28 Sect. 3.

Gal. II. 6.

7

8

9

to the Gentiles.

The other Apoftles owned his Miffion to

cepteth no Man's Perfon :) for they who feemed to be Somewhat, in Conference added nothing to me.

7 But contrariwife, when they faw that the Gospel of

the

was

the Uncircumcifion committed unto me, as the

Gospel of the Circumcifion was unto Peter:

called me as well as them to the Apoftle-
fhip, accepteth no Men's Perfon, fo as out
of partial Favour to conftitute him Su-
pream in his Church and Lord of his
Brethren, but employs whom he will to
be Apoftles
and qualifies them for it in
what Way he pleases; as it is manifeft he
hath done with Reference to me,) for
they who were of greatest Note and Repu-
tation, when I engaged in Conference with
them, added nothing further to me, nor were
capable of informing me of any Thing
which I had not before fully learned by
immediate Revelation from Chrift. But
on the contrary, far from pretending to
give me any new Inftructions, or to in-
veft me with any new Powers, they re-
cognized my full Title to the Apoftleship
in all its Extent; and plainly feeing, that
I was intrufted with the chief Manage-
ment and Direction of the Gospel of the
Uncircumcifion, or of the Miffion to
the Gentiles, as Peter was [with that]
which was especially directed to thofe of
the Circumcifion; (For indeed it was
very apparent, that he who wrought fo ef-
fectually in Peter, to qualify him for the
Apoflefhip of the Circumcifion, wrought ef-
fectually alfo by the fame miraculous Pow-
ers and Endowments in me, to fit me
for my Miffion to the Gentiles: My
worthy Affociates in this high Office fee
ing this, and knowing the Grace that was
given to me, and how remarkably I was
furnished for the great Work in which I
was engaged by the extraordinary Favour
I had received from Chrift, James and
Cephas and John, who appeared to be, and
were indeed, the Pillars of the Church,
on which that at Jerufalem efpecially reft-leg of died path to

2

ed,

8 (For he that wrought

effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the Circumcifion, the fame was mighty in me towards the Gentiles :)

9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who feemed to be Pillars, perceived the Grace that was given

unto

1879 F

and approved of his preaching to them.

WA

29

Gal. II, 9.

ed, as the great Ornament and Support of Sect. 3.
it under Chrift, and on whofe pious Labours
and wife Conduct fo much of the Interest of
the Gospel in general depended, willingly
gave to me and Barnabas my Companion
the Right Hands, in Token of receiving us
into full Fellowship and Apoftleship with
them; that we [might go] and preach, as
we had done before, to the Gentiles, where-
ever it should please the great Head of
the Church to direct us; and that they for
the prefent would continue their Endea-
vours to promote Christianity among thofe
of the Circumcifion (b), till the whole Har-
veft of the Jews in thofe Parts fhould be
gathered in: Only [they propofed that we
fhould be mindful of the poor Chriftians in
Judea, fo as to make Collections in their
Favour, as we proceeded in our Progrefs
through the Gentile Churches; which
very Thing I alfo of my own Accord was
forward to do with all the Diligence I
could, from the fincere Affection I had
for them, and the Concern I had for
their Encouragement and Support under
the frequent Sufferings they endured from
their oppreffive and rapacious Enemies.

IMPROVEMENT.

ARM and eager as the Temper of St. Paul naturally was, it must certainly give us great Pleasure to obferve, in how prudent and steady a Manner he conducted himself, when once engaged in the facred Work of the Chriftian Miniftry and Apostle

Ship.

(b) They for the prefent would continue, &c.] I exprefs it with this Caution, because there is no Reason to believe, that the Labours of Peter, James, and John were entirely appropriated to thofe of the Circumcifion; as on the other Hand we are affured, that those of the Apostle Paul were not confined to the uncircumcised Gentiles; for we often find him preaching to the Jews, and indeed where-ever he came, he propofed the Gofpel in the firft Place to them.

ΙΟ

30

Reflections on the Conduct of the Apostle Paul.

Sect. 2. fhip. With what Integrity and Refolution did he behave on the one Hand, that he would not give Place for an Hour to the falfe Ver. 3-5 Brethren, who had flipped in among his Converts, to spy cut and

Ver. 2.

fubvert their Liberty? And on the other, with what Caution, that he might not fruftrate the Purposes of his own Ministry, by carrying that which was in general the Caufe of Truth, of Liberty and Justice, to an Excefs? Thus alfo let us act, holding the Truth in Love and in Prudence, and labouring to do all the Good we can with as little Offence as poffible.

While we are contending for the Liberty of Chriftians, against the Impofition of Things which at beft are indifferent, we may poffibly be obliged to difpute the Point with fome who are PerVer. 6. Jons of Worth and Eminence; but GOD accepteth no Man's Perfon. We may give them all the Honour that is due to their Wisdom, their Piety, and their Station, without yielding up what ought to be dearer to us than any human Approbation or Friendfhip, the Dictates of our Confcience as in the Sight of God.

Ver. 7,---9,

Perfons of true Steadiness and Candor, fuch as deferve to be efteemed Pillars of the Church, will not fuffer themselves to be fo born down by popular Prejudices, as to difown their Brethren, whom GOD hath honoured with the Ministry as well as themfelves, because they exercife it in fome Diverfity of Forms; but will be willing (fo far as they can) to give them the Right Hand of Fellowship, and will perhaps wish to be able to do it more entirely and openly, than fome buman Conftitutions will admit.

In this however may we all agree, after the Example of this bleffed Apostle, ever to do what we can to promote mutual Charity. Ver. 10. among different Denominations of Chriftians; to be expreffed by a Readiness to bear one another's Burthens, and to afford liberal Relief as Providence gives Opportunity. And we fhall find, that as a Difunion of Hearts adds Weight to the leaft Cause of Divifion; fo fervent and unfeigned Love will, by mutual Condefcenfion and Indulgence, heal the Breach, or happily prevent its moft fatal Confequences.

SECT.

He oppofes Peter publickly at Antioch.

SE C T. IV.

The Apoftle gives an Account of his oppofing Peter pub-
lickly at Antioch, and fanding up in Defence of the
Liberty of the Church from Jewish Impofitions.
Gal. II. 11, to the End.

GALATIANS II. 11.

BUT when Peter was

come to Antioch, I withstood him to the Face, because he was to be blamed.

GALATIANS II. 11.

But

31

Gal. II. 11.

Have been telling you, how entirely I Sect. 4. agreed with the chief Apoftles of the Circumcifion, in the Interview which I had with them at Jerufalem, when that Decree was made in Favour of the Converted Gentiles, by which they were declared free from any Obligation to obferve the Rituals of the Mofaic Law. when Peter was come to Antioch (a), after Barnabas and I were returned thither, (Acts xv. 30.) I oppofed him to the Face, because indeed he was fo far left to his own Spirit, as to behave in fuch a Manner, that he very much deserved to be blamed. 12 For before that cer- For before fome Jewish Zealots, who were tain came from James, he ftrict in the Obfervation of thofe Rituals, but came from the Apostle James who was then at Jerufalem, he did upon all Occafions eat and converfe freely with the Gentiles there, who had embraced the Gof pel and had not fubmitted to Circumci

did eat with the Gentiles:

fion;

(a) When Peter was come to Antioch.] It is a juft Remark of Monf. Saurin, (Serm. Vol. xi. pag. 49.) that Father Harduin feems to have been follicitous to increase the number of his Chimeras as much as poffible, [and more I never met with in any learned Author than in him,] by adopting the pious Frauds of fome of the Ancients, who, to defend themselves from Porphyry's Objection against Chriftianity from this Error in the Conduct of Peter, denied it to be Peter the Apostle who was here spoken of, and interpreted it of another Cephas, whom they pretended to be one of the Seventy: An Hypothefis, as unneceffary, as it is improbable. See Hard. Diff. in Loc.

(b) I faid

I2

32

Gal. II. 12.

Peter's Diffimulation for Fear of the Jews.

Sect. 2. fion; but when they were come, he withdrew from that Freedom of Converfe, and •Separated himself from them, as if he had thought them unclean, though the Lord had fo exprefly taught him the contrary: (See Acts x. 28.) And this he did, not from any Change in his Sentiments and Apprehenfion of Things, but purely as fearing them of the Circumcifion, and being unwilling to difplease them, thinking their Cenfures of much greater Importance than they really were.

13

14

And I thought it the more neceffary to take public Notice of it, as the other converted Jews, who had before ufed the like Freedom, diffembled their true Sentiments allo, by a weak Conformity with bim in this fcrupulous avoiding their Brethren; fo that even Barnabas too, though fo honeft and worthy a Man, and one of the Meffengers who had paffed with me betwen Antioch and Jerufalem, and been acknowledged there as an Apoftle of the Gentiles, was himfelf in fome Meafure I carried away with their Diffimulation; which could not but give great Grief and Offence to the Gentile Chriftians, who had been fo particularly committed to his Care as well as mine. But when I faw that they did not in this Affair walk uprightly, according to the Truth and Defign of the Gospel, which indeed taught the contrary, I faid to Peter in the Prefence of [them] all (b), when a numerous Affembly was met together,

3

I must

but when they were come, he withdrew, and feparated himself, fearing them which were of the Circumcifion.

13 And the other Jews diffembled likewife with him; infomuch that Barna

bas alfo was carried away with their Diffimulation.

(b) I faid to Peter in the Prefence of [them] all.] Had this been Matter only of private Offence, to be fure Paul would have known, that Duty required him to expoftulate with Peter privately upon it, before he had brought it before fuch an Affembly; but as it was a publick Affair, in which great Numbers were fo fenfibly af

fected,