The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 296

m contrast with those sine of strife and ma- a traotab~e.flpirit, complia.nt t.o.tho tenohiu•,i lignity noted bdore among the works of the of the D1vmo Wo1-d; COm(>. J.61!. ,.i. 21, "re• flesh, and tbercfore to point to peacefolness oeive with meekness the 1mple.l1ted word," i~ the Christian community. '.l'he two are and Pa. xxv. 9, " The meek, [Septuagint; vitally connecUld: the Spirit produces 1rp11•is] will he guide in judgment,. the meek peaoeful harmony among Christians by pro• (1rp\'•is) will he tench his way." In l\111tt, dncing in their minds, individually, a peace- xxiii, 23, "judgment, -meroy, a.nd faith," ful sense of harmony with God and a the term seems (comp. 111ice.h vi. 8) to rcrer compliancy in all things with his provi- to faith towruds God. In 1 'l'im. vh 11, dential appointments. This .zlesigned trust- "righteousness, godliness, • faith, , love, fulness towards God quells at their very patience, meekness," there is no reason for fountain-head those disturbances of passion interpreting it otherwise than a.s faith in 11,nd that inward fretting and impatience in God and his gospel; and if so, its colloca- reference to outward things, including the tion there with "love, -patience, meekness," behaviour of others, which are the main countenances us in taking it so here, where causes of strife. The interdependence be- it stands in e. very similar collocation. Comp, tween inward and outward peace is in- Eph. vi. 2S, " Peace be to the brethren,> e.nd dicated in 2 Cor. xiii. 11; Col. iii. 14, 15. love with fo.ith, from God, the Father and If " the peace of God rules, is arbitrator the Lord Jesus Christ.'' (fJpa.fJe{m), in om hearts" individually, if Ver. 2S.-Meekn.ess (-,;p'!-&T'lls). (On this, it " holds guard over our hearts and our see la.st note.) The humble submissiveness thoughts" (Phil. iv. 7), it cannot fail to to the teachings of •Divine revelation, •td produce and maintain harmony amongst us which ·this term .probably points, stands.in towards one another. LDI1g-Su1ferillg, gentle- contrast, with ,that self-reliant, hee.dl!trong ness, goodness (µ.a,cpo8ul',a., XPT/tTTOTO'/<, ..,,,.. impetuosity whioh in the: temperament of Bmtr-l,VT/); long-suffering, kindness, goodness. the .Celt is.apt.to hui:ry.him.into the ado:p~ These are actings of the all-comprising grace tion of novel ideas which hehe.e not ta.ken the of "love." For the two fust, oomp. I Cor. trouble seriously, to weigh.,, I~ may, how- xiii. 4, "Love suffereth long, is kind ever, stand in cmtitbesie to self-reliant arro- (1'a.1tpo8ul'i,, XP1JtTTE{,fTa.t); " wbile the third, gance in general. Temperance ('1"f1<pd.Teu1); "goodness," sums np the other e.etings of or, self-control. This stands opposed both to love enumerated in vers. 5 and 6 of the the, '\ fornico.tion, unclee.nnese, •,li!.sci'\'ions- se.me chapter. It is difficult to distinguish nees," and to the "drunkenness and revel- between xp11trTOT7/< and a.,,a.e.,q-t,V1/, except lings "before mentioned. Age.inst snoh there so far as that the former, which ·etymo- is.no ·Law (1Ca'Ta'TWV 'TOWlrr6Jv. ot!K ltT'T&,11&µ.os); logically means '' usableness,'' seems to against BIJ,()]& things- ,as these the Law iB not; signify more distinctly "sweetness of dis- or, there is no· Law . . As the, apostle does not position,'' "amiability,'' "a compliant will- write "against these things,": it seems that ingness to be serviceable to others." It is, he viewed the roregoing list of-graces as one however, repeatedly used by St. Paul of of samples only and not RB exhaustive 1 Gocl's benignity (Rom. iL 4; xi. 22; Eph. which fa.et is likewise indicated by the iL 7; Titus iii. 4), as a.')'a.0u,uv,,.,, also is by absence of the copulative conjunction (cf. many thought to be in 2 These. i. 11, which 1\10.tt. xv. 19); so that Ha.Ta. Tfiw To,o,',,,-.,, last point, however, is very questionable. represents "and things the like to these ; This latter term, a.;,etBr,,trvv71, OCCU?'B besides in against which,'' etc. lf'we render, with the Rom. xv. 14 and Eph. v. 9, as e. very wide Authorized Version," there is no Le.w,'1.;wo description of human goodness, apparently must suppose still that the apostle means in the sense of active benevolence. Faith that the Law which, e:U along he· ho.s ,been (1r,,,.nr); faith or faithfulness. It is dis- speaking of, is -in particular "not age.inst puted in what precise 8hade of meaning them." "Against;" e.e in eh. iii. 21. The Law the apostle here nses this term. The sense finds nothing to condemn in these things, of "fidelity,'' which beyond question it and therefore no ground for oondemning bears in Titus ii 10, seems out of place, those who live in the practice of them; tbe when we consider the particular evils which same idea. as is more explicitly brought out 11,!'e now in his eye as existing or in danger in Rom. viii. 1-,-4. '!'here is o. tone of of arising in the Galatia.n Churches. Belief meiosis, of suppressed trinmp~ in• this sen- in the gospel suits this requirement per- tence. "Who Hhe.11 Jay a.nything, to the fectly, and presents us with the apparently charge of God's chosen once?" needed contrast to the "heresies" of ver. 20. Ver. 24.-,And they that are Christ's (ol Bt lf this sense seems not to be favoured by the ,,-oii Xp,uToii !l17troii [Receptus' omits 'l71troii}; immediate neighbourhood on -0ne side of now they that ·ara of the 0/1rlst Jesus. The •• .kindness " and " goodness," it is, however. expression, 6_Xp1u1"os 'l11troiis is not e. common q\llie coherent with the " meekneBB " on the one. It occurs besides in Eph. iii. 1, ..-oii i,aer, if we understand by this latter term Xp1trToii 'l17troii, where, however, os indeed Olt. v. 1-26.] THE EPISTLE TO 'l;HE •GALATIANS. 263