The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 53

pemue.de tbc k-ing." The verb is need here, close or the following chapter, he distinctly Min 2 Cor. v. 11, "Knowing the foe.r of the propounds himself, as io this respoct a Lord, we persuade men." In that pe.sSRge Obrist-like pattern, for their imitation," Even the apostle ate.tea it to be his practice to [hewrites]as I please aH me.n iu all thina-s, mako use of all means of persuasion in not seeking mine own profit, but the pr~'tlt order to induce men to accept the gospel of the many, that they may be snvcd: be mes11Rge (comp. ibid., vi. l, "Working ye imitators of me, even BB I also am of together with him, we intreat also that :ve Christ." Both of these strongly marked receive not the grace of God in vain"). He features of his ministerial charo.cter were was not content with merely, as an o.mb:uiso.- liable to be misunderstood, and by hie dor, deliniring the message and there leaving detractors could be easily misconstrued as the matter; but me.de it his anxious concern grave faults. He wns, in fact, accused of to gain for the message nooeptance, by the speciousuess and insincerity, of double-faced use of arguments addressed to the reason, dealings, of simulation and dissimulation. and appeals addressed to the feelings, by We can easily underete.nd how readily such putting himself, as it were, by the side of nccusations would be set on foot, and how those he was addressing o.s one who sympn- colourable they could be made to e.ppear. thized to a large extent with their ways of That they painfully affected the apostle's thought, for the purpose of conducting them mind is evidenced by the frequency of the onward to concurrence with more perfect references he makes to them, and by the views. Among many examples which might enrueijtness and deep pathos of feeling be cited. illustrating his skill in persuasion, it which not seldom mark those references. will suffice to refer to the manner in which It is to such sinister criticism that he he dealt with the Athenians, with the Jews alludes, when in 2 Cor. v. 11, cited above, when speaking to them from the stairs, with o.fter saying, "we persuade men," he adds, Ring Agrippa (Acts xvii. 22-31; xx.ii. "but we are become manifest unto God," 1-21; xxvi 2, 3, 26, 27), and to his Epistle meaning that, though he did make a habit to Philemon. Another feature, closely con- of le.ying himself out to persuade, yet nected with the one now mentioned, and the entire sincerity of his action, however here likewise referred to, is the care which misconstrued by men, was patent to the the apostle took to "please men;" snch a Divine eye (comp. 2 Cor. i. 12). Now, we care as produced a manner towards his have reason to believe that the apostle had fellow-men far exceeding the courtesy and been apprised, or e.t least that he suspected, shows of respectful consideration which that in Galatie. also such misrepresentation the law of charity ordinarily prescribes. of these characteristics of his ministry we.e For example, instead of thrusting forward rife. The Epistle supplies at least one into notice, as the spirit of unsympathetic token of such he.ving probably been the pride natnrdly pre. ,pts us to do, the points ease. We gather from eh. v. 11 that on which he differed from others, and in he had been said to be still " preaching reference to which he lmew himself to lie circumcision." They who said this did so standing on higher ground than they, he apparently in the sense that his having chose rather to make prominent any points hitherto kept back this point of his doctrine of agreement which he could find already in preaching to them was only an artifice of subsisting, conciliating their candid interest "persuasion;" the.t, in order to prevail upon by thns fraternally putting himself on 11 them to accept the Christian foitll, he had level with them. If this did not suffice for thought it expedient not e.t first to press the purpose of enlisting tbeir sympathies on npon them the observances of Judaism, behalf of himself and his views, he did not while nevertheless he knew them to be hesitate, in matters morally indifferent, to necessary e.nd wns prepared by-e.nd-by to mortify and snub hie own tastes, and forego insist upon their being attended t.o. St. the dissenting judgments of his own superior Paul is conscious, therefore, of the existence enlightenment, "to buffet his body," e.s he on the part of some of the Gale.tian Church- expresses himself in l Cor. iL 27, "and men of unf1iendly suspicions with regard bring it into bondage," by following, how- to hie straightforwardness e.nd uprightness. ever distasteful to himself, such practices e.s It is this stinging consciousness that occa- should get those whose spiritual improve- sions both the substance e.nd the sharp ment he was seeking, to foe), so to speak, abrupt tone of what he here se.ys. The cnmfortably at home with himself. In substance of the verse may be paraphrased writing to the Corinthio.ns the apostle in thus: "I have written decisively and sternly; one passage (I Cor. ix. 19-23) dwells at for at such a oritical juBcture as the present some length upon this feature of hie minis- is it men that I ca.n make it my business to terial conduct, not ashamed of it, but mani• 'persuade,' as they 1meeriugly but not un- featly glorying in it as a triumph of Christ's trnly se.y I love t,o do? or is it God that I pee in hi1 soul. Presently after, at the care, IO to speak, to persuade, to wit of m7 OH. I. 1-24.] THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 17