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15. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that be not consumed one of another.

A blessed call is this indeed to the enjoyment of Christian liberty, exempting you from burdensome, profitless bondage to defunct Judaism, and introducing you (if you will) into the freedom of the sons of God, through Christ. Only beware lest ye pervert this liberty into an occasion and temptation to the flesh. Rather let it be enjoyed under the demands and the regulating influences of real love. The only noble, blessed life is the serving of each other in true love. Then ye are self-blessed and a blessing to others to the utmost extent of your power. For the supreme moral law given of God to man is summarily comprised in this one precept: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," which implies that ye estimate his happiness as ye do your own, and set your heart to promote it, even as ye do your own. Even through Moses, God gave his law this concise and beautiful form (Lev. 19: 18). Jesus put the substance of the second table of the decalogue in the same terms (Matt. 22: 39), and Paul to the Romans (13: 9) still repeats the same incomparable words. This standard of measurement is always near and well enough known-the love we bear ourselves. Such love, therefore, is what the law requires of us toward our neighbor; which implies that we rejoice in his good as we are wont to in our own; take his interests into account as we do our own; are careful never to infringe upon them, more than upon our own, and love to labor for his welfare as we love to work for our own.- -It is very easy to believe, indeed, it is impossible to doubt that this is the real spirit of the heavenly world; the sort of love and the measure of the love that reigns eternally there, and makes that world of love a world of pure and perfect blessedness.- -But if a spirit totally opposite to this be indulged; if, giving full scope to selfishness, ye are biting and devouring your neighbors, take heed lest ye be consumed by each other. Mutual biting and devouring must end in this the utter ruin of society; the utter wreck of human happiness! It comes in the end to social cannibalism-men preying upon each other, till nothing more remains to devour.

16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill 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 can not do the things that ye would.

18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

This I would say to you most emphatically: Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall in nowise fulfill the lusts of the flesh. This will save you from the power of your fleshly lusts. For the Spirit of God and the flesh of man are antagonistic forces, each working against the other;—the Spirit of God inspiring love; the flesh of

man inspiring hate, selfishness-all low and base passions. These lie against each other in hostile attitude (so the Greek word signifies) to the result that ye do not what ye would-so that the reason why your good purposes and endeavors so often fail is to be found in this counter-working of human flesh against God's Spirit. -If ye were indeed thoroughly led by the Spirit, ye would not be condemned under the law. This I take to be the apostle's meaning. I judge he can not mean to deny that Christians, however holy, are still subject to the demands of the divine law. The clause must be interpreted in harmony with Paul's often expressed views as to the law of God, which everywhere assert its authority over human souls; e. g., in v. 14 above. Moreover, this clause should be placed by the side of the declaration in this very context (v. 23)," Against such there is no law" -no law condemns such "fruits of the Spirit."

What it is to "walk in the Spirit," it becomes supremely vital to understand and to put continually in practice. It assumes that we labor to learn the mind of the Spirit; that we study his will in his word; that we hold the heart joyfully open to his gentlest monitions; that we never resist his manifest teachings; that we reverently honor his mission and count it our supreme blessedness to be perpetually taught and led of him.

19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20. Idolatry, withcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

This enumeration should not be taken as exhaustive, including all possible "works of the flesh," but rather as giving specimens for illustration, selecting the most prevalent then and there.These vices and such as these are "works of the flesh"-works to which man's fleshly impulses impel him. They are the result of passions and appetites, working without restraint and control. The oldest textual authorities omit "adultery;" yet none can question that this is one of the perpetual works of the flesh. Fornication" was fearfully prevalent in those regions of Asia, of which prevalence we have incidental proof in the fact that it is specially condemned in the decision of the great Jerusalem Council (Acts 15: 20) in a document which names no other one of the vices grouped together here as works of the flesh."

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I forewarn you now, as I have heretofore, that those who do such things shall never inherit the pure kingdom of God. The Revelator John, in his description of the heavenly city, makes this fact intensely emphatic (Rev. 21: 8, 27 and 22: 15). So by the very nature of the case it must forever be.

22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. While the effects attributed to the flesh are works," those begotten of the Spirit are "fruits." Works presuppose no other agency; the base man's fleshly_appetites are directly the doers; himself alone is responsible. But to express the qualities born in human souls of the Spirit, the word "fruits" is better, being more suggestive of influences from without himself;-culture and inspiration of which the blessed Spirit of God is the sole author. All moral good in lost souls comes from Him; let all glory be his alone, forever!

Of these fruits "love" stands legitimately first-love, the center and inspiring force of all the rest, evermore leading the whole train of Christian graces.-"Joy" comes next fitly as the legitimate outcome of love. Never can there be love without joy as its effect in the soul. All true love is joyous. "Peace" should perhaps be taken here, not specially in its relation to God-the peace of mind Godward which does indeed "pass all understanding;" but rather in contrast with the "works of the flesh" named above-peace in society; peace in the social harmony of loving souls in all their most common relations-totally unlike the wrath, strife, collisions, quarrels, which fill so large a place in the category of "works of the flesh."-Of the rather unusual word translated "meekness," Ellicott says: Something more than non-irascibility toward men, viz., a deep submission toward God, and having its seat in the inner spirit.' 'Temperance (as usual in the epistles) in the broad sense of controlling all the fleshly appetites and passions; and by no means restricted to that special appetite which craves alcoholic stimulants. Not temperance therefore in our technical sense exclusively, but in the much broader sense of self-mastery in general-the subjection of every fleshly appetite to the rule of reason, conscience, and God.Such fruits and those in whom they appear, no law condemns. They are in harmony with all good law;- -never in opposition.

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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 vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.

"Have crucified"-not merely intend, resolve, endeavor, to do this; but have done it. They who are "of Christ Jesus"—who belong to him as his adopted sons and daughters, and who consequently submit themselves to Him to be led by his indwelling Spirit-all these have crucified the flesh, i. e., in the special sense of subjugating, slaying unto death, its vile affections and lusts. They have renounced the dominion of those propensities and have disowned allegiance to those masters, and have put them

selves under the dominion of Christ through his Spirit. To this they are mightily drawn by their love for the Crucified One.

"If we live in the Spirit," he being the author and source of our spiritual life, peace, and joy, then let us walk also in that Spirit, conforming all our activities-internal and external-to his will. The verb for walk is somewhat stronger than the other word more often used for walking about, inasmuch as it carries the accessory sense of walking by rule, conforming one's self to a definite standard; in the present case, the revealed will or law of the Spirit. Such is the sense of the same verb in Gal. 6: 16As many as walk according to this rule," etc.

Be not vainglorious," the besetting sin of Pharisaism, and therefore, no doubt, manifested forcibly by those Judaizing emissaries. The outcome of such ambition for human glory would be mutual provocation in the case of the superior class; envy in the bosoms of the inferior. Ambition for pre-eminence as it sometimes manifests itself in religious circles is an insidious and terrible poison, often showing itself in detraction, evil-speaking, or in envy and jealousy-all most unlike the "fruits of the Spirit."

CHAPTER VI.

Various admonitions and counsels-as to treatment of the erring (v. 1); bearing each other's burdens (v. 2); modest self-estimation (v. 3); based on true self-knowledge (v. 4); since every man must bear his own moral responsibility (v. 5); the taught should share earthly good with their teachers (v. 6); and all remember that the reaping will be as the sowing (v. 7, 8); for the fruitage of well-doing is sure (v. 9); and not least, as to those of the faith (v. 10); the motives and spirit of their Judaizing teachers noticed (v. 22, 13); in contrast with the nobler spirit of the apostle (v. 14); which illustrates wherein lies the gospel's power (v. 15). Benedictions (vs. 16-18) close this epistle.

1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

"Overtaken" suggests pursuit by an enemy-a victim hunted down and caught at last in a moment of weakness, weariness, or unwatchfulness. There may be force in the apology-"The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.". "Ye who are spiritual"-but who "the spiritual" are, is sometimes strangely misapprehended. Paul has given the unmistakable clew to his meaning in his description (5: 22, 23) of "the fruits of the Spirit." "The spiritual" are the men of love and peace-the men whose souls have real sympathy with their tempted, faltering brethren, and

who have, moreover, such a sense of their own frailty that they can feel the force of the motive-" Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Let such men set themselves to restore their erring brethren, and do it in the spirit of meekness-not making much display of condescension, but rather in all modesty and genuine humility.

2. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill 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. 5. For every man shall bear his own burden.

The thoughtful reader of the authorized version will notice an apparent discrepancy between "bearing one another's burdens," and every man's bearing his own";-the former an injunction; the latter, a fact; for how should it be our duty to bear other men's burdens if really every man must bear his own?-Paul's Greek has a common word for bearing, but not for " 'burden"-a fact which suggests that the "burden" in the two cases is by no means the same. The context suggests a similar explanation. The "burdens" in v. 2 ("bear ye one another's burdens") are those of moral weakness, and doubtless also of physical infirmity, such as call legitimately for Christian sympathy. Such sympathy the law of Christ enjoins: "A new commandment I give unto you— that ye love one another" (John 13: 34). Also, "That we should love one another as he gave us commandment" (1 John 3: 23). See the same precept expanded by Paul (Rom. 13: 8, 10 and 15: 1). -Such bearing of one another's burdens is therefore most legitimate, and pre-eminently Christian, by the law of Christ.

It should be noticed that v. 3 begins logically with "for"-the logical connection being, supposably, this: This law of Christian sympathy fails to take hold of proud, self-conceited souls. Poor men! They know not what spirit they are of—for if a man, being really nothing, thinks himself to be something, he simply deceives himself. He makes a supreme mistake. The really noble qualities of character are love overflowing always in Christian sympathy; but of these qualities, his self-conceited soul knows nothing. All that is really great and noble in character, he utterly lacks.- -Hence follows a new exhortation. Let every man prove his own work-his own doings, and do this on the basis of what they are in themselves in broad distinction from judging of himself by comparison with others, setting his own better doings over against their worse. Such " comparing themselves among themselves Paul holds to be not wise (2 Cor. 10: 12). So here; If a man will prove himself by what himself actually is, he may have ground for rejoicing found in himself alone, and not drawn from comparison with "the other" as Paul's words have it.

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