in his promises thus expressed. The words, however, admit of a different construction. By us may be connected with the first part of the clause. ' The Amen is said by us to the glory of God.' This may mean, ' We Christians render a glad assent to the promises thus ratified in Christ.' But us in the immediate context refers to the apostles, and therefore cannot be naturally here made to refer to Christians generally. Or, the meaning may be, ' By us apostles testimony is given to the truth of the promises, to the glory of God.' This last-men- tioned interpretation, however, is mconsistent with the scrip- tural use of the expression " to say Amen,'' which means sim- ply to assent to, or to sanction. 1 Cor. 14, 16. The apostles did not say Amen to the promises by preaching the gospel ; but through their preaching men were brought to say Amen ; that is, they were led to the joyful experience and avowal of faith in what God had promised. In Christ, therefore, the promises were fulfilled ; and in him also men were brought, through the apostles, joyfully to assent to them. Bengel's pithy comment on this verse is : Nae respectu Dei promitten- tis, amen respectu credentium. " He that hath received his testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true." John 3, 33. 1 John 5, 9. 10. To receive God's testimony concerning his Son, to say Amen, and to believe, all mean the same thing.
21. 22. Now lie which stabUsheth us witk you in Christ, and hath anointed us, (is) God ; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
In the preceding verse the apostle had spoken of Christ as the truth and substance of all the divine promises, and of the cordial assent which behevers gave to those promises ; he here brings into view God as the author and preserver of their faith, who would assuredly grant them the salvation of which he had already given them the foretaste and the pledge. Noio ne ; or, hut he who stabUsheth us with you in Christ. The word is o ySe/Jatoji/, who renders firm or stedfasi ; i. e. who causes us with you to stand firm, ets Xpio-rov, in reference to Christ, so that we adhere to him with unshaken constancy. As by the pronouns %oe and us^ in what precedes, the apostle had meant himself and Silas and Timothy, here Avhere he has 2