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I. The use of it. What is the use of it? First: The production of love in the soul. "The end of the commandment is charity." Secondly: The production of purity in the soul. "A pure heart." Thirdly: The production of a sound moral sense in the soul. "A good conscience." Fourthly: The production of a genuine confidence in the soul. "Faith unfeigned."

II. The ABUSE of it. "Some," says the apostle, "having swerved have turned aside," i.e., have missed the mark. The apostle mentions some out of the many great abuses of the gospel. Their talk was "jangling." Miserable discussions about forms, ceremonies, traditions, etc., etc. How much in all ages has there been of this in connection with the gospel. What miserable jargon, what jejeune gabbling. Their talk was —

(1) Vain — vain, in the sense of emptiness and unsatisfactoriness. It had no substance of truth in it, and therefore nothing in it to satisfy either the intellect or the heart.

(2) Ambitious. "Desiring to be teachers of the law." In how many thousands in Christendom does the gospel awaken little more than the ambition to be teachers? All it does for them is to strike into their hearts a desire to talk about it, mainly for the purpose of self-parade. Perhaps there is no greater abuse of the gospel than a certain kind of pulpiteering.

(3) Ignorant. "Understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm." As a rule, the men who are most anxious to preach are the most ignorant.

(The Homilist.)

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KJV: Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

WEB: but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith;