322 PRESENT-DAY RATIONALISM 



Herein, then, lies the application of Free Will to the 

 spiritual world. 



It is the consciousness of having the power to restrain 

 oneself from abusing natural or other laws, whenever 

 circumstances demand our attention to decide upon our 

 course of action, and to do so from strong motives. 

 Those — as far as Christians are concerned — are love to 

 God and His Christ ; for this includes all terrestrial 

 motives, as of nobility of character, and love to fellow- 

 creatures (agape). 



If a man restrain himself from violating human laws, 

 through fear of punishment on breaking them, he ex- 

 hibits an outward, formal or prudential morality only. 

 If he restrain himself for the love of God, he is guided 

 by a religious motive and the aspiration for holiness. 



Thus do we realise the difference between guilt and 

 sin. A law court only knows the former ; whereas the 

 latter implies a previous firm conviction of the existence 

 of a Holy God. 



Consequently, no nation in the world realised to the 

 full what sin meant before Christ came, unless we except 

 the psalmists and prophets ; but even they had not 

 reached a full realisation of sin against the Father. The 

 words in Hebrew and Greek meant " missing one's aim " ; 

 and mainly referred to failures in ceremonial duties. 



Whatever man-made law lays down at any period, 

 such, of course, must be obeyed at the time ; but such 

 laws become obsolete, are repealed, and new ones sub- 

 stituted to fit later times and conditions. 



On the other hand, God's laws, moral or religious, are 

 eternal. Such are the Laws of Philanthropy, Edification, 

 Mercy and Forgiveness.^ 



' As enumerated by Seeley [Eccc Homo). 



