The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 235

ho.nd wo.s given by God the greo.t Sovereign but in a high clr.~ee probable, that at least of the epirituo.l world, o.nd on the other wo.s &rnne of the historical personages, institn- lo.id hold ot o.nd m11de effectuol in that so.me tions, and events of the Old Testament world of epirituo.l o.ction by Abro.ho.m'e and Scriptures were wont to be allegorically So.ro.h'e fo.ith. But he of the freewomo.n treated by leaders of Christian thought of WBB by promise (6 3} l1t .,.;i, lJ... ,vBlpa,, 6,' the highest authority. We cannot acquiesce [Receptus, 61« .,.ij,J l,ra-y-y,7'1,u); but the son in the position adopted by some critics, that by the frefYI.OO'TTl,(l'fl through a pr<Ymiee ( or, such allegorizing is to be relegated to the through the pr<Ymue). If the e.rticle before region of mere Jewish rabbinism, now to be l,ran<>.. la. lie retained, it is to be token RB regarded as exploded. And we need not pointing to the well-known promise made here insist npon the consideration that a by the Lord to Abmho.m, both in the night rabbinical origin would constitute no v11lid in which God made a covenant with him objection to our acceptance of such a\le- (Gen, xv.), and afresh, in a more definite gorizing treatment of Scripture, because form, on the eve of the destruction of that the results of rabbinical exegesis and Sodom (Gen. xviii.). This promise was the of rabbinical investigations in theology means of Isaac's being born, calling forth were in many cases of the highest value-a. ae it did an acting of faith in God, both in fact which those who are acquainted, for Abraham (Rom. iv. 17-21), and likewise example, with Professor Renss's 'Histoire in Sarah (Heb. xi. 11), in consideration of de la. Theologie Chretienne • will not be which the Almighty beyond the course disposed to question. For we resist the of natnre gave them this child. attempt to thrust ns back npon the schools Ver. 24.-Whioh things are an allegory of the rabbins, as if it were from them only (ifrwcl /tr,,.,v a.1'."-11"Y•p•6µ,va); which things that St. Pan! derived this allegorical method ara written (or, ezpounded) icith a further of Scripture exposition. Those schools may meaning. The relative liTiva, as distin- have made him acquainted with it, it is guished from Ii, probably means " which t:me; but altogether independently of rab- facts, being of this description, are," etc., or, binical instruction, the leading teachers of "things, which are of such a sort that they the Church, even before Panl's conversion, are," etc. (comp. Col. ii. 23 in the Greek), " unlearned men," lo,oi'Tai. as the r«bbinists The apostle, perhaps, intimates that the regarded them, had, as we cannot doubt, particulars just recited by him belong to learnt thus to apply Scripture in the school a class of objects distinguished among other of Jesus. Christ himself, not only before objects presented to us in the Old Testament his passion, but also, and, we may believe Ly having a further sense than the literal with greater definiteness and particularity, historico.l one; the literal historical sense, after his resurrection (Luke xxiv. 27, 45; however, by no means being thereby super- Acts i. 3), had imparted to his apostles and seded. Comp. 1 Cor. x. 11, "Now these other disciples same expositions of historical things happened unto them (,,.l,,ro,, or 'Tv,r1- facts of the Old Testament, which must 1tois) as figures [or,' by way of figure']." The have been of this description, and which verb a.l\l\.71-yop,iv, is shown by lexicons, Lid- would suggest the legitimate application of dell and Scott's and others, to mean, either the same method in other analogous in- to epealc a thing o.llegorically or to expound stances. And those men were not only dis- a thing os allegorical. Bishops Ellicott and ciples, pupils of Jesus, but were likewise Lightfoot furnish passages illustrative of especial, though not the exclusive, organs both meanings, particularly of the second; of the Holy Spirit's teaching in the Ch urcl1 and the latter adds the observation that it (John xvi. 12-15; Eph. iii. 5; iv. 11). is poBBible that the apostle uses the verb Particular allegorical expositions, therefore, here in the sense of being allegorically ex- received amongst those apostles and pro- pounded, "referring to some recognized phets of Christ, co.me clothed with the mode of interpretation." St. Paul did at highest authority, emanating as they well times refer to authority extrinsical to his might have done from Christ's own oral own (Eph. iii. 5; 1 Cor. xi. 16; xv. 11). teaching, or from an immediate special lead- But whichever of the two poseible senses of ing of his Spirit. And, further, we feel the verb a.;>,.7'71j'opiiu8a1 was the ono here ourselves entitled to believe that the intended by the apostle, there is no impro- supreme Revealer of spiritual truth to bability in the supposition tho.t not now for mo.nkind might well think fit to appoint, the first time was the narrative of Hugar not only words or ceremonial institutions and Ishmael thus applied; it is quite sup- as means of imparting religious instruction posable, for instance, that it had been ijO or of prophetical indicotion, but historical o.pplied at Antioch, in the animated discus- incidents as well ; not merely so ordering sions in which Pnul, B11rn11,bas, and Si11ts the manner in which his inspired organs encountered the Judaists in that Chui·ch. framed their narratives of certu.iu occur- At 1111 events, it is not merely supposable, rences as to make those narratives pro-  202 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, [OR, IV. 1-81.