The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 263

pointed forward to a sacrifice to be offered for sin. And it was a nourishing ordinance as the shadow of the coming sacrifice. But when Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us (and it happened at the very time of the offering of the paschal lamb), the great reality was put by Christ into the New Testament institution of the Lord's Supper. And so it seems to be with regard to the sabbath. It pointed forward to the reality of a rest in Christ, and as such it was refreshing. But when the reality came, and needed no longer to be shadowed, it was put into the institution of the Lord's day. And we have reason to think that it will remain there for us until its full disclosure in heaven. -R.F. Vers. 12-20.-Personal appeal. I. HE ASKS RECIPROCITY. "I beseech you, brethren, be as I am, for I am as ye are." Born a Jew, in accommodation to them he had taken up the Gentile position, i.e. in respect of freedom from Jewish ordinances. Let them, as brethren, show reciprocity. Let them give up their adopted Jewish practices and occupy the Gentile position along with him. II. HE BEOALLB WITH PLEASURE THEIR BEOEPTION OF mM. 1. Negatively. "Ye did me no wrong." He was free to confess that he bad no ground of personal complaint against them. 2. Positively. (1) It was an infirmity of the flesh that was the occasion of the first of his two visits to them. "But ye know that because of an infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you the first time." This infirmity of the flesh is not mentioned by name, and has given rise to conjecture, with which subjective. feeling has mingled. When the Church was persecuted, it was supposed to be persecution. The monks supposed it to be carnal thoughts. Luther supposed it to be a temptation of the devil. The language plainly points to a bodily malady. RegllI'ding the first visit of Paul to Galatia we read, "And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Ghost to speak the Word in Asia." It may be understood that it was by means of the bodily malady that the Holy Ghost forbade his preaching in Asia and at the same time directed his way into Galatia. And it was while detained by the malady that he preached the gospel to the Galatians. (2) His infirmity proved no hindrance to them. "And that which was a temptation to you in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but ye received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." That which was in his flesh was a temptation to them. It was some- thing which made trial of them. While it did not wholly silence him, it interfered with him as a public speaker. It might have led him to be despised or rejected (the latter word, literally "spit out," pointing to a more active form of contempt). It is e. wrong thing to despise any one because of what God has made him; but want of good feeling might have led them to turn his infirmity into ridicule; or their ignorance as barbarians might have led them to think that he was spurned of the gods, and there- fore to be spurned of them. Instead of yielding to the temptation, however, and throwing contempt upon him because of his infirmity, they received him as though be bad been an angel sent to them from heaven; nay, they received him as though he had been Christ himself. Their Celtic emotionalism came.out in the reception they gave him. It gave, as we have seen, a peculiar vividness to the message. It was a~ though Christ had been actually crucified before their eyes. So it threw a peculiar halo round the preacher. They warmed toward him and heaped kindnesses on him, as though it bad been the Master himself. III. HE OONTRABTS THE'IR PRESENT WITH THEIB PAST FEELING TOWARD HIM. "Where then is that gratulatiou of yourselves? for I bear you witness, that, if possible, ye would have plucked out your eyes and given them to rue." There was no more gratu- lation of themselves because by a singular providence Paul had found his way among them with the gospel. ']'heir Celtic realism was gone. 'l'hat realism bad gone to a great length. If it had been possible they would have plucked out their eyes to have given them to Paul. 'l'his language seems to point to an affection of the eyes as the me.lady from which Paul suffered. This supposition agrees with the conditions. It was just such a malady as would interfere with his comfort and effectiveness as a speaker, while not reducina- him to silence. It was just such an occasion as the Celtic nature would seize and ;ork upon. To make the gospel messenger freer for his work, they would gladly have parted with their very eyes, to make up for his deficiencies. A1:1d it was only the impo~sibility of thus serving Paul that kept them back from the sacrifice,  230 THE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE GALATIANS. [on. 1v, 1-31.