The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 258

the plain meaning, confined the spirit. This was the Churoh in its state of minority. 2. The Oh1trch's mmjority. It is matter for thought that the Church came to its majority in connection with the greatest manifestation of Godhead. (1) Time of the Ohristwn manifesta.tion. " But when the fulness of the time came." The fulness of the time was the moment in which time received its full significance. It was that toward which all that went before was moving, aud from which all after-time is dated, It corresponds to "the term appointed of the father." It was the time appointed in the counsels of the Father. But the appointment was founded on the fore- seen fitness of circumstances. It would not have been a fitting time, we may understand, if Christ had appeared immediately after the Fall. .As the nature of sin had only very partially been manifested at the first, there would have been no proper appreciation of redemption. Neither would it have been a fitting time, we may under- stand, if Christ had appeared at the commencement of the Jewish nation. It would have been as if some high work of art were submitted for criticism to novices. Christ appeared when circumstances were so prepared that the deepest, most lasting impression of his work could be produced on men. Even heathenism was a preparation for Christianity. It was so chiefly in a negative way. It was, as it is represented in the Bible, the wild olive tree. It was humanity left to itself. It was an experiment on a vast scale as to what man unaided could or could not do. .And, though there was a feeling after God, and weak longing for redemption, yet, as the result of the experiment, it was conclusively proved that the world by wisdom knew not God. When Christ came great Pan was dead. The old religions were manifestly powerless to impart any spiritual consolation, or to check sin which came to its full manifestation. The chosen people were sinful humanity with Divine helps. .And, though they greatly pointed the lesson of what man could not do, yet there was not a little drilling of them into the idea of the Divine unity, the idea. of an overruling Providence, the reality of sin, the conception of righteousness, the certainty and mode of redemption. And there were some who had so entered into the preparatory Jewish system that, at the time of Christ's appearance, they were waiting for the consolation of Israel. In the outward state of the world, too, there was a conspiring of remarkable providences: The whol,e world was included in one empire. There were facilities of intercourse between nations, such as had never existed before. The great Roman roads were the prepared means by which the gospel was to be carried to all quarters of the earth. There was very much, too, one l,ang1J,(],!Je. With the victories of .Alexander commenced a movement toward the general use of the Greek language, the most expressive of all languages. There was also a cosmopolitizing of the Jews. They were to be found in all the great centres, with their monotheism and Messianic hopes. .il.nd lastly, it was a time of universal peace. The whole world was quiet and at rest. The temple of Janus was shut. Such was the time chosen by God for the appearance of Christ. (2) Manner of the mani- festation. (a) The Divine Messenger. "God sent forth his Son." The pre-existence of Christ is implied. God sent forth from himself-from his own immediate presence. It was not an archangel whom he sent forth, but his own Son. .As the Son of God, Christ was eternally pre-existent-the equal in every respect of the Father. In the Son, the Father saw himself perfectly reflected. .And yet he was in a mysterious way subordinated as the Son to the Father. To him, then, it essentially belonged to be sent forth, as on creation, so on redemption. On his part there was a perfect response. For, in the volume of the book of the Divine counsels it was written that he was prepared at the fitting time to speed forth to do the Father's will. (b) His birth of humanity. "Born of a woman." Though unborn as the Son of God, be was subjected to the ordinary law of human birth. "Man that is born of a woman," said Job; and ~o also it was true of Christ that he was born of a woman. He was not a separate creation from humanity, without father, without mother. But he was brought into the closest relation to humanity by having a human mother. Even from the first he was looked forward to as the Seed of the woman. (c) His birth of the Jewish race. "Born under the Law." Historically be wa.1 connected with the Jewish race. It ha~ been said ~hat what the Jewish nation provided was the mother of our Lord. His surroundmgs were Jewish. He was subjected to the rite of circumcision. He was placed under obligation, not only to the Law of God generally, but to the Mos~ic Law in_ par.ticular. It is not to be inforred that he was merely Jewish, For the singular thrni UI that, OU, IV, 1-31.] '!'HE EPIB'fLE TO THE GALATIANS. 225