But might not the relation between the words "_Judge not, and ye shall not be judged_" and the preceding or subsequent passages permit us to conclude that Jesus, in saying "_Judge not_," had no reference whatever to judicial institutions? No; this could not be so; on the contrary, it is clear from the relation of the phrases that in saying "_Judge not_," Jesus did actually speak of judicial institutions. According to Matthew and Luke, before saying "_Judge not, condemn not_," his command was to resist not evil. And prior to this, as Matthew tells us, he repeated the ancient criminal law of the Jews, "_An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth_." Then, after this reference to the old criminal law, he added, "_But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil_"; and, after that, "_Judge not_." Jesus did, then, refer directly to human criminal law, and reproved it in the words, "_Judge not_." Moreover, according to Luke, he not only said, "_Judge not_," but also, "_Condemn not_." It was not without a purpose that he added this almost synonymous word; it shows clearly what meaning should be attributed to the other. If he had wished to say "Judge not your neighbor," he would have said "neighbor"; but he added the words which are translated "_Condemn not_," and then completed the sentence, "_And ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven_." But some may still insist that Jesus, in expressing himself in this way, did not refer at all to the tribunals, and that I have read my own thoughts into his teachings. Let the apostles tell us what they thought of courts of justice, and if they recognized and approved of them. The apostle James says (iv. 11, 12):-- "_Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?_" The word translated "speak evil" is the verb [Greek: katalaleô], which means "to speak against, to accuse"; this is its true meaning, as any one may find out for himself by opening a dictionary. In the translation we read, "_He that speaketh evil of his brother, ... speaketh evil of the law_." Why so? is the question that involuntarily arises. I may speak evil of my brother, but I do not thereby speak evil of the law. If, however, I _accuse_ my brother, if I bring him to justice, it is plain that I thereby accuse the law of Jesus of insufficiency: I accuse and judge the law. It is clear, then, that I do not practise the law, but that I make myself a judge of the law. "_Not to judge, but to save_" is Jesus' declaration. How then shall I, who cannot save, become a judge and punish? The entire passage refers to human justice, and denies its authority. The whole epistle is permeated with the same idea. In the second chapter we read:--