the Yb, Corn. Pihil. ſometimes hgnifie to do ones felt an action, ſometimes to make others too it; and Paul's waſting the Chriſtian Church had a rational tendency to uphold and propagate Fudaiſm, the pxropagation of which was the end deſign'd by it ; this he ſaith he did, above others of bis Countrymen, that mere bis equals it years. By this alſo he lets them know, that his perſecuting the Chriſtian Church was not a paſſionate AR, or for a Gain to himſelf, but from an erroneous Judgment, he verily thought that he ought to do what he did againft Jeſus of Nazareth, and his Diſciples, x He addeth, That he was more exceedingly q2alous of the Traditions of the Fa- thers, By which he underſtands nor only the Rites of the Ceremo- nil Law, but the whole body of their Conſtitutions, which the Ru- Icrs of that Church had made under the notion of Sepimenta Legts, hedges or fences to the Laws of God, to keep Men at a diſtance frem the violation of them; and other conftitutions alſo, of which they had innumerable. Paul was a Phariſee, (the Son of a Phari- ſee, Affts 23. 6.) bred up at the feet of Gamaiiel 5 one of the Do- Qors of their Law) this was the ſtrifteit Seft (for Ceremonies) of their Religion; and this his zeal for Traditions, is that which he calleth a progreſs , or profiting in the Jewiſh Religion, and was a cauſe of the propagation of that Religion.
I5. But when it pleaſed God, * who ſeparated me
from my mother's womb y, and called ze by his
race Z. i Y Here are two Acts predicated of God, with relation to Paul, the firſt is a ſeparating of kim from the Womb 5, the ſame was ſaid of two
* of the great Prophets, {ſaiab and Feremiah, Iſa, 49. 1. Jer. 8. 5. The Apoſtle here is not ſpeaking of God's decree predeſtinating him to ternal Life, hut of his determining him to the work of an Apoſtle, God predeterminetk Men to the ſtations they ſhall take up in the World ; eſpecially ſuch wiv are to take up tations, wherein they are to be eminently uſeful and ſerviceable to him. 7 The ſecond AR predicated of God is his calling of Paul: This is an A in time, and lyeth much in the preparing of Perſons for the Work alloted to them, and in inclining the Heart to it, Thus God called Pau, fitting him for the work of the Miniftry, and in- clining him to it; to which he added his immediate command from Heaven, that he ſhould go and preach the Goſpel, Both theſe Atts of God are aſcribed to his good Pleaſure, and Grace, nothing but his meer free Love, and Favour moving him, either to ſeparate, or to call Paxl to this high and great employment. ;
16. * To reveal his Son in me, that * I might
4.6. preach him among the heathen «a, immediately I con-
*Eph.3.. ferred not. with fleſh and blood b.
a When it pleaſed God to diſcover Chrift his Son (hy an Eter- nal Generation) to me, who neither naturally, nor from any in- ftruQion in my Education, was acqueinted with any thing of Chriſt ; but according to the common prejudices of thoſe of my own Coun- try, looked upon him as a meer Man, and an Impoſtor ; and alſo revealed to me the end of that di'coverv, not only that I my ſelf ſhould receive and embrace him, but that 1 ſhould publiſh him among the Heathens, ( where he intimates the ſpecialty of his Separation and Callz) I b (ſaith he) immediately adviſed with no mortal Man living, (for that is ſignified by Fleſh and Blood, Marr. 16. 17. 1 Cor. 15.50.) but reſolved with my ſelf to addreſs my ſelf to that Work and Employment to which I had ſuch a ſpecial Call from God.
17. Neither went I up to Jeruſalem, to them that
were Apoſtles before me c, but I went into Arabia d,
and returned again unto Damaſcus e.
c As Feruſalem was the place for the Oracles of the Law, under the Old Teftament ; ſo it alſo was for the Goſpel upon the ficft publicationof it. There the Diſciples were, they returned thither after they had ſeen Chriſt aſcend to Heaven, Zuke 24. 52. from thence they were not to depart, but to wait there for the Promiſe of tbe Father, As 1, 4. There the Holy Ghoſt came down upon them, #þ4p. 2. there they continued till the perſecution ſcattered them ; there was the Colledge of the Apoſtles. Paulſaith, that upon his Converſion, he did not 20 up thither, nor till three years after, (as he rells us in the next Verſe;) but he d went into Arabia, among the Heathens and the moſt wild and barbarous Heathens, (for ſuch were the Arabiens,) Luke in the As tells us nothing of this. From hence it was eaſe to conclude, that Paul had not his Commiſhon from the other Apoſtles that were before him, for he ſaw none of them till he had been a Preacher of the Goſpel to the wild 4rabians three years. e And then he returned to Damaſcus; the word is ywtcptx2, which is by ſome obſerved to ſignifie his being compelled to return, (as they judge) by ſome perſecution raiſed among the Heathens 3 but of this the Scripture ſaith nothing,
18. Then after three years, I Þ went up to Jeruſa- lem to ſee Peter, and abode with him fifteen days f.
f Theſe three years were ſpent partly in Arabia, partly at Da- r1/cys, whither-he returned ; and his being there, was not idle, but as Luke informs us, he preached Chriſt ia the Synagogues, As g, 29, 22 comfound:d the Fews, proving that this was the very Chrif, which made the F-rs take counſel to kill him: Here it was that he eſca- ped chem, by being let down over the Wall in a Basket. Then he went to Jeruſalem where his Converſion, and Call to preach the Gofoel was not heard of, (poſſibly in regard of the remoteneſs of Ar19i2, where he had ſpent moſt of thoſe three years; or in regard
*Rom.1,1,
+ Or, I re- $147764,
whick he had b=fore © abominated, as that his whole buſineſs was
_w Th: vor{ here uſed and Trantlated proficed, may be interpre- ted either of his own perſonal proficiency, and going on in the Few-
TIANS.
ſa much that the Diſciples were afraid to admit him to Joyn wit! them, until! Barnabes had given Teftimony cancerning him 42 Ul 27. He tells us here that he ſtayed there but fi/reen days ; turing which time, Lute, Affs 9. 2g. tells us, be ſpake boldly in the yam. > the Lord Feſus, and diſputed againd the Grecians. ©0
19 But other oi the Apoſtles ſaw ] none, faye* Tas
the Lord's brother g.