5 lo whom we gave place by ſo\.'-*tion, ny nat for { an hour #2, that the truth of the goſpel wif hr contin ge with you z, if m Tothele Fadzizing Chriſtians the Apoſtle did not think fr to Yield one jot ; net for the leaft time, nor in ſo m+.ch as one pre- ſident, an Having a deſire that tn: ſe Genrize Churches might noe be perverted. Or, (as others think) ro which Men of Repurasion we yielded not in the leaft It js very probable, that P:rer ant James upon the firft arguing tie caſe, to avoid the ſcandal and offence of the Fews, would have had Titus circumciſed : St, Paaxl would not yield :0 it, that he might preſerve the Doftrin of the Goſpel, which he had planted among the Galarians, and oth-r Geniles, pure, and not incumber thoſe Churches with the Mc/je cal Rites ; But the moft, and beſt Interpreters rather judge the Perſons here mentioned, to whom Paul would not yield, to be ſome Fudaizing Chriſtians, rather than the perſons of Repuraricon, men- tioned verſe 2. 6 But of theſe who ſeemed to be ſomewhat o, what-
ſoever they were it maketh no matter to me : *
2 God accepteth no man's perſon p, for they who ſeem- ed to be ſomewhat in conference added nothing unto me 9.
o The word Tranſlated ſeem, is the ſame with that verſe 2. which we there Tranſlate of Reputaiion. The Apofile meaneth the ſame Perſons that were of the greateſt reputation, and ſo the following words to be ſomething, do import, Ats 5. 36, and $8. 9g, We muſt not underftand the Apoſtle by this Expreſſion, to detra& from the juft Reputation that the Apoftles, and theſe Eminent Chriſtians at Hierujalcm had; he only taketh notice here of them, as magnified by the falſe Teachers of this Church, to the lefſening of himſelf ; and as thoſe that ſcem 19 be ſomething, muſt be interpreced as re- lating to theſe Mens eftimation of them ; [that ſezm to you to be ſomething | tho? I ſeem nothing to you. p Whatſyever they were formerly, ſuppoſe (as probably ſome of theſe Galatians had ſaid) that they ſaw Chrt# in the fleſh, were immediately called by him, when I was a Phariſee, &c. God accepreth no man's perſon, hath no regard to what a Man hath been, but to what, he is. When L was to confer and diſcourſe with them about the DoErin which I and they had taught, I learned no new Do&trin from them, different from what I had before taught, neither did they reprove or corte& me, for any thing which I had taught amiſs; we were all of the ſame mind.
7 But contrariwiſe, * when they ſaw r that the
t, as the goſpel of the circumciſion was unto Peter #.
As 15. 12. Declared in the counſe] what miracies and wonders God bad wrought among the Gentiles by them: ) ſ That the buſineſs of preachin g the Goſpel to thoſe who were no Jews, (for that is meant by ancire cumciſion , not ſimply thoſe that were not circumciſed (for ſome of the Heathens were circumciſed) yet all go in Scripture under the name of uncircumciſed) was committed to me. u As the preach- ing of the Goſpel to the Fews was committed to Pere, and not to him only, but to Fames and Fobn. I muſt not be ſo underſtood, as if Paul mi-ht not preach to the Fews, or Peter might not
| preach to i he Gentiles (for the contrary is evident from As 5, 15,
as to Paul, and from Peter's preaching to Cornelius, Affts 10.) but becauſe God deſigned the Gentiles to be more eſpecially the Pro. vince for Paul to exerciſe his Miniſtry in, As 26. 17. (and accord- ingly he was eſpecially ſent out by the Church, As 13. 4.) as Pe- rer's chief work was among the Jews,
3 (For he that wrought effeQully in Peter to the apoſtleſhip of the circumciſion, * the ſame was mighty in me towards the Gentiles w. )
Apoſtleſhip in the Province betruſted to him (which waspreaching to the Fews ) ſo he wrought effcEually, and mightily in me, or by me in the Province wherein I was employed, viz. carrying the Goſpel to the Gennes. This efficacious working of God both by Paul and Peter, was ſeen in the converſion of multitudes by their Miniſtry, as well as in their miraculous operations, by which they confirmed the Do&trin of the Guſp<l which they preached.
9 And when James w, Cephas x, and Jobn y, who ſeemed to be pillars z, perceived the grace that was given to me a, they gave to me, and Barnabas the right hands of fellowſhip 6, that we ſhould go uato tic
heathen, and they unto the circumſion c.
w James (called the Zeſs) the Son of Alpheus (before called the Brother of our Lord, as is thought becauſe he was the Son-of the Virgin Mary's Siſter, ) whoſe naming here in the firft place ſpoileth the Papiſts Argument for Peter's primacy, becaule in ſome other places he is firft named. x That is, Perer, called here Ce- phas in the Syriack; poſſibly becauſe he is named with others, who had Syriac Names 5 in moſt places he is by t!:is Apoſtle calle Perer, » Fohn the Apoſtle and Evangeliſt, who is alſo known by the Name of the beloved Diſciple. 7 Paul in ſaying rth-y ſremed 10 be Pillars, doth not deny them to be ſo ; being ſuch as God made uſe of in the firſt founding and building of the Goſpel-Church ;, as alſo to bear it up (in the feme ſenſe that the Church is called rbe PiBzr and. ground of ruth; ) ard as by them the Goſpel was carried out into the World ; but he uſeth the word ſeemed, becauſe the, falſe Teachers had magnified their Miniftry, bur diſparaged his, When theſe, he ſaith, 4 underſtood the grace given to þ/m, by which, he
either underſtands his Othce of Apoftleſtip, or the Crown 3nd Sea!
Chap. II.
Elders, about the necefrry * Circumsiſion, verl. 1. Some| ther yet, theſe Brethren urged the obſervation of theſe Rites, as from Fuca, having caught the Diſciples at 4n1och, that | neceflary to Saivation, (as appears from 47s 15, 1,) for they were
* RCM, 2, l1.
* Rom,
goſpel of the uncircumciſion / was committed unto me 1. 13. 1Tim 2.7,
7 They were ſo far from contradifting any thing that 1 had 2 11% *» preached, that when they underſtood from me, and Zarnatas (who *
* Aft. 9g.
15. & 123,
w AS PauPs call was equal to that of Peter, both of them being beg 22, Divine, ſo (ſaita the Apoſtle) my ability and ſucceſs was equal ; 21. ch. 1» as God wrought eff-Qually in and by Perer in the diſcharge of his 16,