difference who.tever in the sense; (2) they whe.~ her condition is. With freedom did expunge the oiv after i/l.rn6epl'f; (3) they Ohnst strt u.s free_ ( T~ ill.Eu6epl<f f,µ.as Xp<(ITO• insert oiv o.fter (IT~"'"'· The forms (3) and -l,11.w6lpu,"•). Thie clause both justifies and (4) are identical except in the punctuation. explains the word" freewoman." Our mother 'fhe construction of the dative i/\.,v6,pla with is a freewome.n, because e.11 her children ""~"..,.• in forms (1) and (3) is difficult, have been emancipated by Christ ; and the and has not yet been quite satisfactorily nature of her freedom is likewise defined by accounted for. We miss the preposition b, the nature of hie work. This sense is more to express the idea of immanence which is directly asserted in the fonrth form of the evidently intended, o.nd to express which iv Greek text-" children of the freewoman by is elsewhere found present; a.e I Cor. xvi. the freedom with which Christ set us free•" 13; Phil. i. 27; iv. I; 1 'fhess. iii. 8. The but it is in reality contained in the secon'd. arrangement given in form (3) is, in addi- Christ's emancipating work was twofold : he tion, greatly embarrassed by the "then " at once, by his a ton em en t, effected our deliver- standing so far on in the sentence-this ance from guilt, and by the manner of his particle marking, as it does, an inference from death ( eh. iii. 13) disconnected his people the sentence in the preceding verse. The from the ceremonial Law. The former aspect furthest place in the sentence adduced by of hie work is essential to the beneficial effect Winer('Gram. N. T.,'§ 6l)ie the fourth word, of the latter. The clear realization of the in l Cor. viii. 4. The fourth form presents by fact that he has effected our perfect recon- fa.r the easiest construction. It seems strange, ciliation with God cuts up from its roots e.11 however, if this was the original text, that desire even, that ,we should ourselves strive, it ea.me to be changed into aha.pee so much either to make or to keep ourselves acceptable more difficult to construe. In the second with God by obedience to a Law of positive form, the clause, " with freedom did Christ ordinances ; wbile we also must see that, e.s set us free," seems somewhat strangely connected with a Crucified One, it is impoesible phrased; but this iteration of the idea. of that we can be in harmony with the Mosaic freedom, marking the apostle's anxious in- ritual. A desire to Jndaize cannot coexist sistance upon it, may have led the copyists with true faith in our crucified Redeemer. By to suspect an error of transcription, and thus affirming that Christ bath set us free, the have set them upon the endeavour to im- apostle points, not merely to our release from prove, as they thought, the text before them. real or fancied obligation to obey the Law The same anxious insistance upon an idea of Moses, but also to our "joy in God through leads the apostle to a. somewhat similar ourLordJeeusChriet, through whom we have introduction of a. clause which is almost a received reconcilio.tion " (Rom. v. 11). Stand parenthesis, in Eph. ii. 5, "By grace have fast, theTPf01'e. According to this reading, ye been saved." It will be noticed tho.t the ""1Jtc<T< standing alone receives its colour of variations in the text above noted make not reference from the context. So 2 Thess. ii. the smallest difference in the me.in contents 15. He1·e it means the steadfast holding to of thought. The ea.me factors of thought a whole-hearted assure.nee that in Christ a.re present in a.II. The further remarks Jesus our freedom is complete. .And do not now to be me.de will assume for their be.sis again get held in a yoke of bondage. The the second form of the text. Wheref01'e, verb ivixoµ.a, is used (Herod., ii. 121) lite- brethren, we are not a handmaid's children, rally of being caught and held fast by a but children of the freewoman. This 611! man-trap; also figuratively of being en- (Receptus, /',.pa) go.there up the result of the tangled with perplexities ( bop•?J"iv, Herod., whole foregoing allegorical exposition, not i. 190), with a curse, or with guilt, or with that of its concludiug portion only, as a arbitrary dicta. of a teacher (see Liddell basis for practical remark. "We are not a and Scott). The condition of a slave is handmaid's children; " that is, "It is not described by the word "yoke," 1 Tim. vi. 1, a slave-girl that is our mother." The article uOO'o, Elulv ~1rO (v-yOv OoVAo,, "As many as is wanting before 1ra,6(""71', uot bees.us~ the are bond-servants under the yoke." And it apostle is thinking, as some imagine, of there was probably with this particular shade of being otlier handmo.ids besides Mose.ism, as, meanino- that St. Peter used tho term at the for oxam pie, heathen ceremu11ialism ; for the confere~ce at Jerusalem re~pectin~ tho cere- context points to only one slave-girl tho.t monial Law (Acts xv. 10)-'· a yoko which can possibly answer to Hagar; but because neither we nor our fothcrs had strength he wishes by contrast to fasten attention enough to bear;" referring to it, we may upon the oho.ra.cter of her who is our mother. suppose, as slavery, not merely because Hence also there is no 77µ.eis or vµ.eis, as in obedience to it was difficult, but as being ver. 28. "But child1·en of the freewoma.n," or observed from a legalistic anxiety to approve "of her who is free;" not defining what one's self theroby to the Di vine Rcceptance individnal is our mother, but, who our mother or to escape the Divine displeasure. '!'his is being now assumed ns known, 1110.rking view of the passage explaiu:i how the apostle GALATIANS. p 210 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [ OJI, IV, 1..-31.
wns able to use the word "11gain" of these to the_ Father" ~11v~ th~ugh conformity with Galatie.n converts. They he.d been once Mos1t1c ceremoni11hsm, then their" freedom'' under the yoke of an " evil oonsoienoe ; " but we.a forfeited; they s11nk, b11ok 11ge.in into Christ hR<l come to them also, who were" e.fa.r their former state of bond11ge.. But see 11lso off" in Gentile guiltiness, preaching pea.oe, the note on ver. 9. 'l'his exho1·tation to RS he hn.d come to them the.t were '' nigh " " stand fast " presupposes that they h11d not in the Israelite covenant (Eph. ii. 17), But yet l11psed1 but wera only in .danger of it if they could not he.ve ••peace" and "access (comp. the ,,.•.-...-leetT6• of oh. i. 6);