The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 354

mocked." Whether the eelf-deception -riee from pride or cortuption of heart or from the pervereions of false teachel'II, some might lm&gine tha.t there would be n~ harveet after the present life ; others might suppose tha.t they would not reap the ea.me sort of 11eed they were sowing; othns, tha.t the harvest would have no relation to the degree or proportion or the goodness or badness of the seed. They are sternly wllrned not to deceive themselves. They might impose upon themselves. 'l'hat is all they can do. Goo is not mocked, either by a presumptuous neglect of a Divine command or with i:en·ices that are pretended and not real. JI. 'l'HERE IS A :NECESSARY OONNECTION BETWEEN THE SOWING AND THE REAPING, It. is impossible fo.r men to break the Divine order established in the uatUie of things. There is a sowing-time; there will be a reaping-time, The reaping will be as the "°"foll,", He that sows wheat will reap wheat; he that sows cockle will reap cockle, Nobody expects, after sowing wheat, to have a crop of thistles. So it is in the acts of human life. If a man sow the seeds of charity, the harvest will be a.nswernble both in kind and in degree. The actions of this life are as seed sown for the life to come. 'l'he tare-sower cannot expect wheat; for " whatsoever a man soweth; that shall ho also reap." III. 'J'rrE TWO SOWINGS AND THE TWO REAPINas. " He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." The flesh and the Spirit represent, as it were, two corn-fields, in which different kinds of seed a.re sown. The future and the present here stand in the strictest connection. 1. The sowing to the flesh. The flesh is the unregenerate natUie, Every act of life bas a distinct relation to the gratification of that nature. 'l'he idea. of the apostle is elsewhere represented in vivid phrase. The man who "sows to. the flesh" is he who " walks after the flesh" (Rom. viii. 4), who "minds the things of the flesh" (Rom. viii. 5), who is" in the flesh" (Rom. viii. 6), who·" lives-after the flesh," who "minds earthly things," who" fulfils the desires of the flesh and of the mind," who " presents his members unto sin as instruments of umighteousness" (Rom. vi.13). 2. The terrible ,,eapi,ng. We see pa.rt of the harvest in this life. We see drunkenness dogged by disease, idleness with rags. pride with scorn, and the ,rejection of· God-.by the belief of a lie. But the passage clearly points to the harvest at the. end of the world, when the seed germinates into corruption. This-is moral death (2 Pet. ii. 12; 1 Cor. iii. 17). "To be ca.ma.l.ly minded is death." Great in consequence will be the misery of man upon him. 3. The sowing t,o the Spirit.. All the acts of the.believer have relation to the l.ife of grace: he lays up treasnre in heaven ; the life created by, the Spirit can have no pause-it renounces self and lives to God. 4. The blesse,i reapi,ng. The harve,;t is everlasting life. 'l'he connection between the reaping and the sowing in the first case is that of desert ; the connection in this case is established by grace ; for, while " the wages of sin is death," " the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. vi. ~3). Though the harvest is everlasting _life to all sowers to the Spirit, it will not be the same to all; for" every one is to receivl! the things done in his body, &eeording to that he bath done, whether good or bad." , IV. CoNCLUBIONS. The passage suggests: L That we ought to have. a ~ue con- sideration to the import&nce of our present conduct. 2. That the hypocnte 1s a fool- who imaci.nes that he can sow to the flesh and yet reap" life everlasting." 3. That it is only.,by faith in Jesus Christ we shall ever be brought to cease sowing to the flesh and begin sowing to the Spirit. Ver. 9.-Encouragement f,o pe,1Je1Jtrance in well-doing. The apostle enlarges the compass of his exhortation so a.e to include well-doing in general. Consider- L WELL-OOn:G IS THE DUTY, THE DIGJIITY, THE DESTINY, OF BELIEVEBB, 1." We are, as G~s workma,'11,.ship, cren-ted unto good works." (Eph. ii. 10,) 2. It iB "good aT.d profitable to men" that believers should be careful to maintain good worh. These works a.re to be" maintained for necessary uses" ('l'itllB iii. 8, 14). 8. Tlv7, Me tofullow the e:cample of IJhrist, "who went about every day doing good" (Act,e x. 38), a~~ who 10 pointedly 1;,eclared tha.t it wa.s lawful to do well OD the 11abhe.th day (Matt. xu. 12). ll. Tm: JIIPOBTANCE OF PEBSEVEBANCE IN WELL-DODiG, •• Be not weary in well- doing." The same counsel he gives to the ThessaloniaDII (2 Thess. iii. 13). He does 11ot biDt ~ t the GalatiaDI were 0ot alrea4y doing goon • he 1Perely suggests tlult \hey on. VI. 1-18.] 'rHE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 321