The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 138

clearly in vii,w.. , It would be well if we had always so clear a view of the interests of truth in our contentions with others. It is to be feared we sometime~ fight for our consistency a~d personal interests rather than for the gospel. We should suspect our motives until we see the gospel's interests clearly involved in our strnggle. Ill. A CONFERENCE MAY ADD NO FRESH LIGHT TO WHAT. WE HAVE, BUT SIMPLY CONFIRM us IN oun COURSE, (Ver. 6.) The apostle admits that the brethren at Jenisalem seemed to the Galatians to be most important judges of such matters as were brought before them.1 He himself did not form the same extravagant opinion of their ability, for he felt assured that" God accepteth no man's person," and that he, as an apostle born out of due time, had as much light given to him for his work as those who were in Christ before him. Hence he states plainly that they imparted nothing to him in the conferenoe. 'rhey simply confirmed him in the practice of Christian liberty. And this will often be the case in Christian conferences. It is not the fresh light they shed upon doctrine or duty, but mainly the confirmation they afford oflines of duty already taken .up. 'l'his, however, ought not to be despised, but rather gratefully accepted as according to the will of God. IV. THE IMPltIMATUR OF TIIE APOSTLES IS SIGNIFICANT. (Vers. 7-9.) It is to be observed that Paul never sought apostolic ordination. He and Barna.bas were designated by the brethren at Antioch when about to proceed upon their first missionary journey (Acts xiii. 1-3). But be had never all these years sought for ordination at the hands of the apostles who were in office before him. At the end of fonrteen years h«, gives in a 'report, and. all that he receives from the ap'ostles is "the right hand of fellowship." In this connection we may quote from the able book of the "Americ::m citizen" on ' The Philosophy of the Divine Operation.'· He is contending for Paul, not :Matthias, being tbe twelfth apostle. After showing Paul's superior marks of a~ostle- ship, he proceeds, " Ordination, where there is no Holy Spirit, is not scriptural ordination. 'l'he laying on of hands by men who do not possess the Spirit of Christ themselves is not consecration. Hence offices and interests imparted by men or Churches whose ~pirit is merely formal and secular have no Divine validity. The men appointed under such circumstances may be good and useful, as many of them are. Communica- tions of grace from above i:nay be granted them. But the seal of God is not in the .ict of ordination. And Paul, called of God, with only the right hand of fellowship given him .by the apostles, does the work of God better than Matthias, ordained by non- spiritual administrators." ' ••• ' V.· THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE POOR WAS ALWAYS TO CHARACTERIZE THE CHRISTIAN MISSION.:· (Ver._10.) The apostles, In recognizing Paul's policy and mission runong the Gentiles·, merely rc·minded him of the ·care of the poor, which was to be a first note of the Christian mis.sion. '.!.'he gospel is preached to the poor; it charges itself with their care.. It was with the gospel the obligation recognized by the "poor laws" arose. The ea.re of the poor was not felt by other religious systems as it is by Christianity. And it is question,able if the poor are as well cared for by law as they would be if left t6 Christian love. 2 Now, there can be no doubt pf this trait of Christianity being a most important evidence of its Divine origin. The care of the poor would never have l:iecome the commonplace it now seems to be had not Christianity charged itself with the enlightenment and the care of the poor (Matt. xi. 5). 'l'be Christian commune, the noble experiment which succeeded Pentecost, put for a time poverty outside the Church's pale (Acts iv. 34)'. But even when poverty is driven out of tbe Church, it will still exist in the worlc1, and for the poor Christianity must provide. ·'This is one of its great missions; the apostles, though poor themselves, nobly rcsronded to the call and faced the prol:>lem; and so must we all in our spheres if we have aught of the ii.postolic spirit.-R. M. E . . Vers. ll-18.-T71e apostolic strife at Antioch. Passing from the Jerusalem con- ference;Paul nex.t mentions the strife which Peter aiid he had at Antioch. Peter had •1 Of, Lightfoot on the use of the present, ol 6o~oiiv.-es, whioh the Authorized Version and even the Revised Version translnte as o. past. • i Cf. • The Letters and other Writings of the late Edward Denison, M.P.,' fassim; ulsc • Tho Houses of the Londou Poor,' by Octavia Hill; 'Th!) Service of the Poor, by Caroline Emelia Stephen; and of couree Dr. Chalmers' 'Christian and Civic Economy.'  104 TlIE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [en. n. 1-21.