this act the Lord shows what is the binding force of an external, and especially a ceremonial law. Man, he says, was not made for the Sabbath; that is, the end of man's existence is not attained by the observance of the ceremonial law, the end of his existence is life in God; instead of man's being made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was made for him, that is, such external ordinances as the Sabbath, are instituted only for the purpose of educating man; they are an external discipline, designed to form him from without to that character, for which he has no strength to determine himself from within. The thoughts of man, created as he is by God, should habitually come forth from within, to fasten on his Creator. The flesh, however, is weak; Israel must therefore have its Sabbath and Christendom its Sunday, so that by this outward discipline, the spirit may be educated to the same goodness which it ought to work out from its inward impulses. And as these ceremonial commands and ordinances are given merely for the sake of man, so likewise in a certain sense may it be said, that all the moral commands of God, as far as they are mere commands, are given for the same end. Only while the Spirit of God does not incline us from within to all good, are these commands necessary. But the Son of man, as it is here said, is Lord of the Sabbath; for whoever has the Spirit without measure, as Christ is represented to have had, can stand in no need of a law educating from without. You see, my worshipping friends, how clearly as well as profoundly this language of the Saviour instructs us in the application of the outward discipline of law to faithful Christians. The Son of man and of God is Lord over the law, because he has the Spirit I See Note C, at the close of the Sermons. |
