John Trapp on Galatians 2

CHAP. II. Verſe 1. I went up]

TO that firſt Chriſtian Councell, Act. 15.

With Barnabas] His conſtant companion, till that bitter bickering, Act. 15.39. See the Note there.

Verſe 2. By revelation] i. e. By Gods ſpeciall direction: for he ordereth a good mans goings, Pſal. 37.23.

I communicated unto them] I laid open the matter freely and familiarly, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. as unto boſome-friends.

But privately] For all good men are not fit to be truſted with ſecrets, but only ſuch as can both keep counſell, and give counſell.

Or had run in vain] Leſt, if it ſhould be thought that I had not held good correſpondency with thoſe other Apoſtles, I might loſe the fruit of my Miniſtery.

Verſe 3. I was compelled to be circumciſed] i. e. I would not yeeld he ſhould be: leſt I ſhould ſeem to countenance them that held circumciſion neceſſary to ſalvation. In the year of grace 1549 the Miniſters of Magdeburg did ſtoutly oppoſe them of Wittenberg and Leipſich, and ſet forth many books againſt them, becauſe they dealt deceitfully,Alſted: [illegible: 1 letter]bron. pag. 520. and by their Adiaphora, or things indifferent, as they called them, they paved a way to Popery. And this was our caſe till this late bleſſed Reformation. It was not without cauſe that Peter Martyr commended it to the care of Queen Elizabeth, That Church-governours endeavour not to carry the Ark of the Goſpel into England upon the cart of needleſſe Ceremonies.

Verſe 4. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Ʋnawares brought in] Or privily ſlipt in, pretending piety to their worldly or wicked reſpects. With ſuch ill inſtruments the Church hath been ever peſtered, 2 Pet. 2.1. Theſe hell-ſcouts are ſculking in every corner.

To spie out our liberty] viz. Of circumcising or not circumciſing Titus, that they might pick a quarrell with us.

That they might bring us into bondage] ſc. To the ceremoniall law.Bucholcer. Chronol. Carolostadius attempted ſome ſuch thing in Luthers daies, and by him was oppoſed.

Verſe 5. to whom we gave place] We muſt ſtick cloſe to the truth, and ſtickle hard for it, accounting each parcell thereof precious, and not to be parted with for any good. How religious were the Apoſtles and Ancients this way? They would not yeeld for an hour, or exchange one letter or ſyllable of that holy faith, wherewith Chriſt had betruſted them.

Verſe 6. Whatſoever they were] Augustine being oppreſſed with the authority of the Fathers, ſaith, he regardeth not Quis, ſed quid, the worth of the man, but the weight of his reaſons.

Verſe 7. As the Goſpel of, &c. He equalizeth himſelf to Peter in office and dignity: though pſeudo-apoſtles, and pſeudo-catho-likes deny him that honour. Survey of Weſt. relig. Saint Peter Jeſuites commend for a worthy ſpirit, when they cenſure Saint Paul for a hot-headed perſon, &c.

Verſe 8. For he that wrought, &c.] He argues from the ſucceſſe of his and Peters Miniſtery, to the lawfulneſſe of their calling to the work. So he doth, 1 Cor. 9.1, 2, 3. and 2 Cor. 13, 4.5. See the Notes there.

Verſe 9. Who ſeemed to be pillars] Of the Church, or of the Colledge of Apoſtles. The Apoſtle ſeems to intimate, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. dictum. Camer. that even then men began to attribute more then was meet to thoſe holy Apoſtles. This degenerated afterwards into groſſe ſuperſtition.

And they unto the circumciſion] Yet were they not ſo tied up by this agreement, but that they might preach upon fit occaſion, to the Gentiles too, as might Paul and Barnabas to the Jews; but the Gentiles were their chief charge, and among them, they had greateſt ſucceſſe.

Verſe 10. Remember the poor] Thoſe Jews that embraced Chriſtianity in Pal[illegible: 1 letter]stina were therefore turn'd out of all by their unkinde countrey-men, Heb. 10.34. Hence this care of the Apoſtles, and this forwardneſſe in S. Paul. About the beginning of the Reformation in France, the Duke of Lorrain had proſcribed ſome thouſands of his Lutheran Subjects, who were forced to feed upon haws and acorns, &c. The Divines of Straſborough in Germany, moved with pity towards theſe poor brethren, ceaſed not till by their diſcourſes they had prevailed with the Senate there, to take thoſe miſerable exiles into their City,Scultet. Annal. and to provide for them, till they might be conveniently conveyed to other places.

Verſe 11. But when Peter, &c.] I would gladly learn (ſaid that Martyr) why the ſeat of the primacy (to grant that) ſhould be rather at Rome then elſewhere? They anſwer, becauſe Peters chair was at Rome. Act. and Mon. fol. 1496. This is even like to this, becauſe Moſes the greateſt Prophet, and Aaron the firſt Prieſt exerciſed their office untill their death in the deſert, therefore the principalleſt place of the Jews Church ſhall be in the wilderneſſe. But grant them their reaſon that it is good, what ſhould Antioch claim? for Peters chair was there alſo, when Paul gave him a check, which was unſeemly and unmannerly done of Paul, that would not give place to his Preſident and better.Baron. A[illegible: 2 letters]a'. Thus far Mr Bradford. Cardinall Baronius withſtands Paul as much as ever he did Peter, and blaſphemouſly aſſirmeth, that Peter was not to be blamed, but Paul a great deal more, Bellarmine ſaith, It was not Peter, but Cephas one of the ſeventy.

Verſe 12. For before that certain] This hiſtory pertains to Act. 15.30, 35. but is not there recorded, that we might ſearch the Scriptures, and compare place with place. So God hath ſcattered the duties of husbands and wives up and down the Scriptures, That men learning to be good husbands, they may learn alſo to be good men.

Fearing them of the circumciſion] It was not danger that he feared, but offence: wherein he had not done amiſſe, but that in avoiding a leſſe ſcandall, he fell into a far greater.

Verſe 13. And the other Iews diſſembled] The ſins of teachers are the teachers of ſins: and great mens faults go as ſeldom unaccompanied, as their perſons.

Barnabas alſo] Adhering to Peter rather then to Paul his old companion, not without a tincture perhaps of the old bitter bickering. Try all things; Good men may ſeduce us, as here Peter did Barnabas, and as thoſe would have done Paul, Act. 21.12.

Verſe 14. That they walked not] Miniſters muſt both [non-Latin text not transcribed] and [non-Latin text not transcribed], Divide the word rightly, and foot it uprightly.

I ſaid to Peter be fore them all] The fault was publike, the reproof muſt be according, 1 Tim. 5.20. In the year 1159. lived Ioannes Sariſburienſis, Prae ens prae, erter pontificem redarguit. Renius in hiſt. Pont. who both reproved the Pope to his face, and alſo wrote his Polycraticon, wherein he freely ſcourgeth the Popiſh Clergy.

Why compelleſt thou, &c.] Peters example was a compulſion. The company we keep compell us to doe, as they doe.

Verſe 15. We who are Jews] The Apoſtle proceedeth in his ſpeech to the Jews at Antioch.

And not ſinners of the Gentiles] Becauſe under the Covenant of Grace; Their ſinnes and iniquities will I remember no more.

Verſe 16. Knowing] Here's more then an implicite faith, or a conjecturall confidence.

Verſe 17. B[illegible: 2 letters]. if whiles we ſeek] This is the ſame in ſenſe with Rom. 3.31. If we ſhould argue from mercy to liberty, from free juſtification to lewd and looſe converſation, would not all the world cry ſhame on us? I reade of a monſter, who that night that his Prince pardoned and releaſed him, got out and ſlew him. This was Michael Balbus, who ſlew the Emperour Leo Armenius. Is it poſſible that any ſhould offer to do ſo to Chriſt?

Verſe 18. For if I build again] As I ſhould, if I ſhould licenſe any man to ſin, becauſe juſtified by faith. Chriſt came by water, as well as by bloud: he juſtifies none, but whom he alſo ſanctifies.

Verſe 19. Am dead to the Law] I. e. Am freed from the curſe, rigour, and irritation of the Law. Or, am freed from ſin, as Rom. 6.7.

Verſe 20. Chriſt liveth in me] Luthers Motto was Vivit Chriſtus, Chriſt liveth: and if he were not alive,Ioh. Manl. loc. com pag. 419. Pſ l. 18. I would not with to live one hour longer. Let the Lord live, ſaith David: Yea let him live in me, ſaith Paul. Let him act me, let him think in me, deſire, pray, do all in me. Lord, ſaith Nazianzen, I am an inſtrument for thee to touch. Chriſt dwels in that heart moſt largely, that hath emptied it ſelf of it ſelf. The Iſraelites felt not the ſweetneſſe of Manna, till they had ſpent the fleſh-pots, and other proviſions of Aegypt.

And gave himſelf for me] True faith individuateth Chriſt, and appropriateth him to a mans ſelf. This is the pith and power of particular faith: Miſtris Lewis the Martyr, being ſet upon by Satan, a little afore ſhe ſuffered, was much comforted and helped by this text.Act. and Mon. fol. 1826.

Verſe 21. I doe not fruſtrate] viz. By ſeeking to be juſtified by the Law. Ambroſe tenders it, Non ſum ingratus gratiae Dei, I am not ungratefull to grace of God: I do not repudiate, caſſate, nullifie it.

Dead in vain] Becauſe he attains not his end in dying, which was not only to leave us a patern of patience, as Anabaptiſts hold; but to merit for us remiſſion of ſins, and imputation of his righteouſnes for our juſtification.