But the fruit of the Spirit
Not of nature or man's free will, as corrupted by sin, for no
good fruit springs from thence; but either of the internal
principle of grace, called the Spirit, ( Galatians
5:17 ) or rather of the Holy Spirit, as the Ethiopic version
reads it; the graces of which are called "fruit", and not
"works", as the actions of the flesh are; because they are owing
to divine influence efficacy, and bounty, as the fruits of the
earth are, to which the allusion is; and not to a man's self, to
the power and principles of nature; and because they arise from a
seed, either the incorruptible seed of internal grace, which
seminally contains all graces in it, or the blessed Spirit, who
is the seed that remains in believers; and because they are in
the exercise of them acceptable unto God through Christ, and are
grateful and delightful to Christ himself, being "his pleasant
fruits"; which as they come from him, as the author of them, they
are exercised on him as the object of them, under the influence
of the Spirit; and because they are profitable to them that are
possessed of them, seeing the promise of this life and that which
is to come is annexed to them; and the good works which are done
in consequence of them are profitable to men: once more, as the
works of the flesh are the unfruitful works of darkness, and make
men so, and therefore cannot be called fruit properly; these, as
they are fruits, and are rightly and properly so called, so they
make men fruitful, and to abound in divine things, and are as
follow:
Love.
This the apostle begins with, it being the fulfilling of the law,
the bond of perfectness, and without which a profession of
religion is insignificant; it may be understood of love to God,
of which every man's heart is destitute, being enmity against
God, until regenerated by the Spirit of God; when he sheds abroad
the love of God in the heart, and which is the ground and reason
of any man's truly loving God: and also of love to Christ, which
the natural man feels nothing of till the spirit of wisdom and
revelation, in the knowledge of Christ, opens his eyes to see the
loveliness of his person, the suitableness of his grace,
righteousness, and fulness, and the necessity of looking to him
for life and salvation; and likewise of love to the saints, which
a carnal man is a stranger to, until he is renewed by the Holy
Ghost, who in regenerating him teaches him to love the brethren;
and which is the evidence of his having passed from death to
life, through the mighty power of his grace. Moreover, love to
the house and worship of God, to the truths and ordinances of the
Gospel, all which men have naturally an aversion to, may be
included in this first fruit of the Spirit: the next follows,
which is
joy,
even that which is in the Holy Ghost, and has him for its author.
The object of it is God, not as an absolute God, but as a
covenant God and Father in Christ; as the God of salvation, as
clothing with the robe of his Son's righteousness, and as
pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin, full atonement being
made by the sacrifice of Christ; who also is the object of this
joy in his person, fulness, righteousness, offices, relations,
and when beheld, embraced, and enjoyed in a way of communion.
This joy, likewise, which is the produce of the Spirit, lies in
spiritual things, and arises from an apprehension or good hope of
interest in them, as justification, pardon, peace, adoption, and
eternal glory; and is peculiar to such who have the Spirit, for a
stranger intermeddles not with this joy, nor can he form any
judgment of it, and is even unspeakable by the believer himself.
Moreover, joy in the good of others, of fellow creatures and
fellow Christians, in their outward and inward prosperity, in
their temporal, spiritual, and eternal good, which, as it is a
grace of the Spirit, may well enough be thought to be at least
part of the sense of the word here; since it follows upon, and is
joined with love, and stands between that and
peace,
which is another fruit of the Spirit: and designs peace with God
in a man's own conscience, produced there by the Spirit of God,
in consequence of peace being made by the blood of Christ; and
that through the application of the blood of Christ for pardon,
and of his righteousness for justification to the soul of a
sensible sinner by the blessed Spirit, the effect of which is
peace, quietness, and tranquillity of mind; also peace with men,
with the saints, and with all others; for such who are under a
work of the Spirit of God, and are influenced and led by him,
seek after the things which make for peace and edification among
the brethren, and are desirous if possible to live peaceably with
all men: hence appears another grace in them,
longsuffering;
which intends not so much a patient waiting for good things to
come, for more grace, and for glory, through the Spirit; but a
patient bearing and enduring of present evils with joyfulness,
being strengthened by the Spirit with all might, according to his
glorious power; being slow to anger, ready to forgive injuries,
put up with affronts, and bear with, and forbear one another: and
which is usually accompanied with gentleness, humanity,
affability, courteousness, shown both in words, gestures, and
actions; in imitation of the gentleness of Christ, and agreeably
to that wisdom, that heavenly doctrine of the Gospel, which,
among other things, is said to be gentle, and easy to be
entreated. To which is added
goodness;
and what else can come from the good Spirit of God, the author of
the good work of grace upon the soul? and which disposes it to
acts of goodness unto men, in a natural, civil, moral, spiritual,
and evangelic way, for the benefit both of soul and body; and
which must here be understood, and which is well pleasing to God
when done in the exercise of the following grace,
faith;
for though fidelity, both in words and actions, which is very
ornamental to the Gospel, and a profession of religion may be
meant; yet faith in Christ is not to be excluded, as it is
generally by interpreters; for this is not of a man's self, nor
have all men it: it is a gift of God, the operation of his power,
and the work of his Spirit, whence he is styled the spirit of
faith; and which therefore must have a place among his fruits;
and which lies and shows itself in believing in Christ for
salvation, in embracing the doctrines of the Gospel, and making a
profession of them, which is called the profession of faith; all
which, when right, comes from the Spirit of God.