The Jews had this feeling of the sacredness of law. Moses' divine
law had taught it them. The Romans, heathen though they were, had
the same feeling--that law was sacred; that men must obey law. And
the good thing which they did for the world (though they did it at
the expense of bloodshed and cruelty without end) was the bringing
all the lawless nations and wild tribes about them under strict law,
and drilling them into order and obedience. That it was, which gave
the Roman power strength and success for many centuries.
But above the kingdom of law, which says to a man merely, 'Thou shalt
not do wrong: and if thou dost, thou shalt be punished,' there is
another kingdom, far deeper, wider, nobler; even the kingdom of
grace, which says to a man, not merely, 'Do not do wrong,' but 'Do
right;' and not only 'Do right for fear of being punished,' but 'Do
right because it is right; do right because thou hast grace in thy
heart; even the grace of God, and the Spirit of God, which makes thee
love what is right, and see how right it is, and how beautiful; so
that thou must follow after the right, not from fear of punishment,
but in spite of fear of punishment; follow after the right, not when
it is safe only, but when it is dangerous; not when it is honourable
only in the eyes of men, but when it is despised.
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