CHAPTER I.] COMMENTARY ON GALATIANS. ii Christ says in another place, "No one know- eth who the Son is, save the Father ; and who the Father is, save the Son, and he to whomso ever the Son willeth to reveal Him." (Luke x: 22.) You observe that the Father reveals the Son, and the Son the Father ; so it is as to Their glory, the Son glorifies the Father, and the Father the Son; "glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee," and, " as I have glori fied Thee." (John xvii : 1,4.) Butwhydoeshe say, " to reveal His Son in me," and not "to me?" it is to signify, that he had not only been instructed in the faith by words, but that he was richly endowed with the Spirit ; that the rev elation had enlightened his whole soul, and that he had Christ speaking within him. 1 That ImightpreachHimamong theGentiles. For not only his faith, but his election to the Apostolic office proceeded from God. The object, says he, of His thus specially revealing Himself to me, was not only that I might myself behold Him, but that I might also manifestHim toothers. And he says not merely, " others," but, "that I might preach Him among the Gentiles," thus touching beforehand on that great ground of his defence which lay in the respective characters of the disciples ; for it was necessary to preach differently tothe Jews and to the heathen. " Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood." Here he alludes to the Apostles, naming them after their physical nature; however, that he may have meant to include all mankind, I shall not deny.2 Ver. 17. " Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were Apostles before me." These words weighed by themselves seem to breath an arrogant spirit, and to be foreign to the Apostolic temper. For togiveone s suffrage for one s self, and to admit no man to share one s counsel, is a sign of folly. It is said, " Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him;" (Prov. xxvi: 12.) and, " Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! " (Isa. v: 21.) and Paul himself in another place, " Be not wise in your own con ceits." (Rom. xii : 16.) Surely one who had been thus taught, and had thus admonished others, would not fall into such an error, even were he an ordinary man ; much less then Paul himself. Nevertheless, as I said, this expression nakedly considered may easily prove a snare and offence to many hearers. But if the cause of it is sub joined, all will applaud and admire the speaker. 1 [" EP emeu means in my mind, in my consciousness. 2 Cor. iv : 6," in opposition to Lightfoot who says, " Inme means, as the context shows, not a revelation made inwardly to himself, but through him to others." G. A.] -["Flesh and blood" is twice used elsewhere (Mat. 16 : 17 and Eph. 6 : 12, ) todenote " weak human nature," " feeble man." G. A.] This then let us do ; for it is not the right course to weigh the mere words, nor examine the language by itself, as many errors will be the consequence, but to attend to the intention of the writer. Andunlesswe pursue this method in our own discourses, and examine into the inind of the speaker, we shall make many ene mies, and every thing will be thrown into dis order. Nor is this confined to words, but the same result will follow, if this rule is not observed in actions. For surgeons often cut and break certain of the bones; so do robbers; yet it would be miserable indeed not to be able to dis tinguish one from the other. Again, homicides and martyrs, when tortured, suffer the same pangs, yet is the difference between them great. Unless we attend to this rule, we shall not be able to discriminate in these matters ; but shall call Elijah and Samuel and Phineas homicides, and Abraham a son-slayer; that is, if we go about to scrutinize the bare facts, without taking into account the intention of the agents. Let us then inquire into the intention of Paul in thuswriting, let us consider his scope, and general deportment towards the- Apostles, that we may arrive at his present meaning. Neither form erly, nor in this case, did he speak with a view of disparaging the Apostles or of extolling him self, (how so? when he included himself under his anathema ?) but always in order to guard the integrity of the Gospel. Since the troublers of the Church said that they ought to obey the Apostles who suffered these observances, and not Paul who forbade them, and hence the Judaizing heresy had gradually crept in, it was necessary for him manfully to resist them, from a desire of repressing the arrogance of those who improperly exalted themselves, and not of speak ing ill of the Apostles. And therefore he says, " I conferred not with flesh and blood ; " for it would have been extremely absurd for one who had been taught by God, afterwards to refer himself to men. For it is right that he who learns from men should in turn take men as his counsellors. But he to whom that divine and blessed voice had been vouchsafed, and who had been fully instructed by Him that possesses all the treasures of wisdom, wherefore should he afterwards confer with men? It were meet that he should teach, not be taught by them. Therefore he thus spoke, not arrogantly, but to exhibit the dignity of his own commission. j "Neither went I up," says he, "to Jerusalem i to them which were Apostles before me." Be- | cause they were continually repeating that the Apostles were before him, and were called before him, he says, " I went not up to them." Had it been needful for him to communicate with them, He, who revealed to him his com mission, would have given him this injunction.