The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 285

tnken of tho spiritunl sense in which the fmther ilh,slrntion of a point alrenrlyrcfr nr rl npostle uses the terms "Jo.w" nn<l "Jove." to. It points back to the lino of remark com- Under the term "hiw" he no longer in- menced in vor. 13 in the words, "No freedom tonda lho Law of Moses, either as n cete- to be an occasion to the flesh ! but tliroug!i moninl institute or ns n Jotter-Law regulating love be in bondage one to another." The mornl behnviour ; but that higher and volunto.ry bondage of love is one most im- epiritunl lo.w, of which the precepts of the portant part of the spiritual life; ns in- letter-Lnw a.re only incomplete hints or dulgence in malignant passions is also a e.dumbrations-the good o.nd ncceptable nnd leading branch of the working of the flesh. perfect will of God (Rom. xii. 2). Likewise, The mention, therefore, of these two points by the term "love " he designates a very in ver3, 14, 15 ne.turally leads up to the different thin<> from that principle of kind- more gencrnl exhortation of the present ness, good n~ture, benevolence, which an passage. Walk in the Spirit, and ye ohall Aristotle or Cicero, an Epictctus or Plu- not fulfil (or, fulfil ri.ot) the lust of the flesh tarch, could conceive and describe, and in (Dve6µaT, 1rEpnra:re&Te, Kal J,riOvµJav uapKOs oV their own pre.ctico exemplify; with St. µ.¾, TEA<0'1)T<); 'IJJalk by the Spfrit, and ye shall Paul, as with St. John, it is a fruit of the not fulfil the !ust(or, desire) of the flesh. The Spirit, e.n emanation of Christ's life in the precise meaning of the several words and soul, organically and vitally mmifying out statements in this verse, BB also in the two of filial love to God. They that were in the which follow it, have been much disputed. flesh could not please God. In order that It must suffice here briefly to explnia o.nd we may fulfil the Law, the prime and in- justify what appears to the present writer dispensable requisite is that the Spirit of the true view. The word "spirit." it seems Christ be dwelling in us and leading us. most natural to understand in all three in Ver. 15.-But if ye bite e.nd devour one the same sense. 'l'o take it in the first two another, tako heed that ye be not consumed verses as meaning that part of our composite one of e.nothor ( el 3~ a.J-.>,:f,l\ou9 8cl.1<veTe ,cal being which has the nearest affinity to tile l<O.TEO'Bl,n, /3AE7'ETE p.~ ~1'0 a.l\l\-f,l\o,v ava.J\.,. higher moral and spiritual life (whether as 6ijTe) ; but if ye be biting and ea/.ing up one in a state of nature or as informed by tho another, take heed that ye be not one of Spirit of God), whilst in ver. 18 its import another utterly destroyed. " Biting" and is determined by comparison with other "enting up" nre images drawn from car- passages to he the Divine Spirit, appears to nivorous animals furiously fighting with be an arbitrary variation of its sense, which each other. The verb 1<aTEo-8ietv, eat up, there is no necessity for adopting. The which in 2 Cor. xi. 20 11.nd Matt. xxiii. 14 is "Spirit" is mentioned alongside with "the applied to the eating up of II neighbour's flesh," not because it belongs to the like goods, is here employed in its more literal category of being a part of our nature, but sense, in order to furnish II figure describing because he has been graciollilly sent forth that intense desire to vex and damage an by God to contravene in us that evil prin- e.ntagonist, which but too often disgraces ciple which else we should be unable to the so-called religious controversialist or overcome. This evil principle is termed partisan. The verb avczl\lu1<0,, uttedy de- "the flash;" not as being merely sensual stroy, occurs besides only in Luke ix. 54 and corruption, though vices of that class are 2 Thess. ii. 8, of destruction by fire or light- mentioned in vera. 19 and 21 a.s leading ning; so the compound 1<czTava.l\10'Kov, Heb. iustances of its worldng; for we see in vers. xii. 29. It points to another sphere of hurt 20 and 21 vicions works of the flesh speci- than that referred to in the two foregoing fied, which are to be referred to malignity verbs; for while these latte1· describe the (comp. l Cor. iii. 3), or to a perversion of eager endeavour to sting and "run down" the religious element, rnthor thnn to sen- a theological opponent, the former de- suality. It appears, therefore, to deuote the scribes the utter laying waste of the inward principle of corruplion wilich t,lints our life of piety. The orthodox opinion ml\y moral nature in general-tho.t which in survive, and perhaps be oven made clearer the ninth of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the and more accurate: but the kernel ol' fili:il Church of Engl1tud is defiued under lhe head- love and joy in God, and of Joye towards our ing of" Original or Birth-Sin." 'l'he word brethren, may by the <f,tl\ov,,u<la., the bitter "flesh" may be supposed to have been se- antagonism, of controversy have got to be lected to denote this, beonuse the depro.mtion altogether enten out. A 'Christian disciple of our sensuous beiugs into sensuality consti- who hns ceased to love, Christ teaches us, is tuted the most prominent and noticeu.ble salt which has lo11t its savour-utterly refuse form in which the general degm,l:ition of and hopeless of recovory (Mark ix. 50). our state from its proper nobler life iu God 1 Ver. 16.-This I say then (~.-Y"' o,). Like manifests itself. The dative cuse of Tiv,6,uczn, 'l'oiiTo ai l\',,i»in oh. iii. 17, and l\•"f"' 6~ in oh, marks-either the sphere, element, path, in iv, 1, the phrase, l\i-y<» Ill, bore introduces a which we u.re to wu.lk, which is intended by  THE EPIS'l'LE TO THE GALA'l'IANS. [err. v. 1-26.