the wisedom and righteousnes of Christ moreouer it darkneth hindreth blasphemeth and persecuteth the same Therfore Paule doth rightly call it the euill or vvicked vvorld for when it is at the best then is it worst In the religious wise and learned men the world is at the best and yet in very dede in them it is double euill I ouerpasse those grosse vices which are against the second table as disobedience to parents to magistrates addulteries whoredomes couetousnes thefts murthers and maliciousnes wherin the world is altogether drowned which notwithstanding are light faultes if ye compare them with the wisedom and righteousnes of the wicked wherwith they fight against the first table This white Deuill which forceth men to commit spirituall sinnes that they may sell them for righteousnes is farre more daungerous then the blacke deuill which onely enforceth them to commit fleshly sinnes which the world acknowledgeth to be sinnes By these wordes then That he might deliuer vs c. Paule sheweth what is the argument of this Epistle to wit that we haue neede of grace and of Christ and that no other creature neither man nor Angell can deliuer man out of this present euill world For these workes are onely belonging to the diuine Maiestie and are not in the power of any either man or Angell that Christ hath put away sinne and hath deliuered vs from the tyrannie and kingdom of the Deuill that is to say from this wicked world which is an obedient seruaunt and a willing follower of the Deuill his god Whatsoeuer that murtherer and father of lies either doth or speaketh that the world as his most loyall and obedient sonne diligently followeth and performeth And therfore it is full of the ignoraunce of God of hatred lying errours blasphemie and of the contempt of God Moreouer of grosse sinnes murthers adulteries fornications theftes robberies and such like because he followeth his father the deuill who is a lier and a murtherer And the more wise righteous and holy men are without Christ so much the more hurt they doe to the gospell So we also that were religious men were double wicked in the Papacie before God did lighten vs with the knowledge of his gospell and yet notwithstanding vnder the colour of true pietie and holines Let these words then of Paule stand as they are in deede true and effectual not coloured or coūterfait namely that this present world is euill Let it nothing at all moue thee that in a great nombre of men there be many excellent vertues and that there is so great a shew of holines in hypocrites But marke thou rather what Paule sayeth out of whose wordes thou maist boldly and freely pronounce this sentence against the world That the world with all his wisedome power and righteousnes is the kingdom of the deuill out of the which God onely is able to deliuer vs by his onely begotten sonne Therfore let vs praise God the father geue him harty thankes for this his vnmeasurable mercy that hath deliuered vs out of the kingdom of the Deuill in which we were holden captiues by his owne sonne when it was impossible to be done by oure own strength And let vs acknowledge together with Paule that all our works righteousnes with all which we could not make the deuil to stoupe one hear bredth are but losse and dung Also let vs cast vnder our feete and vtterly abhorre all the power of free will all Pharasaicall wisedom and righteousnes all religious orders all Masses ceremonies vowes fastings and such like as a most filthie defiled cloth and as the most daungerous poyson of the Deuill Contrariwise let vs extoll and magnifie the glory of Christ who hath deliuered vs by his death not out of a world onely but out of an euill world Paule then by this word Euill sheweth that the kingdom of the world or the Deuils kingdom is a kingdom of iniquitie ignoraunce errour sinne death blasphemie desperation and euerlasting damnation On the other side the kingdom of Christ is a kingdom of equitie light grace remission of sinnes peace consolation sauing health and euerlasting life into the which we are translated by our Lord Iesus Christ to whom be glory world without end So be it Verse 4. According to the vvill of God euen our father Here Paule so placeth and setteth in order euery word that there is not one of them but it fighteth against those false Apostles for the article of iustification Christ sayth he hath deliuered vs out of this most wicked kingdom of the deuill and the world And this hath he done according to the will good pleasure and commaundement of the father wherfore we be not deliuered by our owne will or running nor by our owne wisedom or policie but for that God hath taken mercy vpon vs and hath loued vs like as it is wrytten also in an other place Herein hath appeared the great loue of God tovvardes vs not that vve haue loued God but that he hath loued vs and hath sent his onely begotten sonne to be a reconciliation for our sinnes That we then are deliuered from this present euill world it is of mere grace and no desert of our ours Paule is so plentifull and so vehement in amplifying and extolling the grace of God that he sharpeneth directeth euery word against the false Apostles There is also here another cause why Paule maketh mention of the Fathers wil which also in many places of S. Iohns gospel is declared wher christ cōmēding his office calleth vs back to his fathers wil that in his words works we should not so much loke vpon him as vpō the father For Christ came into this world toke mans nature vpō him that he might be made a sacrifice for the sinnes of the whole world so recōcile vs to God the father that he alone might declare vnto vs how that this was done through the good pleasure of his father that we by fastning our eyes vpō Christ might be drawn caried streight vnto the father For we must not thinke as I haue warned you before that by the curious searching of the Maiestie of God any thing concerning God can be known to our saluation but by taking hold of Christ who according to the wil of the father hath geuē himself to the death for our sinnes Whē thou shalt acknowledge this to be the wil of God through christ then wrath ceaseth feare and trembling vanisheth away neither doth God appeare any other then mercifull who by his determinate coūsell would that his sonne should die for vs that we might liue thorow him This knowledge maketh the hart chearfull so that it stedfastly beleueth that God is not angry but that he so loueth vs wretched sinners that he gaue his onely begotten sonne for vs It is not for nought therfore that Paule doth so oftē repeat and beat into our minds that
thinke them selues able thereby vtterly to ouerthrowe the doctrine of Faith which we teach and maintaine Therefore we must be well furnished and armed that we may be able not onely to instruct our brethren but also to aunswer the obiections of our aduersaries The Schoolemen and all such as vnderstand not the Article of Iustification doe knowe no other righteousnes then the ciuile righteousnes and the righteousnes of the lawe which after a sorte the Gentiles also doe know Therfore they borrow certaine words out of the lawe morall Philosophie as to Doe to Worke and such like and they applie the same vnto spirituall matters wherein they deale most peruersly and wickedly We must take good heede that we make a difference betweene Christian Diuinitie and humane Philosophie The Schoolemen them selues graunt and teach that in the order of nature Being goeth before Working for naturally the tree is before the fruite Againe they graunt that a worke morally wrought is not good except there be first a right iudgement of reason and a good will or a good intent So then they wil haue a right iudgement of reason and a good intent to goe before the work that is to say they make the person morally righteous before the worke Cōtrariwise in Diuinitie and in spiritual matters where they ought most of all so to doe such dull and senseles asses they are that they peruert and turne all quite contrary placing the worke before right reason and the good intent Wherfore this word Doing is one thing in nature an other in moral Philosophy an other in Diuinitie In nature the tree must be first and then the fruite In moral Philosophie Doing requireth a good entent sound reason to worke wel to goe before and here all the Philosophers stay go no further Therfore the Diuines say that moral Philosophie hath not God for the obiect final cause For Aristotle a Sadduce or a mā of any ciuile honesty calleth this a right reason a good intēt if he seeke the publike cōmoditie of the cōmon wealth the quietnes honestie therof A Philosopher or Lawworker ascēdeth no higher He thinketh not through right reason a good intent to obtaine remission of sinnes euerlasting life as the Sophister or the Monke doth Therfore the heathen Philosopher is much better thē such an hypocrite For he abideth within his limites hauing only consideration of the honestie and tranquillitie of the cōmon wealth not mingling heauenly and earthly things together Cōtrariwise that Sophister imagineth that God regardeth his good intent and workes Therefore he mingleth earthly and heauenly things together and polluteth the name of god And this imagination he learneth out of morall Philosophie sauing that he abuseth it much worse then the Heathen man doth We therfore that be Christiās must rise vp higher then nature Philophie with this word Doing so that now it must be made altogether new ioyned with a right iudgemēt of reason a good wil or good intent not morally but diuinely which is that I know beleue by the word of the gospel that God hath sent his sonne into the world to redeeme vs frō sinne death Here Doing is a new thīg vnknown to reasō to Philosophers to Lawworkers vnto al men For it is a wisedō hidden in a mysterie Therfore in Diuinitie the work necessarily requireth faith goīg before Therefore when our aduersaries doe alleage against vs the sentences of the Scripture touching the lawe and works where mention is made of Working and Doing thou must aunswer them that they are termes pertaining to Diuinitie and not to naturall or morall things If they be applied to naturall or morall things they must be taken in their own signification But if they be applied to matters of Diuinitie they must include such a right reason and good will as is incomprehēsible to mans reason Wherefore Doing in diuinitie must be alwaies vnderstande of a faithfull Doing So that this faithfull Doing is altogether as it were a newe kingdom separate from the naturall or morall Doing Therefore when we that are Diuines speake of Doing we must needes speake of that faithfull Doing for in Diuinitie we haue no other right reason and good wil or intent besides Faith. This rule is wel obserued in the .11 chap. to the Hebrues There are recited diuers and many workes of the Saincts out of the holy Scripture As of Dauid who killed a Lion and a Beare and slew Goliath There the Sophister or Schooleman that foolish Asse looketh vpon nothing else but the outward appearaunce of the worke as doth the Oxe vpon a newe gate But this worke of Dauid must be so loked into that first thou doe consider what manner of person Dauid was before he did this work Then thou shalt see that he was such a person whose heart trusted in the Lord God of Israell as the text hath plainly The Lord that deliuered me out of the pavve of the Lion and out of the pavve of the Beare he vvill deliuer me out of the hande of this Philistian Moreouer Thou comest to me vvith a svvorde and vvith a speare and vvith a shielde but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hostes the God of the hoste of Israel vpon vvhom thou hast railed this day This day shall the Lord close thee in my hande and I shall smite thee and take thine head from thee c Because the Lord saueth not vvith svvord nor speare for the battle is the Lordes and he vvill geue you into oure handes You see then that he was a righteous man accepted of God strong and constante in Faith before he did this worke This Doing of Dauid therefore is not a naturall or morall Doing but a faithfull Doing So it is sayd of Abell in the same Epistle that through Faith he offred vp a better sacrifice vnto God then Caine. If the Schoolemē fall into this place as it is read in Genesis where it is simplie set out how that both Caine Abell offred vp their gifts and that the Lord had respect vnto Abell and his offrings by and by they take hold of these wordes They offred their oblations vnto the lord The Lord had respect to the offerings of Abell and crie out saying Here ye see that God had respect to offrings therfore workes doe iustifie So that these filthie swine doe thinke that righteousnes is but a morall thing onely beholding the visour or outward shewe of the worke and not the heart of him that doth the worke whereas notwithstanding euen in Philosophie they are constrained not to looke vpon the bare worke but the good will of the worker But here they stande altogether vpon these wordes They offred vp giftes The Lord had respect vnto Habel and to his offrings and see not that the text sayth plainly in Genesis that the Lord had respect first to
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
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
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
But forasmuch as we take in hand to expound this Epistle which we doe not because it is needefull or for any hardnes that is in it but that our consciences may be confirmed against heresies yet to come let it not be tedious vnto you if we repeat these things againe that elsewhere and at other times we teach preach singe and sette out by writing For if we neglect the article of iustification we lose altogether Therefore most necessary it is cheifly and aboue all things that we teach and repete this article continually Like as Moses saith of his law for it can not be beaten into our eares enough or to much Yea though we learne it and vnderstand it well yet is there none that taketh hold of it perfectly or beleueth it with his whole hart so fraile a thing is our flesh and disobedient to the spirite This greeting of the Apostle is straunge vnto the world and was neuer heard of before the preaching of the Gospell And these two words Grace and Peace cōprehend in them whatsoeuer belongeth to Christianitie Grace releaseth sinne and peace maketh the conscience quiet The two Feends that torment vs are sinne and conscience But Christ hath vanquished these two Monsters and troden them vnder foote both in this world and in the world to come This the world doth not knowe and therefore it can teach no certaintie of the ouercomming of sinne conscience and death Only Christians haue this kinde of doctrine and are exercised and armed with it to get victory against sinne despaire and euerlasting death And it is a kinde of doctrine neither proceeding of free wil nor inuented by the reason or wisedome of of man but geuen from aboue Moreouer these two words Grace and Peace doe containe in them the whole summe of Christianitie Grace containeth the remission of sinnes peace a quiet and ioyful conscience But peace of conscience can neuer be had vnlesse sinne be first forgeuē But it is not forgeuen for the fulfilling of the law For no man is able to satisfie the law but the law doth rather shew sinne accuse and terrifie the conscience declare the wrath of God and driue to desperation Much lesse is sinne taken away by the workes and inuentions of men as wicked worshippings straung religious vowes and pilgrimages Finally there is no worke that can take away sinne but sinne is rather encreased by works For the Iusticiaries Meritmongers the more they sweate and labour to bring them selues out of sinne the deeper they are plunged therin For there is no meanes to take away sinne but grace alone Therfore Paule in all the greetings of his epistles setteth grace and peace against sinne and an euill conscience This thing must be diligently marked The words are easy but in tentation it is the hardest thing that can be to be certainly perswaded in our harts that by grace alone without any other meanes either in heauen or earth we haue remission of sinnes and peace with God. The world vnderstādeth not this doctrine therfore it neither will nor can abide it but condemneth it as hereticall and wicked It braggeth of free will of the light of reason and the soundnes of the powers and qualities of nature of good workes as meanes wherby it could deserue and attaine grace and peace that is to say forgeuenes of sinnes and a quiet conscience But it is impossible that the conscience should be quiet and ioyfull vnlesse it haue peace thorowe grace that is to say through the forgiuenes of sinnes promised in Christ Many haue carefully laboured by finding out diuers and sundry religions orders and exercises for this purpose to attaine peace and quietnes of conscience but by so doing they haue plunged them selues in moe and greater miseries for all such deuises are but meanes to encrease doubtfulnes and despaire Therfore there shall be no rest to my bones or thine vnlesse we heare the word of grace and cleaue vnto it stedfastly faithfully Then shall our conscience vndoubtedly finde grace and peace The Apostle doth fittly distinguish this grace and peace from al other kinds of grace peace whatsoeuer He wisheth to the Galathians Grace Peace not from the Emperour or Kings and Princes for these doe commonly persecute the Godly and rise vp against the Lord and Christ his anointed Psal. 2. nor from the world for in the world saith Christ ye shall haue trouble but from God our father c. which is as much to say as he wisheth vnto them a heauēly peace So Christ saith My peace I leaue vnto you my peace I geue you not as the vvorld geueth it do I geue it vnto you The peace of the world graunteth nothing but the peace of our goods and bodies So the Grace or fauoure of the world geueth vs leaue to enioy our goodes casteth vs not out of our possessions But in affliction in the hower of death the grace and fauour of the world can not helpe vs they can not deliuer vs from affliction despaire and death But when the Grace and Peace of God are in the hart then is man strong so that he can neither be cast downe with aduersitie nor puffed vp with prosperitie but walketh on plainly and kepeth the hie way For he taketh hart and courage in the victory of Christes death the confidence thereof beginneth to reigne in his conscience ouer sinne and death because through him he hath assured forgeuenes of his sinnes which after he hath once obtained his conscience is at rest and by the word of Grace is comforted So then a man being comforted hartened by the Grace of God that is by forgeuenes of sinnes and by this peace of conscience is able valiantly to beare and ouercome all troubles yea euen death it selfe This Peace of God is not geuen to the world because the world neuer longeth after it nor vnderstandeth it but to them that beleeue and this commeth to passe by no other meane then by the onely Grace of God. A rule to be obserued that men ought to abstaine from the curious searching of Gods maiestie But why doth the Apostle ioyne in this salutation And from our Lord Iesus Christ Was it not enough to say And from God our father why then doth he couple Iesus Christ vvith the father Ye haue often times heard of vs howe it is a rule and principle in the scriptures diligently to be marked that we must abstaine from the curious searching of Gods maiestie which is intolerable to mans body and much more to his minde No man saith the scripture shall see me and liue The Pope the Turkes the Iewes and all such as trust in their owne merits regard not this rule and therefore remouing Christ the Mediatour out of their sight they speake onely of God before him onely they pray and doe all that they doe As for
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
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
is no saluatiō for thee Labour therfore diligently that not onely out of the time of tentation but also in the daunger and conflict of death when thy conscience is thorowly afraide with the remembraunce of thy sinnes past and the Deuill assaileth thee with great violence going about to ouerwhelme thee with heapes floudes and whole seas of sinnes to terrifie thee to draw thee from Christ and to driue thee to despaire that then I say thou maist be able to say with sure confidence Christ the sonne of god was geuē not for the righteous holy but for the vnrighteous sinners If I were righteous and had no sinne I should haue no neede of Christ to be my reconciler Why then O thou peuish holy Satan wilt thou make me to be holy and to seke righteousnes in my selfe when in very deede I haue nothing in me but sinnes and most greuous sinnes not fained or trifeling sinnes but such as are against the first table to wit great infidelitie douting despaire contempt of God hatred ignoraunce and blaspheming of God vnthankfulnes abusing of Gods name neglecting lothing and despising the word of god and such like And moreouer these carnall sinnes against the second Table as not to yelde honour to my parents not to obey the magistrates to couet an other mans goods his wife and such like howbeit that these be light faults in respect of those former sinnes And admit that I haue not cōmitted murther whoredom theft and such other sinnes against the second table in fact yet I haue committed them in hart and therfore I am a transgressour of al Gods commaundements and the multitude of my sinnes is so great that they cā not be numbred For I haue sinned aboue the number of the sands of the sea Besides this satan is such a cunning iuggler that he can make of my righteousnes and good workes great sinnes Forsomuch then as my sinnes are so waightie so infinite so horrible and inuincible and that my righteousnes doth nothing further me but rather hinder me before God therfore Christ the sonne of God was geuen to death for them to put them away and to saue me and all men which beleue Herein then consisteth the effect of eternall saluation namely in taking these words to be effectuall true of great importaunce I say not this for naught for I haue oftentimes proued by experience and I daily finde what an hard matter it is to beleue especially in the conflict of conscience that Christ was geuen not for the holy righteous worthy such as were his frends but for wicked sinners vnworthy and his enemies which haue deserued Gods wrath and euerlasting death Let vs therfore arme our harts with these such like sentēces of the holy scipture that we may be able to answer the deuil accusing vs saying thou art a sinner therfore thou art dāned in this sort Because thou saist I am a sinner therfore wil I be righteous saued Nay saith the deuil thou shalt be dāned No say I for I flie vnto Christ vvho hath geuen himself for my sinnes Therfore satā thou shalt nothing preuail agaīst me in that thou gost about to terrifie me in setting forth the greatnes of my sinnes so to bring me into heauines distrust despair hatred cōtempt and blaspheming of God yea rather by this that thou sayst I am a sinner thou geuest me armour weapon against thy selfe that with thine owne sword I may cut thy throte and tread the vnder my feete for Christ died for sinners Moreouer thou thy selfe preachest vnto me the glory of God. For thou puttest me in minde of Gods fatherly loue towards me wretched and damned sinner vvho so loued the vvorld that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that vvhosoeuer beleueth in him might not perish but haue euerlasting life Also as oft as thou obiectest that I am a sinner so often thou callest to my remembraūce the benefit of Christ my redemer vpon whose shoulders and not vpon mine lie all my sinnes For the Lord hath laied all our iniquitie vpon him Againe For the transgression of his people vvas he smitten Wherefore when thou obiectest that I am a sinner thou doest not terrifie me but comfort me aboue measure Who so knoweth this one point of cunning well shall easely auoide all the engins and snares of the Deuill who by putting man in minde of his sinnes driueth him to despaire and destroieth him vnlesse he withstand him with this cunning and with this heauenly wisedome wherby onely sinne death and the Deuill are ouercome But the man that putteth not away the remembraunce of his sinne but keepeth it stil and tormenteth him self with his owne cogitations thinking either to help him selfe by his owne strength and policie or to tarry the time till his conscience may be quieted falleth into Sathans snares and miserably afflicteth him selfe and at length is ouercome with the continuance of the tentation For the Deuill will neuer cease to accuse his conscience Against this tentation we must vse the words of Paule in the which he geueth a very good and a true definition of Christ in this maner Christ is the sonne of God and of the virgine deliuered and put to death for our sinnes Here if the Deuill aledge any other definition of Christ say thou The definition and the thing defined are false therefore I will not receaue this definition I speake not this without cause For I know what moueth me to be so earnest that we should learne to define Christ out of the words of Paule For in deede Christ is no cruel exactor but a forgeuer of the sinnes of the whole world Wherefore if thou be a sinner as in deede we are all set not Christ downe vpon the raigne bowe as a iudge for so shalt thou be terrified and despaire of his mercy but take hold of his true definition namely that Christ the sonne of God and of the virgine is a person not that terrifieth not that afflicteth not that condemneth vs of sinne not that demaundeth an account of vs for our life euill passed but gaue him selfe for our sinnes and with one oblation hath put away the sinnes of the whole world hath nailed them to the crosse and put them cleane out by him selfe Learne this definition diligently and especially so exercise this pronoune our that this one sillable being beleued may swallow vp all thy sinnes that is to say that thou maist know assuredly that Christ hath takē away the sinnes not of certaine men only but also of thee yea of the whole world Thē let not thy sinnes be sinnes only but euen thy own sinnes That is to witte beleeue thou that Christ was not onely geuen for other mens sinnes but also for thine Hold this fast suffer not thy selfe by any meanes to be drawne away frō this most sweete definition of Christ which reioyceth euē the very angels
in heauen that is to say that Christ according to his proper and true definition is no Moses no lawgeuer no tyraunt but a Mediator for sinnes a free geuer of grace righteousnes and life who gaue him selfe not for our merits holines righteousnes godly life but for our sinnes In deede Christ is an enterpreter of the law but that is not his proper and principall office These things as touching the words we know wel enough and cā talke of them but in practise and in the conflict when the deuill goeth about to deface Christ to plucke the word of grace out of our hartes we finde that we doe not yet know them well and as we should doe He that at that time could define Christ truly and could magnifie him and behold him as his most sweete Sauiour and high Priest and not as a straite Iudge this man had ouercome all euils and were already in the kingdome of heauen But this to doe in the conflict is of all things the most hardest I speake this by experience for I know the Deuils subtilties who at that time not onely goeth about to feare vs with the terrour of the lawe yea and also of a little mote maketh many beames that is to say of that which is no sinne he maketh a very hell for he is maruelous craftie both in aggrauating sinne and in puffing vp the cōscience euen in good works but also is wont to feare vs with the very person of the Mediatour into the which he transformeth him selfe and laying before vs some place of the scripture or some saying of Christ suddenly he striketh our harts and sheweth him selfe vnto vs in such sort as if he were Christ in deede leauing vs sticking so fast in that cogitation that our conscience would sweare it were the same Christ whose saying he alledged Moreouer such is the subtilty of this enemy that he will not sette before vs Christ entierly and wholy but a peece of Christ onely namely that he is the soone of God and man borne of the virgin and by and by he patcheth therto some other thing that is to say some saying of Christ wherwith he terrifieth the impenitent sinners such as that is in the 13. of Luke Except ye repent ye shall all likevvise perish And so corrupting the true definition of Christ with his poison he bringeth to passe that albeit we beleue him to be Christ the true Mediatour yet in very deede our troubled conscience feeleth and iudgeth him to be a tiraunt and a iudge Thus we being deceaued by Sathan doe easily lose that sweete sight of our high Priest and sauiour Christ which being once lost we shunne him no lesse then the deuill him selfe And this is the cause why I doe so earnestly call vpon you to learne the true and proper definition of Christ out of these words of Paule vvhich gaue him selfe for our sinnes If he gaue him selfe to death for oure sinnes then vndoubtedly he is no tiraunt or iudge which will condemne vs for our sinnes He is no caster downe of the afflicted but a raiser vp of those that are fallen a mercifull releuer and comforter of the heauy and broken harted Els should Paule lie in saying vvhich gaue him selfe for our sinnes If I define Christ thus I define him rightly and take hold of the true Christ and possesse him in deede Also I lette passe the curious speculations touching the diuine maiestie and I stay my selfe in the humanitie of Christ and so I learne truly to know the will of god Here is then no feare but altogether sweetnes ioy peace of conscience and such like And herewithal a light also is opened which sheweth me the true knowledge of God of my selfe of all creatures and of all the iniquitie of the Deuils kingdome We teach no newe thing but we repeate and establish olde things which the apostles all godly teachers haue taught before vs And would to God we could so teach establish them that we might not only haue them in our mouth but also well grounded in the bottome of our harte and especially that we might be able to vse them in the agony and conflicte of death Verse 4. That he might deliuer vs from this present euil vvorld In these words also Paule handleth yet more largely the argument of this Epistle He calleth this whole world which hath bene is and shall be the present vvorld to put a difference betwixt this and that euerlasting world which is to come Moreouer he calleth it an euill world because that whatsoeuer is in this world is subiect to the malice of the Deuil raigning ouer the whole world For this cause the world is said to be the kingdome of the Deuill For there is nothing els in this world but ignoraunce contenpt blasphemy and hatred of god Also disobedience against all the words and works of god In and vnder this kingdome of the world are we Here againe you see that no man is able by his owne workes or his owne strēgth to put away sinne because this present world is euill and as S. Iohn sayth is set vpon mischeefe As many therfore as are in the world are the bond slaues of the deuill constrained to serue him and to doe all things at his pleasure What auailed it then to set vp so many orders of religions for the putting away of sinnes to deuise so many great and exceeding painfull workes to weare heary coates to beat the body with whips till the bloud followed to goe on pilgrimage to S. Iames in harnes and such other like Be it so that thou doest all these things yet neuertheles doth this determinate sentence remaine stil That thou art in this present euel vvorld not in the kingdom of Christ And if thou be not in the kingdom of Christ it is certaine that thou doest belong vnto the kingdom of Satan which is this euil world Therfore all giftes either of the body or of the minde which thou possessest as wisedom righteousnes holines eloquence power beautie riches are but the slauish instruments of the hellish tyrannie and with all these thou art compelled to serue the deuill and to promote and enlarge his kingdom First with thy wisedom thou dost darken the wisedom and knowledge of Christ and by thy wicked doctrine leadest men out of the way so that they can not come to the grace and knowledge of Christ Thou settest out and praisest thine owne righteousnes and holines but the righteousnes of Christ by which onely we are iustified and quickened thou doest detest and condemne as wicked and deuillish To be shorte by thy power thou destroyest the kingdom of Christ and doest abuse the same to roote out the gospell to persecute and kill the ministers of Christ and so many as heare them Wherfore if thou be without Christ this thy wisedom is double foolishnes thy righteousnesse double sinne and impietie because it knoweth not
iudgement of all kindes of doctrine and trades of life It approueth establisheth ciuill gouernment houshold gouernment and all kindes of life that are ordained and appoynted of god It rooteth vp all doctrines of errour sedition confusion and such like and it putteth away the feare of sinne and death and to be short it discouereth all subtile slights and works of the Deuill and openeth the benefits and loue of God towards vs in Christ What with a mischiefe meanes the world to hate this word this glad tidings of euerlasting comfort grace saluation and eternall life so bitterly and to persecute it with such hellish outrage Paule before called this present world euill and wicked that is to say the Deuils kingdome For els it would acknowledge the benefite and mercie of God but forasmuch as it is vnder the dominion of the deuill it doth therefore carelesly and desperatly despise persecute these things louing darknes errours and the kingdome of the Deuill more then the light truth kingdome of Christ And this it doth not through ignorance or errour but through the malice of the deuill Which thing hereby may sufficiently appeare in that Christ the sonne of God by giuing him selfe to death for the sinnes of all men hath gained nothing els of this froward and forlorne world but that for this his inestimable benefite it blasphemeth him and persecuteth his most healthfull word and faine would yet still naile him to the crosse if it could Therefore not onely the world dwelleth in darkenes but it is darkenes it selfe as it is written in the first of Iohn Paule therfore amplifieth these words From Christ vvho hath called you As though he would say My preaching was not of the hard lawes of Moses neither taught I that you should be bondslaues vnder the yoke but I preached the onely doctrine of grace and freedome from the lawe sinne death the deuill and damnation That is to say that Christ hath mercifully called you in grace that ye should be freemen vnder Christ and not bōdmen vnder Moses whose Disciples ye are now become againe by meanes of your false Apostles who by the lawe of Moises called you not vnto grace but vnto wrath to the hating of God to sinne and death But Christes calling bringeth grace and sauing health For they that be called by him in stede of the lawe that worketh sorrow doe gaine the glad tidings of the Gospel and are translated out of Gods wrath into his fauour out of sinne into righteousnes and out of death into life And will you suffer your selues to be carried yea and that so soone and so easily an other way from such a liuing fountaine full of grace and and life Now if Moses call men to Gods wrath and to sinne by the law of God whither shall the Pope call men by his owne traditions The other sense that the father calleth in the grace of Christ is also good but the former sense concerning Christ serueth more fitly for the comforting of afflicted consciences Verse 6 Vnto an other Gospell Here we may learne to espie the craftie sleights and subtilties of the Deuill No heretike commeth vnder the title of errours and of the Deuill neither doth the Deuill himselfe come as a Deuill in his owne likenes especially that white Deuill which we spake of before Yea euen the blacke deuill which forceth men to manifest wickednes maketh a cloke for them to couer that sinne which they committe or purpose to committe The murtherer in his rage seeth not that murther is so greate and horrible a sinne as it is in deede for that he hath a cloke to couer the same Whoremasters theeues couetous persons drunkards and such others haue wherwith to flatter them selues and couer their sinnes So the blacke deuill also commeth out disguised and counterfet in all his works and deuises But in spirituall matters where Sathan commeth forth not blacke but white in the likenes of an Angell or of God him selfe there he passeth himselfe with most craftie dissimulation and wonderfull sleights and is wont to set forth to sale his most deadly poison for the doctrine of grace for the word of God for the Gospell of Christ For this cause Paule calleth the doctrine of the false Apostles Sathans ministers a gospell also saying vnto an other Gospell but in derision As though he would say ye Galathians haue now other Euangelistes and an other Gospell My Gospell is now despised of you it is now no more in estimation among you Hereby it may easily be gathered that these false Apostles had condemned the Gospell of Paule among the Galathians saying Paule in deede hath begunne well but to haue begunne well it is not enough for there remaine yet many higher matters Like as they say in the .15 of the Acts It is not enough for you to beleue in Christ or to be baptised but it behoueth also that ye be circumcised For except ye be circumcised after the lavv of Moses ye can not be saued This is asmuch to say as Christ is a good workman which hath in deede begunne a building but he hath not finished it for this must Moses doe So at this day when the fantasticall Anabaptistes and others can not manifestly condemne vs they say These Lutherans haue the spirite of fearefulnes they dare not franckly and freely professe the truth and goe thorow with it In deede they haue laid a foundation that is to say they haue well taught faith in Christ but the beginning midle and end must be ioyned together To bring this to passe God hath not giuen it vnto them but hath left it vnto vs So these peruerse and deuelish spirits set out and aduaunce their owne wicked preachings calling them the word of God and so deceaue many vnder the colour of Gods name For the Deuill will not be ougly and blacke in his ministers but faire and white And to the end he may appeare to be such a one he setteth out and decketh all his words and works with the colour of truth and with the name of God. Hereof is sprong that common prouerbe among the Germains In Gods name beginneth all mischiefe Wherefore let vs learne that this is a speciall point of the deuils cunning that if he can not hurt by persecuting and destroying he doth it vnder a colour of correcting and building vp So now a dayes he persecuteth vs with force and sword that when we are once taken away and dispatched he may not onely deface the Gospell but vtterly ouerthrow it But hitherto he hath preuailed nothing for he hath slaine many who haue constantly confessed this our doctrine to be holy and heauenly through whose bloud the Church is not destroied but wattred Forasmuch therefore as he could preuaile nothing that way he stirreth vp wicked spirits and vngodly teachers which at the first allow our doctrine and teach the same with a common consent together with
and a defence of his doctrine to the ende of the second chapter This he vrgeth this he standeth vpon with an oth confirmeth it that he learned not his gospel of any man but receaued the same by the reuelation of Iesus Christ And in that he sweareth he is constrained so to do that the Galathians may beleue him and also that they should geue no eare to that false Apostles whō he reproueth as liers because they had said that he learned receaued his gospel of the Apostles Where he sayth that his gospell is not after man he meaneth not that his gospell is not earthly for that is manifest of it selfe and the false apostles bragged also that their doctrine was not earthly but heauenly but he meaneth that he learned not his gospel by the ministerie of men or receiued it by any earthly meanes as we all learne it either by the ministery of men or els receaue it by some earthly meanes some by hearing some by reading and some by writing but he receaued the same onely by the reuelation of Iesus Christ If any man list to make any other distinction I am not against it The Apostle sheweth here by the way that Christ is not onely man but that he is both very God and very man whan he sayth that he receaued not his gospell by man. Now Paule receaued his gospell in the way as he was going to Damascus where Christ appeared vnto him and talked with him Afterwardes also he talked with him in the temple at Ierusalem but he receaued his gospel vpon the way as Luke reciteth the storie in the .9 of the Actes Arise sayth Christ and goe into the Citie and it shall be told thee vvhat thou must doe He doth not bid him goe into the citie that he might learne the gospel of Ananias but Ananias was bid to goe and baptise him to lay his hands vpon him to commit the ministerie of the word vnto him and to commend him vnto the Church and not to teach him the Gospel which he had receaued afore as he glorieth in this place by the onely reuelation of Iesus Christ And this Ananias himselfe confesseth saying Brother Saule the Lord vvhich appeared to thee in the vvay hath sent me that thou mightest receaue thy sight Therfore he receaued not his doctrine of Ananias but being already called lightned and taught of Christ in the way he was sent to Ananias that he might also haue the testimonie of men that he was called of God to preach the gospell of Christ This Paule was constrained to recite to put away the sclaunder of the false Apostles who laboured to bring him into hatred among the Galathians saying that Paule was inferiour to the rest of the Apostles schollers who had receaued of the Apostles that which they taught and kept whose conuersation also they had seene a long time and that Paule him selfe had also receaued the same things of them although he did now deny it Why then would they rather obey an inferiour and despise the authoritie of the Apostles themselues who were not onely the fore elders and teachers of the Galathians but also of al the Churches through out the whole world This argument which the false Apostles grounded vpon the authority of the Apostles was strong mighty wherby the Galathians were sodenly ouerthrowne especially in this matter I would neuer haue beleued had I not ben taught bp these exāples of the Churches of Galatia of the Corinthians others that they which had receaued the word of God in the beginning with such ioy among whom were many notable men could so quickly be ouerthrowne Oh good God what horrible and infinite mischeefes may one onely argument easily bring which so pearceth a mans conscience when God withdraweth his grace that in one moment he loseth altogether By this craftie pretence then the false Apostles deceaued the Galathians being not fully stablished and grounded but as yet weake in the Faith. Moreouer the matter of iustification is brickle not of it selfe for of it selfe it is most sure and certaine but in respect of vs Whereof I my selfe haue good experience For I know in what houres of darknes I sometimes wrastle I know how often sodenly I lose the beames of the gospell and grace as being shadowed from me with thicke and darke cloudes Briefly I know in what a slippery place euen such also do stand as are well exercised and seeme to haue sure footing in matters of faith We haue good experience of this matter For we are able to teach it vnto others and this is a sure token that we vnderstand it But when in the very conflict we should vse the gospell which is the word of grace consolation and life there doth the law the worde of wrath heauines and death preuent the gospell and beginneth to rage and the terrours which it raiseth vp in the conscience are no lesse then was that horrible shew in the mount Synai So that euen one place out of the scripture containing some threatning of the law drowneth and beareth downe all consolations besides and so shaketh all our inward powers that it maketh vs to forget Iustification Grace Christ the gospell and altogether Therfore in respect of vs it is a very brickle matter because we are brickle Againe we haue against vs euē the one halfe of our selues that is to say reason all the powers therof Besides all this the flesh resisteth the spirite which can not beleeue assuredly that the promises of God are true It fighteth therfore against the spirite and as Paule sayth it holdeth the spirite captiue so that it can not beleeue so stedfastly as it would Wherefore we teach continually that the knowledge of Christ and of Faith is no worke of man but simplie the gift of God who as he createth Faith so doth he kepe it in vs And euen as he first geueth Faith vnto vs through the word so afterwardes he exerciseth encreaseth strengtheneth maketh perfect the same in vs by the word Therfore the greatest seruice that a man can doe vnto God the very Sabboth of Sabboths is to exercise him selfe in true godlines diligently to read and to heare the word Contrariwise there is nothing more daūgerous then to be wery of the word He therfore that is so cold that he thinketh him selfe to know enough and beginneth by litle and litle to lothe the word that mā hath lost Christ and the gospel and that which he thinketh him self to know he attaineth onely by bare speculation And he is like vnto a man as S. Iames sayth VVho beholding his face in a glasse goeth his vvay and by and by forgetteth vvhat his countenaunce vvas Wherefore let euery faithfull man laboure and striue with all diligence to learne and to keepe this doctrine And to that ende let him vse humble and hearty prayer with continuall studie and
had not preuailed herein he could neuer haue stopped the mouthes of the false apostles For thus they would haue obiected agaīst him We are as good as Paule we are the disciples of the Apostles as well as he Moreouer he is but one alone and we are many therfore we excell him both in authoritie and in number also Here Paule was constrained to boast to affirme and sweare that he learned not his gospell of any man neither receaued it of the Apostles themselues For his ministerie was here in great daunger and al the churches likewise which had vsed him as their cheefe pastor and teacher The necessitie therfore of his Ministerie and of all the Churches required that with a necessary and holy pride he should vaunt of his vocation and of the reuelation of the Gospell made open vnto him by Christ that their consciences might be thorowly perswaded that his doctrine was the true word of god Here had Paule a waightie matter in hand namely that all the Churches in Galatia might be kept in sound doctrine and to be short the matter was concerning life death euerlasting For if the pure and certaine word of God be once taken away there remaineth no more consolation life or saluation The cause therfore why he reciteth these things is to retaine the Churches still in true doctrine and not to maintaine his own glorie as Porphirie and Iulian doe falsly sclaunder him His purpose is then to shew by this historie that he receaued his gospel of no man Againe that he preached for a certaine time namely the space of three or foure yeares the selfe same Gospel that the Apostles had preached by reuelation from God both in Damascus and Arabia before he had seene any of the Apostles Verse 20. And novve the things vvhich I vvrite vnto you he hold I vvitnes before God I lie not Wherefore addeth he an oth Because he reporteth an history he is constrained to sweare to the ende that the churches might beleue him and also that the false Apostles should not say who knoweth whether Paule speaketh the truth or no Here you see that Paule the elect vessel of God was in so great contempt among his owne Galathians to whom he had preached that it was necessary for him to sweare that he spake the truth If this happened then to the Apostles to haue so mighty aduersaries that they durst despise them and accuse them of lying what maruell is it if the like at this day happen vnto vs which in no respect are worthy to be compared with the Apostles He sweareth therfore in a matter as it seemeth of no weight that he speaketh the truth namely that he taryed not with Peter to learne of him but onely to see him but if you way the matter diligently it is very weighty and of greate importance as may appeare by that is said afore In like maner we sweare after the example of Paule God knovveth that vve lie not c. Verse 21. After that I vvent into the coastes of Syria and Cilicia Syria and Cilicia are countreys neare situate together This is it that he still goeth about to perswade that as well before he had seene the Apostles as after he was alwaies a teacher of the Gospell and that he receaued it by the reuelation of Christ and was neuer any disciple of the Apostels Verse 22 23. For I vvas vnknovven by face vnto the churches of Iudea vvhich vvere in Christ But they heard onely some say he vvhich persecuted in times past novv preacheth the faith vvhich before he destroied And they glorified God. This he addeth for the sequele and continuance of the history that after he had seene Peter he went into Syria and Cilicia and there preached and so preached that he wonne the testimony of all the churches in Iudea As though he would say I appeale to the testimony of all the churches yea euen of those which are in Iudea For the churches doe witnesse not onely in Damascus Arabia Syria and Cilicia but also in Iudea that I haue preached the same faith which I once withstoode and persecuted And they glorifie God in me not because I taught that circumcision and the law of Moses ought to be kept but for the preaching of faith and for the edifying of the churches by my ministery in the Gospell Ye therefore haue the testimony not onely of the people of Damascus and of Arabia but also of the whole Catholike or vniuersall church in Iudea The second Chapter Verse 1. Then fourtene yeares after I vvent vp to Ierusalem PAVLE taught that the Gentiles were iustified by faith onely without the works of the law This doctrine when he had published abroad among the Gentiles he commeth to Antioch and declareth to the Disciples what he had done Then they which had bene trained vp in the old customes of the law rose against Paule with great indignation for that he preached to the Gentiles libertie from the bondage of the law Wherevpon followed greate dissention which afterwards stirred vp new troubles Paule and Barnabas stoode strongly to the truth and testified saying wheresoeuer we preached among the Gentiles the holy Ghost came and fell vpon those which heard the word and this was done through out all the churches of the Gentiles But we preached not circumcision neither did we require the keping of the law but we preached onely faith in Iesus Christ and at this preaching of faith God gaue to the hearers the holy Ghost The holy Ghost therefore doth approue the Faith of the Gentiles without the law and Circumcision For if the preaching of the Gospell and faith of the Gentiles in Christ had not pleased him he had not come downe in a visible shape vpon the vncircumcised which heard the word Seing then by the only hearing of faith he came downe vpon them it is certaine that the holy ghost by this signe hath approued the faith of the Gentiles For it doth not appeare that this was euer done before at the preaching of the law Then the Ievves and many of the Phariseis which did beleue and notwithstanding bare yet a greate zeale to the law earnestly striuing to maintaine the glory thereof sette themselues fiercely against Paule who affirmed that the Gentiles were iustified by faith onely without the works of the lawe contending that the lawe ought to be kept and that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised for otherwise they could not be saued And no maruell for the very name of the lawe of God is holy dreadfull The heathen man which neuer knew any thing of the law of God if he heare any man say This doctrine is the law of God doubtles he is moued How thē could it be but that the Ievves must nedes be moued vehemently contend for the maintenāce of the law of God which euen from their infancie had bene nusled and trained vp therein We see at this day how obstinate the
may see how farre from the truth these blinde guides and leaders of the blinde haue strayed and how by this wicked and blasphemous doctrine they haue not onely darkned but taken away the Gospell and buried Christ vtterly For if I being in deadly sinne can doe any litle worke which is not onely acceptable in Gods sight according to the substaunce but also is able to deserue grace of congruence and when I haue receaued this grace I may do workes according to grace that is to say according to loue and gette of right and duetie eternall life what neede haue I now of the grace of God forgeuenes of sinnes of the promise and of the death and victorie of Christ Christ is now to me in vaine and of none effect For I haue freewill and power to doe good works wherby I deserue grace of congruence and afterwards of duety and by the worthines of my worke eternall life Such monstrous horrible blasphemies should be set forth rather to the Turkes and Iewes then to the church of Christ And this plainly declareth that the Pope with his Bishops Doctors priests with all his religious rable had no knowledge or regard of holy matters and that they were not careful for the health of the seely and miserably scattered flocke For if they had seene but through a cloud what Paule calleth sinne and what he calleth grace they would neuer haue compelled the people to beleue such abhominations execrable lies as they haue done By deadly sinne they vnderstoode onely the externall worke committed against the law as murther theft and such like They could not see that ignoraunce hatred and contempt of God in the heart ingratitude murmuring against God and resisting the will of God are also deadly sinne and that the flesh can not thinke speake or do any thing but that which is deuelish and altogether against god If they had seene these mischeefes fast rooted in the nature of man they would neuer haue deuised such impudent and execrable dreames touching the desert of congruence and worthines Wherefore we must properly and plainly define what a wicked man or a deadly sinner is He is such a holy and bloudy hypocrite as Paule was whē he went to Damascus to persecute Iesus of Nazareth to abolish the doctrine of the gospel to murther the faithful vtterly to ouerthrow the church of Christ And who will not say but that these were horrible sinnes Yet could not Paule see them For he was so blinded with a peruerse zeale of God that he thought these abhominatiōs to be perfect righteousnes and high seruice vnto God and shall we say that such as defend these horrible sinnes to be perfect righteousnes doe deserue grace Wherfore with Paule we vtterly deny the merite of congruence worthines and affirme that these speculatiōs are nothing else but mere deceites of Satan which were neuer done in dede nor notified by any examples For God neuer gaue to any man grace and euerlasting life for the merite of congruence or worthines These disputatiōs therfore of the Scholemen touching the merite of congruence worthines are nothing else but vaine toyes dreames of idle braines to no other end and purpose but to draw men from the true worship of God. And herevpon is the whole papacie grounded For there is no religious person but he hath this imagination I am able by the obseruation of my holy order to deserue grace of congruence and by the workes which I doe after that I haue receiued this grace I am able to heape vp such treasure of merite as shall not onely be sufficient for me to obtaine eternall life but also to geue or sell vnto others Thus haue all the religious orders taught and thus haue they liued And to defend this horrible blasphemie against Christ the Papists doe at this day attempt against vs what they can And there is not one of them all but the more holy hypocrite and meritemunger he is the more cruell and deadly enemy he is to the Gospell of Christ The true vvay to Christianitie Now the true way to Christianitie is this that a man aboue al things doe acknowledge him selfe to be a sinner by the lawe and that it is impossible for him to doe any good worke For the lawe sayth Thou art an euill tree and therefore all that thou thinkest speakest or doest is against god Thou canst not therefore deserue grace by thy workes Which if thou goe about to doe thou committest yet a more greeuous offence For since thou art an euill tree thou canst not but bring forth euill frutes that is to say sinnes For vvhat so euer is not of Faith is sinne Wherfore he that would deserue grace by workes going before Faith goeth about to please God with sinnes which is nothing else but to heape sinne vpon sinne to mocke God and to prouoke his wrath When a man is thus instructed by the law then is he terrified humbled then he seeth in deede the greatnes of his sinne and can not finde in him selfe one iote of the loue of God therefore he iustifieth God in his word and confesseth that he is giltie of death and eternall damnation The first part then of Christianitie is the preaching of repentance and the knowledge of our selues The second part is If thou wilt be saued thou maist not seeke saluation by works for God hath sent his onely begotten sonne into the world that we might liue through him He was crucified and died for thee and offred vp thy sinnes in his owne body Here is no congruence or worke done before grace but wrath sinne terrour and death Wherfore the lawe doth nothing else but vtter sinne terrifie and humble and by this meanes prepareth vs to iustification and driueth vs to Christ For God hath reueled vnto vs by his word that he will be vnto vs a merciful father without our desertes seing we can deserue nothing wil freely geue vnto vs remission of sinnes righteousnes life euerlasting for Christ his sonnes sake For God geueth his gifts freely vnto all and that is the praise glory of his diuinitie But the Iusticiaries will not receaue grace euerlasting life of him freely but wil deserue the same by their workes For this cause they would vtterly take from him the glory of his Diuinitie To the ende therfore that he may maintaine and defend the same he is cōpelled to send his law before which as a lightning and thundring from heauen may bruse and breake those hard rockes This briefly is our doctrine as touching Christian righteousnes against the abominations and monstrous dreames of the Papists concerning the merite of congruence and worthines or workes before and after grace For a sort of idle monks which neuer had any regard of God or his glory nor of the health of their owne soules which were neuer exercised with any tentations neuer had
we doe so contemptuously refuse the grace of God and remission of sinnes offered vnto vs by Christ This blasphemy is more horrible then can be expressed There is no sinne which Paule and the other Apostles did so much detest as the contempt of grace and deniall of Christ and yet there is no sinne more common Hereof it cometh that Paule aboue the rest doth so sharply inuey against Antichrist for that he despiseth the grace of God and refuseth the benefite of Christ our high Priest who offered vp himselfe a sacrifice for our sinnes Now thus to deny Christ what is it els but to spitte in his face to treade him vnder foote to set himselfe in his place and to say I will iustifie thee and will saue thee By what meanes By masses pilgrimages pardons merits and such like We see then how proudly Antichrist hath lift vp himselfe against and aboue God and set himself in the place of Christ reiected the grace of God and denied the faith For this is his doctrine Faith auaileth nothing saith he vnlesse it be ioyned with works and by this false and detestable doctrine he hath defaced darkned and vtterly buried the benefite of Christ in the steede of the grace of Christ and his kingdome he hath established the doctrine of works and the kingdome of ceremonies and hath confirmed the same with meere trifles and doting dreames and by this meanes he hath wrested the whole world out of Christes hands who alone ought to reigne in the conscience hath throwne it downe hedlong into hell Hereby we may easily vnderstand what it is to reiect and refuse the grace of God euen to seeke righteousnes by the law Now who hath euer heard that a man by keping of the law reiecteth grace Do we then sinne in keeping of the law No forsoth But we despise grace when we obserue the law to this end that we may be iustified through it The law is good holy and profitable and yet it iustifieth not He then that kepeth the law to be iustified therby reiecteth grace denieth Christ despiseth his sacrifice and will not be saued by this inestimable price but will satisfie for his sinnes through the righteousnes of the law or deserue grace by his owne righteousnes and this man blasphemeth and despiseth the grace of god Now what an horrible thing is it to say that any man should be so deuilish as to despise the grace and mercy of God And yet notwithstanding all the world doth so Albeit it can not abide that any man should so iudge of it but will seeme to doe high seruice and honour vnto god Now followeth the second argument Verse 21. For if righteousnes come by the lavve then Christ died in vaine Here againe I admonish you that Paule speaketh not of the ceremoniall law onely for this the Papistes doe alwaies alleage but of the whole law And these words of Paule are diligently to be considered in this wise It is true that Christ suffered death or not Againe did he suffer in vaine or not Here we are constrained to aunswere except we be starke madde that he suffered in very deede and that he suffered not in vaine nor for himselfe but for vs If then he suffered not in vaine it followeth of necessitie that righteousnes cometh not by the law Take now therfore the whole law and imagine that by the merite of cōgruence or works going before grace thou hast so much profited that thou hast receaued grace and the spirite of God which is a thinge impossible vnto nature but yet admitte I say that in doing what in thee lieth thou hast obtained grace art made righteous and hast receaued the holy Ghost by the merite of congruence then hast thou no neede of Christ he is to thee vnprofitable and his death of none effect Moreouer take euen the law of the ten commaundements wherin is contained the true religion and the highest seruice of God that is to say faith the feare of God the loue of God and the loue of our neighbour and shew me any man that hath bene iustified therby yet is it true notwithstanding that Christ died in vaine For he that is iustified by the law hath power in himselfe to obtaine righteousnes For in that he doth what in him lieth he deserueth grace the holy Ghost is powred into him wherby he is now able to loue God and his neighbour This being graunted it must needes follow that Christ died in vaine For what neede of Christ hath he which both loueth Christ and geueth himselfe for him so that he is able by the merite of congruence before grace to obtaine grace and then to doe such works as by the merite of worthines after grace he is able to deserue eternall life Then take away Christ withall his benefits for he is vtterly vnprofitable But why was he borne why was he crucified why did he suffer why was he made my high Priest louing me and geuing Himselfe an inestimable sacrifice for me In vaine no doubt and to no purpose at all if righteousnes come by no other meanes then the Papistes teach for I finde no righteousnes but either in my selfe or in the law without grace and without Christ Is this horrible blasphemy to be suffered or dissembled that the diuine maiestie not sparing his owne deare sonne but deliuering him to death for vs all should not doe all these things seriously in good earnest but as it were in sport Before I would admit this blasphemie I would not only that the holines of all the Papists meritmongers but also of all the Saincts holy angels should be throwne downe into the bottome of hell condemned with the deuil Mine eies shall behold nothing els but this inestimable price my Lord Sauiour Christ He ought to be such a treasure vnto me that all other things should be but dunge in cōparison of him He ought to be such a light vnto me that when I haue apprehended him by faith I should not know whether there be any law any sinne any righteousnes or any vnrighteousnes in the world For what is al that is either in heauē or earth in cōparisō of the sonne of god Christ Iesus my lord Sauiour vvho loued me gaue hīself for me Wherfore to reiect the grace of God is an horrible sinne and commonly reigning throughout the world wherof al they are giltie which seeke righteousnes by their owne workes For whiles they seeke to be iustified by their owne works and merites or by the law they reiect the grace of God and Christ as I haue said And of all these abhominations the Pope hath bene the only author For he hath not onely defaced and troden the Gospell of Christ vnder his feete but hath also replenished the world with his cursed traditions And hereof amongest other enormities his bulles and pardons are a sufficient witnes wherby he
promise made vnto Abraham In thy seede shall all nations be blessed might so be fulfilled Therfore by no other meanes could this be done that is here promised but that Iesus Christ must needes become a Curse and ioyne him selfe to those that were accursed that so he might take away the Curse from them and through his Blessing might bring vnto them righteousnes and life And here marke as I haue also forewarned you that this word Blessing is not in vaine as the Iewes dreame who expoūd it to be but a salutation by word of mouth or by wryting But Paule entreateth here of sinne and righteousnes of death and life before god He speaketh therefore of inestimable and incomprehensible things when he sayth that the Blessing of Abraham might come vpon the Gentiles through Iesus Christ Ye see moreouer what merits we bring by what meanes we obtain this Blessing This is the merite of Congruence worthines these are the works preparatiue wherby we obtain this righteousnes that Christ Iesus was made a Curse for vs For we are ignorant of God enemies of God dead in sinne accursed and what is our desert then What can he deserue that is accursed ignorāt of God dead in sinnes and subiect to the wrath iudgement of God When the Pope excōmunicateth a man whatsoeuer he doth is counted accursed How much more then may we say that he is accursed before God as all we are before we know Christ which doth nothing else but cursed things Wherefore there is no other way to auoide the Curse but to beleue and with assured confidēce to say Thou Christ art my sinne my Curse or rather I am thy sinne thy Curse thy death thy wrath of God thy hell and contrariwise thou arte my righteousnes my Blessing my life my grace of God and my heauen For the text sayeth plainely Christe is made a Curse for vs. Therefore we are the cause that he was made a Curse nay rather we are his Curse This is an excellent place full of spiritual consolation albeit it satisfie not the blind hard harted Iewes yet it satisfieth vs that are baptised and haue receaued this doctrine and concludeth most mightely that we are blessed through the Curse the sinne the death of Christ that is to say we are iustified and quickned vnto life So long as sinne death and the Curse do abide in vs sinne terrifieth death killeth and the Curse condemneth vs But when these are translated and laid vpon Christes backe then are these euils made his owne and his good thinges are made ours Let vs therefore learne in all tentations to translate sinne death the Curse and all euils which oppresse vs from our selues vnto Christ and againe from him vnto our selues righteousnes mercy life and blessing For he beareth all our euils vpon him God the father cast the iniquities of vs all as Esay the Prophet saith vpon him And he hath taken them vpon him willingly for he was not giltie But this he did that he might fulfill the will of his father by the which we are made holy for euer This is that infinite and vnmeasurable mercy of God which Paule would gladly amplifie with all eloquence and plentie of wordes but the slender capacitie of mans heart can not comprehende and much lesse vtter that vnsearchable deapth and burning zeale of Gods loue towards vs And verely the inestimable greatnes of Gods mercy not only engendreth an hardnes to beleue but also incredulitie it selfe For I doe not onely heare that almightie God the creatour and maker of all things is good and merciful but also that the same high souereigne Maiestie was so careful for me a damnable sinner a child of wrath and of euerlasting death that he spared not his owne deare Sonne but deliuered him to a most opprobrious and shamefull death that he hāging betwene two theeues might be made a Curse and sinne for me a cursed sinner that I might be made blessed that is to say the childe and heire of god Who can sufficiently praise and magnify this exceeding great goodnes of God Not all the Angels in heauen Therfore the doctrine of the Gospell the booke of God speaketh of farre other matters then any booke of policie or philosophie yea or the booke of Moses himselfe to wit of the vnspeakeable and most diuine giftes of God which farre passe the capacitie and vnderstanding both of men and Angels Verse 14. That vve might receaue the promise of the spirite through faith This is a phrase of the Hebrewes The promise of the spirite that is to say the spirite promised Now the spirite is freedom from the law sinne death the Curse hel and from the wrath and iudgement of god Here is no merite or worthines of ours but a free promise and a gifte geuen through the Seede of Abraham that we may be free from all euils and obtaine all good things whatsoeuer And this libertye gift of the spirite we receiue not by any other merites then by Faith alone For that onely taketh holde of the promise of God as Paule plainly sayth in this place that vve might receaue the promise of the spirite not by vvorkes but by Faith. This is in dede a sweete and a true Apostolike doctrine which sheweth that those things are fulfilled for vs now geuen to vs which many Prophets Kings desired to see to heare And such like places as this one is were gathered together out of diuers sayings of the Prophets which forsaw long before in spirite that all things should be chaūged repaired and gouerned by this man Christe Therfore the Iewes hauing the law of God did notwithstanding besides that law looke for Christ None of the Prophets or gouernours of the people of God did make any new lawe but Elias Samuel Dauid all the other Prophets did abide vnder the law of Moses they did not appoint any new tables or a new kingdom priesthode for that new chaunge of the kingly priesthoode of the law the worship was referred kept to him only of whom Moises had prophesied longe before The Lord thy God shal raise vp a Prophet vnto thee of thine ovvne nation and from among thy brethren Him shalt thou heare As if he should say Thou shalt heare him onely and none besides him This the Fathers well vnderstode for none could teach greater and higher poynts then Moises him selfe who made excellent lawes of high and great matters as are the ten commaundemēts especially the first commaundement I am the Lord thy God Thou shalt haue no other Gods but me Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God vvith all thy heart c. This law concerning the loue of God doth comprehend the very Angels also Therfore it is the headspring of all diuine wisedom And yet was it necessary notwithstanding that an other teacher should come that is to say
blessed Seede which is Christ who hath gracious lippes wherwith he accuseth and terrifieth not but speaketh of farre better things then doth the lawe namely of grace peace forgeuenes of sinnes victorie ouer sinne death the Deuill and damnation gotten by his death and passion vnto all beleuers Paule therfore sheweth by these words Vntill the Seede should come vnto whom the Blessing was promised howe long the lawe should endure literally and spiritually After the letter it ceased after the blessed Seede came in to the world taking vpon him our flesh geuing the holy Ghost and wryting a newe lawe in our hearts But the spirituall time of the lawe doth not ende at once but continueth rooted in the conscience Therfore it is a hard matter for a man which is exercised with the spirituall vse of the lawe to see the ende of the lawe For in these terrours and feeling of sinne the minde can not conceaue this hope that God is mercifull and that he will forgeue sinnes for Christes sake but it iudgeth only that God is angrie with sinners and that he accuseth and condemneth them If faith come not here to raise vppe againe the pore afflicted conscience or else according to that saying of Christ vvhere tvvo or three are gathered together in my name c. there be some faithfull brother at hand that may comfort him by the worde of God which is so oppressed and beaten downe by the lawe desperation and death must needes folow Therfore it is a perillous thing for a man to be alone VVoe be to him that is alone sayth the Preacher for vvhen he falleth he hath none to raise him vp Wherefore they that ordeined that cursed Monkish and solitarie life gaue occasion to many thousandes to despaire If a man should separate him selfe frō the company of other for a day or two to be occupied in prayer as we read of Christ that sometime he went a side alone into the Mount and by night continued in prayer there were no daunger therein But when they constrained men continually to liue a solitarie life it was a deuice of the Deuil him self For when a man is tempted and is alone he is not able to reise vppe him selfe no not in the least tentation that can be Ver. 19. And it vvas ordeined by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour This is a litle digression from his purpose which he neither declareth nor finisheth but onely toucheth it by the way and so proceedeth For he retourneth incontinent to his purpose when he sayeth what is the lawe then contrary to the promises of God Nowe this was the occasion of his digression He fell into this difference betwene the lawe and the Gospell to witte that the lawe added to the promises did differ from the gospell not onely in respect of time but also of the author and the principal cause therof For the lawe was deliuered by the Angels Heb. 1 but the Gospell by the Lord him selfe Wherfore the Gospell is farre more excellent then the lawe For the lawe is the voice of the seruauntes but the Gospell is the voyce of the Lord him selfe Therfore to abase and to diminish the authority of the lawe and to exalt and magnifie the Gospell he sayth that the lawe was a doctrine geuen to continue but for a small time for it endured but onely vntill the fulnes of the promise that is to say vntill the blessed Seede came which fulfilled the promise but that the Gospel was for euer For all the faithfull haue had alway one and the selfe same Gospel from the beginning of the world and by that they were saued The lawe therefore is farre inferiour to the Gospell because it was ordained by the Angelles which are but seruauntes and endured but for a short time whereas the Gospell was ordeined by the Lord him selfe to continue for euer Hebrues 1. For it vvas promised before all vvorldes Tit. 1. Moreouer the word of the lawe was not ordeined by the Angels being but seruauntes but also by an other seruaunt farre inferiour to the Angels namely by a man that is as here he sayeth by the hand of a Mediatour that is to say Moises Nowe Christ is not a seruaunt but the Lord him selfe He is not a Mediatour betwene God and man according to the lawe as Moises was but he is a Mediatour of a better Testament The law therfore was ordeined by Angels as seruauntes For Moises and the people heard God speaking in the Mount Sina that is to say they heard the angels speaking in the person of god Therfore Stephen in the seuenth of the Actes sayeth Ye haue receaued the lavve by the ministerie of the Angels and ye haue not regarded it Also the text in the third of Exodus sheweth plainely that the Angell appeared vnto Moises in a flame of fire and spake vnto him from the middest of the bush Paule therefore signifieth that Christe is a Mediaotur of a farre better Testament then Moises And here he alludeth to that history in Moises concerning the geuing of the lawe which sayeth that Moises ledde the people out of their tentes to meete with God and that he placed them at the foote of the Mount Sina There was an heauie and an horrible sight The whole Mount was on a flaming fier When the people sawe this they began to tremble for they thought that they should haue ben suddenly destroyed in this fearfull tempest Because therefore they could not abide the lawe sounding so horribly out of Mount Sina for that terrifying voice of the lawe would haue killed the people they sayd vnto Moises their Mediatour Come thou hether and heare vvhat the Lord sayeth and speake thou vnto vs. And he aunswered I my selfe sayeth he vvas a Mediatour and one that stoode betvvene God and you c. By these places it is plaine enough that Moises was appoynted a Mediatour betwene the people and the lawe speaking Wherfore Paule by this historie goeth about to declare that it is impossible that righteousnes should come by the lawe As if he should say howe can the lawe iustifie seeing the whole people of Israell being purified and sanctified yea and Moises him selfe the Mediatour betwene God and the people were afraide and trembled at the voice of the lawe as it is sayd in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Here was nothing but feare and trembling But what righteousnes and holines is this not to be able to beare yea not to be able or willing to heare the lawe but to flie from it and so to hate it that it is impossible to hate and abhorre any thing more in the whole world as the historie moste plainly testifieth that the people when they heard the lawe did hate nothing more then the lawe and rather wished death then to heare the lawe So when sinne is discouered as it were by certaine bright beames which the law striketh into the heart
lawe those holy and most gracious wordes namely I am the Lord thy God vvhich brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage Thou shalt haue none other Gods c. Shevving mercy to thousandes c. Honour thy father and thy mother that it may goe vvell vvith thee and that thy daies may be prolonged vpon the earth c. and that they had neede of a Mediatour They could not abide this most excellent perfect and diuine wisedom this most gracious sweete comfortable doctrine Let not the Lorde speake vnto vs say they lest vve die Speake thou vnto vs c. Doubtles it is a merueilous thinge that a man can not heare that which is his whole felicite namely that he hath a God yea a mercifull God which wil shew mercy vnto him in many thousands of generatiōs c. And moreouer that he can not abide that which is his chiefe safetie protectiō defence namely Thou shalt not kil Thou shalt not cōmit adultery Thou shalt not steale For by these wordes the Lord hath compassed and fortified the life of man his wife his children and his goods as it were with a wal against the force and violence of the wicked The law then can doe nothing sauing that by his light it lightneth the cōscience that it may know sinne death the iudgement the hatred and wrath of god Before the law come I am secure I feele no sinne but whē the law cometh sinne death hel are reueiled vnto me This is not to be made righteous but giltie the enemy of God to be condemned to death and hell fire The principall point then of the law in true Christian Diuinitie is to make men not better but worse that is to say it sheweth vnto them their sinne that by the knowledge therof they may be humbled terrified brused and brokē by this meanes may be driuen to seeke comforte and so to come to that blessed Seede Verse 20. But God is one God offendeth no person and therefore needeth no Mediatour But we offend God and therfore we haue neede of a Mediatour not Moses but Christ vvhich speaketh farre better things for vs c. Hitherto he hath continued in his digression Now he retourneth to his purpose Verse 21. Is the lavv then against the promise of God Paule said before that the law iustifieth not Shall we then take away the law No not so For it bringeth with it a certaine commoditie What is that It bringeth men vnto the knowledge of themselues it discouereth and encreaseth sinne c. Here now riseth an other obiection If the lawe doe nothing els but make men worse in shewing vnto them their sinne then is it contrary to the promises of god For it seemeth that God is but onely prouoked to anger and offended through the law and therefore he regardeth not nor performeth his promises We Iewes haue thought the contrary to witte that we are restrained and bridled by this externall discipline to the ende that God being prouoked therby might hastē the performing of his promise and that by this discipline we might deserue the promise Paule aunswereth It is nothing so But contrariwise if ye haue regard to the law the promise is rather hindered For natural reason offendeth God which so faithfully promiseth whiles it will not heare his good and holy lawe For it sayth Let not the Lorde speake vnto vs c. How can it be then that God should performe his promise vnto those which not onely receaue not his law and his discipline but also with a mortal hatred do shunne it flie from it Here therfore as I said riseth this obiection Then the law semeth to hinder the promises of god This obiection Paule toucheth by the way briefely aūswereth saying Verse 21. God forbid Why so First for that God doth not make any promise vnto vs because of our worthines our merits our good works but that he doth is of his meere goodnes and inestimable mercy in Christ He saith not to Abraham All nations shal be blessed in thee because thou hast kept the law but as it is written in the .24 chap. of Iosua when he was yet vncircumcised had no law was yet an idolater he said vnto him Goe out of thine ovvne land c. I vvill be thy protectour c. Also In thy Seede shall all nations be blessed These are absolute meere promises which God freely geueth vnto Abraham without any condition or respect of workes either going before or comming after This is specially against the Iewes which thinke that the promises of God are hindered because of their sinnes God saith Paule doth not slacke his promises because of our sinnes or hasten the same for our righteousnes and merites he regardeth neither the one nor the other Wherefore although we be worse and more sinnefull and brought into a greater contempte and hatred of God by meanes of the lawes yet notwithstanding God is not moued therby to differre his promise For his promise doth not stande vpon our worthines but vpon his onely goodnes and mercy Therefore where the Iewes say The Messias is not yet come because our sinnes doe hinder his cōming it is a detestable lie As though God should become vnrighteous because of our sinnes or made a lier because we are liers He abideth alwaies iust and true his truth therefore is the onely cause that he accomplisheth and performeth his promise Moreouer although the law doe reueile and encrease sinne yet is it not against the promises of God yea rather it confirmeth the promises For as concerning his proper worke and ende it humbleth and prepareth a man so that he vse it rightly to sigh and seeke for mercy For when sinne is reueiled to a man and so encreased by the law then he beginneth to perceaue the wickednes and hatred of mans hearte against the law and against God him selfe the authour of the law Then he feeleth in deede that not only he loueth not God but also hateth and blasphemeth God who is full of goodnes mercy and his lawe which is iust and holy Then is he constrained to cōfesse that there is no good thing in him And thus when he is throwne downe and humbled by the lawe he acknowledgeth him selfe to be most miserable and damnable When the law therfore constraineth a man so to acknowledge his owne corruption and to confesse his sinne from the bottome of his heart then hath it done his office truely and his time is accomplished and ended And nowe is the time of grace that the blessed Seede may come to raise vppe and to comfort him that is so cast downe and humbled by the lawe After this manner the law is not against the promises of god For first the promise hangeth not vpon the lawe but vpon the truth and mercy of God only and alone Secondly when the law is in
and much lesse to rewarde them For it seeth them not or if it doe it esteemeth them not as good workes but as most wicked and detestable crimes and riddeth the world of those which are the doers therof as most pestilent plagues to mankinde So Christ the Sauiour of the world for a recōpence of his incōprehensible inestimable benefites was put to the most ignominious death of the crosse The Apostles also bringing the word of grace eternall life into the world were coūted the ofscouring the outcastes of the whole world This is the goodly reward which the world geueth for so great vnspeakeable benefites But workes done without faith although they haue neuer so goodly a shew of holines are vnder the Curse Wherfore so farre of it is that the doers therof should deserue grace righteousnes eternall life that rather they heape sinne vpon sinne After this maner the Pope that child of perdition and all that follow him doe worke So worke all meritemongers and heretikes which are fallen frō the faith Verse 23. But before faith came He proceedeth in declaring the profite necessitie of the law He said before the the law was added for transgressions Not that it was the principall purpose of God to make a law that should bring death dānation as he saith Rom. 7. VVas that vvhich vvas good saith he made death vnto me God forbid For the law is a word that sheweth life driueth mē vnto it Therfore it is not only geuen as a minister of death but the principal vse end therof is to reueile death that so it might be seene knowen how horrible sinne is notwithstanding it doth not so reueile death as though it tended to no other end but to kill destroy But to this end it reuealeth death that when men are terrified cast downe humbled they should feare god And this doth the 20. chap. of Erodus declare Feare not saith Moses For God is come to proue you that his feare may be before you that ye sinne not The office therfore of the law is to kill yet so that God may reuiue quickē againe The law then is not geuē only to kil but because mā is proud dreameth that he is wise righteous and holy therfore it is necessary he should be humbled by the law that so this beaste the opinion of righteousnes I say might be slaine for otherwise men can not obtaine life Albeit then that the law killeth yet God vseth this effect of the law this death I meane to a good vse that is to say euen to life For God seeing that this vniuersall plague of the whole world to wit mās opinion of his owne righteousnes his hypocrisie cōfidence in his owne holines could not be beatē downe by any other meanes he would that it should be slaine by the law not for euer but that when it is once slaine mā might be raised vppe againe aboue and beyond the lawe and there might heare this voice Feare not I haue not geuen the lawe and killed thee by the lawe to this ende that thou shouldest abide in this death but that thou shouldest feare me and liue For the presuming of good workes and righteousnes standeth not with the feare of God And where the feare of God is not there cā be no thirsting for grace or life God must therefore haue a strong hammer or a mightie maul to breake the rockes and a hote burning fire in the middes of heauen to ouerthrowe the mountaines that is to say to destroy this furious and obstinate beast this presumption I say that when a man by this brusing and breaking is brought to nothīg he should despaire of his owne strēgth righteousnes and holines and being thus throughly terrified should thirst after mercy and remission of sinnes Ver. 23. But before Faith came vve vvere vnder the lavv shut vppe vnto the Faith vvhich should aftervvardes be reuealed That is to say before the time of the Gospell and grace came the office of the law was that we should be shutte vppe and kept vnder the same as it were in prison This is a goodly and a fitte similitude shewing the effect of the law and how righteous it maketh men therefore it is diligently to be weyed No theefe no murtherer no adulterer or other malefactour loueth the chaines and fetters the darke and lothsome prison wherin he lieth fast boūd but rather if he could he would breake and beate in to pouder the prison with his irons and fetters In deede whiles he is in prison he refraineth from doing of euill but not of a good will or for righteousnes sake but because the prison restreineth him that he can not doe it And nowe being fast fettred he hateth not his theft and his murther yea he is sory with all his heart that he can not robbe and steale cutte and slay but he hateth the prison and if he could escape he would robbe and kill as he did before The lawe shutteth men vnder sinne two wayes Ciuily and Spiritually Such is the force of the lawe and the righteousnes that cometh of the lawe compelling vs to be outwardly good when it threatneth death or any other punishment to the transgressours thereof Here we obey the law in deede but for feare of punishment that is vnwillingly and with great indignation But what righteousnes is this when we absteine from doing euill for feare of punishment Wherefore this righteousnes of works is in deede nothing else but to loue sinne to hate righteousnes to detest God with his lawe and to loue and reuerence that which is most horrible and abhominable For looke howe hartely the theefe loueth the prison and hateth his theft so gladly doe we obey the lawe in accomplishing that which it commaundeth and auoiding that which it forbiddeth Notwithstanding this fruite and this profite the lawe bringeth although mens hartes remaine neuer so wicked that first outwardly and ciuily after a sort it restraineth theeues murtherers and other malefactours For if they did not see and vnderstand that sinne is punished in this life by imprisonment by the galowes by the sword and such like and after this life with eternall damnation and hell fire no Magistrate should be able to bridle the fury and rage of men by any lawes bondes or chaines But the threatnings of the lawe strike a terrour in to the hartes of the wicked whereby they are brideled after a sort that they runne not headlong as otherwise they would doe into all kindes of wickednes Notwithstanding they would rather that there were no law no punishment no hell and finally no god If God had not an hell or did not punish the wicked he should be loued and praised of all men But because he punisheth the wicked and all are wicked therefore in as much as they are shut vnder the lawe they can doe no otherwise
place onely to Christ Let him onely raigne in righteousnes in peace in ioy and life that the cōscience may sleepe and repose it selfe ioyfully in Christe without any feeling of the law sinne and death Paule here of purpose vseth this figuratiue speech Elements of the vvorld whereby as I sayd he doth much abase and diminish the glory and authoritie of the lawe to stirre vs vppe For he that readeth Paule attentiuely when he heareth that he calleth the lawe the ministerie of death the letter that killeth c. by by he thinketh thus with him selfe why doth he geue such odious and as it appeareth to reason blasphemous termes to the lawe which is a diuine doctrine reuealed from heauen To this Paule aunswereth that the law is both holy iust and good and also the ministerie of sinne and death but in diuers respectes Before Christe it is holy after Christe it is death Therefore when Christe is come we ought to know nothing at all of the lawe vnlesse it be in this respect that it hath power and dominion ouer the flesh to bridle it and to keepe it vnder Here is a conflict betwene the law and the flesh to whom the yoke of the lawe is hard and greuous as long as we liue Onely Paule among all the Apostles calleth the lawe the rudiments of the world weake and beggerly elements the strength of sinne the letter that killeth c. The other Apostles spake not so of the law Whosoeuer then will be a right scholer in Christes schoole let him marke diligently this maner of speech vsed of the Apostle Christe calleth him an elect vessell and therefore gaue vnto him an exquisite vtterance and a singuler kinde of speech aboue all the rest of the Apostles that he as an elect vessel might faithfully lay the foundations of the article of Iustification and clearely set forth the same Verse 4. But after the fulnes of time vvas come God sent his sonne made or borne of a vvoman made vnder the lavve that he might redeme them vvhich vvere vnder the lavve That is to say after that the time of the lawe was fulfilled and that Christ was reuealed and had deliuered vs from the law and that the promise was published among all nations c. Marke here diligently how Paule defineth Christe Christe sayth he is the sonne of God and of a woman which for vs sinners was made vnder the law to redeme vs that were vnder the law In these wordes he comprehendeth both the person of Christe and the office of Christe His person consisteth of his diuine and humane nature This he sheweth plainly when he sayth God sent his ovvne sonne borne of a vvoman Christe therefore is very God and very man His office he setteth out in these wordes Being made vnder the lavve to redeame them that vvere vnder the lavve c. And it seemeth that Paule here as it were in reproch calleth the virgine Marie but onely a woman which thing was not wel taken euē of some of the auncient Doctors who would that he should rather haue called her a virgin then a womā But Paule intreateth in this Epistle of the most high principal matter of all to wit of the Gospel of Faith of Christian righteousnes Also what the person of Christ is what is his office what he hath taken vppon him done for our cause what benefits he hath brought to vs wretched sinners Wherfore the excellencie of so high so wōderfull a matter was the cause that he had no regard to her virginitie It was enough for him to set forth preach the inestimable mercy of God which would that his sōne should be borne of that sexe Therfore he maketh no mention of the dignitie of the sexe but onely of the sexe And in that he nameth the sexe he signifieth that Christe was made true and very man of womankinde As if he sayd He was borne not of man and woman but onely of womankinde Therefore when he nameth but onely the womankinde saying made of a vvoman it is as if he should haue sayde made of a virgine Iohn the Euangelist when he thus setteth forth the Word that it vvas in the beginning vvas made flesh speaketh not one word of his mother Furthermore this place also witnesseth that Christe when the time of the lawe was accomplished did abolish the same and so brought libertie to those that were oppressed therewith but made no newe lawe after or besides that old lawe of Moises Wherefore the Monkes and Popish Schoolemen doe no lesse erre and blaspheme Christe in that they imagine that he hath geuen a new lawe besides the lawe of Moises then doe the Turkes which vaunt of their Mahomet as of a new lawgeuer after Christ and better then Christ Christ then came not to abolish the old lawe that he might make a newe but as Paule here sayeth he was sent of his Father into the world to redeme those which were kept in thraldome vnder the lawe These wordes paint out Christe liuely and truly they doe not attribute vnto him the office to make any new law but to redeme them which were vnder the law And Christ himself sayth I iudge no man. And in an other place I came not to iudge the vvorld but that the vvorld should be saued by me That is to say I came not to bring any lawe nor to iudge men according to the same as Moises and other lawgeuers but I haue an higher a better office The lawe killed you and I againe doe iudge condemne and kill the lawe and so I deliuer you from the tyrannie thereof We that are olde men which haue ben so nusled vp in this pernicious doctrine of the Papistes that it hath taken deepe roote euen in our bones and marrow haue conceaued an opinion quite contrary to that which Paule here teacheth For although we confessed with our mouth that Christ redemed vs from the tyrannie of the lawe yet in very dede in our heart we thought him to be a lawgeuer a tyranne and a iudge more terrible then Moises him selfe And this peruerse opinion we can not yet at this day in so great light of the truth vtterly reiect so strongly are those things rooted in our heartes which we learne in our youth But ye which are yet yong and are not infected with this pernicious opinion may learne Christ purely with lesse difficultie thē we that are olde can remoue out of our mindes these blasphemous imaginations which we haue conceaued of him Notwithstanding ye haue not vtterly escaped the deceites of the Deuill For although ye be not as yet infected with this cursed opinion that Christ is a lawgeuer yet haue ye in you the roote whereof it springeth that is ye haue the flesh reason and the corruption of nature which can iudge no otherwise of Christ but that he is a lawgeuer Therefore ye must endeuour with
the morall lawe before Faith. Verse 5. That vve might receaue the adoption of the sonnes Paule setteth forth amplifieth very largely this place of Gen. 22. In thy Seede shall all the natiōs of the earth be blessed A litle before he called this Blessing of the seede of Abraham righteousnes life the promise of the spirit deliuerance from the law the testament c. Here he calleth it the adoption and inheritance of euerlasting life All these this word Blessing doth comprehend For when the Curse which is sinne death c. is abolished then in the stede thereof succedeth the Blessing that is righteousnes life and all good things But by what merite haue we receaued this Blessing that is to say this adoption and inheritaunce of euerlasting life By none at all For what can men deserue that are shutte vnder sinne subiect to the curse of the lawe and worthy of euerlasting death We haue then receiued this Blessing freely and being vtterly vnworthy therof but yet not without merite What merite is that Not ours but the merite of Iesus Christ the sonne of God who being made vnder the lawe not for him selfe but for vs as Paule sayd afore that he vvas made a curse for vs redemed vs which were vnder the lawe Wherfore we haue receaued this adoption by the onely redemption of Iesus Christe the sonne of God which is our rich and euerlasting merite whether it be of congruēce or worthines going before grace or comming after And with this free adoption we haue also receaued the holy Ghost which God hath sent into our hearts crying Abba Father as foloweth Verse 6. And because you are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirite of his sonne into your hearts The holy ghost is sent two maner of wayes In the primatiue church he was sent in a manifest visible appearāce So he came vpon Christ at Iordane in the likenes of a Doue and in the likenes of fire vpon the Apostles and other beleuers And this was the first sending of the holy Ghost which was necessary in the primatiue church for it was expedient that it should be established by manifest myracles because of the vnbeleuers as Paule witnesseth 1. Cor. 14. Straunge tongues sayth he be for a signe and a token not to them that beleue but to them that beleue not But after that the Church was gathered together and cōfirmed with those myracles it was not necessary that this visible sending of the holy Ghost should continue any longer Secondly the holy Ghost is sent by the word into the hearts of the beleuers as here it is sayd God sent the spirite of his sonne c. This sending is without any visible appearance to witte when by the hearing of the externall word we receaue an inward feruencie and light wherby we are chaunged become new creatures wherby also we receaue a new iudgement a new feeling a new mouing This chaūge this new iudgemēt is no worke of reason or of the power of mā but is the gift operation of the holy Ghost which commeth with the word preached which purifieth our hearts by faith and bringeth forth in vs spirituall motions Therefore there is a great difference betwixt vs those which with force subteltie persecute the doctrine of the gospell For we by the grace of God can certainly iudge by the word of the will of God towardes vs also of all lawes and doctrines of our owne life and of the life of others Contrariwise the Papists and Sectaries can not certainly iudge of any thing For they corrupt they persecute and blaspheme the word Now without the word a man can geue no certaine iudgement of any thing And although it appeare not before the world that we be renewed in spirit and haue the holy Ghost yet notwithstanding our iudgemēt our speech our confession do declare sufficiently that the holy Ghost with his giftes is in vs For before we could iudge rightly of nothing We spake not as now we doe We confessed not that all our works were sinne and damnable that Christe was our onely merite both before grace after as now we doe in the true knowledge and light of the Gospell Wherefore let this trouble vs nothing at all that the world whose workes we testifie to be euill iudgeth vs to be most pernicious heretikes and seditious persons destroyers of religion and troublers of the common peace possessed of the Deuill speaking in vs and gouerning all our actions Against this peruerse and wicked iudgement of the world let this testimonie of our conscience be sufficient wherby we assuredly know that it is the gift of God that we doe not onely beleue in Iesus Christ but that we also openly preach and confesse him before the world As we beleue with our heart so do we speake with our mouth according to the saying of the Psalm I beleued therfore haue I spoken Moreouer we exercise our selues in the feare of God and auoide sinne as much as we may If we sinne we sinne not of purpose but of ignorance and we are sory for it We may slippe for the Deuill lieth in wait for vs both day and night Also the remnantes of sinne cleaue yet fast in our flesh therefore as touching the flesh we are sinners yea after that we haue receaued the holy Ghost And there is no great difference betwixt a Christian and a ciuill honest man. For the workes of a Christian in outward shew are but base and simple He doth his duetie according to his vocation he guideth his familie he tilleth the ground he geueth counsell he aideth and succoureth his neighbour These workes the carnall man doth not much esteme but thinketh them to be common to all men and such as the heathen may also doe For the world vnderstandeth not the things which are of the spirite of God and therefore it iudgeth peruersly of the workes of the godly But the monstrous superstition of hypocrites and their will workes they haue in great admiration They count them holy works spare no charges in maintaining the same Contrariwise the workes of the faithfull which although in outward appearance they seeme to be but vile nothing worth yet are they good works in dede and accepted of God because they are done in Faith with a cherefull heart and with obedience and thankfulnes towards God these works I say they do not onely not acknowledge to be good works but also they despise and condemne them as most wicked and abhominable The world therfore beleueth nothing lesse then that we haue that holy Ghost notwithstanding in the time of tribulation or of the crosse and of the cōfession of our faith which is that proper principall worke of those that beleue when we must either forsake wife children goodes and life or else deny Christ then it appeareth that we make confession of
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
haue nothing lesse Hereby we may plainly see that the Pope with his doctrine doth nothing else but trouble and torment mens consciences at length driueth them to desperation For he not onely teacheth but also cōmaundeth men to dout Therfore according to the Psalme There is no truth or certaintie in his mouth And in an other place vnder his tōge is iniquitie mischeefe Here we may see what great infirmitie is yet in the Faith of the Godly For if we could be fully perswaded that we are vnder grace that our sinnes are forgeuen that we haue the spirit of Christ that we are the children of God then doubtles we should be ioyfull and thankfull to God for this inestimable gift But because we feele cōtrary motions that is to say feare doutfulnes anguish and heuines of heart such like therfore we can not assure our selues hereof yea our conscience iudgeth it a great presumption and pride to chalenge this glory Wherfore if we will vnderstand this thing rightly and as we should doe we must put it in practise for without experience and practise it can neuer be learned Wherfore let euery man so practise with him selfe that his conscience may be fully assured that he is vnder grace and that his person and his workes doe please god And if he feele in himselfe any wauering or douting let him exercise his Faith and wrastle against this douting and let him endeuour to attaine more certaintie so that he may be able to say I know that I am accepted and that I haue the holy Ghost not for mine owne worthines my worke my merite but for Christes sake who of his inestimable loue towardes vs made him self thrall and subiect to the lawe tooke away the sinnes of the world In him do I beleue If I be a sinner erre he is righteous and can not erre Moreouer I gladly heare read sing wryte of him and I desire nothing more then that his Gospel may be knowne to the whole world and that many may be conuerted vnto him These things doe plainly witnesse that the holy Ghost is present with vs in vs For such things are not wrought in the heart by mans strength nor gotten by his industrie exercise or trauell but are obtained by Christ alone who first maketh vs righteous by the knowledge of him in his holy Gospel and afterwardes he createth a new heart in vs bringeth forth new motions geueth vnto vs that assurance wherby we are perswaded that we please the father for his sake Also he geueth vs a true iudgement whereby we proue trie those things which before we knew not or else altogether despised It behoueth vs therefore to wrastle against this douting that we may daily ouercome it more and more attaine to a full perswasion certainty of Gods fauour towardes vs rooting out of our heartes this cursed opinion that a man ought to dout of the grace fauour of God which hath infected the whole world For if we dout whether we be vnder grace whether we please God for Christes sake or not we deny that Christe hath redemed vs we deny simply all his benefits Ye that are yong mē may easily apprehēd this pure doctrine of the Gospel and abādon this pernicious opinion because ye are not yet poysoned therwith Verse 6. Crying Abba Father Paule might haue sayd God sent the spirite of his sonne into our hearts calling Abba Father Now he sayth not so but crying Abba Father that he might shew and set forth the temptation of a Christian which yet is but weake and weakly beleueth In the .8 to the Rom. he calleth this crying an vnspeakeable groning Likewise he sayeth The spirite helpeth our infirmities For vve knovv not hovve to pray as vve ought but the spirite maketh intercession for vs vvith vnspeakeable gronings c. And this is a singuler consolation when he sayeth here that the spirite of Christ is sent into our hearts crying Abba Father And againe that he helpeth our infirmities making intercession for vs with vnspeakeable gronings He that could assuredly beleue this should neuer be ouercome with any affliction were it neuer so great But there are many things that hinder this Faith in vs First our heart is borne in sinne Moreouer this euill is naturally grafted in vs that we doubt of the good will of God towardes vs and cannot assure our selues that we please God. c. Besides all this the Deuil our aduersarie raūgeth about with terrible rorings and sayeth Thou art a sinner therefore God is angrie with thee and will destroy thee for euer Against these horrible and intolerable rorings we haue nothing whervpon to hold stay our selues but only the word which setteth Christ before vs as a conquerour ouer sinne and death and ouer all euils But to cleaue fast to the word in this tentation and these terrours of conscience herein standeth all the difficultie For then Christe appeareth to no sense We see him not the heart feeleth not his presence or succour in temptation but rather it seemeth that Christ is angrie with vs and that he forsaketh vs Moreouer when a man is tempted and afflicted he feeleth the strength of sinne and the infirmitie of the flesh he douteth he feeleth the flerie dartes of the Deuill the terrours of death the anger and iudgement of god All these things cry out horribly against vs so that we see nothing else but desperation and eternall death But yet in the middest of these terrours of the lawe thundrings of sinne assaultes of death and rorings of the Deuill the holy Ghost sayth Paule cryeth in our hearts Abba Father And this crie surmounteth those mighty and horrible cries of the lawe sinne death the Deuill c it perceth the cloudes and the heauens and ascendeth vp vnto the eares of God. Paule therfore signifieth by these words that there is yet infirmitie in the godly As he doth also in the .8 chap. to the Rom. when he sayeth The spirite helpeth our infirmities For as much therfore as the sense and feeling of the contrary is strong in vs that is to say for as much as we feele more the displeasure of God then his good will and fauour towardes vs therefore the holy Ghost is sent into our heartes which doth not only sigh and make request for vs but mightely crieth Abba Father and praieth for vs according to the wil of God with teares and vnspeakeable gronings And how is this done When we are in terrours and in the conflict of conscience in deede we take hold of Christ and beleue that he is our Sauiour but then doe the law and sinne terrifie and torment vs most of all Moreouer the Deuill assaileth vs with all his engines and fierie darts and goeth about with all his power to plucke Christ from vs and to take from vs all consolations Here we feele our selues almost ouercome and at
tormentour c. Here now it is time that thou turne away thine eyes from the law from works and from the sense and feling of thine owne conscience and lay hold by Faith of the promise that is to say of the word of grace life which raiseth vppe againe the conscience so that now it beginneth to grone and say Although the law accuse me sinne and death terrifie me neuer so much yet O my God thou promisest grace righteousnes and euerlasting life through Iesus Christ And so that promise bringeth a sighing a groning which crieth Abba Father Verse 7. VVherfore thou art no more a seruaunt but a sonne This is the shutting vppe and the conclusion of that which he said before As if he should say This being true that we haue receaued the spirite by the Gospell whereby we crie Abba Father then is this decree pronounced in heauen that there is now no bōdage any more but mere libertie and adoption And who bringeth this libertie verely this groning By what meanes The father offreth vnto me by his promise his grace and his fatherly fauour This remaineth then that I should receaue this grace And this is done when I againe with this groning doe crie and with a childly heart doe assent vnto this name Father Here then the Father the Sonne meete and the mariage is made vp without all pompe and solemnitie that is to saye nothing at all cometh betwene no lawe nor worke is here required For what should a man doe in these terrours and horrible darknes of tentations Here is nothing else but the father promising calling me his sonne by Christe who was made vnder the law c. and I receauing and answering by this groning saying Father Here then is no exacting nothing is required but only that childly groning that apprehendeth a sure hope and trust in tribulation and saith Thou promisest and callest me thy childe for Christes sake and I againe receaue this and call thee Father This is in deede to be made children simplie and without any workes But these things without experience and practise can not be vnderstand Paule in this place taketh this word Seruaunt otherwise then he did before in the .3 chapt where he sayeth There is neither bond not free c. Here he calleth him a Seruaūt of the law that is subiect to the law as he did a litle before VVe vvere in bōdage vnder the rudimēts of the vvorld Wherfore to be a Seruaūt in this place after Paule is to be giltie and captiue vnder the law vnder the wrath of God death to behold God not as a merciful Father but as a tormentour an enemie and a tyranne This is in deede to be kept in bondage Babilonicall captiuitie to be cruelly tormented therin For the law deliuereth not from sinne and death but reuealeth and encreaseth sinne engendreth wrath This bondage sayth Paule continueth no longer it oppresseth vs not nor maketh vs heauy any more c. Paule sayeth Thou shalt be no more a seruaunt But the sentence is more generall if we say there shall be no bondage in Christe any more but mere fredome and adoption For when Faith commeth that bondage ceaseth as he sayd before in the third Chapter Now if we by the spirite of Christe crying in our hearts Abba Father be no more seruaūts but children then it foloweth that we are not onely deliuered from the horrible monsters of the Pope and all the abominations of mens traditions but also from all the iurisdiction and power of the lawe of god Wherefore we ought in no wise to suffer the lawe to raigne in our conscience and much lesse the Pope with his vaine threatnings and terrours In deede he roreth mightely as a Lion Apoc. 10. and threatneth to all those that obey not his lawes the wrath and indignation of almighty God and of his blessed Apostles c. But here Paule armeth and comforteth vs against these rorings when he sayth Thou art no more a seruaunt but a sonne Take hold of this consolation by Faith and say O lawe thy tyrannie can haue no place in the throne where Christe my Lord sitteth there I can not heare thee much lesse doe I heare thy monsters O Antichriste for I am free and a sonne who must not be subiect to any bondage or seruile lawe Let not Moises therefore with his lawes much lesse the Pope ascend vppe into the bridechamber there to lie that is to say to raigne in the conscience which Christe hath deliuered from the lawe to the ende that it should not be subiect to any bondage Let the seruauntes abide with the Asse in the valley Let none but Isaac ascend vppe into the Mountaine with his father Abraham that is let the lawe haue dominion ouer the body and ouer the olde man let him be vnder the lawe and suffer the burden to be laide vpon him let him suffer him selfe to be exercised and vexed with the lawe let the lawe limite and prescribe vnto him what he ought to doe what he ought to suffer and how he ought to liue and to gouerne him selfe among men But let it not defile the bed in which Christe should rest and sleepe alone that is to say let it not trouble the cōscience For she alone ought to liue with Christe her Spouse in the kingdom of libertie and adoption If then sayth he by the spirite of Christ ye crie Abba Father then are ye in deede no longer seruaunts but free men sonnes Therfore ye are without the lawe without sinne without death that is to say ye are saued and ye are now quite deliuered frō all euils Wherfore the adoption bringeth with it the eternall kingdom and all that heauenly inheritaunce Now how inestimable the glory of this gift is mans heart is not able to conceaue and much lesse to vtter In the meane time we see this but darkely as it were a farre of We haue this litle groning and feeble Faith which onely resteth vpon the hearing and the sound of the voyce of Christe promising Therefore we must not measure this thing by reason or by our owne feeling but by the promise of god Now because he is infinite therefore his promise is also infinite although it seeme to be neuer so much enclosed in these narrow streites these anguishes I meane Wherfore there is nothing that can now accuse terrifie or binde the conscience any more For there is no more seruitude but adoption which not onely bringeth vnto vs libertie from the law sinne and death but also the inheritaunce of euerlasting life as foloweth Verse 7. Novv if thou be a sonne thou art also the heire of God thorough Christe For he that is a sonne must be also an heire for by his birth he is worthy to be an heire There is no worke or merite that bringeth to him the inheritance but his birth only And so in
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
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
still an eye to moe workes and so by heaping vppe of workes he goeth about to appease the wrath of God and to iustifie him selfe vntill he be driuen to vtter desperation Wherfore whosoeuer falleth frō Faith and foloweth the law is like to Esopes dogge which forgoeth the flesh and snatcheth at the shadow Wherfore it is impossible that such as seeke righteousnes saluation by the lawe wherevnto men are naturally enclined should euer finde quietnes and peace of conscience yea they doe nothing else but heape lawes vpon lawes whereby they torment both themselues and others and afflict mens consciences so miserably that through extreme anguish of heart many die before their time For one lawe alwayes bringeth forth ten moe and so they encrease without number and without ende Now who would haue thought that the Galathians which had learned so sound and so pure a doctrine of such an excellent Apostle and teacher could be so suddenly ledde away from the same and vtterly peruerted by the false Apostles It is not without cause that I repete this so often that to fall away from the truth of the Gospel is an easie matter The reason is because men doe not sufficiently consider no not the very faithfull what an excellent and a precious treasure the true knowledge of Christ is Therefore they doe not labour so diligently so carefully as they should doe to obtaine to retaine the same Moreouer the greater part of those that heare the word are exercised with no crosse or affliction they wrastle not against sinne death the Deuill but liue in securitie without any conflict Such men because they are not proued and tried with tentations and therefore are not armed with the word of God against the subtilties of the Deuill neuer feele the vse and power of the word In dede whilest they are among faithfull ministers and preachers they cā folow their words say as they say perswading themselues that they perfectly vnderstand the matter of iustification But whē they are gone wolues in sheepes clothing are come in their place it hapneth vnto them as it did to the Galathians that is to say they are suddenly seduced easily turned backe to weake and beggerly rudiments Paule hath here his peculier maner of speech which the other Apostles did not vse For there was none of them besides Paule that gaue such names to the lawe to witte that it is a weake and a beggerly rudiment that is to say vtterly vnprofitable to righteousnes And surely I durst not haue geuen such termes vnto the lawe but should haue thought it great blasphemy against God if Paule had not so done before But of this I haue entreated more largely before where I shewed when the lawe is weake and beggerly and when it is most strong and rich c. Now if the law of God be weake and vnprofitable to Iustification much more are the lawes and decrees of the Pope weake and vnprofitable to Iustification Therefore we geue sentence against the ordinaunces lawes and decrees of the Pope with such boldnes assurance as Paule did against the law of God that they are not onely weake and beggerly rudiments and vtterly vnprofitable to righteousnes but also execrable accursed deuilish dānable for they blaspheme grace they ouerthrow the Gospel abolish faith take away Christ c. For as much then as the Pope requireth that we should kepe his lawes as necessary to saluation he is very Antichrist and the Vicar of Sathā And as many as cleaue vnto him cōfirme his abhominatiōs blasphemies or kepe them to this ende that therby they may merite the forgeuenes of their sinnes are the seruaunts of Antichrist of the Deuil Now such hath the doctrine of the Papisticall church ben of a lōg time that these lawes ought to be kept as necessary to saluatiō Thus the Pope sitteth in the temple of God vaunting him selfe to be God he setteth him selfe against God and exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God or worshipped c And mens consciences more feared reuerenced the lawes and ordinaunces of the Pope then the word of God his ordinaūces By this meanes he was made the Lord of heauen of earth and of hell and bare a triple crowne vpon his head The Cardinals also Bishops his creatures were made Kings Princes of the world And therfore if he did not burden mens consciences with his lawes he could not long maintaine his terrible power his dignitie and his riches but his whole kingdom would quickly fall This place which Paule here handleth is weightie and of great importance and therefore the more diligently to be marked to witte that they which fall from grace to the law doe vtterly lose the knowledge of the truth they see not their owne sinnes they neither know God nor the Deuill nor them selues and moreouer they vnderstand not the force and vse of the lawe although they bragge neuer so much that they keepe and obserue the same For without the knowledge of grace that is to say without the Gospell of Christ it is impossible for a man to geue this definition of the lawe that it is a weake and a beggerly rudiment and vnprofitable to righteousnes But he rather iudgeth quite contrary of the law to witte that it is not onely necessary to saluation but also that it strengthneth such as are weake and enricheth such as are poore and beggerly that is to say that such as obey and obserue the same shall be able to merite righteousnes and euerlasting saluation If this opinion remaine the promise of God is denied Christe is taken away lying impietie and idolatrie is established Now the Pope with all his Bishops his Schooles and whole Sinagoge taught that his lawes are necessary to saluation Therfore he was a teacher of weake and beggerly elements wherwith he made the Church of Christ thorow out the whole world most weake beggerly that is to say he burdened and miserably tormented the Church with his wicked lawes defacing Christ and burying his Gospell Verse 9. VVhervnto ye vvill be in bondage againe This he addeth to declare that he speaketh of proud and presumpteous hypocrites which seeke to be iustified by the law as I haue shewed before For otherwise he calleth the law holy and good As 1. Timot 1. VVe knovv that the lavv is good if it be rightly vsed to witte ciuily to bridle euill doers and spiritually to encrease transgressions But whosoeuer obserueth the lawe to obtaine righteousnes before God maketh the lawe which is good damnable and hurtfull vnto him selfe He reproueth the Galathians therefore because they would be in bondage to the lawe againe which doth not take away sinne but encreaseth sinne For whilest a sinner being weake and poore of himself seeketh to be iustified by the lawe he findeth nothing in it but weakenes and pouertie it selfe And
of tentation experiēce and practise to applie them to him selfe and to feele the excellencie of this libertie and the frute thereof it is a harder matter then can be expressed Therfore our conscience must be enstructed and prepared before hand that when we feele the accusation of the lawe the terrours of sinne the horrour of death and the wrath of God we may remoue these heauie sightes and fearfull fantasies out of our mindes and set in the place thereof the freedome purchased by Christ the forgeuenes of sinnes righteousnes life and the euerlasting mercy of god And albeit the feeling of the contrary be very strong yet let vs assure our selues that it shall not long endure according to that saying of the Prophet For a moment in mine anger I hidde my face from thee for a litle season but vvith euerlasting mercy I haue compassion on thee But this is very hard to doe Wherefore that libertie which Christ hath purchased for vs is not so soone beleued as it is named If it could be apprehended with a sure and a stedfast Faith then no rage or terrour of the word of the law sinne death or the Deuill could be so great but by by it should be swalowed vp as a litle drop of water is swallowed of the maine sea And certainly this Christian libertie swalloweth vp at once taketh quite away the whole heape of euils the law sinne death Gods wrath and briefly the serpent him selfe with his head and whole power and in the stead therof it placeth righteousnes peace euerlasting life c. But blessed is he that vnderstandeth and beleueth Let vs learne therefore to magnifie this our libertie purchased by Iesus Christe the sonne of God by whom all things were created both in heauen and earth Which libertie he hath purchased with no other price then with his owne bloud to deliuer vs not from any bodely or temporall seruitude but from a spirituall and euerlasting bondage vnder mighty and inuincible tyrannes to witte the lawe sinne death and the Deuil and so to reconcile vs vnto God his father Now since these enemies are ouercome and we reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne it is certaine that we are righteous before God and that what so euer we doe pleaseth him And although there be certaine remnantes of sinne yet still in vs they are not laid to our charge but pardoned for Christes sake Paule vseth wordes of great force and vehemencie Stand sayth he in that libertie vvherin Christe hath made you free This libertie then is not geuen vnto vs by the law or for our righteousnes but freely for Christes sake Which thing Paule here witnesseth and plainly declareth thorow out his whole Epistle Christe also in the .8 of Iohn sayth If the sonne shall make you free there shall ye be free in deede He onely is sette betwixt vs and the euils which trouble and afflict vs he hath ouercome them and taken them away so that they cā no more oppresse vs nor condemne vs In the sted of sinne and death he geueth vnto vs righteousnes and euerlasting life and by this meanes he chaūgeth the bondage and terrours of the law into the liberty of cōscience and consolation of the Gospel which sayeth Be of good comfort my sonne thy sinnes are forgeuen thee Whosoeuer then beleueth in Christ the sonne of God he hath this libertie Reason can not perceaue the excellencie of this matter which when a man considereth in spirite he shall see that it is inestimable For who is able to conceaue in his minde how great and vnspeakable a gift it is to haue the forgeuenes of sinnes righteousnes euerlasting life in the sted of the law sinne death and the wrath of God to haue God him selfe fauourable and merciful for euer The Papists and the hypocrites that seeke the righteousnes of the lawe or their owne righteousnes doe glory that they likewise haue remission of sinnes righteousnes life and the grace of god For they vaunt that they also haue this libertie and they promise the same vnto others but in very deede they are the seruauntes of corruption and in the time of tentation all their vaine confidence vanisheth away euen in a moment For they trust vnto the workes and satisfactions of men and not to the word of God nor vnto Christe Wherefore it is impossible for the Iusticiaries which seeke to winne heauen life and saluation by workes and merites to know what the libertie and deliuerance from sinne is Contrariwise our libertie hath for her foundation Christe him selfe who is our euerlasting high Bishop sitting at the right hand of God making intercessiō for vs Wherfore the forgeuenes of sinnes righteousnes life libertie which we haue through him is sure certaine perpetual so that we beleue this Wherefore if we cleaue vnto Christ with a stedfast Faith and stand fast in that libertie wherein he hath made vs free we shall obtaine those inestimable gifts but if we be carelesse and negligent we shall lose them It is not without cause that Paule biddeth vs watch and stand fast for he knew that the Deuil seeketh nothing more then to spoile vs of this libertie which cost Christe so great a price and to entāgle vs againe by his ministers in the yoke of bondage as foloweth Verse 1. And be not entangled againe vvith the yoke of bondage Paule hath spoken most effectually and profoundly as concerning grace and Christian libertie and with high and mighty wordes hath exhorted the Galathians to continue in the same for it is easily lost Therefore he biddeth them stand fast lest that through negligence or securitie they fall backe againe from grace and Faith to the law and workes Now because reason iudgeth that there can be no daunger in preferring the righteousnes of the law before the righteousnes of Faith therefore with a certaine indignation he enueyeth against the lawe and with great contempt he calleth it a yoke yea a yoke of bondage So Peter calleth it also Acts. 15 VVhy tempt ye God to lay a yoke on the disciples neckes vvhich neither our fathers nor vve vvere able to beare And thus he turneth all things to the contrary For the false Apostles did abase the promise and magnified the law and the works thereof in this wise If ye will be made free say they from sinne and death and obtaine righteousnes and life fulfil the law be circumcised obserue dayes moneths times and yeres offer sacrifices and doe such other like things then shall this obedience of the law iustifie and saue you But Paule sayth the contrary They sayth he that teach the law after this sort do not set mens consciences at libertie but snare and entangle them with a yoke yea and that with a yoke of bondage He speaketh therfore of the law very basely and contemptuously and calleth it an hard bondage and a seruile yoke
strength And what toūge can expresse or what heart can conceaue how horrible a thing it is to make Christ vnprofitable Therefore the Apostle casteth out these wordes with great displeasure and indignation If ye be circumcised Christ shall profite you nothing that is to say no profite shall redound vnto you of all his benefites but he hath bestowed them all vppon you in vaine Hereby it appeareth sufficiently that nothing vnder the sonne is more hurtfull then the doctrine of mens traditions and workes for they vtterly abolish and ouerthrow at once the truth of the Gospell Faith the true worshipping of God and Christe him selfe in whom the father hath ordained all things Colossians 2. In Christe are hid all the treasures of vvisedom and knovvledge In him dvvelleth the fulnes of the Godhead bodely Wherefore all they that are either authors or maintainers of the doctrine of workes are oppressours of the Gospell they make the death and victorie of Christ vnprofitable they blemish and deface his Sacramentes and vtterly take away the true vse thereof and briefly they are blasphemers enemies and deniers of God and of all his promises and benefites Who so is not moued with these wordes of Paule which calleth the lawe a yoke of bondage and sayth that they which affirme the keeping of circumcision to be necessary to saluation make Christ vnprofitable and can not be driuen from the lawe and circumcision nor yet from the confidence which he hath in his owne righteousnes and workes nor be stirred vp to seeke that libertie which is in Christe his heart is harder then stone and iron This is therfore a most certaine and cleare sentence that Christ is vnprofitable that is to say he is borne crucified and risen againe in vaine to him that is circumcised that is which putteth his trust in circumcision For as I haue sayd before Paule speaketh not here of the worke of circumcision which hurteth not him that hath no affiance or opinion of righteousnes in it but of the vse of the worke that is to say of the confidence and righteousnes that is annexed to the worke For we must vnderstand Paule according to the matter wherof he intreateth or according to the argument which he hath in hand which is that mē be not iustified by the lawe by works by circumcision or such like He sayth not that workes of them selues are nothing but the confidence righteousnes of workes are nothing for that maketh Christe vnprofitable Therfore who so receaueth circumcision with this opinion that it is necessary to iustification to him Christ auaileth nothing Let vs beare this well in minde in our priuate tentations when the Deuill accuseth and terrifieth our conscience to driue it to desperation For he is the father of lying and the enemie of Christian liberty therfore he tormenteth vs euery moment with false feares that when our conscience hath lost this Christian libertie it should feele the remorse of sinne and condenmation and alwayes remaine in auguish and terrour When that great dragon I say that old serpent the Deuill who deceaueth the whole world and accuseth our brethern in the presence of God day and night Apoc. 12. commeth and layeth vnto thy charge that thou hast not onely done no good but hast also transgressed the law of God say vnto him Thou troublest me with the remembrance of my sinnes past Thou puttest me also in minde that I haue done no good But this is nothing to me for if either I trusted in mine own good dedes or distrusted because I haue done none Christ should both waies profite me nothing at all Therfore whether thou lay my sinnes before me or my good workes I passe not but remouing both farre out of my sight I onely rest in that libertie wherein Christ hath made me free I know him to be profitable vnto me therfore I will not make him vnprofitable which I should doe if either I should presume to purchase my selfe fauour and euerlasting life by my good deedes or should despaire of my saluation because of my sinnes Wherefore let vs learne with all diligence to separate Christe farre from all works as well good as euil from all lawes both of God and man and from all troubled consciences for with all these Christe hath nothing to doe He hath to doe I graunt with afflicted consciences howbeit not to afflict them more but to raise them vp and in their affliction to comfort them Therfore if Christe appeare in the likenes of an angry iudge or of a lawmaker that requireth a strait accompt of our life past then let vs assure our selues that it is not Christ but a raging feende For the Scripture painteth out Christ to be our reconciliation our aduocate and our comforter Such a one he is and euer shal be he can not be vnlike himselfe Therfore whensoeuer the Deuil trāsforming himself into the likenes Christ disputeth with vs after this maner This thou oughtest being admonished by my word to haue done and hast not done it and this thou oughtest not to haue done and hast done it know thou therefore that I will take vengeance on thee c. lette this nothing at all moue vs but by and by let vs thus thinke with our selues Christ speaketh not to poore afflicted and despairing consciences after this maner He addeth not affliction to the afflicted He breaketh not the brused reede neither quencheth he the smoking flaxe In deede to the hard hearted he speaketh sharply but such as are terrified and afflicted he most louingly and comfortably allureth vnto him saying Come vnto me all ye that trauell and be heauie laden and I vvill refresh you I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Be of good cōfort my sonne thy sinnes are forgeuen thee Be not afraide haue ouercome the vvorld The sonne of man came to seeke out and saue that vvhich vvas lost We must take good heede therefore lest that we being deceaued by the wonderfull sleights infinite subtelties of Satan doe receaue an accuser and condemner in the sted of a comforter and Sauiour and so vnder the vizour of a false Christ that is to say of the Deuill we lose the true Christ and make him vnprofitable vnto vs This much haue we sayd as touching priuate and particuler tentations and how we should vse our selues therin Verse 3. For I testifie againe vnto euery man vvhich is circumcised that he is bound to kepe the vvhole lavve The first inconuenience is in deede very great where Paule sayth that Christe profiteth them nothing which are circumcised and this that foloweth is nothing lesse where he fayth that they which are circumcised are bound to keepe the whole law He speaketh these words with such earnestnes that he confirmeth them with an oth I testifie that is to say I sweare by the liuing god But these wordes may be expounded two wayes negatiuely and affirmatiuely Negatiuely after
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 for by them hope is stirred vppe But Faith as also I haue shewed before goeth before hope for it is the beginning of life and beginneth before all tribulation For it learneth Christe and apprehendeth him without the crosse Notwithstāding the knowledge of Christ can not be long without the crosse without troubles and conflictes In this case the minde must be stirred vppe to a fortitude of spirite For hope is nothing else but a spirituall fortitude as Faith is nothing else but a spirituall prudence which consisteth in suffering according to this saying That through patience c. These three things then dwell together in the faithful Faith which teacheth the truth defendeth from errours Hope which endureth ouercōeth al aduersities as well bodely as ghostly Charitie which worketh all good things as it foloweth in the text And so is a man entire and perfect in this life as wel within as without vntill the righteousnes be reuealed which he waiteth for and this shal be a perfect an euerlasting righteousnes Moreouer this place containeth both a singuler doctrine consolation As touching the doctrine it sheweth that we are made righteous not by the workes sacrifices or ceremonies of Moises lawe much lesse by the works and traditions of mē but by Christ alone What so euer is in vs besides him is of the flesh and not of the spirite What so euer then the world counteth to be good and holy without Christe is nothing else but sinne errour and flesh Wherfore circumcision and the obseruation of the lawe also the workes religions and vowes of the Monkes and of all such as trust in their owne righteousnes are altogether carnall But we sayth Paule are farre aboue all these things in the spirite and inward man For we possesse Christe by Faith and in the middes of our afflictions through hope we wait for that righteousnes which we possesse alredy by Faith. The comfort is this that in serious conflicts and terrours wherin the feeling of sinne heauines of syirite desperation such like is very stronge for they enter deepely into the hearte and mightely assaile it thou must not folow thine owne feeling For if thou doe thou wilt say I feele the horrible terrours of the lawe and the tyrannie of sinne not onely rebelling against me but also subduing and leading me captiue and I feele no comfort or righteousnes at all Therefore I am a sinner and not righteous If I be a sinner then am I giltie of euerlasting death But against this feeling thou must wrastle and say Although I feele my selfe vtterly ouerwhelmed and swalowed vp with sinne and my heart telleth me that God is offended and angrie with me yet in very deede it is not true but that mine owne sense and feeling so iudgeth The word of God which in these terrours I ought to folow and not mine owne sense teacheth a farre other thing namely that God is neare vnto them that are of a troubled heart and saueth them that are of an humble spirite Also he despiseth not an humble and a contrite heart Moreouer Paul sheweth here that they that are iustified in spirite by Faith doe not yet feele the hope of righteousnes but wait still for it Wherfore when the lawe accuseth and sinne terrifieth thee and thou feelest nothing but the wrath and iudgement of God despaire not for all that but take vnto thee the armour of God the shield of Faith the helmet of hope and the sword of the spirite and trie how good and how valiant a warriour thou art Lay hold of Christe by Faith who is the Lord of the law and sinne and of all things else which accompanie them Beleuing in him thou art iustified which thing reason and the feeling of thine owne heart when thou art tempted doe not tell thee but the word of god Moreouer in the middest of these conflictes and terrours which often returne and exercise thee waite thou patiently through hope for righteousnes which thou hast now by Faith although it be yet but begun and imperfect vntill it be reuealed made perfect in the kingdom of heauen But thou wilt say I feele not my selfe to haue any righteousnes or at least wise I feele it but very litle Thou must not feele but beleue that thou hast righteousnes And except thou beleue that thou art righteous thou doest great iniurie vnto Christe who hath clensed thee by the washing of water through the word who also died vpon the crosse condemned sinne and killed death that through him thou mightest obtaine righteousnes euerlasting life These things thou canst not deny except thou wilt openly shew thy self to be wicked blasphemous against God vtterly to despise God all his promises Iesus Christe with all his benefites and so consequently thou canst not denie but that thou art righteous Let vs learne therfore in great and horrible terrours when our conscience feeleth nothing but sinne and iudgeth that God is angrie with vs and that Christ hath turned his face from vs not to folow the sense feeling of our owne hart but to stick to the word of God which saith that God is not angry but looketh to the afflicted to such as are troubled in spirite tremble at his word and that Christ turneth not himselfe away from such as labour and are heauie loden but refresheth and comforteth them This place therefore teacheth plainly that the lawe and workes bring vnto vs no righteousnes or comfort at all but this doth the holy Ghost onely in the Faith of Christe who raiseth vp hope in terrours and tribulations which endureth and ouercommeth all aduersities Very few there be that know how weake and feeble Faith and hope are vnder the crosse and in the conflict For it seemeth that they are but as smoking flaxe which is ready by by to be put out with a vehement winde But the faithfull who beleue in the middest of these assaultes and terrours hoping against hope that is to say fighting through Faith in the promise as touching Christe against the feeling of sinne and of the wrath of God doe afterwardes finde by experience that this sparke of Faith being very little as it appeareth to naturall reason for reason can scarsely feele it is as a mighty fire and swaloweth vp all our sinnes and all terrours There is nothing more deare or precious in all the world to the true children of God then this doctrine For they that vnderstand this doctrine doe know that wherof all the world is ignorant namely that sinne death and all other miseries afflictions and calamities as well corporall as spirituall doe turne to the benefite and profit of the elect Moreouer they know that God is then most nere vnto them when he seemeth to be farthest of and that he is then a most mercifull louing Sauiour when he semeth to be most angry to afflict to destroy
Deuil and the Deuil likewise sheweth him selfe in the likenes of God And God will be knowen vnder the similitude of the Deuill and will haue the Deuil knowen vnder the likenes of God. The crosse immediatly foloweth the doctrine of the word according to that saying Psal. 116 I beleued and therfore haue I spoken and I vvas sore troubled Now the crosse of the Christians is persecution with reproch and ignominie and without any compassion and therfore it is very offensiue First they suffer as the vilest people in the world so did the Prophet Esay foreshew euen of Christ himself cap. 53. He vvas reputed amōgst the vvicked Moreouer murtherers and theues haue their punishments qualified and men haue compassion on them Here is no offence or sclaunder ioyned with the punishment Cōtrariwise like as the world iudgeth the Christiās to be of all other mē the most pestilent pernicious so doth it thinke that no torments are sufficient to punish them for their hainous offences Neither is it moued with any compassion towardes them but putteth them to the most opprobrious and shamefull kinds of death that can be And it thinketh that it gaineth hereby a double commodity For first it imagineth that it doth high seruice vnto God in killing of them secondly that the cōmon peace and tranquillitie is restored and stablishing by taking away such noisome plagues Therfore the death and crosse of the Faithfull is full of offences But let not this reprochfull dealing sayeth Paule and the continuance of Christes crosse and offence therof moue you but rather let it confirme you For as long as the crosse endureth it shall goe well with the Gospell In like maner Christe also comforteth his disciples in the .5 of Math. Blessed are ye sayeth he vvhen men reuile you and persecute you and shall falsely say all maner of euill against you for my names sake Reioyce and be glad for great is your revvard in heauen For so persecuted they the Prophets vvhich vvere before you The church cā not suffer this reioysing to be wrested frō her Wherfore I would not wish to be at concord with the Pope the bishops the princes and the Sectaries vnlesse they would consent vnto our doctrine For such concorde were a certaine token that we had lost the true doctrine To be short as long as the church teacheth the Gospell it must suffer persecution For the Gospell setteth forth the mercy and glory of God It discloseth the malice and sleightes of the Deuill painting him out in his right coulours and plucking from him the counterfet visour of Gods Maiestie wherby he deceaueth the whole world that is to say it sheweth that all worshippings religious Orders inuented by men and traditions concerning single life meates and such other things wherby men thinke to deserue forgeuenes of sinnes euerlasting life are wicked things and deuelish doctrine There is nothing then that more stirreth vppe the Deuill than the preaching of the Gospell For that plucketh from him the dissembled vizour of God and bewrayeth him to be as he is in deede that is to say the Deuil not god Wherfore it can not be but that as long as the Gospell flourisheth the crosse and the offence thereof must needes folow it or else truely the Deuill is not rightly touched but slenderly tickled But if he be rightly hitte in deede he resteth not but beginneth horribly to rage and to raise vp troubles euery where If Christians then will hold the word of life let them not be afraid or offended when they see that the Deuill is broken lose and rageth euery where that all the world is on an vprour that tyrannes exercise their crueltie and heresies spring vppe but lette them assure them selues that these are signes not of terrour but of ioy as Christe himselfe expoundeth them saying Reioyce and be glad c. God forbid therefore that the offence of the crosse should be taken away Which thing should come to passe if we should preach that which the Prince of this world and his members would gladly heare that is to say the righteousnes of workes Then should we haue a gentle Deuil a fauourable world a gracious Pope and mercifull Princes But because we set forth the benefites and glory of Christe they persecute and spoile vs both of our goodes and liues Verse 12. VVould to God they vvere cutte of that doe disquiet you Is this the part of an Apostle not onely to denounce the false apostles to be troublers to condemne them and to deliuer them to Sathan but also to wish that they might be vtterly rooted out and pearish And what is this else but plaine cursing Paule as I suppose alludeth here to circumcision As if he would say They compell you to cutte of the foresakin of your flesh but I would that they themselues might be vtterly cutte off by the roote Here riseth a question whether it be lawfull for Christians to curse Why not howbeit not alwayes nor for euery cause But when the matter is come to this poynt that Gods word must be euill spoken of and his doctrine blasphemed and so consequently God him selfe then must we turne this sentence and say Blessed be God and his word and what so euer is without God and his word accursed be it yea though it be an Apostle or an Angell from heauen So he sayd before in the first Chapter Although vve or an Angell from heauen preach othervvise vnto you then that vvhich vve haue preached let him be accursed Hereby it may appeare how great a matter Paule made of a litle leauen which for the same durst curse the false apostles who in outward appearance were men of great authoritie and holines Let not vs therefore make litle account of the leauen of doctrine For although it be neuer so litle yet if it be neglected it will be the cause that by litle and litle the truth and our saluation shall be lost and God himselfe be denied For when the word is corrupted and God denied and blasphemed which must needes folow if the word be corrupted there remaineth no hope of saluation But for our partes if we be cursed railed vppon and slaine there is yet one that can raise vs vppe againe and deliuer vs from the curse death and hell Wherefore lette vs learne to aduaunce and extoll the Maiestie authoritie of Gods word For it is no small trifle as brainsicke heades surmise at this day but euery title thereof is greater then heauen and earth Wherefore in this respect we haue no regard of Christian charitie or concord but we sitte as it were on the iudgement seat that is to say we curse and condemne all men which in the least poynt deface or corrupt the Maiestie of Gods word For a litle leauen maketh sovver the vvhole lumpe But if they leaue vs Gods word entire and sound we are not onely ready to keepe charitie
I say All the lawe is fully comprehended in this one saying Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe God deliteth not in the obseruation of the ceremonies of the lawe neither hath he any neede of them The onely thing that he requireth at your hands is this that ye beleue in Christ whom he hath sent in whom ye are made perfect and haue all things But if vnto Faith which is the most acceptable seruice of God ye will also adde lawes then assure your selues that all lawes are comprehended in this short commaundement Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Endeuour your selues to keepe this commaundement which being kept ye haue fulfilled all lawes Paule is a very good expounder of Gods commaundementes For he draweth all Moises into a briefe summe shewing that nothing else is cōtained in all his lawes which are in a maner infinite but this short sentence Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Naturall reason is offended with this basenes and shortnes of wordes for it is soone sayd Beleue in Christ And againe Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Therefore it despiseth both the doctrine of Faith and true good works notwithstanding this base vile word of faith as reason taketh it Beleue in Christ is the power of God to the faithfull whereby they ouercome sinne death the Deuill c. wherby also they attaine saluation eternall life Thus to serue one an other through loue that is to instruct him that goeth astray to comfort him that is afflicted to raise vppe him that is weake to helpe thy neighbour by all meanes possible to beare with his infirmities to endure troubles labours ingratitude contempt in the Church in ciuile life conuersation to obey the Magistrate to geue due honour to thy parentes to be patient at home with a froward wife and an vnruely familie c these I say are workes which reason iudgeth to be of no valew But beleue me they are such workes that the whole world is not able to comprehend the excellencie and worthines thereof for it doth not measure workes or any other thing by the word of God but by the iudgement of wicked blinde and foolish reason Yea it knoweth not the valew of any one of the least good works that can be which are true good works in deede Therfore when men dreame that they well vnderstand the commaundement of charitie they are vtterly deceaued In deede they haue it wrytten in their heart for they naturally iudge that a man ought to doe vnto an other as he would an other should do vnto him But it foloweth not therefore that they vnderstand it For if they did they would also performe it in deede and would preferre loue and charitie before all their workes They would not so highly esteme their owne superstitious toyes as to goe with an heauie countenaunce hanging downe the head to be vnmarried to liue with bread and water to dwell in the wildernes to be poorely apparelled c. These monstrous and superstitious workes which they haue deuised and chosen vnto themselues God neither commaunding nor approuing the same they esteme to be so holy and so excellent that they surmount and darken charitie which is as it were the Sunne of all good works So great and incomprehēsible is the blindnes of mans reason that it is vnable not onely to iudge rightly of the doctrine of Faith but also of external conuersation and workes Wherfore we must fight strongly as well against the opinions of our owne heart to the which we are naturally more enclined in the matter of saluation then to the word of God as also against the counterfet visour holy shew of our owne wilworkes that so we may learne to magnifie the workes which euery man doth in his vocation although they seeme outwardly neuer so base and contemptible if they haue the warrant of Gods worde and contrariwise to despise those workes which reason chooseth without the commaundement of God seeme they neuer so excellent and holy Of this commaundement I haue largely entreated in an other place and therfore I will now but lightly ouerrunne it In deede this is briefly spoken Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe but yet very aptly and to that purpose No man can geue a more certaine a better or a nearer example then a mans owne selfe Therfore if thou wouldest know how thy neighbour ought to be loued and wouldest haue a plaine example therof consider well how thou louest thy selfe If thou shouldest be in necessitie or daunger thou wouldest be glad to haue the loue and frendship of all men to be holpen with the counsell the goods and the strength of all men of all creatures Wherfore thou hast no neede of any booke to instruct and to admonish thee how thou oughtest to loue thy neighbour for thou hast an excellent booke of all lawes euen in thy heart Thou needest no Scholemaster in this matter aske counsell onely of thine owne heart and that shall teach thee sufficiently that thou oughtest to loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Moreouer loue or charitie is an excellent vertue which not onely maketh a man willing and ready to serue his neighbour with tounge with hand with money and worldly goods but with his body and euen with his life also And thus to doe it is not prouoked by good desertes or any thing else neither is it hindred through euill desertes or ingratitude The mother doth therefore nourish and cherish her child because she loueth it Now my neighbour is euery man specially which hath neede of my helpe as Christ expoundeth it in the .10 chapt of Luke Who although he hath done me some wrong or hurt me by any maner of way yet notwithstanding he hath not put of the nature of man or ceased to be flesh and bloud the creature of God most like vnto my selfe briefly he ceaseth not to be my neighbour As long then as the nature of man remaineth in him so long also remaineth the commaundement of loue which requireth at my hād that I should not despise mine own flesh nor render euill for euill but ouercome euill with good or else shall loue neuer be as Paule describeth it .1 Cor. 13. Paule therefore commendeth charitie to the Galathians and to all the faithfull for they onely loue in deede and exhorteth them that through charitie one of them should serue an other As if he would say Ye neede not to burden your selues with circumcision and with the ceremonies of Moises law but aboue all things continue in the doctrine of faith which ye haue receaued of me Afterwards if ye will doe good workes I will in one word shew you the chiefest and greatest works and how ye shall fulfill all lawes Serue ye one an other through loue Ye shall not lacke them to whom ye may doe good for the world is ful of such as neede the helpe of others
yet continue still in their sinnes These men haue their iudgement already They that liue after the flesh shall die Also The vvorkes of the flesh are manifest vvhich are adulterie fornication vncleannes vvantonnes idolatrie vvitchcraft hatred debate emulations vvrath contentions seditions heresies enuie murthers drunkennes gluttonie and such like vvhereof I tell you before as also I haue told you that they vvhich doe such things shall not inherite the kingdom of God. Hereby we may see who be the very Saincts in dede They be not stocks stones as the Monkes and Scholemen dreame so that they are neuer moued with any thing neuer feele any lusts or desires of the flesh but as Paule sayth their flesh lusteth against the spirit and therfore they haue sinne and both can doe sinne And the .32 Psalme witnesseth that the faithfull doe confesse their vnrighteousnes pray that the wickednes of their sinne may be forgeuen where it sayeth I vvill confesse against my selfe my vvickednes vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Therefore shall euery one that is godly make his prayer vnto thee c. Moreouer the whole Church which in deede is holy prayeth that her sinnes may be forgeuen her and it beleueth the forgeuenes of sinnes And in the .143 Psalme Dauid prayeth O Lord enter not into iudgement vvith thy seruaunt for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified And in the .130 Psalm If thou O Lord shouldest straitly marke iniquities Lord vvho shall stand in thy presence But vvith thee is mercy c. Thus doe the cheefest saincts and children of God speake and pray as Dauid Paule c. All the faithfull therfore doe speake and pray the same thing and with the same spirit The popish Sophisters read not the Scriptures or if they read thē they haue a veile before their eyes and therfore as they can not iudge rightly of any thing so can they not iudge rightly either of sinne or of holines Verse 18. If ye be led by the spirite ye are not vnder the lavve Paule cannot forget his doctrine of Faith but still repeateth it beateth it into their heades yea euen when he treateth of good works Here some man may obiect How can it be that we should not be vnder the law and yet thou notwithstanding O Paule teachest vs that we haue flesh which lusteth against the spirit fighteth against vs tormēteth vs and bringeth vs into bondage And in deede we feele sinne and can not be deliuered from the feeling therof though we would neuer so faine And what is this else but to be vnder the law But sayth he Let this nothing trouble you onely doe your endeuour that ye may be led by the spirite that is to say shew your selues willing to folow obey that will which resisteth the flesh and doth not accomplish the lustes thereof for this is to be led and to be drawne by the spirite then are ye not vnder the lawe So Paule speaketh of himselfe Rom. 7. In my minde I serue the lavve of God that is to say In spirit I am not subiect to any sinne but yet in my flesh I serue the law of sinne The faithfull then are not vnder the lawe that is to say in spirite for the law can not accuse them nor pronounce sentence of death against them although they feele sinne and confesse them selues to be sinners For the power and strength of the lawe is taken from it by Christ vvho vvas made subiect to the lavve that he might redeme them vvhich vvere vnder the lavve Therefore the lawe cannot accuse that for sinne in the faithfull which is sinne in deede and committed against the lawe So great then is the power and dominion of the spirite that the lawe cannot accuse the godly though they commit that which is sinne in deede For Christe is our righteousnes whom we apprehend by Faith he is without all sinne and therfore the law can not accuse him As long as we cleaue fast vnto him we are ledde by the spirite and are free from the lawe And so the Apostle euen when he teacheth good workes forgetteth not his doctrine concerning Iustification but alwayes sheweth that it is impossible for vs to be iustified by workes For the remnants of sinne cleaue fast in our flesh and therefore so long as our flesh liueth it ceaseth not to lust contrary to the spirite Notwithstanding there cometh no daunger vnto vs thereby because we be free from the law so that we walke in the spirite And with these wordes If ye be ledde by the spirite ye be not vnder the lavve thou maist greatly comfort thy selfe and others that be greeuously tempted For it oftentimes commeth to passe that a mā is so vehemently assailed with wrath hatred impatiencie carnall desire terrour and anguish of spirite or some other lust of the flesh that he can not shake them of though he would neuer so faine What should he doe in this case Should he despaire No God forbid but let him say thus with him selfe Thy flesh fighteth and rageth against the spirite Let it rage as long as it listeth onely see thou that in any case thou consent not to it to fulfill the lusts therof but walke wisely folow the leading of the spirit In so doing thou art free from the law It accuseth and terrifieth thee I graunt but altogether in vaine In this conflict therfore of the flesh against the spirit there is nothing better then to haue the word of God before thine eyes and therin to seeke the comfort of the spirite And let not him which suffereth this temptation be dismayed in that the Deuil can so aggrauate sinne that during the conflict he thinketh him selfe to be vtterly ouerthrowne and feeleth nothing else but the wrath of God and desperation Here in any wise let him not folow his owne feeling and the iudgement of reason but lette him take sure hold of this saying of Paule If ye be led by the spirite that is to wit if ye raise vp and comfort your selues through faith in Christ ye be not vnder the lawe So shall he haue a strong buckler wherewith he may beat backe all the fierie dartes which that wicked feende assaileth him withall How much so euer then the flesh doe boyle and rage yet can not all her motions and rages hurt cōdemne him for as much as he folowing the guiding of the spirite doth not consent vnto the flesh nor fulfill the lustes thereof Therefore when the motions of the flesh doe rage the onely remedie is to take to vs the sword of the spirite that is to say the word of saluation which is that God would not the death of a sinner but that he cōuert liue and to fight against them Which if we doe let vs not doubt but we shall obtaine the victorie although so long as the battaile endureth we feele the plaine
imagination the Monkes and Scholemen hadde of their Sainctes as though they hadde bene very senselesse blockes and without all affections The virgine Marie felt great griefe and sorowe of spirite when she missed her sonne Luke 2. Dauid in the Psalmes complaineth that he is almost swalowed vppe with excessiue sorrowe for the greatnes of his temptations and sinnes Paule also complaineth that he hath battelles without and terrours within and that in his flesh he serueth the lawe of sinne He sayeth that he is carefull for all the Churches and that God shewed great mercie towardes him in that he deliuered Epaphroditus being at the poynt of death to life againe lest he should haue had sorrow vppon sorrow Therefore the Sainctes of the Papists are like to the Stoickes who imagined such wise men as in all the world were neuer yet to be found And by this foolish and Deuelish perswasion which proceeded of the ignoraunce of this doctrine of Paule the Scholemen brought both them selues and others without number into horrible desperation When I was a Monke I did oftentimes most hartely wish that I might once be so happy as to see the conuersation and life of some Sainct or holy man But in the meane time I imagined such a Sainct as liued in the wildernes abstaining from meat and drinke and liuing onely with rootes of herbes and colde water and this opinion of those monstrous sainctes I had learned not onely out of the bookes of the Sophisters and Scholemen but also out of the bookes of the fathers For thus wryteth Hierome in a certaine place As touching meates and drinkes I say nothing for as much as it is excesse that euē such as are weake and feeble should vse cold water or eate any sodden thing c. But now in the light of the Gospel we plainly see who they are whom Christ and his Apostles call Saincts Not they which liue a sole a single life or straitly obserue dayes meates apparel such other things or in outward appearance do other great monstrous works as we read of many in the liues of the fathers but they which being called by the sound of the Gospell and baptised doe beleue that they be iustified and clensed by the death of Christ So Paule euery where wryting to Christians calleth them holy the children and heires of God c. Who so euer then doe beleue in Christe whether they be men or women bond or free are all Sainctes not by their owne workes but by the workes of God which they receiue by Faith as his word his Sacraments the passion of Christ his death resurrection victorie and the sending of the holy Ghost To conclude they are Sainctes through such a holines as they freely receaue not through such a holines as they them selues haue gotten by their owne industrie good workes and merites So the ministers of the worde the Magistrates of common weales parents children maisters seruauntes c. are true Saincts if first and before all things they assure themselues that Christ is their wisedom righteousnes sanctification and redemption Secondly if euery one doe his duetie in his vocation according to the rule of Gods word and obey not the flesh but represse the lustes and desires thereof by the spirite Now where as all be not of like strength to resist temptatiōs but many infirmities and offences are seene in the most part of men this nothing hindereth their holines so that their sinnes procede not of an obstinate wilfulnes but onely of frailtie and infirmitie For as I haue sayd before the godly doe feele the desires and lusts of the flesh but they resist them to the ende that they accomplish them not Also if they at any time vnaduisedly fall into sinne yet notwithstāding they obtaine forgeuenes thereof if by Faith in Christe they be raised vppe againe who would not that we should driue away but seeke out and bring whom the straying and lost sheepe c. Therfore God forbid that I should straighte way iudge those which are weake in Faith and maners to be prophane or vnholy if I see that they loue reuerence the word of God to come to the supper of the Lord c. For these God hath receaued counteth them righteous thorough the remissiō of sinnes to him they stand or fall c. Wherefore with great reioysing I geue thankes to God for that he hath abundantly and aboue measure graunted that vnto me which I so earnestly desired of him when I was a Monke For he hath geuen vnto me the grace to see not one but many Sainctes yea an infinite nomber of true sainctes not such as the Sophisters haue deuised but such as Christe himselfe his Apostles doe describe Of the which nomber I assure my selfe to be one For I am baptised and I doe beleue that Christ my Lord by his death hath redemed and deliuered me from all my sinnes and hath geuen to me eternall righteousnes and holines And let him be holden accursed who so euer shall not geue this honour vnto Christe to beleue that by his death his word c. he is iustified and sanctified Wherfore reiecting this foolish and wicked opinion concerning the name of Saincts which in the time of Poperie and ignorance we thought to pertaine onely to the Sainctes which are in heauen and in earth to the Heremites and Monkes which did certaine great and straunge workes let vs now learne by the holy Scripture that all they which faithfully beleue in Christ are Saincts The world hath in great admiration the holines of Benedict Gregorie Bernard Fraunces and such like because it heareth that they haue done in outward appearance and in the iudgement of the world certaine great and excellent workes Doutles Hyllarie Cyrill Athanasius Ambrose Augustine and others were Saincts also which liued not so strait and seuere a life as they did but were conuersant amongs men and did eate common meates drunke wine and vsed clenly and comely apparell so that in a maner there was no difference betwene them other honest men as touching the common custome and the vse of things necessary for this life and yet were they to be preferred farre aboue the other These men taught the doctrine and faith of Christe sincerely purely without any superstition they resisted heretikes they purged the church from innumerable errours their company and familiaritie was comfortable to many and specially to those which were afflicted and heauie harted whom they raised vppe and comforted by the word of god For they did not withdraw them selues from the company of men but they executed their offices euen where most resort of people was Contrariwise the other not onely taught many things contrary to the Faith but also were themselues the authors first inuentours of many superstitions errours abhominable ceremonies and wicked worshippings Therefore except at the houre of death they laid hold of Christe and reposed their whole
Maâ—â—c 1.2 The vvord Faith signifieth in the Hebrevv tonge truth Genes 15 4.5.6 Rom 4.13 Rom. 4.3 Habac. 1.4 Heb. 11. Faithe Faith thiÌ„keth aright of God and not reason Truth and faith signifie both one thing Iohn 5.24 Iohn 11.25.26 Heb. 9.11 Heb. 10. That Paule doth rightly alledge that place out of the .15 of Genesis and to his purpose Genes 3.15 All the promises are to be referred to the first promise Actes 15.10.11 1. Cor. 15.4 Iohn 8.56 Actes 10.1.2.3 The faith of the fathers of vs bothe one Coloss 1.18 Reuel 1. 1. Thes 4.15.16 Math. 24. That the place of Genesis may vvell be applied to faith in christ Abraham a father both of Ievves and the Gentiles Genes 17.4 Rom. 4.17 The children of Abraham after the flesh are not Abrahams children but such as vvalke in the steppes of faith Rom. 4.11 Genes 17.4 Rom. 4.17 A begetting Abraham and a beleuing Abraham The vaine bragging of the Ievves An argument grounded vpon the certaintie of time Genes 15.6 Genes 22.16 Rom. 4.20 Genes 15.6 Rom. 4.18 Genes 17 1â— Abraham vvas iustified before Circumcision .430 yeares before the lavv Rom. 4.10.11.12 Galat. 3.8 Genes 15.6 Rom. 4 3. The Ievves corrupt the scriptures Genes 12.13 Actes 3.23 VVhat the Ievves call blessing A nevv Abraham It is a great glory to be borne of Abrahams sede The exposition of these vvordes In thee shal be blessed Genes 15.5 Abrahams faith and out all one Io. 3.5 6. VVe must marke diligently vvhat is set out to vs in the promises of the lavv Genes 15. â— Genes 17 4. Genes 15.5 A vvorking Abraham and a beleuing Abraham Rom. 4.3 That all nations are blessed Psal. 2.8 Psal. 19.3 The Prophets diligently vvaied those promises that vvere made vnto the fathers The office of the priesthod of the church of Christ Our blessing is spirituall and not corporall as the Ievves dreame The diligence of the Prophetes Hoseas 13.14 Genes 3. Genes 12. â— The Blessing is receaued onely by faith The Pope setteth Christ forth as an example and not as a gifte Io. 13 1â— In the matter of iustificatioÌ„ vve must loke vpon Christ as a gifte and not as an example Galat 3.9 All nations through faith are blessed therfore vvith out faith all are accursed The righteousnes of faith and ciuill righteousnes Ciuill lavves and ordinaunces are good and of God. The righteousnes of faith and ciuill righteousnes are easily confounded Hovv the aduersaries sclauder and vvrest our vvordes The corporall blessing deliuereth vs not from sinnes Corporall things are the good creatures of God. The lavve of sinne vvrath and death Corporal blessings are to be sundred from spirituall blessings God bestovveth his giftes both vpon the good euill Rom. 1.20 The effectes of the lavve Deut. 27 2â— Rom. 2.13 Iames. 1 2â— Rom. 8 4. Sentences in the scriptures somtime seme to be coÌ„trary To doe the lavve Tvvo maner of doers of the lavve To be of the lavve To be of faith To doe the lavve A fulfiller of the lavv after the Papistes opinion These be the vvorks preparatorie as the Papists cal them vvhich goe before iustification as the efficient cause therof The vvickednes and error of meritmongers Rom. 10.2 Rom. 10.3 The effect of the lavve Genes 17. To fulfill the lavve Galaâ— â— Hovv the lavv is to be done To doe the lavv This vvord Doer of the lavv vvithout the promise of the Gospell is a fained terme A doer of the lavv In diuine matters the doer is framed through faith before there be any deedes The godly are not made righteous by doing righteous things Rom. 2.13 The doctrine of the Scholemen or Sophistes In policie the vvorke is not iudged to be good except it be done vvith a good vvill much more in Diuinitie The effectes of the lavv Galath 3. The vvickednes and error of hypocrites The vvorship of the first coÌ„maundement Math. 24.5 The godly iudge al thiÌ„gs 2. Pet. 2.1 â— Exod. 32.4 The tvvo golden calues of Ieroboam 1. Kings 12.28 Rom. â— Hypocrites go about to doe that thing vvhich belongeth onely to Christe The doctrine of the Monks The Pope chalengeth a Diuinitie or Diuine povver as vvel as god himselfe The vse of the doctrine of faith The Pope is Antichrist Math. 24.5 2. Thes 2.4 Math. 24.15 Mar. 13.14 Luc. 22.20 Dan. 9.27 VVhat a mischeuous thing hypocrisie is Euery meritemoÌ„ger is both the matter the vvorke or the vvorke the vvorkeman The true doers of the lavve 2. Pet. 1 1â— The godly do not the lavve perfectly Luc. 10.30.31.32.33 c. VVhat a Doer of the lavve Moises requireth Exod. 34.7.8.9 Psal. 143.2 Rom. 5. â—â— That vve are made Doers of the lavve throughe Christe The proposition Places of the lavve and vvorke The righteousnes of the lavv vvas also knovven to the heathen To doe naturally morally and spiritually Morall Philosophie The popishe Schoolemen thinke a right iudgement of reason and a good intent vvithout faith to be sufficient to commend the vvorke Hovve vve must aunsvver vnto our aduersaries vrging these tearmes of Doing and vvorking To doe in diuinitie vvhat it is Heb. 11. â—2 Sa. 17.34.35.36 A rule to be obserued as touching those places vvhich speake of vvorkes 1. Sam. 17.37 45. 46. 47. The vvorke of Dauid is a faithfull vvorke Genes 5.24 Heb. 11.4 The sacrifice of Abell and Caine. Gens 4.3.4.5 The visour of the vvork is not to be regarded but the hearte of the vvorker iâ— to be considered Hebr. 11. Verse 4. Verse 5. Verse â— A rule The vvorke is nothiÌ„g vvorth vvithout faith Hebr. 11.6 Heb. 4. Abels sacrifice vvas faithful and Caines vnfaithfull The scripture some time speaketh of faith vvithout vvorks and some time of faith vvith vvorkes Galat. 5.6 Doe this and thou shalt liue * These termes the Papistes vse and set them in the place of faith The scripture sometime speaketh of one nature in Christ sometime of both A rule of the communication of the proprieties called commanicatio Idiomatum Luc. 2.10 Luc. 1.22 The maÌ„ Christ created all things If thou vvilt enter into life c. Faith simple Faith compound * Fac totum is that vvhich is all in all and doth all alone The places of vvorkes mentioned in the scriptures must be expounded as the Epistle to the Hebrevves expoundeth them Ebr. 11.33 Verse 35. The difference betvvene morall doing and spirituall doing Hypocrites doe many things but vvithout faith Dan. 4 2â— The Papistes learne their diuinitie out of Aristotle an heathen Philosopher A generall auÌ„svver to al the argumentes of the aduersaries The argument of all arguments most strong and mighty to holde fall the head Christ Galat. â— 3 Christ vvas made a curse for vs. Circumcision is not the death of Christ A plaine and simple aunsvvere to the places of scripture concerning vvorkes No Iusticiary seking righteousnes by the lavv and vvorkes can vvrest this solution from the faithfull Habaeue 2.4 Rom. 1.17 Eâ—r 10.38 Hovv the Sophisters corrupt this place The
God. Now if the Morall lawe it selfe or the ten commaundementes of God can doe nothing else but gender seruauntes that is to say can not iustifie but onely terrifie accuse condemne and driue mens consciences to desperation how then I pray you shall the lawes of men or the lawes of the Pope iustifie which are the doctrines of Deuils They therefore that teach and sette forth either the traditions of men or the lawe of God as necessary to obtaine righteousnes before God doe nothing else but gender seruauntes Notwithstanding such teachers are counted the best men they obtaine the fauoure of the world and are most frutefull mothers for they haue an infinite number of disciples For mans reason vnderstandeth not what Faith and true godlines is and therefore it neglecteth and despiseth it and is naturally addicted to superstition and hypocrisie that is to say to the righteousnes of workes Nowe because this righteousnes shineth and flourisheth euery where therefore it is as a mighty Emperesse of the whole world They therfore which teach the righteousnes of workes by the lawe beget many children which outwardly seeme to be free and haue a glorious shew of excellēt vertues but in conscience they are seruauntes and bondslaues of sinne therfore they are to be cast out of the house and condemned Contrariwise Sara the freewoman that is to say the true church seemeth to be barren For the Gospell which is the word of the crosse and affliction which the Church preacheth shineth not so brightly as the doctrine of the law and workes and therfore she hath not so many disciples to cleaue vnto her Moreouer she beareth this title that she forbiddeth good workes maketh men secure idle and negligent raiseth vp heresies and seditions and is the cause of all mischeefe and therefore she seemeth to bring no successe or prosperitie but all things seeme to be full of barennes desolation and desperation Therefore the wicked are certenly perswaded that the church with her doctrine can not long endure The Iewes assured themselues that the church which was plāted by the Apostles should shortly be ouerthrowne the which by an odious name they called a Sect. For thus they speake to Paule in the .28 Chapter of that Acts. As concerning this Sect vve knovv that euery vvhere it is spoken against In like maner how often I pray you haue our aduersaries ben deceaued which somewhiles appoynted one time somewhiles an other when we should be certainly destroyed Christ and his Apostles were oppressed but after their death the doctrine of the Gospell was further spred abrode then it was during their life In like maner our aduersaries may oppresse vs at this day but the word of God shall abide for euer How much so euer then the church seeme to be barren and forsaken weake and despised and outwardly to suffer persecution and moreouer be compelled to heare this reproch that her doctrine is heretical and seditious notwithstanding she alone is frutefull before God she gendreth by the ministerie of the word an infinite number of children heires of righteousnes and euerlasting life And although outwardly they suffer persecution yet in spirite they are most free who not onely are iudges ouer all doctrines works but also are most victorious conquerours against the gates of hell The Prophet therefore confesseth that the church is in heauines for else he would not exhort her to reioyce He graunteth that she is barren before the world For else he would not call her barren and forsaken hauing no children but before God he sayth she is fruteful and therfore he biddeth her reioyce As though he would say Thou art in deede forsaken and barren and hast not the law for thy husband and therefore thou hast no children But reioyce for although thou hast not the lawe for thy husband but art forsaken as a virgine that is ready to marry for he will not call her widowe which should haue an husband if she were not forsakē of him or if he were not slaine thou I say which art solitarie forsaken of thy husband the law and not subiect to the mariage of the lawe shalt be a mother of innumerable children Wherefore the people or the Church of the new Testament is altogether without the lawe as touching the conscience and therefore she semeth to be forsaken in the sight of the world But although she seeme to be neuer so barren without the law and without workes yet notwithstanding she is most frutefull before God bringeth forth an infinite nombre of children not in bondage but in freedome By what meanes Not by the lawe but by the word and spirite of Iesus Christ which is geuen by the Gospell through which she conceaueth bringeth forth and nourisheth her children Paule therefore plainly sheweth by this allegory the difference betwixt the law and the Gospell First when he calleth Agar the olde Testament and Sara the newe Againe when he calleth the one a bondmaind the other a freewoman Moreouer when he sayeth that the maried frutefull is become barren and cast out of the house with her children Contrariwise the barren and forsaken is become frutefull bringeth forth an infinite nōber of children those also inheritours By these differences are resembled the two sortes of people of Faith of the law I meane The people of Faith haue not the lawe for their husband they serue not in bondage they are not borne of that mother Ierusalem which now is but they haue the promise they are free and are borne of free Sara He separateth therefore the spirituall people of the new Testament from the other people of the lawe when he sayeth that the spirituall people are not the children of Agar the bondmaid but of Sara the freewoman which knoweth nothing of the law And by this meanes he placeth the people of faith farre aboue and without the law Now if they be aboue and without the law then are they iustified by the spirituall birth onely which is nothing else but Faith and not by the lawe or by the workes thereof Now as the people of grace neither haue nor can haue the lawe so the people of the lawe neither haue nor can haue grace for it is impossible that the lawe and grace should stand together Therfore we must be iustified by faith lose the righteousnes of the law or else be iustified by the law and lose the righteousnes of Faith. But this is a fowle and a lamētable losse to lose grace and to returne to the lawe Contrariwise it is an happie and blessed losse to lose the lawe and lay hold of grace We therefore folowing the example and diligence of Paule doe endeuour as much as is possible to set forth plainly the difference betwixt the lawe and the Gospell which is very easie as touching the wordes For who seeth not that Agar is not Sara and that Sara is not Agar
Also that Ismael is not Isaac and that he hath not that which Isaac hath A mā may easily discerne these things but in great terrours and in the agonie of death when the conscience wrastleth with the iudgement of God it is the hardest thing of all others to say with a sure and a stedfast hope I am not the sonne of Agar but of Sara that is to say the law belōgeth nothing vnto me For Sara is my mother who bringeth forth free children and heirs and not seruaunts Paule then by this testimonie of Esay hath proued that Sara that is to say the church is the true mother which bringeth forth free children heires Contrariwise that Agar that is to say the sinagoge gendreth many children in deede but they are seruauntes and must be cast out Moreouer because this place speaketh also of the abolishing of the lawe and of Christian libertie it ought to be diligently considered For as it is the most principall and speciall article of Christian doctrine to know that we are iustified and saued by Christe so is it also very necessary to knowe and vnderstand well the doctrine concerning the abolishment of the lawe For it helpeth very much to confirme our doctrine as touching Faith and to attaine sound and certaine consolation of conscience when we are assured that the lawe is abolished and specially in great terrours and serious conflicts I haue often sayd before and now I say againe for it can not be too often repeted that a Christian laying holde of the benefit of Christe through Faith hath no lawe but all the lawe is to him abolished with all his terrours and tormentes This place of Esay teacheth the same thing and therefore it is very notable and full of comfort stirring vp the barren and forsaken to reioyce which was counted worthy to be mocked or pitied according to the lawe For such as were barren were accursed according to the lawe but the holy Ghost turneth this sentence and pronounceth the barren worthy of praise and Blessing and contrariwise the frutefull and such as bring forth children accursed when he sayth Reioyce thon barren vvhich bearest not Breake forth into ioy and reioyce thou that trauailest not For the desolate hath many moe children then the maried vvife Howsoeuer then Sara that is to say the Church seeme to be forsaken and barren before the world not hauing the righteousnes and works of the law yet notwithstanding she is a most frutefull mother hauing an infinite number of children before God as the Prophet witnesseth Contrariwise although Agar seeme neuer so frutefull and to bring forth neuer so many children yet notwithstanding she hath no issue remaining for the children of the bondwoman are cast out of the house together with theyr mother and receaue not the inheritaunce with the children of the free-woman as Paule sayth afterwardes Because therefore we are the children of the freewoman the lawe our olde husband is abolished Romaines 7 who as long as he had dominion ouer vs it was impossible for vs to bring forth children free in spirite or knowing grace but we remained with the other in bondage True it is that as long as the lawe raigneth men are not idle but they labour sore they beare the burden and the heate of the day they bring forth and gender many children but as well the fathers as the children are bastardes and doe not belong to the freemother Therefore they are at length cast out of the house and inheritaunce with Ismael they die are damned It is impossible therfore that men should attaine to the inheritance that is to say that they should be iustified and saued by the lawe although they trauell neuer so much be neuer so frutefull therein Accursed therefore be that doctrine life and religion which endeuoreth to gette righteousnes before God by the lawe or the workes thereof But let vs prosecute our purpose as touching the abolishment of the law The Scholedoctors speaking of that abolishment of the law say that the Iudiciall the ceremonial lawes are pernicious since the comming of Christ and therfore are abolished but not the morall law These blind Doctors knew not what they said But if thou wilt speake of the abolishment of the law talke of it as it is in his owne proper vse office as it is spiritually taken comprehend withall the whole lawe making no distinction at all betwixt the Iudiciall Ceremoniall and Morall law For when Paule sayth that we are deliuered from the curse of the law by Christ he speaketh of the whole lawe and principally of the Moral law which only accuseth curseth condemneth the cōscience which the other two doe not Wherefore we say that the Morall lawe or the lawe of the ten commaundements hath no power to accuse and terrifie the conscience in which Iesus Christe raigneth by his grace for he hath abolished the power therof Not that the conscience doth not at all feele the terrours of the law For in deede it feeleth them but that they can not condemne it nor bring it to desperation For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Rom. 8. Also If the sonne shall make you free ye shall be free in deede Iohn 8. Howsoeuer then a Christian man be terrified through the lawe shewing vnto him his sinne notwithstanding he therefore despaireth not For he beleueth in Iesus Christ and being baptised in him and clensed by his bloud he hath remission of all his sinnes Now when our sinne is pardoned through Christe who is the Lord of the lawe and yet so pardoned that he gaue himselfe for it the law being a seruaunt hath no more power to accuse and condemne vs for sinne seeing it is forgeuen vs and we are now made free forasmuch as the sonne hath deliuered vs from bondage Wherfore the law is wholy abolished to them that beleue in Christe But thou wilt say I doe nothing True it is that thou canst doe nothing whereby thou maist be deliuered from the tyrannie of the lawe But heare this ioyfull tidings which the holy Ghost bringeth vnto thee out of the wordes of the Prophet Reioyce thou that arte barren c As if he would say Why art thou so heauie since there is no cause why thou shouldest so mourne But I am barren and forsaken c. Well although thou be neuer so barren and forsaken c not hauing the righteousnes of the law notwithstāding Christ is thy righteousnes he was made a curse for thee to deliuer thee from the curse of the lawe If thou beleue in him the law is dead vnto thee And so much as Christe is greater then the lawe so much hast thou a more excellent righteousnes then the righteousnes of the lawe Moreouer thou art frutefull and not barren for thou hast many moe children then she which hath an husband There is also an other abolishment of