Matthew Poole and continuators on Galatians 2:14

14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the Gospel , I said unto Peter before them all , If thou being a Jew livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews , why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews ?

Uprightly, here is opposed to halting. Peter halted betwixt two opinions, (as Elijah sometime told the Israelites ▪) when he was with the Gentiles alone, he did as they did, using the li [illegible: 2 letters]rty of the Gospel; but when the Jews came from Hierusalem, [illegible: 1 letter]e left the Gentile-Church, and joyned with the Jews; this was [illegible: 1 letter]ot according to that plainness and sincerity which the Gospel required; he did not, (according to the precept he held Heb. 12.13.) Make strait paths to his feet, left that which is lame be turned out of the way. Paul not hearing this from the report of others, but being an eye-witness to it, doth not defer the reproof, lest the scandal should grow: Nor

doth he reprove him privately, because the offence was publick, and such a [illegible: 1 letter]laster would not have fi[illegible: 1 letter]ted the sore, but he speaketh unto Peter before them all, rebuking him openly, because he sinned openly; and by this action had not offended a private person, but the Church in the place where he was; who were all Eye-witnesses of his halting, and prevarication. 1 Tim. 5 20.

If thou, who art a Jew, not by Religion only, but by Birth, and Education, hast formerly lived, eat, and drank, and had communion with the Gentiles in the omission of the observance of Circumcision, and other Jewish rites, generally observed by those of their Synagogues; (as Peter had done before the Jews came from Hierusalem to Antioch.)

Why dost thou by thy example compel the members of a Gentile-Church to observe the Jewish rites; for compelling here doth not signifie any act of violence, (Peter used none such,) but the example of leaders in the Church, who are persons of reputation and authority, is a kind of compulsion to those that are inferiours, and who have a great veneration for such leaders. So the word here used [non-Latin text not transcribed], is used in 2 Cor. 12.11. as also to express the force of exhortations and arguments. Of such a compulsion the word is used, Luk. 14.23. Peter by his example, and possibly by some words and arguments he used, potently moved those profelyted Jews, who were in communion with the Churches of Galatia, to observe the Jewish rites, so so that by this fact, he did not only contradict himself, who by his former walking with the Gentile-Church h[illegible: 1 letter]d practically asserted the Gospel liberty; but he also scandalized those Christians in these Churches who stood fast in the liberty which Christ had purchased for them, and Paul had taught them; and also drew others away from the Truth they had owned, and practised. This was the cause of Pauls so open and publick reproof of him.

Marginal references: Act. 10.28.