\\INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS\\

The persons to whom this epistle is written were not such who made up a
single church only, in some certain town or city, but were such of
which several churches consisted, in a region or country called
Galatia, as is evident from \\#Ga 1:2\\ and the members of these
churches seem to be chiefly, if not altogether Jews, since the apostle
includes them with himself; as having been under the law, under tutors
and governors, and in bondage under the elements of the world, and to
whom the law had been a schoolmaster, though now they were no longer
under it as such, \\#Ga 3:23-25 4:1-3\\ or however, though some of them
might have been originally Gentiles, yet, previous to their conversion,
had become proselytes to the Jews, and now were returning to Judaism
again, as appears from \\#Ga 4:8-10\\. When and from whence this
epistle was written, is not very clear and manifest: some have thought,
that it was written about the time of the writing of the epistle to the
Romans, and upon a like occasion; but if it was written about that
time, it could not he written from Rome, as the subscription to this
epistle attests, since it is certain, that when the apostle wrote his
epistle to the Romans, he had never, as yet, been at Rome. Beza is of
opinion, that it was written from Antioch, between the return of Paul
and Barnabas thither from their first journey, and the troubles which
broke out in that church, \\#Ac 14:28\\. But to this it is reasonably
objected, that it is questionable whether there were so early any
churches in Galatia at all; and if there were, it does not seem that
the defection from the faith, complained of in this epistle, as yet had
took place in any of the churches; for it was after this date that the
troubles upon this head arose at Antioch, which seems to have been the
first place, and the church there the first church the judaizing
teachers practised at and upon. Some Latin exemplars testify that it
was written from Ephesus; of which opinion was Erasmus; but as Dr.
Lightfoot observes, the same reason is against this as the former,
seeing the corruption that was got into this church was then but
beginning, when the apostle was at Ephesus: it seems therefore most
likely, that it was written from Rome, as the subscription in the Greek
copies affirms; and which is strengthened by the Syriac and Arabic
versions, seeing it seems to have been written after the apostle had
made the collections, in several places, for the poor saints at
Jerusalem, \\#Ga 2:10\\ and when the apostasy from the faith had got to
a great pitch; nor is it any objection that there is no express mention
made of his bonds in it, as there is in those epistles of his, which
were written from Rome; since, when he wrote this, he might have been
delivered from them, as some have thought he was after his first
defence; and besides, he does take notice of the marks of the Lord
Jesus he bore in his body, \\#Ga 6:17\\. Dr. Lightfoot places the
writing of this epistle in the year and in the "fifth" of Nero; some
place it in 55, and others in 58. That there were churches in Galatia
very early, is certain from \\#Ac 18:23, 1Co 16:1\\ but by whom they
were planted is not so evident; very likely by the apostle, since, it
is certain, both from this epistle, that he was personally in this
country, and preached the Gospel here, \\#Ga 4:13-15\\ and from
\\#Ac 16:6\\ and if he was not the instrument of the conversion of the
first of them, which laid the foundation of a Gospel church state, yet it
is certain, that he was useful in strengthening the disciples and brethren
throughout this country, \\#Ac 18:23\\. But after his departure from
them, the false teachers got among them, and insinuated, that he was no
apostle, at least that he was inferior to Peter, James, and John, the
ministers of the circumcision; and these seduced many of the members of
the churches in this place, drawing them off from the evangelical
doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ, persuading
them that the observation of the ceremonial law, particularly
circumcision, was necessary to their acceptance with God, and
justification in his sight: wherefore the occasion and design of this
epistle were to vindicate the character of the apostle as such; to
establish the true doctrine of justification by faith, in opposition to
the works of the law; to recover those who were carried away with the
other doctrines; to exhort the saints to stand fast in the liberty of
Christ, and to various other duties of religion; and to give a true
description of the false teachers, and their views, that so they might
beware of them, and of their principles.

\\INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS 1\\

This chapter contains the inscription of the epistle, the apostle's
usual salutation of the persons he writes to, and the charge he brought
against them for their fickleness and inconstancy, in showing any
manner of disposition towards a removal from the Gospel; the truth,
certainty, and authority of the Gospel, and an account of himself, who
was a preacher of it; of his life before conversion; of the nature and
manner of his conversion; of his travels, labours, and usefulness
afterwards. The inscription is in \\#Ga 1:1,2\\ in which the writer of
the epistle is described by his name Paul, and by his office, an
apostle; which office he had not of men, but of God, of the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, and of God the Father, who is described by his power in
raising Christ from the dead. The persons to whom the epistle is
inscribed are the churches of Galatia, and those that joined the
apostle in the salutation of them were the brethren that were with him.
The salutation follows, \\#Ga 1:3\\ in which mention being made of
Christ, there is a declaration of a singular benefit by him, which
contains the sum of the Gospel, as that he gave himself for the sins of
his people, to deliver them from the present evil world, according to
the will of God, \\#Ga 1:4\\ upon which a doxology, or an ascription of
glory is made, either to Christ, who gave himself, or to the Father,
according to whose will he did, or to both, \\#Ga 1:5\\. After which
the apostle proceeds to exhibit a charge of levity against the
Galatians; and which he expresses in a way of admiration, that they
should so soon be carried away from the doctrine of grace, to another
doctrine the reverse of it, \\#Ga 1:6\\ though he somewhat mitigates
this reproof by laying the blame on the false teachers, who were
troublers of them, and perverters of the Gospel of Christ; and corrects
himself for calling their false doctrine by the name of another Gospel,
\\#Ga 1:7\\ and delivers out, and pronounces an anathema on all such,
whether angels or men, that should preach any other Gospel than he had
preached, and they had received, \\#Ga 1:8,9\\. The excellency of which
Gospel is set forth, by the matter of it, being not human but divine,
and by the manner of preaching it, with all simplicity and honesty, not
seeking to please men, \\#Ga 1:10\\ and from the efficient cause of it,
it being denied to be after man, or received from, or taught by man,
but is ascribed to the revelation of Christ Jesus, \\#Ga 1:11,12\\. And
that the apostle had it not from men, he proves by the account of
himself, and his conversation before conversion, as how that he had
been a persecutor of the church of God, of those that professed the
Christian religion and doctrine; wherefore he could not have the
Gospel, as not from nature and education, so not from the chief
priests, Scribes, and elders, who encouraged him to persecute,
\\#Ga 1:13\\. And this he further makes to appear by his great proficiency
in the religion of the Jews, and his abundant zeal for the traditions
of the fathers, which set him at the greatest distance from, and
opposition to, the Gospel of Christ, \\#Ga 1:14\\. And, on the other
hand, that he received it of God, and by the revelation of Christ, he
proves by the account he gives of his effectual calling and conversion;
the source and spring of which was the sovereign will of God in divine
predestination, and the moving cause of it, the free grace of God,
\\#Ga 1:15\\. The manner in which this was done was by a revelation of
Christ in him; and the end of it was, that he might preach Christ to
the Gentiles, which he immediately did, without consulting flesh and
blood, \\#Ga 1:16\\. And as it was a clear point that he could never
receive the Gospel from the Jews before his conversion, he and they
being enemies to it, and persecutors of it; so it was evident that he
did not receive it, after his conversion, even from Christian men,
seeing he did not, upon his conversion, go directly to Jerusalem, and
confer with the apostles there, who were the most likely persons to
have taught him the Gospel; but instead of this he went into Arabia
preaching the Gospel, and then came back to Damascus, where he was
converted, \\#Ga 1:17\\. And it was three years after his conversion,
that he went to Jerusalem to visit Peter; and his stay with him was
very short, no longer than fifteen days; and he was the only apostle he
saw there, excepting James, the brother of Christ, \\#Ga 1:18,19\\ for
the truth of all which he appeals to God the searcher of hearts,
\\#Ga 1:20\\. And then goes on with the account of himself, and his
travels; how that when he departed from Jerusalem, he did not go into
any other parts of Judea, and visit the churches there, but went into the
countries of Syria and Cilicia; and was not so much as known by thee,
or personally, by any of the churches, or members of the churches in
Judea, \\#Ga 1:20,21\\ so that as it could not be thought by his short
stay at Jerusalem, and the few apostles he saw there, that he received
the Gospel he preached from them, so neither from any other ministers,
or body of Christians in the land of Judea; for all they knew of him
was by hearsay only, as that he who was formerly a persecutor of them,
was now become a preacher of the Gospel he had sought to destroy,
\\#Ga 1:22,23\\ wherefore it was a clear case he had not received the
Gospel from them. Besides, as they had heard that he preached the Gospel
of Christ, they glorified God for it, who had revealed it to him, and
bestowed gifts upon him, fitting him for such service, \\#Ga 1:24\\.