Paule here vseth and is proper vnto him alone is full of consolation Likewise in the .7 chapter to the Romaines he setteth the law of the spirite against the law of the mēbers And because this is a straunge and a maruelous manner of speaking therfore it entreth more easily into the mind and sticketh faster in the memorie Moreouer when he saith I through the lavv am dead to the lavv it soundeth more swetely then if he should say I through libertie am dead to the law For he setteth before vs as it were a certaine picture as if the law were fighting against the law As though he should say O law if thou canst accuse me terrifie me and bind me I will set aboue and against thee an other law that is to say an other tormentor which shall accuse thee bind thee and triumph ouer thee Whē thou art thus bound and suppressed then am I at libertie So then grace is a law not to me for it bindeth me not but to my law which this law so bindeth that it can not hurt me any more Thus Paule goeth about to draw vs wholy from the beholding of the law sinne death all other euils and to bring vs vnto Christ that there we might behold this ioyfull conflict to witte the law fighting against the law that it may be to me libertie sinne against sinne that it may be to me righteousnes death against death that I may obtaine life Christ fighting against the Deuill that I may be the child of God and destroying hell that I may enioy the kingdome of heauen Verse 19. That I might liue vnto God. That is to say that I might liue before god Ye see then that there is no life vnlesse ye be without the law yea vnlesse ye be vtterly dead vnto the law I meane in conscience Notwithstanding in the meane season as I haue often said so long as the body liueth the flesh must be exercised with lawes and vexed with exactions and penalties of lawes as were the Egyptians But the inward man not subiect to the law but deliuered and freed from it is a liuely iust and holy person not of himselfe but in Christ because he beleueth in him as foloweth Verse 20. I am crucified vvith Christ This he addeth to declare that the law is a deuourer of the law Not onely saith he I am dead to the law through the law that I may liue to God but also I am crucified with Christ But Christ is Lord ouer the law because he is crucified and dead vnto the law Therfore am I also Lord ouer the law for I likewise am crucified and dead vnto the lawe for as much as I am crucified and dead with Christ By what meanes By grace and faith Through this faith because I am nowe crucified and deade vnto the law therfore the law looseth all his power which it had ouer me euen as it hath lost all his power which it had ouer Christ Wherfore euen as Christ himselfe was crucified to the law sinne death and the Deuill so that they haue no further power ouer him euen so I through faith being now crucified with Christ in spirite am crucified and deade to the law sinne death and the Deuill so that they haue no further power ouer me but are now crucified and deade vnto me Paule speaketh not here of crucifying by imitation or example for to follow the example of Christ is also to be crucified with him which crucifying belongeth to the flesh Wherof Peter speaketh in his 1. epistle and .2 chapter Christ suffered for vs saith he leauing vnto vs an example that vve should follovv his steppes But he speaketh here of that high crucifying wherby sinne the deuil and death are crucified in Christ not in me Here Christ Iesus doth all himselfe alone But I beleuing in Christ am by faith crucified also with Christ so that all these things are crucified and dead vnto me Verse 20. Thus I liue I speake not so saith he of my death and crucifying as though I now liued not Yea I liue for I am quickned by this death and crucifying through the which I die That is for as much as I am deliuered from the law sinne and death I now liue in deede Wherfore that crucifying and that death wherby I am crucified and dead to the law sinne death and all euils is to me resurrection and life For Christ crucifieth the Deuill he killeth death condemneth sinne and bindeth the law and I beleuing this am deliuered from the law sinne death and the Deuill The law therfore is bound dead and crucified vnto me I againe am bound dead crucified vnto it Wherfore euen by this death and crucifying that is to say by this grace or liberty I now liue Here as before I haue sayd we must obserue Paules maner of speaking He saith that we are dead and crucified to the law where as in very deede the law it selfe is dead and crucified vnto vs. But this maner of speach he vseth here of purpose that it may be the more sweete and comfortable vnto vs For the law which notwithstanding continueth liueth and reigneth in the whole world which also accuseth and condemneth all men is crucified and dead vnto those onely which beleue in Christ and therfore to them alone belongeth this glory that they are dead to sinne hell death and the Deuill Verse 20. Yet novv not I. That is to say not in mine owne person nor in mine owne substance Here he plainly sheweth by what meanes he liueth And he teacheth what true Christian righteousnes is namely that righteousnes wherby Christ liueth in vs and not that which is in our person Therefore when we speake of Christian righteousnes we must vtterly reiect the person And here Christ and my conscience must become one body so that nothing remaine in my sight but Christ crucified and raised from the dead But if I behold my selfe only and set Christ aside I am gone For by and by I fall into this cogitation Christ is in heauen and thou art on the earth how shalt thou now come vnto him Forsoth I will liue holily and doe that which the law requireth so shall I enter into life Here returning to my selfe and considering what I am what I ought to be and what I am bound to doe I lose Christ out of sight who is my righteousnes and life Who being lost there is no counsell nor succour now remaining but certaine desperation and destruction must needes follow And this is a common euil among men For such is our misery that when tentation or death cometh by and by setting Christ aside we consider our owne life past and what we haue done Here except we be raised vppe againe by faith we must needes perish Wherefore we must learne in such conflicts terrours of conscience forgetting our selues and setting the law our life past and all our works
him reioice in the troubles which he suffereth by these sectes and seditious spirites continually springing vp one after an other For this is our reioicing euen the testimony of our conscience that we be found standing and fighting in the behalfe of the seede of the woman against the seede of the serpent Let him bite vs by the heele and spare not We againe will not cease to crush his heade by the grace and help of Christ the principall bruser therof who is blessed for euer THE ARGVMENT OF the Epistle of S. Paule to the Galathians FIRST of all it behoueth that we speake of the Argument of this Epistle that is to say what matter S. Paule here cheefely treateth of The Argument is this S. Paule goeth aboute to establishe the Doctrine of Faith grace forgeuenesse of sinnes or Christian righteousnesse to the ende that we may haue a perfecte knowledge and difference betweene Christian righteousnesse and all other kindes of righteousnesse For there be diuers sortes of rightuousnesse There is a politicall or ciuile righteousnesse which Emperours Princes of the world Philosophers and Lawyers deale withall There is also a Ceremoniall righteousnesse which the traditions of men doe teach This righteousnesse parentes and schoolemaisters may teache without daunger because they doe not attribute vnto it any vertue to satisfie for sinne to please God or to deserue grace but they teache suche Ceremonies as are onely necessary for the correction of maners and certaine obseruations concerning this life Besides these there is an other righteousnesse which is called the righteousnesse of the lawe or of the ten commaundements which Moises teacheth This doe we also teache after the doctrine of Faith. There is yet an other righteousnesse which is aboue all these to witte the rightuousnesse of Faith or Christian rightuousnesse the which we must diligently discerne from the other afore rehearsed for they are quite contrary to this rightuousnesse both because they flowe out of the lawes of Emperours the traditions of the Pope and the commaundements of God because they consist also in our workes and may be wrought of vs either by our pure naturall strength as the Sophisters terme it or else by the gifte of god For these kindes of rightuousnesse are also the gift of God like as other good things are which we doe enioy But this most excellent rightuousnesse of Faith I meane which God through Christe without workes imputeth vnto vs is neither Politicall nor Ceremoniall nor the rightuousnesse of Gods lawe nor consisteth in workes but is cleane contrary that is to say a meere passiue righteousnesse as the other aboue are actiue For in this we worke nothing we render nothing vnto God but onely we receaue and suffer an other to worke in vs that is to say god There â—e it seemeth good vnto me to call this righteousnes of faith or Christian righteousnesse the passiue righteousnesse This is a righteousnes hidden in a mistery which the world doth not know yea Christians them selues doe not throughly vnderstand it and can hardly take hold of it in their tentations Therefore it must be diligently taught and continually practised And who so doth not vnderstand or apprehend this righteousnesse in afflictions and terrors of conscience must neades be ouerthrowne For there is no comfort of conscience so firme and so sure as this passiue righteousnesse is But mannes weakenes and misery is so great that in the terrors of conscience daunger of death we behold nothing els but our workes our worthines and the lawe which when it sheweth vnto vs our sinne by and by cure euill life past commeth to remembraunce Then the poore sinner with greate anguish of spirite groneth and thus thinketh with him selfe Alas how desperatly haue I liued would to God I might liue longer Then would I amend my life Thus mans reason can not restraine it selfe from the sight and beholding of this actiue or working righteousnes that is to say her owne righteousnes nor lift vp her eyes to the beholding of the passiue or christian righteousnesse but resteth altogether in the actiue righteousnesse So deepely is this euell rooted in vs. On the other side Sathan abusing the infirmitie of oure nature doth encrease and aggrauate these cogitations in vs Then can it not be but that the pore conscience must be more greeuously troubled confounded and terrified For it is vnpossible that the minde of man of it selfe should conceiue any comfort or loke vp vnto grace onely in the feeling and horror of sinne or constantly reiect all disputing and reasoning about works For this is farre aboue mannes strength and capacitie yea and aboue the lawe of God also True it is that of all things in the world the law is most excellent yet is it not able to quiet a troubled conscience but encreaseth terrors and driueth it to desperation For by the lavve sinne is made aboue measure sinfull Romaines the seuenth and thirtene verse Wherefore the afflicted and troubled conscience hath no remedy against desperation and eternall death vnlesse it take holde of the forgeuenesse of sinnes by grace freely offered in Christe Iesus that is to say this passiue righteousnesse of Faith or Christian righteousnesse Which if it can apprehend then may it be at quiet and boldly say I seeke not this actiue or working righteousnesse althoughe I knowe that I ought to haue it and to fulfill it But be it so that I had it and did fulfill it in deede yet notwithstanding I can not trust vnto it neither dare I set it against the iudgment of god Thus I abandone my selfe from al actiue righteousnesse both of mine owne and of Gods law and embrace onely that passiue righteousnesse which is the righteousnes of grace mercy and forgeuenes of sinnes briefly I rest onely vpon that righteousnesse which is the righteousnesse of Christ and of the holy Ghost Like as the earth engendreth not raine nor is able by her owne strength labor and trauell to procure the same but receaueth it of the meere gift of God from aboue so this heauenly righteousnesse is geuen vs of God without our workes or deseruinges Looke then how much the earth of it selfe is able to doe in getting and procuring to it selfe seasonable showers of raine to make it fruteful euen so much no more are we able to do by our owne strength works in winning this heauenly eternall righteousnesse therfore shall neuer be able to attain vnto it vnles God him self by meere imputation by his vnspeakable gift doe bestow it vpon vs The greatest knowledge then and the greatest wisedome of Christians is not to know the lawe to be ignorant of workes and of the whole actiue righteousnesse especially when the conscience wrestleth with the iudgement of god Like as on the contrary amongst those which are not of the number of Gods people the greatest point of wisedome is to knowe and earnestly to vrge the lawe and
therof as the childe of Adam where the law accuseth me death reigneth ouer me and at length will deuoure me But I haue an other righteousnesse and life aboue this life which is Christ the sonne of God who knoweth no sinne nor death but is righteousnesse and life eternall by whome this my body being dead and brought into dust shal be raised vp againe and deliuered from the bondage of the lawe and sinne and shal be sanctified together with the spirite So bothe these continue whilest we heere liue The flesh is accused exercised with temptations oppressed with heauinesse and sorrowe brused by this actiue righteousnesse of the law but the spirit reigneth reioyceth and is saued by this passiue and christian righteousnesse because it knoweth that it hath a Lord in heauen at the right hand of his father who hath abolished the law sinne death and hath troden vnder his feete all euils led them captiue and triumphed ouer them in him selfe Coloss 2.15 S. Paule therfore in this Epistle goeth about diligētly to instruct vs to comfort vs to holde vs in the perfect knowledge of this most excellent and christian righteousnesse For if the article of Iustification be once lost then is all true christian doctrine lost And as many as are in the world that holde not this doctrine are either Iewes Turkes Papists or heretikes For betwene the righteousnesse of the law and the christian righteousnesse there is no meane He then that strayeth from this christian righteousnesse must needes fall into the righteousnesse of the law that is to say when he hath lost Christ he must fall into the confidence of his owne workes Therfore doe we so often repeate and so earnestly set forthe this doctrine of Faith or Christian righteousnesse that by this meanes it may be kept in continuall exercise and may be plainly discerned from the actiue righteousnesse of the law Otherwise we shall neuer be able to holde the true diuinitie for by this onely doctrine that Church is built and in this it consisteth but by by we shall either become Canonists obseruers of Ceremonies obseruers of the law or papists and Christ so darkened that none in the Churche shall be either rightly taught or comforted Wherfore if we will be teachers and leaders of other it behoueth vs to haue a great care of these matters and to marke well this distinction betweene the righteousnesse of the law and the righteousnesse of Christ And this distinction is easie to be vttered in wordes but in vse and experience it is very hard althoughe it be neuer so diligently exercised and practised for that in the houre of death or in other agonies of the conscience these two sortes of righteousnesse do encoūter more nere together then thou wouldest wishe or desire Wherfore I doe admonishe you especially such as shall become instructers and guiders of consciences and also euery one apart that ye exercise your selues continually by studie by reading by meditation of the worde and by prayer that in the time of temptation ye may be able to instruct and comfort bothe your owne consciences and others and to bring them from the law to grace from the actiue and working righteousnesse to the passiue and receiued righteousnesse and to conclude from Moises to Christ For the deuill is wont in affliction and in the cōflict of conscience by the law to make vs afraide and to lay against vs the conscience of sinne our wicked life past the wrathe and iudgement of God hell and eternall death that by this meanes he may driue vs to desperation make vs bondslaues to him selfe plucke vs from Christ Furthermore he is wont to set against vs those places of the gospell wherin Christ him selfe requireth workes of vs with plaine wordes threatneth danmation to those that doe them not Nowe if here we be not able to iudge betwene these two kinds of righteousnes if we take not hould of Christ by fayth sitting at the right hand of God who maketh intercession vnto the father for vs miserable sinners then are we vnder the lawe and not vnder grace and Christ is no more a Sauiour but a lawe geuer so that now there remaineth no more saluation but certaine desperation and euerlasting death except repentance follow Let vs then diligently learne to iudge betwene these two kindes of righteousnes that we may know how farre we ought to obey the law Now we haue sayd before that that law in a Christian ought not to passe his bounds but ought to haue dominion onely vpon the flesh which is in subiection vnto it remaineth vnder the same When it is thus the lawe is kept within his bounds But if it shall presume to creepe into thy conscience there seeke to raigne see thou play the cunning Logician and make true diuision Geue no more to the lawe then is conuenient but say thou O lawe thou wouldest clime vp into the kingdome of my conscience and there reigne and reproue it of sinne and wouldest take from me the ioy of my hart which I haue by faith in Christ and driue me to desperation that I might be without all hope and vtterly perish This thou doest besides thine office keepe thy selfe within thy boundes and exercise thy power vpon the fleshe but touch not my conscience for I am baptised by the gospell am called to the pertaking of righteousnes of euerlasting life to the kingdome of Christ wherin my conscience is at rest where no law is but altogither forgeuenes of sinnes peace quietnes ioy health and euerlasting life Trouble me not in these matters for I will not suffer thee so intollerable a tyrante and cruell tormenter to reigne in my conscience for it is the seate and temple of Christ the sonne of God who is the King of righteousnes peace and my most sweete Sauiour and Mediatour he shall keepe my conscience ioyfull and quiet in the sound and pure doctrine of the gospell and in the knowledge of this Christian heauenly righteousnes When I haue this righteousnes reigning in my hart I descend from heauen as the raine making frutefull the earth that is to say I come forth into an other kingdome and I doe good workes how and whensoeuer occasion is offered If I be a minister of the word I preach I comfort the broken harted I administer the sacraments If I be a housholder I gouerne my house and my family I bringe vp my children in the knowledge feare of god If I be a magistrate the charge that is geuen me from aboue I diligently execute If I be a seruant I doe my masters busines faithfully To conclude whosoeuer he be that is assuredly persuaded that Christ is his righteousnes he doth not only chearefully and gladly worke well in his vocation but also submitteth him selfe through loue to the magistrates and to their lawes yea though they be seuere sharpe and cruell and if necessitie doe so
father but also from Iesus Christ teacheth first that we should abstaine from the curious searching of the diuine maiestie for God no man knoweth and to heare Christ who is in the bosome of the father and vttereth to vs his will who also is appoynted of the father to be a teacher to the end that euery one of vs should heare him Christ is God by nature The other thing that Paule teacheth here is a confirmation of our Faith That Christ is very god And such like sentences as this is concerning the Godhead of Christ are to be gathered together and marked diligently not onely against the Arians and other heretikes which either haue bene or shal be hereafter but also for the confirmation of our faith For Satan will not faile to impugne in vs all the articles of our Faith ere we die He is a most deadly enemie to Faith because he knoweth that it is the victorie which ouercometh the world Wherfore it standeth vs in hand to labour that our Faith may be certaine and may encrease and be strengthened by diligent and continuall exercise of the word and feruent prayer that we may be able to withstand Satan Now that Christ is very God hereby it is euidently declared in that Paule attributeth the same things equally vnto him which he doth vnto the father namely diuine power as the geuing of grace the forgeuenes of sinnes peace of conscience life victorie ouer sinne death the deuill and hell This were by no meanes lawfull for him to doe nay it were sacrilege thus to doe except he were very God according to that saying I vvill not geue my glory vnto any other Againe No man geueth that to others which he him selfe hath not But seeing Christ geueth Grace Peace and the holy Ghost deliuereth from the power of the deuill from sinne and death it is certaine that he hath an infinite and diuine power equall in all poyntes to the power of the father And in that Christ geueth Grace and Peace he geueth it not as the Apostles gaue and brought the same vnto men by preaching of the gospell but he geueth it as the author and creator The father createth and geueth life Grace Peace all other good things The selfe same things also the sonne createth geueth Now to geue Grace Peace euerlasting life to forgeue sinnes to make righteous to quicken to deliuer from death and the deuill are not the workes of any creature but of the diuine Maiestie alone The Angels can neither create nor geue these things Therefore these workes pertaine onely to the glory of the soueraigne Maiestie the maker of all things And seing Paule doth attribute the selfe same power of creating and geuing all these things vnto Christ equally with the father it must nedes follow that Christ is verely and naturally God. Many such arguments are in Iohn where it is proued and concluded by the workes which are attributed to the sonne as well as to the father that the diuinitie of the father and of the sonne is all one Therfore the giftes which we receiue of the father and which we receiue of the sonne are all one For else Paule would haue spoken otherwise after this manner Grace from God the father and Peace from our Lord Iesus Christ But in knitting them both together he attributeth them equally as well to the sonne as to the father I do therfore so diligently admonish you of this thing because it is daungerous lest among so many errours and in so great varietie and confusion of sectes there might step vp some Arrians Eunomians Macedonians and such other heretikes that might doe harme to the Churches with their subteltie In deede the Arrians were sharpe and subtile fellowes They graunted that Christ hath two natures and that he is called very God of very God howbeit in name onely Christ said they is a most noble and perfect creature aboue the Angels wherby God afterward created heauē and earth and all other things So Mahomet also speaketh honorably of Christ But al this is nothing els but goodly imaginations words pleasant and plausible to mans reason wherby the fantasticall spirites do deceiue men except they take good hede But Paule speaketh otherwise of Christ Ye sayth he are rooted and stablished in this beleefe namely that Christ is not onely a perfect creature but very God who doth the selfe same things that God the father doth He hath the diuine works not of a creature but of the creator because he geueth Grace Peace and to geue them is to condemne sinne to vanquish death and to tread the deuill vnder foote These things no Angell can geue but seing they are attributed vnto Christ it must nedes folow that he is very God by nature Verse 4. VVhich gaue himselfe for our sinnes Paule in a maner in euery word handleth the argumēt of this Epistle He hath nothing in his mouth but christ therfore in euery word ther is a feruencie of spirite and life And marke how well to the purpose he speaketh He sayth not which hath receaued our works at our hāds nor which hath receaued the sacrifices of Moises law worshippings religions Masses vowes and pilgrimages But hath geuen What not golde nor siluer nor beastes nor paschall lambes nor an angel but him selfe For what Not for a crowne not for a kingdome not for our holines or righteousnes but for our sinnes These words are very thūder claps from heauen against all kindes of righteousnes like as is also this sentence of Iohn Behold the lambe of God that taketh avvay the sinnes of the vvorld Therfore we must with diligent attention marke euery word of Paule and not slenderly consider them or lightly passe them ouer for they are full of consolation and confirme fearfull consciences exceedingly But how may we obtaine remission of our sinnes Paule answereth that the man which is called Iesus Christ the sonne of God hath geuē him selfe for them These are excellēt most comfortable words are promises of the olde law that our sinnes are taken away by none other meane then by the sonne of God deliuered vnto death With such gunnes and such artillarie must the Papacie be destroyed and all the all the religions of the heathen all works all merits and all superstitious ceremonies For if our sinnes may be taken away by our owne works merites and satisfactions what needed the sonne of God to be giuen for them But seeing he was giuen for them it followeth that we can not doe them away by our owne works Againe by this sentence it is declared that our sinnes are so great so infinite and inuincible that it is impossible for the whole world to satisfie for one of them and surely the greatnes of the raunsome namely Christ the sonne of God who gaue himselfe for our sinnes declareth sufficiently that we can neither satisfie for sinne
so highly esteeme the Popes authoritie that to dissent from him euen in the least point I thought it a sinne worthy of euerlasting death And that wicked opinion caused me to thinke that Iohn Hus was a cursed heretike yea and I accounted it an heinous offence but once to thinke of him And I would my selfe in defence of the Popes authoritie haue ministred fire sword for the burning destroying of that heretike thought it an high seruice vnto God so to do Wherfore if you compare Publicanes harlots with these holy Hipocrits they are not euill For they when they offend haue remorse of conscience do not iustifie their wicked doings but these men are so farre of frō acknowledging their abhominatiōs idolatries wicked wilworshippings ceremonies to be sinnes that they affirme the same to be righteousnes a most aceptable sacrifice vnto god yea they adore thē as matters of singular holines thorow them do promise saluation vnto others also sell thē for mony as things auaileable to saluation This is then our goodly righteousnes this is our high merite which bringeth vnto vs the knowledg of grace to wit that we haue so deadly so deuelishly persecuted blasphemed trodē vnder foote condēned God Christ the gospell faith that sacramēts al godly men the true worship of God haue taught stablished quite cōtrary things And the more holy we wer the more wer we blinded the more did we worship the deuil Ther was not one of vs but he was a bloudsucker if not in deede yet in hart Verse 15. VVhen it pleased God. As though he would say It is the alone and inestimable fauour of God that not onely he hath spared me so wicked so cursed a wretch such a blasphemor a persecutor a rebell against God but besides that also hath giuen vnto me the knowledge of saluation his spirit Christ his sonne the office of an Apostle and euerlasting life So God beholding vs giltie in the like sinnes hath not only pardoned our impieties blasphemies of his mere mercy for Christes sake but hath also ouerwhelmed vs with great benefits spiritual gifts But many of vs are not onely vnthankfull vnto God for this his inestimable grace and as it is written 2. Pet. 1. Do forget the clensing of their old sinnes but also opening againe a window to the Deuill they beginne to loth his word and many also corrupt it and so become authors of new errours The ends of these men are vvorse then the beginnings Verse 15. VVhich had seperated me from my mothers vvombe This is an Hebrew phrase As if he sayde which had sanctified ordained prepared me That is GOD had appoynted when I was yet in my mothers wombe that I should so rage against his church and that afterwards he should mercifully call me backe againe from the middest of my cruelty and blasphemy by his meere grace into the way of truth and saluation To be short when I was not yet borne I was an Apostle in the sight of God and when the time was come I was declared an Apostle before the whole world Thus Paule cutteth of all deserts and giueth glory to God alone but to himselfe all shame and confusion As though he would say All the gifts both smale and great as well spirituall as corporall which God purposed to giue vnto me and all the good things which at any time in all my life I should doe God himselfe had before appointed when I was yet in my mothers wombe where I could neither wish thinke nor doe any good thing Therefore this gift also came vnto me by the meere predestination and free mercy of God before I was yet borne Moreouer after I was borne he supported me being loden with innumerable and monstrous euils and iniquities And that he might the more manifestly declare the vnspeakeable and inestimable greatenes of his mercy towards me he of his meere mercy forgaue me my greate and innumerable sinnes and moreouer replenished me with such plenty of his grace that not onely I my selfe should know what things are giuen vnto vs in Christ but that I should preach the same vnto others also Such then were the deserts and merits of all men and especially of those old dotards who exercised themselues farre aboue others in the stincking dunghils of mans righteousnes Verse 15. And called me by his grace Marke the diligence of the Apostle He called me sayth he Hovve Was it for my pharisaicall religion or for my blameles and holy life for my praiers fastings and works No. Much lesse then for my blasphemies persecutions oppressions Hovv then By his meere grace Verse 16. To reueile his sonne in me You heare in this place what maner of doctrine is giuen and committed to Paule to witte the doctrine of the Gospel which is the reuelation of the sonne of god This is a doctrine quite contrary to the lawe which reueileth not the sonne of God but it sheweth fourth sinne it terrifieth the conscience it reueileth death the wrath and iudgement of God and hell The Gospell then is such a doctrine as admitteth no law Now he that in this case could rightly distinguish would not seeke the Gospell in the lawe but would separate the Gospell as farre from the law as there is distāce betwene heauen and earth This difference in it selfe is easie certaine and plaine but vnto vs it is hard and almost not to be comprehended For it is an easie matter to say that the Gospell is nothing els but the reueiling of the sonne of the God or the knowledge of Iesus Christ and that it is not the reueiling of the law But in the very agony and conflict of conscience to hold this fast and to practise it in deede it is a hard matter yea to them also that be most exercised therein Now if the Gospell be the reueiling of the sonne of God as Paule defineth it in this place then surely it accuseth not it feareth not the conscience it threateneth not death it bringeth not to despaire as the law doth but it is a doctrine concerning Christ which is neither law nor worke but our righteousnes wisedome sanctification redēption Although this thing be more cleare then the sunne light yet notwithstanding the madnes and blindnes of the Papistes hath bene so great that of the Gospell they haue made a lawe of charitie and of Christ a lawegiuer which should giue more streit and heauy commaundements then Moses himselfe But the Gospell teacheth that Christ came not to set forth a newe law and to geue commaundements as touching maners but that he came to this end that he might be made an oblation for the sinnes of the vvhole vvorld and that our sinnes might be forgeuē and euerlasting life giuen vnto vs for his sake and not for the works of the lawe or for our rightesousnes sake Of this
were in the middes of the Apostles and all the faithfull where this question was so vehemently debated was not yet constrained to be circumcised This victorie Paule carieth away sayth that in this conference it was decided by the consent of all the Apostles the whole Church also approuing the same that Titus should not be circumcised This is a strong argument and maketh very much against the false apostles And with this argument Neither vvas Titus compelled to be circumcised Paule was able to represse and mightely conuince all his aduersaries As if he should say Why doth these counterfait apostles so falsely report of me saying that I am compelled to keepe circumcision by the commaundement of the Apostles seeing I haue the witnes of all the faithfull in Ierusalem and moreouer of all the Apostles them selues that by my pursute and trauaile the contrary was there determined and that I did not onely there preuaile that Titus should not be circumcised but that the Apostles did also approue and ratifie the same Your counterfet apostles therfore do lie deadly which sclaūder me vnder the name of the Apostles and therby deceaue you for I haue the Apostles and all the faithfull not against me but with me And this I proue by the example of Titus Notwithstanding Paule as I haue often sayd did not condemne circumcision as an vnprofitable thing nor constrained any man therevnto For it is neither sinne nor righteousnes to be circumcised or vncircumcised as it is neither sinne nor righteousnes to eate or drinke For vvhether thou eate or eate not thou art neither better nor vvorse But if any mā should adde therto either sinne or righteousnes and say If thou eate thou sinnest if thou abstaine thou art righteous he should shew him selfe both foolish and wicked Therfore to ioyne ceremonies with sinne or righteousnes is great impietie As the Pope doth who in his forme of excommunication threatneth to all those that doe not obey the law of the Bishop of Rome Gods great curse and indignation and so maketh all his lawes necessary to saluation Wherefore the Deuil him selfe speaketh in the person of the Pope in all the Popes decrees For if saluation cōsisteth in keping of the Popes lawes what neede haue we of Christ to be our iustifier and Sauiour Vers 4.5 For all the false brethern that crept in vvho came in priuely to espie out our liberty vvhich vve haue in Christ Iesus that they might bring vs into bōdage To vvhom vve gaue not place by subiection for an houre that the truth of the Gospell might continue vvith you Here Paule sheweth the cause why he went vp to Ierusalem and there conferred his gospell with the other Apostles and why he would not circumcise Titus Not that he might be the more certaine or confirmed in the gospell by the Apostles for he nothing doubted thereof but that the truth of the gospell might continue in the Churches of the Galathians and in all the Churches of the Gentiles We see then that this busines of Paule was no light matter Nowe where he speaketh of the truth of the Gospell he sheweth that there be two gospels a true and a false gospell Indeede the gospell of it selfe is simple true and sincere but by the malice of Satans ministers it is corrupt and defaced Therfore where he saith The truth of the gospel he would haue vs to vnderstād also the contrary As if he would say The false apostles do also preach a faith a gospel but they are both false Therfore haue I set my selfe so constantly against them and in that I would not geue place vnto them I haue brought to passe that the truth of the gospell continueth with you So the Pope and the Anabaptists doe bragge at this day that they teach the Gospell faith in Christ True it is but with such frute as the false apostles once did whom Paule calleth before in the first chapter troublers of the church and subuerters of the gospell of Christ On the other side he sayth that he teacheth the truth of the gospell As if he should say Those things which the false apostles teach bragge they neuer so much that they teach the truth are nothing else but starke lies So all Heretikes pretend the name of God of Christ and of the Church Also they pretend that they will not teach errours or lies but most certaine truth and the pure Gospell of Christ Now the truth of the gospell is that our righteousnes cometh by Faith only without the workes of the law The corruption or falshode of the Gospell is that we are iustified by Faith but not without the workes of the lawe With the like condition the false apostles also preached the Gospel Euen so doe our Papists and craftie Sophisters at this day For they say that we must beleue in Christ and that Faith is the foundation of our saluation but it iustifieth not except it be furnished with charitie This is not the truth of the Gospell but falshode and dissimulation But the true Gospell in deede is that works or charitie are not the ornament or perfection of faith but that faith of it selfe is Gods gift and Gods worke in our hearts which therefore iustifieth vs because it apprehendeth Christ our redemer Mans reason hath the law for his obiect thus thinking with it selfe This I haue done this I haue not done But faith being in her owne proper office hath no other obiect but Iesus Christ the sonne of god deliuered to death for the sinnes of the whole world It loketh not to charitie It sayeth not what haue I done what haue I offended what haue I deserued but what hath Christ done what hath he deserued Here the truth of the gospel answereth thee he hath redemed thee from thy sinne from the Deuil from eternall death Faith therefore acknowledgeth that in this one person Iesus Christ it hath forgeuenes of sinnes and eternall life He that turneth his eyes away from this obiect hath not true Faith but a fantasie and a vaine opinion and turneth his eyes from the promise to the law which terrifieth and driueth to desperation Wherfore those things which the Sophisters Scholemen haue taught cōcerning the iustifying faith being furnished with charitie are no thing else but mere dreames For that faith which apprehēdeth Christ the sonne of God is furnished with him is the same faith that iustifieth and not that faith which includeth charitie For a true a stedfast faith must lay hold vpon nothing else but Christ alone and in the afflictions and terrours of conscience it hath nothing else to leane vnto but this Diamond Christ Iesus Wherfore he that apprehendeth Christ by faith although he be neuer so much terrified with the law pressed downe with the weight of his sinnes yet may he be bold to glory that he is righteous How or by what meanes Euen by that
precious Pearle Christ which he possesseth by faith This our aduersaries vnderstand not and therfore they cast away this precious Pearle Christ in his place they set charitie which they say is their precious Diamund Now when they can not tell what Faith is it is vnpossible that they should haue faith much lesse can they teach it vnto others And as for that which they will seme to haue it is nothing else but a very dreame an opinion and naturall reason and not faith This I say to the end ye may perceaue that Paule mentioning here the truth of the Gospell speaketh with great feruencie of spirite for the more reproofe of the contrary For by these wordes he reprehendeth the false apostles for that they had taught a false gospell for they required circumcision the obseruation of the law as necessary to saluation Moreouer they went about by craftie sleights and policie to entrap Paule for they watched him narowly to see whether he would circumcise Titus or no Also whether he durst withstand them in the presence of the Apostles and for this cause he reprehendeth them bitterly They vveÌ„t about sayth he to spie out our libertie vvhich vve haue in Christ Iesu that they might bring vs into boÌ„dage Wherfore the false apostles armed them selues on euery side that they might coÌ„uince and confound him before the whole congregation Besides this they went about to abuse the authoritie of the Apostles in whose presence they accused him saying Paule hath brought Titus being vncircumcised into the company of all the faithfull he denieth and condemneth the law in your presence which are Apostles If he dare be so bold to atteÌ„pt this here before you what wil not he attempt in your absence among the Gentiles Wherfore when he perceaued that he was so craftely assailed he stroÌ„gly withstode the false apostles saying we did not suffer our liberty which we haue in Christ Iesu to come in dauÌ„ger although the false brethren sought by all meanes to snare vs and put vs to much trouble but we ouercame them euen by the iudgement of the Apostles themselues and we would not yelde vnto them no not one hower for no doubt their drift was to haue caused Paule to surcease from this liberty for a time sithens we saw that they required the obseruation of the law as necessary to saluation But if they had alleaged nothing els but charitable bearing with the brethren no doubt but Paule would haue giuen them place But it was an other thing that they sought to witte that they might bring Paule and all that stucke to his doctrine into bondage Therefore he would not yelde vnto them no not the space of one moment In like maner doe we also offer to the Papistes all that is to be offered yea and more then we ought Onely we except the libertie of conscience which we haue in Christ Iesus For we will not suffer our consciences to be bound to any worke so that by doing this thing or that we should be righteous or leauing the same vndone we should be damned We are contented to eate the same meates that they eate we wil kepe their feastes and fasting daies so that they will suffer vs to doe the same with a free conscience and leaue these threatning words wherw t they haue terrified and brought vnder their subiection the whole world saying we commauÌ„d we charge we charge againe we excoÌ„municate c. but this liberty we can not obtaine like as Paule also could not in his time Therefore we doe as he did For when he saw that he could not obtaine this libertie he would not geue place to the false Apostles for the space of one hower Wherefore like as our aduersaries wil not leaue this free vnto vs that onely faith in Christ iustifieth so on the other side neither will we nor can we geue place vnto them that faith furnished with charitie iustifieth Here we wil and we ought also to be rebellious and obstinate against them for els we should lose the truth of the Gospell we should lose our liberty which we haue not in the Emperour not in Kings and Princes not in that moÌ„ster the Pope not in the world not in flesh bloude reason c but which we haue in Christ Iesus We should lose faith in Christ which as before I haue said appreheÌ„deth nothing els but that precious pearle Christ This faith whereby we are regenerate iustified and engrafted into Christ if our aduersaries will leaue vnto vs sound and vncorrupt we offer vnto them that we will doe all things so that they be not contrary to this faith But because we can not obtaine this at their haâ—des we againe for our parte will not yelde vnto them one heares breadth â–ª For here is a great and a weighty matter in hand namely touching the death of the sonne of God who by the will and commaundement of the father was made flesh was crucified and died for the sinnes of the world If faith here geue place then is this death and resurrection of the sonne of God in vaine then is it but a fable that Christ is the Sauiour of the world then is God also found a lier because he hath not performed that he promised Our stoutnes therefore in this matter is godly and holy For by it we seeke to preserue our liberty which we haue in Christ Iesus and therby to retaine the truth of the Gospell which if we lose then doe we also lose God Christ all the promises faith righteousnes and euerlasting life But some man will say The lawe is diuine and holy Let the law haue his glory but yet no law be it neuer so diuine and holy ought to teach me that I am iustified and shall liue through it I graunt it may teach me that I ought to loue God and my neighbour also to liue in chastitie sobernes patience c. but it ought not to shew me how I should be deliuered from sinne the Deuill death and hell Here I must take counsell of the Gospell I must harken to the Gospell which teacheth me not what I ought to doe for that is the proper office of the law but what Iesus Christ the sonne of God hath done for me to wit that he suffered and died to deliuer me from sinne and death The Gospell willeth me to receaue this and to beleue it And this is the truth of the Gospell It is also the principall article of all Christian doctrine wherein the knowledge of all godlines consisteth Most necessary it is therfore that we should know this article wel teach it vnto others and beate it into their heades continually For as it is very tender so is it soone hurt This Paule had well tried and of this haue all the godly also good experience To conclude Paule would not circumcise Titus and as he saith for no other cause but for that certaine false
other meanes Wherefore euen by this we may plainely see the inestimable pacience of God in that he hath not long agoe destroyed the whole Papacy and consumed it with fire and brimstone as he did Sodome and Gomorre But now these ioly felowes goe about not onely to couer but highly to aduance their impietie and filthines This we may in no case dissemble We must therefore with all diligence set forth the article of iustification that the same as a most cleare Sunne may bring to light the darknes of their hypocrisie and may discouer their filthines and shame For this cause we doe so often repete and so earnestly set forth the righteousnes of faith that the aduersaries may be confounded and this article established cōfirmed in our hearts And this is a most necessary thing for if we once lose this Sunne we fal againe into our former darknes And most horrible it is that the Pope should euer be able to bring this to passe in the church that Christ should be denyed troden vnder foote spitte vpon blasphemed yea and that euen by the Gospell and sacraments which he hath so darkned and turned into such an horrible abuse that he hath made them to serue him against Christ to set vp and stablish his detestable abhominations O deepe darkenes O horrible wrath of God. Verse 16. Euen vve I say haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that vve might be iustified This is the true meane to become a Christian euen to be iustified by faith in Iesus Christ and not by the workes of the lawe Here we may not stand vpon the wicked glose of the Scholemen which say that faith then iustifieth when charitie and good workes are ioyned withal With this pestilent glose the Sophisters haue darkened peruerted this such other like sentences in Paule wherein he manifestly attributeth iustification to faith onely in Christ But when a man heareth that he ought to beleue in Christ and yet faith notwithstanding iustifieth not except it be formed and adorned with charitie by and by faith faileth him and thus he thinketh with him selfe If faith without charitie iustifieth not then is faith in vaine and vnprofitable and charitie only iustifieth For except Faith be adorned and furnished with charitie it is nothing And to approue this their pernicious and pestilēt glose they alledge this place out of the Corinthes Though I speake vvith the tounges of men angels haue no loue I am nothing This place is their brasen wall But these men are without vnderstanding therfore they can see or vnderstand nothing in Paule And moreouer they haue not onely done iniury to the words of Paule but also they haue denied Christ buried al his benefits Wherfore we must auoid this their glose as a most deadly and deuilish poison and conclude with Paule that we are iustified not by faith furnished with charitie but by faith onely and alone We graunt that we must also teach good workes and charitie but it must be done in time and place that is to say when the question is concerning workes and toucheth not this article of iustification But here the matter resteth in this point to know by what meanes we are iustified and attaine eternall life To this we aunswere with Paule that by faith onely in Christ we are pronounced righteous and not by the workes of the law or charitie Not because we reiect good workes but for that we will not suffer our selues to be remoued from this anker hold of our saluation which Sathan most desireth Since then we are now in the matter of iustification we reiect and condemne all good workes for this place will admitte no disputation of good workes Wherefore in this matter we doe generally cut of all lawes and all the workes of the law But the law is good iust and holy True it is But when we are in the matter of iustification there is no time or place to speake of the law but the question is what Christ is and what benefite he hath brought vnto vs Christ is not the law he is not my worke or the worke of the law he is not my charitie my chastitie my obedience my pouerty but he is the Lord of life and death a Mediatour a Sauiour a redemer of those that are vnder the law and sinne In him vve are by faith and he in vs. This bridegrome must be alone with the bride in his secrete chamber all the seruants and family being put apart But afterwards when the dore is open and he cometh forth then may the seruauntes and hādmaides returne to minister vnto them Then may charitie and good workes beginne to doe their office Let vs learne therefore to discerne all lawes yea euen the law of God and all workes from faith and from Christ that we may define Christ rightly and know that he is not the law and therfore he is no exactor of the law and workes but he is the lambe of God that taketh avvay the sinnes of the vvorld This doth faith alone lay hold of and not charitie which notwithstanding as a certaine thankfulnes must follow faith Wherefore victory ouer sinne and death saluation and euerlasting life come not by the law nor by the workes of the law nor yet by the power of free will but by the Lord Iesus Christ only alone Verse 16. That vve might be iustified by faith in Christ and not by the vvorkes of the lavv Paule speaketh not here of the ceremoniall law onely as before we haue sayd but of the whole law For the ceremoniall law was as well the law of God as the morall law was As for example Circumcision the institution of the Priesthoode the seruice and ceremonies of the temple were commaunded of God no lesse then the ten commaundements Moreouer when Abraham was commaunded to offer vp his sonne Isaac in sacrifice it was a law This worke of Abraham pleased God no lesse then other works of the ceremoniall law did and yet was not he iustified by this work but by faith for the scripture saith Abraham beleued God and it vvas counted to him for righteousnes But since the reueiling of Christ say they the ceremoniall lawe killeth and bringeth death Yea so doth the lawe of the ten commaundements also without faith in Christe Moreouer there may no law be suffred to raigne in the conscience but onely the law of the spirite and life wherby we are made free in Christ from the lawe of the letter and of death from the workes therof and from all sinnes Not because the lawe is euill but for that it is not able to iustifie vs for it hath a plaine contrary effect and working It is an high and an excellent matter to be at peace with God and therefore in this case we haue neede of a farre other Mediatour then Moses or the lawe Here we must doe nothing at all but onely receaue the
Christ in so much that without circumcision and keping of the lawe they denied the iustification of faith for except ye be circumcised sayd they after the lawe of Moses ye can not be saued euen so at this day these straite exactors of the lawe besides the righteousnes of Faith doe require the keping of the commaundementes of God according to that saying Doe this and thou shalt liue Also If thou vvilt enter into life kepe the commaundemēts Wherfore there is not one among them be he neuer so wise that vnderstandeth that difference betwene the lawe and grace But we put a difference and say that we do not here dispute whether we ought to doe good workes whether the law be good holy and iust whether it ought to be kept or no for this is an other maner of question But our question is concerning iustification and whether the lawe doe iustifie or no. This the aduersaries will not heare they will not aunswere to this question nor make any distinction as we doe but onely crie out that good workes ought to be done that the lawe ought to be obserued We know that well enough But because these are diuers and distinct matters we will not suffer them to be mingled together That good workes ought to be done we will hereafter declare when time shall serue But since we are nowe in the matter of iustification we set aside here all good workes for the which the aduersaries doe so earnestly striue ascribing vnto them wholy the office of iustifying which is to take from Christ his glory and to ascribe the same vnto workes Wherfore this is a strong argument which I haue oftentimes vsed to my great comfort If then vvhile vve seeke to be made righteous by Christ c. As though Paule should say If we being iustified by Christ are counted yet as not iustified and righteous but as sinners which are yet to be iustified by the lawe then may we not seeke iustification in Christ but in the law But if iustification cometh by the lawe then cometh it not by grace Now if iustification cometh not by grace but by the lawe what hath Christ done and wrought by his death by his preaching by his victorie which he hath obtained ouer the lawe sinne and death and by sending the holy Ghost We must cōclude therfore that either we are iustified by Christ or else that we are made sinners culpable and giltie through him But if the lawe doe iustifie then can it not be auoided but needes it must folowe that we are made sinners through Christ and so Christ is a minister of sinne The case standing thus let vs then set downe this proposition Euery one that beleueth in the Lord Iesus Christ is a sinner and is giltie of eternall death and if he flie not vnto the lawe doing the workes thereof he shall not be saued The holy Scripture especially the new Testament maketh often mention of faith in Christ highly aduaūceth the same which saith that vvhosoeuer beleueth in him is saued perisheth not is not iudged is not confounded hath eternal life c. But contrariwise they say he that beleueth in him is condemned because he hath faith without works which doth condemne Thus doe they peruert all things making of Christ a destroyer and a murtherer and of Moses a Sauiour And is not this an horrible blasphemy so to teach that by doing good works thou shalt be made worthy of eternall life but by beleuing in Christ thou shalt be made culpable and giltie of eternall death that the law being kept accomplished saueth faith in Christ condēneth These selfe same words I graūt the aduersaries doe not vse but in very deede such is their doctrine For faith infused say they which properly they call faith in Christ doth not make vs free frō sinne but that faith which is furnished with charitie Hereof it followeth that faith in Christ without the law saueth vs not This is plainly to affirme that Christ leaueth vs in our sinnes and in the wrath of God and maketh vs giltie of eternall death On the other side if thou keepe the law and doe the works therof then faith iustifieth thee because it hath works without the which faith auaileth nothing Therefore works iustifie and not faith O horrible impietie What pernicious and cursed doctrine is this Paule therfore groundeth his Argument vpon an impossibilitie a sufficient diuision If we being iustified in Christ are yet found sinners and can not be iustified but by any other meane thē by Christ that is to witte by the law then can not Christ iustifie vs but he onely accuseth and condemneth vs and so consequently it followeth that Christ dyed in vaine and that these with other like places are false Behold the lābe of God that taketh avvay the sinnes of the vvorld Also He that beleueth in him hath euerlasting life yea the whole scripture is false which beareth witnesse that Christ is the Iustifier and Sauiour of the world For if we be found sinners after that we be iustified by Christ it followeth of necessitie that they which fulfill the law are iustified without Christ If this be true thē are we either Turks or Ievves or Tartariās professing the name and word of God in outward shew but in deede and veritie vtterly denying Christ and his word It is greate impiety therfore to affirme that faith except it be adorned with charitie iustifieth not But if the aduersaries wil needes defend this doctrine why do they not then reiect faith in Christ altogether especially seing they make nothing els of it but a vaine qualitie in the soule which without Christ auaileth nothing why doe they not say in plaine wordes that workes doe iustifie and not faith Yea why doe they not generally denie not onely Paule but also the whole gospel as in very deede they do which attribute righteousnes to works and not to faith alone For if faith and works together doe iustifie then is the disputation of Paule altogether false which plainly prononceth that a man is not iustified by the deedes of the law but by faith alone in Iesus Christ Verse 17. Is Christ therefore the minister of sinne This is a kinde of speach vsed of the Hebrewes which Paule in the 2. Cor. 3. doth also vse Where he most diuinely and plainly speaketh of these two ministeries to witte of the letter and the spirite of the law and grace or of death and life And he saith that Moses the minister of the law hath the ministery of sinne as he calleth it and of death and condemnation For Paule is wont to geue reprochfull names vnto the law and among all the Apostles he onely vseth this maner of speach the other do not so speake And very necessary it is that such as are studious of the holy scripture should vnderstand this maner of speach vsed of the Apostle Now a
righteousnes and eternal life Wherfore Paule separateth Moses farre from Christ Let Moses then tary on the earth Let him be the Scholemaster of the letter and exactor of the law Let him torment and crucifie sinners But the beleuers sayth Paule haue an other Scholemaster in their conscience not Moses but Christ which hath abolished the lawe and sinne hath ouercome the wrath of God and destroyed death He biddeth vs that laboure and are oppressed with all kindes of euils to come vnto him Therefore when we flie vnto him Moses with his law vanisheth away so that his sepulcher can no where be seene sinne and death can hurt vs no more For Christ our instructor is Lord ouer the lawe sinne and death so that they which beleue in him are deliuered from the same It is therefore the proper office of Christ to deliuer from sinne and from death And this Paule teacheth and repeteth euery where We are condemned and killed by the law but by Christ we are iustified restored to life The lawe astonisheth vs and driueth vs from God but Christ reconcileth vs to God and maketh for vs an entrāce that we may boldly come vnto him For he is the Lambe of God that hath taken away the sinnes of the world Now if the sinne of the world be taken away then is it taken away from me also which doe beleue in him If sinne be taken away then is the wrath of God death and damnation taken away also And in the place of sinne succedeth righteousnes in the place of wrath reconciliation grace in the place of death life and in the place of damnation saluation Let vs learne to practise this distinction not in wordes onely but in life and liuely experience and with an inward feeling For where Christ is there must nedes be ioy of heart and peace of conscience For Christ is our reconciliation righteousnes peace life and saluation Briefly what so euer the pore afflicted cōscience desireth it findeth in Christ abundantly Now Paule goeth about to amplifie this argument and to perswade as foloweth Verse 18. For if I builde againe the things that I haue destroyed I make my selfe a trespasser As if he should say I haue not preached to this ende that I might build againe those thīgs which I once destroyed For if I should so do I should not onely labour in daine but should make my selfe also a trāsgressor and ouerthrowe altogether as the false Apostles doe that is to say of grace and of Christ I should againe make the law and Moses contrariwise of the law and Moses I should make grace and Christ Now by the ministery of the Gospell I haue abolished sinne heauines of heart wrath and death For thus haue I taught Thy conscience O man is subiect to the law sinne and death from which thou canst not be deliuered either by men or Angels But now cometh the Gospell and preacheth vnto thee remission of sinnes by Iesus Christ who hath abolished the law and hath destroyed sinne and death Beleue in him so shalt thou be deliuered from the curse of the law and from the tyrannie of sinne and death thou shalt become righteous and haue eternall life Behold how I haue destroyed the law by the preaching of the Gospell to the end that it should not reigne in thy conscience any more For when the new Gest Christ Iesus cometh into the new house there to dwell alone Moses the old inhabiter must geue place vnto him and depart some whether els Also where Christ the new Gest is come to dwel there can sinne wrath death haue no place but there now dwelleth meere grace righteousnes ioy life true affiance and trust in the father now pacified and reconciled vnto vs gracious long suffering full of mercy for his sonne Christes sake Should I then driuing out Christ and destroying his kingdome which I haue planted through the preaching of the Gospell now build vp againe the law and sette vp the kingdome of Moses In deede this should I doe if I should teach circumcision and the obseruation of the law to be necessary to saluation as the false Apostles doe and by this meanes in the steede of righteousnes and life I should restore againe sinne and death For the law doth nothing els but vtter sinne procure Gods wrath kill and destroy What are the Papists I pray you yea the best of them all but destroyers of the kingdome of Christ and builders vp of the kingdome of the Deuill and of sinne of wrath and eternall death Yea they destroy the church which is Gods building not by the law of Moses as did the false Apostles but by mens traditions and doctrines of Deuils And euen so the fantasticall heads which are at this day and shall come after vs doe destroy and shall destroy those things which we haue built doe build and shall build vp againe those things which we haue destroyed But we by the grace of Christ holding the article of iustification doe assuredly know that we are iustified and reputed righteous before God by faith onely in Christ Therfore we doe not mingle the law and grace faith and works together but we separate them farre asunder And this distinction or difference betwene the law and grace let euery man that feareth God marke diligently and let him suffer the same to take place not in letters and syllables but in practise inward experience So that when he heareth that good works ought to be done and that the example of Christ is to be followed he may be able to iudge rightly and say well all these things will I gladly doe What then followeth Thou shalt then be saued and obtaine euerlasting life Nay not so I graunt in deede that I ought to do good workes patiently to suffer troubles and aflictiōs and to shee l my bloud also if neede be for Christes cause but yet am I not iustified neither doe I obtaine saluation therby We must not therfore draw good workes in to the article of iustification as the Monkes haue done which say that not only good works but also the punishments and torments which malefactors suffer for their wicked deedes doe deserue euerlasting life For thus they comfort them when they are brought to the gallowes or place of execution Suffer willingly and patiently this shamefull death which if thou do thou shalt deserue remission of thy sinnes and euerlasting life What an horrible thing is this that a wretched theefe a murtherer a robber should be so miserably seduced in that extreame anguish and distresse that euen at the very point of death when he is now ready to be hanged or to haue his head cut of he should refuse the Gospell and sweete promises in Christ which are onely able to bring comforte and saluation and should be commaunded to hope for pardon of his sinnes if he willingly and patiently endure that opprobrious death which he suffereth
These two propositions are cleane contrary to reason and therefore no craftie Sophister or lawworker can vnderstand them But learne thou the true vnderstanding thereof He that liueth to the lawe that is seketh to be iustified by the workes of the lawe is and remaineth a sinner therfore he is dead condemned For the law can not iustifie and saue him but accuseth terrifieth killeth him Therfore to liue vnto the law is to die vnto God and contrariwise to die to the law is to liue vnto god Wherefore if thou wilt liue vnto God thou must die to the lawe but if thou wilt liue to the lawe thou shalt die to god Now to liue vnto God is to be iustified by grace or by faith for Christes sake without the lawe and workes This is then the proper and true definition of a Christian that he is the childe of grace and remission of sinnes because he is vnder no lawe but is aboue the lawe sinne death and hell And euen as Christ is free from the graue and Peter from the prison so is a Christian free from the lawe And such a respect there is betwene the iustified conscience and the lawe as is betwene Christ raised vp from the graue and the graue and as is betwene Peter deliuered from the prison and the prison And like as Christ by his death and resurrection is dead to the graue so that it hath now no power ouer him nor is able any lōger to holde him but the stone being rolled away the seales broken and the kepers astonished he riseth againe and goeth away without any let and as Peter by his deliueraunce is freed from the prison goeth whether he will euen so the conscience by grace is deliuered from the law So is euery one that is borne of the spirite But the flesh knoweth not from whence this cometh nor whether it goeth for it can not iudge but after the lawe But on the contrary the spirite sayeth let the law accuse me let sinne and death terrifie me neuer so much yet I doe not therfore despaire for I haue the lawe against the lawe sinne against sinne and death against death Therefore when I feele the remorse and sting of conscience for sinne I behold that brasen serpent Christ hanging vppon the crosse There I finde an other sinne against my sinne which accuseth and deuoureth me Now this other sinne namely in the flesh of Christ which taketh away the sinnes of the world is almightie it condemneth and swaloweth vp my sinne So my sinne is condemned by sinne that is by Christ crucified vvho is made sinne for vs that vve might be made the righteousnes of God through him In like maner I finde death in my flesh which afflicteth and killeth me but I haue in me a contrary death which is the death for this death crucifieth and swaloweth vp my death These things be not done by the lawe or workes but by Christ crucified vppon whose shoulders lie all the euils of mankinde the lawe sinne death the Deuill and hell and all these doe die in him for by his death he hath killed them But we must receaue this benefite of Christ with a sure faith For like as neither the lawe nor any worke thereof is offered vnto vs but Christ alone so nothing is required of vs but Faith alone whereby we apprehend Christ and beleue that our sinnes and our death are condemned and abolished in the sinne and death of Christ Thus haue we alwayes most certaine and sure arguments which necessarily conclude that iustification cometh by faith alone For how should the lawe and workes auaile to iustification seeing that Paule is so earnest both against the lawe and workes and sayeth plainely that we must be dead to the lawe if we will liue to god But if we be dead to the lawe and the lawe be dead to vs then hath it nothing to doe with vs How then should it auaile any thing at all to our iustification Wherefore we must needes say that we be iustified by grace alone or by faith alone in Christ without the lawe and workes This the blinde Sophisters doe not vnderstand and therefore they dreame that Faith iustifieth not except it doe the workes of charitie By this meanes Faith which beleueth in Christ becometh vnprofitable and of none effect for the vertue of iustifying is taken from it except it be furnished with charitie But let vs nowe set aparte the lawe and charitie vntil an other time let vs rest onely vpon the poynt of this present matter which is this that Iesus Christ the sonne of God died vpon the crosse did beare in his body my sinnes the lawe death the Deuill and hell These inuincible enemies and tyrannes doe oppresse vexe and trouble me and therefore I am carefull howe I may be deliuered out of their handes iustified and saued Here I finde neither lawe worke nor charitie which is able to deliuer me from their tyrannie There is none but the Lord Iesus onely and alone which taketh away the lawe killeth and destroyeth my death in his body and by this meanes spoyleth hell iudgeth and crucifieth the Deuill and throweth him downe into hell To be briefe all the enemies which did before torment and oppresse me Christ Iesus hath brought to naught Hath spoyled them and made a shevv of them openly triumphing by him selfe ouer them in such sort that they can nowe rule and raigne no more ouer me but are constrained to obey me By this we may plainely see that there is nothing here for vs to doe Onely it belongeth vnto vs to heare that these things haue bene wrought and done in this sort and by faith to apprehend the same And this is the true formed and furnished faith in dede Now when I haue thus apprehended Christ by faith and through him am dead to the lawe iustified from sinne deliuered from death the deuill and hell then I doe good works I loue God I geue thankes to him I exercise charitie towardes my neighbour But this charitie or workes folowing do neither forme nor adorne my faith but my faith formeth and adorneth charitie This is our diuinitie which seemeth straunge and maruelous or rather foolish to carnall reason to witte that I am not onely blinde and deafe to the lawe yea deliuered and freed from the law but also wholy dead vnto the same This sentence of Paule Through the lavv I am dead to the lavv is full of consolation Which if it may enter into a man in due season take sure hold in his heart with good vnderstanding it may so worke that it will make him able to stand against all daungers of death and all terrours of conscience and sinne although they assaile him accuse him and would driue him to desperation neuer so much True it is that euery man is tempted if not in his life yet at his death There when the law accuseth
him and sheweth vnto him his sinnes his cōscience by and by saith Thou hast sinned If then thou take good hold of that which Paule here teacheth thou wilt answere I graunt I haue sinned Then will God punish thee Nay he will not so doe Why doth not the lawe of God so say I haue nothing to doe with that lawe Why so Because I haue an other lawe which striketh this lawe dumme that is to say libertie What libertie is that The libertie of Christ for by Christ I am vtterly freed from the lawe Therfore that lawe which is remaineth a law to the wicked is to me libertie and bindeth that law which would condemne me And by this meanes that lawe which would bind me and hold me captiue is now fast bound it selfe and holden captiue by grace and libertie which is now my lawe which sayth to that accusing law Thou shalt not hold this man bound captiue for he is mine but I wil hold thee in captiuitie and bind thy hands that thou shalt not hurt him for he liueth now vnto Christ and is dead vnto thee This to do is to dash out the teeth of the lawe to wrast his sting and all his weapons from him and to spoile him of all his force And yet the same law notwithstanding continueth and remaineth stil to the wicked and vnbeleuers And to vs also that be weake so farre forth as we lacke faith it continueth yet still in his force here it hath his edge teeth But if I do beleue in Christ although sinne driue me neuer so much to despaire yet staying vpō this libertie which I haue in Christ I confesse that I haue sinned but my sinne which is a cōdemned sinne is in Christ which is a condemning sinne Now this condemning sinne is stronger then that which is condemned for it is iustifying grace righteousnes life saluation Thus when I feele the terrour of death I say Thou hast nothing to doe with me O death for I haue an other death which killeth thee my death that death which killeth is stronger then that which is killed Thus a faithfull man by faith onely in Christ may raise vppe him selfe and conceaue such sure and sound consolation that he shall not neede to feare the deuill sinne death or any euils And although the Deuill set vpon him with all might and maine and goe about with all the terrours of the world to oppresse him yet he conceaueth good hope euen in the middes therof and thus he sayth Sir Deuill I feare not thy threatninges terrours for ther is one whose name is Iesus Christ in whom I beleue he hath abolished the law condemned sinne vanquished death and destroyed hell and he is thy Tormentor O Satan for he hath boūd thee and holdeth thee captiue to the end that thou shouldest no more hurt me or any that beleueth in him This faith the Deuill can not ouercome but is ouercome of it For this is the victorie sayth S. Iohn that ouercometh the vvorld euen our faith Who is it that ouercometh the world but he which beleueth that Iesus is the sonne of God Paule therfore through a vehement zeale and indignatiō of spirit calleth grace it selfe the lawe which notwithstanding is an exceding inestimable libertie of grace which we haue in Christ Iesu Moreouer he geueth this opprobrious name vnto the law for our consolation to let vs vnderstand that there is a new name geuen vnto it to witte that it is not now aliue any more but dead and condemned And here which is a pleasant sight to behold he bringeth forthe the lawe and setteth it before vs as a theefe and a robber which is already condemned and adiudged to death For he describeth it as it were a prisoner hauing both handes and feete fast bound and all his power taken away so that it can not exercise his tyrannie that is to say it can not accuse and condemne any more And with this most pleasaunt sight he maketh it odious and contemptible to the conscience so that now he which beleueth in Christ dare boldly and with a holy pride triumph ouer the lawe after this maner I am a sinner If thou canst doe any thing against me O lawe nowe doe thy worst So farre of is it then that the law is now terrible vnto him which doth beleue Since Christ is risen from death why should he nowe feare the graue Since Peter is deliuered from the prison why should he now feare it When the maiden was at the point of death then might she in deede feare the bedde but being now reised vp why should she feare it In like maner why should a Christian which enioyeth and possesseth Christ by faith feare the law True it is that he feeleth the terrours of the law but he is not ouercome of them but staying vpon the libertie which he hath in Christ he saith I heare thee murmuring O law that thou wouldest accuse and condemne me but this troubleth me nothing at all Thou art to me as the graue was vnto Christ For I see that thou art fast bound hand and foote and this hath my lawe done What law is that libertie which is called the law not because it bindeth me but because it bindeth my law The law of the ten commaundements did bind me But against that law I haue an other law euen the law of grace which notwithstanding is to me no law neither doth it bind me but setteth me at liberty And this is a law against that accusing and condemning law which law it so bindeth that it hath no power to hurt me any more So against my death which bindeth me I haue an other death that is to say life which quickneth me in Christ and this death looseth and freeth me from the bondes of my death and with the same bondes bindeth my death So death which bound me is now fast bound which killed me is now killed by death that is to say by life it selfe Thus Christ with most sweete names is called my law my sinne my death against the law against sinne against death wheras in very deede he is nothing els but meere libertie righteousnes life and euerlasting saluation And for this cause he is made the law of the law the sinne of sinne the death of death that he might redeme me from the curse of the law iustifie me and quicken me So then whiles Christ is the lawe he is also libertie whiles he is sinne he is righteousnes and whiles he is death he is life For in that he suffered the law to accuse him sinne to condemne him and death to deuoure him he abolished the law he condemned sinne he destroied death he iustified and saued me So is Christ the poison of the law sinne and death and the remedy for the obtaining of libertie righteousnes and euerlasting life This maner of speach which
apart which driue vs to the consideration of our selues onely to turne our eies wholy to that brasen serpent Christ Iesus crucified assuredly beleue that he is our righteousnes and life not fearing the threatnings and terrours of the law sinne death and the iudgement of god For Christ on whom our eies are fixed in whom we liue who also liueth in vs is Lord and conquerour of the law sinne death and all euils In whom most certaine and sure consolation is set forth vnto vs and victory geuen Verse 20. Thus I liue yet not I novv but Christ liueth in me Wher he saith Thus I liue he speaketh it as it were in his owne person Therfore he by and by correcteth himselfe saying yet not I now That is to say I liue not now in mine owne person but Christ liueth in me In deede the person liueth but not in himselfe nor for his owne cause nor for any thing that is in him But who is that I of whom he sayeth yet not I. This I is he which hath the lawe and is bound to doe the workes therof who also is a certaine person seperate from Christ This person Paule reiecteth For as he is seperate from Christ he belongeth to death and hell Therfore he sayeth Novve not I but Christ liueth in me He is my forme my furniture and perfection adorning and beutifying my faith as the colour the cleare light or the whitnes do garnish and beutifie the wall Thus are we constrained grossely to set forth this matter For we can not spiritually conceaue that Christ is so nerely ioyned vnited vnto vs as the colour or whitenes are vnited vnto the wall Christ therfore sayth he thus ioyned and vnited vnto me and abiding in me liueth this life in me which I now liue yea Christ him selfe is this life which I now liue Wherefore Christ and I in this behalfe are both one Now Christ liuing in me abolisheth the lawe condemneth sinne and destroyeth death for it can not be but at his presence all these must nedes vanish away For Christ is euerlasting peace consolation righteousnes and life and to these the terrour of the law heauines of mind sinne hell and death must nedes geue place So Christ liuing and abiding in me taketh away and swalloweth vp all euils which vexe and afflict me This vnion or coniunction then is the cause that I am deliuered from the terrour of the law and sinne am seperate from my self and translated vnto Christ and his kingdom which is a kingdom of grace righteousnes peace ioy life saluation eternal glory Thus I now abiding and dwelling in him what euill is there that can hurt me In the meane season the old man abideth without and is subiecte to the lawe but as concerning iustification Christ and I must be entierly conioyned and vnited together so that he may liue in me and I in him And this is a wonderful maner of speech Now because Christ liueth in me therefore looke what grace righteousnes life peace and saluation is in me it is his and yet notwithstanding the same is mine also by that vnseparable vnion and coniunction which is throughe Faithe by which Christe and I are made as it were one bodye in spirite For as much then as Christ liueth in me it foloweth that as I must nedes be with him pertaker of grace righteousnes life and eternall saluation so the lawe sinne and death can haue no place in me yea the lawe is crucified and swallowed vp of the lawe sinne of sinne and death of death Thus Paule goeth about to draw vs from the beholding of our selues the law workes and to plant in vs true faith in Christ so that in the matter of iustification we should thinke vpon nothing else but grace separating the same farre from the law and works which in this matter ought to haue no place Paule hath his peculiar phrase or kind of speach which is not after the maner of men but diuine and heauenly nor vsed of the Euangelistes or of the rest of the Apostles sauing only of Iohn who also is wont sometimes so to speake And if Paule had not first vsed this phrase and set forth the same vnto vs in plaine words the very Saincts thēselues durst not haue vsed it For it seemeth a very straunge and a monstrous maner of speaking thus to say I liue I liue not I am dead I am not dead I am a sinner I am not a sinner I haue the law I haue not the law Which phrase is sweete and comfortable to all those that beleue in Christ For in that they behold themselues they haue both the law and sinne but in that they looke vnto Christ they are dead to the law and haue no sinne If then in the matter of iustification thou separate the person of Christ from thy person then art thou in the law thou abidest in the law thou liuest in the law and not in Christ and so thou art condemned of the law and dead before God. For thou hast that faith which as the Sophisters dreame is furnished with charitie Thus I speake for examples sake For there was neuer any one found that was saued by this faith And therfore what things soeuer the Sophisters haue written touching this faith are nothing els but vaine toyes and meere deceites of Sathan But let vs graunt that such there be as haue this faith yet are they not therfore iustified For they haue but an historicall Faith concerning Christ which the Deuill also and all the wicked haue Faith therfore must be purely taught namely that thou art so entirely and nerely ioyned vnto Christ that he and thou are made as it were one person so that thou maiest boldly say I am now one with Christ that is to say Christes righteousnes victory and life are mine And again Christ may say I am that sinner that is his sinnes and his death are mine because he is vnited and ioyned vnto me I vnto him For by faith we are so ioyned together that we are become one flesh one bone Eph. 5. we are the members of the body of Christ flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones So that this faith doth couple Christ and me more neare together then the husband is coupled to his wife This faith therfore is not an idle qualitie but the excellencie therof is such that it vtterly confoundeth these foolish dreames of the Sophisters touching their formed faith and counterfeit charitie their merits workes and worthines These things I would gladly set forth more amply if by any meanes I could Hitherto we haue declared this to be the first argument of Paule that either Christ must needes be the minister of sinne or els the lawe doth not iustifie when he had finished this argument he set forth himselfe for an example saying that he was dead vnto that old law by a certaine new law Now he
righteousnes in deede Paule setteth against the righteousnes of the law As if he sayd Be it so that the law is an heauenly doctrine and hath also his glory yet notwithstanding it loued not me nor gaue it selfe for me yea it accuseth me terrifieth me and driueth me to desperation But I haue now an other which hath deliuered me from the terrours of the law sinne and death and hath brought me vnto libertie the righteousnes of God and eternall life who is called the sonne of God to whom be praise and glory for euermore Faith therefore as I haue said embraceth and wrappeth in it selfe Christ Iesus the sonne of God deliuered to death for vs as Paule here teacheth who being apprehended by faith geueth vnto vs righteousnes and life And here he setteth out most liuely the Priesthode and offices of Christ which are to pacifie God to make intercession for sinners to offer vppe him selfe a sacrifice for their sinnes to redeme to instruct and to comfort them Let vs learne therefore to geue a true definition of Christ not as the Scholedoctours do and such as seeke righteousnes by their owne workes which make him a new law-geuer who abolishing the olde lawe hath established a newe To these Christ is nothing else but an exactor and a tyranne but let vs define him as Paule here doth namely that he is the sonne of God who not for our desert or any righteousnes of ours but of his owne free mercie offered vppe him selfe a sacrifice for vs sinners that he might sanctifie vs for euer Christ then is no Moses no exactor no geuer of lawes but a geuer of grace a Sauiour and one that is full of mercie briefly he is nothing else but infinite mercie and goodnes freely geuen and bountifully geuing vnto vs And thus shall you paint out Christ in his right coloures If you suffer him to be painted out to you any otherwise then thus when tentation and trouble cometh you shall soone be ouerthrowne Nowe as it is the greatest knowledge and cunning that Christians cā haue thus to define Christ so of all things it is the most hardest For I my selfe euen in this great light of the Gospell wherein I haue bene so long exercised haue much a doe to hold this definition of Christ which Paule here geueth So depely hath this doctrine and pestilent opinion that Christ is a lawgeuer entred in me euen as it were oyle into my boanes Ye yong men therefore are in this case much more happie then we that are olde For ye are not infected with these pernicious errours wherein I haue bene so nusled and so drowned euen from my youth that at the very hearing of the name of Christ my heart hath trēbled and quaked for feare for I was perswaded that he was a seuere iudge Wherefore it is to me a double trauaile trouble to correct and reforme this euill First to forget to condemne and to withstand this olde grounded errour that Christ is a lawgeuer and a Iudge for it often returneth and plucketh me backe Then to plant in my heart a new a true perswasion of Christ that he is a iustifier a Sauiour Ye I say that are yong may learne with much lesse difficultie to know Christ purely and sincerely if ye will. Wherfore if any man feele him selfe oppressed with heauines and anguish of heart he must not impute it vnto Christ although it come vnder the name of Christ but vnto the Deuill who oftentimes cometh vnder the colour of Christ and transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light Let vs learne therefore to put a difference betwene Christ and a lawgeuer not only in word but in practise in deede also that when the Deuil shal come vnder the shadow of Christ shal go about to trouble vs vnder his name we may know him not to be Christ but a very feend in deede For Christ when he cometh is nothing else but ioy and sweetenes to a trembling and broken heart as here Paule witnesseth who setteth him out with this most sweete louing title when he saith vvhich loued me and gaue him selfe for me Christ therefore in very deede is a louer of those which are in bitternes of minde sinne death and such a louer as gaue him selfe for them who is also our high priest that is to say a mediatour betwene God vs wretched sinners What could be sayd I pray you more sweete or comfortable to the poore afflicted conscience Now if these things be true as they are in deede most true or else the Gospell must be nothing else but a fable then are we not iustified by the righteousnes of the lawe and much lesse by our owne righteousnes Read therefore with diligent attention and with great vehemencie these wordes Me and for me and so practise with thy selfe that thou maist well conceaue and print this Me in thy heart and applie it vnto thy selfe with a stedfast faith not doubting but thou art of the number of those to whom this Me belongeth Also that Christ hath not onely loued Peter and Paule and geuen him selfe for them but that the same grace also which is comprehended in this Me doth as well pertaine and extend vnto vs as vnto them For as we can not denie but that we are all sinners and are constrained to say that through the sinne of Adam we were all lost were made the enemies of God subiect to the wrath and iudgement of God and giltie of eternall death for this doe all terrified heartes feele and confesse and more in deede then they should do so can we not denie but that Christ died for our sinnes that he might make vs righteous For he died not to iustifie the righteous but the vnrighteous and to make them the children of God and inheritours of all spirituall heauenly gifts Therfore when I feele confesse my selfe to be a sinner through Adams trāsgression why should I not say that I am made righteous through the righteousnes of Christ especially whē I heare that he loued me gaue himselfe for me This did Paule most stedfastly beleue therfore he speaketh these wordes with so great a vehemencie and full assurance Which he graunt vnto vs in some part at the least who hath loised vs and geuen him selfe for vs. Verse 21. I doe not abrogate or reiect the grace of God Now he prepareth a way to the second argument of this epistle And here ye must diligently consider that to seeke to be iustified by the workes of the law is to reiect the grace of god But I pray you what sinne cā be more execrable or horrible then to reiect the grace of God and to refuse that righteousnes which cometh by Christ It is enough and to much already that we are wicked sinners and transgressours of all the commaundements of God and yet we commit moreouer the most execrable sinne of all sinnes in that
so that the worde be not onely my voice but may be hearde of thee and may enter into thy hearte and be beleued of thee then is it truly and in deede the hearing of faith thorowe the which thou receauest the holy Ghost which after thou hast once receaued thou shalt also mortifie thy flesh The faithfull doe finde by their owne experience howe gladly they would hold and embrace the word when they heare it with a full faith and abandon this opinion of the lawe and of their owne righteousnes but they feele in their flesh a mightie resistaunce against the spirite For reason and the flesh will needes worke together This saying Ye must be circumcised and keepe the lavve can not be vtterly rooted out of our mindes but it sticketh fast in the hearts of all the faithfull There is therfore in the faithfull a continuall conflict betwene the hearing of faith and the workes of the lawe For the conscience alwayes murmureth and thinketh that this is too easie a way that by the onely hearing of the word righteousnes the holy ghost and life euerlasting is promised vnto vs But come once to an earnest trial therof and then tell me how easie a thing it is to heare the word of faith In deede he which geueth is great moreouer he geueth great things willingly and freely and vpbraideth no man therwith but thy capacitie is hard and faith weake still striuing against thee so that thou art not able to receaue this gift But let thy conscience murmure against thee neuer so much let this Must come neuer so oftē into thy minde yet stand fast hold out vntill thou ouercome this Must So as faith encreaseth by litle and litle that opinion of the righteousnes of the lawe will diminish But this can not be done without great conflict Verse 3. Are ye so foolish that after ye haue begone in the spirite ye vvould novv finish or be made perfect by the flesh This argument being concluded how that the holy ghost cometh not by the workes of the lawe but through the preaching of faith he beginneth here to exhort the Galathians and to terrifie them from a double daunger and incommoditie The first is Are ye so foolish that after ye haue begone in the spirite ye vvould novv ende in the flesh The other followeth Haue ye suffred so great things in vaine As if he said Ye began in the spirite that is your religion was excellently well begone As also a litle after he saith Ye ranne vvel c. But what haue ye gotten therby Forsoth ye will nowe ende in the flesh yea rather ye are ended in the flesh Paule here setteth the spirite against the flesh He calleth not the flesh as before I haue said lust beastly passions or sensual appetites for he intreateth not here of lust or of other fleshly desires but of forgeuenes of sinnes of iustifying the conscience of obteining righteousnes before God of deliueraunce from the lawe sinne and death and yet notwithstanding he sayth here that they forsaking the spirite doe now ende in the flesh Flesh therfore is here taken for the very righteousnes and wisedome of the flesh and the iudgement of reason which goeth about to be made righteous by the law Whatsoeuer then is best and most excellent in man as the wisedome of reason yea and the righteousnes of the law it selfe the same here Paule calleth flesh And this place must be well weyed and considered because of the slaunderous and cauilling Papists which wrest the same against vs saying that we in Poperie began in the spirite but now hauing maried wiues we ende in the flesh As though a single life or not to haue a wife were a spirituall life and as though it nothing hindred their spirituall life if a man not contented with one whore haue many They are mad men not vnderstanding what the spirite or what the flesh is The spirite is whatsoeuer is done in vs through the spirite The flesh whatsoeuer is done in vs according to the flesh without the spirite Wherfore all the dueties of a Christian man as to loue his wife to bring vp his children to gouerne his familie and such like which vnto them are worldly and carnal are the frutes of the spirite These blinde buzzardes can not discerne the things which are the good creatures of God from vices Here also is to be noted that the Apostle sayth the Galathians did begin in the spirite He should here haue added actiuely Nunc carne consummatis that now ye ende in the flesh But he doth not so but sayth passiuely carne consummamini that ye ende yea or rather are ended in the flesh The righteousnes of the law which Paule here calleth the flesh is so farre of from iustifying that they which after the receauing of the holy ghost through the hearing of faith fall backe againe vnto it are ended in it that is to say are vtterly destroyed Therfore who so euer teach that the lawe ought to be fulfilled to this ende that men might be iustified thereby whiles they goe about to quiet their consciences they hurt them whiles they would iustifie them they condemne them Paule euermore by the way hath a glaunce at these false apostles for they stil vrged the law saying Faith onely in Christ taketh not away sinne pacifieth not the wrath of God iustifieth not Therfore if ye will obtaine these benefites ye must not onely beleeue in Christ but therwith ye must also keepe the law be circumcised keepe the feastes sacrifices c. Thus doing ye shall be free from sinne from the wrath of God from euerlasting death yea rather sayth Paule by the selfe same things ye establish vnrighteousnes ye prouoke the wrath of God ye adde sinne to sinne ye quench the spirite ye fall away from grace and vtterly reiect the same and ye together with your disciples doe ende in the flesh This is the first daūger from the which he terrifieth the Galathians lest if they seeke to be iustified by the lawe they lose the spirite and forgoe their good beginnings for a wretched ende Verse 4. Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine The other daunger and incommoditie is this Haue ye suffred so many things in vaine As though he would say Consider not onely howe well ye began and howe miserablie ye haue forsaken your good beginnings and your course well begone moreouer that not onely ye haue lost the first fruites of the spirite being fallen againe into the ministerie of sinne and death and into a dolefull and a miserable bondage of the lawe but consider this also that ye haue suffered muche for the Gospels sake and for the name of Christe to witte the spoiling of your goodes railings and reproches daungers both of bodies and liues c. All things were in a happie course and great towardnes with you Ye taught purely ye liued holily and ye endured many euils constantly
diligently teach we sustaine the hatred and cruell persecution of the Deuill and of the world For Sathan feeleth the power and fruite of this Article And that there is in deede no more sinne death or malediction since Christ nowe raigneth we confesse daily in the Creede of the Apostles I beleue that there is an holy Church Which is in deede nothing else but as if we should say I beleue that there is no sinne no malediction no death in the Church of god For they which do beleue in Christ are no sinners are not giltie of death but are holy and righteous lordes ouer sinne and death liuing for euer But Faith onely seeth this for we say I beleeue an holy Church But if thou beleue reason and thine owne eyes thou wilt iudge cleane contrary For thou seest many things in the Godly which offend thee Thou seest them sometime to fall into sinne and to be weake in Faith to be subiect vnto wrath enuie and such other euill affections therefore the Church is not holy I deny the consequēce If I looke vpon mine owne person or the person of my brother it shall neuer be holy But if I behold Christ who hath sanctified and clensed his Church then is it altogether holy for he hath taken away the sinnes of the whole world Therfore where sinnes are seene and felt there are they in deede no sinnes For according to Paules Diuinitie there is no sin no death no maledictiō any more in the world but in Christ who is the Lambe of God that hath taken away the sinnes of the world who is made a Curse that he might deliuer vs from the Curse Contrariwise according to Philosophie and reason sinne death and the Curse are no where else but in the world in the flesh or in sinners For a Sophisticall Diuine can speake no otherwise of sinne then doth the Heathen Philosopher Like as sayeth he the colour sticketh in the wall euen so doth sinne in the world in the flesh or in the conscience therfore it is to be purged by contrary operations to witte by charitie But true Diuinitie teacheth that there is no sinne in the world any more for Christ vpon whom the Father hath cast the sinnes of the whole world hath vanquished and killed the same in his owne body He once dying for sinne and raised vp againe dieth nowe no more Therefore whersoeuer is a true faith in Christ there sinne is abolished dead and buried in deede But where no Faith in Christ is there sinne doth still remaine And albeit the remnaunts of sinne be as yet in the Saintes because they beleue not perfectly yet are they dead in that they are not imputed vnto them because of their Faith in Christe This is therfore a strong and a mighty argument which Paule here prosecuteth against the righteousnes of workes It is not the lawe nor workes that doe deliuer vs from the euerlasting Curse but Christe alone See therefore good Christian reader I beseech thee that thou distinguish Christ from the law and diligently marke how Paule speaketh and what he sayth All sayth he which doe not fulfil the law are necessarily vnder the Curse But no man fulfilleth the law therfore all men are vnder the Curse He addeth moreouer an other proposition Christ hath redemed vs frō the Curse of the law being made a Curse for vs It followeth then that the lawe and workes doe not redeeme vs from the Curse but doe bring vs rather vnder the Curse Charitie therefore which as the Schoolemen say geueth forme and perfection vnto Faith hath not onely not redemed vs from the Curse but rather it wrappeth vs more and more in the Curse This text then is plaine that all men yea the Apostles Prophets and Patriarks had remained vnder the Curse if Christ had not set him selfe against sinne death the Curse of the law the wrath and iudgemēt of God and ouercome them in his owne body for no power of flesh and bloud could ouercome these huge and hideous Monsters But now Christ is not the law or the worke of the law but a diuine and humane person which tooke vpon him sinne the condemnation of the lawe and death not for him selfe but for vs Wherfore all the weight and force hereof consisteth in this word For vs. We must not thē imagine Christ to be innocent as a priuate person as doe the Schoolemen and almost all the Fathers haue done which is holy and righteous for him selfe onely True it is in deede that Christe is a person most pure and vnspotted but thou must not stay there for thou hast not yet Christe although thou knowe him to be God and man but then thou hast him in deede when thou beleeuest that this most pure and innocent person is freely geuen vnto thee of the Father to be thy high Priest and Sauiouer yea rather thy seruaunt that he putting off his innocentie and holines and taking thy sinnefull person vpon him might beare thy sinne thy death and thy Curse and might be made a sacrifice and a Curse for thee that by this meanes he might deliuer thee from the Curse of the lawe Ye see then with what an Apostolike spirite Paule handleth this argument of the Blessing and of the Curse whilest he not onely maketh Christ subiect to the Curse but sayth also that he is made a Curse So in the. 2. Corrin 5. he calleth him Sinne when he sayth He hath made him to be Sinne for vs vvhich knevv no sinne that vve shoulde be made the righteousnes of God in him And although these sentences may be well expounded after this maner Christ is made a Curse that is to say a sacrifice for the Curse and Sinne that is a sacrifice for sinne yet in my iudgement it is better to keepe the proper signification of the words because there is a greater force and vehemencie therin For when a sinner cometh to the knowledge of him selfe in deede he feeleth not onely that he is miserable but misery it selfe not onely that he is a sinner is accursed but euen sinne and malediction it selfe For it is in deede a great matter to beare sinne the wrath of God malediction and death Wherefore that man which hath a true feeling of these things as Christ did truely effectually feele them for all mākinde is made euen sinne death and malediction it selfe Paule therefore handleth this place with a true Apostolicall spirite There is neither Sophister nor Lawyer nor Iew nor Anabaptist nor any other that speaketh as he doeth For who durst alleage this place out of Moises Accursed is euery one that hangeth on tree and applie it vnto Christ Like as Paule then applied this sentence to Christ euen so may we apply vnto Christe not onely that whole 27. chap. of Deuteronomie but also may gather all the Curses of Moises lawe together and expound the same of Christ For as
Notwithstanding Moises is a Mediatour in this sort as I haue sayd which doth nothing else but chaunge the voyce of the lawe and maketh it tolerable so that the people may abide the hearing thereof but geueth no power to accomplish the same To conclude he is a Mediatour but onely of the veile and therfore he geueth no power to performe the law but onely in the veile Therefore his disciples in that he is a Mediatour of the veile must alwayes be hypocrites But what thinke ye should haue come to passe if that the lawe had bene geuen without Moises either else before or after Moises and that there had ben no Mediatour and in the meane season the people should not haue ben suffered either to flie away or else to haue had any Mediatour Here either the people being beaten downe with intolerable feare should haue perished forthwith or if they should haue escaped there must nedes haue come some other Mediatour which should haue set him selfe betwene the law and the people to this end that both the people might be preserued and the lawe remaine in his force and strength and also an attonement might be made betwene the lawe and the people In deede Moises cometh in the meane season and is made a Mediatour he putteth on a veile and couereth his face but he can not deliuer mens consciences from the anguish and terrour which the law bringeth Therefore when a man in the hower of death or in the conflict of conscience feeleth the wrath and iudgement of God for sinne which the law reuealeth and encreaseth here to keepe him from desperation secluding Moises with his veile he must haue a Mediatour which may say vnto him Although thou be a sinner yet shalt thou remaine that is to say thou shalt not die although the lawe with his wrath and malediction doe still remaine This Mediatour is Iesus Christ which chaungeth not the voice of the law nor hideth the same with a veile as Moises did nor leadeth me out of the sight of the law but he setteth him selfe against the wrath of the law and taketh it away and satisfieth the lawe in his owne body by himselfe And by the Gospel he saith vnto me In deede the law threatneth vnto thee the wrath of God and eternall death but be not afraid flie not away but stand still I supply and performe all thinges for thee I satisfie the law for thee This is a Mediatour which farre excelleth Moises who setteth him selfe betwene God being angry and the sinner The intercession of Moses here profiteth nothing he hath done his office he with his veile is now vanished away Here the miserable sinner being vtterly desperate or a man now approching vnto death God being offended angry doe encounter together Therefore there must come a farre other Mediatour then Moises which may satisfie the lawe take away the wrath therof and may reconcile vnto God which is angry that poore sinner miserable and gilty of eternall death Of this Mediatour Paule speaketh briefely when he saith A Mediatour is not a Mediatour of one For this word Mediatour properly signifieth such a one as doth the office of a Mediatour betwene the partie that is offended and the offender We are the offenders God with his law is he which is offended And the offence is such that God can not pardon it neither can we satisfie for the same Therefore betwene God who of him selfe is but one and vs there is wonderfull discord Moreouer God can not reuoke his law but he will haue it obserued and kept And we which haue transgressed the law can not flie from the presence of God. Christ therefore hath seth him selfe a Mediatour betwene two which are quite contrary and vtterly separate asunder with an infinite and euerlastinge separation and hath reconciled them together And how hath he done this He hath put avvay as Paule saith in an other place the hādvvriting vvhich vvas against vs vvhich by ordinaunces that is by the law vvas cōtrary vnto vs and he hath taken it and fastened it to the Crosse and hath spoiled principalities and povvers and hath made a shevve of them openly and hath triumphed ouer them by him selfe Therefore he is not a Mediatour of one but of two vtterly disagreeing betweene them selues This is also a mighty place and of greate efficacie to confute and confounde the righteousnes of the law and to teach vs that in the matter of Iustification it ought to be vtterly remoued out of our sight Also this word Mediatour ministreth sufficient matter to proue that the lawe iustifieth not for els what neede should we haue of a Mediatour Seing then that mans nature can not abide the hearinge of the lawe much lesse is it able to accomplish the lawe or to agree with the lawe This doctrine which I doe so often repete and not without tediousnes doe still beate into your heades is the true doctrine of the lawe which euery Christian ought with all diligence to learne that he may be able truly to define what the law is what is the true vse and office what are the limites what is the power the time and the ende thereof For it hath an effect quite contrary to the iudgement of all men which haue this pestilent and pernicious opinion naturally rooted in them that the law iustifieth Therefore I feare lest this doctrine will be darkened and defaced againe when we are deade For the world must be replenished with horrible darkenes errours before the latter day come He therefore that is able to vnderstand this let him vnderstand it that the law in true Christian Diuinitie and in his true and proper definition doth not iustifie but hath a cleane contrary effect For it sheweth and discouereth vnto vs our selues it setteth God before vs in his anger it reueileth Gods wrath it terrifieth vs and it doth not only reueile sinne but also mightily encreaseth sinne so that where sinne was before but litle now by the law which bringeth the same to light it becometh exceeding sinfull so that a man now beginneth to hate the law and to flie from it with a perfect hatred to abhorre God the maker of the law This is not to be iustified by the law and that euen reason it selfe is compelled to graūt but to commit a double sinne against the law First not onely to haue a wil so disagreeing frō the law that thou canst not heare it but also to do contrary to that which it cōmaundeth And secondly so to hate it that thou wouldest wish it were abolished together with God himselfe who is the author therof and absolutely good Now what greater blasphemy what sinne more horrible can be imagined then to hate God to abhorre his law not to suffer the hearing thereof which notwithstanding is good and holy For the history doth plainely witnes that the people of Israell refused to heare that excellent
no man can obtaine life except first he be righteous then in deede righteousnes should come by the law Moreouer if there were any state of life any worke any religion whereby a man might obtaine remission of sinnes righteousnes and life then should these thinges in deede iustifie and geue life but this is impossible for Verse 22. The scripture hath concluded all men vnder sinne Where First in the promises them selues as touching Christ as Genesis 3. The Seede of the vvoman shall breake the head of the serpent And Genesis 22. In thy Seede c. Whersoeuer then is any promise in the scriptures made vnto the fathers concerning Christ there the Blessing is promised that is righteousnes saluation and eternall life Therefore by the contrary it is euident that they which must receaue the Blessing are subiect to the Curse that is to say sinne eternall death for els to what ende was the Blessing promised Secondly the Scripture shutteth men vnder sinne and vnder the Curse especially by the law because it is his peculiar office to reueale sinne engender wrath as we haue declared throughout this Epistle but chiefely by this sentence of Paule VVhosoeuer are of the vvorks of the lavv are vnder the Curse Also by that place which the Apostle alleaged out of the .27 chapt of Deut Cursed is euery one that abideth not in all the vvordes of this lavve to doe them c. For these sentences in plaine wordes doe shut vnder sinne and vnder the Curse not onely those which sinne manifestly against the law or doe not outwardly accōplish the law but also those which are vnder the law and with all endeuour go about to performe the same and such were the Iewes as before I haue sayd Much more then doth the same place of Paule shut vppe vnder sinne and vnder the Curse all Monkes Friers Heremites Carthusians and such like with their professions rules and religions to the which they attributed such holines that when a mā had once made a vowe of his profession if he died by and by they dreamed that he went streight to heauen But here ye heare plainly that the Scripture shutteth all vnder sinne Therefore neither the vowe nor religion of the Carthusian be it neuer so angelicall is righteousnes before God for the Scripture hath shutte all vnder sinne all are accursed and damned Who pronounceth this sentence The Scripture And where First by this promise The Seede of the vvoman shall bruse the Serpentes head In thee shall be blessed c. and such like places Moreouer by the whole lawe whereof the principall office is to make men giltie of sinne Therefore no Monke no Carthusian no Celestine bruseth the head of the Serpent but they abide brused and broken vnder the Serpents head that is vnder the power of the Deuill Who will beleue this Briefly what so euer is without Christ and his promise whether it be the lawe of God or the lawe of man the Ceremoniall or the morall lawe without all exception is shut vnder sinne For the Scripture shutteth all vnder sinne Now he that saith all excepteth nothing Therefore we conclude with Paule that the policies and lawes of all nations be they neuer so good and necessary with all ceremonies and religions without faith in Christ are and abide vnder sinne death and eternall damnation except faith in Iesus Christ goe withall or rather before all as followeth in the texte Of this matter we haue spoken largely before Wherfore this is a true proposition Onely faith iustifieth without works which notwithstanding our aduersaries can by no meanes abide For Paule here strongly concludeth that the lawe geueth not life because it is not geuen to that ende If then the lawe doe not iustifie and geue life much lesse doe workes iustifie For when Paule sayth that the lawe geueth not life his meaning is that workes also doe not geue life For it is more to say that the law quickeneth geueth life then to say that works doe quicken geue life If then the law it selfe being fulfilled although it be impossible that it should be accomplished doe not iustifie much lesse doe workes iustifie I conclude therefore that faith onely iustifieth and bringeth life without workes Paule can not suffer this addition faith ioyned with works iustifieth but he proceedeth simplie by the negatiue Rom. 3. and before in the second chapiter Therefore by the vvorkes of the lavv sayeth he shall no flesh be iustified And againe in this place The lavve is not geuen to bring life Verse 22. That the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ shoulde be geuen to them that beleue He saide before that the Scripture hath shutte all vnder sinne What for euer No but vntill the promise shoulde be geuen Nowe the promise is the inheritaunce it selfe or the Blessing promised to Abraham to witte the deliueraunce from the lawe sinne death and the Deuill and a free geuing of grace righteousnes saluation and eternal life This promise saith he is not obtained by any merite by any law or by any worke but it is geuen To whom To those that beleue In whom In Iesus Christ who is the blessed Seede which hath redeemed all beleeuers from the Curse that they might receaue the Blessing These wordes be not obscure but plaine enough notwithstanding we must marke them diligently and way well the force and weight therof For if all be shutte vnder sinne it followeth that all nations are accursed and are destitute of the grace of God Also that they are vnder the wrath of God and the power of the Deuill and that no man can be deliuered from thē by any other meanes then by faith in Iesus Christ With these words therfore Paule fighteth strongly against the fantasticall opinions of the Papistes and all Iusticiaries touching the lawe and workes when he sayth that the promise by faith in Iesus Christ might be geuen to all beleeuers Nowe how we shoulde aunswere to those sentences which speake of workes and the rewarde thereof I haue sufficiently declared before And the matter requireth not now that we should speake any thinge of workes For we haue not here taken in hande to entreate of works but of Iustification to witte that it is not obtained by the lawe and works since all things are shutte vnder sinne and vnder the Curse but by Faith in Christ When we are out of the matter of Iustification we can not sufficiently praise and magnifie those workes which are commaunded of god For who can sufficiently commend and set forth the profite fruit of one onely worke which a Christian doth through Faith and in Faith In deede it is more precious then heauen or earth The whole world therefore is not able to geue a worthy recompence to such a good worke Yea the world hath not the grace to magnifie the holy works of the faithfull as they are worthy
but mortally hate and blaspheme God. Furthermore the lawe shutteth men vnder sinne not onely Ciuily but also Spiritually that is to say the lawe is also a spirituall prison and a very hell For when it reuealeth sinne threatneth death and the eternall wrath of God a man can not auoide it nor finde any comfort For it is not in the power of man to shake of these horrible terrours which the lawe stirreth vppe in the conscience or any other anguish or bitternes of spirite Hereof come these lamentable complaints of the Saincts which are euery where in the Psalmes In hell vvho shall confesse thee c. For then is a man shut vppe in prison out of the which he can not escape nor seeth howe he may be deliuered out of these bondes that is to say these horrible terrours Thus the law is a prison both Ciuily and Spiritually For first it restreineth and shutteth vppe the wicked that they runne not headlong according to their owne lust into all kindes of mischeefe Againe it sheweth vnto vs spiritually our sinne terrifieth and humbleth vs that when we are so terrified and humbled we may learne to knowe our owne miserie and condemnation And this is the true and the proper vse of the lawe so that it be not perpetuall For this shutting and holding vnder the lawe must endure no longer but vntill Faith come and when Faith cometh then must this spirituall prison haue his ende Here againe we see that although the lawe and the Gospell be separate farre asunder yet as touching the inward affections they are very nerely ioyned the one to the other This Paule sheweth when he sayeth VVe vvere kept vnder the lavv and shutte vppe vnto the Faith vvhich should be reuealed vnto vs. Wherefore it is not enough that we are shutte vnder the lawe for if nothing else should follow we should be driuen to desperatiō and die in our sinnes But Paule addeth moreouer that we are shutte vppe and kept vnder a Scholemaister which is the lawe not for euer but to bring vs vnto Christ who is the ende of the lawe Therefore this terrifying this humbling and this shutting vppe must not alwayes continue but onely vntill Faith be reuealed that is it shall so long continue as shall be for our profite and our saluation So that when we are cast downe and humbled by the lawe then grace remission of sinnes deliueraunce from the lawe sinne and death may become sweete vnto vs which are not obteined by workes but are receaued by Faith alone He which in time of tentation can ioyne these two things together so repugnant and contrary that is to say which when he is throughly terrified and cast downe by the lawe doth knowe that the ende of the lawe and the beginning of grace or of Faith which is to be reuealed is nowe come vseth the lawe rightly All the wicked are vtterly ignoraunt of this knowledge and this cunning Caine knewe it not when he was shutte vppe in the prison of the lawe that is he felt no terrour although he had nowe killed his brother but dissembled the matter craftely and thought that God was ignoraunt thereof Am I my brothers keeper sayth he But when he heard this word VVhat hast thou done Behold the voice of the bloud of thy brother crieth vnto me from the earth he began to feele this prison in deede What did he then He remained still shutte vppe in prison He ioyned not the Gospell with the lawe but sayd My punishment is greater then I can beare He onely respected the prison not considering that his sinne was reuealed vnto him to this ende that he should flie vnto God for mercy and pardon Therefore he despaired and denied god He beleeued not that he was shutte vppe to this end that grace and Faith might be reuealed vnto him but onely that he should still remaine in the prison of the lawe These words to be kept vnder and to be shut vppe are not vaine and vnprofitable but true and of great importaunce This keeping vnder and this prison signifieth the true and spirituall terrours wherby the conscience is so shutte vppe that in the wide world it can finde no place where it may be in safetie Yea as long as these terrours endure the conscience feeleth such anguish and sorrowe that it thinketh heauen and earth yea if they were ten times more wide and large then they are to be straiter and narrower then a mouse hole Here is a man vtterly destitute of all wisedome strength righteousnes counsell and succour For the conscience is a maruelous tender thing and therfore when it is so shutte vppe vnder the prison of the lawe it seeth no way howe to gette out and this streitnes seemeth daily so to encrease as though it would neuer haue an ende For then doth it feele the wrath of God which is infinite and inestimable whose hand he can not escape as the Psalme 139. witnesseth VVhether shall I flie from thy presence c. Like as therefore this worldly prison or shutting vppe is a bodily affliction and he that is so shutte vppe can haue no vse of his bodye euen so the trouble and anguish of minde is a spirituall prison and he that is shutte vppe in this prison can not enioy the quietnes of heart and peace of conscience And yet is it not so for euer as reason iudgeth when it feeleth this prison but vntill Faith be reuealed The sely conscience therefore must be raised vppe and comforted after this sort Brother thou art in deede shutte vppe but perswade thy selfe that this is not done to the ende that thou shouldest remaine in this prison for euer For it is wrytten that vve are shutte vppe vnto the Faith that shall be reuealed Thou art afflicted then in this prison not to thy destruction but that thou maist be refreshed by the blessed Seede Thou art killed by the lawe that through Christe thou maiste be quickened againe and restored to life Despaire not therefore as Caine Saule and Iudas did who being thus shutte vppe looked no further but to their darke prison and there still remained therefore they despaired But thou must take an other way in these terrours of conscience then they did that is thou must knowe that it is well done and good for thee to be so shut vppe confounded brought to nothing Vse therfore this shutting vppe rightly and as thou shouldest do that is to the ende that when the law hath done his office Faith may be reuealed For God doth not therfore afflict thee that thou shouldest still remaine in this affliction He wil not kill thee that thou shouldest abide in death I vvill not the death sayth he by the Prophet of a sinner c. But he will afflict thee that so thou maist be humbled and knowe that thou hast neede of mercy and the benefite of Christe This holding in prison
all your power to learne so to know to apprehend Christ as Paule hath sette him forth in this place But if besides this natural corruption there come also corrupt and wicked teachers of whom the world is full they will encrease this corruption of nature and so shall the euill be doubled that is to say euill instruction will increase and confirme the pernicious errour of blind reason which naturally iudgeth Christ to be a lawgeuer and printeth that errour so mightely in our mindes that without great trauaile and difficultie it can neuer be abolished Wherefore it is very profitable for vs to haue alwayes before our eyes this sweete and comfortable sentence and such like which set out Christe truely and liuely that in our whole life in all daungers in the confession of our Faith before tyrannes and in the hower of death we may boldly and with a sure confidence say O law thou hast no power ouer me and therefore thou dost accuse and condemne me in vaine For I beleue in Iesus Christ the sonne of God whom the Father sent into the world to redeme vs miserable sinners oppressed with the tyrannie of the law He gaue his life and shed his bloud for me Therfore feeling thy terrours and threatnings O law I plunge my conscience in the woundes bloud death resurrection and victory of my Sauiour Christe Besides him I will see nothing I will heare nothing This Faith is our victory whereby we ouercome the terrours of the lawe sinne death and all euils and yet not without great conflicts And here do the childrē of God which are daily exercised with greuous temptatiōs wrastle sweat in deede For oftentimes it commeth into their minds that Christ wil accuse them plead against them that he will require an accompt of their former life and that he wil cōdemne them They can not assure them selues that he is sent of his Father to redeme vs from the tyrannie and oppression of the law And wherof cometh this They haue not yet fully put of the flesh which rebelleth against the spirite Therefore the terrours of the lawe the feare of death and such like sorrowfull and heauy sightes doe oftentimes retourne which hinder our Faith that it can not apprehend the benefite of Christe who hath redemed vs from the bondage of the lawe with such assurance as it should doe But how or by what meanes hath Christe redemed vs This was the maner of our redemption He vvas made vnder the lavve Christe when he came found vs all captiues vnder gouernours and tutours that is to say shutte vppe and holden in prison vnder the lawe What doth he then Although he be Lord of the lawe and therefore the lawe hath no authoritie or power ouer him for he is the sonne of God yet of his owne accord he maketh him selfe subiect to the law Here the law executeth vpon him all the iurisdiction which it had ouer vs It accuseth and terrifieth vs also it maketh vs subiect to sinne death the wrath of God and with his sentence condemneth vs And this is doth by good right for vve are all sinners and by nature the children of vvrath Contrariwise Christe did no sinne neither vvas there any guile found in his mouth therefore he was not subiect to the lawe Yet notwithstanding the lawe was no lesse cruel against this innocent righteous and blessed Lambe then it was against vs cursed and damned sinners yea much more rigorous For it accused him as a blasphemer and a seditious person it made him giltie before God of the sinnes of the whole world it so terrified and oppressed him with heauines and anguish of spirit that he swette bloud and briefly it condemned him to death yea euen to the death of the crosse This was in deede a wonderful combate where the law being a creature geueth such an assault to his creatour and against all right equitie practiseth his whole tyrannie vpon the Sonne of God which it exercised vpon vs the children of wrath Now therfore because the lawe did so horribly and so cursedly sinne against his God it is accused arraigned There Christ sayth O law thou mightie Queene and cruell Regent of all mankinde what haue I done that thou hast accused me terrified me and condemned me which am innocent Here the lawe which had before condemned and killed all men when it hath nothing wherwith to defend or purge it self is againe so condemned vanquished that it loseth his whole right not onely ouer Christ whom it so cruelly handled and killed but also ouer all them that beleue in him For to those Christe sayth Come vnto me all ye that labour vnder the yoke of the law I could haue ouercome the lawe by my absolute power without mine owne smart for I am Lord of the law and therfore it hath no right ouer me But I haue made my selfe subiect vnto the law for your cause which were vnder the law taking your flesh vpon me that is to say of mine inestimable loue I humbled and yelded my self to the same prison tyrannie and bondage of the lawe vnder the which ye serued as captiues and bondslaues I suffered the law to haue dominion ouer me which was his Lord to terrifie me to make me thrall captiue vnto sinne death the wrath of God which it ought not to haue done Therfore I haue vanquished the law by double right authoritie First as the sonne of God Lord of the law Secondly in your person which is as much as if ye had ouercome the law your selues for my victory is yours After this maner Paule speaketh euery where of this maruelous cōbate betwene Christ the law And to make the matter more delectable more apparant he is wōt to set forth the law by a figure called prosopopoeia as a certain mighty person which had cōdemned killed Christ whom Christ againe ouercomming death had conquered cōdemned killed Ephes 2. Killing enmitie in himself And again chap. 4. out of the Psalme 68. Thou art gone vp on high thou hastled captiuitie captiue c. He vseth the same figure also in his Epistles to the Romaines Corinthians Colossians By sinne he condemned sinne c. Christ therfore by this his victory banished the law out of our cōscience so that now it can no more confoūd vs in the sight of God driue vs to desperation or cōdemne vs In dede it ceaseth not still to reueale our sinne to accuse to terrifie vs but the conscience taking hold of this word of the Apostle Christ hath redemed vs from the lavve is raised vp by faith conceaueth great comfort Moreouer it triumpheth ouer the law with a certaine holy pride saying I care not for thy terrours and threatnings For thou hast crucified the sonne of God this hast thou done most vniustly therfore the sinne that thou hast committed
obtaining the inheritance he is a mere patient and not an agent that is to say not to beget not to labour not to care but to be borne is that which maketh him an heire So we obtaine eternall gifts namely the forgeuenes of sinnes righteousnes the glory of the resurrection and euerlasting life not as agents but as patiēts that is not by doing but by receiuing Nothing here cometh betwene but faith alone apprehendeth the promise offred Like as therfore a sōne in the politike houshold gouernmēt is made an heire by his onely birth so here faith onely maketh vs sonnes of God borne of the word which is the wombe of God wherin we are conceaued caried borne and nourished vp c. By this birth thē we are made new creatures formed by Faith in the word we are made Christians children and heires of God through Iesus Christ Now being heires we are deliuered from death sinne and the Deuill and we haue righteousnes and eternall life But this farre passeth all mans capacitie that he calleth vs heires not of some rich and mighty Prince not of the Emperour not of the world but of God the almighty creatour of all things This our inheritaunce then as Paule sayth in an other place is inestimable And if a man could comprehend the great excellencie of this matter that he is the sonne and heire of God and with a constant Faith beleue the same this man would esteme all the power and riches of all the kingdoms of the world but as filthie donge in comparison of his eternall inheritāce He would abhorre whatsoeuer is high and glorious in the world yea the greater the pompe glory of the world is the more would he hate it To conclude whatsoeuer the world most highly estemeth and magnifieth that should be in his eyes most vile and abhominable For what is all the world with all his power riches and glory in comparison of God whose sonne and heire he is Furthermore he would heartely desire with Paule to be loosed and to be with Christ and nothing could be more welcome vnto him thē speedy death which he would embrace as a most ioyfull peace knowing that it should be the ende of all his miseries and that through it he should attaine to his enheritance c. Yea a man that could perfectly beleue this should not lōg remaine aliue but should be swalowed vp incontinent with excessiue ioy But the law of the members striuing against the law of the minde hindreth Faith in vs and suffereth it not to be perfect Therefore we haue neede of the helpe comfort of the holy Ghost which in our troubles and afflictions may make intercession for vs with vnspeakeable groning as before I haue sayd Sinne yet remaineth in the flesh which oftentimes oppresseth the conscience and so hindreth faith that we can not with ioy perfectly behold desire those eternall riches which God hath geuen vnto vs through Christ Paule himselfe feeling this battell of the flesh against the spirit crieth out O vvretched mā that I am vvho shall deliuer me from this body of death He accuseth his body which notwithstanding it behoued him to loue calling it by an odious name his death As if he would say My body doth more afflict me more greuously vexe me thē death it self For it hīdred in hī also this ioy of spirit He had not alwayes the sweete and ioyfull cogitations of the heauenly inheritaunce to come but he felt oftentimes also great heauines of spirite anguish and terrours Hereby we may plainly see how hard a matter Faith is which is not easily and quickly apprehended as certaine full and lothing spirites dreame which swallow vppe at once all that is contained in the holy Scriptures The great infirmitie which is in the Sainctes and the striuing of the flesh against the spirite do sufficiently witnesse how feeble Faith is in them For a perfect Faith bringeth by and by a perfect contempt and lothing of this present life If we could fully assure our selues and constantly beleue that God is our Father and we his sonnes and heires then should we vtterly contemne this world with all the glory righteousnes wisedom and power with all the royall scepters and crownes and with all the riches and pleasures therof We should not be so carefull for this life we should not be so addicted to the world and worldly things trusting vnto them when we haue them lamenting and despairing when we lose them but we should doe all things with great loue humilitie and patience But we do the contrary for the flesh is yet strong but Faith is feeble and the spirite weake Therfore Paule sayth very well that we haue here in this life but only the first fruites of the spirite and that in the world to come we shall haue the tenthes also Verse 7. Thorough Christe Paule hath Christ alwayes in his mouth he can not forget him For he did well forsee that nothing should be lesse knowen in the world yea among them which should professe themselues to be Christians then Christe and his Gospell Therefore he talketh of him and setteth him before our eyes cōtinually And as often as he speaketh of grace righteousnes the promise adoption inheritance he is alwayes wōt to adde In Christ or thorough Christ couertly impugning the law As if he would say These things come vnto vs neither by the lawe nor by the workes thereof much lesse by our owne strength or by the workes of mens traditions but onely by Christe Vers 8.9 But euen then vvhen ye knevv not God ye did seruice vnto them vvhich by nature vvere no Gods. But novve seing ye knovv God yea rather are knovvn of God hovv turne you againe vnto impotent and beggerly rudiments vvherevnto ye vvill be in bondage againe This is the conclusion of Paules disputation From this place vnto the end of the Epistle he doth not much dispute but onely geueth precepts as touching maners Notwithstanding he first reproueth the Galathians being sore displeased that this diuine and heauenly doctrine should be so suddenly and so easily remoued out of their heartes As if he would say Ye haue teachers which will bring you backe againe into the bondage of the law This did not I but by my doctrine I called you out of darknes of the ignorance of God into a wōderful light and knowledge of him I brought you out of bōdage and set you in the freedom of the sonnes of God not by preaching vnto you the workes of the lawe or the merites of men but the grace and righteousnes of God and the geuing of heauenly eternal blessings through Christ Now seeing this is true why doe ye so soone forsake the light and returne to darknes Why doe ye suffer your selues so easily to be brought from grace vnto the law from freedom to bondage Here againe we see as before I haue sayd that to fall in
sawe not the condition that was annexed If ye kepe my commaundementes it shall goe vvell vvith you c. Therfore Agar the bondmaid bringeth forth but a bond seruaunt Ismael then is not the heire although he be the naturall sonne of Abraham but remaineth a bondman What is here lacking The promise and Blessing of the word So the lawe geuen in mount Sina which the Arabians call Agar begetteth none but seruauntes For the promise made as concerning Christ was not annexed to the lawe Wherfore O ye Galathians if ye forsaking the promise and faith fall backe to the law and works ye shall alwayes continue seruaunts that is ye shall neuer be deliuered from sinne and death but ye shall alwayes abide vnder the curse of the lawe For Agar gendreth not the seede of the promise and heires that is to say the lawe iustifieth not it bringeth not the adoption inheritance but rather it hindreth the inheritance and worketh wrath Verse 25. And it ansvvereth to Ierusalem vvhich novv is and she is in bondage vvith her children This is a wonderfull allegorie As Paule a litle before made Agar of Sina so now of Ierusalem he would gladly make Sara but he dareth not neither can he so doe but is compelled to ioyne Ierusasalem with mount Sina For he sayth The same belongeth to Agar seeing mount Agar reacheth euen to Ierusalem And it is true that there be continuall mountaines reaching from Arabia Petrea vnto Cades Bernea of Iurie He sayth then that this Ierusalem which now is that is to say this earthly and temporall Ierusalem is not Sara but pertaineth to Agar for there Agar raigneth For in it is the law begetting vnto bondage in it is the worship and ceremonies the temple the kingdome the Priesthoode and whatsoeuer was ordained in Sina by the mother which is the lawe the same is done in Ierusalem Therfore I ioyne her with Sina and I cōprehend both in one word to witte Sina or Agar I durst not haue bene so bolde to handle this allegorie after this maner but would rather haue called Ierusalem Sara or the new Testament especially seeing the preaching of the Gospell began in it the holy Ghost was there geuen and the people of the new Testament were there borne and I would haue thought that I had found out a very fitte allegory Wherfore it is not for euery man to vse allegories at his pleasure for a goodly outward shew may soone deceaue a man and cause him to erre Who would not thinke it a very fitte thing to call Sina Agar and Ierusalem Sara In deede Paule maketh Ierusalem Sara but not this corporall Ierusalem which he simplie ioyneth vnto Agar but that spirituall and heauenly Ierusalem in which the law raigneth not nor the carnall people as in that Ierusalē which is in bondage with her children but wherein the promise raigneth wherin is also a spirituall and a free people And to the ende that the lawe should be quite abolished and that whole kingdom which was established in Agar the earthly Ierusalē was horribly destroyed with all her ornamēts the tēple the ceremonies c. Now although the new testament began in it so was spread through out the whole world notwithstanding it appertaineth to Agar that is to say it is the citie of the law of the ceremonies of the priesthoode instituted by Moses Briefly it is gendred of Agar the bondwoman and therfore is in bondage with her children that is to say it walketh in the works of the lawe and neuer attaineth to the libertie of the spirite but abideth continually vnder the lawe sinne an euil conscience the wrath and iudgement of God and vnder the gilt of death and hell In deede it hath the libertie of the flesh it hath a corporall kingdom it hath magistrates riches and possessions and such like things but we speake of the libertie of the spirit wherby we are dead to the law to sinne and death and we liue and raigne in grace forgeuenes of sinnes righteousnes and euerlasting life This can not the earthly Ierusalem performe and therefore it abideth with Agar Verse 26. But Ierusalem vvhich is aboue is free vvhich is the mother of vs all That earthly Ierusalem sayth he which is beneath hauing the policie and ordinances of the law is Agar and is in bondage with her children that is to say she is not deliuered from the lawe sinne and death But Ierusalem which is aboue that is to say the spirituall Ierusalem is Sara albeit Paule addeth not the proper name of Sara but geueth her an other name calling her the free woman that is to say that true Ladie and freewoman which is the mother of vs all begetting vs vnto libertie and not vnto bondage as Agar doth Now this heauenly Ierusalem which is aboue is the Church that is to say the Faithful dispersed thorow out the whole world which haue one and the same Gospell one and the same Faith in Christe the same holy Ghost and the same Sacraments Therfore vnderstand not this word Aboue of the triumphant Church as the Schoolemen do which is heauen but of the militant church in earth as they call it For the godly are sayd to haue theyr conuersation in heauen Philip. 3. Our conuersation is in heauen not locally but in that a Christian beleueth in that he layeth holde of those inestimable heauenly and eternal gifts he is in heauen Ephesians 1. VVhich hath blessed vs vvith all spiritual blessing in heauenly things in Christ We must therfore distinguish the heauēly spiritual Blessing from the earthly For the earthly Blessing is to haue a good ciuill gouernment both in common weales families to haue children peace riches frutes of the earth and other corporall commodities But the heauenly Blessing is to be deliuered from the law sinne and death to be iustified and quickened to life to haue peace with God to haue a faithfull heart a ioyfull conscience and spirituall consolation to haue the knowledge of Iesus Christe to haue the gift of Prophesie and the reuelation of the Scriptures to haue the giftes of the holy Ghost and to reioyce in god These are the heauenly blessings which Christ geueth to his Church Wherfore Ierusalem which is aboue that is to say the heauenly Ierusalem is the church which is now in the world and not the citie of the life to come or the Church triumphant as the idle and vnlearned Monks and the Schooledoctors dreamed which taught that the Scripture hath foure senses the literall sense the figuratiue sense the allegoricall sense and the morall sense and according to these senses they haue foolishly interpreted almost all the wordes of the Scriptures As this word Ierusalem literally signified that citie which was so named figuratiuely a pure conscience allegorically the church militāt morally the celestiall Citie or the church
triumphant With these trifeling and foolish fables they rent the Scriptures into so many and diuers senses that seely poore consciences could receaue no certaine doctrine of any thing But Paule sayeth here that the olde and earthly Ierusalem belongeth vnto Agar and that it is in bondage with her children and is vtterly abolished But the new and heauenly Ierusalem which is a Queene and a freewomā is appoynted of god in earth and not in heauen to be the mother of vs all of whom we haue bene engendred and yet daily are gendred Therefore it is necessary that this our mother should be in earth among men as also her generation is Notwithstanding she gendreth by the holy Ghost by the ministery of the word and sacraments and not in the flesh This I say to the ende that in this matter we should not be caried away with our cogitations into heauen but that we should know that Paule setteth the Ierusalem which is aboue against the earthly Ierusalem not locally but spiritually For there is a distinction betwene those things which are spirituall and those which are corporall or earthly The spirituall things are aboue the earthly are beneath So Ierusalem which is aboue is distinguished from the carnall and temporall Ierusalem which is beneath not locally as I haue sayd but spiritually For this spirituall Ierusalem which tooke her beginning in the corporall Ierusalem hath not any certaine place as hath the other in Iudea but it is dispersed thorow out the whole world and may be in Babylon in Turkie in Tartarie in Scythia in Iudea in Italie in Germanie in the Isles of the sea in the mountaines and valleis and in all places of the world where men dwel which haue the Gospel and beleue in Iesus Christ Wherfore Sara or Ierusalem our free mother is the Church it selfe the spouse of Christe of whom we all are gendred This mother gendreth free children without ceasing to the ende of the world as long as she exerciseth the Ministerie of the word that is to say as long as she preacheth and publisheth the Gospell for this is truely to gender Now she teacheth the Gospell after this maner to witte that we are deliuered from the Curse of the lawe from sinne death and all other euils through Iesus Christ not by the law neither by workes Therefore Ierusalem which is aboue that is to say the Church is not subiect to the law and works but she is free and a mother without the law sinne and death Now such a mother as she is such children she gendreth This allegorie teacheth very aptly that the Church should doe nothing else but preach and teach the Gospell truely and sincerely and by this meanes should gender children So we are all fathers and children one to an other For we are begotten one of an other I being begotten by other through the Gospell doe now beget other which shall also beget other hereafter and so this begetting shall endure to the ende of the world Now I speake of the generation not of Agar the bondmaid which gendreth her bondseruauntes by the lawe but of Sara the freewoman who gendreth heires without the law and without mans workes or endeuours For in that Isaac is heire and not Ismael albeit notwithstāding that both of them were the naturall sonnes of Abraham Isaac had the inheritaunce by the word of promise namely Sara thy vvife shall bring thee a sonne and thou shalt call his name Isaac This did Sara well vnderstand and therefore she sayeth Cast out the bondvvoman and her sonne And Paule also aledgeth these words afterwards Wherfore as Isaac hath the inheritance of his father onely by the promise and by his birth without the law and without works euen so we are borne through the Gospel of that freewomā Sara true heires of the promise She that is to say the church enstrueteth vs nourisheth vs and carieth vs in her wombe in her lappe and in her armes she formeth and fashioneth vs to the image of Christe vntill we grow vppe to a perfect man c. So all things are done by the ministerie of the word Wherefore the office of the freewoman is to gender children to God her husband without ceasing and without end that is to say such children as know that they are iustified by Faith and not by the lawe Verse 27. For it is vvrytten Reioyce thou barren that bearest no children breake forth and crie thou that trauailest not for the desolate haue many moe children then she vvhich hath an husband Paule aledgeth this place out of Esay the Prophet which is altogether allegoricall It is wrytten sayeth he that the mother of many children and she which hath an husband must be sicke and die and contrariwise that the barren she which hath no children must haue aboundance of children After the same maner Hanna singeth in her song out of that which Esay the Prophet tooke his Prophesie 1. Sam. 2. The bovve and the mightie men are broken and the vveake haue girded them selues vvith strength They that vvere full are hired forth for bread and the hungrie are no more hired so that the barren hath borne seuen and she that had many children is feeble A maruellous matter sayth he she that was frutefull shal be made barren and she that was barren frutefull Moreouer such as before were strong full rich glorious righteous and blessed shall become feeble hungrie poore ignominious sinners subiecte to death and damnation And contrariwise the feeble and hungrie c. shal be strong and satisfied c. The Apostle sheweth by this allegorie of the Prophet Esay the difference which is betwixt Agar and Sara that is to say betwixt the sinagoge and the church or betwixt the lawe and the Gospell The lawe being the husband of the frutefull woman that is to say of the sinagoge begetteth very many children For men of all ages not onely idiotes but also the wisest and best that is to say all mankinde except the children of the freewoman doe neither see nor know any other righteousnes then the righteousnes of the law much lesse doe they know any which is more excellent Wherefore they thinke them selues righteous if they folow the lawe and outwardly performe the workes thereof Now although these be frutefull haue many disciples and shine in the righteousnes and glorious workes of the lawe yet notwithstanding they be not free but bondseruauntes For they are the children of Agar which gendreth to bondage Nowe if they be seruauntes they can not be pertakers of the inheritance but shall be cast out of the house for seruauntes remaine not in the house for euer Yea they are already cast out of the kingdom of grace and libertie For he that beleueth not is iudged alreadie They remaine therefore vnder the malediction of the lawe vnder sinne and death vnder the power of the Deuill and vnder the wrath and iudgement of
gathered together to be mine so that I must needes confesse either all or perhaps more to haue bene vttered by me in this publike treatise For in my heart this one article raigneth euen the faith of Christ From whom by whom and vnto whom all my diuine studies day and night haue recourse to and froe continually And yet I perceaue that I coulde not reache any thing neare vnto the heighte bredth and depth of suche highe and inestimable wisedome onely certaine bare and poore beginnings as it were fragments doe appeare Wherfore I am ashamed that my so barren and simple Commētaries should be set forthe vpon so worthy an Apostle and elect vessel of god But when I consider againe the infinite and horrible abuses and abominations which alwayes haue raged in the Churche of God and yet at this day cease not to rage against this onely and grounded rocke which we holde to be the article of our iustification that is to say howe not by our selues neither by our workes which are lesse then oure selues but by an other helpe euen the sonne of God Iesus Christ we are redemed from sinne death the deuell and made partakers of eternal life I am compelled to cast of all shame to be bolde aboue measure This rocke did Sathan shake in paradise when he perswaded our first parents that by their owne wisedome and power they should be like vnto God forsaking true Faith in God who had geuen them life and promised the continuaunce therof By and by after this lier and murtherer which will be alwayes like vnto him selfe stirred vp the brother to the murthering of his brother and for none other cause but for that his godly brother by Faith had offered vp a more excellent sacrifice and he offering vp his owne works without faith had not pleased god After this against the same Faith followed a most intollerable persecution of Sathan by the sonnes of Caine vntil God was euen cōstrained at once by the floud to purge the whole world and to defend Noe the preacher of righteousnesse This notwithstanding Sathan continued his seede in Cham the third sonne of Noe. But who is able to recken vp all examples After these things the whole world waxed madde against this Faithe finding out an infinite nombre of idolles and straunge religions wherby euery one as S. Paule sayth walked his owne way trusting by their workes some to pacifye or please a God some a Goddesse some Gods some Goddesses that is to say without the helpe of Christ by their owne workes to redeme them selues from euils and from their sinnes as all the examples and monuments of all nations doe sufficiently witnesse But these are nothing in comparison of that people and congregation of God Israell which not onely had the sure promise of the fathers and afterward the lawe of God geuen vnto them from God him selfe by his angels aboue all other but alwayes and in all things were also certified by the present sayings miracles and examples of that prophets Notwithstanding euen amonge them also Satan did so preuaile that is to say the madde outragious opinion of their owne righteousnes that afterwardes they killed all the prophets yea euen Christ him self the sonne of God their promised Messias for that they had taught that men are accepted into the fauour of God by grace only and not by their owne righteousnes And this is the summe of the doctrine of the deuill and of the world from the beginning We will not seeme to doe euill but yet whatsoeuer we doe that must God allow of all his prophets must consent to it which if they shall refuse to doe they shall dye the death Abell shall dye but Cain shall florishe Let this be our lawe say they and euen so it commeth to passe But in the Church of the Gentiles the matter is and hath beene so vehemētly handled that the fury of the Iewish Sinagoge may wel seeme to be but a sport For they as S. Paul sayth did not knovv Christ their anoynted therfore they crucified the lord of glory But the church of the gentiles hath receyued confessed Christ to be the sonne of god being made our righteousnes this doth she publikely record reade and teach And yet notwithstanding this confession they that would be accounted the church do kill and persecute continually rage against those which beleeue and teach and in their deedes declare nothing els but that Christ is the selfe same thing that they them selues though with fayned wordes and hipocriticall deedes are constrained mawgre their heads to allow and confesse For vnder the name of Christ at this daye they reigne And if they could without the name of Christ hold that seate and kingdome no doubt but they would expresse him to be such a one openly as in their hartes they esteeme him secretly But they esteeme him a great deale lesse then the Iewes doe which at the least thinke him to be Thola that is to say a theefe worthely hanged on the crosse But these men account him as a fable and take him as a fayned God amongest the gentiles as it may plainly appeare at Rome in the Popes court and almost throughout all Italie Because therefore Christ is made as it were a mocke amongest his Christians for Christians they wil be called and for that Cain doth kill Abell continually the abhomination of Sathan doth now chefely raigne it is very necessary that we should diligently handle this Article and set it against Sathan whether we be rude or eloquent learned or vnlearned For this rocke must be published abrode yea though euery man should holde his peace yet euen of the very rockes stones them selues Wherfore I doe most willingly heerein accomplish my duetie and am contented to suffer this long Commentarie and full of wordes to be set forth for the stirring vp of all the brethren in Christ against the sleights and malice of Sathan which in these dayes is turned into suche extreame madnesse against this healthfull knowledge of Christ now reuealed and raised vp againe that as hetherto men haue seemed to be possessed with deuels and starke madde euen so nowe the deuils them selues doe seeme to be possessed of farre worse deuels and to rage euen aboue the furie of deuils which is in deede a great argument that that enemie of truth and life doth perceaue the day of iudgement to be at hand which is the horrible day of his destruction but the most comfortable day of our redemption and shall be the end of all his tyrannie and crueltie For not without cause is he disquieted when his members and powers are so assailed euen as a theefe or an adulterer when the morning appeareth and discloseth his wickednesse is taken tardie and apprehended for the same For who euer heard to passe ouer the abhominations of the Pope so many monsters to burst out at once into
nor haue dominion ouer it The force and power of sinne is set forth and amplified by these words excedingly vvhich gaue himself for our sinnes Therfore here is to be marked the infinite greatnes of the price bestowed for it and then will it appeare euidently that the power of it is so great that by no meanes it could be put away but that the sonne of God must needes be geuen for it He that considereth these things well vnderstandeth that this one word Sinne comprehendeth Gods euerlasting wrath the whole kingdome of Sathan and that it is a thing more horrible then can be expressed which oughte to moue vs and make vs affraide in deede But we are carelesse yea we make lighte of sinne and a matter of nothing which although it bring with it the sting and remorse of conscience yet notwithstanding we thinke it not to be of such weight and force but that by some litle worke or merite we may put it away This sentence therefore witnesseth that all men are seruaunts and bondslaues of sinne as Paule saith in an other place are sould vnder sinne And againe that sinne is a most cruell mighty tiraunt ouer all men which can not be vanquished by the power of any creatures whether they be Angels or men but by the soueraine and infinite power of Iesus Christ who hath geuen him selfe for the same Furthermore this sentence setteth out to the consciences of all men which are terrified with the greatnes of their sinnes a singular comfort For albeit sinne be neuer so inuincible a tyraunt yet notwithstanding forasmuch as Christ hath ouercome it through his death it can not hurt thē that beleue in him Moreouer if we arme our selues with this beliefe and cleaue with all our harts vnto this man Iesus Christ then is light opened and a sounde iudgement geuen vnto vs so as we may most certainly and freely iudge of all kindes of life For when we heare that sinne is such an inuincible Tyraunt thus incontinent by a a necessary consequence we inferre Then what do the Papists Monkes Nunnes Priests Mahometists Anabaptists and al such as trust in their workes which will abolish and ouercome sinne by their owne traditions workes preparatiue satisfactions c Here forthwith we iudge all those sectes to be wicked and pernicious wherby the glory of God and of Christ is not onely defaced but also vtterly taken away and our owne aduaunced and established But wey diligently euery word of Paule and specially marke well this pronoune Our For the effect of altogether consisteth in the well applying of the pronownes which we finde very oftē in the scriptures Wherin also there is euer some vehemencie and power Thou wilt easely say and beleue that Christ the sonne of God was geuen for the sinnes of Peter of Paule and of other Sainctes whom we accompt to haue bene worthy of this grace But it is a very hard thing that thou which iudgest thy selfe vnworthy of this grace shouldest from thy hart say and beleue that Christ was geuen for thine inuincible infinite and horrible sinnes Therfore in generall and without the pronowne it is an easie matter to magnifie and amplifie the benefite of Christ namely that Christ was geuen for sinnes but for other mens sinnes which are worthy But when it commeth to the putting too of this pronowne Our there our weake nature and reason starteth backe and dare not come neere vnto God nor promise to her selfe that so great a treasure should be freely geuen vnto her and therfore she will not haue to doe with God except first she be pure and without sinne Wherfore although she read or heare this sentence vvhich gaue himselfe for our sinnes or such like yet doth she not apply this pronowne Our to her selfe but vnto others which are worthy holy And as for her selfe she will tary till she be made worthy by her owne workes This then is nothing else but that mans reason faine would that sinne were of no greater force and power thē she her selfe dreameth it to be Hereof it commeth that the hypocrites being ignorāt of Christ although they feele the remorse of sinne do thinke notwithstāding that they shal be able easely to put it away by their good works merits secretly in their harts they wish that these words vvhich gaue himself for our sinnes were but as words spoken in humilitie and would haue their sinnes not to be true very sinnes in deede but light small matters To be short mans reason would faine bring and present vnto God a fained and a counterfet sinner which is nothing afraid nor hath any feeling of sinne It would bring him that is whole and not him that hath neede of a Phisician and when it feeleth no sinne then would it beleeue that Christ was geuen for our sinnes The whole world is thus affected specially they that would be counted more holy and religious then others as Monkes and all Iusticiaries These confesse with their mouth that they are sinners and they confesse also that they commit sinnes daily howbeit not so great many but that they are able to put them away by their owne works yea and besides all this they will bring their righteousnes and deserts to Christes iudgement seat and demaund the recompēce of eternal life for them at the iudges hand In the meane while notwithstanding as they pretend great humilitie because they wil not vaunt themselues to be vtterly voide of sinne they faine certaine sinnes that for the forgeuenes therof they may with great deuotion pray with the publican God be mercifull vnto me a sinner Vnto them these words of S. Paule for our sinnes seme to be but light trifeling Therfore they neither vnderstand them nor in temptation when they feele sinne in deede can they take any cōfort of them but they are compelled flatly to despaire This is then the cheefe knowledge true wisedom of Christians to count these wordes of Paule that Christ was deliuered to death not for our righteousnes or holines but for our sinnes which are very sinnes in dede great many yea infinite and inuincible to be most true effectual of great importaūce Therfore thinke them not to be smal such as may be done away by thine owne works neither yet despair thou for the greatnes of them if thou feele thy selfe oppressed therwith either in life or death but learne here of Paule to beleue the Christ was geuen not for fained or counterfait sinnes nor yet for small sinnes but for great huge sinnes not for one or two but for all not for vāquished sinnes for no man no nor Angell is able to ouercome the least sinne that is but for inuincible sinnes And except thou be found in the nūber of those that say Our sinnes that is which haue this doctrine of faith teach heare learne loue beleue the same ther
for his mischeuous deedes What is this els but to heape vpon him that is already most miserably afflicted extreme perdition and destruction and through a false confidence in his owne death to shew him the ready way to hell Hereby these hypocrites doe plainely declare that they neither teache nor vnderstande one letter or syllable concerning grace the Gospell or Christ They retaine onely in outwarde shewe the name of the Gospell and of Christ that they may begile the heartes of the people Notwithstanding they denying and reiecting Christ in deede doe attribute more to the traditions of men then to the Gospell of Christ Which thing to be true so many kindes of false worshippe so many religious orders so many ceremonies and so many wilworkes doe witnesse All which things were instituted as auailable to deserue grace righteousnes and euerlasting life In their confessions they make no mention of faith or the merite of Christ but teach and set forth the satisfactions and merits of men as it may plainly appeare in this forme of absolution I speake nothing here of other matters which the Monkes vsed among themselues yea and such as would be counted more deuout and more religious then others which I thinke good here to sette downe that our posteritie may see howe greate and howe horrible the kingdome of the Pope is The forme of a Monkish absolution God forgeue thee my brother The merite of the passion of our Lord Iesus Christ and of blessed Saincte Mary alwaies a virgine and of all the Saincts the merite of thine order the streitnes of thy religion the humilitie of thy confession the contrition of thy hart the good workes which thou hast done and shalt doe for the loue of our Lord Iesus Christ be vnto thee auaileable for the remission of thy sinnes the encrease of desert and grace and the reward of euerlasting life Amen Ye heare the merite of Christ mencioned in these words but if ye weye them well ye shall perceaue that Christ is there altogether vnprofitable and that the glory and name of a iustifier and Sauiour is quite taken from him and geuen to Monkish merites Is not this to take the name of God in vaine Is not this to confesse Christ in wordes and in very deede to deny his power and blaspheme his name I my selfe also was once entangled with this errour I thought Christ to be a iudge although I confessed with my mouth that he suffered and died for mans redemption and ought to be pacified by the obseruation of my rule and order Therfore when I prayed or when I said Masse I vsed to adde this in the end O Lord Iesus I come vnto thee I pray thee that these burthens and this streitnes of my rule and religion may be a full recompence for all my sinnes But now I geue thankes vnto God the father of all mercies which hath called me out of darkenes vnto the light of his glorious Gospell hath geuen vnto me plentifull knowledge of Christ Iesus my lord for whose sake I coūt al things to be but losse yea I esteme them but as dunge that I may gaine Christ and that I may be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes out of the rule of Augustine but that righteousnes which cometh by faith in Christ Vnto whom with the father the holy ghost be praise and glory world without end Amen We conclude therefore with Paule that we are iustified by faith onely in Christ without the law Now after that a man is once iustified and possesseth Christ by faith and knoweth that he is his righteousnes and life doubtles he will not be idle but as a good tree he wil bring forth good frutes For the beleuing man hath the holy Ghost and wher the holy Ghost dwelleth it will not suffer a man to be idle but stirreth him vp to all exercises of pietie and godlines and of true religion to the loue of God to the patient suffering of afflictions to praier to thankes geuing to the exercise of charitie towards all men Hitherto we haue handled the first argument wherin Paule contendeth that either we can not be iustified by the law or els that Christ must needes be the minister of sinne But this is impossible wherefore we conclude that iustification cometh not by the law Of this place we haue largely entreated as it is well worthy and yet can it not be caught and setforth sufficiently Verse 19. For I through the lavv am deade to the lavv that I might liue vnto God. These are maruelous words and vnknowne kindes of speach which mans reason can in no wise vnderstand And although they be but few yet are they vttered with greate zeale and vehemencie of spirite and as it were in greate displeasure As if he should say why doe ye boast so much of the law wherof in this case I will be ignoraunt But if ye will needes haue the law I also haue the law Wherfore as though he were moued through indignation of the holy Ghost he calleth grace it selfe the law geuing a new name to the effect and working of grace in contempt of the law of Moses and the false Apostles which contended that the law was necessary to iustification and so he setteth the law against the law And this is a sweete kind of speach and full of consolation when in the scriptures and specially in Paule the law is set against the law sinne against sinne death against death captiuitie against captiuitie hell against hell the altar against the altar the lambe against the lambe the passeouer against the passeouer In the .8 to the Romaines it is sayd For sinne he condemned sinne Psal. 68. and Ephes 4. He hath led captiuitie captiue Hosee 13. O death I vvill be thy death O hel I vvill be thy destruction So he saith here that through the lawe he is dead to the lawe As if he sayd The lawe of Moses accuseth and condemneth me but against that accusing and condemning lawe I haue an other lawe which is grace and libertie This lawe accuseth the accusing law and condemneth the condemning law So death killeth death but this killing death is life it selfe But it is called the death of death by abundance of spirite or vehement indignation against death So righteousnes boroweth the name of sin because it condemneth sin this cōdemning of sin is true righteousnes And here Paule semeth to be an heretike yea of all heretikes the greatest his heresie is straunge and monstrous For he sayth that he being dead to the lavv liueth to God. The false apostles taught this doctrine Except thou liue to the lawe thou art dead to God that is to say vnlesse thou liue after the lawe thou art dead before god But Paule sayeth quite contrary If thou be not dead to the law thou canst not liue to God. The doctrine of our aduersaries at this day is
was once crucified rose againe both in them selues in the church and in the hearts of the faithfull for with their spiteful reproches rebukes sclaūders and iniuries they spit vpon him and with their wicked opinions they wounde him and thrust him thorow that in them he may die most miserably and in the steade of him they set vp a glorious witchcraft wherby men are so miserably charmed and deluded that they cā not know Christ to be their iustifier their reconciler and Sauiour but a minister of sinne their accuser their iudge and their destroyer which must be pacified no otherwise then by our workes and merites And out of this opinion did afterwards spring the most pestilent pernicious doctrine that is in the whole Papacie which is this If thou wilt serue God thou must merite forgeuenes of sinnes and euerlasting life and must also helpe others to attaine saluation Thou must enter into a Monasterie vow obedience chastitie pouertie c. Monks and Friers and the rest of that religious rable being puffed vp with this opinion of their owne holines dreamed that they onely were in the life and state of perfection and that other Christians led but a common life for they did no vndue workes or more then they were bounde to doe that is they did not vowe and keepe chastitie pouertie obedience c. they were but onely baptised and kept the ten commaundements But as for them selues besides that which was common as wel to them as to other Christians they kept also the works of supererogation and the counsels of Christ wherfore they hoped to haue merite and a place in heauen amongs the principall Saintes farre aboue the common sort of Christians This was vndoutedly an horrible illusion of the deuill wherby he hath bewitched almost the whole world And euery man the more holy he would seeme to be the more he is snared with this witcherie that is to say with that pestilent perswasion of his owne righteousnes And this was the cause that we could not know that Iesus Christ was our Mediatour Sauiour but we did thinke that he was a seuere iudge which should be pacified by our owne workes which was nothing else but most horribly to blaspheme Christ and as Paule said before to reiect the grace of God to make the death of Christ of none effect and not onely to kill him but also most shamefully to crucifie him againe And this is the right meaning of that which Christ alledgeth out of Daniell that abomination standeth in the holy place Wherefore euery monke and religious person and euery Iusticiarie seeking remission of sinnes and righteousnes by his owne works or by his afflictions is a crucifier of Christ nowe raigning and liuing although not in the proper person of Christ yet in his owne heart and in the hearts of others And whosoeuer doe enter into Monasteries to the ende that by the keping of their rule and order they may be iustified doe enter into the dennes of theeues and such as crucifie Christ againe Wherefore Paule vseth in this place very rigorous and bitter wordes to the ende that he may feare and call backe the Galathians from the doctrine of the false Apostles As if he should say Consider well what ye haue done Ye haue crucified Christ againe and this I doe so plainly shewe and paint out before your eyes that ye may see it yea and touch it with your handes because ye seeke to be iustified by the lawe But if righteousnes come by the lawe then is Christ a minister of sinne and his death altogether in vaine If this be true then must it needes follow that Christ is crucified againe in you And it is not without cause that he addeth this clause in you or among you For Christ is no more crucified or dieth any more in his owne person as is saide in the sixte chapter to the Romaines but he dieth in vs when we reiecting true doctrine grace faith free remission of sinnes seeke to be iustified by our owne workes or else by the workes commaunded in the law Here Christ is crucified in vs againe Now this false and wicked perswasion to seeke righteousnes by the law and workes is nothing else as I haue before more amplie declared but the illusion of the Deuill wherwith men are so bewitched that in no wise they can acknowledge the benefite of Christ yea in all their life they can doe nothing else but not onely denie the Lord who hath bought them and in whose name they are baptised but also crucifie him againe in them selues Who so euer then hath a feare of God and a true heart to Christ and his religion let him flie quickly out of this Babylon and let him tremble at the very name of the Papacie For the impietie abomination therof is so horrible that no man is able to expresse it with words neither cā it be otherwise seene then with spiritual eies only These two argumentes Paule prosecuteth driueth into the heades of the Galathians very diligently First that they are so bewitched of the deuill that they obey not the truth most clearely set forth before their eies Secondly that they crucifie Christ againe in them selues These seeme to be simple and plaine words and without any high eloquence but in very deede they are so mighty that they exceede all the eloquence of man It can not therfore be cōprehended but onely in spirit how great an impietie it is to seeke to be iustified by the righteousnes of the law or by mans owne righteousnes For as Paul saith here it is nothing els but to be witched of the deuill to be disobedient to the truth and to crucifie Christ againe Are not these goodly commendations of the righteousnes of the law and mans owne righteousnes The Apostle therefore is here kindled with greate zeale and with bitter words he pursueth condemneth the presumption of our owne righteousnes rising vpon the obseruation of the law of God and chargeth it with this impiety that it crucifieth againe the sonne of god Seing then it is so daungerous a thinge it can not be beaten downe enough or condemned as it should be For therof ensueth such a fall as is no lesse then the fall of Lucifer and such a losse as can neuer be recouered and therfore he vseth so sharpe and rigorous words against it that he spareth not the very law of God against the which he so bitterly inueieth that it seemeth he would vtterly reiect and condemne it And this doth he being constrained by greate necessity for otherwise he could not withstand the false Apostles nor defend the righteousnes of faith against them Albeit then that the law be holy iust and good yet must it put on as it were the visour of an hipocrite if he seeke to be iustified by workes Now he presseth them with an argument wherof they themselues had good experience and
of that excellent glory of your newe birth and your adoption and call you backe to your olde birth and to the moste miserable seruitude of the lawe making you of the free children of God bonde children of the lawe whiles they will haue a difference of persons according to the lawe In deede there is a difference of persons in the lawe and in the worlde and there it ought to be but not before god All haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God. Let the Iewes therefore the Gentiles and the whole world keepe silence in the presence of god God hath in deede many ordinaunces lawes degrees and kindes of life but all these helpe nothing to deserue grace and to obtaine eternall life So many as are iustified therefore are iustified not by the obseruation of mans lawe or Gods lawe but by Christe alone who hath abolished all lawes Him doth the Gospell set forth vnto vs for a pacifier of Gods wrath by the sheeding of his owne bloud and a Sauiour And without Faith in him neither shall the Iewe be saued by the law nor the Monke by his order nor the Grecian by his wisedom nor the Magistrate or Master by his vpright gouernement nor the seruaunt by his obedience Verse 28. For ye are all one in Christ Iesu These are excellent wordes In the world and according to the flesh there is a great differēce and inequalitie of persons and the same must be diligently obserued For if the woman would be the man if the sonne would be the father the seruaunt would be the master the subiect would be the magistrate there should be nothing else but a cōfusion of all states and of all things Contrariwise in Christe there is no lawe no difference of persons there is neither Iewe nor Grecian but all are one For there is one body one spirite one hope of vocation There is but one Gospell one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all one Christ Lord of all We haue the same Christ I thou and all the Faithfull which Peter Paule and all the Sainctes had Here therefore the conscience knoweth nothing of the lawe but hath Christ onely before her eyes Therfore Paule is alwayes wont to adde this clause In Christe Iesu Who if he be taken out of our sight then commeth terrour The Popish Schoole diuines doe dreame that Faith is a qualitie cleauing in the heart without Christe This is a deuelish errour But Christe should be so set forth that thou shouldest see nothing besides him and shouldest thinke that nothing cā be more nere vnto thee or more presently within thy heart then he is For he sitteth not idly in heauen but is present with vs working and liuing in vs as he sayth before in the .2 chap. I liue yet not I but Christe liueth in me And here likewise Ye haue put on Christe Faith therefore is a certaine stedfast beholding which looketh vppon nothing else but Christe the conquerour of sinne and death and the geuer of righteousnes saluation and eternal life This is the cause that Paule nameth setteth forth Iesus Christe so often in his Epistles yea almost in euery verse But he setteth him forth by the word for otherwise he can not be comprehended then by the word This was notably and liuely represented by the brasen Serpent which is a figure of Christe Moises commaunded the Iewes which were stong of Serpents in the desert to doe nothing else but stedfastly behold the brasen Serpent and not to turne away their eyes They that did so were healed onely by that stedfast and constant beholding of the Serpent But contrariwise they died which obeied not the commaundement of Moises but looked vppon their woundes and not vppon the Serpent So if I would find comfort when my conscience is afflicted or when I am at the poynt of death I must doe nothing but apprehend Christe by Faith and say I beleue in Iesus Christe the sonne of God who suffered was crucified and died for me c in whose woundes and in whose death I see my sinne and in his resurrection victorie ouer sinne death the Deuil also righteousnes and eternall life Besides him I see nothing I heare nothing This is true Faith concerning Christe and in Christe Whereby we are made members of his body flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones In him therefore vve liue vve moue and vve haue our being Christe and our Faith must be thoroughly ioyned together We must be in heauen and Christ must liue and worke in vs Nowe he liueth and worketh in vs not by speculation and naked knowledge but in deede and by a true and a substantiall presence Verse 29. And if ye be Christes then are ye Abrahams Seede and heires by promise That is to say If ye be beleue and be baptised into Christ if ye beleue I say that he is that promised Seede of Abraham which brought the Blessing to all the Gentiles then are ye the childrē of Abraham not by nature but by adoption For the Scripture attributeth vnto it not onely the children of the flesh but also of adoption and of the promise and foresheweth that they shall receaue the inheritāce and the other shall be cast out of the house So Paule in few wordes translateth the whole glory of Libanus that is to say of the nation of the Iewes vnto the desert that is vnto the Gentiles And this place comprehendeth a singuler consolation to witte that the Gentiles are the children of Abraham and consequently the people of god But they are the children of Abraham not by carnall generation but by the promise The kingdom of heauen then life and the eternall inheritaunce belongeth to the Gentiles And this the Scripture signified long before when it sayeth I haue made thee a Father of many nations Againe In thy Seede shall all nations be blessed Nowe therefore because we which are Gentiles doe beleue and by Faith doe receiue the Blessing promised to Abraham exhibited by Christ therfore the Scripture calleth vs the children and heires of Abraham not after the flesh but after the promise So that promise In thy seede c. belongeth also to all the Gentiles and according to this promise Christ is become ours In dede the promise was made onely to the Iewes and not to vs that are Gentiles Psal. 147. He shevveth his vvorde vnto Iacob c. He hath not delte so vvith euery nation c. Notwithstandyng that which was promised commeth vnto vs by faith by the which onely we apprehende the promise of god Albeit then that the promise be not made vnto vs yet is it made as touching vs and for vs for we are named in the promise In thy seede shall all nations be blessed For the promise sheweth plainely that Abraham should be the father not onely of the Iewish nation but of many
our Faith that we confesse Christ and his word by the power of the holy Ghost We ought not therfore to dout whether the holy Ghost dwelleth in vs or not but to be assuredly perswaded that we are the temple of the holy Ghost as Paule sayth For if any man feele in himselfe a loue towardes the word of God willingly heareth talketh wryteth thinketh of Christe let that man know that this is not the worke of mans will or reason but the gift of the holy Ghost For it is impossible that these things should be done without the holy Ghost Contrariwise where hatred and contempt of the word is there the Deuill the God of this world raigneth blinding mens heartes and holding them captiue that the Gospell the glory of Christe should not shine vnto them Which thing we see at this day in the most part of the commō people which haue no loue to the word but presumpteously contemne it as though it pertained nothing at all vnto them But who so euer doe feele any loue or desire to the word let them acknowledge with thākfulnes that this affection is powred into them by the holy Ghost For we are not borne with this affection and desire neither can we be taught by any lawes how we may obtaine it but this chaunge is plainly and simply the worke of the right hand of the most highest Therfore when we willingly and gladly heare the word preached concerning Christe the sonne of God who for vs was made mā and became subiect to the law to deliuer vs from the malediction of the law hell death damnation then let vs assure our selues that God by and with this preaching sendeth the holy Ghost into our hearts Wherfore it is very expedient for the Godly to know that they haue the holy Ghost This I say to confute that pernicious doctrine of the Papists which taught that no man can certainly know although his life be neuer so vpright blameles whether he be in the fauour of God or no. And this sentence commonly receaued was a speciall principle and article of Faith in the whole Papacie wherby they vtterly defaced the doctrine of Faith tormented mens consciences banished Christ quite out of the Church darkened and denied all the benefites of the holy Ghost abolished the whole worship of God set vp Idolatrie cōtempt of God and blasphemie against God in mens heartes For he that doubteth of Gods good will towards him and doth not assure him selfe that he is in the fauour of God this man can not beleue that he hath forgeuenes of his sinnes that God careth for him or that he shall be saued Augustine sayth very well and godly that euery man seeth most certainely his owne Faith if he haue Faith. This doe they deny God forbid say they that I should assure my selfe that I am vnder grace that I am holy and that I haue the holy Ghost yea although I liue godly and doe all good workes Ye which are yong and are not infected with this pernicious opinion whervpon the whole kingdom of the Pope is groūded take heede flie from it as from a most daungerous plague We that are old men haue ben trained vp in this errour euen from our youth and haue ben so nusled therein that it hath taken deepe roote in our hearts Therefore it is to vs no lesse labour to vnlearne and forget the same then to learne and lay hold vpon true Faith. But we must be assured out of dout that we are vnder grace that we please God for Christes sake and that we haue the holy Ghost For if any mā haue not the spirite of Christ the same is none of his Wherfore whether thou be a Minister of Gods word or a Magistrate in the common wealth thou must assuredly thinke that thy office pleaseth God but this canst thou neuer doe vnlesse thou haue the holy Ghost But thou wilt say I doubt not but that my office pleaseth God because it is Gods ordinaunce but I doubt of mine owne person whether it please God or no. Here thou must resort to the word of God which teacheth and assureth vs that not onely the office of the person but also the person it self pleaseth god For the person is baptised beleueth in Christ is purged in his bloud from all his sinnes liueth in the communion and felowship of his Church Moreouer he doth not onely loue the pure doctrine of the word but also he is glad and greatly reioyceth when he seeth it aduaunced and the nomber of the faithfull encreased Cōtrariwise he detesteth the Pope all Sectaries with their wicked doctrine according to that saying of the Psalme I hate them that imagine euill things but thy lavve doe I loue We ought therefore to be surely perswaded that not onely our office but also our person pleaseth God Yea whatsoeuer it sayth doth or thinketh particularly the same pleaseth God not for our owne sakes but for Christes sake who was made vnder the law for vs Now we are sure that Christe pleaseth God that he is holy c. For as much then as Christe pleaseth God and we are in him we also please God and are holy And although sinne doe still remaine in our flesh and we also daily fall and offend yet grace is more aboundant and stronger then sinne The mercy and truth of the Lord raigneth ouer vs for euer Wherfore sinne cā not terrifie vs and make vs doutfull of the grace of God which is in vs For Christe that most mighty Giaunt hath quite abolished the law condemned sinne vāquished death and all euils So long as he is at the right hand of God making intercession for vs we can not doubt of the grace and fauour of God towardes vs. Moreouer God hath also sent the spirite of his sonne into our hearts as Paule here sayth But Christe is most certaine in his spirite that he pleaseth god c therefore we also hauing the same spirite of Christe must be assured that we are vnder grace for his sake that is most assured This I haue sayd concerning the inward testimonie wherby a Christian mans heart ought to be fully perswaded that he is vnder grace hath the holy Ghost Now the outward signes as before I haue said are gladly to heare of Christ to preach teach Christ to render thanks vnto him to praise him to confesse him yea with the losse of goodes and life Moreouer to doe our duetie according to our vocatiō as we are able to do it I say in faith ioy c Not to delite in sinne nor to thrust our selues into an other mans vocation but to attend vpon our owne to helpe our needy brother to comfort the heauy harted c. By these signes as by certein effects cōsequēts we are fully assured confirmed that we are in Gods fauour The wicked also do imagine that they haue the same signes but they
the poynt of desperation for then are we that brused reede smoking flaxe which Esay speaketh of notwithstanding in the meane season the holy Ghost helpeth our infirmities maketh intercession for vs with vnspeakeable gronings certifieth our spirits that we are the children of god Thus the minde is raised vp in terrors it loketh vnto his Sauiour high Bishop Iesus Christ it ouercommeth the infirmitie of the flesh it conceaueth comfort againe and sayth Abba Father This groning which then we scantly feele Paule calleth a crying vnspeakeable groning which filleth both heauē and earth Moreouer he calleth it the crying and groning of the spirite because the holy Ghost stirreth vp the same in our heartes when we are weake and oppressed with terrour and tentation Although then the lawe sinne and the Deuill crie out against vs neuer so much with great and terrible rorings which seeme to fill heauen and earth farre to excede this groning of our heart yet can they not hurt vs For the more fiercely they assaile vs accuse and torment vs with their cryings so much the more doe we grone and in groning lay hold vpon Christ call vpon him with heart and mouth cleaue vnto him and beleue that he was made vnder the law that he might deliuer vs from the Curse of the lawe and destroy both sinne and death And thus when we haue taken hold of Christe by Faith we crie through him Abba Father And this our crie doth farre surmount the roring of the lawe sinne the Deuill c. But so farre of is it that we thinke this groning which we make in these terrours and in this our weaknes to be a cry that scarsely we perceaue it to be a groning For our Faith which in tentation thus groneth vnto Christ is very weake if we consider our owne sense and feeling And this is the cause that we heare not this crie We haue but onely the word which when we apprehend in this conflict we haue a litle breathing and then we grone Of this groning some litle feeling we haue but the crie we heare not But he sayeth Paule vvhich searcheth the heartes knovveth vvhat is the meaning of the spirite c. To this searcher of the hearts this small and feeble groning as it seemeth vnto vs is a loud and a mighty cry and an vnspeakeable groning in comparison whereof the great and horrible rorings of the law of sinne of death of the deuill and of hell are nothing neither can they be once heard Paule therfore not without cause calleth this groning of a godly afflicted heart a cry and a groning of the spirite which can not be expressed For it filleth the whole heauen so that the Angels thinke they heare nothing else but this crie But in vs there is a cleane contrary feling For it semeth vnto vs that this our small groning doth not so perce the cloudes that there is nothing else heard in heauen of God and his angels Nay we thinke and especially during the time of tentation that the Deuil horribly roreth against vs that the heauens thunder the earth trēbleth that all will fall vpon vs that all creatures threaten our destruction that hel is opē and ready to swallow vs vp This feling is in our heart these horrible voices and this fearfull shew we heare and we see And this is it that Paul sayth in the .2 Corrin 12 That the strength of Christ is made perfect through our vveaknes For then is Christ almighty in dede then doth he truly raigne and triumph in vs when we are so weake that we can scarsely grone But Paule sayth that this groning is in the eares of God a most mightie cry which filleth both heauen and earth Christ also in the .18 of Luke in the parable of the wicked iudge calleth this groning of a faithfull heart a cry yea such a cry as ceaseth not day night to cry vnto God where he sayth Heare vvhat the vnrighteous iudge sayth Novv shall not God auēge his elect vvhich cry day night vnto him yea though he suffer long for them yea I tel you he vvil auenge them quickly We at this day in so great persecution cōtradiction of the Pope of tyrānes Sectaries which fight against vs both on the right hand on the left can doe nothing else but vtter such gronings And these were our gunnes artillery wherw t we haue so many yeres scattered the coūsels and enterprises of our aduersaries wherby also we haue begon to ouerthrow the kingdom of Antichrist They also shall prouoke Christ to hasten the day of his glorious comming wherein he shall abolish all rule authoritie and power and shall put all his enemies vnder his feete So be it In the .14 of Exodus the Lord speaketh vnto Moises at the red sea saying VVhy criest thou vnto me Yet Moises cried not but trembled and almost despaired for he was in great trouble It seemed that infidelitie raigned in him and not Faith. For he saw the people of Israell so compassed and enclosed with the Egyptians host and with the sea that there was no way whereby they might escape Here Moises durst not once opē his mouth How thē did he crie We must not iudge therfore according to the feeling of our owne heart but according to the word of God which teacheth vs that the holy Ghost is geuen to those that are afflicted terrified ready to despaire to raise them vp to comfort them that they be not ouercome in their tentations afflictions but may ouercome them and yet not without great terrors and troubles The Papistes dreamed that holy men had the holy Ghost in such sort that they neuer had nor felt any tentation They spake of the holy Ghost onely by speculation and naked knowledge But Paule sayeth that the strength of Christe is made perfecte through our vveaknes Also that the spirite helpeth our infirmities and maketh intercession for vs vvith vnspeakeable gronings Therefore we haue then most neede of the helpe and comfort of the holy Ghost yea and then is he most ready to helpe vs when we are most weake and nerest to desperation If any man suffer affliction with a constant and a ioyfull heart then hath the holy Ghost done his office in him And in deede he exerciseth his worke specially and properly in those which haue suffered great terrours and afflictions and haue as the Psalme sayeth approched nigh to the gates of hel As I said of Moses which sawe present death in the waters and on euery side whether so euer he turned his face He was therefore in extreme anguish and desperation and no dout he felt in his heart a mightie crie of the Deuill against him saying All this people shall this day perish for they can escape no way And of this great calamitie thou onely shalt be found to be the authour
ouerthroweth whole kingdoms and Empires Therfore as many as trust to their owne strength and righteousnes doe serue a God but such a God as they them selues haue deuised and not the true God in deede For the true God speaketh thus No righteousnes wisedom nor religiō pleaseth me but that onely whereby the Father is glorified through the Sonne Whosoeuer apprehendeth this Sonne and me and my promise in him by Faith to him I am a God to him I am a Father him do I accept iustifie and saue All other abide vnder wrath because they worship that thing which by nature is no God. Whosoeuer forsaketh this doctrine must needes fall into the ignorance of God he vnderstandeth not what the true Christian righteousnes wisedom and seruice of God is he is an Idolater abiding vnder the law sinne death and the power of the Deuill and all things that he doth are accursed and condemned Therefore the Anabaptist imagining with him selfe that he pleaseth God if he be rebaptised if he forsake his house wife and children if he mortifie his flesh and suffer much aduersity and at length death it selfe yet there is not one droppe of the knowledge of Christe in him but secluding Christ he dreameth altogether of his owne workes of the forsaking of his goodes of his affliction and mortification and now differeth nothing frō the Turke Iewe or Papist in spirite or in heart but onely in the outward appearance workes and ceremonies which he hath chosen to him selfe The same confidence in workes haue all the Monkes and other religious orders notwithstanding in their apparell and other outward things there is a difference There are at this day very many like vnto these which notwithstanding would be counted among the true professors and teachers of the Gospell and as touching the words they teach that men are deliuered from their sinnes by the death of Christ But because they teach faith in such sort that they attribute more to charitie then to faith they highly dishonour Christe and wickedly peruert his word For they dreame that God regardeth accepteth vs for our charities sake wherby we being reconciled to God doe loue God and our neighbour If this be true then haue we no neede of Christ at all Such men serue not the true God but an Idol of their owne heart which they themselues haue deuised For the true God doth not regard or accept vs for our charitie vertues or newnes of life but for Christes sake c. But they make this obiection Yet notwithstāding the Scripture cōmaundeth that we should loue God with all our heart c. It is true But it foloweth not that because God cōmaūdeth vs therfore we do it If we did loue God with all our heart c. then no dout we should be iustified liue through this obedience as it is wrytten He that shal doe these things shall liue in them But the Gospel sayth Thou doest not these things therfore thou shalt not liue in them For this sentence Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God c. requireth a perfect obedience a perfect feare trust loue towards god These things men neither doe nor can performe in this corrupt nature Therfore this law Thou shalt loue the Lord thy god c. iustifieth not but accuseth condemneth all men according to that saying The lavv causeth vvrath c. Contrariwise Christ is the finishing accomplishing of the lavv to righteousnes to euery one that beleueth Of this we haue spoken largely before In like maner the Iewe keping the law with this opinion that he by this obediēce wil please God serueth not the true God but is an Idolater worshipping a dreame an idoll of his owne heart which is no where to be found For the God of his fathers whom he saith he worshippeth promised to Abraham a Seede thorough the which all nations should be blessed Therfore God is knowen the Blessing is geuē not by the lawe but by the Gospel of Christ Although Paule speake these words Thē vvhē ye knevv not God ye did seruice c. properly prīcipally to the Galathians which were Gentiles yet notwithstanding by the same words he also toucheth the Iewes who though they had reiected their Idols outwardly yet in their hearts they worshipped them more then did the Gentiles as it is sayd Rom. 2. Thou abhorrest Idols committest sacriledge The Gētiles were not the people of God they had not his word and therfore their Idolatrie was grosse But the Idolatrous Iewes cloked their Idolatrie with the name and word of God as all Iusticiaries which seeke righteousnes by workes are wont to doe and so with this outward shew of holines they deceiued many Therfore Idolatrie the more holy and spirituall it is the more hurtfull it is But how may these two contrary sayings which the Apostle here setteth downe be recōciled together Ye knevv not God ye vvorshipped God. I answer All mē naturally haue this general knowledge that there is a God according to the saying Ro. 1. Forasmuch as that vvhich may be knovvn of god vvas manifest in thē For God was made manifest vnto thē in that the inuisible things of him did appeare by the creation of the world Moreouer the ceremonies religiōs which were alwaies remained among al nations sufficiently witnesse that all men haue had a certain general knowledge of god But whether they had it by nature or by the tradition of their forefathers I wil not here dispute But here some wil obiect againe If all mē knew God wherfore thē doth Paul say that the Galathians knew not God before the preaching of the Gospel I answer There is a double knowledge of God general perticuler All men haue the generall knowledge namely that there is a God that he created heauen earth that he is iust that he punisheth the wicked But what god thīketh of vs what his wil is towards vs what he wil geue do to the end we may be deliuered from sinne death and be saued which is the true knowledge of God in dede this they know not As it may be that I know some man by sight whō yet in dede I know not thorowly because I vnderstand not what affection he beareth towards me So mē know naturally that there is a god but what his wil is or what is not his will they doe not know For it is wrytten There is none that vnderstādeth God. And in an other place No mā hath sene God that is to say no man hath knowen what is the will of god Now what doth it auaile thee if thou know that there is a God yet art ignorāt what is his will towards thee Here some thinke one thing some an other The Iewes imagine this to be the will of God if they worship him according to the rule of Moses lawe the Turke if he obserue his Alcoran the
euerlasting life These heare their sentence here pronounced that the sonnes of the bondwoman must be cast out of the house with their mother the bondwoman Such sentences diligently considered make vs certaine of our doctrine and confirme vs in the righteousnes of Faith against the doctrine and righteousnes of workes which the world embraceth and magnifieth condemning and despising the other And this troubleth and offendeth weake consciences which albeit they plainly see the impietie the execrable wickednes and horrible abhominations of the Papistes yet notwithstanding they are not easily perswaded that all the multitude which beareth the name and title of the church doe erre and that there are but fewe of them which haue a sounde and a right opinion of the doctrine of Faith. And if the Papacie had the same holines and austeritie of life which it had in the time of the auncient fathers Hierome Ambrose Augustine and others when the Cleargie had not yet so euill a name for their Simonie excesse abundance of riches dissolute liuing voluptuousnes whoredome sodomitrie and such other infinite abhominations but liued after the rules and decrees of the fathers religiously and holily in outward shew and vnmaried what could we doe now against the Papacie The single life which the Cleargye kept very straitly in the time of the fathers was a goodly thing and made of men very Angelles in in the sight of the world and therefore Paule in the second Chapiter to the Colossians calleth it the religion of Angelles And the Papistes sing thus of their virgines He ledde an angelicall life whilest he liued in the flesh and yet liued contrary to the flesh Moreouer the life which they call the contemplatiue life whervnto the clergie men were then very much geuen vtterly neglecting all ciuile and houshold gouernmēt had a goodly shew of holines Wherfore if that outward shew and appearance of the olde Papacie remained at this day we should peraduenture doe but litle against it by our doctrine of Faith seeing we doe now so litle preuaile when that olde shew of outward holines and seuere discipline being vtterly abolished there is nothing to be seene but a very sinke and puddle of all vices and abhominations But admitte the case that the olde discipline and religion of the Papacie were yet remaining notwithstanding we ought by the example of Paule who vehemently pursued the false apostles which outwardly appeared to be very godly and holy men to fight against the Meritmongers of the Papisticall kingdom and to say Although ye liue a single life tiering and consuming your bodies with cōtinuall trauaile and walking in the humilitie and religion of Angels yet are ye seruauntes of the lawe of sinne and of the Deuill and must be cast out of the house for ye seeke righteousnes and saluation by your workes and not by Christe Wherefore we ought not so much to consider the wicked life of the Papists as their abhominable doctrine and hypocrisie against the which we specially fight Let vs suppose then that the religion and discipline of the olde Papacie doth yet still flourish and that it is now obserued with as much seueritie and straitnes as euer it was yet must we say notwithstanding If ye haue nothing but this holines and chastitie of life to sette against the wrath and iudgement of God ye are in very deede the sonnes of the bondwoman which must be cast out of the kingdom of heauen and be damned And now they themselues doe not defend their wicked life nay rather they which are the best and the soundest of them all doe detest it but they fight for the maintenaunce and defence of the doctrine of Deuils for hypocrisie and for the righteousnes of workes Here they alledge the authoritie of Councels and the examples of holy fathers whom they affirme to haue bene the authors of their holy orders and statutes Therefore we fight not against the manifest wickednes abhominations of the Papacie but against the greatest holines holiest Saincts therof which thinke they lead an angelicall life whilest they dreame that they kepe not only the cōmaundements of God but also the counsels of Christ and doe workes of superogation such as they are not bound to doe This we say is to labour in vaine except they take hold of that onely and alone which Christ saith is onely necessary and choose the good part with Marie which shall not be taken from them This did Bernard a man so godly so holy and so chast that he is to be commended preferred aboue them all He being once greuously sicke and hauing no hope of life put not his trust in his single life wherin he had liued most chastly nor in his good workes and deedes of charitie whereof he had done many but remoued them farre out of his sight and receauing the benefite of Christ by Faith he sayd * I haue liued wickedly But thou Lord Iesus Christ by double right doest possesse the kingdom of heauen First because thou art the sonne of God Secondly because thou hast purchased it by thy death passion The first thou keepest for thy selfe by thy birthright The second thou geuest to me not by the right of my workes but by the right of grace He set not against the wrath of God his Monkerie nor his angelicall life but he tooke hold of that one thing which was necessary and so was saued I thinke that Hierome Gregorie and many other fathers were saued after the same sorte And it is not to be doubted but that also in the olde Testament many Kings of Israell and other Idolaters were saued in like maner who at the houre of death casting away their vaine trust which they had in Idolles tooke holde of the promisse of God which was made vnto the Seede of Abraham that is to say Christe in whom all nations should be blessed And if there be any of the Papists which shall be saued they must simplie leane not to their owne good deedes and desertes but to the mercy of God offred vnto vs in Christ say with Paule I haue not mine ovvne righteousnes vvhich is of the lavve but that vvhich is by Faith in Christe Verse 31. Then brethern vve are not children of the seruaunt but of the freevvoman Paule here concludeth his allegorie of the barren church and of the frutefull people of the lawe We are not sayth he the children of the bondwoman that is to say we are not vnder the lawe which begetteth vnto bondage that is which terrifieth accuseth and bringeth to desperation but we are deliuered from it by Christe Therefore it can not terrifie nor condemne vs Of this we haue spoken enough before Moreouer although the sonnes of the bondwoman doe persecute vs neuer so much for a time yet this is our comfort that they shall be compelled to leaue the enheritance vnto vs which belongeth vnto vs that are the sonnes
of the freewoman and shall at length be cast into vtter darknes Paule therefore by these wordes bondwoman and freewoman tooke occasion as we haue heard to reiect the righteousnes of the lawe and to confirme the doctrine of Iustification And of purpose he taketh hold of this word freewoman vehemently vrging and amplifying the same especially in the beginning of the chapter folowing Whervpon he taketh occasion to reason of Christian libertie the knowledge whereof is very necessary For the Pope hath in a maner quite ouerthrowne it and made the Church subiect to mans traditions and ceremonies and to a most miserable and filthie bondage That libertie which is purchased by Christ is vnto vs at this day a most strong fort and munition wherby we defend our selues against the tyrannie of the Pope Wherfore we must diligently consider this doctrine of Christian libertie as well to confirme the doctrine of iustification as also to raise vppe and comfort weake consciences against so many troubles offences which our aduersaries doe impute vnto the Gospell Now Christian libertie is a very spirituall thing which the carnall man doth not vnderstand Yea they which haue the first frutes of the spirite and can talke well therof doe very hardly retaine it in their heart It seemeth to reason that it is a matter of small importance Therefore if the holy Ghost do not magnifie it adde a waight vnto it it is conteÌ„ned The fifth Chapter PAVLE now drawing towardes the ende of his Epistle disputeth very vehemeÌ„tly in defence of the doctrine of Faith and Christian libertie against the false apostles the enemies and destroyers of the same against whom he casteth out very thundring wordes to beate them downe and vtterly to vanquish them And therewithall he exhorteth the Galathians to flie their pernicious doctrine as a dangerous poyson In his exhortation he intermingleth threatnings and promises trying euery way that he may kepe them in that libertie which Christ had purchased for them saying Verse 1. Stand fast therefore in that libertie vvherein Christe hath made vs free That is to say Be ye stedfast So Peter sayeth Be sober and vvatch for your aduersarie the Deuill as a roaring Lion vvalketh about seeking vvhom he may deuoure vvhom resist being stedfast in the Faith. Be ye not carelesse sayth he but stedfast and constant Lie not downe and sleepe but stand vp As if he would say It standeth you in hand to be watchfull and constant that ye may keepe and hold fast that libertie wherin Christe hath made you free They that are secure and negligent can not kepe this libertie For Satan most deadly hateth the light of the Gospell that is to say the doctrine of grace libertie consolation and life Therfore when he seeth that it beginneth once to appeare forthwith he fighteth against it with all might and maine stirring vppe stormes and tempests to hinder the course therof and vtterly to ouerthrow it Wherefore Paule warneth the Faithfull not to sleepe not to be negligent but constantly and valiantly to resist Satan that he spoile them not of that libertie which Christe hath purchased for them Euery word hath here a certaine vehemencie Stand sayth he As if he should say Here haue ye neede of great diligence vigilancie In that libertie In what libertie Not in that wherwith the Emperour hath made vs free but in that wherwith Christ hath made vs free The Emperour hath geuen or rather was compelled to geue to the Bishop of Rome a free citie and other landes also immunities priuileges and prerogatiues c. This is also a libertie but it is a ciuill libertie whereby the Pope with all his cleargie is exempt from all publicke charges Moreouer there is a fleshly or rather a deuilish libertie wherby the Deuill chiefly raigneth thorow out the whole world For they that inioy this libertie obey neither God nor lawes but doe what they list This libertie the people seeke and embrace at this day and so doe the Sectaries which will be at libertie in their opinions and in all their doings to the ende they may teach and doe whatsoeuer they dreame to be good and sound without reprehension These stand in that libertie wherein the Deuill hath made them free But we speake not here of this libertie albeit the whole world seeketh no other libertie Neither doe we speake of the ciuill libertie but of a farre other maner of libertie which the Deuill hateth and resisteth with all his power This is that libertie whereby Christe hath made vs free not from an earthly bondage or from the Babylonicall captiuitie or from the tyrannie of the Turkes but froÌ„ Gods euerlasting wrath And where is this done In the conscience There resteth our libertie and goeth no farther For Christe hath made vs free not ciuily nor carnally but diuinely that is to say we are made free in such sort that our coÌ„science is now free and quiet not fearing the wrath of God to come This is that true and inestimable libertie to the excelleÌ„cie maiestie wherof if we compare the other they are but as one droppe of water in respect of the whole sea For who is able to expresse what a thing it is when a man is assured in his heart that God neither is nor will be angry with him but will be for euer a mercifull and a louing father vnto him for Christes sake This is in deede a maruelous and an incomprehensible libertie to haue the most high and soueraigne Maiestie so fauourable vnto vs that he doth not onely defend maintaine and succour vs in this life but also as touching our bodies wâ—ll so deliuer vs that our bodies which are sowen in corruption in dishonor and infirmitie shall rise againe in incorruption in glory and power Wherfore this is an inestimable libertie that we are made free from the wrath of God for euer and is greater then heauen and earth and all other creatures Of this libertie there foloweth an other whereby through Christe we are made free from the lawe sinne death the power of the Deuill hell c. For as the wrath of God can not terrifie vs for that Christe hath deliuered vs from the same so the lawe sinne and death can not accuse and condemne vs And although the law accuse vs and sinne terrifie vs yet they can not driue vs to desperation For Faith which ouercometh the world by and by sayeth These things belong not vnto me for Christe hath made me free and deliuered me from them all Likewise death which is the most mighty and most dreadful thing in all the world is vtterly vanquished in the conscience by this libertie of the spirite Wherfore the maiestie of this Christian libertie is highly to be estemed and diligently considered It is an easie matter for a maÌ„ to speake these words freedome from the wrath of God sinne and death but in the time
And this he doth not without great cause For this pernicious opinion of the lawe that it iustifieth and maketh men righteous before God is deepely rooted in mans reason and all mankinde is so wrapped in it that it can hardly get out And Paul seemeth here to compare those that seeke righteousnes by the lawe vnto oxen that be tied to the yoke to the end he might take from it the glory of iustifying of righteousnes For like as oxen that draw in the yoke with great toile receaue nothing therby but forrage or pasture when they be able to draw the yoke no more are appoynted to the slaughter euen so they that seeke righteousnes by the lawe are captiues and oppressed with the yoke of bondage that is to say with the lawe and when they haue tired themselues a long time in the workes of the lawe with great and greeuous toyle in the ende this is their reward that they are miserable and perpetuall seruaunts And whereof euen of sinne death Gods wrath and of the Deuill Wherefore there is no greater or harder bondage then the bondage of the lawe It is not without cause then that Paule calleth it the yoke of bōdage For as we haue often sayd before the law doth but reueale encrease aggrauate sinne accuse terrify condemne gender wrath and finally it driueth poore consciences into desperation which is the most miserable and most greeuous bondage that can be Rom. 3.4.5 He vseth therefore very vehement wordes For he would gladly perswade them that they should not suffer this importable burden to be layd vpon their shoulders by the false apostles or be entangled againe with the yoke of bondage As if he should say We stād not here vpon a matter of small importance but either of euerlasting libertie or euerlasting bondage For like as freedome from Gods wrath and all euils is not temporall or carnall but euerlasting euen so the bondage of sinne death the Deuill and damnation wherwith all they be oppressed which will be made righteous and saued by the law is not corporall and such as continueth but for a time but euerlasting For such workers of the lawe as goe about to performe and accomplish all things precisely and exactly for of such Paule speaketh can neuer finde quietnes and peace of conscience in this life They alwayes dout of the good will of God towardes them they are alwayes in feare of death of the wrath and iudgement of God and after this life they shal be punished for their vnbeleefe with euerlasting damnation Therefore the doers of the lawe and such as stand altogether vpon the righteousnes and workes thereof are rightly called the Deuils martyrs They take more paines and punish them selues more in purchasing hell according to the prouerbe then the Martyrs of Christe doe in obtaining heauen For they are tormented two maner of wayes First they miserably afflict themselues whilest they liue here by doing of many hard and great workes and all in vaine and afterwardes when they die they reape for a recompence euerlasting damnation Thus are they most miserable Martyrs both in this life and in the life to come and their bondage is euerlasting Cōtrariwise the godly haue troubles in this world but in Christe they haue peace because they beleue that he hath ouercome the world Wherefore we must stand fast in that freedome which Christ hath purchased for vs by his death we must take good heede that we be not entangled againe with the yoke of bondage As it hapneth at this day to the fantasticall spirites who falling away from Faith and from this freedom haue procured vnto them selues here a temporal bondage and in the world to come shall be oppressed with an euerlasting bondage As for the Papistes the most part of them are become at this day plaine Epicures Therfore whiles they may they vse the libertie of the flesh singing this carelesse song Ede bibe lude post mortem nulla voluptas That is Eate drinke make good cheare for after this life there is no pleasure But they are the very bondslaues of the Deuill by whom they are holden captiues at his will and pleasure therefore they shall feele this euerlasting bōdage in hel Hetherto Paules exhortation hath bene vehement and earnest but that which foloweth doth farre passe it Verse 2. Behold I Paule say vnto you that if ye be circumcised Christe shall profite you nothing Paule here wonderfully stirred vppe with zeale and feruencie of spirite thundreth against the law circumcision and these thundring wordes proceding of great zeale and indignation the holy Ghost wresteth frō him in saying Behold I Paule c. I I say who know that I haue not receaued the Gospel by man but by the reuelation of Iesus Christe and haue commission and authoritie from aboue to teach and define c. doe tel you that if ye be circumcised Christ shall profite you nothing at all This is a very hard sentence wherby Paule declareth that to be circumcised is as much as to make Christe vtterly vnprofitable not in respect of himselfe but of the Galathians who being deceaued by the subtelties of the false apostles beleued that besides faith in Christe it was needefull for the faithfull to be circumcised without the which they could not obtaine saluation This place is as it were a touchstone wherby we may most certainely and freely iudge of all doctrines workes religions and ceremonies of all men Whosoeuer teach that there is any thing necessary to saluation whether they be Papists Turks Iewes or Sectaries besides Faith in Christe or shall deuise any worke or religion or obserue any Rule tradition or ceremonie whatsoeuer with this opinion that by such things they shall obtaine forgeuenes of sinnes righteousnes and euerlasting life they heare in this place the sentence of the holy Ghost pronounced against them by the Apostle that Christe profiteth them nothing Seing Paule durst geue this sentence against the lawe and circumcision which were ordained of God himselfe what durst he not doe against the chaffe and the drosse of mens traditions Wherefore this place is a terrible thunderbolt against all the kingdom of the Pope For all the Priestes Monkes and Heremites that liue in their cloisters I speake of the best of them reposed all their trust and confidence in their owne workes righteousnes vowes and merits and not in Christ whom they most wickedly and blasphemously imagined to be an angrie iudge an accuser and cōdemner And therefore here they heare their iudgement that Christ profiteth them nothing For if they can put away sinnes and deserue forgeuenes of sinnes and euerlasting life through their owne righteousnes and straitnes of life then to what purpose was Christe borne What profite haue they by his death and bloudsheding by his resurrection victorie ouer sinne death and the Deuill seeing they are able to ouercome these monsters by their owne
not in the sonnes shall not see life but the vvrath of God abideth vpon him Againe he that beleueth not is iudged alredy Now like as all the doctrine of the Papistes to note this by the way concerning mens traditions workes vowes and merites was most common in the world so was it thought to be the best and most certaine of all others whereby the Deuill hath both sette vppe and stablished his kingdom most mightely Therefore when we at this day doe impugne and vanquish this doctrine by the power of Gods word as chaffe is driuen away by the winde it is no maruell that Satan rageth so cruelly against vs raiseth vppe sclaunders and offences euery where and setteth the whole world in our toppes Then will some man say It had bene better to haue held our peace for then had none of these euils bene raised vppe But we ought more to esteme the fauour of God whose glory we sette forth then to care for the tirranny of the world which persecuteth vs For what is the Pope the whole world in comparison of God In deede we are weake and beare an heauenly treasure in brickle and earthly vesselles but although the vesselles be neuer so brickle yet is the treasure inestimable These wordes Ye are falne from grace must not be coldly or slenderly considered for they are waightie and of great importance He that falleth from grace vtterly loseth the atonement the forgeuenes of sinnes the righteousnes libertie and life that Iesus Christe hath merited for vs by his death and resurrection and in stede thereof he purchaseth to himselfe the wrath and iudgement of God sinne death the bondage of the Deuill and euerlasting damnation And this place strongly confirmeth and fortifieth our doctrine concerning Faith or the article of iustification and maruelously comforteth vs against the cruell rage of the Papists that persecute and condemne vs as heretikes because we teach this article In deede this place ought to feare that enemies of Faith grace that is to say all that seeke righteousnes by works frō persecutīg blaspheming the word of grace life and euerlasting saluation But they be so hardhearted and obstinate that seeing they see not and hearing they heare not and when they read this dreadfull sentence of the Apostle pronounced against them they vnderstand it not Let vs therfore let them alone They are blinde and leaders of the blinde Verse 5. For vve in spirit vvait for the hope of righteousnes through Faith. Paule here knitteth vppe the matter with a notable conclusion saying Ye will be iustified by the lawe by circumcision and by workes but we seeke not to be iustified by this meanes lest Christ should be made vtterly vnprofitable vnto vs and we become detters to performe the whole lawe and so finally fall away from grace but we waite in spirite through Faith for the hope of righteousnes Euery word is here diligently to be noted for they are pithie and full of power He doth not only say as he is wont We are iustified by Faith or in spirite by Faith but moreouer he addeth VVe vvaite for the hope of righteousnes including hope also that he may comprehend the whole matter of Faith. Hope after the maner of the Scriptures is taken two wayes for the thing that is hoped for for the affection of him that hopeth For the thing which is hoped for it is taken in that first chapt to the Coloss For the hopes sake vvhich is layed vppe for you in heauen that is to say the thing which ye hope for For the affection of him that hopeth it is taken in the 8 chap. to the Romaines For vve are saued by hope So hope in this place also may be taken two wayes and so it yeldeth a double sense The first is We waite in spirite through Faith for the hope of righteousnes that is to say the righteousnes hoped for which shall be certainely reuealed in such time as it pleaseth the Lord to geue it The second We wait in spirite by Faith for righteousnes with hope and desire that is to say we are righteous howbeit our righteousnes is not yet reuealed but hangeth yet in hope For as long as we liue here sinne remaineth in our flesh there is also a lawe in our flesh and members rebelling against the lawe of our minde and leading vs captiues vnto the seruice of sinne Now when these affections of the flesh doe rage and raigne and we on the other side through the spirite doe wrastle against the same then is there a place for hope In deede we haue begun to be iustified through Faith whereby also we haue receaued the first frutes of the spirite and the the mortification of the flesh is also begun in vs but we be not yet perfetly righteous It remaineth then that we be perfectly iustified and this is it that we hope for So our righteousnes is not yet in actuall possession but lieth vnder hope This is a sweete and a sound consolation whereby afflicted and troubled consciences feeling their sinne and terrified with euery fierie dart of the Deuill may be maruelously comforted For the feeling of sinne the wrath of God death hell and all other terrours is wonderfull strong in the conflict of conscience as I my selfe being taught by experience doe know Then counsell must be geuen to the poore afflicted in this wise Brother thou desirest to haue a sensible feeling of thy iustification that is thou wouldest haue such a feling of Gods fauour as thou hast of thine owne sinne but that will not be But thy righteousnes ought to surmount all feeling of sinne that is to say thy righteousnes or iustification wherevpon thou holdest standeth not vppon thine owne feeling but vpon thy hoping that it shall be reuealed when it pleaseth the lord Wherefore thou must not iudge according to the feeling of sinne which troubleth and terrifieth thee but according to the promise and doctrine of Faith whereby Christe is promised vnto thee who is thy perfect and euerlasting righteousnes Thus the hope of the afflicted consisting in the inward affection is stirred vppe by Faith in the middest of all terrours and feeling of sinne to hope that he is righteous Moreouer if hope be here taken for the thing which is hoped for it is thus to be vnderstand that that which a man now seeth not he hopeth in time shall be made perfect and clearly reueiled Either sense may well stand but the first touching the inward desire and affection of hoping bringeth more plentifull consolation For my righteousnes is not yet perfect it can not yet be felt yet I doe not despaire for Faith sheweth vnto me Christe in whom I trust and when I haue laid hold of him by Faith I wrastle against the fierie dartes of the Deuil and I take a good heart through hope against the feeling of sinne assuring my selfe that I haue a perfect righteousnes prepared
Also they know that they haue an euerlastīg righteousnes which they wait for through hope as a certaine and sure possession laid vp for them in heauen euen when they feele the horrible terrours of sinne and death Moreouer that they are then Lordes of all things when they are most destitute of all things according to that saying hauing nothing and yet possessing all things This sayeth the Scripture is to conceaue comfort through hope But this cunning is not learned without great and often tentations Verse 6. For in Iesus Christe neither circumcision auaileth any thing neither vncircumcision but Faith vvhich vvorketh by loue That is to say Faith which is not fained nor hypocritical but true and liuely This is that faith which exerciseth requireth good works through loue It is as much to say as He that will be a true Christian in deede or one of Christes kingdom must be a true beleuer Now he beleueth not truely if workes of charitie folow not his Faith. So on both hands as well on the right hand as on the left he shutteth hypocrites out of Christes kingdom On the left hand he shutteth out the Iewes and all such as will worke their owne saluation saying In Christ neither circumcision that is to say no works no seruice no worshipping no kinde of life in the world but faith without any trust in works or merites auaileth before god On the right hand he shutteth out all slouthfull and idle persons which say if faith iustifie without works then let vs worke nothing but let vs onely beleue and doe what we list Not so ye enemies of grace Paule sayeth otherwise And although it be true that onely faith iustifieth yet he speaketh here of Faith in an other respect that is to say that after it hath iustified it is not idle but occupied and exercised in working through loue Paule therfore in this place setteth forth the whole life of a Christian man namely that inwardly it consisteth in faith towards God and outwardly in charitie and good works towardes our neighbour So that a man is a perfect Christ an inwardly through faith before God who hath no neede of our workes and outwardly before men to whom our Faith profiteth nothing but our charitie or our works Therfore when we haue heard or vnderstād of this forme of Christian life to witte that it is faith and charitie as I haue sayd it is not yet declared what Faith or what charitie is for this is an other question For as touching faith or the inward nature force and vse of Faith he hath spoken before Where he shewed that it is our righteousnes or rather our iustification before god Here he ioyneth it with charitie and workes that is to say he speaketh of the externall office thereof which is to stirre vs vp to doe good workes and to bring forth in vs the frutes of charitie to the profite of our neighbour Verse 7. Ye did runne vvell vvho did let you that ye did not obey the truth These are plaine wordes Paule affirmeth that he teacheth them the truth and the selfe same thing that he taught them before and that they ranne well so long as they obeyed the truth that is they beleued and liued rightly but now they did not so since they were misled by the false apostles Moreouer he vseth here a new kinde of speech in calling the Christian life a course or a race For among the Hebrues to runne or to walke signifieth as much as to liue or to be conuersant The teachers doe runne when they teach purely and the hearers or learners doe runne when they receaue the word with ioy and when the frutes of the spirite doe folow Which thing was done as long as Paule was present as he witnessed before in the third and fourth chap. And here he sayeth Ye did runne vvell that is to say all things went forward well and happely among you ye liued very well ye went on the right way to euerlasting life which the word of God promised you c. These wordes Ye did runne vvell containe in them a singuler comfort This tentation oftentimes exerciseth the godly that their life seemeth vnto them to be rather a certaine slow creeping then a running But if they abide in sound doctrine and walke in the spirite lette this nothing trouble them thoughe their doings seeme to goe slowly forward or rather to creepe God iudgeth farre otherwise For that which seemeth vnto vs to be very slow scarsely to creepe runneth swiftly in Gods sight Againe that which is to vs nothing els but sorrow mourning and death is before God ioy mirth true happines Therfore Christ sayth Blessed are ye that mourne vveepe for ye shal receaue cōfort ye shall laugh c. All things shall turne to the best to them which beleue in the sonne of God be it sorrow or be it death it selfe Therefore they be true runners in deede and whatsoeuer they doe it runneth well goeth happely forward by the furtherance of Gods spirite which can not skill of slow procedings Verse 7. VVho did let you that you did not obey the truth They are hindred in this course which fall away from Faith and grace to the lawe and workes as it hapned to the Galathians being misled and seduced by the false apostles whom he couertly reprehendeth with these wordes vvho did let you that ye did not obey the truth In like maner he sayd before in the third Chap. vvho hath bevvitched you that ye should not obey the truth And here Paule sheweth by the way that men are so strongly bewitched with false doctrine that they embrace lies heresies in the sted of the truth and spirituall doctrine And on the other side they say and sweare that the sound doctrine which before they loued is erroneous that their errour is sound doctrine maintaining and defending the same with all their power Euen so the false apostles brought the Galathians which ranne well at the beginning into this opinion to beleue that they erred and went very slowly forward when Paule was their teacher But afterwardes they being seduced by the false apostles and falling cleane away from the truth were so strongly bewitched with their false perswasion that they thought them selues to be in an happie state and that they ranne very well The same hapneth at this day to such as are seduced by the Sectaries and fantasticall spirits Therfore I am wont to say that falling in doctrine cometh not of man but of the Deuil and is most perillous to witte euen from the high heauen to the bottom of hell For they that continue in errour are so farre of from acknowledging their sinne that they maintaine the same to be high righteousnes Wherfore it is vnpossible for them to obtaine pardon Verse 8. It is not the persvvasion of him that calleth you This is a great consolation and a singulare doctrine whereby
waked and stirred vppe to Faith and to call vppon Christe And by this occasion a Christian becommeth a mighty workman and a wonderful creatour which of heauines can make ioy of terrour comfort of sinne righteousnes and of death life when he by this meanes repressing and brideling the flesh maketh it subiect to the spirite Wherfore let not them which feele the lust of the flesh despaire of their saluation Lette them feele it and all the force thereof so that they consent not to it Lette the passions of lust wrath and such other vices shake them so that they doe not ouerthrow them Let sinne assaile them so that they doe not accōplish it Yea the more godly a man is the more doth he feele that battaile And hereof come those lamentable complaintes of the faithfull in the Psalmes and in the whole Scripture Of this battaile the Heremites the Monkes and the Schoolemen and all that seeke righteousnes and saluation by workes know nothing at all But here may some man say that it is a daungerous matter to teach that a man is not condemned if by and by he ouercome not the motions and passions of the flesh which he feeleth For when this doctrine is taught amongst the common people it maketh them carelesse negligent and slouthfull This is it which I sayd a little before that if we teach Faith then carnall men neglect and reiecte workes If works be required then is Faith and consolation of conscience lost Here no man can be compelled neither can there be any certaine rule prescribed But lette euery man diligently trie him selfe to what passion of the flesh he is most subiect and when he findeth that lette him not be carelesse nor flatter him selfe but lette him watch and wrastle in spirite against it that if he can not altogether bridle it yet at the least he doe not fulfill the lust therof This battell of the flesh against the spirit all the children of God haue had and felt And the selfe same doe we also feele and proue He that searcheth his owne cōscience if he be not an hypocrite shall well perceaue that to be true in him selfe which Paule here saith that the flesh lusteth against the spirit All the faithfull therfore do feele and confesse that their flesh resisteth against the spirit and that these two are so contrarye the one to the other in themselues that doe what they can they are not able to performe that which they woulde doe Therefore the fleshe hindreth vs the we cannot keepe the commaundementes of God that we can not loue our neighbours as our selues much lesse can we loue God with all our heart Therefore it is impossible for vs to become righteous by the works of the law In deede there is a good will in vs and so must there be for it is the spirit it self which resisteth the flesh which would gladly doe good fulfill the lawe loue God and his neighbour and such like but the flesh obeyeth not this good will but resisteth it and yet God imputeth not vnto vs this sinne For he is mercifull to those that beleue for Christes sake But it foloweth not therefore that thou shouldest make a light matter of sinne because God doth not impute it True it is that he doth not impute it But to whom and for what cause To such as repent and lay hold by Faith vppon Christe the Mercyseat for whose sake as all their sinnes are forgeuen them euen so that remnants of sinne which are in them be not imputed vnto them They make not their sinne lesse thē it is but amplifie it set it out as it is in dede for they know that it can not be put away by satisfactions works or righteousnes but only by the death of Christe And yet notwithstanding the greatnes and enormitie of their sinne doth not cause them to despaire but they assure thēselues that the same shall not be imputed vnto them or laid vnto their charge This I say lest any man shoulde thinke that after faith is receaued there is litle accoūt to be made of sinne Sinne is truely sinne whether a man commit it before he hath receaued the knowledge of Christe or after And God alwayes hateth sinne yea all sinne is damnable as touchinge the facte it selfe But in that it is not damnable to him that beleueth it commeth of Christe who by his death hath taken away sinne But to him that beleueth not in Christe not onely all his sinnes are damnable but euen his good workes also are sinne according to that saying VVhatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne Therefore the errour of the Scholemen is moste pernicious which do distinguish sinnes according to the fact and not according to the person He that beleueth hath as great sinne as the vnbeleuer But to him that beleueth it is forgeuen and not imputed To the vnbeleuer it is not pardoned but imputed To the beleuer it is veniall to the vnbeleuer it is mortall and damnable Not for any difference of sinnes or because the sinne of the beleuer is lesse and the sinne of the vnbeleuer greater but for the difference of the persons For the faithfull assureth him selfe by Faith that his sinne is forgeuen him for as much as Christe hath geuen him selfe for it Therfore although he haue sinne in him and daily sinneth yet he continueth godly but contrariwise the vnbeleuer continueth wicked And this is the true wisedome and consolation of the godly that although they haue and commit sinnes yet they know that for Christes sake they are not imputed vnto them This I say for the comfort of the godly For they onely feele in deede that they haue and doe commit sinnes that is to say they feele that they doe not loue God so feruently as they should doe that they doe not beleue him so hartely as they would but rather they oftētimes dout whether God haue a care of them or no they are impatient and are angrie with God in aduersitie Hereof as I haue sayd proceede the sorowfull complaintes of the faithfull in the scriptures and specially in the Psalmes And Paule him selfe complaineth that he is solde vnder sinne And here he saith that the flesh resisteth rebelleth against the spirit But because they mortifie the deedes of that flesh by the spirite as he sayth in an other place also in the ende of this chapiter They crucifie the flesh vvith the desires and lustes thereof therefore these sinnes doe not hurt them nor condemne them But if they obey the flesh in fulfilling the lustes thereof then doe they lose Faith and the holy Ghost And if they doe not abhorre their sinne and returne vnto Christ who hath geuen power to his church to receaue and raise vppe those that be falne that so they may recouer Faith and the holy Ghost they die in their sinnes Wherefore we speake not of them which dreame that they haue Faith and
chastly that they should be no adulterers no fornicatours no wantons and if they cannot liue chastly he would haue them to marrie Also that they should not be contentious or quarellers that they should not be geuen to drunkennes or surfetting but that they should abstaine from all these things Chastitie or continencie containeth all these Hierome expoundeth it of virginitie onely as though they that be married could not be chast or as though the Apostle did wryte these things onely to virgines In the 1. and .2 Chapt. to Tit. he warneth also Bishops yong women and maried folkes both man and wife to be chast and pure Verse 23. Against such there is no lavve In deede there is a lawe but not against such As he sayth also in an other place The lavve is not geuen to the righteous man. For the righteous liueth in such wise that he hath no neede of any lawe to admonish or to constraine him but without constraint of the lawe he willingly doth those things which the lawe requireth Therefore the law cannot accuse or condemne those that beleue in Christe In deede the law troubleth and terrifieth our consciences but Christ apprehēded by Faith vanquisheth it with all his terrours threatnings To them therefore the lawe is vtterly abolished and hath no power to accuse them for they doe that of their owne accord which the law requireth They haue receaued the holy Ghost by Faith who wil not suffer them to be idle Although the flesh resist yet doe they walke after the spirite So a Christian accomplisheth the law inwardly by Faith for Christ is the perfection of the lawe vnto righteousnes to all that doe beleue outwardly by workes and by remission of sinnes But those which performe the workes or desires of the flesh the law doth accuse and condemne both ciuily and spiritually Verse 24. For they that are Christes haue crucified the flesh vvith the affections and lustes thereof This whole place concerning workes sheweth that the true beleuers are no hypocrites Therfore let no man deceaue him selfe For whosoeuer sayeth he pertaine vnto Christe haue crucified the flesh with all the vices and lustes thereof For the Sainctes in as much as they haue not yet vtterly put of the corrupt and sinnefull flesh are enclined to sinne and doe neither feare not loue God so perfectly as they ought to doe Also they be prouoked to anger to enuie to impatiencie to vncleane lusts and such like motions which notwithstanding they accomplish not for as Paule here sayeth they crucifie the flesh with all the affectiōs and lusts therof Which thing they do not onely when they represse the wantonnes of the flesh with fasting and other exercises but also as Paule sayd before when they walke according to the spirite that is when they being admonished by the threatnings of God wherby he sheweth that he will seuerely punish sinne are afeard to commit sinne Also when they being armed with the word of God with faith and with prayer doe not obey the lustes of the flesh When they resist the flesh after this maner they naile it to the crosse with the lustes and desires thereof so that although the flesh be yet aliue yet can it not performe that which it would doe for as much as it is bound both hand and foote and fast nailed to the crosse The faithfull then so long as they liue here doe crucifie the flesh that is to say they feele the lusts therof but they obey them not For they being furnished with the armour of God that is with Faith hope and the sword of the spirite doe resist the flesh and with these spirituall nailes they fasten the same vnto the crosse so that it is constrained to be subiect to the spirite Afterwardes when they die they put it of wholy and when they shall rise againe from death to life they shall haue a pure and vncorrupt flesh without all affections and lustes The sixth Chapter If vve liue in the spirite let vs also vvalke in the spirite THE Apostle reckened before amongst the workes of the flesh heresie and enuie and pronounced sentence against those which are enuious and which are authors of Sectes that they should not inherite the kingdom of god And now as if he had forgotten that which he sayd a litle before he againe reproueth those which prouoke and enuie one an other Why doth he so was it not sufficient to haue done it once In deede he doth it of purpose for he taketh occasion here to inueigh against that execrable vice of vaineglory which was the cause of the troubles that were in all the churches of Galatia and hath bene alwayes most pernicious and hurtful to the whole Church of Christe Therefore in his Epistle to Titus he would not that a proud mā should be ordained a Bishop For Pride as Augustine truly saith is the mother of all heresies or rather the headspring of all sinne and confusion Which thing all histories as well holy as prophane doe witnesse Now vainglory or arrogancie hath alwayes ben a common poyson in the world which the very Heathen Poetes and Hystorigraphers haue alwayes vehemently reproued There is no village wherin there is not some one or other to be found that would be counted wiser and be more estemed then all then rest But they are chiefly infected with this disease which stand vpon their reputatiō for learning and wisedom In this case no mā wil yeld to an other according to this saying Ye shall not lightly finde a man that vvill yeelde vnto others the praise of vvitte and skill For it is a goodly thing to see men poynt at one and say this is he But it is not so hurtful in priuate persons no nor in any kind of magistrate as it is in them that haue any charge in the church Albeit in ciuile gouernment specially if it be in great personages it is not onely a cause of troubles and ruines of common weales but also of the troubles and alteration of kingdoms and Empires Which thing the hystories both of the Scripture and prophane wryters doe witnesse But when this poyson creepeth into the Church or spirituall kingdom it can not be expressed how hurtfull it is For there is no contention as touching learning witte beautie riches kingdoms Empires and such like but as touching saluation or damnation eternall life or eternall death Therfore Paul earnestly exhorteth the ministers of the word to flie this vice saying If vve liue in the spirit c. As if he should say If it be true that we liue in the spirite let vs also procede and walke in the spirit For where the spirite is it reneweth men and worketh in them new motions that is to say wheras they were before vaineglorious wrathfull and enuious it maketh them now humble gentle and patient Such men seeke not their owne glory but the glory of God they doe not prouoke or enuie one