The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 287

eeeme betokened by the 31. If the o.poetle fain would, that dol practise;" ibid., 16, •o o,, lmd just hero mco.nt to se.y, "There a.re two 8/A.,, ToiiTo 1ro1Cd, " What thing I fain wonld mutue.lJy opposing principles e.t work within not., that I do;" ibid., 19, Ov -yc\p 1l 6,M,, 11"0tw you," for the purpose of justifying by ex- li")la86v, l,.7,.A' & 06 6/7,.., 1<a1<6v, 'TOV'TO 1rprf.o-11~·, plicit sto.tement the tone of ver. 16 which "For not who.t gCJ?d thing I fain would, dn implies thia fact, he would have written, I do; but what evil thing I fa.in would not ,! ·re 1'"P ulip! i-,ri8vp.•• Ka'Tci Toii nv,6µ.a.Tos, that I practise." The C-Omparison of th~ Kai Tb nveiip.a ,ca'Tci Tijs o-apK&s: or, -1, µ,v indefinite relative, "what things soever ye -yttp o-lip! . . • Tb II, nveiiµ.a., etc.; "For both fain would do (&. &v 6,hr,Te),'" in the presenJ ho.th the flesh desires ago.inst the Spirit passage, with the more cleflnite "wha. and the Spirit against the flesh ; " or, " for thing I fain would do," or " fa.in would not on the one hand the flesh bath desires . . . do (II o,,._.,, t, ov 8,7,..,)," in the Romans, points o.nd on the other," eto. Hut the adversa- to the conclusion that by th6 clause, "what tive Ii, standing alone tends to disjoin the things soever ye fain would do,'' is meant, two clames rather than to conjoin them so " whichever be the kind of your volitions, closely together e.s the Authorized Version whether they be those prompted by the leads us to suppose. We need supply no flesh or thnse prompted by the Spirit." In other verb than bri8vµi,, " bath desires," comparing- the two passages, it is import;mt with the words, "but the Spirit;" for this to notice that in the seventh chapter of the verb is used in e. good sense as well e.s in e. Romans the apostle is concerned exclu- bad : as e.g. Luke xxii. 15, bn8vp.l<f bri• sively with the frustration of our good voli- 86µ110-a, "with desire did I desire; " I Pet. tions, which, there, are not ascribed to the i. 12, "the angels desire (bn8vµ.oiio-iv) to prompting of the Holy Spirit, but to the look into;" Phil. i. 23. "the desire (<1r1- prompting of our own moral sense quickened 8vµ.Cav) to depart." In fact, the verb pro- by the voice of the Law's commandment. perly implies e. simply strong wish, not Such good volitions he represents as over- necessarily an ill-governed one. And these powered by the controlling influence(" law'') are oontre.ry the one to the other (Taii'Ta. -yc\p of the evil principle, "the flesh;" a con- '1AA~AO.. liv'TlKel'Ta< [Receptus, 'Ta.ii'Ta. 6e dition of miserable tbraldom, out of which, livT!Ke1Ta.1 liM.~Ao1s)); for these oppose them- the npostle (ibid., 25), with triumphant gra- sel'l/eB the one to the other. Taking the titude, a.lludes to believers in Christ being former two clauses as has been proposed delivered-delivered by the coming in upon above, we can discern the force of the " for " the scene of e. new agent, "the Spirit of introducing this new clause. 'l'he e.postle life:" whereas, in the passage before us, having been by two several turns of thought he is describing the condition of believers led to ste.te, first that the flesh prompts in Christ, to whom now he.a been i.mpo.rted desires or action in opposition to the Spirit, this new power for doing what is good. In and then, as e. distinct sentence, that the these, "the mind" (Rom. vii. 25), powerless Spirit prompts desires or action in oppo- before to overcome the law of sin, is suc- sition to the flesh, he now conjoins the two coured by the presence of e. mighty Ally, several notions in the affirmation of the through whom, he intimates elsewhere, the mutual antagonistic agency of these two believer has it within his power to do all principles; "For these oppose themselves things (Phil. iv. 13). Many expositors, in- the one to the other." The verb a.vTl,mµ.a., cluding Bishop Lightfoot, take Yva. in the always denotes opposing action, and not prnsent clause as denoting simply the result mere contrariety of nature; being used o.s e. actually brought about; thus the Autho- participinl noun for" adversaries" or "op- rized Version, "so that ye cannot do the ponents" in Luke xiii.17; xxi.15; ICor.xvi. things that ye would." Whether this !) ; Phil. i. 28 ; 1 Tim. v. 14; and as e. verb sense, of result o.ctuo.lly produced, can be in 2 Thess. ii. 4 and 1 Tim. i. 10, to denote set- shown ever to attach to 1va. followed by the ting one's self in opposition to. This ale.use, subjunctive, is a question which has been therefore, describes the continual endeavour much debated. In 1 Thcss. v. 4, " Ye are of the flesh and of the Spirit to thwo.rt and not in darkness th11t (1va) the.t de.y shou!tl defeat each other's action in the hearts of overtake you as e. thief,'' the particle the persons spoken of. So tha.t ye cannot "that" points to the ordering of Divine do the things that ye would (1va. µ.'t, &. a,, providence spoken of in the two preceding BIA·,,.,,, Ta.iiTa. 1ro,;i'Te); to the end that what verses, tho.t they who are in do.rkness should things soever ye fain would do, those ye shall be taken by surprise by the coming of tho not do. Thie last clause describes the result dny of the Lord. It is certainly possible so aimed at by each of those conflicting prin- to understand the po.rticle here; the mu- ciples, namely, to thwart each of them the tually thwarting agency of the flesh o.nd volitions prompted by tho other. The the Spirit m11y be understood a.s lat.mtly ·worae remin<1 us of Rom. vii. 15, Oo -yo.p & o.ttributed to Divine providence orderin~ l'<Aw, 'Tu>To 1rpd.crcr111, "For not, what thing I th11t thus it ehOuld be. But this view wouhl 254 THE EPISTLE ,TO THE GALA'r!A.NS. [cu. v. 1-20.