cus; and it was three years after that I went to Jerufalem, to converse..with Peter, and I continued with him on y fifteen days. I did not even fee any other of the apoftles, except James the brother of Jefus. Of the truth of this I give you my moft folemn affarance.

After this preached the gofpel in Syria and Cilicia, of which country I am a native, but I continued unknown to the Jewish chriftians, and all that they knew of me was that, whereas I had been a violent perfecutor of the gofpel, I was become a preacher of it, and they praised God on that account.

Ch. II. The apostle, in vindication of his character and conduct proceeds to fhew, by the continuation of his own history, that he was not inferior in authority to any of the apoflles, not having received his knowledge of the gospel from them; that the principal apoftles, had been fully fatisfied with refpect to his commiffion, and that he had been fo far from being governed by them, he had taken the liberty to oppose Peter himself, when he thought his conduct reprehenfible.

1. There has been a good deal of difficulty about the time of this journey of Paul to Jerufalem. I cannot help thinking, with feveral learned men, that there has been fome mistake in copying the number in this place, and that it should have been four years, and not four. teen, if they are to be reckoned from the first journey. Four years exactly did intervene between those journies; but it is fomewhat remarkable that the fecond journey was fourteen years after the death of Christ, and the first preaching of the gofpel. This then may be the journey in which he was accompanied by Barna

bas,

bas, being fent on a collection of money for the poor chriftians at Jerufalem.

2 It is conjectured that the original reading was not as tho' I were running, or had run, in vain. Theo. Rep. i, 59. W.

This was probably in confequence of the revelation made to Agabus of the famine that was to be in the country, on which he and Barnabas were fent to Antioch, on a collection for the poor christians at Jerufalem.

Had this been Paul's third journey to Jerufalem, when the decree was made by the apoftles about the freedom of the Gentile christians from the Mofaic law, there would have been no occafion for any caution with refpect to his having preached the gofpel to the Gentiles. This was, therefore, moft probably a former journey.

10. i. e. which I was then giving particular attention to, and bufied about; which makes it ftill more pro bable that this was the journey four years after the first, when he brought the collection for the poor Saints, whofe numbers were fuch that it appeared that they would want farther fupplies, as we find they did.

12. These were probably the same perfons of whom we have an account Acts xv 1. when we read that " cer"tain men who came down from Judea to Antioch, "taught the brethren, and said, except ye be circumcised "after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved." The apostle James, who refided at Jerufalem, might perhaps at that time be a little inclined to this opinion, for as the perfons who taught this doctrine, as that of James, were zealous chriftians, we muft fuppofe that they were ho

neft men, and therefore would not affert fo much as this without, at leaft, fome appearance of authority for it.

14. As it is evident from what paffed at Paul's laft visit to Jerufalem, that he himself walked orderly, and kept the law (Acts xxi, 24.) it cannot be fuppofed that he did not do fo at Antioch, and all other places; there fore by living as do the Gentiles, which he fays Peter had done, cannot be understood his eating of any thing forbidden by the laws of Mofes, but fome other accomodations, which only the strict Pharifees condemned, fuch as vifiting them. Thus Peter fays to Cornelius, Acts x, 28. Ye know that it is not lawful for a man that is a Jew to keep company with or come unto, one of another nation, the there is nothing in the laws of Moses that forbids it.

16. i. e. Even we who are Jews expect falvation not on account of our obfervance of any precept peeu. liar to the laws of Mofes, but on principles that are com mon to all men, and which are now publifhed to the Gentiles in the gospel; knowing that the strictest observance of any mere rites and ceremonies will not avail in the fight of God for the pardon of fin.

"

17. i.e. If while we profefs to be justified, or to approve ourselves to God, on the principles of pure christianity, we add to it fuch obfervances as cannot poffibly justify us in his fight, but must leave usjin a state of condemnation, our chriftianity will be of no avail to

us.

18. i. e. By this conduct I undo all that I have been labouring to do. I was in the way of juftification, and

now

now again fubject myfelf to condemnation, by making that neceffary to falvation which I cannot fulfil.

19. i. e. By endeavouring to fulfil the law which after all I am unable to do, I fubject myself to condemnation and death. But tho' in this refpect I may be confidered as dead, it has pleafed God to give me life by the gospel.

20. i. e. For tho' I may be faid to be crucified as Chrift was, I live again as he did; but it is a life not given me by the law, but by the gofpel. It is ufual with this apostle, who makes great ufe of figures of fpeech; to reprefent himself to have been dead as Chrift was, but to have risen again as Christ did, and this he fome times calls dying to the law, that he might not give unneceffary offence to the Jews, by faying that the law was dead to him. There is a good deal of difficulty in the argument of the apostle in this place, but I fhall ex. prefs what I take to be his meaning in the paraphrafe.

THE PARAPHRASE.

Four years after my converfion, but fourteen after the promulgation of the gospel, I went again to JerufaLem, accompanied by Barnabas and Titus. This was in confequence of a revelation made to Agabus, con cerning a great famine that was approaching, and it was for the relief of the poor chriftians at Jerufalem in this famine, that we were fent. I then informed the leaders in the the church of my having preached the gofpel to the Gentiles, without requiring them to conform to the laws of Mofes. But that I might not shock

the

the prejudices of the more zealous Jews, which would have obftructed my labours with them, I did not speak of it to any others. But at the fame time, notwithing my unwillingness to give offence, I did not confent to the circumcifion of Titus, becaufe he was a Greek, on purpose to affert the liberties of the Gentile chriftians, and their freedom from the yoke of the law. And tho', on this occafion, I had conferences with the chief of the apostles, and informed them of what I had done, yet I may fay, without derogating from their merit, that they did not teach me any thing of which I was igno. rant. On the contrary they were fatisfied, from the account that I gave them of the fuccefs of my preaching, that I was as much an apoftle of the uncircumcifion, as Peter himself was of the circumcifion; and that my miniftry had the fame feal of the gift of the fpirit that theirs had. They, therefore, gave to me and to Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, advifing us to continue our miniftry to the Gentiles, while they ftill con fined themfelves to that of the Jews. They only urged me to be mindful of the collection for the poor chriftians in Judea, a work to which I was already fufficiently well inclined.

Not only did I not acknowledge any fuperiority of Peter to my felf; but when he came to Antioch I took the liberty to cenfure his conduct. For whereas before the arrival of fome judaizing teachers, who faid they came with inftructions from James, he converfed freely with the Gentile chriftians; he after this withdrew from their fociety, and for fear of giving offence to thefe over zealous obiervers of the law, both he and others,

and