Perſecution, or, for the fulfilling of the Work of their Apoftlethin - ſo as probably there were at this time no more of the Ap9 . Feruſalem, except Peter, and Fames the leſs, the Son of &)pbeus whe is here called rhe Brother of our Lord, (as is generally thouzht oy cording to the Hebrew idiom, who were wont to call near Kinſmer Brethren.) Upon another Journey which Paul made to Jeruſzy; he ſaw others, (as we ſhall hear in the next Chapter ;) byr thar was ſeveral years after this his firſt Journey thither, : 20 Now the things which I write unto you, * beho1q,
before God 1 lie not -.
b Whether thoſe words | before Grd } make this Sentence an Oat» is not material to determine, they are either an Oath, or a y«ry ſerious Aſſeveration. 1f the Apoſtle defign'd to call God for a wir. neſs, to the correſpondence of his words, with the truth of the things he had ſpoken, they make up an aſſertory Oath, which wa; lawful enough (though privately taken) in ſo ſerious a matter as this, where the Apoftle is vindicating his Apoſtleſbip , from ſome Atts of which probably he had no Witneffes at hand to produce: but they may be underſtood (by the ſupplement of, 7/peat, or 1 ſay this ) only asa form of ſerious affertion, to confirm the truth of wi;2t þ« aſſerted. He minds them, that he was ſenſible of Ged's preſence jn all places, and particular taking notice of the things ſpoken, as he. ing ſpoken before him, who knew that what he ſpake was truth,
21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria, and Cilicta 4.
z: After that I came from Feruſalem, I came into the Country gf Syria, probably not to Damaſcus, the chief City of Syria, (where he had ſo narrow an eſcape in a Basket) but into the Country parts of Syria; (for Syria lay in the way betwixt Fudea and Siltcia.) It ap. peareth by Affs g. 30. that Paul was defign'd for Tarſus, his Native place 3 where we are allo told, that the Brethren condutted him tg Ceſarea, which ſtood upon the Confines of Syrz2. It is probable that he ftayed ſome time at Tarſus ; for there Bzrnabas found him, 48; Ii. 25, 26. and brought him to Antioch ; ſo that Paul had but fifteen days at Feruſalem to converſe with the Apoſtles, and in that time h: ſaw none of them, but Peter, and Fames the Son of Alpheus.
22 And was unknown by face unto the Churches of
Judea, which were in Chriſt k.
k To be in Chrif} ſignifieth, 1. Their being Chriſtians indeed, they having received Chriſt by a true and Jively Faith, -and given then- ſelves to the obedience of b@ Precepts. In this ſenſe the Apoltle faith, 1f any Man be in Chriff, be is a new Creature, 2, Their bing Chriſtians in Name, by Baptiſm and outward Profefion. Theſe Chur- ches are ſaid to be in Chrift in this latter ſenſe, We have 2 Pt ralle] Text, 1 The, 2. 14, They do not judge improperly, who think that by Judea here, is not meant the Province, but the whole Country of Judea ; which comprehended not Fudea only, hut Samaria and Galilee. Fobn Baptif and our Saviour, { who both moſ- ly preached in Galilee) had prepared their due matter for 60/2! Churches. Peter and Fobn, and Philip, preached the Goſpel in many villages of the Samaritans, Atts 8, 25, 40. Of all theſe Churches 2; ſpeaks,telling us, he was perſonally unknown unto them. So far he was from learning the Chriftian Doctrin from the Apoſtles, or them.
23 But they had heard only, That he which perſe- cuted us in times paſt, now preacheth the faith which
once he deſtroyed /.
I Though thoſe Churches in the Country of Fudea, had never ſeen Paul's Perſon, yet they had heard of him. 1. That he had been a Ferſecutor of thoſe which profeſſed the Dofrin of the Goſpel, (which he here calleth the Faith,it being the objeA and the means of Faith.) 2. That there was ſuch a change wrought in him, as that he wis now become a Preacher of that DoCtrin, for the profeſſion of which he had formerly waſted and deſtroyed the Churches of Chrift.
24 And they glorified God in me 1, m And they praiſed God on his behalf, for working fo great 3
change in him. CHAP. I
The Apoſtle further proves bis Mifion, and DoFrin by the approbation of the chief Apoſtles at Jeruſalem, who admined Titus int9 F-Nomſhip without being circumciſed, and gave to Paul ard Barnabas the Right Hind of fellowſhip, with agreement that th:y ſhud preach morg ie Gentiles, and the other Apoſtles among rhe Jews 5 only that itt) ſhculd alſo take care for the por Jews, —1, 10. He declareth huw at Att tioch be reproved even Peter himſelf for bis ſinful compliance wiih the Jews, and nor uſing Chriſtian Liber:y. thereby drawing tit Gentiles to the Obſervance of the Law, 11— 14. by which the very Jews f0em- ſelves as many as believed, did not hepe to be juſtified, which che Scrt- Pture declayeth 10 be imprffible ; 1x DoQrin not prejudicizl 10 4 holy Life ; for by it we are dead to Sin and alive to God ; but by the contra} Dotrin, Free-grace and the Death of Cbri are rendred uſele]s, 15. 3i*
I Hen fourteen years after, « I went up again t0 | Jeruſalem b with Barnabas, and took Tus
with me alſo c. ; 4 Either fourteen years after the three years before mentioned, and the fifteen days or fourteen years afcer the Converſion of 74; or fourteen years after the death of Chriſt, This jourP<? _— to be that mentioned AFs 15, 2. it ſeems rather to be undernoo
of fourteen years after the death of Chriſt, 6 Motions £0 your lem are uſually in Scripture called aſcendings or g0ing3 UP 5 ©t ther becauſe of the Mountains round about it, or in re! p-&t of war famouſreeſs of the place, ſee As 15. 2. and 21. 4 The occation «
6 the troudied Rate of the Church at Feruſalem at this time,) in-
no | *C> with the 43% this journey we have As 15, 2, 3. It was to adviſe with the oe 10
+ M 2 te
gs The Apoſtles were at this time ſcattered, either through the Z,
Chap, fl! (Nr
{ Or, ſep
gt'y
Phil. 2, 6,
account and we! of Circ them fa Ont that and uſec Ohtaine advanta Gentile Hieruſal a liberty he VGu} ?Zain b Lay, liberty, al thing Circumf Offence. to he th of hic ence ge one plz tis tim Was 2 m the Pre
© the G
i] (hap. Il.
ſites and that Came
except they were circumciſed, they could noz be ſaved. c Barnabas was | of the ſet of the Phariſees, verl. 5.
GAL ATIANMS
anc! to vic them under that
cholen to g0 with Paul, vert. 2. and ſome others, whom Lake | notion, was no matter of liberty,