SECT. V. CHAP. III. 18-25. CONTENTS. IN answer to this objection, "To what, then, serveth the law?" He shows, that the law was not contrary to the promise: but since all men were guilty of transgression, ver. 22, the law was added, to show the Israelites the fruit and inevitable consequence of their sin, and thereby the necessity of betaking themselves to Christ: but as soon as men have received Christ, they have attained the end of the law, and so are no longer under it. This is a farther argument against circumcision. TEXT. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore, then, serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels, in the hand of a mediator. PARAPHRASE. 18 If the blessing and inheritance be settled on Abraham and believers, as a free gift by promise, and was not to 19 be obtained by the deeds of the law; To what purpose then was the law? It was added, because the Israelites, the posterity of Abraham, were transgressors, as well as other men, to show them their sins, and the punishment and death they incurred by them, until Christ should come, who was the seed, into whom both jews and gentiles, ingrafted by believing, become the people of God, and children of Abraham, that seed to which NOTE. 19 That this is the meaning of, "because of transgressions," the following part of this section shows, wherein St. Paul argues to this purpose: the jews were sinners as well as other men, ver. 22. The law denouncing death to all sinners, could save none, ver. 21, but was thereby useful to bring men to Christ, that they might be justified by faith, ver. 2. See ch. ii. 15, 16. TEXT. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one; but God is one. 21 Is the law, then, against the promises of God? God forbid! for if there had been a law given, which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. PARAPHRASE. the promise was made. And the law was ordained by angels, in the hand of a mediator, whereby it is mani20 fest, that the law could not disannul the promise; Because a mediator is a mediator. between two parties concerned, but God is but one of those concerned in 21 the promise. If, then, the promised inheritance come not to the seed of Abraham, by the law, is the law opposite, by the curse it denounces against transgressors, to the promises that God made of the blessing to Abraham? No, by no means! For if there had been a law NOTES. Mediator. See Deut. v. 5. Lev. xxvi. 46. Where it is said, the law was made between God and the children of Israel, by the hand of Moses. 20 But God is one: To understand this verse, we must carry in our minds what St. Paul is here doing, and that from ver. 17. is manifest, that he is proving that the law could not disannul the promise; and he does it upon this known rule, that a covenant, or promise, once ratified, cannot be altered, or disannulled, by any other, but by both the parties concerned. Now, says he, God is but one of the parties concerned in the promise; the gentiles and israelites together made up the other, ver. 14. But Moses, at the giving of the law, was a mediator only between the israelites and God; and, therefore, could not transact any thing to the disannulling the promise, which was between God, and the israelites and gentiles together, because God was but one of the parties to that covenant; the other, which was the gentiles, as well as israelites, Moses appeared, or transacted, not for. And so what was done at mount Sinai, by the mediation of Moses, could not affect a covenant made between parties whereof only one was there. How necessary it was for St. Paul to add this, we shall see, if we consider, that without it his argument of 430 years distance would have been deficient, and hardly conclusive. For if both the parties concerned in the promise had transacted by Moses the mediator, (as they might if none but the nation of the israelites had been concerned in the promise made by God to Abraham) they might, by mutual consent, have altered, or set aside, the former promise, as well four hundred years, as four days after. That which hindered it, was, that at Moses's mediation, on Mount Sinai, God, who was but one of the parties to the promise, was present; but the other party, Abraham's seed, consisting of israelites and gentiles together, was not there; Moses transacted for the nation of the israelites alone: the other nations were not concerned in the covenant made at Mount Sinai, as they were in the promise made to Abraham and his seed; which, therefore, could not be disannulled without their consent. For that both the promise to Abraham and his seed, and the covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, was national, is in itself evident. TEXT. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith, which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. PARAPHRASE. given, which could have put us in a state of life, cer22 tainly righteousness should have been by law. But we find the quite contrary by the scripture, which makes no distinction betwixt jew and gentile, in this respect, but has shut up together all mankind, jews and gentiles, under sin' and guilt, that the blessing which was promised, to that which is Abraham's true and intended seed, by faith in Christ, might be given to those who 23 believe. But, before Christ, and the doctrine of justification by faith in him, came, we jews were shut up as a company of prisoners together, under the custody and inflexible rigour of the law, unto the coming of the Messiah, when the doctrine of justification by faith in 24 him should be revealed. So that the law, by its severity, served as a school-master to bring us to Christ, that NOTES. i 21 c Zwoπeña, "Put into a state of life." The Greek word signifies to make alive. St. Paul considers all men here, as in a mortal state; and to be put out of that mortal state, into a state of life, he calls, being made alive. This, he says, the law could not do, because it could not confer righteousness. Ex voue, by law, i.e. by works, or obedience to that law, which tended towards righteousness, as well as the promise, but was not able to reach, or confer it. See Rom. viii. 3. i. e. frail men were not able to attain righteousness by an exact conformity of their actions to the law of righteousness. 22 e Tà warla, All, is used here for all men. The apostle, Rom. iii. 9. and 19, expresses the same thing by walaç, all men; and wãs i xóoμ, all the world. But speaking in the text here of the jews, in particular, he says, We, meaning those of his own nation, as is evident from ver. 24, 25. f Under sin, i.e. rank them all together, as one guilty race of sinners: see this proved, Rom. iii. 9. i. 18, &c. To the same purpose of putting both jews and gentiles into one state, St. Paul uses σuréxλso walas, "hath shut them up "all together," Rom. xi. 32. 8 The thing promised in this chapter, sometimes called Blessing, ver. 9, 14. sometimes Inheritance, ver. 18. sometimes Justification, ver. 11, 24. sometimes Righteousness, ver. 21. and sometimes Life, ver. 11, 21. 23h By faith, see ver. 14. Justification by faith, see ver. 24. TEXT. 25 But, after that faith is come, we are no longer under a school master. PARAPHRASE. 25 we might be justified by faith. But Christ being come, and with him the doctrine of justification by faith, we are set free from this school-master, there is no longer any need of him. SECT. VI. CHAP. III. 26-29. CONTENTS. As a further argument to dissuade them from circumcision, he tells the galatians, that by faith in Christ, all, whether jews or gentiles, are made the children of God; and so they stood in no need of circumcision. TEXT. 26 For ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you, as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. 26 There is neither jew nor greek, there is neither bond nor free, PARAPHRASE. 26 For ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ 27 Jesus. For as many of you, as have been baptized in 28 Christ, have put on Christ. There is no distinction 26 NOTES. All, i.e. both jews and gentiles. 27 Put on Christ. This, which, at first sight, may seem a very bold metaphor, if we consider what St. Paul has said, ver. 16. and 26, is admirably adapted to express his thoughts in a few words, and has a great grace in it. He says, ver. 16, that "the seed to which the promise was made, was but one, and "that one was Christ." And ver. 26, he declares, "that by faith in Christ, "they all became the sons of God." To lead them into an easy conception how this is done, he here tells them, that, by taking on them the profession of TEXT. there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. PARAPHRASE. of jew or gentile, of bond or free, of male or female. For ye are all one body, making up one person in Christ 29 Jesus. And if ye are all one in Christ Jesus', ye are the true ones, seed of Abraham, and heirs according to the promise. NOTES. the gospel, they have, as it were, put on Christ; so that to God, now looking on them, there appears nothing but Christ. They are, as it were, covered all over with him, as a man is with the cloaths he hath put on. And hence he says, in the next verse, that "they are all one in Christ Jesus," as if there were but that one person. 29 The Clermont copy reads ei de vμeïç èïç isè iv Xpis Ino, "And if ye 66 are one in Christ Jesus," more suitable, as it seems, to the apostle's argument. For, ver. 28, he says, "They are all one in Christ Jesus ;" from whence the inference in the following words of the Clermont copy, is natural: "And if 66 ye be one in Christ Jesus, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according "to promise." SECT. VII. CHAP. IV. 1-11. CONTENTS. IN the first part of this section he further shows, that the law was not against the promise, in that the child is not disinherited, by being under tutors. But the chief design of this section is to show, that though both jews and gentiles were intended to be the children of God, and heirs of the promise by faith in Christ, yet they both of them were left in bondage, the jews to the law, ver. 3. and the gentiles to false gods, ver. 8. until Christ in due time came to redeem them both; and, therefore, it was folly in the galatians, |