CHAPTER II VERSE 1-2. " Then after the space of fourteen years,* I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. And I went up by revelation." His first journey was owing to his desire to visit Peter, his second, he says, arose from a revelation of the Spirit. Ver. 2. "And I laid before them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before them who were of repute, lest by any.means I should be running or had run, in vain." What is this, O Paul ! thou who neither at the beginning nor after three years wouldest confer with the Apostles, dost thou now confer with them, after fourteen years are past, lest thou shouldest be running in vain ? Better would it have been to have done so at first, than after so many years ; and why didst thou run at all, if not satisfied that thou wert not running in vain ? Who would be so senseless as to preach for so many years, without being sure that his preaching was true? And what enhances the difficulty is, that he says he went up by revela tion ; this difficulty, however, will afford a solu tion ofthe former one. Had hegoneup ofhisown accord, it would have been most unreasonable, nor is it possible that this blessed soul should have fallen into such folly ; for it is himself who says. " I therefore so run, as not uncertainly ; so fight I, as not beating the air." (i Cor. ix: 26.) If therefore he runs, "not uncertainly," how can he say, "lest I should be running, or had run, in vain?" It is evident from this, that if he had gone up without a revelation, he would have committed an act of folly. But the actual case involved no such absurdity ; who shall dare 1 [" The Acts mention five such journeys after his conversion : {i.)-ix : 23 (Comp. Gal. i : 18.) (2. )-x\ : 30 ; xii : 25. (3.)-xv : 2, the journey to the Apostolic Council, A. D. 50 or 51. (4>.-x viii :22, the journey in 54. (s.)-xxi : 15 (Comp. Ro. 15 : 25 ff.) the last journey when he was made a pardaner and sent to Caesarea in 58. The first of these journeys cannot be meant on account of Gal. i : 18. The second is excluded by the chronoligical date of Gal. ii : i, for as it took place during the famine of Palestine in the year of Herod s death, A. D 44, it would put the commission of Paul back to the year 30, which is much too early. There is no good reason why Paul should have mentioned this second journey. The fifth journey cannot be meant for it took place after the composition of Epistle to Galatians and after dispersion of Apostles. Nor can we think of the fourth journey which was transient, norwas Barnabas with him on that journey, Acts xv : 39. So thejourney here men tioned is the same as that of Acts xv : 2. This took place 50 or 51, i. e., fourteen years after his conversion, 37. Schaff in Pop. Com. G. A.] to still harbor this suspicion, when it was the grace of the Spirit which drew him ? On this account he added the words "by revelation," lest, before the question was solved, he should be condemned of folly ; well knowing that it was no human occurrence, but a deep Divine Providence concerning the present and future. What then is the reason of this journey of his ? As when he went up before from Antioch to Jerusalem, it was not for hisown sake, (for he saw clearly that his duty was simply to obey the doctrines of Christ,) but from a desire to recon cile the contentious ; so now his object was the complete satisfaction of his accusers, not any wish of his own to learn that he had not run in vain. They conceived that Peter and John, of whom they thought more highly than of Paul, differed from him in that he ommitted circum cision in his preaching, while the former allowed it, and they believed that in this he acted unlawfully, and was running in vain. I went up, says he, and communicated unto them my Gospel, not that I might learn aught myself, (as appears more clearly further on,) but that I might convince these suspicious persons that I do not run in vain. The Spirit forseeing this contention had provided that he should go up and make this communication. Wherefore he says that he went up by revela tion, 2 and, taking Barnabas and Titus as wit nesses of his preaching, communicated to them the Gospel which he preached to the Gentiles, that is, with the omission of circumcision. "But privately before them who were of re pute." What means " privately? " Rather, he who wishes to reform doctrines held in com mon, proposes them, not privately, but before all in common ; but Paul did this privately, for his object was, not to learn or reform any thing, but to cut off the grounds of those who would fain deceive. All at Jerusalem were offended, if the law was transgressed, or the use of circum cision forbidden ; as James says, " Thou seest, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of them which have believed ; and they a [" In St. Luke s narrative (Acts xv : 2.) he is said to have been sent by the Church at Antioch. The revelation either prompted orconfirmed the decision of the Church." Lightfoot. G. A.]