e The Scripture having not given us a particular account of Paui's Circumfitances, when he firſt preached the Goſpel to the G4- latians; we are at a loſs to determine what thoſe Infirmities were which Paul here ſpeaketh of, more than that he calls them Infrmi- ties of the Fleſh. By which may be underſtood, either the baſeneſs and comtemptibleneſs of his Preſence (which the falſe Teachers at Corinth objected to him, 2 Cor. 10. 10.) or ſome Podily Sicknels which Pan! had at that time (as ſome of the Ancients gueſs;) or his Sufferings for the Goſpel, which were thoſe Infirmities wherein he choſe to Glory, 2 Cor. 11. 30.
14 And my temptation which was in my fleſh ye de-
I
ſpiſed not, nor rejected f, but received me * as an an- gel of God, even * as Chriſt Jeſus g.
Chap. IV.
* 2Cor: + 1971 | 5" if i Fl Wii
2s ;
* Mal.2.7« * Mat. 10
ft The Apoſtle faith, they were ſo far from injuring him (as he 49 FP had ſaid ver/. 12.) that they had expreſſed great kindneſs ro him : John 13: | For tho' when he firſt came among them to Preach the Goſpel, he 20»
was a Man of no great Preſence z but, in the judgment of ſome, Vile and Baſe z or was full of Bodily Weakneſs and Diſeaſes; was Per- ſecuted by Men; yet they did not rcjet nor deſpiſe him for thoſe Temptations he had in the Fleſh : By which he means, the ſame things he before meant by Infirmities, for both Bodily Weaknefſes and Suf- rings for the Goſpel,are Temprarions,or as theWord fignifieth,Tria!s. & Nay (faith he) you were fo far from rejeting, or deſpiting me upon that account, that (on the contrary) you received me, as if T had been an Angel; yea, if Jeſus Chriſt himſelf had come among, you, you could not have been more kind to him than you were to me. This he tells them, partly to let them know, that what he had ſpoken he had not ſpoke ont of any ill will or prejudice to them but. partly to retain their good Will, that they might not ſhew them- ſelves uncertain and unconftant in their Judgment and Affettions, and partly (as the following Verſe teſtifieth) to ſhew the levity of ſome of them, who had too much forgotten their firſt judgment of him, and value for him.
15 + Where is then the bleſſedneſs you ſpake of þ? FOr, whet for I hear you record, that if it had beex poſſible, you 94 #hen-
would have pluckt out your own eyes and given them
fo me z.
'b Some underſtand the Pleſſ-dneſs here ſpoken of in a paſkre Senſe ; you were then a bleſſed and happy People, receiving the Dottrin of the Goſpel in the Truth and Purity of it 5 what is now become of that Blefſedneſs ? But both the preceding, and the fol- lowing Words, ſeem to rule the Senſe otherwiſe, viz. where is that Bleſſ-dneſs which you predicated of me i? You call:d me then Bleffed, and ſhewed me ſuch a dear AffeRion that you would, if it would have done me good, have parted with what was deareſt to you.
16 Am I therefore become your enemy becauſe I tell you the truth & ?
k& What hath now alter'd your Mind, or made you hare a worſe Opinion of me ? Wherein have T offended you, or done you any harm ? IT havedone nothing but revealed to you the truth of God, am I therefore become your Enemy ? Or do you account me your Enemy upon that account ?
17 They / * zealouſly afie& you m, brt not well » : *Rom.104
1 i
yea, they would excjude - you o, that you might at- _ 2C Or. Il,
fect them p.
1 The falſe Teachers that have perverted you as to the Faith of -” [ + Or, %% |
the Goſpel. m Pretend a great warmth of Affettion for you; # but in this they do not well, nor tor a good end. o They would. ex- clude you from our good Opinion and Affettion. p That they might have all your Love and Reſpet ; and fo by the ruin of our Repu- tation with you, they might build up their own Reputation. | 18 But ir is good to be zealoutly attected always in a good thing s, and not only when I am preſent with
you h. |:
g The Apoſtle in the former Verſes had been ſpeaking of a great Zeal or warmth of Affettion ( for that Zeal tignifieth) which theſe Galatians had for, and declared towards him, when hz firft preached the Goſpel amongft th2m 3 and alto of a great warmth and degree of Affecttion which theſe talfſe Teachers had pretended to this Church. Theſe Words are ſo delivered that they are applicable to cither of theſe ; but the latter Words ſeem
: (5 1 2] to
Fit
{_hap. IV.
I'hiiem- }
_, c Yaille 1.15.
+ Or, 42 +. > 4 ) > LIT t Co ,TXC ;
Fi
J ar Js
+* Gen. 16.
15. + Heb.11. [1.
* Rom. g. 7 3.
*Or,Teſti- Mets.
4 Gr. St- F!.
+ Ox, 7:C 1 e eau WIS.
to make tham moſt properly applica®le to the former ; ſothe Term { Alw. is 2m pharicals, There wasa time, when you were very warm vo" 4vur love to me; the caule being good, your warmth of afte- +#i912 ouzht not to have abated, but continued always, and not h only while you ſaw me, and 1 was preſent with you. :
10 * My lime children - of whom 1 travel in birth at tin &, uatil Chriftt be tormed in you /.
"+ By callirg them little Childr-n, he both hints to them that he was their Sp'ritual Tather, and had begotten them to Chritt and that they were as yet weak in the Faith, not grown men, but as yer little Children; and alſo hints to them, the tender affetion he had towards them 3 which was the ſame as of a Mother to her little Children; though they did not own and honour him as their ſpi- ritual Father, yethe loved them as his little Childrewy. k FOr whom lam in as gr-at pain, through my earneſt defire for the good of vour Souls, as the Woman is that is in travel for the bringing torth of a Child. 1 Till Chris} be fully and perfectly forme 77 you; that is, till you are brought off from your 4+4.iſm, and opinion of the neceflity of ſuperadding the works of the Law to the Faith of Chriſt in order to your Juſtification, and be rooted in the Truth and eſta- bliſhed in the liberty of the Goſpel, with which Chriſt hath made you tree. I " 20 [deſire to be preſent with you now mz, and to change my voice », for I + ſtand in doubt of you o.
1m T wiſh circumſtances ſo concurred that I could be preſent with
you. # That I might uſe my tongue towards you as T ſaw occaſion 3 *either commending, or reproving, or exhorting, as I ſaw Cauſe. 0 For 1 do not knouw what to think of you; I am afraid of your fallins awav from the profeſſion of the Goſpel to Judaiſm.
21 Tell me, ye that delire to be under the law p, do
ye not hear the law q ? :