"And they that are Christ's have crucified the Flesh, with the
Affections and Lusts."


St. Paul is supposed to have been the first herald of gospel grace to
the Galatians; and they appear to have rejoiced at the glad tidings,
and to have received the bearer with much respect. But after his
departure, certain judaizing teachers went among them, and labored but
too successfully, to alienate their affections from him, and turn them
form the simplicity of the gospel.

The malice and errors of those deceitful workers, and the mischief
which they occasioned at Galatia, caused the writing of this epistle:
which, like the other writings of this apostle, reflects light on the
gospel in general, while it served to correct the mistakes of those
professors of Christianity, and guide their erring footsteps into the
way of peace and truth.

It is not our design to enter into the controversy between this
inspired teacher, and his enemies. We are only concerned to understand
him, and shall receive his instructions as communicated from above.
The primary design of this epistle was to refute those false teachers
who urged circumcision, and the observance of sundry parts of the
Levitical code, which had been abrogated by the gospel. This appears
to have been a leading error of those anarchists. That the apostle did
not lay the intolerable burdens of the Mosaic ritual, on the
professors of Christianity, was made the ground of a charge against
him. St. Paul defended himself by evincing the errors of his
opponents, shewing that Christians are made free from the ceremonial