effect the faithfulness of God? God forbid: yea let God be found true, but every man a liar." (Rom. iii: 3, 4.) When He so loved thee as to give Himself up to bring thee who wast without hope to a life so great and blessed, canst thou, thus gifted, have recourse to things gone by? His reasoning being completed, he concludes with a vehment asseveration, saying, Ver. 21. "I do not make void the grace of God."3

he says not, "Who loved us," but, "Who loved Paul intimates, when he says, speaking about me. And besides the Evangelist says, "God the Jews, "For what if some were without so loved the world;" (John iii: 16.) and faith, shall their want of faith make of none Paul himself," He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up, not for Paul only, but, "for us all;" (Rom. viii: 32.) and again, "that He might purify unto himself a people for his own possession, (Tit. ii: 14.) But considering the desperate condition of human nature, and the ineffably tender solicitude of Christ, in what He delivered us from, and what He freely gave us, and kindled by the yearning of affection towards Him, he thus expresses himself. Thus the Prophets often appropriate to themselves Him who is God of all, as in the words, "O God, thou art my God, early will I seek Thee." (Psalm lxiii: 1.) Moreover, this language teaches that each individual justly owes as a great debt of gratitude to Christ, as if He had come for his sake alone, for He would not have grudged this His condescension though but for one, so that the measure of His love to each is as great as to the whole world. Truly the Sacrifice was offered for all mankind,' and was sufficient to save all, but those who enjoy the blessing are the believing only. Nevertheless it did not deter Him from His so great condescension, that not all would come; but He acted after the pattern of the supper in the Gospel, which He prepared for all, (Luke xiv: 16.) yet when the guests came not, instead of withdrawing the viands, He called in others. So too He did not despise that sheep, though one only, which had strayed from the ninety and nine. (Mat. xviii: 12.) This too in like manner St.

Let those, who even now Judaize and adhere to the Law, listen to this, for it applies to them. Ver. 21. For if righteousness is through the Law, then Christ died for naught." What can be more heinous than this sin ? 4 what more fit to put one to shame than these words? Christ's death is a plain proof of the inability of the Law to justify us; and if it does justify, then is His death superfluous. Yet how could it be reasonable to say that has been done heedlessly and in vain which is so awful, so surpassing human reason, a mystery so ineffable, with which Patriarchs travailed, which Prophets foretold, which Angels gazed on with consternation, which all men confess as the summit of the Divine tenderness? Reflecting how utterly out of place it would be if they should say that so great and high a deed had been done superfluously, (for this is what their conduct came to,) he even uses violent language against them, as we find in the words which follow.

CHAPTER III.

VERSE I.

"O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you, before course more confidently, and draws a compariwhose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth, cruci-son between faith and the Law. At the outset

fied?"

he said, "I marvel that ye are so quickly removing; (Gal. i: 6.) but here, "O foolish Galatians;" then, his indignation was in its

HERE he passes to another subject; in the former chapters he had shown himself not to be an Apostle of men, nor by men, nor in want of Apostolic instruction. Now, having established his authority as a teacher, he proceeds to dis- assigned for it in the latter part of the verse, the perverse conduct

["Chrysostom teaches that God foreordained all men to holiness and salvation and that Christ died for all and is both willing and able to save all, but not against their will."-Schaff, Proleg. p. 20. -G. A.]

"["Paul addresses himself again directly to the Galatians with an expression of indignant surprise at their relapse into Judaism and passes from the historical to the doctrinal part of the Epistle, from the apology of his apostolie authority to the defense of his apostolic teaching."-Schaff in Pop. Com.-G. A.]

["Negative side of the life which Paul (from ver. 19) has described as his own. By this negative, with the grave reason

of Peter is completely condemned."-Meyer.-G. A.]

[This blasphemous inference gives the finishing stroke to the false Judaizing gospel.

"This collision between Peter and Paul furnished material to the Ebionites for an attack upon Paul, to the Gnostics for an attack upon the Jewish apostles and to Porphyry for an attack upon Christianity itself [as well as to Baur and the Tübingen school for an attack in modern times from a different standpoint]. Christianity has surveyed all these attacks and gains new strength from every conflict."-Schaff.-G. A.]

But

66

ply defects, but to mutilate what existed. For envy, far from supplying what is wanting, subtracts from what is complete, and vitiates the whole. And he speaks thus, not as if envy had any power of itself, but meaning, that the teachers of these doctrines did so from envious motives.

Ver. 1. "Before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth, crucified."

you,"

birth, but now, after his refutation of the charges against himself, and his proofs, it bursts forth. Let not his calling them "foolish" surprise you; for it is not a transgression of Christ's command not to call one's brother a fool, but rather a strict observance of it. For it is not said simply, "Whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool," (Mat. v: 22.) but, whosoever shall do so, "without a cause.' ."1 And who more fittingly than they could so be Yet was He not crucified in Galatia, but at called, who after so great events, adhered to Jerusalem. His reason for saying, "6 among past things, as if nothing else had ever hap- "3 is to declare the power of faith to see pened? If on this account Paul is to be called events which are at a distance. He says not, a reviler," Peter may likewise, on account" crucified," but, " openly set forth crucified," of Annanias and Sapphira, be called a homicide; but as it would be wildness to do so in that case, much more in this. Moreover it is to be considered, that this vehemence is not used at the beginning, but after these evidences and proofs, which, rather than Paul himself, might now be held to administer the rebuke. For after he had shown that they rejected the faith, and made the death of Christ to be without a purpose, he introduces his reproof, which, even as it is, is less severe than they merited. Observe too how soon he stays his arm; for he adds not, Who has seduced you? who has perverted you? who has been sophistical with you? but, "Who hath cast an envious eye on you?" thus tempering his reprimand with somewhat of praise. For it implies that their previous course had excited jealousy, and that the present occurrence arose from the malignity of a demon, whose breath had blasted their prosperous

estate.

2

signifying that by the eye of faith they saw more distinctly than some who were present as spectators. For many of the latter received no benefit, but the former, who were not eye-witnesses, yet saw it by faith more clearly. These words convey both praise and blame; praise, for their implicit acceptance of the truth; blame, because Him whom they had seen, for their sakes, stripped naked, transfixed, nailed to the cross, spit upon, mocked, fed with vinegar, upbraided by thieves, pierced with a spear; (for all this is implied in the words, "openly set forth, crucified,")' Him had they left, and betaken themselves to the Law, unshamed by any of those sufferings. Here observe how Paul, leaving all mention of heaven, earth, and sea, every where preaches the power of Christ, bearing about as he did, and holding up His cross: for this is the sum of the Divine love toward us.

Ver 2. "This only would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith?”

And when you hear of jealousy in this place, and in the Gospel, of an evil eye, which means the same, you must not suppose that the glance As ye do not attend, says he, to long disof the eye has any natural power to injure those courses, nor are willing to contemplate the magwho look upon it. For the eye, that is, the nitude of this Economy, I am desirous, (seeing organ itself, cannot be evil; but Christ in that your extreme ignorance,) to convince you by place means jealousy by the term. To behold, concise arguments and a summary method of simply, is the function of the eye, but to behold proof. Before, he had convinced them by what in an evil manner belongs to a mind depraved he said to Peter; now, he encounters them within. As through this sense the knowledge entirely with arguments, drawn not from what of visible objects enters the soul, and as jeal- had occurred elsewhere, but from what had ousy is for the most part generated by wealth, happened among themselves." And his persuaand wealth and sovereignty and pomp are per-sives and proofs are adduced, not merely from ceived by the eye, therefore he calls the eye what was given them in common with others, evil; not as beholding merely, but as behold- but from what was especially conferred on theming enviously from some moral depravity. selves. Therefore he says, "This only would Therefore by the words, "Who hath looked I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the enviously on you," he implies that the persons works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith." in question acted, not from concern, not to sup- Ye have received, he says, the Holy Spirit, ye

have done many mighty works, ye have effected miracles in raising the dead, in cleansing lepers, in prophesying, in speaking with tongues,-did the Law confer this great power upon you? was it not rather Faith, seeing that, before, ye could do no such things? Is it not then the height of madness for these who have received such benefits from Faith, to abandon it, and desert back to the Law which can offer you nothing of the same kind?

vain ; " if you have but a mind to shake off
drowsiness and recover yourselves, he says, it
is not in vain. Where then be those who would
cut off repentances? Here were men who had
received the Spirit, worked miracles, become
confessors, encountered a thousand perils and
persecutions for Christ's sake, and after so many
achievements had fallen from grace; neverthe-
less he says, if ye have the purpose, ye may
recover yourselves.
Ver. 5:
"He therefore that supplieth to you
the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you,
doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?"

Have ye been vouchsafed, he says, so great a gift, and achieved such wonders, because ye observed the Law, or because ye adhered to Faith? plainly on account of Faith. Seeing that they played this argument to and fro, that apart from the Law, Faith had no force, he proves the contrary, viz., that if the Commandments be added, Faith no longer avails; for Faith then has efficacy when things from the Law are not added to it. "Ye who would be justified by the Law, ye are fallen away from

Ver. 3. "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?" Here again he seasonably interposes a rebuke; time, he says, should have brought improvement; but, so far from advancing, ye have even retrograded. Those who start from small beginnings make progress to higher things; ye, who began with the high, have relapsed to the low. Even had your outset been carnal, your advance should have been spiritual, but now, after starting from things spiritual, ye have ended your journey in that which is carnal; for to work miracles is spiritual, but to be circumcised is carnal. And after miracles ye have passed to circumcision, after having apprehended the truth ye have fallen back to types, grace: after gazing on the sun ye seek a candle, after having strong meat ye run for milk. He says, "made perfect," which means not "initiated" merely, but "sacrificed," signifying that their teachers took and slew them like animals, while they resigned themselves to suffer what those teachers pleased. As if some captain, or distinguished man, after a thousand victories and trophies, were to subject himself to infamy as a deserter, and offer his body to be branded at the will of others.

Ver. 4. "Did ye suffer so many things in vain ?2 if it be indeed in vain."

This remark is far more piercing than the former, for the remembrance of their miracles would not be so powerful as the exhibition of their contests and endurance of sufferings for Christ's sake. All that you have endured, says he, these men would strip you of, and would rob you of your crown. Then, lest he should dismay and unnerve, he proceeds not to a formal judgment, but subjoins, "if it be indeed in

་

[This distinction between relew and entreλew was not in the mind of the Apostle. The contrast with evapfáuevo, having be gun,' shows that en reλeiobe simply means are ye made perfect,' the compound involving the idea of bringing to a complete and perfect' end." (Ellicott.) There may be a slight tinge of irony in the compound word.-G. A.]

["As we know nothing of persecutions endured by Galatians, it seems preferable to take the word in a neutral sense embracing all spiritual experiences (blessings and benefits as well) of the Galatians. (Comp.v. 3 and 6.)"-Schaff. Lightfoot refers it to the persecutions endured by the Galatians from Jews citing Gal. v: 11; and says "the ye leaves a loophole for doubt which the xai, following, widens." So Ellicott. Meyer says, "It refers to everything which the false apostles in their Judaistic zeal had troubled and burdened the Galatians with. The ein then means "and all to no profit, all in vain," if indeed it be only (kai) in vain and not to the positive risk of your Messianic salvation that ye have suffered."-G. A.]

(Gal. v: 4.) This he says later, when his language has grown bolder, employing the vantage-ground by that time gained; meanwhile while gaining it, he argues from their past experience. For it was when ye obeyed Faith, he says, not the Law, that ye received the Spirit and wrought miracles.

And here, as the Law was the subject of discussion, he moots another special point of controversy, and very opportunely and with much cogency introduces a notice of Abraham.

Ver. 6. "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness."

Even the miracles done by themselves, he says, declare the power of Faith, but I shall attempt if you will suffer me to draw my proofs from ancient narratives also. Then, as they made great account of the Patriarch, he brings his example forward, and shows that he too was justified by Faith. And if he who was before grace, was justified by Faith, although plentiful in works, much more we. For what loss was it to him, not being under the Law? None, for his faith sufficed unto righteousness. The Law did not then exist, he says, neither does it now exist, any more than then. In disproving the need of the Law, he introduces one who was justified before the Law, lest an objection should also be made to him; for as then it was

The Novatians, who said the revealed covenant of grace did not provide for the case of the lapsed.

is

"The answer, obvious of itself, to the preceding question, axons TioTews, 'from the hearing of faith,' and to this Paul subjoins that great religious-historic argument for the righteousness of faith which is presented in the justification of the progenitor of the theocratic people."-Meyer.-G. A.]