ute 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
law; and that their justification before God is not in virtue of any
obedience of their own, to either the ceremonial, or the moral law,
but of grace through faith in Christ.

In the former part of the epistle, he shows the impossibility of
justification in any other than the gospel way--especially in that
way, to which those false teachers directed--shews that they subverted
the gospel, and rendered Christ's sufferings of no effect--"By the
works of the law, shall no flesh be justified--If righteousness come
by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." *

* Chapter ii. 16, 21.

We conceive these to be obvious truths, and wonder that they should be
matter of doubt, or dispute, among those who are favored with
revelation, and receive it as given of God. Perfect obedience is
evidently the demand of the divine law, and condemnation is denounced
against the breakers of it. "This do, and thou shalt live, but the
soul that sinneth, it shall die." * But none of our race keep the law.
"There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not."
The scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise "by faith
of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe." Mankind are
"shut up to the faith in Christ.." This is the way in which God "hath
mercy on whom he will have mercy. He that believeth shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned." Therefore the hope of the
apostle, in the way of faith, while discarding hope in any other way.
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ; even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ, and not by the
works of the law."

* Lev. xviii. 5. Ezek. xviii. 4.

From the reasoning of the apostle, the false teachers at Galatia seem
not to have urged obedience to the whole law. Circumcision they taught
to be indispensible. St. Paul allures them, that if they were under
obligation to receive circ