The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 170

u.fflxing to the pu.seage or passages of the toforo promised tQ be reci 1,icnt of Di vino Old Tesf.ament which he refers to, the sense blessing: those, feeble trpcs of her, fade thnt he does; both 88 to the import of the away e.t her coming, their glory and very gift which the covenant guaranteed to being absorbed in hers. We need, then, not Abraham's seed, and u.e to the specific seed hesitate to believe tha.t she with her Lord itself as being" Ohriet." The answer to such was from the beginning contemplated by the questioning is, fo:r, ys, u.t once in u. great Almighty in tlie revelations of future bene- meu.sure determined by our belief in the diction which he accorded to men, cerfainly olu.itns which St. Pu.ul makes to be regarded with a view ultimately to this crowning as an inspired teu.oher. With this belief, we dispensation; and that anterior dispensations do not wait first to ascertain that his ex- of benediction were symbolically predictive position is warranted by linguistic or his- of this. torical reasoning before we.will give it our Ver. 17.-And this I sa.y, that the cove- assent. We BOcept lns exposition as one nant, that was confirmed before of God in imparted to himself by heavenly teaching, Christ (-roirro Be 7'.l,yo,, B,a.8fi1C1JV 1rpo1mcupw- and as the result of inspired spiritual insight µ.•v1111 inrb -rov 0,ov [Receptus adds, els gazing into the oracles of God. We refuse Xp«n·&v]) ; and I say this: a covenant confirmed to regard it, as· some would fain persuade us before of God. We have here the application to do, as mere midrash of unscientific rabbin- of the aphorism laid down in ver. 15. " And ism, Perhu.ps, indeed, rabbinism itself in its I say this;" that is," And what I have t.o say better schools-and in such St. Paul had is th.is." As God had alrea,ly before made himself in his eu.rlier years been trained- a solemn covenant with Abraham and his was often.far more profound and scientific seed, the Law given so long after cannot in its scriptural exegesis than many who have been intended to do away with it; have not been conversant with Jewish com- fundamental principles of even human ci vii mentators are disposed to imagine. His equity disallow of any such procedure. exposition is, therefore, not at once and of " Confirmed before." If the confirmation or course condemned, because, if indeed it be ratification is to be distinguished as addi- the fact, its method seems to bear upon it tional to the solemn announcement, we may the brand of being rabbinical. Thus much is find it either in the "seal" of circumcision clear-its substance was beyond all question (Rom. iv. 11), or iu the oath "with wh.ich not drawn from rabbinism, but learnt from God interposed" (Heh. vi. 17) after the higher teaching. If at first it arouses in sacrifice of Isaac. The words e1, Xp«rTov, our minds a feeling of surprise, and even a " with reference to Christ," are expunged degree of hesitation in accepting it as it lies from the text by most recent editors. If there before us, we may have good grounds genuine, they would seem intended to em- for suspecting that this is owing, not to our phasize that position of "Christ" ( i.e. in superior wisdom, but to the superficiality of effect his Church) as future copartner with the views which we are in the habit of Abraham, which has been already affirmed to.king of the histories and utterances in the preceding verse. The Law, which found in the Old Testament: Fnller and was four hundred and thirty years after (J clearer insight into the depths of inspired µeTU -re-rpa,c&cna Kal -rp,cl1'ov-ra. l-r11 [Receptus teaching will perhaps enable us by-and-by reads fr11 before -re-rp:i.1e61T1a, instead of here, to grasp with a firmer hold than now the with no difference to the senseJ -y.-yovw, veritable 1·easonableness and certainty of 116µ.os); the Law, having come into existence this apostolic word, and to discern its co- four hundred and thirty years after. T!Jis herency with other portions of revealed number of years the nposUe finds in E:s:od. truth. Meanwhile it may conciliate our xii. 40, 41. In tlie Hebrew text of that judgment to a more unfaltering acceptanco po.ssago this torm of four hundred and thirty at once of what we here read, if we will yeo.rs defines the stay of the Israelites " in consider how transcendently greo.t is the Egypt." But in t!Je Septuagint, as well o.s glory of the persono.ge whose Name is here in the Samaritan text, the term <.lelines the attached to Abrnhe1m's spiritua~ seed, and sojourn of the lsrl\elites ('' themselves e1nd how transcendent too is the corresponding their fathers" is, nccording to Tischendorf, glory of that economy of benediction which added in the Alexandrian mo.nuscript) tbat e.ugust Being has brought in. The " in the Io.nd of Egypt and in t!Je lan<.l of infinite grandeur of "God manifest in the Co.no.an." With the view presented by th.is flesh" imparts its magnificence both to Septuagintal version agrees l\ definite state- t!Je community which he graciously takes ment or Josophus (' Ant.,' ii. 15, 2), "They into union with him, and to the "kingdom left Egypt ... four hundred o.nd thirty years of God" which through him they inherit. after our forefather Abraham came into The glory of Christ fills the whole Church, Cannan, but two hundrell e.nd fifteen years which, resplendent therewith, eclipses into only after Jacob removed into Egypt." In uUer obscurity 1111 other communities here- two other pas,ages, however(' Ant.,' ii. 0, i;  136 THE :gprsTLE '1'0 THE GALATIANS. (oli, III, 1-29,