24 II. CORINTHIANS 1, 21.22.

reference to all believers he unites them with liiinself, us with you. The constancy in faith which God gave was not a gift peculiar to teachers, but common to all true Christians. And hath anointed us. Kings, prophets, and priests were anointed when inaugurated in their several offices ; to anoint may there- fore mean to qualify by divine influence, and thereby to au- thorize any one to discharge the duties of any office. In Luke 4, 18 our Lord applies to himself the language of Isaiah 61, 1, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.'- Acts 4, 27. 10,38. "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost." In like manner Christians are spoken of as anointed, because by the Spirit they are consecrated to God and quali- fied for his service. 1 John 2, 20. 27. AVhen Paul says here, hath anointed us, he means by us all Christians, and of course the anointing to which he refers is that Avhich is common to all believers. This is plain, 1. Because the object of the two participles, (B^ftaimv and xp^aas, here used, must be the same ; ' who establisheth us, and hath anointed 2is.- But with the former Paul expressly associates the Corinthians. He says, us icith you. They as well as he Avere the subjects of the confirmation, and therefore also of the anointing. 2. What follows of sealing and receiving the earnest of the Spirit, can- not with any propriety be restricted to ministers. 3. In the New Testament official anointing is spoken of only in relation to Christ, never of apostles or preachers ; whereas believers are said to receive the unction of the Holy Spirit. The de- sign of the apostle is not, as some of the later commentators say, to assert that God had given to him the assurance of the Spirit as to his fidelity in preaching the gospel ; but to show that behevers were indebted to God for their faitli, and that he would certainly cause them to persevere. Is God ; God it is who confirms and anoints his people. Comp. 5, 5 for a simi- larly constructed passage. This is the common and natural explanation. Billi'oth and Olshausen render it thus : ' God, who establishes and anointed us, also sealed us.' But this makes the first part of the verse too subordinate ; the sealing is not the dominant idea. It is only one of the several bene- fits specified. It is God who establishes, anoints, seals and gives the earnest of the Spirit. Who also hath sealed us. A seal is used, 1. To indicate proprietorship. 2. To authenti- cate or prove to be genuine. 3. To preserve safe or inviolate.