ſome knowledge of God, Rom. 1. 21.) c You paid Religious Homa- ges unto Idols; which are Gods, not by nature, and eſſence, but on- Iy in the opinion of Tdolaters. Which was a more miſerable Bon- dage and Servitude than the Jews were under, who knew the true God ; tho' in the time, when the Church was like the Heir un- der Age, it was ſubje& to the Law contained in Ordinances, and under the yoke of the Law. .9, 9 But now * after that you have known God 4, or +.12.rather are known of God e, * how turn ye Þ again to 0.229 * the weak and beggarly + elements, whereunto ye de- Dil Gre again to be in bondage f ? 7* 4 After that you are come to a true, and ſaving knowledge of . God in' Chriſt, and know God as he is. e Or rather after you are Jodi received of God, approved of him, made through Chrift accepta- W ble to him; which is mach more than a true comprehenſion of God in your Notion and Underſtanding. f How turn you back again to the legal ſervices of the Ceremonial Law, which he calleth Flements-or Rudiments, becauſe they were God's firſt Tnſtruetions given to his Church for his Worſhip, to which he intended after- ward a more perfe& way of Worſhip. He calls them weak, becauſe they brought nothing to perfettion ; and. the obſervance of them was impotent as to the Juſtification of a Soul, as all the Law is. He calls them beggerly in compariſon of the more rational, ſpiritual way of Worſhip under the Goſpel. f He faith, that they deſired to be in Bondage unto theſe, becauſe they would not ſee and make uſe of the liberty from them, which Chriſt had: purchaſed. 05j. Tt may be objected, that the Galatians were not Educated in Fu42iſm ; how then doth the Apoſtle charge them with turning back to them ? Anſw. This hath made ſome think, that, by the wetk and 52ggerly Flements mentioned in this Verſe, the Apoſtle meaneth their Gen- tile Superſtitions and Idolatries ; but this is not probable, the Apo- ſtle all along the Epiſtle charging them with no ſuch Apoſtacy. Others think, that he in this Verſe chiefly refleteth on the b2lieving Jews, who afterwards returned again to the uſe 5f the Law. But why may not we rather ſay, that he calleth their Fact a turning back, not ſo much with reference to their Perſonal Practice, as to the State of the Church 5 which was once under thoſe Elem=nts, but by the coming of Chriſt was brought into a more perfect State. So that for them who are called into the Church in the time of this its more perfed State, for them to return to the Bondage of the T.aw, that was truly to tur» back; if not to any Prattice of their own, which they had caſt off, yet to a State of the Church, which the Church of God had now out-grown.
m14, 10 * Ye obſerve days s, and months h, and times z, and years k.
F215. 8 Tf we had any evidence that theſe Galatians were relapſed to
their Gentile Superſtitions, theſe Terms might be underſtood of ſuch days, Gc. as they kept in honour to their Idols. But the Apo- {le throughout the whole Epiſtle, not refle&ing upon them for any {uch groſs Apoſtacy (as returning to the Vanities of the Heathen in which they formerly lived ;) but only for Judaizing, and uſing the Ceremonies of the Jewiſh Law, as neceffary to be obſerved, beſides their believing in Chrift, for their Juſtification 3 it is much more probable that he meaneth by 4ays the Jewiſh Feſtivals, ſuck as their New Moons, &c. By þ Months, © the firſt and the ſeventh Month, when they religioutly faſted. 7 By Times, their more ſo- lemn times ſuch as were their Feafts of Firſt-Fruits, Tabernacles, &c. And by & rears, their years of Fubilee, the ſeventh and the fiftierh Texr, His meaning is, that they took themſelves to be under a religi- ous Obligation to obſerve theſe Times as ftill commanded by God.
11 I am afraid of you, leſt I have beſtowed upon
you labour in vain /.
_ 1 Paul knew that with reference to himſelf, he had not laboured n vain z he might ſay with 1{ziah, Though Iſrael be not gathered, Yet 1 ſhall be glorified. He had told the Corinthians, that he knew lie ſhould be a ſweet ſzvour ro Ged, as well in them that periſhed as in them that ſhould be ſaved ; but he ſpeaks with reference to them. A faithful Minifter accounteth his Labour lo#{ when he ſeeth no Fruits of it upon the Souls of his People. Nor was Paul afraid ot this as to the fincerer part of the Church, - who truly believed, and were juſtified ; but he ſpeaketh this with reference to the hole Rody of this Church. That which he feared, was their fal- ling back from their profeſſion of Chriftianity to Fudaiſm, as Judging the obſervation of their Jewiſh Days neceſſary by Divine Precept to Chriſtians. Nor doth be ſpeak of the obſervatiqn of
Vol. II.
ſerve, which commandeth the obſervation cf a ſeventh Day for the weekly dabbath, and Þives a liverty for ſetting apart othet Days, and the commanding the obſervation of them, to take no-
| tice of, and acknowledge God in emergent Provid-ncess But he
[4
hir1, or as fince you have known him, (for even the Heathen have |
; only ſpeals of Days impoſed by the Ceremonial Law, and Men's R ©-
ligious obfervation of them as tved to it by a Divine Precept, by which they made them a part of Worſhip. We have a liberty to et apart any Day for God's Worſhip, and Maziſtrates have a liberty to {ct apart particular Days for the acknowledgment of God inn emergent Providences, whether of Mcrcy or ]Judsment ; but none hath a power to make a Day Holy, ſo as that it ſhall bea Sin againſt God for all to Labour therein z much leſs hath any a liberty to keep Jewiſh Holy-days. ;
12 Brethren, I beſeech you be as I am, for I am as ye are c, you * have not injured me at all 4.
© Be as friendly to me as IT am to von ({-e the like Phraſe, 1 A7ngs 22. 4.) d But how doth the Apoſtle ſay they had not injur-4 him at all? When it is manifeſt they had defamed him. Arſm. He had forgiven, or was ready to forgive this to them z he had nodefire or defign to be reveng'd on them. Or in this particular thins of Fudaizing, for which he had been refle&ing upon them, they had done him no perſonal Injury, it was only his care for, and love to their Souls, which had drawn out this Diſcourſe from him; not any particular Prejudice to them, or any defire he had to take any Re- venge upon them, for any perſonal Injury done to himſelf,
13 Ye know how * through infirmity of the fleſh { preached the goſpel to you at the firſt e.