e with good. Overcoming by force is
equivalent to lending yourself to evil and wronging the enemy who
wrongs you. By such a course your enemy overcomes you and you are made
evil like himself. But if you overcome him with good, he will be made
righteous like you. A spiritual overcoming is here meant; the
disposition, the heart, the soul--yes, the devil who instigates the
evil--are overcome.

_Fourth Sunday After Epiphany_

Text: Romans 13, 8-10.

8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth
his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not
covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this
word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh
no ill to his neighbor; love therefore is the fulfilment of the law.

CHRISTIAN LOVE AND THE COMMAND TO LOVE.

1. This, like the two preceding epistle lessons, is admonitory, and
directs our attention to the fruits of faith. Here, however, Paul sums
up briefly all the fruits of faith, in love. In the verses going
before he enjoined subjection to temporal government--the rendering of
tribute, custom, fear and honor wherever due--since all governmental
power is ordained of God. Then follows our lesson: "Owe no man
anything," etc.

2. I shall ignore the various explanations usually invented for this
command, "Owe no man anything, but to love one another." To me,
clearly and simply it means: Not as men, but as Christians, are we
under obligations. Our indebtedness should be the free obligation of
love. It should not be compulsory and law-prescribed. Paul holds up
two forms of obligation: one is inspired by law, the other by love.

Legal obligations make us debtors to men; an instance is when one
individual has a claim upon another for debt. The duties and tribute,
the obedience and honor, we owe to political government are of this
legal character. Though personally these things are not essential to
the Christian--they do not justify him nor make him more
righteous--yet, because he must live here on earth, he is under
obligation, so far as outward conduct is concerned, to put himself on
a level with other men in these things, and generally to help maintain
temporal order and peace. Christ paid tribute money as a debt (Mt 17,
27), notwithstanding he had told Peter he was under no obligation to
do so and would have committed no