We have already pointed out the Apostles remarkable use of the word
'fruit' here, by which he indicates that all the results of the life of
the Spirit in the human spirit are to be regarded as a whole that has a
natural growth. The foundation of all is of course that love which is
the fulfilling of the law. It scarcely needs to be pointed out how love
brings forth both the other elements of the first triad, but it is no
less important to note that it and its two companions naturally lead on
to the relations to men which make up the second triad. It is, however,
worth while to dwell on that fact because there are many temptations for
Christian people to separate between them. The two tables of the law are
not seldom written so far apart that their unity ceases to be noted.
There are many good people whose notions of religious duties are shut up
in churches or chapels and limited to singing and praying, reading the
Bible and listening to sermons, and who, even while they are doing good
service in common life, do not feel that it is as much a religious duty
to suppress the wish to retaliate as it is to sit in the sunshine of
God's love and to feel Christ's joy and peace filling the heart. On the
other hand many loud voices, some of them with great force of words and
influence on the popular mind, are never wearied of preaching that
Christianity is worn out as a social impulse, and that the service of
man has nothing to do with the love of God. As plainly Paul's first
triad naturally leads to his third. When the spiritual life has realised
its deepest secret it will be strong to manifest itself as vigorous in
reference to the difficulties of life. When that heart is blessed in its
own settled love, abounding joy and untroubled peace, faithfulness and
submission will both be possible and self-control will not be hard.