TEXT. 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For, if I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ. PARAPHRASE. 7 Which is not owing to any thing else*, but only this, that ye are troubled by a certain sort of men, who would overturn the gospel of Christ by making circumcision, and the keeping of the law, necessary† 8 under the gospel. But if even I myself, or an angel from heaven, should preach any thing to you for gospel, different from the gospel I have preached unto 9 you, let him be accursed. I say it again to you, if any one, under pretence of the gospel, preach any other thing to you, than what ye have received 10 from me, let him be accursed. For can it be doubted of me, after having done and suffered so much for the gospel of Christ, whether I do now §, at NOTES. 7 * “0 8× ësıv àλλ I take to signify" which is not any thing else." The words themselves, the context, and the business the apostle is upon here, do all concur to give these words the sense I have taken them in. For, 1, Ifs had referred to evαyle, it would have been more natural to have kept to the word STEPOV, and not have changed it into aλλo. 2. It can scarce be supposed, by any one who reads what St. Paul says, in the following words of this verse, and the two adjoining; and also chap. iii. 4, and ver. ii. 4 and 7, that St. Paul should tell them, that what he would keep them from, "is not another gospel." 3. It is suitable to St. Paul's design here, to tell them, that to their being removed to "another gospel," nobody else had contributed, but it was wholly owing to those judaizing seducers. + See Acts xv. 1, 5, 23, 24. 9 "Accursed." Though we may look upon the repetition of the anathema here, to be for the adding of force to what he says, yet we may observe, that by joining himself with an angel, in the foregoing verse, he does as good as tell them, that he is not guilty of what deserves it, by skilfully insinuating to the galatians, that they might as well suspect an angel might preach to them a gospel different from his, i. e. a false gospel, as that he himself should: and then, in this verse, lays the anathema, wholly and solely, upon the judaizing seducers. 10 § "Apl, "now," and ir, "yet," cannot be understood without a refer TEXT. 11 But I certify to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me, is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past, in the Jews religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God, and wasted it. PARAPHRASE. this time of day, make my court to men, or seek the favour of God? If I had hitherto made it my business to please men, I should not have been the servant of Christ, nor taken up the profession of the 11 gospel. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel, which has been every where † preached by me, is not such as is pliant to human interest, or can be ac12 commodated to the pleasing of men (For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it by any one, as his scholar;) but it is the pure and ummixed im13 mediate revelation of Jesus Christ to me. To satisfy you of this, my behaviour whilst I was of the jewish NOTES. ence to something in St. Paul's past life; what that was, which he had particularly then in his mind, we may see by the account he gives of himself, in what immediately follows, viz. that before his conversion he was employed by men, in their designs, and made it his business to please them, as may be seen, Acts ix. 1, 2. But when God called him, he received his commission and instructions from him alone, and set immediately about it, without consulting any man whatsoever, preaching that, and that only, which he had received from Christ. So that it would be senseless fully in him, and no less than the forsaking his Master, Jesus Christ, if he should now, as was reported of him, mix any thing of men's with the pure doctrine of the Gospel, which he had received immediately by revelation from Jesus Christ, to please the jews, after he had so long preached only that; and had, to avoid all appearance or pretence to the contrary, so carefully shunned all communication with the churches of Judea; and had not, until a good while after, and that very sparingly, conversed with any, and those but a few, of the apostles themselves, some of whom he openly reproved for their judaizing. Thus the narrative, subjoined to this verse, explains the now," and " yet," in it, and all tends to the same purpose. *Пaw, translated persuade," is sometimes used for making application to any one to obtain his good-will, or friendship: and hence, Acts xii. 20, weiGaYTES Bλásov is translated "having made Blastus their friend:" the sense is here the same which, 1 Thess. ii. 4. he expresses in these words, x ws årlρútors άρéσ×оνтes àλλà Te," not as pleasing men but, God." "' this being 11 + To Evαyyελobè un'iμš, “which has been preached by me: spoken indefinitely, must be understood in general, every where, and so is the import of the forgoing verse. TEXT. 14 And profited in the jews religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, : 16 To reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem, to them which were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. PARAPHRASE. religion is so well known, that I need not tell you, how excessive violent I was in persecuting the church 14 of God, and destroying it all I could; And that being carried on by an extraordinary zeal for the traditions of my forefathers, I out-stripped many 15 students of my own age and nation, in judaism. But when it pleased God (who separated* me from my mother's womb, and by his especial favour called † me to be a christian, and a preacher of the gospel,) 16 To reveal his son to me, that I might preach him among the gentiles, I thereupon applied not myself 17 to any man, ‡ for advice what to do. § Neither went I up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, to see whether they approved my doctrine, or to have farther instructions from them: but I went immediately || unto Arabia, and from NOTES. 15 Separated." This may be understood by Jer. i. 5. +"Called." The history of this call, see Acts ix. 1, &c. 16"Flesh and blood," is used for man, see Eph. vi. 12. "For advice:" this, and what he says in the following verse, is to evidence to the galatians the full assurance he had of the truth and perfection of the gospel, which he had received from Christ, by immediate revelation; and how little he was disposed to have any regard to the pleasing of men in preaching it, that he did not so much as communicate, or advise, with any of the apostles about it, to see whether they approved of it. 17 || Euéws, immediately, though placed just before & and @pocavedéμnv, "I conferred not; yet it is plain, by the sense and design of St. Paul here, that it principally relates to," I went into Arabia; "his departure into Arabia, presently upon his conversion, before he had consulted with any body, being made use of, to show that the gospel he had received by immediate revelation from Jesus Christ, was complete, and sufficiently instructed and enabled him to be a preacher and an apostle to the gentiles, without borrowing any thing from any man, in order thereunto; no not with any of the apostles, no one of whom he saw, until three years after. TEXT. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem, to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. 20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lye not. 21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia: 22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea, which were in Christ. 23 But they had heard only, that he, which persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. 24 And they glorified God in me. PARAPHRASE. 18 thence returned again to Damascus. Then after three years, * I went up to Jerusalem, to see Peter, 19 and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, but James, the brother of our 20 Lord. These things, that I write to you, I call God to witness, are all true; there is no falsehood in 21 them. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria 22 and Cilicia. But with the churches of Christ † in Judea, I had had no communication: they had not 23 so much as seen my face; Only they had heard, that I, who formerly persecuted the churches of Christ, did now preach the gospel, which I once 24 endeavoured to suppress and extirpate. And they glorified God upon my account. NOTES. 18 # "Three years," i. e. from his conversion. 22" In Christ," i. e. believing in Christ, see Rom. xvi. 7. This, which he so particularly takes notice of, does nothing to the proving, that he was a true apostle; but serves very well to show, that, in what he preached, he had no communication with those of his own nation, nor took any care to please the Jews. CHAP. II. TEXT. 1 THEN fourteen years after, I went up again to Jerusalem, with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel, which I preach among the gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run or had run in vain. 3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a greek, was compelled to be circumcised: PARAPHRASE. 1 THEN fourteen years after, I went up again to Jerusalem, with Barnabas, and took Titus also with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and there laid before them the gospel which I * preached to the gentiles, but privately to those who were of note and reputation amongst them; lest the pains that I have already taken,† or should take in the gospel, should be in vain.‡ 3 But though I communicated the gospel which I 2 NOTES. "I communicated." The conference he bad in private with the chief of the church of Jerusalem, concerning the gospel which he preached among the Gentiles, seems not to have been barely concerning the doctrine of their being free from the law of Moses, that had been openly and hotly disputed at Antioch, and was known to be the business they came about to Jerusalem; but it is probable, it was to explain to them the whole doctrine he had received by revelation, by the fulness and perfection whereof, (for it is said, ver. 6, that, in that conference, they added nothing to it) and by the miracles he had done in confirmation of it, (see ver. 8.) they might see and own what he preached, to be the truth, and him to be one of themselves, both by commission and doctrine, as indeed they did; aurois, "them," signifies those at Jerusalem; xar' idíav di Tois doxσi, are exegetical, and show the particular manner and persons, import nempe privatim, eminentioribus." It was enough to his purpose to be owned by those of greatest authority, and so we see he was, by James, Peter, and John, ver. 9, and therefore it was safest and best to give an account of the gospel he preached, in private to them, and not publicly to the whole church. 66 +"Running," St. Paul uses for taking pains in the gospel. See Phil. ii, 16. A metaphor, I suppose, taken from the Olympic games, to express his utmost endeavours to prevail in the propagatiug the gospel. "In vain : He seems here to give two reasons why, at last, after 14 years, he communicated to the chief of the apostles at Jerusalem, the gospel that he preached to the gentiles, when, as he shows to the galatians, he had formerly declined all communication with the convert jews. 1. He seems to intimate, that he did it by revelation. 2. He gives another reason, viz. That, if he had not communicated, as he did, with the leading men there, and satisfied them of his doctrine and mission, his opposers might unsettle the churches he had, or should |