Imatges de pàgina
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A. D. 58.

28 I fent him therefore the more + carefully, that when ye fee him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less forrowful.

29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold fuch in reputation.

30 Because for the work of Chrift he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life to fupply your lack of fervice toward me.

28. I pitched upon him therefore for the Bearer of this Letter, to give myfelf the Pleasure of rejoicing you at the Sight of fo dear a Friend.

29. Nor need I much exhort you to receive him with all Chriftian Refpect, and to fet a high Value upon all fuch good Ministers of Christ as he is.

30. Who has hazarded his own Life in Labours and Pains for Christ's Sake, and in doing that Service to me, which you at this Diftance, how willing foever you be, were not capable to perform ‡.

+ Ver. 28. The more carefully; or σdalTips, the more
Speedily; viz, with this very Epifle. Vulg. feftinantius,
Ver. 30. To supply your lack of service to me
To perfect or compleat your beneficence to me.

CHA P. III.

The CONTENTS.

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He encourages them to a chearful Profeffion of Christianity; and to a Dependance on the Faith of it alone, without regard to the Jewish Law, according to his own Example. Warns them against the Principles and Practices of the Jewish Zealots, upon whom he makes very just and fevere Reflections.

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Mouth, warned you against the Principles of a Sett of A. D.62. Men that are its worft Enemies; I think it proper to re

peat those Cautions again.

2 Beware of* dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the

concifion .

2. I mean the Jewish Zealots, that fnarling * and malicious People; whofe Bufinefs it is to do Mischief to the true Chriftian Faith,

and who put all the Strefs of Religion upon the empty +Ceremonies of Circumcifion and the Jewish Law.

3 For we are the circumcifion, which worship God in the fpirit, and rejoice in Christ Jefus, and have

3. 'Tis we Chriftians that are now the true Church and People of God, by embracing the pure worship and fpiritual Religion of the Gospel, which it was the Defign and Purpose of the Law to lead Men to; and placing all our Hopes of Pardon and Salvation in that, and not in the external Observance of the Mofaical Rites, that are quite out of Date.

no confidence in the flesh.

4 Though I might alfo have confidence in the flesh. If any

other man thinketh that he hath whereof

he might truft in the

flesh, I more.

5 Circumcifed the eighth day, of the stock of Ifrael, of the tribe of Benjamin, an

Hebrew

4. And though we should suppose the Jewish Law were the main thing yet to be depended on; yet thofe Zealots have no manner of Reafon to boaft themselves above me, who have as many and more. Jewish Privileges than most of them can pretend to.

5. For I was a true born Ifraelite, both by Father and Mother's Side, of the Tribe of Benjamin, (a Tribe that never revolted to Jeroboam, G 4

as

*Beware of Dogs. So the Jews, by way of Contempt, ufed to ftile all Heathens; and now, as a juft Return for their contentious and obftinate Oppofition to the true Religion, the Apoftles, St. Paul and St. John, fling it back upon themselves. See Rev. xxii. 25. Pfal. xx. 16.

The Concifion; Tv xaTaTow. The fame natural Act as wetown, Circumcifion, but now a mere and infignificant cutting of the Fleft; Circumcifion, as a religious Ceremony, being now quite abolished.

A. D. 62. Hebrew of the He- as the reft did) Circumcifed the brews: as touching Eighth Day, and fo made a Memthe law, a Pharifee. ber of the Jewish Church in exact Conformity to the Law; and was a perfect Jew both by Nation and Language; nay, and a Pharifee too, one of the most strict and honourable Sects of that Religion.

6 Concerning zeal, perfecuting the church: touching the righteoufness which is in the law, blameleís.

6. And if Zeal for the Law be of fuch moment, none was so severe an Obferver of Ceremonies and Traditions as my self, nor fo violent a Perfecutor of the Christian Religion, which came to repeal those Ceremonies.

7 But what things were gain to me, thofe I counted lofs for

Chrift.

7. But now the Cafe is juftly alter'd with me: And those external Privileges of the Jewish Profeffion I fo much valued myself upon, I now fo little efteem, in comparison of the Bleffings of Christ's Religion; that to retain them any longer, while far better and nobler are come in their room, would be the greatest Damage to me.

8 Yea, doubtless,
and I count all things
but lofs, for the ex-
cellency of the know-
ledge of Chrift Jefus
my Lord for whom
I have fuffered the lofs
of all things, and do
count them but dung,
that I may win Chriit,
9 And be found in
him, not having mine
Own righteoufness,
which is of the law,
but that which is
through the faith of
Chriit, the righteoufnefs

10 That I may
know him, and the
power of his refur-
rection, and the fel-

lowship

8 & 9. For verily, fo excellent and great are the Privileges of Chriflianity, that thofe temporal ones of the Jewish Difpenfation feem perfectly mean and vile Things; and I make no Difficulty to part with them all for the Service and Favour of Jefus Christ my great Lord and Saviour; by embracing of whose Religion I obtain that perfect Pardon and Salvation at God's Hands; which my ftrictest Observance of the Ceremonial Law could never have procured for me. which is of God by faith:

10 & 11. I give them all up, I fay, to own Him for the true Mefiah and Saviour of Mankind; to Suffer and Die for his Religion, who

fuffered

lowship of his fufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

11 If by any means I might attain unto the refurrection of the dead * :

:

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which alfo I am apprehended of Chrift Jefus.

13 Brethren, I count not my felf to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting thofe things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

fuffered for our Sins; in full Hope A.D. 62.
and Affurance to be raised again to
eternal Life by the fame divine
Power that raifed Him from the
Dead; not refufing to do and un-
dergo any thing to attain that final
Bleffing of a glorious and happy
Refurrection.

12, 13 & 14. This is the Prize, dear Brethren, I, as a Chriftian, hope for, and am affured of, but have nefs in this Life is, to strive and run not yet actually attained. My Bufifor it; and like a true Racer, to mind nothing else about me, but keep my Eye fix'd upon this ; ftretching on towards it with my utmost Vigour and Activity, in order to gain that at last which was the End for which Chrift was gracioufly pleased to convert me to his Religion.

14 I prefs toward the mark †, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jefus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwife

15. Let all thofe Chriftians therefore, who duly understand, and have fully embraced this Religion, keep to this Maxim, viz. That this great Prize of a glorious and happy Refurrection is to be had by Chrift's Religion, without the Ceremonial Law. Hold to this, and then, though you may not be all exactly agreed in every Notion about this

minded, God fhall reveal even this unto you,

Law,

* Ver. 11. If by any means, &c, w, that fo I might attain, &c.

Ver. 14. 1 prefs toward the Mark; or, xarà exozor, I prefs forward, according to my View or Defign.

A.D.62. Law, or our Obligation to it, God will *, in due time, bring you all to a compleat Understanding of the Cafe, and let you fee 'tis perfectly abolished.

16 Nevertheless, 16 In the mean while, let us, whereunto we have al- that perfectly know it to be so, ready attained, let us keep firm and unanimous to the walk by the fame rule, true Chriftian Principle.

let us mind the fame
thing t

17 Brethren, be
followers together of
me, and mark them
which walk fo, as ye

have us for an en-
fample.

18 (For many walk,
of whom I have told
you often, and now
tell you even weep-
ing, that they are the

enemies of the cross
of Chrift:

19 Whose end is de-
ftruction, whofe God
is their belly, and
whofe glory is in their
fhame, who mind
earthly things.)

17. Follow my Example, and my Principles in this Matter; and take them for your Patterns, who have relinquifh'd all their Jewish Privileges for the Sake of Christ's Religion, as I have done.

18. As to the Jewish Zealots, that would perfwade you to the contrary, I have always told, and now tell you again, not without Tears for their incurable Obftinacy, that they are the worst Enemies our Religion has.

19 Their Notions and Views of Religion are all Temporai: and their chief Aim is at the Gratification of their fenfual Appetites and Pleasures; they boast in what they ought to be afhamed of; and for fuch

God will reveal even this unto you. Some Copies read ἀπεκάλυψε God has revealed it. The Senfe being thus, Whoever thinks otherwise, is in a plain Error; for God hath now exprefly declared the Jewish Law to be abolished, and no further neceffary. A moft agreeable Sense indeed: But I keep to our Tranflation, according to the more ancient MSS.

Ibid. Will reveal. Thus the Abrogation of the Ceremonial Law was compleatly demonftrated by the total Destruction of Jerufalem and the Temple, about eight Years after the Date of this Epiftle.

Ver. 16. Let us mind the fame thing or rather, perhaps, τὸ αυτὸ φρονεῖν· Τo be at Unity with one another, according to Chap. ii. 2. Rom. xii. 16. XV. 5. As Mr. Pierce well ob ferves.

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