TEXT. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. PARAPHRASE. 14 ing our duty to others, is fulfilled in observing this one pre15 ceptb; "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." But, if you bite and tear one another, take heed that you be not de16 stroyed and consumed by one another. This I say to you, conduct yourselves by the light that is in your minds, and do not give yourselves up to the lusts of the flesh, to obey them, 17 in what they put upon you. For the inclinations and desires of the flesh are contrary to those of the Spirit: and the dictates and inclinations of the Spirit are contrary to those of the flesh; so that, under these contrary impulses, you do not do the 18 things that you purpose to yourselvesd. But if you give NOTES. το ἐλευθερία, freedom. And so the apostle elegantly informs them, that though, by the Gospel, they are called to a state of liberty from the law; yet they were still as much bound and subjected to their brethren, in all the offices and duties of love and good-will, as if, in that respect, they were their vassals and bondmen. 14 Lev. xix. 18. 16 That which he here, and in the next verse, calls Spirit, he calls, Rom. vii. 22, the inward man; ver. 23, the law of the mind; ver. 25, the mind. 17 d Do not; so it is in the Greek, and ours is the only translation that I know, which renders it cannot. 16, 17 There can be nothing plainer, than that the state St. Paul describes here, in these two verses, he points out more at large, Rom. vii. 17, &c. speaking there in the person of a Jew. This is evident, that St. Paul supposes two principles in every man, which draw him different ways; the one he calls Flesh, the other Spirit. These, though there be other appellations given them, are the most common and usual names given them in the New Testament: by flesh, is meant all those vicious and irregular appetites, inclinations, and habitudes, whereby a man is turned from his obedience to that eternal law of right, the observance whereof God always requires, and is pleased with. This is very properly called flesh, this bodily state being the source, from which all our deviations from the straight rule of rectitude do for the most part take their rise, or else do ultimately terminate in: on the other side, spirit is the part of a man, which is endowed with light from God, to know and see what is righteous, just, and good, and which, being consulted and hearkened to, is always ready to direct and prompt us to that which is good. The flesh then, in the Gospel language, is that principle, which inclines and carries men to ill; the spirit, that principle which dictates what is right, and inclines to good. But because, by prevailing VOL. VIII. F TEXT. 18 But if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such-like: of the which 1 tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they PARAPHRASE. yourselves up to the conduct of the Gospel, by faith in Christ, 19 ye are not under the lawf. Now the works of the flesh, as is manifest, are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasci20 viousness, Idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, quarrels, emula21 tions, animosities, strife, seditions, sects, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: concerning which I forewarn you now, as heretofore I have done, that they who NOTES. custom, and contrary habits, this principle was very much weakened, and almost extinct in the Gentiles, see Eph. iv. 17-21, he exhorts them to "be renewed in the spirit of their minds," ver. 23, and to "put off the old man," i. e. fleshly corrupt habits, and to put on the new man," which he tells them, ver. 24, "is created in righteousness and true holiness." This is called "renewing of the mind," Rom. xii. 2. "Renewing of the inward man," 2 Cor. iv. 16. Which is done by the assistance of the Spirit of God, Eph. iii. 16. 18 The reason of this assertion we may find, Rom. viii. 14, viz. Because, "they who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God," and so heirs, and free without the law, as he argues here, chap. iii. and iv. This is plainly the sense of the apostle, who teaches all along in the former part of this epistle, and also that to the Romans, that those, who put themselves under the Gospel, are not under the law: the question, then, that remains is only about the phrase, "led by the Spirit." And as to that, it is easy to observe how natural it is for St. Paul, having in the foregoing verses more than once mentioned the Spirit, to continue the same word, though somewhat varied in the sense. In St. Paul's phraseology, as the irregularities of appetite, and the dictates of right reason, are opposed under the titles of Flesh and Spirit, as we have seen: so the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, law, and Gospel, are opposed under the titles of Flesh and Spirit. 2 Cor. iii. 6, 8, he calls the Gospel Spirit; and Rom. vii. 5, in the flesh, signifies in the legal state. But we need go no further than chap. iii. 3, of this very epistle, to see the law and the Gospel opposed by St. Paul, under the titles of Flesh and Spirit. The reason of thus using the word Spirit is very apparent in the doctrine of the New Testament, which teaches, that those who receive Christ by faith, with him receive his Spirit, and its assistance against the flesh; see Rom. viii. 9-11. Accordingly, for the attaining salvation, St. Paul joins together belief of the truth, and sanctification of the Spirit, 2 Thess. ii. 13. And so Spirit, here, may be taken for "the Spirit of their minds," but renewed and strengthened by the Spirit of God; see Eph. iii. 16, and iv. 23. 20 & Φαρμακεία signifies witchcraft, or poisoning. 21 η Κῶμοι, Revellings, were, amongst the Greeks, disorderly spending of the night in feasting, with a licentious indulging to wine, good cheer, music, dancing, &c. TEXT. which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle ness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: again such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another. PARAPHRASE. 22 do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But, on the other side, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, sweetness of disposition, beneficence, faithful23 ness, Meekness, temperance: against these and the like there 24 is no law. Now they who belong to Christ, and are his members, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts 25 thereof. If our life then (our flesh having been crucified) be, as we profess, by the Spirit, whereby we are alive from that state of sin we were dead in before, let us regulate our lives 26 and actions by the light and dictates of the Spirit. Let us not be led, by an itch of vain-glory, to provoke one another, or to envy one another1. NOTES. 24 ἱ Οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, “Those who are of Christ," are the same "with those, who are led by the Spirit," ver. 18, and are opposed to "those, who live after the flesh," Rom. viii. 13, where it is said, conformably to what we find here, "they, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body." "Crucified the flesh." That principle in us, from whence spring vicious inclinations and actions, is, as we have observed above, called sometimes the Flesh, sometimes the Old Man. The subduing and mortifying of this evil principle, so that the force and power, wherewith it used to rule in us, is extinguished, the apostle, by a very engaging accommodation to the death of our Saviour, calls "Crucifying the old man, Rom. vi. 6, Crucifying the flesh, here. "Putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, Col. ii. 11. Putting off the old man, Eph. iv. 22. Col. iii. 8, 9. It is also called, Mortifying the members which are on earth, Col. iii. 5. Mortifying the deeds of the body,” Rom. viii. 13. 26 Whether the vain-glory and envying, here, were about their spiritual gifts, a fault which the Corinthians were guilty of, as we may see at large, 1 Cor. xii. 13, 14, or upon any other occasion, and so contained in ver. 26 of this chapter, I shall not curiously examine: either way, the sense of the words will be much the same, and accordingly this verse must end the 5th, or begin the 6th chapter. SECTION XII. CHAPTER VI. 1-5. CONTENTS. He here exhorts the stronger to gentleness and meekness towards the weak. TEXT. 1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. PARAPHRASE. 1 Brethren, if a man, by frailty or surprise, fall into a fault, do you, who are eminent in the church for knowledge, practice, and gifts, raise him up again, and set him right with gentleness and meekness, considering that you yourselves 2 are not out of the reach of temptations. Bear with one another's infirmities, and help to support each other under your 3 burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if any one be conceited of himself, as if he were something, a man of weight, fit to prescribe to others, when indeed he is not, he deceiveth 4 himself. But let him take care that what he himself doth be right, and such as will bear the test, and then he will have NOTES. 1 – Πνευματικοί, Spiritual, in 1 Cor. iii. 1, and xii. 1, taken together, has this sense. 2b See a parallel exhortation, 1 Thess. v. 14, which will give light to this, as also Rom. xv. 1. See John xiii. 34, 35, and xiv. 2. There were some among them very zealous for the observation of the law of Moses; St. Paul, here, puts them in mind of a law which they were under, and were obliged to observe, viz. "the law of Christ." And he shows them how to do it, viz. by helping to bear one another's burdens, and not increasing their burdens, by the observances of the levitical law. Though the Gospel contain the law of the kingdom of Christ, yet I do not remember that St. Paul any where calls it "the law of Christ," but in this place ; where he mentions it, in opposition to those, who thought a law so necessary, that they would retain that of Moses, under the Gospel. TEXT. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. PARAPHRASE. 5 matter of gloryingd in himself, and not in another. For every one shall be accountable only for his own actions. NOTE. 4 – Καύχημα, I think, should have been translated here, Glorying, as Καυχήσωνίαι is ver. 13, the apostle in both places meaning the same thing, viz. glorying in another, in having brought him to circumcision, and other ritual observances of the Mosaical law. For thus St. Paul seems to me to discourse, in this section : "Brethren, there be some among you, that would bring others under the ritual observances of the Mosaical law, a yoke, which was too heavy for us and our fathers to bear. They would do much better to ease the burdens of the weak; this is suitable to the law of Christ, which they are under, and is the law, which they ought strictly to obey. If they think, because of their spiritual gifts, that they have power to prescribe in such matters, I tell them, that they have not, but do deceive themselves. Let them rather take care of their own particular actions, that they be right, and such as they ought to be. This will give them matter of glorying in themselves, and not vainly in others, as they do, when they prevail with them to be circumcised. For every man shall be answerable for his own actions." Let the reader judge, whether this does not seem to be St. Paul's view here, and suit with his way of writing. Ἐχειν καύχημα is a phrase whereby St. Paul signifies " to have matter of glorying," and to that sense it is rendered, Rom. iv. 2. ! SECTION XIII. CHAPTER VI. 6-10. CONTENTS. St. Paul having laid some restraint upon the authority and forwardness of the teachers, and leading men amongst them, who were, as it seems, more ready to impose on the Galatians what they should not, than to help them forward in the practice of Gospel-obedience; he here takes care of them, in respect of their maintenance, and exhorts the Galatians to liberality towards them, and, in general, towards all men, especially Christians. |