Bishop, that we find him confining his charge to the circumcifion, and refigning all the rest of the world to. Paul. But the latter has been fo happy as never to have had any fo far injurious to his true character, as to profefs themfelves his fucceffors upon any fuch authority; though he was in no refpect inferior to the other. Peter indeed made ufe of the keys of the kingdom given him by his master, to open the gate to the Gentiles; but Paul had the honour of gathering them in.

he

14.

11. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withflood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12. For before that certain came from James, he did eat, with the Gentiles: but when they were come, withdrew, and feparated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcifion. 13. And the other Jews diffembled likewife with him; infomuch that Barnabas alfo was carried away with their diffimulation. But when I faw that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the gospel, I faid unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, liveft after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? 15. We who are Jews by nature, and not finners of the Gentiles, 16. knowing that a man is not juftified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift, even we have believed in Jefus Chrift:

Chrift; that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law fhall no flesh be justified. 17. But if while we feek to be justified by Chrift, we ourselves alfo are found finners, is therefore Chrift the minifter of fin? God forbid. 18. For if I build again the things which I deftroyed, I make myself a tranfgref for. 19. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20. I am crucified with Chrift: Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21. I do not fruftrate the grace of God: for if righteoufnefs come by the law, then Chrift is dead in vain.

WE

E have, in this part of the epistle, a very remarkable piece of history, which, had it turned on the other fide, would have been trumpeted about as a decifive proof of Peter's abfolute sovereignty, not only over the lay part, and inferior clergy, as they call them, but over the apostles themfelves. As it ftands, it prefents us with a ftriking evidence of Peter's weakness, and Paul's great integrity, courage, and refolution, on this particular occafion. He did not, as I am afraid. moft would have done, out of pretended modefty, and regard to the character of fo great an apostle, hush over the thing in fi

lence;

lence; nor did he (as many do) fay nothing in the party's prefence, but rate him foundly when out of his hearing: No; he withstood the great apoftle to his face, and in fuch a manner too, as could hardly mifs to carry conviction to him, that he was really to be blamed.

The time when this happened cannot be certainly known, nor is it of any moment, when the fact is certain, Paul and Barnabas were both at Antioch before they went up to and after they returned from the meeting at Jerufalem. Before the meeting, the disputes about the neceffity of circumcifion were very hot. Had Peter come at that time, very probably the journey might have been prevented; at leaft it must have been taken notice of then. But he appears there as much a ftranger to the question as any of the rest, It is most probable, therefore, that it happened during the time that Paul continued at Antioch, before he fet out on his fecond journey, when Barnabas and he parted from one another.

But however that may be, Peter converfed with the Gentile Chriftians there precisely on the fame terms as if they had

been

been natural born Jews. But when fome came from Jerufalem, where all the Chriftian converts were ftill, and many years after continued to be, very zealous for the law of Mofes, Peter, upon the very plaufible motive of avoiding the offence he was jealous these strangers might take at that fort of freedom, withdrew himself, and would no more eat with the Gentiles. His example, as bad ones commonly do, had very bad effects. The Jews, and even Barnabas himself, separated themselves along with him; though they well knew there was no manner of ground for fo doing, but humouring a fet of obftinately mistaken people.

The least evil that was in this was, that they walked not uprightly, and with that plain fincerity the gospel of Christ requires. They diffembled, or, in the true fense of the Apostle's word, they played the hypocrite, affecting to appear what really they were not. But this, which in them was only affected on that occafion, brought in yet a greater evil: it led thefe mistaken zealots to think, that Peter and Barnabas, with the reft, were really of the fame mind with themfelves; which muft

of

of courfe have hardened and confirmed them in their error, and thus encouraged a party, which occafioned great confufions in the churches, as it was doing in the churches of Galatia when this epistle was written.

In this light it is evident the Apostle confidered that part of Peter's conduct. It was not barely eating or not eating, but the principles from which thefe different practices proceeded, that he had in view, as appears from what he faid on that occafion. The Jewish converts, at bottom, could ill bear that the nations fhould be brought upon a level with them. They could not get it refused, "that God had granted to "the Gentiles repentance unto life." But then they held, that, in order to reap any benefit from it, they must receive the law of Mofes. The noble ftand Paul made on this occafion againft this pernicious principle, was enough to put the whispers the Galatians had been deluded with, out of countenance: that, fo far from giving any encouragement to it, either by his preaching or practice, he had, from the commencement of his apostleship, steadily and refolutely defended the liberty of the Gentile