15 But when God, who defined me from my birth to be an apostle, and ordered my education with a view to that office, and who called me to it by his unmerited goodness, was pleafed 16 To fhew his Son to me, that I might preach him to the heathen, as rifen from the dead, immediately after that I did not confult any man in Damafcus, as having doubts concerning what I had feen, or as needing information concerning the gospel which I was called to preach : 17 Neither did I go up to Jerufalem, to be inftructed by them who were apifles before me; but I went away into Arabia, where there was no apoftle; and having there received farther revelations from Christ, and studied the fcriptures by the light of thefe revelations, I again returned to Damafcus, without having feen any of the apostles. 18 Then, after three years from my converfion, I went up to Jerufalem to become acquainted with Peter,, and being introduced to him by Bar nabas, who knew how the Lord had appeared to me, I abode in his house fifteen days. See Har. the more in ftrength, and confounded the Jews, &c. is an account of what happened after his return to Damafcus from Arabia. mony, Prelim. Obfer. iii. And as Christ promifed to tell Saul what he fhould do, Acts xxii. 10. we cannot doubt that it was by Christ's direction he went into Arabia, to receive farther revelations, and to fhun the displeasure of the chief priests, who as foon as they heard of his embracing the caufe which he had perfecuted, would endeavour to put him to death. Indeed the Jews in general were fo enraged against him, for going over to the Chriftians, that when he returned from Arabia to Damafcus, fuch of them as lived in that city took counfel to kill him, Acts ix. 23. See alfo Acts ix. 29. Ver. 18. To become acquainted with Peter. This being Paul's first vifit to Jerufalem fince his converfion, the brethren there fhunned him, fufpecting that he feigned himself a disciple, with a view to betray I 2 them 19 But other of the apofties faw I none, fave James the Lord's brother. 20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. 21 Afterwards I came in 19 Ετερον δε των απος 0λων εκ είδον, ει μη Ιακώβον τον αδελφον τε Κύριε. 20 Α δε γραφω ύμιν, ιδε ενωπιον τ8 Θεέ, ότι 8 ψευδο μαιο 21 Επειτα ηλθον εις τα to the regions of Syria and κλίματα της Συρίας και της Cilicia; Κιλικίας 22 Ημην δε αγνοεμενα τω προσωπω ταις εκκλησίαις της Ιεδαίας ταις εν Χρεσι 23 Μονον δε ακέοντες ησαν, Ὅτι ὁ διωκων ἡμας πόλε, νυν ευαγγελίζεται την πιςιν ήν ποτε επορθεί. 24 Και εδόξαζον εν εμοι τον Θεον. them. But Barnabas, who probably had learned the particulars of his converfion from Ananias, took him and brought him to the apostles (Peter and James) and declared to them how he had feen the Lord in the way. Alts ix. 27. It does not appear that on this occafion any thing was faid, either by Barnabas or by Saul, concerning Chrift's making Saul an apoftle at the time he converted him, and concerning his fending him to preach to the idolatrous Gentiles, as related by the apostle himfelf, Acts xxvi. 16, 17, 18. Thefe things were not mentioned in Jerufalem till Paul went up to the council, fourteen years after his converfion, Gal. ii. 2. 7, 8, 9. Ver. 19. James the Lord's brother. The Hebrews, called all near relations brothers.--This James was the fon of Alpheus by Mary the fifter of our Lord's mother. See the Pref. to the Epistle of James. That Paul made fo fhort a stay in Jerufalem at this time, was owing to Chrift, who appeared to him in a trance while in the temple, and commanded him to depart quickly from Jerufalem, Acts xxii. 18. The brethren likewise advised him to depart, because the Hellenist Jews were determined to kill him. Ver. 20. The things I write to you. From what St. Paul had already written, it appears clearly that for a confiderable time after his converfion, he preached the gospel and acted as an apostle, before he was known to any of the apoftles or brethren in Judea. Wherefore 19 But, though I abode these days in Jerufalem, I faw no other of the apofiles at that time, except James the Lord's coufin-german. 20 Now the things I write to you concerning myself, to fhew that I am not an apostle of men, behold in the prefence of God I declare with affurance, I do not falfely reprefent them. 21 After the fifteen days were ended, I went first into the regions of Syria, and from thence into my native country Cilicia. 22 And I was perfonally unknown to the Chriftian churches in Judea, lo that I could not receive either my commiffion or my doctrine from them. 23 But only they heard, that he who formerly perfecuted the Chriftians, was become a zealous preacher of the facts concerning Chrift, which formerly he endeavoured to disprove, 24 And they praifed God on account of my converfion, who had been fo bitter an enemy to them. it is evident that all that time, he neither was made an apoftle by them nor received any inftruction from them. Ver. 21. The regions of Syria and Cilicia Some of the brethren in Jerufalem who advised him to deport, kindly accompanied the apoftle to Cefarea, which was a noted fea-port town. intending that he thould go by fea to Tarfus: Acts ix. 30 Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cefarea, and fent him forth to Tarfus. But the apoftle himself informs us that he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. We may therefore fuppofe, that, after embarking at Cefarea, contrary winds forced him into fome of the ports of yria; that altering his plan, he went through the country of Syria preaching the gofpel; and that from Syria he went into Cilicia by land Ver. 22. I was perfonally unknown to the churches of Judea. In travelling from Damafcus to Jerufalem after his return from Arabia, the apoftle, it feems, did not preach, nor make himself known to any of the churches in the cities of Judea, through which he paffed. Ver. 23. Preacheth the faith. In fcripture faith fometimes fignifies the act of believing, and fometimes the thing believed. Here it fignifics the things believed by the Chriftians; namely the miracles of Jefus, his I 3 refur. refurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, his being the Son of God, and the very Chrift: A&s ix. 20. 22. All which facts Saul, while he acted in concert with the chief priests, endeavoured to defroy, that is to difprove. Ver. 24. CHAP. II. F View and Illuftration of the Facts related in this Chapter. ROM the history which the apostle gave of himself to the Galatians in the preceding chapter, it appears, that from the time of his converfion to his coming with Barnabas from Tarfus to Antioch, he had no opportunity of converfing with the apostles in a body; confequently, in that period he was not made an apostle by them.-In like manner, by relating in this chapter what happened, when he went up from Antioch to Jerufalem fourteen years after his converfion, in company with Barnabas, and Titus a converted Gentile, he proved to the Galatians that he was an apostle, before he had that meeting with the apoftles in a body, ver. 1.-For at that time, instead of receiving the gospel from the apoftles, he communicated to them the gospel, or doctrine which he preached among the idolatrous Gentiles: not because he acknowledged them his fuperiors, or was in any doubt about the matter; but left it might have been fufpected that his doctrine was disclaimed by the apostles, which would have marred his fuccefs among the Gentiles, ver. 2.—And to fhew that the apoftles, to whom he communicated his gospel, approved of it, he told the Galatians, that not even Titus who was with him, though an idolater before his conversion, was compelled by the apoftles to be circumcised, although it was. infifted on by the false brethren, who endeavoured to bring the Gentiles under bondage to the law, ver. 3, 4.—And that he and Titus did not yield in the least to these false brethren, by obeying any part of the law as a condition of falvation, for fo much as an hour; that the truth of the gospel might remain with the Galatians, and all the Gentiles, ver. 5.-Next, to fhew that the apostles of the greatest note were by no means fuperior to him, Paul affirmed, that from them he received nothing. For however much they had been honoured by their mafter formerly, thefe apoftles added nothing either to his knowledge, or to his power, or to his authority as an apostle, ver. 6.-But on the contrary, perceiving that he was commiffioned to preach the gofpel to the Gentiles, as Peter had been to preach it to the Jews, ver. 7.-Because he who fitted Peter for preaching to the Jews, had fitted Paul for preaching to the Gentiles, by bestow 1 Ver. 24. Glorified God on my account. The apoftle mentions the thanksgiving of the churches of Judea, for his now preaching the faith which formerly he deftroyed, because it implied that they believed him a fincere convert, and were perfuaded that his converfion would be an addition to the proofs of the divine original of the gofpel. ing on him the gift of inspiration, and by enabling him, not only to work miracles in confirmation of his doctrine, but to communicate the spiritual gifts to his converts, ver. 8.-They knowing these things, instead of finding fault either with his doctrine or with his practice, James, Cephas, and John, who were the chief apoftles in point of reputation, gave him the right hands of fellowship; thereby acknowledging him to be an apoftle of equal authority with themselves, and equally commiffioned by Christ to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, as they were to the Jews, ver. 9.-The only thing they defired of him was, to exhort the Gentiles to contribute for the relief of the poor, ver. 10. Moreover, to make the Galatians fully fenfible of his authority as an apostle, and of his knowledge in the gospel; Paul told them, when Peter came to Antioch, after the council, he opposed him openly, because he was to be blamed, ver. 11.For, before certain perfons, zealous of the law, came to Antioch from James, Peter, who had been taught by a vifion to call no perfon unclean, did eat with the converted idolatrous Gentiles; but when these zealous Jewish believers were come, he withdrew for fear of their displeasure, ver. 12.—And others of the brethren in like manner diffembled; in so much, that even Barnabas was carried away with their diffimulation, ver. 13. But this behaviour being contrary to the truth of the gofpel, Paul publicly rebuked Peter for it, in the hearing of all the difciples at Antioch. And because, after giving him that reproof, he explained to the church, the true doctrine of the gofpel concerning the juftification of finners, he judged it proper to give the Galatians a fhort account of the things which he faid on that occafion, ver. 14.-21.-And as it does not appear that Peter, when thus reproved of Paul, offered any thing in his own defence, we may believe he knew the truth, and acknowledged publicly, that obedience to the law of Mofes was not neceffary to the falvation either of the Jews or of the Gentiles. Or, if he did not make this acknowledgment verbally, his filence on the occafion was equally expreffive of the truth. Peter's behaviour towards the idolatrous converts in Antioch, having proceeded, not from ignorance of the truth of the gofpel, but from an unreasonable fear of the difpleasure of the zealous Jewish believers, it ferveth to fhew us, that one's knowledge is not always of itself sufficient to prevent one from falling |