Galatians 3:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

O foolish Galatians,— By the account that St. Paul has given of himself in the foregoing Chapter s, the Galatians beingfurnished with evidence sufficient to clear him in their minds from the report of his preaching circumcision he comes now, the way being thus opened, directly to oppose their being circumcised, and subjecting themselves to the law. The first argument which he uses is, "That they received the Holy Ghost, and the gift of miracles, by the Gospel, and not by the law." Galatians 3:1-5. Instead of who hath bewitched you? some would render εβασκανε, who hath enchanted you; and others, who hath envied your happiness? The word strongly expresses the unreasonable turn which their minds had taken, so that one would imagine they had been deprived of the regular use even of their natural faculties. That you should not obey the truth, means, "That you should not stand fast in the liberty of the gospel." See on ch. Galatians 2:14. St. Paul mentions nothing to them here but Christ crucified; as knowing that, when formerlyhe had preached Christ crucified to them, he had shewn them that, by his death on the cross, believers were set free from the curse of the law, and the covenant of works was entirely removed, to make way for that of grace. This we may find him inculcating upon his other Gentile converts, Ephesians 2:15-16. Colossians 2:14; Colossians 2:20 and, accordingly he tells the Galatians 5:2; Galatians 5:4 that if, by circumcision, they put themselves under the law, they were fallen from grace, and Christ would profit them nothing at all. 'There is no room to object here, that what St. Paul urges is merely an argument to the passions; for, in proportion to the affecting sense which they had of the love of Christ, in submitting to crucifixion for them, would be the rational sense of the obligations that they were under to him, to preserve his gospel pure, and his church free and happy. Dr. Heylin renders the last clause, you,—to whose view the crucifixion of Jesus Christ hath been so lively represented. And Musculus and Bengelius read, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been set forth crucified among you.