I. Wherein their disobedience to the truth consisted — The Galatians had formerly " received the truth in
the love of it" —
[They had entertained the highest respect for him who first evangelized themb; they had been knit to him with the most cordial affection0; they had found much blessedness by means of the Gospel d ; they had received miraculous powers in confirmation of the worde ; they had been enabled to adorn their profession by a suitable life and conversation f; they had even endured many sufferings for their attachment to the truths.]
But they had lately imbibed the doctrines of some Judaizing teachers —
[Many of the Jewish converts were still zealous for the law of Moses : hence they laboured to make proselytes where- ever they came. Many of the Galatian churches were induced to embrace their doctrines : hence, though Gentiles originally, they put themselves under the yoke of the Jewish lawh.]
Thus they, in fact, " disobeyed and renounced the truth" itself —
[They had been taught to expect justification by faith in Christ1, but now they superadded an obedience to the law as a joint ground of hope : by this they declared that faith in Christ was insufficient for their justification. They did not indeed intend by this to reject Christ entirely ; but the Apostle tells them repeatedly that God considered their con- duct as equivalent to an utter rejection of the Gospelk: and hence he warns them, that they were turned altogether to " another Gospel1."]
Their defection therefore involved them in the deepest guilt ; as will appear more fully, if we consider,
II. The particular aggravation with which it was attended —
St. Paul himself had preached among them in a most lively and affecting manner —
[Wherever he went, his constant subject was Christ crucified"1: he fully opened to his hearers the nature and
*> Gal. iv. 14. ° Gal. iv. 15. * Gal. iv. 15.
• Gal. iii. 2. f Gal. v. 7. e Gal. iii. 4. )' Gal. iv. 8—10. i Gal. ii. 16.
* Gal. ii. 21. and v. 2 — 4. i Gal. i. 6. ™ 1 Cor. ii. 2.