and from our Lord Jesus Christ: who gave himself for our sins,

whom be glory for ever and ever. amen. I wonder you have so soon deserted unto another gospel,

but tho' I, or an angel from heaven should preach any thing to you for gospel, different from the gospel I have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

as I said before, so say I now again, if any one preach any other thing to you for gospel, than what you have received, let him be accursed.

for do I now act in obedience to men, or to God? or do I seek to please men? if I had hitherto pleased men, I should not have been the servant of Christ.

for I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

and that I made a greater proficiency in Judaism than many my contemporaries of my own nation, being an extraordinary zealot for the traditions of my forefathers.

But as for those who were men of real eminency, how considerable soever they were heretofore, it does not any ways affect me; God accepts not the person of any man: for they who were of note, in conference with me, had nothing new to add.

(for he that had wrought powerfully in Peter with respect to his apostleship among the Jews, had also wrought powerfully in me upon account of the Gentiles:) and when James,

only they recommended to us to get collections for the poor in Judea: which I was very careful to do.

But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, for he was to be blamed.

for till certain Jews came thither from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, for fear of those, who were for circumcision:

Now if it be a sin to seek for justification by Christ, then is Christ the minister of sin, which cannot be.

for by one law, I am dead to the other law, that I might live unto God:

I am crucified with Christ, it is not I that now live, but Christ that liveth in me; the life I have in this body I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if justification be by the law, Christ died to no purpose.

As Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness:

but they that rest themselves upon the works of the law, are obnoxious to the curse: for it is written, " cursed is every one, who continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them:"

but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, is evident: for, " the just shall live by faith."

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. (for it is written, " cursed is every one, that hangeth upon a tree.")

this therefore I say, that the law, which was not till four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul the promise, that was ratified before by God, so as to set the promise afoot.

Is the law then opposite to the promises? by no means. for if there had been a law given, which could have given life, certainly justification should have been by the law.

for you are all the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

for as many of you as have been baptized into christianity, have been invested as christians.

there is now no distinction of Jew or Greek, of bond or free, of male or female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I beseech you, brethren, be as I am, for I was as you are.

yet you did not despise me for the trial which attended my person, nor treated me with scorn; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

what benedictions did you then pour out upon me! for I bear you witness, that, had it been practicable, you would have pulled out your very eyes, and given them to me.

they court your affection, but not in a fair way; for they design to exclude me, that you might have the greater esteem for them.

but it is just you should cultivate my affection for you upon all proper occasions, and not only when I am present with you.

I wish I could be present this very moment with you, and suit my discourse accordingly, for I stand in doubt what to think of you.

for it is there written, Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free-woman.

he, who was of the bond-woman, was born according to the ordinary course of nature; but he, who was of the free-woman, was born by virtue of the promise.

this Agar answers to the Jerusalem now in being, for she is in servitude with her children:

but the heavenly Jerusalem is represented by the free-woman, who is the mother of us all.

for it is written, "rejoice thou barren, that bearest not; break out into loud acclamations, thou that hast not the travels of childbirth, for more are the children of the desolate, than of her that hath an husband."

but what saith the scripture? "cast out the bond-woman and her son; for the son of the bond-woman shall not share the inheritance with the son of the free-woman."

so then, my brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free-woman, by virtue of that freedom which Christ has procur'd for us.

for I testify to every man that is circumcised, that he is under an obligation to perform the whole law.

but as for us, our minds are possessed with the hopes of justification by faith.

for in the christian-dispensation, neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision, but an active benevolent faith.

as for me, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why am I yet persecuted? for then there would not be so much objection to the doctrine of the cross.

for, brethren, you have been called to liberty. only abuse not this freedom as a pretext to vice, but in offices of love be as servants one to another.

for all the law is comprehended in this one precept, "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

for the vicious desires are contrary to those of the spirit, and the inclinations of the spirit are contrary to those of the animal part; these are opposite to each other, so that you do not the things that you would.

for if a man thinks himself to be considerable, when he is not, he deceives himself.

for every man must be answerable for his own actions.

be not deceived, God will not be mocked: for what a man soweth, that shall he also reap:

let us then not be weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we be not tired.

they who desire to make a figure in the world, constrain you to be circumcised, only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.

for even they who are circumcised, do not themselves observe the law in other respects; but they dedesire to have you circumcised, that they may have matter of glorying upon that account.

but far be it from me that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is as contemptible to me, as I am to the world.

for in the dispensation of Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but the new creation.

from henceforth let no man give me trouble; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.