0 I dv not deſpiſe, rejet, make void, (for by all theſe words the word here uſed is Tranſlated, Mark 7. 9g. Fohn 12. 48. Ch. 3. 15» Heb. 10. 28.) the free love of God, in giving his Son to die for our fins: From whence is ealily gathered, that thoſe who live a looſe life, and take a liberty to fin from their Juſtification, or from the free grace of God in Chriftz they do contemn and deſpiſe the grace of God ; Or rather (if we refer it to the following words) thoſe who aſſert Juſtification by the works of the Law, they do reſet and deſpiſe the free grace of God in the Goſpel, and (as much as in them lies) make it vain and fruſtrate. p For if it be poſſible, that a Man by works done in obedience to the Law, ſhould arrive at a Righteouſeſs, in which he may ftand before God, q then Chrift died tono purpoſe, or without any juft cauſe; the rea- ſon of this muſt be, becauſe it was the main and principal end of Chriſt's death, to procure or purchaſe a Righteouſneſs, wherein ſinners might ſtand before God, to bring in an everlaſting Righteouſ- neſs, Dan. 9. 27- If the moſt proper cffett of the death of Chrift be taken away, then his death is made cauſleſs, and to no purpoſe. Thus the Apoſtle concludeth his Thefis, laid down, verſe 16. That wone ſhall be juſtified by the works of the Law, from two abſurdities that would follow upon the contrary, viz. Fuſtification by the works of the Law; the rejetion of the grace of God, and the fruſtration, or making void of the death of Chriſt.
CH A P. III.
He ſoarply reproves the Galatians, and expoſtulates with them 4 they had received the ſpirit and his grace by faith, and had ſuffered on this ac- count, and this faith was confirmed 10 them by Miracles, 1--5. Abra- ham's Righreonſneſs by faith, and hereby we are his Children ; the Gentiles proved ſuch by Scripture, and ſuch only bleſſed in bim, 6----9, All others are under the Curſe of the Law, from which Chriſt bath de- livered Believers, and procured the Bleſſmg for them, 10---14. Man's
Covenant once confirmed cannot be annul}'d. The promiſe made to Abra- |,
ham ard his Seed, and confirmed in Chriſt ; this the Law coming after- wards cannot diſannul, 15----- 13. But it may diſcover fin, and be our School-maſter ro lead to Chriſt, in whom is the Inheritance, and ſor not comrary 80 the promiſe, which remedieth its defets, and ſinners «nvinced by it go w Chriſt and are juſtified. by faith, and are freed
doubt of the truth of the thing, than if he had been crucified in their Country. :
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye * + ,a., the ſpirit e, by the works of the law, or by the hear- +2. ing of faith f ? e By the Spirit here is underſtood the gifts of the Spirit, which S 15+ 9» were either ſuch as were common to all Believers (ſuch as Faith, Eph» t+12- Love, &c.) or elſe ſuch as were peculiar to ſome, and thoſe not all Believers; ſuch were thoſe abilities for miraculous operations given to ſome. Some underſtand this Text of the former, ſome ot the latter z Its beft to take in both 3 all the manifeftations of the Spirit then given out, either for the Sanctification and Eternal Sat- vation of thoſe to whom they were given, or tor the confirmation of the Truth of the Goſpel. f Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law? that he knew they could not ſay they did, for they were Heathens, Strangers to the Common-wealth of 1ſ7ael, ſo as they could pretend to no works of the Law : Or did you receive this Holy Spirit upon hearing the Goſpel (which is the Dodtrin of Faith) preached to you ? Men ſhould take b+ed of vilifying that Miniftry, or that Dofrin, which God hath bleſſed to the change of their own hearts, or the hearts of others: We alſo may obſerve from hence, That the hearing the Goſpel faithfully preached is a blefſed means by which Mens hearts are changed, and they receive the Holy Spi- rit; not inabling them (as it did ſome, and but ſome in the begin- ning of the Goſpel) to work ſigns and wonders, but inabling them to the operations of a Spiritual Life: The ftrength of the Apo- ſtle's Argument is this, You have the greateſt reaſon to own that Dodtrin as the truth which God hath blefſed to your Souls to pro- duce ſpiritual Effetts there.
3 Are ye ſo fooliſh? having begun ia the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the fleſh g ?
£ The Doftrin of their falſe Teachers was, that to faith in Chriſt, an obedience alſo to the Law of Moſes was neceffary to Juſtification ; they did not deny Chrift, or the Do&rin of the Goſpel, only they plead for the works of the Law as neceſſary to be ſuperadded. The Apoſtle calls this firſt owning of Chrift, and imbracing the Do- &rin of Faith, 4 beginning in the Spirit, their adding the neceſſity of obedience to the Law of Moſes, a being made perfett in the fleſy. And argueth the unreaſonableneſs of it, that their Fuſt:ficari977 ſhould be begun by a more noble, and made perfect by a more ig- noble cauſe. He calls the Do&rin of the Goſpel, Spirir, becaule (as he ſaid in the former verſe) they had received the Holy 5+pirit,
QO,- Q On Ys I%s
by'the hearing of faith; that is, by hearing and receiving the Goſpel.