obedience unto death, salvation is provided for a ruined world. No other obedience must be blended with it as a joint ground of hope: his righteousness is that which alone can justify us before God ; and his must be all the glory. But Peter by this conduct confirmed the Jews in their error, and established the same error among the Gentiles also : and, if God had not raised up Paul to reprove it in the outset, the whole Gospel might have been superseded, almost as soon as it had been promulgated : and all the effects of Christ's mediation might have been utterly destroyed. We see on that occasion how far the influence of Peter extended : for it drew away all the Jewish converts at Antioch, yes, and even Barnabas himself, from the truth of God : and if the evil had not been stopped in its commencement, who can tell how soon, and how fatally, it might have inundated the whole Church ? Verily such con- duct as this deserved reproof; and we have reason to bless our God, who endued Paul with wisdom and courage to reprove it.]
Suitable to the occasion was,
II. The reproof administered —
St. Paul, when he saw the misconduct of Peter, did not secretly endeavour to destroy the character of his offending brother, but boldly and openly reproved him before the whole Church. Had the offence been of a private and personal nature only, it would have been right to admonish his brother privately, and not to bring it before the Church, till private admonitions had been used in vain : but, when the welfare of the whole Church was at stake, it was necessary that the reproof should be as public as the offence. Hence, when all the Church was assembled, Paul took occa- sion to reprove,
1. His inconsistency —
[Peter had in that very place neglected the Jewish law, as he was fully authorized to do : but, when some Jews came thither from Jerusalem, he both altered his own conduct, and compelled all others, even Gentiles themselves, to follow his example. What a grievous inconsistency was this ! And how must he have been struck dumb, when Paul so pointedly expostulated with him, " If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, Why com- pellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" What excuse could he offer? Alas! none all.