78

Sect. 9.

Chrift profits nothing, and is become of ito. Effect,

no

bas instiEXC TU»> LX. 68 ¿ (qqal di sis

to stol terit diw barottet for gun bas noda The Apostle urges them more refolutely to retain the Doctrine of Juftification by Divine Grace; and renews his Caution against the Efforts of thofe feducing Teachers, who had done fo much to alienate their Minds from it. Gal. V. 2,15,hi or balimony and wo otgiogivni si jel bas bodily ist ist ban bodilqmosos naud om ang¶ GALATIANS V. 2. w gmin GALATIANS V. 2.

asen of the hold, I Paul fay unto

Have exhorted you,
Promife, and born, not of the Bond

cumcifed, Chrift fhall proyou, that if ye be ciryou nothing, dynort

Gal. V. 2. woman but the Free, to maintain your - Christian Liberty, and guard against them Encroachment of thofe who would break in upon it. And I now plainly tell you, OD) that I particularly mean thofe Judaizing ema Teachers, with whom the Church is car bro& sdt to src2 adt present fo much infested in reference todo pritionfreq salil whofe Tenets, Behold, I Baul, whatever ow tadt colo may have falfely been fuggefted of my fa-boshi natu'elect -vouring their Sentiments and fometimes di badillgro spreaching Circumcifion, exprefsly fay umtal balicioso ed abrolt NAD you, that if ge who are by Birth and Edues vodi. E set of Age brak hocation Gentiles, fubmit to be circuncifed, even of owo sw b with a Dependance on the Obfervation of to onal silt of swo othofe Jewish Rites to which ye are thereby donya Ehiodi ov obliged, for your Juftification before Godinopody

(a), Christ shall profit you nothing, and allthat was ancleta The hath done and fuffered will/berofnodw alors to aba! Advantage to you: For if the whole Con-tor nisge entlang fidence of the Soul do not rest upon him

for

(a) If ye be circumcifed, with a Dependance on the Obfervation, &c.] Common Senfe plainly requires, to take the Affertion with fuch Limits; which is alfo neceffary, to reconcile it with the Hopes of all Jewish Believers, and with the Conduct of St. Paul himself in circumcifing Timothy. (Acts xvi. 3.) And this accounts for the Indifference, with which he elsewhere fpeaks of Circumcifion as availing nothing. See chap. v. 6. vi. 15. and I Cor. viii. 19.

(b) Faith

to fuch as feek to be juftified by the Law.

ni

3 For I teftify again to every Man that is circumcifed, that he is a Debtor to

do the whole Law.

4 Chrift is become of no Effect unto you, whofoever of you are juftified by the Law; ye are fallen from

Grace.

for Salvation, he

79

Regards which will reject thofe divided Sect. 9.

are offered to him, and in terpret them as an Affront rather than and acceptable Homage.

Gal. V. 2.

And I repeat it as a Point of the highest 3
Importance, which is agreeable to what I
have always preached, and do now testify
again to every particular Man among you
who is circumcifed, in the View I have juft
been mentioning, with a Dependance on
that Rite for Juftification, that he is there
by become a Debtor to do the whole Law::
For as Circumcifion binds a Man fully to
obferve all the other Rituals of the Mofaick
Difpenfation, fo will the Tenet which I
now oppose, leave you under the Rigor of
that Covenant, which required perfect and
finlefs Obedience, and left every wilful
Tranfgreffor under a Curfe, from which by
the Law he could never be delivered.
It 4
is therefore evident, that Chrift is become of
none Effect to fuch of y
none Effect to fuch of you, but must have
appeared and died in vain as to any Benefit
you would have by him, whofoever of you
are feeking to be justified by the Works of
the Law; yea by this Means, whatever your
Profeffion may have been of a Regard to
Chrift, ye are indeed fallen from the Grace of
the Gofpel, and have in Effect renounced
your Expectations from it. For we who 5
are true Chriftians, and have been favingly
inlightened in the Knowledge of the Truth,
do through the Influences of the Spirit,
lib gried
whofe Gifts and Graces are fo glorious a
Jend odors Seal of the Gofpel, wait for the Hope of
Righteoufnels and Life, not on Account of
any Claim or Title we have to it by our
Obedience to the Law, but by a fincere and
operative Faith, cafting our Souls on Chrift
as condemned Creatures who have no Hope
in themselves, and trusting in the Grace of

5 For we through the Spirit wait for the Hope of Righteousness by Faith.

80

Sect.

9.

Circumcifion availeth nothing, but Faith.

God for Juftification through the Redemption he has wrought. And herein we Gal. V. 6. act according to the true Tenor of the Gofpel; for in the Difpenfation of Grace by Chrift Jefus, to thofe who would obtain Sal vation by him, neither Circumcifion availeth any Thing, nor Uncircumcifion, and no Man will either be faved or condemned, for being or not being circumcised; but our Interefts in the Bleffings of the Gofpel depends upon a fincere Faith in Chrift, which operates by an unfeigned Love to GoD and Man (6), and fo engages us from a Principle of holy Gratitude, to yield a fincere Obedience to all the known Will of GOD, renouncing any Dependance on that Obedience, how compleat foever it may feem, as the meritorious Cause of our Acceptance with him.

6 For in Jefus Chrift, neither Circumcifion availcumcifion, but Faith which eth any Thing, nor Uncir worketh by Love.

7

Ye did run well: who did hinder you, that ye thould not obey the Truth?

fo hopeful a Beginning, and has turned share

αγαπης ενεργόμενης

you

(b) Faith which operates by Love.] There is fome, Degree of Ambiguity in the ori ginal Expreffion, ayans gym, which is capable of being differently rendered, and may fignify, either which operates and works by Love, or which is wrought, infpired and perfected by Love, which latter Senfe fome have preferred, and have taken Occafion from hence to fhew, how much Charity tends to eftablish and perfect Faith. But I prefer the more ufual Senfe, which I think to be authorized by the Ufe of the fame Word, Eph. iii. 20. and Col. i. 29.

(c) Who bath hindered you ?] It hath been obferved, that avots is an Olympick Expreffion, anfwerable to peale; and it properly fignifies coming a-cross the Courfe while Person is running in it, in fuch a Manner as to joftle and throw him out of the Way.

(d) From

8 This Perfuafion cometh not of him that calleth you.

9 A little Leaven leaveneth the whole Lump.

81

Sect. 9.

Gal. V. 8.

So he had taught, however they were now perverted.
you out of the Way in which you were
making fo fair a Progrefs? Of this I am
fure, that the Perfuafion you now seem to
have entertained, of the Neceffity of mixing
Judaism with Chriftianity, and feeking Juf-
tification, in Part at least, by Mofaical Obfer-
vances, [comes] not from kim that called you
into the Profeffion of the Gospel (d); nor
did I teach you any fuch Leffon, when I was
made the happy Inftrument of bringing you
to the Christian Faith, but have largely and.
earneftly inculcated the contrary. There 9
were indeed some fecret workings of this
pernicious Principle which I now oppofe,
that early became vifible among you;
and
I find they have fpread in fuch a Manner,
as to fhew that a little Leaven, if it be fuf-
fered to continue, operates unfeen, till it
diffuses itself on every Side, and leaveneth
the whole Mafs. But having laid the Mat- 10
ter thus before you, and warned you of the
Danger of this Leaven, with that Fidelity.
and Zeal which Love to your Souls, and a
Regard to the Honour of Chrift requires, I
bave this Confidence in you through the Grace
of the Lord Jefus, on whom I humbly de-
pend for the Influences of his Spirit, and to
whofe Bleffing Icommit all my Endeavours,
that ye will be no other wife minded, and en-
tertain no other Sentiments as to what is
neceffary to your Juftification, than ye have
been taught by me: But he that troubleth-
you, and would pervert your Minds from the
Purity of the Faith, fhall certainly bear [his].
Judgment of deferved Cenfure here, and if
he perfift in his Evil, of weighty Condem-

10 I have Confidence in you through the Lord, that you will be none otherwife minded: but he that troubleth you, fhall bear his Judge

nation

(d) From him that called you.] This Expreffion of him that called, or calleth you,. agrees with what he had ufed before, chap. i. 6. and in both Places it would feem he means himself. See Note (f) on that Paffage, Sect. I. pag. 12.

VOL. V.

L

(e) Her

82

Sect. 9. Gal. V. 1o.

II

The Apostle was fo far from preaching Circumcifion,

be.

nation hereafter, whosoever be be (e): GOD Judgement, whofoever the
will judge him at laft for a Conduct like
this, and in the mean Time he has Reason
to apprehend my animadverting upon him
with that Apoftolical Authority, which
fome of my Adverfaries have found to their
Coft they were unable to refift. Compare
Acts xiii. 10, II. I Cor. v. 4, 5. 2 Cor.
x. 6, 8. xiii. 10. and 1 Tim i. 20.

I know, there are fome, who have infi-
nuated, as if I myself favoured the very
Principles elsewhere, which I fo much op-
pofe among you: But I leave it to you,
my Brethren, when you confider the Treat-
ment I have met with from thefe Zealots,
to judge if the contrary do not evidently
appear. For if I yet preach the Neceffity
of Circumcifion, and infift upon fubmitting
to it in order to Salvation, why do I still
fuffer fuch grievous Perfecution, as it is evi-
dent to the whole World I endure, by the
Malice of the Jews, who are every where
endeavouring to raife, not only Prejudices,
but Tumults against me? Then furely, if
it be true that I agree with them on this
Head, the Offence taken at the Doctrine of
Salvation by the Cross of Chrift is ceafed;
and in Effect I give up that, which I have

been

11 And I, Brethren, if I yet preach Circuncifion,

why do I yet fuffer Perfe cution? then is the Offence of the Crofs ceased,

(e) He that troubleth you, fhall bear [his] Judgment, whosoever he he.] Some think, that the Apostle here refers to one particular Man, who was more forward than the reft, and had been chiefly inftrumental in corrupting them: But by his adding at the Clofe, whofoever he be, he feems to intend it as a general Declaration; which beft agrecs with what follows in Ver. 12. and what he elsewhere fays in this Epifle, where he fpeaks always of their feducing Teachers in the plural Number. (See chap. i. 7. iv. 17. vi. 12, 13.) And when he thus declares, that whosoever he be that troubleth them, he shall bear his Judgment, though fome would understand this only, of the Cenfure which the Church fhould pafs upon him, or of the Punishment he fhould fuffer when St. Paul came to exert his Apoftolical Authority, of which we have feveral Inftances elsewhere; (See Note (f), on 1 Cor. iv. 21. Vol. iv. pag. 257.) Yet it is reasonable to extend it to the folemn Account he fhould give to Gop, and to the Condemnation he fhould certainly receive, if he perfifted in the Endeavours he was ufing to

fubvert the Truth.

(f) I could