They are like the false apostles. There were many excellent men among the pagans of old, men who never heard of justification. Of the readiness of the Judaizing seducers to take any such advantage against him, he had lately an example in the church at Corinth. (Acts 15:25.) Such pride against the Pope is imperative, for if we are not stout and proud we shall never succeed in defending the article of the righteousness of faith. Galatians 2:17. I do my living now "by the faith of the Son of God." Galatians 2:4. But, that such objections have no conclusive consequence at all against Christianity itself, is what the Apostle, after a very affectionate manner, declares in the words above proposed for our reflection, and which he closes with a generous God forbid!—For, if, says he, I build again the things which I destroyed, I MAKE MYSELF A TRANSGRESSOR. This appears to be the meaning of the expression, we gave not place by subjection; for where compliance was desired of him, upon account of expediency, and not of subjection to the law, we do not find him stiff and inflexible; as may be seen, Acts 21:18-26 which was after the writing of this Epistle. So far from adding any new light to ME, THEY gave in THEIR adhesion to the new path on which Barnabas and I, by independent revelation, had entered.
If they had paid any attention at all to these words, that it was absolutely necessary for the Son of God to be given into death for me, they would never have invented so many hideous heresies. He and Barnabas related to the multitude, not the nature of the doctrine they preached (as Paul did privately to the apostles), but only the miracles vouchsafed in proof of God's sanctioning their preaching to the Gentiles ( Acts 15:12 ). So inconsistent was this behaviour, therefore, in St. Peter and his associates. When sin has been pardoned, and the conscience has been eased of its dreadful load, a Christian can endure all things in Christ. The same may, in proportion, be said concerning reason, even the absolute and necessary reason of things.
For they would have been happy if they could have had such a plea as the circumcision of Titus, to urge the same upon the Gentile converts.
The Christian religion affords men the most perfect instructions possible in the ways of holiness and virtue, and arguments infinitely strong to enforce the practice of them, jointly, with the greatest aids in behalf of the truly sincere. When it come to the article of justification we must not yield, if we want to retain the truth of the Gospel.
But they add the conditional clause that faith can save only when it is furnished with good works. As if the apostle said, The Lord saw me fleeing from him more and more. What good are the works of all men, and all the pains of the martyrs, in comparison with the pains of the Son of God dying on the Cross, so that there was not a drop of His precious blood, but it was all shed for your sins. Paul reproved Peter for no trifle, but for the chief article of Christian doctrine, which Peter's hypocrisy had endangered.
For Christ is Joy and Sweetness to a broken heart. If the Pope would concede that God alone by His grace through Christ justifies sinners, we would carry him in our arms, we would kiss his feet.
So did all the apostles. ", On first sight Paul seems to be advancing a strange and ugly heresy. "Your false apostles lie, when they say that I circumcised Timothy, shaved my head in Cenchrea, and went up to Jerusalem, at the request of the apostles. But we dare not abuse the patience of the Lord.
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