translation, it is not easy to apprehend, or to perceive how the Apoftle brings it in here. The word he ufes does indeed properly fignify perfuade; and where-ever we meet with it, it always denotes fome kind of perfuafion, or that the perfon who attempts it carries the point he aims at. What that was in his cafe, himself points us to, by the particle now, with which he introduces it; and which plainly enough refers, not only to what he was faying then, but to the whole of his conduct in publishing the gospel of Christ. On this he puts the queftion concerning the point he had in view. Our tranílators have given us the true fense of it, Acts xii. 20. where we meet with the fame word, which, if literally tranflated, as they do here, would be, "Thofe of Tyre and "Sidon perfuaded Blaftus the King's cham"berlain ;" which would have left the thing altogether uncertain, as indeed it is in the text before us; and therefore they very judiciously rendered it by what they perfuaded him to, namely, "That they made Blaftus their friend;" which was the point they aimed at.

Thus the Apoftle's queftion is plain,

and

and home to the purpose. What is, and what can be my intention? what do or can I propose by the whole of my conduct? Is it to please God, and fecure his friendship, or to curry favour with men ? And what he adds in the last part of the verfe, fufficiently determines the sense of the question, and at the fame time gives the only confiftent answer that can be made to it: If I yet pleafed men, I should not be the fervant of God. The reason is plain from what our Lord himself faid, Matth. vi. 24. "No man can ferve two

mafters," &c. The choice in theory, one would think, fhould not be hard to make. There can be no comparifon, much less any competition, between God, the creator, fovereign, and judge, and the whole world of mankind, though they were all united in one body. But when it comes to the practice, God on one fide, and the world on the other, lamentable experience witneffes what a weight the latter bears in the decifion,

CHAP. i,

12. For I

11. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me, is not after man. neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jefus Chrift., 13. For ye have heard of my converfation in time paft, in the Jews religion, how that beyond measure I perfecuted the church of God, and wafted it: 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 pleafed God, who feparated 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 Jerufalem, to them which were apoftles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damafcus. 18. Then after three years I went up to Jerufalem, to fee Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19. But other of the apostles 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 into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; 22. And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea, which were in Chrift: 23. But they had heard only, that he which perfecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. 24. And they glorified God in me.

TH

HE Apostle had afferted, in his addrefs of the epiftle, that he was neither fent and commiffioned by men, nor had received his commiffion to the

4

office of an Apoftle from men at second
hand, but directly and immediately from
God, and his ever-bleffed Son. This was
a point of great moment, as the credit and
authority of that gospel which he preach-
ed, in a great measure depended on it;
and which accordingly he fets himself, in
the remaining part of this and in the fol-
lowing chapter, to fupport by undeniable
facts. By which it appears, with great e-
vidence, that it was impoffible he could
have it any other way, but by direct and
immediate revelation. And he brings it
in according to his natural and easy
manner, by which he makes one thing to
introduce another, as if he was only pur-
fuing the fame thought. He had strong-
ly afferted, that he had never made it his
bufinefs to please men, but, as became
a faithful fervant, to execute his master's
orders as he had received them; not da-
ring, as fome did, to ferve their own pur-
pofes by the gospel of Chrift; fee 2 Cor.
"We are not as many which cor-
rupt the word of God." The word li-
terally fignifies, acting like taverners.
He begins, verf. 11. with laying down
the propofition he meant to prove,

ii. 17.

66

in very

very well His cer

plain and pofitive terms, and in fuch a way as fhould leave no room, either for the Galatians, or their feducers, to pretend ignorance, or make any hesitation or doubt about it, as a thing they were not fufficiently apprised of, and which is rendered, by certifying them. tification confifts of two parts, or one affertion confirmed by two particulars. The general affertion is, That the gospel which he delivered to them was not after man; and the proof of it is, That he did not receive it from men; neither was taught

it

any other way but by the revelation of Jefus Chrift.

What the Apostle fays of his gofpel, that it was not after man, may be conftructed to refer either to the matter of which it confifted, or the manner in which the knowledge of it was conveyed to him, In the first view it is as much as if he had faid, that what he taught neither was, nor could be, difcovered by man; for this plain reason, that the whole of the facts on which it ftands, and the hopes which it difcovers, are of fuch a nature as it was impoffible for any human creature to have invented, being fuch as no eye eVOL. III.

Ꮐ

ver