Farther, to prove that by the law of Moses no man is justified in the sight of God, the apostle appealed to the Jewish prophets as testifying that doctrine, particularly Habakkuk, ver. 11.Besides the law does not require faith, but obedience to its precepts, as the condition of the life which it promises, ver. 12.— Wherefore every sinner being doomed to death by the curse of the law of Moses, no person can be justified by that law. But Christ hath bought us off from the curse of the law of Moses, which is in fact the curse of the law of nature, consequently from law itself as a rule of justification, by dying for us, ver. 13. That the blessing of Abraham, the blessing of justification by faith, which in the covenant with Abraham, God promised to bestow on all nations through his seed, might come upon the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; and that they might receive the gifts of the Spirit, promised as the seal of their title to justification and eternal life by faith, ver. 14. But because Isaiah, as was observed Ess. v. sect. 5. had foretold chap. lx. 5.-5. that the Gentiles were to come to the light of the Jews, and that they were to be converted to them, the Jews (Ess. v. sect. 6.) contended, that the blessing of the nations in Abraham's seed, was to be accomplished by the Gentiles embracing Judaism, and by their receiving justification through the Levitical atonements. Wherefore to overturn that false notion, the apostle reasoned in the following manner. Even a human covenant is not set aside, or altered, after it is ratified, except by the contracting parties, ver. 15.-But the promises of the covenant, concerning the counting of the faith of the nations for righteousness, were made, not only to Abraham, but to his seed: Particularly this promise, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. He does not say and in seeds, as speaking concerning a multitude of children, but as concerning one person only; And in thy seed who is Christ, ver. 16.-I therefore affirm, that this covenant which was before ratified by God, concerning the blessing of the nations with justification by faith through Christ, in consequence of the promise made to Abraham as the federal head of believers, the law which was given four hundred and thirty years after, cannot annul, so as to abolish the promise, by introducing a method of blessing or justifying the nations, different from that established by the promise, ver. 17.— Farther, if the inheritance be obtained by works of law, it is no longer bestowed by promise; yet God bestowed it on Abraham and his seed, as a free gift, by promise, ver. 18. Ye will perhaps reply; If neither the inheritance, nor justification, is obtained through the works of the law of Moses, why was that law added after the covenant was made with Abraham? It was added for the sake of restraining the Jews from transgressions, and more especially from idolatry; and was to continue till Christ the seed should come, to whom it was promised, that the nations should be blessed with justification by faith, through him. Moreover, the law being added to the covenant for this other purpose, namely to make the Israelites sensible that they were sinners, and that God was displeased with them, it was delivered by angels into the hand of a Mediator, ver. 19. -For a mediator is not employed between persons in good agreement with one another, ver. 20.-From these things it followed, (though the apostle hath not drawn the conclusion,) that a law which was given to make the Israelites sensible they were sinners, and which by its curse condemned every sinner to death without remedy, could never be intended for their justification. -Is the law of Moses then, which makes us sensible of our transgressions, and subjects us to its curse, inconsistent with the promise of justification by faith? By no means. That operation of law, on the contrary, sheweth the absolute necessity of the promise. For if any law could have been given, capable of delivering us from death temporal and spiritual, certainly righ teousness might have been obtained by such a law, ver. 21.—But the law of Moses contained in the scripture, instead of communicating righteousness and eternal life to any person, hath shut up all mankind together in prison, as sinners sentenced to death, OLD TRANSLATION. Galatians, who hath be- before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? GREEK TEXT. 1 Ω ανοητοι Γαλαται, τις μας εβασκανε τη αληθεια vuas μη πείθεσθαι; δις κατ' οφθαλμους Ιησους Χριςος προεγραφη, εν ύμιν εςαυρωμένος. Ver. 1.-1. Senseless. The word avento, properly signifies persons void of understanding; also persons, who though they have understanding, do not form right judgments of things, through want of consideration. 2. Who hath deceived you? The word Barnavar, signifies to fascinate, or deprive one of the use of his faculties, by looking on him. Hence Virgil, Nescio quis teneros oculo mibi fascinat agnos. The word is used likewise for deceiving one with false appearances, after the manner of jugglers: in which sense I understand it here. that the promise of justification, now published in the gospel, may be performed to all believers, ver. 22.-Wherefore, before the gospel was introduced, Jews and Gentiles were imprisoned as condemned criminals, and shut up together under the custody of law, so as to be obliged to have recourse to the method of justification by faith, which at the beginning was but imperfectly discovered, but which was afterwards to be fully revealed to all, in the gospel, ver. 23.-So that the law was our pedagogue to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith, ver. 26. But the method of justification by faith, being now universally made known in the gospel, Jews and Gentiles are no longer under the pedagogy of the laws of Moses, and of nature, ver. 25. Besides, ye Jews and Gentiles are all the sons of God and heirs of eternal life, through your faith in Jesus Christ. So that to your being the sons of God, it is not necessary to subject yourselves to the law of Moses, ver. 26.-For at your baptism ye professed to put on the temper of Christ, ver. 27.—And where this is really done, there is in the gospel no preference given to men, as formerly under the law, on account of their descent, their outward condition, or their sex; but all are equally honourable and equally beloved of God as his sons, who possess the temper and virtues of Christ Jesus, ver. 28.-And with respect to you Gentiles, if ye are Christ's brethren by possessing his temper and virtues, certainly ye are Abraham's seed, and heirs of the heavenly country, according to God's promise, ver. 29. NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. III. 1 O senseless Galatians, who hath deceived you, not to obey the truth, to whom visibly Jesus Christ was set forth,3 crucified (e) for you? 4 COMMENTARY. CHAP. III. 1 The doctrine of justification by faith is so full of comfort, and the proofs of it are so clear, that I must ask you, O senseless Galatians, what false teacher hath deceived you and turned you from the gospel, to whom plainly Jesus Christ was set forth crucified for you, in order to procure you eternal life? 3. Set forth. Пgespan. This word was used to denote things written on tables, and hung up to public view. 4. Crucified for you. The common translation of this clause is not true. Christ was not crucified among the Galatians: but he was crucified to procure justification by faith for them. And this fact had been published to the Galatians, in the plainest manner by the apostle. 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 5 He, therefore, that ministereth to you the Spi 2 Τουτο μονον θελω μα sειν αφ' ὑμων, εξ έργων νο μου το πνευμα ελαβετε, η εξ ακοής πίςεως ; 3 Ουτως ανοητοι εςε, εναρξάμενοι πνευματι, νυν σαρκι επιτελεισθε; 4 Τοσαύτα επάθετε εικη; ει γε και είκη. 5 Ὁ ουν επιχορηγων ὑμῖν το πνευμα, και ενεργών δυ rit, and worketh miracles ναμεις εν ὑμιν, εξ εργων νο among you, doth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? μου η εξ ακοής πίςεως ; vo Ver. 2.-1. Received ye the Spirit. As Christ himself was declared to be the Son of God, by the descent of the Spirit upon him at his baptism, so the spiritual gifts, called the Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, Acts x. 44. bestowed in the apostolic age, on believers at their baptism, demonstrated them to be the sons or people of God, and heirs of the promises, Gal. iv. 5. Hence the Spirit, from whom these gifts proceeded, is called the Spirit of adoption, Rom. viii. 15. Hence also the Jewish believers, when they heard of the descent of the Holy Ghost on Cornelius and his company, immediately concluded that God had granted them eternal life, although uncircumcised. The Galatians, therefore, in the gifts of the Spirit, having so clear a proof of their being accepted of God under the gospel, as his sons, were under no obligation whatever to obey the law, in order to their becoming the sons of Abraham, and heirs of God. See ver. 7. 2. Or on account of, rus axons wiser, the obedience of faith? Here, and in ver. 5. the word axon signifies obedience, as also in 1 Sam. xv. 22. LXX. Ida axon, Behold obedience is better than sacrifice. In like manner, the compounded word apaxon, signifies disobedience, Rom. v. 19. Ver. 3.-1. Having begun in the Spirit, &c. The gospel is termed the Spirit, because it was given by inspiration of the Spirit, and enjoins men to worship God in spirit and in truth; because all its precepts are calculated to purify the spirits of men; and because it promises the assistances of the Spirit of God, to enable men to obey its precepts.-On the other hand, the law is called the Flesh, because of the carnal form of worship by sacrifices and purifications of the body which it prescribed; because that form of worship did not cleanse the conscience of the worshipper, but only his body; and be. cause the Israelites were put under the law by their fleshly descent from Abraham. See Rom. vii. 5. note. 2 This only would I learn from you (1⁄2, 156.) On account of the works of the law, received ye the Spirit, Or () on account of the obedience faith? of 3 Are ye so senseless, THAT having begun in the Spirit, ye now make yourselves perfect (middle voice) by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? ( ye xa) surely indeed IT IS in vain. (See chap. v. 2.) 5 ('O ov) He, then who? supplied to you the Spirit, and wrought miracles among you, did he theSE (eg, 156.) on account of the works of the law, or (g) on account of the obedience of faith? (ver. 2. note 2.) 3 2 This only would I ask you, who are gone over to Judaism; On account of performing the works of the law of Moses, received ye from me the gifts of the Spirit, whereby your acceptance with God was sealed? Or on account of your yielding the obedience of faith? When I communicated the gifts of the Spirit to you, few of you had any knowledge of the law of Moses. 3 Are ye so senseless, that having begun to live acceptably to God, under the gospel, ye now attempt to make yourselves perfect in point of acceptance, by performing the rites of the law of Moses, whose only use is to purify the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many evils for the gospel to no purpose? seeing indeed it is to no purpose to have suffered them, if ye seek justification by the law of Moses; for in that case, the gospel will be of no advantage to you. 5 He then who communicated to you the gifts of the Spirit,and who wrought miracles among you, Did he these things on account of recommending the works of the law of Moses, as necessary to your justification? or, on account of recommending the obedience of faith to you, as the means of your salvation? Ver. 5.-1. He then who, &c. Though the apostle uses the third person in this verse, he plainly speaks of himself; and insinuates, not only that he was the person who converted them, and bestowed on them the spiritual gifts, but that the teachers, who had persuaded them to embrace Judaism, had conferred no spiritual gift on them; consequently had given no evidence of the truth of their doctrine. 2. Supplied to you the Spirit; that is, the spiritual gifts. These as distinguished from miracles, were faith or fortitude, prophecy, utterance or eloquence, discerning of spirits, foreign languages, and the interpretation of foreign languages. |