II. Why he manifested such zeal in maintaining it — No man had less of bigotry than the Apostle Paul : for, though a Jew, he spent his life in vindicating the liberty of the Gentiles, and, in fact, died a martyr to their cause k. Nor was he actuated by resentment; for, when most blaming the Galatians, he says, " Ye have not injured me at all1." Nor was he impelled by ambition, as though he would preserve an un- rivalled ascendency over the Galatian Church ; for he considered himself as " not having dominion over their faith, but merely as a helper of their joynV His view was to maintain,
1. The purity of the Gospel —
[The Gospel is a fountain of life to a ruined world : nor is there a cistern in the universe that can afford waters so salubrious. It is there alone that Christ is revealed: and " there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we can be saved11." Now a perverting of this fundamental doctrine of justification by faith alone, is a poisoning of that fountain ; and consequently a destroying of the whole human race, as well those to whom its waters flow, as those who dwell in the parched desert. Suppose any man were found so in- human, as without any cause to poison the spring whereby a populous city were sustained, and from whence alone they could draw what was necessary for their sustenance ; would not every living creature execrate him ? Yet that man would be innocent in comparison of him who diffuses the deadly doctrines of a mutilated Gospel : for the former destroys only the bodies of men; whereas the latter consigns over their souls to everlasting destruction. No wonder then that the Apostle expressed himself with such vehemence ! no wonder that he pronounced every person, whether it were himself, or an angel from heaven, " accursed," who should dare to " adulterate the sincere milk of the Word ° ! " It was on this ground that he resisted with invincible firmness the attempts that were made to get Titus circumcised p; and it was with the same view that he opposed so strenuously all the efforts of Judaizing teachers, even though they were sanctioned by the examples of Barnabas or Peter himself.]
2. The importance of the Gospel —
" Acts xxi. 28—31. > Gal. iv. 12. « 2 Cor. i. 24.
" Acts iv. 12. ° 2 Cor. ii. 17. and iv. 2.
p Gal. ii. 3.