then fome to any of you, not that we might not have held ourselves excufed from bodily labour, while we were engaged in your service, by preaching the gospel to you, but we chose to fet you an example of industry and independence; and when we were with you we observed, that if any man refused to work, he did not deserve to eat. For we are informed that fome among you live an idle diforderly life, minding no bufinefs of their own, and officiously meddling with that of others. All fuch perfons we commend in the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that they patiently fubmit to honest labour, and live by their own industry. Be not weary of this la bour, or of any thing that is your duty, and if any continue fill difobedient to our admonition, avoid their fociety, that they may be ashamed, but do not abandon them entirely, but endeavour to reclaim them as brethren, tho' their conduct be in this refpect unworthy of their relation to you. And now may the author of all good grant you all kinds of happinefs at all times, and may his prefence be ever with you. I fhall conclude this epiftle with my usual falutation, written with my own hand, fo as, to prevent any impo pofition, and I propofe to do so in all my future epifles. May all the bleffings of the gofpel attend you. Amen. VOL. IV. D NOTES NOTES ON THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. THE apoftle Paul had preached the gof pel in Galatia' (a part of Asia Minor inhabited by Gauls, who had invaded this country and fettled in it, about two hundred and fifty years before Chrift) during his fecond apoftolical progrefs, A. D 50. Thence he pro ceeded to Corinth, where he continued two years, and probably before he left that place, or about A. D. 53, he wrote this epifle. The occafion of it was, that fome Jewish chriftians, zealous for the law of Mofes, had, in the absence of the apoftle, who appears not to have made a long stay in the country, fo as fully to confirm them in the knowledge of the gospel, taught them that it was necessary for all chriftians to conform to the laws of Mofes, and had probably alledged, that the principal apostles, fuch as Peter, James and John, had infifted upon it, and that only Paul, whofe apostleship was queftionable, taught any other doctrine. On this account he begins with infifting largely upon his authority as an apoftle, as equal to that of Peter, or any other, fince he received his knowledge of the gospel from Chrift himself in perfon, and he reafons largely on the freedom of the Gentile converts from the ceremonial law of Moles, and on the great impro priety, and danger, of impofing it upon them. But it by no means follows from any thing that the apoftle here obferves, that the Jewish chriftians were authorized to abandon their law, and difcontinue the practice of circumciling, facrificing, &c. This law was imposed upon the Jews by the most express divine appointment, and we have no account of their being releafed from it by the same divine authority, which alone was fufficient for the purpose. Ch. I. 1. i. e. Not deriving my mission from other apostles, or even from God by their appointment, but from Jefus Christ himself, and confequently from God his Father. Here again you fee how Jefus Chrift is diftinguished from God, to whom he was fubordinate, and by whofe power, and not his own, he was raised from the dead. 6. It was about three years from his planting the churches of Galatia to his writing this letter. 7. i. e. A gospel with other terms of falvation than that which I preached unto you, befides which there can be no other. 9. i. e. Let him be no longer confidered as a chrifti. an, but be regarded in the fame light as if he had abandoned the profeffion of chriflianity. 10. Do I perfuade God or men not to be difpleafed with me. i. e. Do I fudy to pleafe God or man? 12. It was peculiar to the apoftle Paul to have received both his knowledge of the gofpel, and his commiffion to be an apofile, from Christ himself in person, after his afcenfion. 16. i. e.With man. D 2 19 This 19. This James, from his refiding all his life time in Jerufalem, is often confidered as the bishop of that place. None of the apolles, however, were properly bishops of any particular place, but had a general superintendance over all chriftian churches wherever they went. It is therefore abfurd in the popes to pretend to derive their authority from Peter, as if he had been the first bishop of Rome. 21, Probably Tarfus in Cilicia, the place of Paul's nativity. I Paul, conflituted an apostle, neither mediately nor immediately by man, but by Jefus Christ himself, and by God his Father, who confirmed his miffion by raifing him from the dead, together with all the brethren who are with me, addrefs this epiftle to the chriftian churches in Galatia. May you enjoy all favour and bleffing from God the Father, and especially those which he has bestowed up. on mankind by Jefus Chrift, the object of whofe mifiion was to deliver us from in, and all the vices of the world, according to the gracious defigns of God, to whom be glory for ever and ever, amen. I cannot help expreffing my furprise that you should be fo foon alienated in your affections from me, who planted the gospel among you, and that you have in fact embraced a quite different gofpel, tho' in truth there can be no other that is genuine, and they who have cre. ated this disturbance, have perverted the genuine gof pel. pel. However, should I myself, or an angel from hea ven, preach any other gofpel than that which I first preached unto you, let him be anathema. I fay again, if any man preach among you any other gofpel, let him be excommunicated, or cut off from the fociety of chriftians. Do you imagine that it is my object to recommend my felf to men or to God, or that my conduct is calculated to please men, especially the judaizing teachers whofe influence is fo great in the chriftian church. If that was my object, I could not be the fervant of Jofus Chrift. Be affured, my brethren, that the gospel which I first preached to you was no human invention, which you are at liberty to abandon, or alter. I did not learn it of any man, but received it by immediate commission from Jefus Chrift. This you may eafily conclude from my hiftory. You have been informed that I was educated in the Aricteft principles of the Jewish religion, and my zeal for it was fuch, as led me to perfecute the church of Chrift; and in this, and every other mark of zeal for my religion, I exceeded all perfons of my age and nation, and extended my zeal even beyond the law of Mofes, to the traditions of our elders. But when it pleafed God, the author of my being, to grant me the fpecial favour of calling me to the faith of Chrift, and to appoint me to preach the glad tidings of the gospel to the Gentiles, I did not apply to any man for inftruction. I did not even return to Jerufalem, to confer or advise with those who were apofles before me, but I went to preach in Arabia, and then returned to Damaf |