who they had some reason to think should have understood the way of falvation better than themselves. As it was on these the blame lay, the Apostle does not spare them; but throughout the whole epistle, and particularly in the verfes following, deals very roundly with them, and with fuch a feverity, as nothing could warrant but the cause he had vindicated, and the Holy Spirit, which directed him.

There is fome difference among tranflators about the 7th verfe. Many who seem to understand the original language beft, think our tranflation fomewhat injurious to the Apostle, and not a just rendering of the words he uses. They think it is not right to make the Apostle fay, that the new teaching was another gofpel, and with the fame breath, that it was not another; which can admit of no meaning, but that what he called another, was either the fame, or was no gospel at all. This laft is indeed in fome sense true, but hardly confiftent with the view the Apostle gives of it, and the truth of the cafe. They did not reject the truth of the gofpel of Christ, but perverted it by a foreign mixture of fuch things as marred,

if not destroyed at once, the fimplicity and beauty, the power and efficacy, of the truth as it is in Jefus. It is alledged further, that if the Apostle had defigned to fay what our tranflation does, he would have kept the fame word in both propofitions as they do; but which, in the latter, he exchanges for another, of a very different fignification, and which is commonly used to different purposes. Upon the whole, they judge,. that x, in the 7th verfe, relates not only to another gospel, but the whole of what he had faid of their being removing into it, which he says is nothing else, but that there were fome who troubled them, &c.

The difference is of no great moment. What concerns us more is, to confider the account he gives of those new teachers they had got among them; that they were troubling them, and would pervert the gofpel of Chrift. The words are too weak for conveying the emphasis of those the Apoftle uses. The word rendered troubling ftrongly expreffes the disturbance which these people made in the churches whereever they came; and which the bringing in of new doctrines, differing from the

pel of Chrift, will always do. The

leaft

least effect, which yet is no small evil, is, difquieting the minds even of honest Christians with doubts and difficulties, which they may be but ill able to overcome. When debates and difputes rife, parties are formed, Christian love greatly weakened, and party-zeal degenerates into something very near enmity and hatred; divifions and fchifms become unavoidable, and the body of Chrift is torn in pieces; and, which is worse, the members tear and devour one another, as the Apostle expreffes it, chap. v. 15.; and it is well if they do not destroy one another. The wife man's obfervation about ftrife and contention has been often fatally verified.

66

"The be

ginning of it is like the breaking in of water;" fo fmall a matter, that it seems hardly worth minding; but by degrees gathers fuch ftrength, as makes the damage it does abfolutely irreparable.

What the Apostle adds, as the occafion of thefe difturbances in the Galatian churches, viz. that thefe falfe teachers would pervert the gofpel of Christ, in the tranflation is much too faint. The word the Apostle uses, which our tranflators render would, ftrongly expreffes a fixed determined ftate of the will; that

the

the unhappy men were fo refolutely bent on what the Apostle calls perverting the gofpel of Chrift, that they exerted the utmost of their powers to accomplish what they fo earnestly wifhed. A pitiful view this gives us of the weakness of human nature, with all the boasted powers fome would perfuade us it is invefted with; eafily drawn into mistake and error, and obftinately bigotted to the very worst of them; fo that all the reafon and authority in the universe cannot, not to say reclaim, but fo much as moderate, their conduct.

And what was it thefe unhappy men were fo heartily engaged in? Why, truly, what no man who knows what he is about, can fo much as think of without horror, perverting the gospel of Chrift. The Apostle's word is very fignificant. It is to change the gospel into fomething which it was not, until they took it into their hands. That is fuch a dreadful thing, that no man in his wits will attempt directly. But thefe feducers were not the only perfons who perfuaded themfelves, and attempted to perfuade others, that the gospel of Chrift is not what he made it, but fomething elfe, which themselves

have invented, and called by that name. The different forms into which what they call the gospel has been modelled, are fo numerous, that a list of them could hardly be made in one volume; fome of them we meet with in the after part of this epistle.

That which the Apostle has here in his view, uniting the obfervation of the law of Mofes with the faith of Christ, and making them both equally neceffary, will be found the most plaufible, and what moft may be faid in the defence of. And yet we find the Apostle boldly pronouncing a curfe on the defenders of it. And left any fhould fufpect that his zeal for what he knew certainly to be truth, had carried him too far verf. 8. he repeats it again verf. 9. The terms are strong, and need no commentary. The best that can be made would but weaken them. If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached, let him be accurfed. As I faid before, fo fay I now again, If any man preach any other doctrine to you, than that ye have received, let him be accurfed. And it is impoffible to pitch upon any higher authority for fuch alterations,

Before