The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 168

not there; for more.I beings, forming a The apostle's meaning Is that, If even men people of God's, must be under some Law; are constrained by their sense of justice t and, If there w11s not o. fow written on the abide by this rule, much more may the All• "fleshy tables of the heart" by God's Spirit, rlghteoUB One be expecterl to do so. This there behoved to be one embodied in nn a forti01'i anggeetion (for St. Paul only outward code of ordinances, which should hints this consideration by introducing tl,e coerce men's frowardness o.nd keep them word 5µ."'s without explicitly developing it) under discipline. But when this outward is similar to the a j01'twri argument more code had been taken out of the way," nailed explicitly stated by our Lord with reference to Christ's cross," then the people of God to God's justice, in Luke xviii. 6, 7; and to could not be left without the Spirit-the his fatherliness, in Luke xi 13. "Covenant." Spirit of holiness, as well as, or rather, The word 8,a8f,,c71, properly "disposition," because also, the Spirit of adoption; which which, in classical Greek, generally means accordingly was forthwith imparted, the " will," " testament," is used in the Septua- sole condition of the beetowment being gint to render the Hebrew berith, covenant, in their living obedient faith, felt and by bap- which sense it occurs once in Aristophanes, tism professed, in Christ and in God. Comp. 'Aves,' 439; and it appears to denote" cove- Eph. iv. 13-18, as containing a full pre• nant" in all the thirty-three places in sentment of these facts relative to the intro- which it is found in the New Testament; duction of the new covenant, and in the for even Heh. ix. 17 can hardly be allowed same order of sequence. Thus the apostle to be an exception. Bishop Lightfoot ob- has triumphantly returned to the thesis serves that the Septuagint translators and from which he bad started in the two first the New Testament writers probably pre- verses of the chapter-Christ crucified, and ferred 6,ii8f,,c71 to 11u118f,,c71, the ordinary Greek the receiving of the Spirit without works word for "covenant,'' when speaking of a of the Law. "The promise of the Spirit" Divine dispensation, because, like "pro- is the Spirit which had been promised; the mise," it better expresses the free grace of word " promise " here denoting, not as in God. Perhaps the terms appeared to them Heh. xi. 33, the word assuring a subsequent more suitable also in this application, be- beatowment,but as in Luke xxiv.49 and Heh. cause one of the parties to the engagement xi. 39, the beatowmeut itself. The apostle was no other tlian the supreme sovereign points not merely to such passages of the Disposer of all things. "Confirmed;" rati- Old Testament as had definitely fore- fied; o.a it ,rnre, signed, sealed, and de- announced the outpouring of God's Spirit livered. "No one;" meaning neither of the (Joel ii. 38; Isa. xliv. 3; and the like), two covenanting parties. "Addeth there- but the whole" kingdom of God," or "world to;" addeth any fresh condition, such as to come," whose blessedness therewith came. would clog the action of the previous en- Ver. 15.-:Brethren, I speak after the gagement. Tbe apostle adds this with manner of men (a:~•lupol, K«To: tf,8pr,nro11 reference to the supposition that the Law >-.l-rw ). "Brethren." The tone of indignant of Moses might have qualified the Abrn- reproach with which the chapter opened hamic covenant by limiting its benefits to hno gradually subsided in the course of persons ceremonially clean. the apostle's argument; so that here he Ver. 16.-Now to Abraham and his seed n.ppeala to the Galatian Churchmen na were the promises made ( T,ji 6, 'Af3paa.µ. "brethren ; " as if to bespeak their candid lppf,81111a11 [or, lpf,e671a-<i11] iil l,ran•>-.lii,, Kal n.ttention to the conaiderntion he is about T<p 11,rlpµ.iin avToii); now to Abraham were to allege. " I speak after tho manner of the pl'Omises made (Greek, spoken) and to his men." I say it as stating o. principle com- seed. The question now to be determined monly recognized in human life, in respect is, who the po.rties were that were concerned to contracts between man and man (see note in the covenant made with Abraham, and on the phrase, oh. i. 11). In a similar with respect to whom the principle just manner, in Heb. vi. •16, 17 the writer refers stated must be to.ken to apply. Of course, to human methods of ratifying solemn en- God is himself one of the two parties. This gagements, in order to illustrate a course of the apostle nssumes without specific mention proceeding on another occasion condescend- in this verse, though he refers to it in the ingly adopted by God. Though it be but a next. On the other side, he discerns "Abra- man's oovenant, yet if it be (wlten it hath ham and his seed; " for the form of the been) oonftrmed, no man disa.nnulleth, or sentence, we feel, lays emphatio stress addeth thereto (8µ.ws a:o8pw,rou 1<<1<upwµ.ev11v upon the Io.tter copo.rtner. He has in view, 81a8f,,c7111 ov8,ls a:8n,, f) /,r161aTcl.O'<T<Ta1). The apparently, in part, the promise recorded Authorized Version hos thus happily ren- in Gen. xiii~-15, "All the land which thou dered tho 8µws, which i~ hero transposed aeeat, to thee will I give it, and to thy ,e.. ,l out of its log;icnl position, as it is also in for ever;" perhrLps iu part tho vision related 1 Cor. xiv. 7, and as ,n is in Rom. v. 6. in Gon. iv., wherein (vcr. 18) "the Lori.I  134 THE EPIS'l'LE TO THE GALATIANS. [ea. m. 1-29.