Serve one another. 14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not confumed one of another. 16. This I fay then, Walk in the Spirit, and •ye shall not fulfil the lufts of the flesh. 17. For the flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flefb: and thefe are contrary the one to the other; fo that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18. But if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19. Now the works of the flefb are manifeft, which are thefe, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness lafcivioufnefs, 20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, feditions, herefies, 21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, røvellings, and fuch like: of the which I tell you before, as I alfo have told you in time paft, that they which do fuch things, fhall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longfuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23. Meeknefs, temperance: against fuch there is no law. 24. And they that are Chrift's, have crucified the fiefb, with the affections, and lufts. 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us alfo walk in the Spirit. 26. Let us not be defirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

T

cafe he

HE Apoftle having, in the foregoing part of this epiftle, fet the was warning thefe Galatians against in every light in which it could be viewed, and fhowed them how the change they were tempted to make was

not

not only unprofitable and useless, but dangerous in the highest degre, nay, and abfolutely deftructive, not only of their peace and fafety, but their very fouls; he comes now to conclude with a confideration, which, it were much to be wifhed, every one would ferioufly weigh, when they find themfelves in fimilar circumstances, that they may not be rafhly drawn off from their obedience to the truth in any inftance, as there never will be temptations wanting, fo long as there are fo many who lie in wait to deceive, and pervert the right way of the Lord.

He had reminded them of that chearful readiness with which they received the knowledge of Chrift from him, what bleffings they then heaped upon him, and what warmth of love they showed in the whole of their behaviour toward him. He now puts them in mind of the effect his preaching, and their knowledge of the truth, had on them; and does it in a way which could hardly fail to engage them to compare the evidence they had of the truth, with what their new teachers had to advance for drawing them off from it; You did run well; who hindered you, that

you

you should not obey the truth? I only ob ferve on the tranflation, that the word the Apostle uses fignifies only the obedience of faith; the heart's acquiefcing and refting in the truth as it comes inforced by the teftimony of God, and giving it that weight and influence on the believer's conduct, which fuch authority deferves.

The

In this course they fet out fairly. Apostle expreffes it in the allufion we very frequently meet with in the New-Teftament writings, this Apoftle's especially: and the allufion is well chofen to reprefent the neceffity of the utmoft exertion of activity and diligence. The Apostle gives us a pattern of it in his own conduct, Phil. iii. 13. 14. "this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and

66

66

reaching forth to thefe which are be'fore, I prefs toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ

terms he exhorts

And on account and ftrong oppo

Jefus ;" in the fame the Hebrews, xii. 1. 2. of the many difficulties fition Chriftians have to lay their account. with, from the rulers of the darkness of this world without, and from the flesh with its affections and lufts within, it is likewise

called

called labouring, wrestling, fighting. The Galatians had fet out in this courfe; and the Apostle teftifies they had run well; and that they could not do without keeping the prize and goal conftantly in their eye, and keeping the ftraight course, without lofing time by turning out of the way on any account. They had the truth of God for their guide; and fo long as they kept by that, it was impoffible they could mifcarry for there they had at once perfect light to fee their way, and perfect power to stand against, and to overcome all difficulty and oppofition; being there provided with the whole armour of God, and the fame mind which was in Chrift Jefus, the author and finisher of their faith.

Well then might the Apoftle afk, who hindered them to perfevere and go forward? The fhield of faith, had it been ufed as it ought, would have quenched. all the fiery darts of the devil; but when any one point of truth is fuffered to slip, fo much faith muft lofe of its ftrength; and fo much clear advantage will the enemy gain. His agents had brought the fufficiency of the grace which is in Chrift Jefus into doubt with them, and were a

bout

bout perfuading them to patch it up with their own works, circumcifion and obfervance of the law of Mofes, and to reft their hope of falvation on that; by which they fhould have been infenfibly stolen off from the only foundation which God had laid, Christ and his grace, and thereby left to the will of their enemies. It was this unhappy fuggeftion that stopped and hindered them from purfuing the course they had fo happily begun. But from whatfoever quarter it came, he affures them, verf. 8. it came not from him who called them.

By what he fays, verf. 11. to vindicaté himfelf from the grofs imputation the feducers had loaded him with, viz. that he was himself as much for circumcifion as they, which probably they fupported by his circumcifing Timothy, fome have thoughts that by him that called them, he meant himself, and wanted to clear himself from having any hand in bringing them into the fnare which they were unhappily intangled in: and it might have paffed, were it not, that the calling he here fpeaks of is of fuch a nature, as nothing but the Spirit and power of God could make effectual; and

that