so that the worde be not onely my voice but may be hearde of thee and may enter into thy hearte and be beleued of thee then is it truly and in deede the hearing of faith thorowe the which thou receauest the holy Ghost which after thou hast once receaued thou shalt also mortifie thy flesh The faithfull doe finde by their owne experience howe gladly they would hold and embrace the word when they heare it with a full faith and abandon this opinion of the lawe and of their owne righteousnes but they feele in their flesh a mightie resistaunce against the spirite For reason and the flesh will needes worke together This saying Ye must be circumcised and keepe the lavve can not be vtterly rooted out of our mindes but it sticketh fast in the hearts of all the faithfull There is therfore in the faithfull a continuall conflict betwene the hearing of faith and the workes of the lawe For the conscience alwayes murmureth and thinketh that this is too easie a way that by the onely hearing of the word righteousnes the holy ghost and life euerlasting is promised vnto vs But come once to an earnest trial therof and then tell me how easie a thing it is to heare the word of faith In deede he which geueth is great moreouer he geueth great things willingly and freely and vpbraideth no man therwith but thy capacitie is hard and faith weake still striuing against thee so that thou art not able to receaue this gift But let thy conscience murmure against thee neuer so much let this Must come neuer so oftē into thy minde yet stand fast hold out vntill thou ouercome this Must So as faith encreaseth by litle and litle that opinion of the righteousnes of the lawe will diminish But this can not be done without great conflict Verse 3. Are ye so foolish that after ye haue begone in the spirite ye vvould novv finish or be made perfect by the flesh This argument being concluded how that the holy ghost cometh not by the workes of the lawe but through the preaching of faith he beginneth here to exhort the Galathians and to terrifie them from a double daunger and incommoditie The first is Are ye so foolish that after ye haue begone in the spirite ye vvould novv ende in the flesh The other followeth Haue ye suffred so great things in vaine As if he said Ye began in the spirite that is your religion was excellently well begone As also a litle after he saith Ye ranne vvel c. But what haue ye gotten therby Forsoth ye will nowe ende in the flesh yea rather ye are ended in the flesh Paule here setteth the spirite against the flesh He calleth not the flesh as before I haue said lust beastly passions or sensual appetites for he intreateth not here of lust or of other fleshly desires but of forgeuenes of sinnes of iustifying the conscience of obteining righteousnes before God of deliueraunce from the lawe sinne and death and yet notwithstanding he sayth here that they forsaking the spirite doe now ende in the flesh Flesh therfore is here taken for the very righteousnes and wisedome of the flesh and the iudgement of reason which goeth about to be made righteous by the law Whatsoeuer then is best and most excellent in man as the wisedome of reason yea and the righteousnes of the law it selfe the same here Paule calleth flesh And this place must be well weyed and considered because of the slaunderous and cauilling Papists which wrest the same against vs saying that we in Poperie began in the spirite but now hauing maried wiues we ende in the flesh As though a single life or not to haue a wife were a spirituall life and as though it nothing hindred their spirituall life if a man not contented with one whore haue many They are mad men not vnderstanding what the spirite or what the flesh is The spirite is whatsoeuer is done in vs through the spirite The flesh whatsoeuer is done in vs according to the flesh without the spirite Wherfore all the dueties of a Christian man as to loue his wife to bring vp his children to gouerne his familie and such like which vnto them are worldly and carnal are the frutes of the spirite These blinde buzzardes can not discerne the things which are the good creatures of God from vices Here also is to be noted that the Apostle sayth the Galathians did begin in the spirite He should here haue added actiuely Nunc carne consummatis that now ye ende in the flesh But he doth not so but sayth passiuely carne consummamini that ye ende yea or rather are ended in the flesh The righteousnes of the law which Paule here calleth the flesh is so farre of from iustifying that they which after the receauing of the holy ghost through the hearing of faith fall backe againe vnto it are ended in it that is to say are vtterly destroyed Therfore who so euer teach that the lawe ought to be fulfilled to this ende that men might be iustified thereby whiles they goe about to quiet their consciences they hurt them whiles they would iustifie them they condemne them Paule euermore by the way hath a glaunce at these false apostles for they stil vrged the law saying Faith onely in Christ taketh not away sinne pacifieth not the wrath of God iustifieth not Therfore if ye will obtaine these benefites ye must not onely beleeue in Christ but therwith ye must also keepe the law be circumcised keepe the feastes sacrifices c. Thus doing ye shall be free from sinne from the wrath of God from euerlasting death yea rather sayth Paule by the selfe same things ye establish vnrighteousnes ye prouoke the wrath of God ye adde sinne to sinne ye quench the spirite ye fall away from grace and vtterly reiect the same and ye together with your disciples doe ende in the flesh This is the first daūger from the which he terrifieth the Galathians lest if they seeke to be iustified by the lawe they lose the spirite and forgoe their good beginnings for a wretched ende Verse 4. Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine The other daunger and incommoditie is this Haue ye suffred so many things in vaine As though he would say Consider not onely howe well ye began and howe miserablie ye haue forsaken your good beginnings and your course well begone moreouer that not onely ye haue lost the first fruites of the spirite being fallen againe into the ministerie of sinne and death and into a dolefull and a miserable bondage of the lawe but consider this also that ye haue suffered muche for the Gospels sake and for the name of Christe to witte the spoiling of your goodes railings and reproches daungers both of bodies and liues c. All things were in a happie course and great towardnes with you Ye taught purely ye liued holily and ye endured many euils constantly
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
as their owne Bookes doe witnes wherof there is yet an infinite nomber Secondly that we may be fully certified that we haue the pure doctrine of the Gospell of which certaintie the Pope can not glory In whose kingdom though all things else were sound and vncorrupt yet this monstrous doctrine of douting of Gods grace and fauour passeth all other monsters And although it be manifest that the enemies of Christes Gospell teach vncertaine things because they commaund that mens consciences should remaine in dout yet notwithstanding they condemne and kill vs as heretikes because we dissent from them and teach those things which are certaine And this they doe with such deuillish rage and crueltie as if they were most assured of their doctrine Let vs therefore geue thankes vnto God that we are deliuered from this monstrous doctrine of douting and can now assure our selues that the holy Ghost crieth and bringeth forth in our heartes vnspeakeable gronings And this is our ankerhold and our foundation The Gospell commaundeth vs to behold not our owne good workes our owne perfection but God the promiser Christ the Mediatour Contrariwise the Pope commaundeth vs to looke not vnto God the promiser nor vnto Christ our high Bishop but vnto our works merites On the one side must nedes folow douting desperation but on that other side assurance of Gods fauour and ioy of the spirit For we cleaue vnto God who can not lie For he sayth Behold I deliuer my Sonne to death that through his bloud he may redeme thee from thy sinnes and from eternall death In this case I can not dout vnlesse I will vtterly deny god And this is the reason that our doctrine is most sure and certaine because it carieth vs out of our selues and from the consideration of our selues to the end that we should not leane to our owne strength to our owne conscience to our owne feeling our owne person and our owne workes but to that which is without vs that is to say the promise and truth of God which can not deceaue vs This the Pope knoweth not and therefore he wickedly imagineth that no man knoweth be he neuer so iust or so wise whether he be worthy of loue or of hatred But if he be iust and wise he knoweth assuredly that he is beloued of God or else he is neither iust nor wise Moreouer this sentence of Salomon speaketh nothing at all of the hatred or fauour of God towardes men but it is a morall sentēce reprouing the ingratitude of men For such is the peruersnes and ingratitude of the world that the better a man deserueth that lesse thāks he shall haue and oftentimes he that should be his most friend shall be his most enemie Contrariwise such as least deserue shall be most estemed So Dauid a holy man and a good King was cast out of his kingdom The Prophetes Christe and his Apostles were slaine To conclude the hystories of all nations witnes that many men well deseruing of their countrey were cast into banishment by their owne Citizens and there liued in great misery and some also shamefully perished in prison Wherefore Salomon in this place speaketh not of the conscience hauing to doe with God and of the fauour and iudgement of God but of the iudgementes and affections of men among them selues As though he would say There are many iust and wise men by whom God worketh much good and geueth peace and quietnes vnto men But so farre of are they from acknowledging the same that oftentimes they requite them againe very ilfauouredly for their well deseruings Therefore although a man doe all things neuer so well yet he knoweth not whether by this his diligence and faithfulnes he deserue the hatred or fauour of men So we at this day when we thought we should haue found fauour among our countreymen the Germains for that we preach vnto them the Gospell of peace life and eternall saluation in stede of fauour we haue found bitter and cruell hatred In deede at the first many were greatly delited with our doctrine and receaued it gladly We supposed that they would haue ben our friends and brethren and that with one consent together with vs they would haue planted and set forth this doctrine to others But now we finde that they are false brethern and our deadly enemies which sow and spread abrode errours false doctrine and that which we teach well and godly they peruert and ouerthrow stirring vp offences in the Churches Whosoeuer therefore doth his duety godly and faithfully in what kinde of life so euer he be and for his well doing receaueth nothing againe but the vnkindnes and hatred of men let him not vexe and torment him selfe therfore but let him say with Christe They hated me vvithout a cause Also For that they should haue loued me they sclaundered me but I did pray The Pope therefore with this deuillish doctrine whereby he commaunded men to dout of the fauour of God towards them tooke away God and all his promises out of the Church buried all the benefites of Christ abolished the whole Gospel These inconueniences do necessarily folow for men doe not leane to the promises of God but to their owne workes and merites Therefore they can not be assured of the good will of God towardes them but must needes dout therof and so at length despaire No man can vnderstand what Gods will is and what pleaseth him but in his word This word assureth vs that God cast away all anger and displeasure which he had conceaued against vs when he gaue his onely begotten sonne for our sinnes c. Wherefore let vs vtterly abandon this deuillish douting wherwith the whole Papacie was poysoned and let vs be fully assured that God is mercifull vnto vs that we please him that he hath a care ouer vs that we haue the holy Ghost which maketh intercession for vs with such crying and groning as can not be expressed Now this is the true crying and groning in deede when a man in tentation calleth vpon God not as a tyranne not as an angry iudge not as a tormēter but as a father although this groning be so soft so secrete that it can scantly be perceaued For in serious tentations and in the time of trial where the conscience wrastleth with the iudgement of God it is wont to call God not a Father but an vniust an angry and cruell tyranne and iudge And this crying which Satan stirreth vp in the heart farre passeth the cry of the spirite and is strongly felt For then it seemeth that God hath forsaken vs and will cast vs downe into hell So the faithful complaine oftētimes in the Psalmes I am cast from the presence of God. Also I am become as a broken vessel c. This is not in deede the groning that crieth Abba Father but the roring of Gods wrath which crieth strongly O cruell iudge O cruel
waked and stirred vppe to Faith and to call vppon Christe And by this occasion a Christian becommeth a mighty workman and a wonderful creatour which of heauines can make ioy of terrour comfort of sinne righteousnes and of death life when he by this meanes repressing and brideling the flesh maketh it subiect to the spirite Wherfore let not them which feele the lust of the flesh despaire of their saluation Lette them feele it and all the force thereof so that they consent not to it Lette the passions of lust wrath and such other vices shake them so that they doe not ouerthrow them Let sinne assaile them so that they doe not accōplish it Yea the more godly a man is the more doth he feele that battaile And hereof come those lamentable complaintes of the faithfull in the Psalmes and in the whole Scripture Of this battaile the Heremites the Monkes and the Schoolemen and all that seeke righteousnes and saluation by workes know nothing at all But here may some man say that it is a daungerous matter to teach that a man is not condemned if by and by he ouercome not the motions and passions of the flesh which he feeleth For when this doctrine is taught amongst the common people it maketh them carelesse negligent and slouthfull This is it which I sayd a little before that if we teach Faith then carnall men neglect and reiecte workes If works be required then is Faith and consolation of conscience lost Here no man can be compelled neither can there be any certaine rule prescribed But lette euery man diligently trie him selfe to what passion of the flesh he is most subiect and when he findeth that lette him not be carelesse nor flatter him selfe but lette him watch and wrastle in spirite against it that if he can not altogether bridle it yet at the least he doe not fulfill the lust therof This battell of the flesh against the spirit all the children of God haue had and felt And the selfe same doe we also feele and proue He that searcheth his owne cōscience if he be not an hypocrite shall well perceaue that to be true in him selfe which Paule here saith that the flesh lusteth against the spirit All the faithfull therfore do feele and confesse that their flesh resisteth against the spirit and that these two are so contrarye the one to the other in themselues that doe what they can they are not able to performe that which they woulde doe Therefore the fleshe hindreth vs the we cannot keepe the commaundementes of God that we can not loue our neighbours as our selues much lesse can we loue God with all our heart Therefore it is impossible for vs to become righteous by the works of the law In deede there is a good will in vs and so must there be for it is the spirit it self which resisteth the flesh which would gladly doe good fulfill the lawe loue God and his neighbour and such like but the flesh obeyeth not this good will but resisteth it and yet God imputeth not vnto vs this sinne For he is mercifull to those that beleue for Christes sake But it foloweth not therefore that thou shouldest make a light matter of sinne because God doth not impute it True it is that he doth not impute it But to whom and for what cause To such as repent and lay hold by Faith vppon Christe the Mercyseat for whose sake as all their sinnes are forgeuen them euen so that remnants of sinne which are in them be not imputed vnto them They make not their sinne lesse thē it is but amplifie it set it out as it is in dede for they know that it can not be put away by satisfactions works or righteousnes but only by the death of Christe And yet notwithstanding the greatnes and enormitie of their sinne doth not cause them to despaire but they assure thēselues that the same shall not be imputed vnto them or laid vnto their charge This I say lest any man shoulde thinke that after faith is receaued there is litle accoūt to be made of sinne Sinne is truely sinne whether a man commit it before he hath receaued the knowledge of Christe or after And God alwayes hateth sinne yea all sinne is damnable as touchinge the facte it selfe But in that it is not damnable to him that beleueth it commeth of Christe who by his death hath taken away sinne But to him that beleueth not in Christe not onely all his sinnes are damnable but euen his good workes also are sinne according to that saying VVhatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne Therefore the errour of the Scholemen is moste pernicious which do distinguish sinnes according to the fact and not according to the person He that beleueth hath as great sinne as the vnbeleuer But to him that beleueth it is forgeuen and not imputed To the vnbeleuer it is not pardoned but imputed To the beleuer it is veniall to the vnbeleuer it is mortall and damnable Not for any difference of sinnes or because the sinne of the beleuer is lesse and the sinne of the vnbeleuer greater but for the difference of the persons For the faithfull assureth him selfe by Faith that his sinne is forgeuen him for as much as Christe hath geuen him selfe for it Therfore although he haue sinne in him and daily sinneth yet he continueth godly but contrariwise the vnbeleuer continueth wicked And this is the true wisedome and consolation of the godly that although they haue and commit sinnes yet they know that for Christes sake they are not imputed vnto them This I say for the comfort of the godly For they onely feele in deede that they haue and doe commit sinnes that is to say they feele that they doe not loue God so feruently as they should doe that they doe not beleue him so hartely as they would but rather they oftētimes dout whether God haue a care of them or no they are impatient and are angrie with God in aduersitie Hereof as I haue sayd proceede the sorowfull complaintes of the faithfull in the scriptures and specially in the Psalmes And Paule him selfe complaineth that he is solde vnder sinne And here he saith that the flesh resisteth rebelleth against the spirit But because they mortifie the deedes of that flesh by the spirite as he sayth in an other place also in the ende of this chapiter They crucifie the flesh vvith the desires and lustes thereof therefore these sinnes doe not hurt them nor condemne them But if they obey the flesh in fulfilling the lustes thereof then doe they lose Faith and the holy Ghost And if they doe not abhorre their sinne and returne vnto Christ who hath geuen power to his church to receaue and raise vppe those that be falne that so they may recouer Faith and the holy Ghost they die in their sinnes Wherefore we speake not of them which dreame that they haue Faith and
that is endued but with the common iudgement of reason may perceaue And although this nourishing is but a corporall thing yet notwithstanding he calleth it a sowing in the spirit Cōtrariwise when men greedely scrape together what they can seke only their owne gaine he calleth it a sowing in the flesh He pronoūceth those which sowe in the spirite to be blessed both in this life and in the life to come and the other which sowe in the flesh to be accursed both in this life and in the life to come Verse 9. And let vs not be vveery of doing good for in due time vve shall reape vvithout vveerines The apostle intēding to close vp his Epistle passeth from the particular to the generall and exhorteth generally to all good workes As if he should say let vs be liberall and bountefull not onely towardes the Ministers of the word but also towardes all other men and that without weerines For it is an easie matter for a man to doe good once or twice but to continue and not to be diseouraged through the ingratitude and peruersenes of those to whom he hath done good that is very hard Therfore he doth not onely exhort vs to doe good but also not to be weery in doing good And to perswade vs the more easily thervnto he addeth For in due time vve shall reape vvithout vveerines As if he sayd wait and looke for the perpetuall haruest that is to come and then shall no ingratitude or peruerse dealing of men be able to plucke you away from well doing For in the haruest time ye shall receaue most plentifull encrease and frute of your seede Thus with most swete words he exhorteth the faithfull to the doing of good workes Verse 10. Therefore vvhile vve haue time let vs doe good vnto all men but specially to those that be of the household of Faith. This is the knitting vp of his exhortation for the liberall maintaining and nourishing of the Ministers of the word geuing of almes to all such as haue neede As if he had sayd Let vs doe good while it is day for when night cometh we can no lōger worke In deede men worke many things when the light of the truth is taken away but all in vaine for they walke in darkenes and wotte not whether they goe and therfore all their life workes sufferings and death are in vaine And by these wordes he toucheth the Galathians As if he should say Except ye continue in the sound doctrine which ye haue receaued of me your working of much good your suffering of many troubles and such other things profite you nothing as he sayd before in the .3 chapter Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine And by a new kinde of speech he termeth those the houshold of Faith which are ioyned with vs in the felowship of Faith among whom the Ministers of the word are the chiefest and then all the rest of the faithfull Verse 11. Behold vvhat a letter I haue vvrytten to you vvith mine ovvne hand He closeth vppe his Epistle with an exhortation to the faithfull and with a sharpe rebuke or inuectiue against the false apostles Behold sayth he vvhat a letter I haue vvryttē vnto you vvith mine ovvn hand This he sayeth to moue them and to shew his motherly affection towardes them As if he should say I neuer wrote so long an Epistle with mine owne hand to any other church as I haue done vnto you For as for his other Epistles as he spake other wrote them afterwardes he subscribed his salutation name with his owne hād as it is to be seene in the end of his Epistles And in these words as I suppose he hath respect to the length of the Epistle Other some take it otherwise Verse 12. As many as desire to please in the flesh compell you to be circumcised onely because they vvould not suffer the persecution of the crosse of Christ Before he cursed the false apostles Now as it were repeating that same thing againe but with other words he accuseth them very sharply to the ende he may feare and turne away the Galathians from their doctrine notwithstanding the great authority which they seemed to haue The teachers which ye haue sayeth he are such as first regard not the glory of Christe and the saluation of your soules but onely seeke their owne glory secondly they flie the crosse thirdly they vnderstād not those things which they teach These false teachers being accused of the Apostle for three such execrable enormities were worthy to be auoided of all men But yet all the Galathians obeyed not this warning of Paule And Paule doth the false apostles no wrong when he so vehemently inueyeth against them but he iustly condemneth them by his Apostolike authority In like maner when we call the Pope Antichriste his bishops and his shauelings a cursed generation we sclaunder them not but by Gods authoritie we iudge them to be accursed according to that which is sayd in the first Chapter If vve or an angell from heauen preach othervvise then vve haue preached vnto you accursed be he For they hate persecute and ouerthrow the doctrine of Christ Your teachers sayth he are vaine heads and not regarding the glory of Christ and your saluation they seeke onely their owne glory Againe because they are afraid of the crosse they preach circumcision and the righteousnes of the flesh lest they should prouoke the Iewes to hate and persecute them Wherfore although ye heare them neuer so gladly and neuer so long yet shall ye heare but such as make theyr belly their God seeke their owne glory and shunne the crosse And here is to be noted a certaine vehemencie in this word compell For circumcision is nothing of it selfe but to be compelled to circumcision and when a man hath receaued it to put righteousnes and holines therein and if it be not receaued to make it a sinne that is an iniurie vnto Christ Of this matter I haue spoken largely enough heretofore Verse 13. For they them selues that are circumcised doe not keepe the lavv but they vvould haue you circumcised that they might glory in your flesh Is not Paule here worthy to be called an heretike For he sayth that not onely the false apostles but all the nation of the Iewes which were circumcised keepe not the law but rather that they which were circumcised in fulfilling the lawe fulfill it not This is against Moises who sayeth that to be circumcised is to keepe the lawe and not to be circumcised is to make the couenaunt voide Gen. 17. And the Iewes were circumcised for none other cause but to keepe the lawe which commaunded that euery malechild should be circumcised the eight day Hereof we haue before entreated at large and therfore we neede not now to repeate the same againe Now these things serue to the condemning of the false apostles that the Galathiās may
the actiue righteousnesse But it is a thing very straunge and vnknowen to the world to teach Christians to learne to be ignorant of the lawe and so to liue before God as if there were no law For except thou be ignorant of the law be assuredly perswaded in thine hart that there is now no lawe nor wrath of God but altogether grace and mercy for Christes sake thou canst not be saued for by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne Cōtrariwise workes and the keeping of the law must be so streitly required in the world as if there were no promise or grace and that because of the stubborne proude and hard harted before whose eies nothing must be set but the lawe that they may be terrified and humbled For the law is geuen to terrifie and to kill such and to exercise the old man And both the word of grace and of wrath must be rightly diuided according to the saying of the Apostle in the second Epistle of Timothe Chapter 2. verse 15. Here is then required a wise and a faithfull disposer of the word of God which can so moderate the lawe that it may be kept within his boundes He that teacheth that men are iustified before God by the obseruation of the lawe passeth the boundes of the lawe and confoundeth these two kindes of righteousnesse actiue and passiue and is but an ill Logician for he doth not rightly diuide Contrariwise he that setteth forth the lawe and workes to the old man and the promise of forgiuenes of sinnes and Gods mercy to the new man diuideth the word wel For the flesh or the old man must be coupled with the lawe and works the spirit or new man must be ioyned with the promise of God and his mercy Wherefore when I see a man that is brused enough already oppressed with the lawe terrified with sinne and thirsting for comfort it is time that I should remoue oute of his sight the lawe and actiue righteousnes and that I should set before him by the Gospell the Christian and passiue righteousnes which excluding Moses with his lawe offereth the promise made in Christ who came for the afflicted and for sinnes Here is man raised vp againe and conceaueth good hope neither is he any longer vnder the lawe but vnder grace Howe not vnder the lawe According to the newe man to whom the law doth not pertaine For the lawe hath his boundes but vnto Christ as Paule saith afterwardes The lawe continueth vnto Christ who being come Moses ceaseth with his lawe Circumcision the Sacrifices the Sabbothes yea and all the Prophetes This is our diuinitie wherby we teach how to put a difference betwene these two kindes of righteousnesse actiue and passiue to the end that maners and faith workes and grace policie and religion shuld not be confounded or taken the one for the other Both are necesry but both must be kept within their boundes Christian righteousnes pertaineth to the newe man and the righteousnes of the lawe pertaineth to the old man which is borne of flesh and bloode Wpon this old man as vpon an asse there must be laied a burthen that may presse him downe and he must not enioy the freedome of the spirite or grace except he first put vpon him the newe man by faith in Christ which notwithstanding is not fully done in this life then may he enioy the kingdome and inestimable gifte of grace This I say to the end that no man should thinke we reiecte or forbid good workes as the Papistes doe most falsely sclaunder vs neither vnderstanding what they themselues say nor what we teach They knowe nothing but the righteousnes of the lawe and yet they will iudge of that doctrine which is farre aboue the lawe of which it is vnpossible that the carnall man should be able to iudge Therefore they must needes be offended for they can see no higher then the lawe What so euer then is aboue the lawe is to them a greate offence But we imagine as it were two worldes the one heauenly and the other earthly In these we place these two kindes of righteousnes being separate the one farre from the other The righteousnes of the lawe is earthly and hathe to doe with earthly things and by it we doe good workes But as the earth bringeth not forthe frute except first it be watred and made frutefull from aboue euen so by the righteousnes of the lawe in doing many thinges we doe nothing and in fullfilling of the lawe we fulfill it not except first without any merite or worke of ours we be made righteous by the Christian righteousnesse which nothing pertaineth to the righteousnesse of the lawe or to the earthly and actiue righteousnesse But this righteousnesse is heauenly which as is said we haue not of our selues but receaue it from heauen which we worke not but which by grace is wrought in vs and apprehended by faith wherby we mounte vp aboue all lawes and workes Wherfore like as we haue borne as S. Paule saith the image of the earthly Adam so let vs beare the image of the heauenly which is the newe man in a new world where is no lawe no sinne no remorse of conscience no death but perfecte ioy righteousnesse grace peace life saluation and glory Why doe we then nothing doe we worke nothing for the obtaining of this righteousnes I aunswere nothing at all For this is perfect righteousnesse to doe nothing to heare nothing to knowe nothing of the law or of workes but to know and to beleeue this onely that Christe is gone to the father and is not nowe seene that he sitteth in heauen at the right hande of his Father not as a iudge but made vnto vs of God wisedome righteousnesse holinesse and redemption Breefely that he is our high Priest intreating for vs and raigning ouer vs and in vs by grace In this heauenly righteousnesse sinne can haue no place for there is no lawe and where no lawe is there can be no transgression Seing then that sinne hath here no place there can be no anguish of conscience no feare no heauinesse Therfore S. Iohn sayth he that is borne of God can not sinne But if there be any feare or greefe of conscience it is a token that this righteousnes is withdrawen that grace is hidden and out of sighte and that Christ is darkened and not to be seene But where Christ is truely seene is deede there must needes be full and perfect ioy in the Lord with peace of conscience which moste certainly thus thinketh Although I am a sinner by the law and vnder the condemnation of the lawe yet I despaire not yet I die not because Christ liueth who is bothe my rightuousnesse and my euerlasting life In that rightuousnesse and life I haue no sinne no feare no sting of cōscience no care of death I am in dede a sinner as touching this present life and the righteousnesse
not regarding the offence that might rise therof he saith plainly in the text that he was bold to accuse reproue euē Peter him self the chiefe of the Apostles who had seene Christ and had bene most familiarly conuersant with him I am an Apostle saith he and such a one as passe not what others are yea I was not afraid to chide the very piller of all the rest of the Apostles And to conclude in the first two chapters he doth in a manner nothing els but sette out his vocation his office and his gospell affirming that it was not of men and that he had not receaued it by man but by the reuelation of Iesus Christ Also that if he yea or an Angell from heauen should bring any other gospel then that which he had preached he should be holden accursed The certaintie of calling But what meaneth Paule by this his boasting I aunswere This common place serueth to this end that euery minister of Gods word should be sure of his calling that before God and man he may with a bold conscience glory herein that he preacheth the gospell as one that is called and sent Euen as the Embassadour of a King glorieth and vaunteth in this that he commeth not as a priuate person but as the Kings Embassadour and because of this dignitie that he is the Kings Embassadour he is honored and set in the highest place Which honour should not be geuen vnto him if he came as a priuate person Wherefore let the preacher of the gospell be certaine that his calling is from god And it is expedient that according to the example of Paule he should magnifie this his calling to the end that he may winne credite and authoritie among the people like as the Kings Embassadour magnifieth his office and calling And thus to glory is not a vain but a necessary kinde of glorying because he glorieth not in him selfe but in the King which hath sent him whose authoritie he desireth to be honoured and magnified Likewise when Paule so highly commendeth his calling he seeketh not his owne praise but with a necessary and holy pride he magnifieth his ministery As to the Rom. 11. he sayth For as much as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles I will magnifie mine office that is to say I will that men receaue me not as Paule of Tharsus but as Paule the Apostle or Embassadour of Iesus Christ And this he doth of necessitie to maintaine his authoritie that the people in hearing this might be more attent and willing to geue eare vnto him For they heare not onely Paule but in Paule Christ himselfe and God the father sending him out in his message whose authoritie and maiestie like as men ought religiously to honour so ought they with greate reuerence to receaue and to heare his messengers bringing his word and message This is a notable place therefore wherein Paule so glorieth and boasteth as touching his vocation that he despiseth all others If any mā after the manner of the world should despise all others in respect of him selfe attribute al vnto him self alone he should not only shew him self a very foole but also greuously offend But this maner of boasting is necessary and pertaineth not to the glory of Paule but to the glory of God whereby is offered vnto him the sacrifice of praise and thankesgeuing For by this boasting the name the grace the mercy of God is made knowne vnto the world Thus then he beginneth this Epistle Verse 1. Paule an Apostle not of men c. Here in the very beginning he toucheth those false teachers which boasted them selues to be the disciples of the Apostles and to be sent of them but despised Paule as one that was neither the Apostles scholler nor sent of any to preach the gospell but came in some other way and of his owne head thrust him selfe into that office Against those Paule defendeth his calling saying My calling seemeth base to your preachers But whosoeuer they be which haue come vnto you are sent either of men or by man that is to say they haue entred either of them selues being not called or els called by others But my calling is neither of men nor by man but it is aboue all maner of calling that can be done by the Apostles for it is by Iesus Christ and by God the father c. Where he saith of men I meane such as cal thrust in themselues when neither God nor man calleth nor sendeth them but they runne speake of them selues As at this day certaine fantastical spirits which either creepe in corners and seeke places where they may powre out their poyson and come not into publike congregations or els they go thither wher the gospel is plāted already These I cal such as are sent of men But where he saith by man vnderstand such as haue a diuine calling but yet by man as by meanes God calleth then two maner of wayes by meanes and without meanes He calleth vs to the ministery of his worde at this day not immediatly by him selfe but by other meanes that is to say by man But the Apostles were called immediatly of Christ him selfe as the Prophets in the old time were called of God himselfe Therefore when Paule saith Not of men neither by man he beateth downe the false Apostles As though he would say Albeit those vipers bragge neuer so much what can they bragge more then that they are either come from men that is to say of them selues with out any calling or by man that is to say sent of others I passe not vpon any of these things neither ought you to regard them As for me I am called and sent neither of men nor by man but without meanes that is to witte by Iesus Christ him selfe and my calling is like in all points to the calling of the Apostles and I am in deede an Apostle Paule therefore handleth this place of the calling of the Apostles effectually And elswher he seperateth the degree of Apostleship from others as in the first to the Corinth cap. 12. and in the fourth to the Ephesians where he saith And God hath ordained some in the Churche as first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly teachers c. setting Apostles in the first place so that they be properly called Apostles which are sent immediatly of God him selfe without any other ordinary meanes So Mathias was called onely of god For when the other Apostles had appoynted two they durst not choose the one nor the other but they cast lots prayed that God would shew which of them he would haue For seing he should be an Apostle it behoued that he should be called of God. So was Paule called to be the Apostle of the Gentiles Hereof the Apostles also are called Sainctes For they are sure of their calling and doctrine and haue continued faithfull in their office and none of
them became a cast away saue Iudas because theyr calling is holy This is the first assault that Paule maketh against the false Apostles which ranne when no man sent them Calling therfore is not to be despised For it is not enough for a man to haue the word pure doctrine but also he must be assured of his calling and he that entreth without this certaintie entreth to no other ende but to kill and to destroy For God neuer prospereth the labour of those that are not called And although they teach some good and profitable matters withall yet they edifie not So our fantasticall spirites at this day haue the wordes of Faith in their mouthes but yet they yeelde no frute but their cheefe ende and purpose is to draw men to their false and peruerse opinions They that haue a certaine and holy calling must sustaine many and great conflictes as they must do whose doctrine is pure and sound that they may constantly abide in their lawfull calling against the infinite and continuall assaultes of the Deuill and rage of the world Heere what should he doe whose calling is vncertaine and doctrine corrupte This is then our comforte which are in the Ministerie of the worde that we haue an office which is heauenly and holy to the which we being lawfully called doe triumph against all the gates of hel On the other side it is an horrible thing when the conscience saith This thou hast done without any lawfull calling Herein such terrour shaketh a mans minde which is not called that he would wish he had neuer heard the word which he teacheth For by his disobedience he maketh all his workes euill were they neuer so good in so much that euen his greatest workes and labours become his greateste sinnes We see then how good and necessary this boasting and glorying of our ministerie is In times past when I was a yong deuine and teacher me thought Paule did vnwisely in glorying so oft of his calling in all his Epistles but I did not vnderstand his purpose For I knew not that the ministerie of Gods word was so waightie a matter I knew nothing of the doctrine of faith and a true conscience in deede for that there was then no certaintie taught either in the Schooles or Churches but al was ful of Sophistical subtilties of the Schoolemē And therfore no man was able to vnderstand the dignitie and power of this holy and spirituall boasting of the true lawfull calling which serueth first to the glory of God and secondly to the aduauncing of our office and moreouer to the saluation of our selues and of the people For by this our boasting we seeke not estimation in the worlde or praise among men or mony or pleasures or fauour of the world But for as much as we be in a diuine calling and in the worke of God and the people haue great neede to be assured of our calling that they may know our word to be the word of God therfore we proudly vaunt and boast of it It is not then a vaine but a most holy pride against the deuil and the world and true humilitie before God. Verse 1. And by God the Father vvhich hath raised him from the dead Paule is so enflamed heere with zeale that he can not tary till he come to the matter it selfe but forthwith in the very title he bursteth out and vttereth what he hath in his heart His intent in this Epistle is to treate of the righteousnes that cometh by faith and to defend the same Againe to ouerthrowe the lawe and the righteousnes that cometh by workes Of such cogitations he is full and out of this wonderfull and exceeding great abundance of the excellent wisedome and knowledge of Christ in his heart his mouth speaketh This flame this great burning fire of his heart cā not be hid nor suffer him to hold his tongue and therfore he thought it not enough to say that he was an Apostle sent by Iesus Christ but also addeth by God the Father vvhich raised him vp from the dead But the adding of these words And by God the father c semeth not necessary But because as I sayd Paule speaketh out of the abundance of his heart his minde burneth with desire to set forth euen in the very entrie of his Epistle the vnsearchable riches of Christ and to preach the righteousnes of God which is called the resurrection of the dead Christ who liueth and is risen againe speaketh out of him and moueth him thus to speake therfore not without cause he addeth that he is also an Apostle By God the father vvhich hath raised vp Iesus Christ from the dead As if he would say I haue to deale with Satan and with those vipers the instrumēts of Satan which go about to spoile me of the righteousnes of Christ who was raised vp by God the to spoile me of the righteousnes of Christ who was raised vp by God the father frō the dead by which alone we are made righteous by which also we shal be raised vp in the last day from death to euerlasting life But they that in such sort goe about to ouerthrow Christes righteousnes do resist the father and the sonne and the worke of them bothe Thus Paule euen at the first entrance bursteth out into the whole matter wherof he treateth in this Epistle For as I sayd he treateth of the resurrection of Christ who rose againe to make vs righteous and in so doing he hath ouercome the lawe sinne death and all euels Christes victorie then is the ouercōming of the law of sinne our flesh the world the deuil death hel all euils and this his victorie hath he geuen vnto vs Although then that these tyraunts and enemies of ours do accuse vs and make vs afraid yet can they not driue vs to despaire nor condemne vs For Christ whom God the father hath raised vp frō the dead is our righteousnes and victory Therfore thanks be to God who hath geuen vs victorie by our Lord Iesus Christ Amen But marke how fitly and to the purpose Paule here speaketh He sayth not by God that hath made heauen and earth which is Lord of the Angels which commaunded Abraham to goe out of his owne coūtrey which sent Moises to Pharao the king which brought Israel out of Egypt as the false Apostles did who boasted of the God of their fathers the creator maintainer and preseruer of all things working wonders among his people but Paule had an other thing in his hart namely the righteousnes of Christ therfore he speaketh words that make much for this his matter saying I am an Apostle neither of men nor by men but by Iesus Christ and God the father vvho hath raised him vp from the dead Ye see then with what feruencie of spirit Paule is led in this matter which he goeth about to establish and maintaine against
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
for his mischeuous deedes What is this els but to heape vpon him that is already most miserably afflicted extreme perdition and destruction and through a false confidence in his owne death to shew him the ready way to hell Hereby these hypocrites doe plainely declare that they neither teache nor vnderstande one letter or syllable concerning grace the Gospell or Christ They retaine onely in outwarde shewe the name of the Gospell and of Christ that they may begile the heartes of the people Notwithstanding they denying and reiecting Christ in deede doe attribute more to the traditions of men then to the Gospell of Christ Which thing to be true so many kindes of false worshippe so many religious orders so many ceremonies and so many wilworkes doe witnesse All which things were instituted as auailable to deserue grace righteousnes and euerlasting life In their confessions they make no mention of faith or the merite of Christ but teach and set forth the satisfactions and merits of men as it may plainly appeare in this forme of absolution I speake nothing here of other matters which the Monkes vsed among themselues yea and such as would be counted more deuout and more religious then others which I thinke good here to sette downe that our posteritie may see howe greate and howe horrible the kingdome of the Pope is The forme of a Monkish absolution God forgeue thee my brother The merite of the passion of our Lord Iesus Christ and of blessed Saincte Mary alwaies a virgine and of all the Saincts the merite of thine order the streitnes of thy religion the humilitie of thy confession the contrition of thy hart the good workes which thou hast done and shalt doe for the loue of our Lord Iesus Christ be vnto thee auaileable for the remission of thy sinnes the encrease of desert and grace and the reward of euerlasting life Amen Ye heare the merite of Christ mencioned in these words but if ye weye them well ye shall perceaue that Christ is there altogether vnprofitable and that the glory and name of a iustifier and Sauiour is quite taken from him and geuen to Monkish merites Is not this to take the name of God in vaine Is not this to confesse Christ in wordes and in very deede to deny his power and blaspheme his name I my selfe also was once entangled with this errour I thought Christ to be a iudge although I confessed with my mouth that he suffered and died for mans redemption and ought to be pacified by the obseruation of my rule and order Therfore when I prayed or when I said Masse I vsed to adde this in the end O Lord Iesus I come vnto thee I pray thee that these burthens and this streitnes of my rule and religion may be a full recompence for all my sinnes But now I geue thankes vnto God the father of all mercies which hath called me out of darkenes vnto the light of his glorious Gospell hath geuen vnto me plentifull knowledge of Christ Iesus my lord for whose sake I coūt al things to be but losse yea I esteme them but as dunge that I may gaine Christ and that I may be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes out of the rule of Augustine but that righteousnes which cometh by faith in Christ Vnto whom with the father the holy ghost be praise and glory world without end Amen We conclude therefore with Paule that we are iustified by faith onely in Christ without the law Now after that a man is once iustified and possesseth Christ by faith and knoweth that he is his righteousnes and life doubtles he will not be idle but as a good tree he wil bring forth good frutes For the beleuing man hath the holy Ghost and wher the holy Ghost dwelleth it will not suffer a man to be idle but stirreth him vp to all exercises of pietie and godlines and of true religion to the loue of God to the patient suffering of afflictions to praier to thankes geuing to the exercise of charitie towards all men Hitherto we haue handled the first argument wherin Paule contendeth that either we can not be iustified by the law or els that Christ must needes be the minister of sinne But this is impossible wherefore we conclude that iustification cometh not by the law Of this place we haue largely entreated as it is well worthy and yet can it not be caught and setforth sufficiently Verse 19. For I through the lavv am deade to the lavv that I might liue vnto God. These are maruelous words and vnknowne kindes of speach which mans reason can in no wise vnderstand And although they be but few yet are they vttered with greate zeale and vehemencie of spirite and as it were in greate displeasure As if he should say why doe ye boast so much of the law wherof in this case I will be ignoraunt But if ye will needes haue the law I also haue the law Wherfore as though he were moued through indignation of the holy Ghost he calleth grace it selfe the law geuing a new name to the effect and working of grace in contempt of the law of Moses and the false Apostles which contended that the law was necessary to iustification and so he setteth the law against the law And this is a sweete kind of speach and full of consolation when in the scriptures and specially in Paule the law is set against the law sinne against sinne death against death captiuitie against captiuitie hell against hell the altar against the altar the lambe against the lambe the passeouer against the passeouer In the .8 to the Romaines it is sayd For sinne he condemned sinne Psal. 68. and Ephes 4. He hath led captiuitie captiue Hosee 13. O death I vvill be thy death O hel I vvill be thy destruction So he saith here that through the lawe he is dead to the lawe As if he sayd The lawe of Moses accuseth and condemneth me but against that accusing and condemning lawe I haue an other lawe which is grace and libertie This lawe accuseth the accusing law and condemneth the condemning law So death killeth death but this killing death is life it selfe But it is called the death of death by abundance of spirite or vehement indignation against death So righteousnes boroweth the name of sin because it condemneth sin this cōdemning of sin is true righteousnes And here Paule semeth to be an heretike yea of all heretikes the greatest his heresie is straunge and monstrous For he sayth that he being dead to the lavv liueth to God. The false apostles taught this doctrine Except thou liue to the lawe thou art dead to God that is to say vnlesse thou liue after the lawe thou art dead before god But Paule sayeth quite contrary If thou be not dead to the law thou canst not liue to God. The doctrine of our aduersaries at this day is
contempt of God despaire c yet hath not he preuailed neither shall he preuaile hereafter He is greater that is in vs then he that is in the vvorld Christ is stronger who hath doth ouercome that strong one in vs shall ouercome him for euer Notwithstanding the deuill sometimes ouercometh vs in the flesh that we may haue experience of the power of a stronger against that strong one and may say with Paule When I am weake then am I strong Let no man thinke then that the Galathians onely were bewitched of the Deuill but let euery man thinke that he himselfe might haue bene and yet may be bewitched by him There is none of vs so stronge that he is able to resist him and specially if he attempt to doe it by his owne strength Iob vvas an vpright and a iuste man fearing God and there vvas none like vnto him vpon the earth But what power had he against the deuill when God withdrewe his hand Did not this holy man horribly fall Therfore this enchaunter was not onely mightie in the Galathians but he goeth about busily alwaies to deceaue if not all men yet as many as he can with his illusions and false perswasions For he is a liar and the father of lies And by this his subtill practise he hath bewitched as I haue saide these frantike spirites reigning in them and making them so obstinate and hard harted that no Anuil can be so hard Verse 1. VVho hath bevvitched you Here Paule excuseth the Galathians and laieth the faulte vpon the false Apostles As though he should say I see that ye are not falne thorough wilfulnes or malice but the Deuill hath sent the enchaunting false Apostles his children amongest you and they do so bewitch you in teaching you that ye are iustified by the lawe that now ye thinke otherwise of Christ then ye did afore when ye heard the Gospell preached by me But we labour both by preaching and writing vnto you to vncharme that sorcery wherwith the false Apostles haue bewitched you and to set at libertie those which are snared therwith So we also at this day doe labour by the word of God against those fantasticall opinions of the Anabaptistes that we may set at libertie those that are entangled therewith and reduce them to the pure doctrine of faith and there hold them And this our labour is not altogether in vaine For we haue called backe many whom they had bewitched and haue deliuered them out of their snares Notwithstanding such there are as will not suffer themselues to be taught especially the chiefe Sorcerers and authors of this witchery They wil heare no reason nor admit the scripture yea they abuse and corrupt the scripture and auoide such places as are alledged against them with their false gloses and deuilish dreames cleane contrary to the scripture which is a manifest signe that they are bewitched of the deuill Wherefore they are nothing amended by our admonitions but are much more hardened and more obstinate then they were before And surely I could neuer haue beleued but that I haue good experience therof at this day that the power of the deuill is so greate that he is able to make falshod so like to the truth Moreouer which is yet much more horrible when he goeth about to ouerwhelme sorrowfull consciences with ouer much heauines he can so cunningly and so liuely chaūge himselfe into the likenes of Christ that it is impossible for the poore tempted and afflicted soule to perceaue it wherby many simple and ignoraunt persons are deceaued and driuen downe to desperation and some also destroy themselues For they are so bewitched of the deuil that they beleue this to be a most certaine truth that they are tempted and accused not of the deuill but of Christ himselfe Such a like thing of late happened to that miserable man Doctor Kraus of Hal which said I haue denied Christ and therfore he standeth now before his father and accuseth me He being blinded with the illusion of the deuil had so strongly conceaued in his minde this imagination that by no exhortation no consolation no promises of God he could be brought from it wherupon he despaired and so miserably destroied himselfe This was a meere lie a bewitching of the deuil and a fantasticall definition of a wrong Christ whom the scripture knoweth not For the scripture setteth forth Christ not as a Iudge a temptour or accuser but a reconciler a mediator a comforter and a throne of grace But the poore man deluded by the deuill could not then see this and therfore against al scripture he thinketh this to be an vndoubted truth Christ accuseth thee before his father he standeth not for thee but against thee therfore thou art damned And this tentation is not of man but of the deuill which that enchaunter most strongly imprinteth in the heart of the tempted But vnto vs which are lead and taught by an other spirite it is a manifest and a cursed lie and a plaine bewitching of the deuill But vnto those that are thus bewitched it is so certaine a truth that none can be more certaine Seing then that the deuill is able to print in our hearts so manifest a lie that we woulde sweare a thousand times it were an vndoubted truth we must not be proud but walke in feare and humilitie calling vpon the Lord Iesus that we be not lead into tentation Worldly and secure men which after they haue once or twise hearde the Gospell preached by and by imagine that they haue receaued aboundaunce of gods spirite doe fall at length in like manner because they feare not God nor render thankes vnto him but perswade themselues that they are able not onely to hold and to maintaine the doctrine of true religion but also to stand against the deuill in any assault or conflicte be it neuer were so greeuous Such are meete instruments for the Deuill to bewitch and to throwe downe to desperation On the other side say not thou I am perfite I can not fall but humble thy selfe and feare lest if thou stand to day to morrow thou be ouerthrowne I my selfe although I be a Doctor of diuinitie and haue nowe preached Christ and fought against the Deuill in his false teachers a great while doe finde by experience notwithstanding what a doe I haue to holde fast and not to lose Christ For I can not shake of Satan as I desire neither can I so apprehend Christ as the scriptures set him forth but oftentimes the Deuill setteth before mine eyes a false Christ But thankes be to God who keepeth vs in the worde in faith and in prayer that we may walke before him in humilitie and feare and not presume of our owne wisedome righteousnes strength but trust in the power of Christ who is strong when we are weake and by vs weake and feeble creatures he alwayes ouercommeth and triumpheth
vvas imputed vnto him for righteousnes For christian righteousnes consisteth in two things that is to say in faith of the heart and in Gods imputation Faith is in deede a formal righteousnes and yet this righteousnes is not enough for after faith there remaine yet certaine remnaunts of sinne in our flesh This sacrifice of faith began in Abraham but at last it was finished in his death And therfore the other part of righteousnes must needes be added also to finish the same in vs that is to say Gods imputation For faith geueth not enough to God because it is imperfecte yea rather our faith is but a little sparke of faith which beginneth onely to render vnto God his true diuinitie We haue receiued the first fruites of the spirite but not yet the tenthes Besides this reason is not vtterly killed in this life which may appeare by our concupiscence wrath impatience and other fruites of the flesh and of infidelitie yet remaining in vs Yea the holiest that liue haue not yet a full and continuall ioy in God but haue theyr sondry passions sometimes sadde sometimes mirry as the scriptures witnes of the Prophetes and Apostles But such faultes are not layde to their charge because of their faith in Christ for otherwise no flesh should be saued We conclude therefore vpon these wordes It vvas imputed to him for righteousnes that righteousnes in deede beginneth through faith and by the same we haue the first frutes of the spirite but because faith is weake it is not made perfect without Gods imputation Wherefore faith beginneth righteousnes but imputation maketh it perfect vnto the day of Christ The popish Sophisters and Scholemen dispute also of imputation when they speake of the good acceptation of the woorke but besides and cleane contrary to the scripture for they wrest it onely to workes They doe not consider the vncleanenes and inward poyson lurking in the hearte as incredulitie doubting despising and hating of God which most pernicious and perelous beastes are the fountaine and cause of all mischiefe They consider no more but outward and grosse faults and vnrighteousnes which are little riuers proceeding and issuing out of those fountaines Therefore they attribute acceptation to workes that is to say that God doth accept our workes not of dutie but of congruence Contrarywise we excluding all workes doe goe to the very heade of this beast which is called reason which is the fountaine and headespring of all mischiefes For reason feareth not God it loueth not God it trusteth not in God but proudely contemneth him It is not moued either with his threateninges or his promises It is not delighted with his wordes or workes but it murmureth against him it is angry with him iudgeth and hateth him to be short it is an enemy to God not geuing him his glorie This pestilent beast reason I say being once slaine all outward and grosse vices should be nothing Wherfore we must first and afore all thinges goe about by faith to kill infidelitie the contempt and hatred of God murmuring against his iudgement and his wrath and against all his wordes and workes for then doe we kill reason which can be killed by none other meanes but by faith which in beleeuing God geueth vnto him his glory notwithstanding that he speaketh those things which seeme both foolish absurde and vnpossible to reason notwithstanding also that God setteth forth him selfe otherwise then reason is able either to iudge or conceiue that is to say after this maner I will account thee and pronounce thee to be righteous not for the keping of the lawe not for thy workes and thy merites but for thy faith in Iesus Christ mine onely begotten Sonne who was borne suffred was crucified and died for thy sinnes and that sinne which remaineth in thee I will not impute vnto thee If reason then be not killed and al kindes of religion and seruice of God vnder heauen that are inuented by men to get righteousnes before God be not condemned the righteousnes of faith can take no place When reason heareth this by and by it is offended it rageth and vttereth all her malice against God saying Are then my good woorkes nothing Haue I then laboured and borne the burden and heate of the day in vaine Hereof rise those vprours of nations of Kings and Princes against the Lord and against his Christ For the world neither will nor can suffer that his wisedome righteousnes religions and worshippings should be reproued and condemned The Pope with all his Popish rablement will not seeme to erre much lesse will he suffer himselfe to be condemned Therefore let them which be studious of the woorde of God learne out of this saying Abraham beleeued God and it vvas counted to him for righteousnes to sette forthe truely and rightly this true Christian righteousnes after this manner that it is a faith and confidence in the Sonne of God or rather a confidence of the heart in God through Iesus Christe And lette them adde this clause as a difference Which Faith and confidence is accounted righteousnes for Christes sake For these two things as I sayde before woorke Christian righteousnes namely Faith in the heart which is a gifte of God and rightly beleueth in Christ and also that God accepteth this imperfecte Faithe for perfect righteousnes for Christes sake in whom I haue begun to beleue because of this faith in Christ God seeth not my doubting of his good will towards me my distrust my heauines of spirite and other sinnes which are yet in me For as long as I liue in the flesh sinne is verely in me But because I am couered vnder the shadow of Christes winges as is the chicken vnder the winge of the henne and dwell without all feare vnder that most ample and large heauen of the forgeuenes of sinnes which is spread ouer me God couereth and pardoneth the remnant of sinne in me that is to say because of that faith wherwith I began to lay hold vpon Christ he accepteth my imperfect righteousnes euen for perfect righteousnes counteth my sinne for no sinne which notwithstanding is sinne in deede So we shroud our selues vnder the couering of Christes flesh who is our cloudy piller for the day and our fire by the night lest God should see our sinne And although we see it and for the same doe feele the terrors of conscience yet flying vnto Christ our Mediatour and reconciler through whom we are made perfect we are sure and safe For as all things are in him so through him we haue all things who also doth supply whatsoeuer is wanting in vs When we beleue this God winketh at all our sinnes and the remnantes thereof which are yet sticking in our flesh and will haue them so couered as though they were no sinnes Because saith he thou beleuest in my sonne although thou haue many sinnes notwithstanding they must be forgeuen thee vntill thou
his chiefe end and office it humbleth a man and in humbling him it maketh him to sigh and grone and to seeke the hand and aide of the Mediatour and maketh his grace and his mercy exceeding sweete comfortable as is saide Psalm 109. Thy mercy is svveete and his gifte precious and inestimable And by this meanes it prepareth vs and maketh vs apte to apprehende and to receaue Christe For as the Poete sayeth Dulcia non meruit qui non gustauit amara that is He that hath not tasted the things that are bitter Is not vvorthie to taste the things that are svveeter Hunger is the best Cooke Therefore like as the drie earth doth couet the raine euen so the lawe maketh troubled and afflicted soules to thirst after Christe To such Christe sauoureth sweetely to them he is nothing els but ioy consolation and life And there beginneth Christ and his benefite rightly to be knowne This is then the principall vse of the law namely when a man can so vse it that it may humble him make him to thirst after Christ And in deede Christ requireth thirsty soules whom he most louingly and graciously allureth and calleth vnto him when he saith Come vnto me all ye that labour and are heauy loden and I vvill refresh you He deliteth therefore to water these dry groundes He powreth not his waters vpon fatte and rancke groundes or such as are not dry and couet no water His good things are inestimable and therefore he geueth them to none but vnto such as haue neede of them and feeling the greate neede they haue thereof doe earnestly desire them He preacheth glad tidings to the poore he geueth drinke to the thirstie If any thirst saith Iohn Let him come vnto me c. He healeth the broken harted c. that is he comforteth those that are brused and afflicted by the law Therefore the law is not against the promises of God. Verse 21. For if there had ben a lavv geuen vvhich bringeth life surely righteousnes should haue ben by the lavve By these wordes Paule signifieth that no lawe of it selfe is able to quicken or geue life but onely killeth Therfore such works as are done not onely according to the lawes and traditions of the Pope but also according to the very law of God doe not iustifie a man before God but make him a sinner they doe not pacifie the wrath of God but they kindle it they obtaine not righteousnes but they hinder it they quicken not but they terrifie Therfore when he sayeth If a lavv had ben geuen vvhich could haue brought life c. he teacheth plainly that the lawe of it selfe iustifieth not but that it hath a cleane contrary effect Although these words of Paule be plaine enough yet are they obscure and vtterly vnknowne to the Papists For if they did vnderstand them in deede they would not so magnifie their freewill their owne naturall strength the keping of the Counsels the works of supererogation c. But left they should seeme to be manifestly wicked plaine Infidels in denying the words of the Apostle of Christ so impudently they haue this pestilent glose alwayes ready wherby they peruert the places of Paule concerning the lawe which reuealeth sinne and engendreth wrath that is to say the .x. commaūdemēts that Paule speaketh onely of the ceremoniall and not of the morall law But Paule speaketh plainly when he sayth If a lavve had ben geuen c. and he excepteth no lawe Wherfore this glose of the Papists is not worth a rush For the lawes of the ceremonies were as well commaunded of God and as streitly kept as the morall lawes The Iewes also kept circumcision as precisely as they did the Sabboth day It is euident enough therfore that Paule speaketh of the whole lawe These words of the Apostle are song said in the Papacie and in all their churches and yet notwithstanding they both teach and liue quite contrary Paule sayth simplie that no law was geuen to quicken and to bring life but the Papistes teach that many lawes are geuen to bring life Although they say not this in plaine words yet in very deede such is their opinion as their Monkery doth plainely witnes besides many lawes and traditions of men their workes and merites before grace and after and innumerable wicked ceremonies and false worshippings which they haue deuised of their owne heads and those onely haue they preached treading the Gospell vnder their feete and assuredly promising grace remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to all such as should kepe obserue the same This that I say cā not be denied for their bokes which are yet extāt geue certaine testimony therof But contrariwise we affirme with Paule that there is no law whether it be mans law or Gods law that geueth life Therfore we put as great a difference betwene the law righteousnes as is betwene life death betwene heauen hell And the cause the moueth vs so to affirme is that plaine euident place of Paule where he sayth that the law is not geuen to iustifie to geue life and to saue but onely to kil to destroy cōtrary to the opinion of all men for naturally they can iudge no otherwise of the law but that it is geuen to work righteousnes to geue life saluation This difference of the offices of the law and the gospel kepeth all Christian doctrine in his true proper vse Also it maketh a faithfull man iudge ouer all kindes of life ouer the lawes decrees of all men and ouer all doctrine whatsoeuer and it geueth them power to trie all maner of spirites On the other side the Papists because they confoūd mingle the law the gospel together cā teach no certainty touching faith works the states conditiōs of life nor of the difference of spirits Now therfore after that Paule hath prosecuted his confutations and arguments sufficiently and in good order he teacheth that the lawe if ye consider his true and perfect vse is nothing else but as a certaine Scholemaster to lead vs vnto righteousnes For it hūbleth men maketh them apt to receaue the righteousnes of Christ whē it doth his own proper worke and office that is when it maketh them giltie terrifieth and bringeth them to the knowledge of sinne wrath death and hell For when it hath done this the opinion of mans owne righteousnes holines vanisheth away and Christe with his benefites beginneth to waxe sweete vnto him Wherefore the law is not against the promises of God but rather confirmeth them True it is that it doth not accomplish the promise nor bring righteousnes notwithstanding it humbleth vs with his exercise and office and so maketh vs more thrifty and more apte to receaue the benefite of Christ Therefore saith he if any lawe had bene geuen which might haue brought righteousnes and through righteousnes life for
then vnder the lawe must not alwayes endure but must onely continue to the cōming or reuealing of Faith which this sweete verse of the Psalme 147. doth teach vs The Lord deliteth in those that feare him that is to say which are in prison vnder the lawe But by and by after he addeth and in those that attend vppon his mercy Therfore we must ioyne these two things together which are in deede as contrary the one to the other as may be For what can be more contrary then to hate and abhorre the wrath of God and againe to trust in his goodnes mercy The one is hell the other is heauē and yet they must be nerely ioyned together in the heart By speculation and naked knowledge a man may easily ioyne them together but by experience and inward practise so to doe of all things it is the hardest which I my selfe haue often proued by mine owne experience Of this matter the Papistes and Sectaries know nothing at all Therefore these wordes of Paule are to them obscure and altogether vnknowne And when the lawe reueileth vnto them their sinne accuseth and terrifieth them they can finde no counsell no rest no helpe or succour but fall to desperation as Caine and Saule did Seeing the lawe therfore as is sayd is our tormentour and our prison certaine it is that we can not loue it but hate it He therefore that sayth he loueth the lawe is a liar and knoweth not what he sayth A theefe and a robber should shewe him selfe to be starke madde that would loue the prison the fetters and chaines Seing thē the law shutteth vs vppe and holdeth vs in prison it can not be but we must needes be extreme enemies to the lawe To conclude so well we loue the lawe and the righteousnes thereof as a murtherer loueth the darke prison the streit bondes and irons How then should the law iustifie vs Verse 23. And shut vp vnder the faith vvhich should after be reueiled This Paule speaketh in respect of the fulnes of the time wherin Christ came But we must applie it not onely to that time but also to the inward man For that which is done as an hystorie and according to the time wherin Christe came abolishing the lawe and bringing libertie and eternall life to light is alwayes done spiritually in euery Christian in whom is found continually somewhile the time of the law and somewhile the time of grace For the Christian man hath a body in whose members as Paule sayth in an other place sinne dwelleth and warreth Nowe I vnderstand sinne to be not onely the deede or the worke but also the roote and the tree together with the fruites as the Scripture vseth to speake of sinne Which is yet not onely rooted in the baptised flesh of euery Christian but also is at deadly warre within it and holdeth it captiue if not to geue consent vnto it or to accomplish the worke yet doth it force him mightely thervnto For albeit a Christian man doe not fall into outward and grosse sinnes as murther adultery theft and such like yet is he not free from impatiencie murmuring hating and blaspheming of God which sinnes to reason and the carnall man are altogether vnknowne These sinnes constraine him yea sore against his will to detest the lawe they compell him to flie from the presence of God they compell him to hate and blaspheme god For as carnall lust is strong in a yong man in a man of full age the desire and loue of glory and in an old man couetousnes euen so in a holy and a faithfull man impatiencie murmuring hatred and blasphemie against God doe mightely preuaile Examples hereof there are many in the Psalmes in Iob in Ieremie and throughout the whole Scripture Paule therfore describing and setting forth this spirituall warfare vseth very behement words and fitte for the purpose as of fighting rebelling holding and leading captiue c. Both these times then of the lawe and the Gospell I meane are in a Christian as touching the affections and inward man The time of the lawe is when the lawe exerciseth me tormenteth me with heauines of heart oppresseth me bringeth me to the knowledge of sinne and encreaseth the same Here the law is in his true vse and perfect worke which a Christian oftentimes feeleth as long as he liueth So there was geuen vnto Paule a pricke in the flesh that is the angell of Satan to buffet him He would gladly haue felt euery moment the ioy of conscience the laughter of the heart and the sweete tast of eternall life Againe he would gladly haue ben deliuered from all trouble and anguish of spirite and therefore he desired that this tentation might be taken from him Notwithstanding this was not done but the Lord sayd vnto him My grace is sufficient for thee For my povver is made perfect through vveaknes This battaile doth euery Christian feele To speake of my selfe there are many howers in the which I chide and contend with God and impatiently resist him The wrath and iudgement of God displeaseth me and againe my impaciencie my murmuring and such like sinnes doe displease him And this is the time of the lawe vnder the which a Christian man continually liueth as touching the flesh For the flesh lusteth continually against the spirite and the spirite against the flesh but in some more and in some lesse The time of grace is when the heart is raised vppe againe by the promise of the free mercy of God and sayeth VVhy art thou heauie O my soule and vvhy doest thou trouble me Doest thou see nothing but the lawe sinne terrour heauines desperation death hell and the Deuill Is there not also grace remission of sinnes righteousnes consolation ioy peace life heauen Christe and God Trouble me no more O my soule What is the lawe what is sinne what are all euils in comparison of these things Trust in God who hath not spared his owne deare sonne but hath geuen him to the death of the crosse for thy sinnes This is then to be shutte vppe vnder the lawe after the flesh not for euer but till Christe be reuealed Therefore when thou art beaten downe tormented and afflicted by the law then say Lady law Thou art not alone neither art thou all things but besides thee there are yet other things much greater and better then thou art namely grace faith and blessing This grace this faith and this blessing doe not accuse me terrifie me condemne me but they comfort me they bid me trust in the Lord and promise vnto me victorie and saluation in Christe There is no cause therfore why I should despaire He that is skilfull in this arte and this cunning may in deede be called a right Diuine The fantasticall spirites their disciples at this day which continually bragge of the spirite do perswade them selues that they are very expert
against him can not be forgeuē Thou hast lost thy right and soueraigntie and nowe for euer thou art not onely ouercome condemned and slaine vnto Christe but also to me beleuing in him vnto whom he hath freely geuen this victorie So the law is dead to vs for euer so that we abide in Christ Thankes be therefore to God vvhich hath geuen vs victory through our Lord Iesus Christe These things doe also confirme this doctrine that we are iustified by faith only For when this combate was fought betwixt Christ the law none of our works or deserts came betwene but onely Christ was found who putting vpon him our person made him selfe subiect to the law in perfect innocencie suffered all tyrānie Therfore the law as a theefe a cursed murtherer of the sonne of God loseth all his right and deserueth to be condemned in such sort that wheresoeuer Christe is or is once named there it is compelled to auoid flie away no otherwise thē the Deuil as the Papists imagine flieth frō the crosse Wherfore if we beleue we are deliuered from the law through Christe who hath triumphed ouer it by himself Therfore this glorious triūph purchased vnto vs by Christe is not gotten by any workes but onely by Faith therfore Faith onely iustifieth These wordes then Christe vvas made vnder the lavve c. as they are pithie and import a certaine vehemencie so are they diligently to be weyed and considered For they declare that the Sonne of God being made vnder the lawe did not onely performe one or two workes of the law that is to say he was not onely circumcised or presented in the temple or went vp to Ierusalem with other at the times appoynted or onely liued ciuily vnder the lawe but he suffered all the tyranny of the lawe For the lawe being in his principall vse and ful power set vpon Christe and so horribly assailed him that he felt such anguish and terrour as no man vpon the earth had euer felt the like This his bloudy sweat doth sufficiently witnes also his comfort by the Angell that mighty prayer which he made in the garden and briefly that lamentable cōplaint vpon the crosse O my God vvhy hast thou forsakē me These things he suffered to redeme those which were vnder the law that is to say in heauines of spirite in anguish and terrour and ready to despaire which were oppressed with the heauy burden of their sinnes as in deede we are all oppressed For as touching the flesh we sinne daily against all the commaundements of god But Paule geueth vs good comfort when he sayth God sent his sonne c. So Christe a diuine and humane person begotten of God without beginning and borne of the virgin in the time apoynted came not to make a law but to feele and suffer the terrours of the lawe with all extremitie and to ouercome the same that so he might vtterly abolish the lawe He was not made a teacher of the lawe but an obedient disciple to the law that by this his obedience he might redeme them which were vnder the lawe This is cleane contrary to the doctrine of the Papistes who haue made Christe a lawgeuer yea much more seuere and rigorous thē Moises Paule teacheth here cleane contrary to wit that God humbled his sonne vnder the lawe that is to say constrained him to beare the iudgement and curse of the lawe sinne death c. For Moises the minister of the law sinne wrath and death apprehended bound cōdemned and killed Christ and all this he suffered Therfore Christ standeth as a mere patient not as an agent in respect of the law He is not then a lawgeuer or a iudge after the law but in that he made himselfe subiect to the lawe bearing the condemnation of the law he deliuered vs from the curse therof Now wheras Christ in the Gospell geueth commaundements and teacheth the law or rather expoūdeth it this pertaineth not to the doctrine of Iustification but of good workes Moreouer it is not the proper office of Christe for the which he came principally into the world to teach the law but an accidentall or a by office like as it was to heale the weake to raise vppe the dead c. These are in deede excellent and diuine workes but yet not the very proper and principall workes of Christe For the Prophets also taught the law wrought miracles But Christ is God and man who fighting against the lawe suffered the vttermost cruelty and tyranny therof And in that he suffered the tyranny of the law he vanquished it in himselfe And afterward being raised vppe againe from death he condemned and vtterly abolished the law which was our deadly enemie so that it can not cōdemne and kill the faithfull any more Wherfore the true and proper office of Christ is to wrastle with the lawe with the sinne and the death of the whole world so to wrastle that he must suffer abide al these things and by suffering them in him selfe conquere and abolish them and by this meanes deliuer the Faithfull from the lawe and from all euils Therefore to teach the lawe and to worke myracles are particuler benefites of Christ for the which he came not principally into the world For the Prophets and especially the Apostles did greater myracles then Christ did Iohn 14. Seing then that Christ hath ouercome the law in his owne person it foloweth necessarily that he is naturally God. For there is none else whether he be man or angell which is aboue the law but onely god But Christ is aboue the law for he hath vanquished it therefore he is the sonne of God and naturally god If thou lay hold vpon Christe in such sort as Paule here painteth him out thou cāst not erre nor be confounded Moreouer thou shalt easily iudge of all kindes of life of the religions and ceremonies of the whole world But if this true picture of Christe be defaced or in any wise darkened then foloweth a confusion of all things For the natural man can not iudge of the law of God. Here faileth the cunning of the Philosophers of the Canonistes of all men For the law hath power and dominion ouer man Therfore the law iudgeth man and not man the law onely the Christian hath a true and a certaine iudgement of the law And how That it doth not iustifie Wherfore then is the law made if it doe not iustifie Righteousnes before God which is receaued by Faith alone is not the finall cause why the righteous do obey the law but the peace of the world thankfulnes towardes God and good example of life wherby other be prouoked to beleue the Gospell The Pope hath so confounded and mingled the ceremoniall lawe the morall lawe and Faith together that he hath at length preferred the ceremoniall lawe before the moral lawe and
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
the poynt of desperation for then are we that brused reede smoking flaxe which Esay speaketh of notwithstanding in the meane season the holy Ghost helpeth our infirmities maketh intercession for vs with vnspeakeable gronings certifieth our spirits that we are the children of god Thus the minde is raised vp in terrors it loketh vnto his Sauiour high Bishop Iesus Christ it ouercommeth the infirmitie of the flesh it conceaueth comfort againe and sayth Abba Father This groning which then we scantly feele Paule calleth a crying vnspeakeable groning which filleth both heauē and earth Moreouer he calleth it the crying and groning of the spirite because the holy Ghost stirreth vp the same in our heartes when we are weake and oppressed with terrour and tentation Although then the lawe sinne and the Deuill crie out against vs neuer so much with great and terrible rorings which seeme to fill heauen and earth farre to excede this groning of our heart yet can they not hurt vs For the more fiercely they assaile vs accuse and torment vs with their cryings so much the more doe we grone and in groning lay hold vpon Christ call vpon him with heart and mouth cleaue vnto him and beleue that he was made vnder the law that he might deliuer vs from the Curse of the lawe and destroy both sinne and death And thus when we haue taken hold of Christe by Faith we crie through him Abba Father And this our crie doth farre surmount the roring of the lawe sinne the Deuill c. But so farre of is it that we thinke this groning which we make in these terrours and in this our weaknes to be a cry that scarsely we perceaue it to be a groning For our Faith which in tentation thus groneth vnto Christ is very weake if we consider our owne sense and feeling And this is the cause that we heare not this crie We haue but onely the word which when we apprehend in this conflict we haue a litle breathing and then we grone Of this groning some litle feeling we haue but the crie we heare not But he sayeth Paule vvhich searcheth the heartes knovveth vvhat is the meaning of the spirite c. To this searcher of the hearts this small and feeble groning as it seemeth vnto vs is a loud and a mighty cry and an vnspeakeable groning in comparison whereof the great and horrible rorings of the law of sinne of death of the deuill and of hell are nothing neither can they be once heard Paule therfore not without cause calleth this groning of a godly afflicted heart a cry and a groning of the spirite which can not be expressed For it filleth the whole heauen so that the Angels thinke they heare nothing else but this crie But in vs there is a cleane contrary feling For it semeth vnto vs that this our small groning doth not so perce the cloudes that there is nothing else heard in heauen of God and his angels Nay we thinke and especially during the time of tentation that the Deuil horribly roreth against vs that the heauens thunder the earth trēbleth that all will fall vpon vs that all creatures threaten our destruction that hel is opē and ready to swallow vs vp This feling is in our heart these horrible voices and this fearfull shew we heare and we see And this is it that Paul sayth in the .2 Corrin 12 That the strength of Christ is made perfect through our vveaknes For then is Christ almighty in dede then doth he truly raigne and triumph in vs when we are so weake that we can scarsely grone But Paule sayth that this groning is in the eares of God a most mightie cry which filleth both heauen and earth Christ also in the .18 of Luke in the parable of the wicked iudge calleth this groning of a faithfull heart a cry yea such a cry as ceaseth not day night to cry vnto God where he sayth Heare vvhat the vnrighteous iudge sayth Novv shall not God auēge his elect vvhich cry day night vnto him yea though he suffer long for them yea I tel you he vvil auenge them quickly We at this day in so great persecution cōtradiction of the Pope of tyrānes Sectaries which fight against vs both on the right hand on the left can doe nothing else but vtter such gronings And these were our gunnes artillery wherw t we haue so many yeres scattered the coūsels and enterprises of our aduersaries wherby also we haue begon to ouerthrow the kingdom of Antichrist They also shall prouoke Christ to hasten the day of his glorious comming wherein he shall abolish all rule authoritie and power and shall put all his enemies vnder his feete So be it In the .14 of Exodus the Lord speaketh vnto Moises at the red sea saying VVhy criest thou vnto me Yet Moises cried not but trembled and almost despaired for he was in great trouble It seemed that infidelitie raigned in him and not Faith. For he saw the people of Israell so compassed and enclosed with the Egyptians host and with the sea that there was no way whereby they might escape Here Moises durst not once opē his mouth How thē did he crie We must not iudge therfore according to the feeling of our owne heart but according to the word of God which teacheth vs that the holy Ghost is geuen to those that are afflicted terrified ready to despaire to raise them vp to comfort them that they be not ouercome in their tentations afflictions but may ouercome them and yet not without great terrors and troubles The Papistes dreamed that holy men had the holy Ghost in such sort that they neuer had nor felt any tentation They spake of the holy Ghost onely by speculation and naked knowledge But Paule sayeth that the strength of Christe is made perfecte through our vveaknes Also that the spirite helpeth our infirmities and maketh intercession for vs vvith vnspeakeable gronings Therefore we haue then most neede of the helpe and comfort of the holy Ghost yea and then is he most ready to helpe vs when we are most weake and nerest to desperation If any man suffer affliction with a constant and a ioyfull heart then hath the holy Ghost done his office in him And in deede he exerciseth his worke specially and properly in those which haue suffered great terrours and afflictions and haue as the Psalme sayeth approched nigh to the gates of hel As I said of Moses which sawe present death in the waters and on euery side whether so euer he turned his face He was therefore in extreme anguish and desperation and no dout he felt in his heart a mightie crie of the Deuill against him saying All this people shall this day perish for they can escape no way And of this great calamitie thou onely shalt be found to be the authour
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
then will ye not iudge my chiding to be sharpe and bitter but profitable for you Chastisement for the present time seemeth not to be ioyous but greuous but aftervvards it bringeth the quiet frute of righteousnes vnto them vvhich are exercised thereby Let the same affection therfore be in you towardes me which I haue towardes you I beare a louing heart towards you the same I desire againe of you Thus he speaketh them faire and with this faire speech he still continueth that he might pacifie their mindes which were stirred vp against him by his sharpe chiding Notwithstanding he reuoketh not his seuere wordes In deede he confesseth that they were sharpe and bitter but necessitie sayth he compelled me to reprehend you somewhat sharply seuerely but that which I did proceded of a sincere louing heart towards you The Phisitian geueth a bitter potion to his patient not to hurt him but to cure him If then the bitternes of the medicine which is geuen to the sicke body is not to be imputed to the Phisitian but to the medicine and the maladie iudge ye also in like maner of my seuere and sharpe reprehension Verse 12. Brethern I beseech you ye haue not hurt me at all Is this to beseech the Galathians when he calleth them bewitched disobedient to the truth and crucifiers of Christe It seemeth rather to be a great rebuke But contrariwise Paule sayeth that it is no rebuke but an earnest beseeching and in deede so is it And it is as much as if he sayd I confesse that I haue chidden you somewhat bitterly but take it in good part and then shall ye finde this my chiding to be no chiding but a praying and a beseeching If a father likewise doe sharply correct his sonne it is as much as if he sayde My sonne I pray thee be a good childe c. It seemeth in deede to be a correction but if ye respect the fathers heart it is a gentle an earnest beseching Verse 12. Ye haue not hurt me at all As if he sayd Why should I be angrie with you or of a malicious minde speake euill of you seing ye haue nothing offended me Why then sayest thou that we are peruerted that we haue forsaken thy doctrine that we are foolish bewitched c. These things do witnesse that we haue offended thee He āswereth Ye haue not offended me but your selues and therefore I am thus troubled not for mine owne cause but for the loue I beare vnto you Thinke not therfore that my chiding did procede of malice or any euill affection For I take God to witnes ye haue done me no wrong but contrariwise ye haue bestowed great benefites vpon me Thus speaking them faire he prepareth their mindes to suffer his fatherly chastisements with a childely affection And this is to tēper wormewode or a bitter potion with honie and suger to make it sweete againe So parentes speake their children faire when they haue well beaten them geuing them apples peares and other like things whereby the children know that their parentes loue them and seeke to doe them good how sharpe so euer their correction doth appeare Verse 13. And ye knovv hovv through infirmitie of the flesh I preached the Gospell vnto you at the first And the triall of me vvhich vvas in my flesh ye despised not neither abhorred but ye receaued me as an angell of God yea as Christ Iesus Now he declareth what pleasures he had receiued of the Galathians The first benefite sayth he which I esteeme greatest of all was this When I began first to preach the Gospel amōgst you that through infirmitie of the flesh and great tentatiōs my crosse did nothing at all offend you But ye shewed your selues so louing so kinde and so frendly towardes me that not onely ye were not offended with this my infirmitie of the flesh with my tentations and perils wherewith I was almost ouerwhelmed but also ye loued me dearly and receaued me as an angell of God yea rather as Iesus Christ himselfe This is in dede a great commendation of the Galathians that they receaued the Gospell of a man so contemptible and afflicted on euery side as Paule was For where he preached the Gospell amongest them both the Iewes and Gentiles murmured and raged against him For all the mightie wise religious and learned mē hated persecuted blasphemed Paule With all this the Galathiās were no whit offended but turning their eyes from the beholding of this infirmitie these tentations dangers they did not onely heare that pore despised wretched afflicted Paule and acknowledged them selues to be his disciples but also they receiued and heard him as an angell of God yea as Iesus Christ himselfe This is a worthy commendation and a singuler vertue of the Galathians and in dede it is such a commendation as he geueth to non of all those to whom he wrote besides these Galathians Ierome and certaine other of the auncient fathers expound this infirmitie of the flesh in Paule to be some disease of the body or some tentation of lust These men liued when the Church was outwardly in a peaceable and prosperous estate without any crosse or persecution For then the Bishops began to encrease in riches estimation glory in the world And many also exercised tyrannie ouer the people which were cōmitted to their charge as the Ecclesiastical hystorie witnesseth Few did their duetie and they that would seme to doe it forsaking the doctrine of the Gospel set forth their owne decrees to that people Now when the Pastours and Bishops are not exercised in the word of God but neglect the pure and sincere preaching therof they must nedes fall into securitie For they are not exercised with tentatiōs with that crosse and persecutions which are wont alwayes vndoutedly to folow the pure preaching of the word Therefore it was impossible that they should vnderstand Paule But we by the grace of God haue sound and sincere doctrine which also we preach and teach freely and therfore are compelled to beare the bitter hatred afflictions and persecutions of the Deuill and the world And if we were not exercised outwardly by tyrānes and Sectaries with force and subtiltie and inwardly with terrours and the fierie dartes of the Deuil Paule should be as obscure and vnknowne vnto vs as he was in times past to the whole world and is yet to the Papists the Anabaptists and other our aduersaries Therfore the gift of knowledge and interpretation of the Scriptures and our diligēce with our inward and outward tentations open vnto vs the meaning of Paule and the sense of all the holy Scriptures Paule therfore calleth the infirmitie of the flesh no disease of the body or tentation of lust but his suffring and affliction which he sustained in his body so that he setteth the same againste the vertue power of the spirit But lest we should seme
to wrest and peruert Paules wordes let vs heare himselfe speaking in the .2 Corrin 12. Very gladly vvil I reioyce rather in mine infirmities that the povver of Christ may dvvell in me Therfore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutiōs in anguish for Christes sake for vvhē I am vveake then am I strong And in the .11 chap. In labours more aboundant in stripes aboue measure in prisons more plenteous in death ofte Of the Ievves fiue times receiued I fortie stripes saue one I vvas thrise beaten vvith roddes I vvas once stoned I suffred thrise shipvvracke c. These afflictions which he suffred in his body he calleth the infirmitie of the flesh not any corporall disease As though he would say When I preached the Gospel amōgst you I was oppressed with sondry tentations afflictions I was alwayes in daunger both of the Iewes of the Gentiles also of false brethern I suffred hunger and wāted all things I was as the very filth and of scouring of the world He maketh mētion of this his infirmitie in many places as in the 1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 4.6.11.12 and in many other We see then that Paule calleth afflictiōs the infirmities of the flesh which he suffred in the flesh like as that other Apostles the Prophets al godly men did notwithstanding he was mighty in spirit For the power of Christ was in him which alwaies raigned triumphed through him Which thing he testifieth in that. 2. Cor. 12. with these words For vvhen I am vveake then am I strōg Also I vvil gladly reioyce in my infirmities that the povver of Christ may dvvel in me And in the .2 chapter Thanks be to God vvhich alvvayes maketh vs to triumph in Christ As though he would say In dede the Deuil the Iewes the Gentiles rage cruelly against vs notwithstāding we continue constant inuincible against all their assaults wil they nil they our doctrine preuaileth triumpheth This was the strength power of that spirit in Paule against the which he setteth here the infirmitie and bōdage of the flesh Now this infirmitie of the flesh in the Godly doth wonderfully offend reason Therfore Paule so highly commendeth the Galathians for that they were not offended with this great infirmitie and with this vile and contemptible forme of the crosse which they saw in him but receaued him as an angell yea as Christ him selfe And Christ also armeth the Faithfull against this base and contemptible forme of the crosse in which he appeared when he sayeth Blessed is he that is not offended in me And surely it is a great matter that they which beleue in him doe acknowledge him to be the Lord of all and Sauiour of the world whom notwithstanding they heare to haue bene the most miserable of all others the last of men yea a very scorne of men and a contempt of the world briefly despised and hated of all men and condemned to the death of the crosse and euen of his owne people and especially of those that were esteemed the best the wisest and holiest of all other This is a great matter I say not to be moued with these great offences and to be able not onely to contemne them but also to esteme this pore Christ so spitefully scorned spitte vpon whipped and crucified more then the riches of all the richest the strength of all the strongest the wisedom of all the wisest the holines of all the holiest mē with all the crownes scepters of all the Kings and Princes of the whole world They therfore are worthily called blessed of Christ which are not offended in him Now Paule had not onely outward tentations wherof I haue spoken alredy but also inward and spirituall tentations as Christ had in the garden Such as that was wherof he complaineth in the 2. Corrin 12. that he felt the pricke or sting of the flesh and the angell of Satan vvhich buffetted him This I say by the way because the Papists expounded this to be a motion of fleshly lust but it was a spirituall tentation And herein is no repugnance that he addeth this word Flesh saying A pricke vvas geuen me in my Flesh. Yea he calleth it of purpose a pricke in the flesh For the Galathians and others which were conuersant with Paule had seene him oftentimes in great anguish terrour and heauines of spirite Wherfore the Apostles had not onely bodily but also spirituall tentations which also he confesseth in the .2 Cor. 7. with these wordes Fightings vvithout and terrours vvithin And Luke sayeth in the last of the Actes that Paule when he had long striued in the tempestes of the sea euen vnto heauines of his spirite was againe refreshed and waxed bolde when he sawe the brethern that came from Rome to meete him at the market of Appius and three Tauernes Also in the .2 Phil. he confesseth that God had mercy vpon him in that he restored Epaphroditus so weake and neare to death vnto health againe lest he should haue sorrow vpon sorrow Therefore besides outward tentations the Apostles also suffered great anguish heauines and terrours But why sayth Paule that he was not despised of the Galathians It seemeth that they despised him when they fell away from his Gospell Paule expoundeth himselfe When I first preached to you the Gospell sayth he ye did not as other people for the most parte haue done who being greatly offended through this my infirmitie and tentation of the flesh haue despised and reiected me For mans reason is soone offended with this vile and contemptible forme of the crosse and iudgeth those that are so afflicted to be starke madde which will goe about to cōfort helpe and succour others Also those that boast of their great riches that is to say of righteousnes strēgth victory ouer sinne death and all euils of ioy saluation and euerlasting life and yet notwithstanding they themselues are needie weake heauy hearted and despised euill intreated and slaine as very noysome poysons of common weales and of Religion and they that kill them thinke they doe high seruice vnto god Therfore when they promise vnto others eternall treasures and they themselues perish so wretchedly before the world they are laughed to scorne and cōpelled to heare Phisitian cure thy selfe And hereof come these complaints which are euery where in the Psalmes I am a vvorme and no man c. Againe Depart not frō me for tribulation is at hand and there is none to helpe c. This is therfore a great commendation of the Galathians that they were not offended with this infirmitie and tentation of Paule but receaued him as an Angell of God yea as Christ Iesus It is in dede a great vertue and worthy of great praise to heare the Apostle But it is a greater and a true Christian vertue to geue eare vnto one so miserable weake and
that the wicked are offended the fault is in theÌ„selues and not in vs God hath coÌ„maunded vs to preach the doctrine of the Gospell without any respect of offence But because this doctrine condemneth the wicked doctrine and idolatrie of our aduersaries they being prouoked thereby breede offences of theÌ„selues which the Schoolemen called offences taken which they sayd ought not to be auoided nor can be auoided Christ taught the Gospell hauing no regard to the offence of the Iewes Suffer theÌ„ sayth he they are blinde leaders of the blinde The more the priests forbad the Apostles to preach in the name of Christ the more the Apostles gaue witnesse that the same Iesus whom they had crucified is both Lord and Christe and vvhosoeuer should call vpon him should be saued and that there vvas none other name geuen vnto men vnder heaueÌ„ through vvhich they could be saued c. Euen so we preach Christ at this day not regarding the clamours of the wicked Papists and all our aduersaries which crie out that our doctrine is seditious and full of blasphemie that it troubleth common weales ouerthroweth religion and teacheth heresies and briefly that it is the cause of all euils When Christe and his Apostles preached the same was sayde likewise of them Not long after the Romanes came and according to their owne prophesie destroyed both the place and the nation Wherfore let the enemies of the Gospel at this day take heede that they be not ouerwhelmed with these euils which they prophesie vnto themselues These they make greeuous and hainous offences that Monks and priests doe marry wiues that we eate flesh vpon the fridayes and such like But this is no offence to them at al that by their wicked doctrine they seduce daily destroy innumerable soules that by their euill examples they offend the weake that they blaspheme condemne the gospell of the glory of the mighty God and that they persecute and kil those the loue the sinceritie of doctrine the word of life this I say is to them no offence but an obedience a seruice and an acceptable sacrifice vnto God. Let vs â—â—er them therfore For they are blinde and leaders of the blinde He that hurteth let him hurt still and he that is filthie let him be more filthie But we because we beleue will speake and sette forth the wonderful works of the Lord so long as we haue breath and wil endure the persecutioÌ„s of our aduersaries vntill the time that Christ our high Bishop and King shall come from heauen who we hope will come shortly as a iust iudge to take vengeaunce of all those that obey not his Gospell So be it With these offences which the wicked alledge the godly are nothing moued For they know that the Deuill hateth nothing more then the pure doctrine of the Gospel therefore he goeth about to deface it with innumerable offences that by this meanes he might roote it out of mens heartes for euer Before when nothing else was taught in the church but mans traditions the Deuil did not so rage For whilest the strong man kept the house all that he possessed was in peace but now when a stronger cometh which vanquisheth and bindeth that strong one and spoileth his house then he beginneth to rage in deede And this is an infallible token that the doctrine which we professe is of God. For else as it is sayd in the 40. of Iob that Behemoth vvould lie hid vnder the trees in the couert of the reede and fennes But now that he rangeth about like a roring Lion stirreth vp such hurly burleis it is a manifest token that he feeleth the power of our preaching When Paule sayth They are ielous ouer you but amisse he sheweth by the way who are the authors of sectes to witte those ielous spirits which in all times ouerthrow the true doctrine and trouble the publike peace For these being stirred vp with a peruerse zeale imagine that they haue a certaine singuler holines modestie patience and doctrine aboue others therfore they thinke that they are able to prouide for the saluation of all men that they can teach more profound profitable things ordaine better seruice ceremonies then all other teachers besides whom they despise as nothing in coÌ„parison of themselues and abase their authority and corrupt those things which they haue purely taught The false apostles had such a wicked peruerse zeale stirring vp sects not onely in Galatia but also in all the places whersoeuer Paul the other Apostles had preached after the which sectes folowed innumerable offences maruelous troubles For the Deuil as Christ sayth is a lier and a murtherer and therefore he is wont not onely to trouble mens consciences by false doctrine but also to stirre vppe tumultes seditions and warres There are very many in Germanie at this day which are possessed with this kinde of ielousie which pretend great religion modesty doctrine patience and yet in very deede they are rauening wolues who with their hypocrisie seeke nothing else but to discredite vs that the people might esteme loue and reuerence them onely and receaue no other doctrine but theirs Now because these men haue a great opinion of them selues despise other it can not be but that there must needes folow horrible dissentions sectes diuisions and seditions But what should we doe We can not remedy this matter as Paule could not doe in hi time Notwithstanding he gained some which obeyed his admonitions So I hope also that we haue called some backe from the errours of the Sectaries Verse 18. But it is a good thing to loue earnestly alvvayes in a good thing and not onely vvhen I am present vvith you As if he should say I commend you for this that ye loued me so entirely when I preached the Gospel amongst you in the infirmitie of the flesh Ye ought to haue borne the same affection towards me now wheÌ„ I am absent eueÌ„ as if I had neuer departed from you For although I be absent in body yet haue ye my doctrine which ye ought to retain maintain seeing ye receiued the holy ghost through it thinking with your selues that Paule is alwaies present with you as long as ye haue his doctrine I do not therfore reprehend your zeale but I praise it so farre forth I praise it as it is the zeale of God or of the spirite and not of the flesh Now the zeale of the spirite is alwayes good for it is an earnest affection and motion of the heart to a good thing and so is not the zeale of the flesh He commendeth therfore the zeale of the Galathians that therby he may pacifie their mindes and that they may patiently suffer his correction As if he would say Take my correction in good parte for it procedeth not of an angrie but of a sorrowfull heart and
the law which is outward to witte that the politike lawes of Moises doe nothing belong vnto vs at all Wherfore we ought not to call them backe againe nor superstitiously binde our selues vnto them as some went about to doe in times past being ignorant of this libertie Now although the Gospell make vs not subiect to the Iudiciall lawes of Moises yet notwithstanding it doth not exempt vs from the obedience of all ciuill lawes but maketh vs subiect in this corporall life to the lawes of that gouernment wherin we liue that is to say it commaundeth euery one to obey his Magistrate and lawes not onely because of vvrath but also for conscience sake 1. Pe. 2. Rom. 13. And the Emperour or any other Prince should not offend if he vsed some of the Iudiciall lawes of Moises yea he might vse them freely and without offence Therefore the Popish Schoolemen are deceaued which dreame that the Iudiciall lawes of Moses are pernicious and deadly since the comming of Christe Likewise we are not bound to the Ceremonies of Moses much lesse to the ceremonies of the Pope But because this bodely life can not be altogether without ceremonies and rites for there must needes be some introduction therefore the Gospell suffereth ordinaunces to be made in the church as touching dayes times places c. that the people may know vpō what day in what houre and in what place to assemble together to heare the word of god It permitteth also that lessons and readings should be appoynted as in the Schooles especially for the instruction of children and such as are ignorant These things it permitteth to the ende that all may be done comely and orderly in the church 1. Cor. 14. not that they which kepe such ordināces doe thereby merite remission of sinnes Moreouer they may be chaunged or omitted without sinne so that it be done without offence of the weake Nowe Paule speaketh here especially of the abolishment of the morall lawe which is diligently to be considered For he speaketh against the righteousnes of the lawe that he might establish the righteousnes of Faith concluding thus If onely grace or Faith in Christe iustifie then is the whole law abolished without any exception And this he confirmeth by the testimonie of Esay wherby he exhorteth the barren and forsaken to reioyce for it seemeth that she hath no childe nor hope euer to haue any that is to say she hath no disciples no fauour nor countenance of the world because she preacheth the word of the crosse of Christ crucified against all the wisedom of the flesh But thou that art barren sayeth the Prophet let not this any whit trouble thee yea rather lift vp thy voyce and reioyce for she that is forsaken hath moe children then she that hath an husband that is to say she that is maried hath a great number of children shall be made weake and she that is forsaken shall haue many children He calleth the church barren because her children are not begotten by the lawe by workes by any industrie or endeuour of man but by the word of Faith in the spirite of god Here is nothing else but birth no working at all Contrariwise they that are frutefull labour and exercise themselues with great trauell in bearing and bringing forth Here is altogether working and no birth But because they indeuour to gette the right of children and heires by the righteousnes of the lawe or by their owne righteousnes they are seruauntes and neuer receaue the inheritance no though they tire them selues to death with continuall trauell For they goe about to obtaine that b◠their owne workes against the will of God which God of his meer grace will geue to all beleuers for Christes sake The faithfull worke well also but they are not thereby made sonnes and heires for this their birth bringeth vnto them but this they doe to the end that they being now made children and heirs might glorify God by their good works and helpe their neighbors Verse 28. Therefore brethern vve are after the maner of Isaac children of the promise That is to say we are not children of the flesh as Ismael or as all the fleshly Israell which gloried that they were the seede of Abraham and the people of god But Christ answered them Iohn 8 If ye vvere the sonnes of Abraham ye vvould not seeke to kill me vvhich speake the truth vnto you Also If God vvere your Father then vvould ye loue me and receaue my vvord As if he would say Brethern borne and brought vp together in one house know one an others voyce But ye be of your father the Deuill c. We are not such children sayeth he as they are which remaine seruauntes and at length shall be cast out of the house But we are children of the promise as Isaac was that is to say of grace and of Faith borne onely of the promise Concerning this I haue spoken sufficiently before in the third chapter entreating vpon this place In thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Therefore we are pronoūced righteous not by the lawe by workes or our owne righteovsnes but by the mere mercy and grace of god Paule repeteth very often and diligently setteth forth the promise which is receaued by Faith alone for he knew that it was very necessary so to doe Hitherto as touching the allegorie out of Genesis to the which Paule annexeth the place of Esay as an interpretatiō Now he applifieth the hystorie of Ismael and Isaac for our example and consolation Verse 19. But as then he that vvas borne after the flesh persecuted him that vvas borne after the spirite euen so is it novv This place containeth a singuler consolation Whosoeuer are borne and liue in Christe and reioyce in this birth and inheritance of God haue Ismael for their enemie and their persecutour This we learne at this day by experience For we see that all the world is full of tumultes persecutions sectes and offences Wherefore if we did not arme our selues with this consolation of Paule and such like and well vnderstand this article of Iustification we should neuer be able to withstand the violence subtill sleightes of Satan For who should not be troubled with these cruell persecutions of our aduersaries and with these sectes and infinite offences which a sort of busie and fantasticall spirits stirre vp at this day Verely it is no smal greefe vnto vs when we are constrained to heare that all things were in peace tranquilitie before the Gospel came abrode but since the preaching publishing therof al things are vnquiet the whole world is in an vprore so that euery one armeth himselfe against an other When a man that is not endued with the spirit of God heareth this by and by he is offended and iudgeth that the disobedience of subiectes against their magistrates that seditions warres plages
for me in heauen So both these sayings are true that I am made righteous alredy by that righteousnes which is begun in me and also I am raised vppe in the same hope against sinne and waite for the full consummation of perfect righteousnes in heauen These things are not rightly vnderstand but when they be put in practise VVhat difference there is betwene Faith and Hope Here riseth a question what difference there is betwene Faith and Hope The Sophisters and Schoolemē haue laboured very much in this matter but they could neuer shew any certaintie Yea to vs which trauell in the holy Scriptures with much diligence and also with more fulnes and power of spirite be it spoken without any bragge it is hard to finde any differēce For there is so great affinitie betwene Faith and hope that the one can not be seperate from the other Notwithstanding there is a difference betwene them which is gathered of their seuerall offices diuersitie of working and of their endes First they differ in respect of their subiect that is of the groūd wherin they rest For Faith resteth in the vnderstanding and hope resteth in the will but in very deede they can not be seperated the one hauing respect to the other as the two Cherubins of the Mercieseat which could not be deuided Secondly they differ in respect of their office that is of theyr working For faith telleth what is to be done it teacheth prescribeth and directeth and it is a knowledge Hope is an exhortatiō which stirreth vp the minde that it may be strong bold and couragious that it may suffer and endure aduersitie and in the middest thereof wait for better things Thirdly they differ as touching their obiect that is the speciall matter whervnto they looke For Faith hath for her obiect the truth teaching vs to cleaue surely therto and loketh vpon the word and promise of the thing that is promised Hope hath for her obiect the goodnes of God and loketh vpon the thing which is promised in the word that is vpon such matters as Faith teacheth vs to be hoped for Fourthly they differ in order For Faith is the beginning of life before all tribulation Heb. 11. But hope cometh afterwardes proceding of tribulations Rom. 5. Fiftly they differ by the diuersitie of working For Faith is a teacher and a iudge fighting against errours and heresies iudging spirites doctrines But hope is as it were the Generall or Captaine of the field fighting against tribulation the crosse impatiencie heauines of spirite weaknes desperation and blasphemie and it waiteth for good things euen in the middest of all euils Therefore when I am instructed by Faith in the word of God and lay holde of Christe beleuing in him with my whole heart then am I righteous by this knowledge When I am so iustified by Faith or by this knowledge by and by cometh the Deuill the father of lies and laboureth to extinguish my Faith by wiles and subtilties that is to say by lies errours and heresies Moreouer because he is a murtherer he goeth about also to oppresse it by violence Here hope wrastlinge layeth holde on the thinge reuealed by Faithe and ouercometh the Deuill that warreth against Faith and after this victorie foloweth peace ioy in the holy Ghost So that in very deede faith hope can scarsely be discerned the one from the other yet is there a certaine difference betwene them And that it may be the better perceaued I will set out the matter by a similitude In ciuill gouernment Prudence and Fortitude doe differ and yet these two vertues are so ioyned together that they can not easily be seuered Now fortitude is a constancie of minde which is not discouraged in aduersity but endureth valiantly waiteth for better things But if fortitude be not guided by prudence it is but temeritie and rashnes On the other side if fortitude be not ioyned with prudence that prudence is but vaine and vnprofitable Therfore like as in policy prudence is but vaine without fortitude euen so in Diuinitie Faith without hope is nothing For hope endureth aduersity and is constant therin and in the end ouercometh all euils And on the other side like as fortitude without prudence is rashnes euen so hope without faith is a presumption in spirite and a tempting of God for it hath no knowledge of Christ and of the truth which Faith teacheth and therfore it is but a blind rashnes arrogancie Wherfore a godly man afore all things must haue a right vnderstanding instructed by Faith according to the which the minde may be guided in afflictiōs that it may hope for those good things which Faith hath reuealed and taught To be short Faith is conceaued by teaching for thereby the minde is instructed what the truthe is Hope is conceaued by exhortation for by exhortation hope is stirred vppe in afflictions which cōfirmeth him that is alredy iustified by Faith that he be not ouercome by aduersities but that he may be able more strongly to resist them notwithstanding if the sparke of Faith should not geue light to the will it could not be perswaded to lay holde vpon hope We haue Faith then wherby we are taught vnderstand and know the heauenly wisedom apprehende Christe and continue in his grace But as soone as we lay hold vpon Christe by Faith and confesse him forthwith our enemies the world the flesh and the Deuil rise vppe against vs hating and persecuting vs most cruelly both in body and spirite Wherefore we thus beleuing and iustified by Faith in spirite doe wait for the hope of our righteousnes And we wait through patience for we see feele the flatte contrary For the world with his Prince the Deuill assaileth vs mightely both within and without Moreouer sinne yet still remaineth in vs which driueth vs into heauines Notwithstanding we geue not ouer for all this but raise vppe our mind strongly through Faith which lightneth teacheth guideth the same And thus we abide firme and constant and ouercome al aduersities through him which hath loued vs vntil our righteousnes which we beleue and wait for be reuealed By Faith therefore we began by hope we continue and by reuelation we shall obtaine the whole In the meane time whilest we liue here because we beleue we teach the word and publish the knowledge of Christe vnto others Thus doing we suffer persecution according to this text I beleued and therefore did I speake and I vvas fore troubled with patience being strengthened and encouraged throughe hope wherevnto the Scripture exhorteth vs with most sweete and comfortable promises taught and reuealed vnto vs by Faith. And thus doth hope spring vp encrease in vs Rō 15. That through patience and comfort of the Scripture vve may haue hope Paule therfore not without cause ioyneth patience in tribulatiōs and hope together in the .5 and .8 to the Romains and in other places
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
vnder the Pope Now Paule goeth about to declare out of the ten commaundements what it is to serue one an other through loue Verse 14. For the vvhole lavve is fulfilled in one vvord vvhich is this Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Paule after that he hath laid the foundation of Christian doctrine is wont to build gold siluer and precious stones vpon it Now there is no other foundation as he himselfe sayeth to the Corinthians than Iesus Christ or the righteousnes of Christe Vpon this foundation he buildeth now good workes yea good workes in deede all which he comprehendeth in one precept Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe As if he should say when I say that ye must serue one an other through loue I meane the selfe same thing that the lawe sayeth in an other place Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe And this is truely to interprete the Scriptures and Gods commaundements Now in geuing preceptes of loue he couertly toucheth by the way the false teachers against whom he setteth him selfe mightely that he may defend and stablish his doctrine of good workes against them As if he sayd O ye Galathians I haue hetherto taught you the true and spirituall life and now also I will teach you what be good workes in deede And this will I doe to the ende ye may know that the vaine and foolish workes of ceremonies which the false Apostles doe onely vrge are farre inferiour to the workes of charitie For such is the foolishnes and madnes of all wicked teachers and fantasticall spirites that not onely they leaue the true foundation and pure doctrine but also continuing alwayes in their superstitions they neuer attaine to good workes Therefore as Paule sayeth they build nothing but woode hay and stubble vppon the foundation So the false apostles which were the most earnest defenders of workes did not teach or require the workes of charitie as that Christians shuld loue one an other that they should be ready to helpe their neighbours in all necessities not onely with their goods but also with their body that is to say with tounge hand heart and with their whole strength but onely they required that circumcision should be kept that dayes monethes yeres and times should be obserued and other good workes they could teach none For after they had destroyed the foundation which is Christ darkened the doctrine of Faith it was impossible that there should remaine any true vse exercise or opinion of good workes Take away the tree the frute must needes perish The Apostle therfore diligently exhorteth the Christians to exercise themselues in good workes after that they haue heard and receaued the pure doctrine of Faith. For the remnauntes of sinne doe yet still remaine euen in those that be iustified which as they are contrary to Faith and hinder it so doe they hinder vs from doing good workes Moreouer mans reason and the flesh which in the sainctes them selues resisteth the spirite and in the wicked doth mightely raigne is naturally delited with Pharisaicall superstitions that is to say it taketh more pleasure in measuring God by her owne imaginations than by his word and doth the works that she her selfe hath chosen with farre greater zeale then those which God hath commaunded Wherfore it is necessary that the godly preachers should as diligently teach and vrge the doctrine of good workes as the doctrine of Faith for Satan is a deadly enemie to both Notwithstanding faith must first be planted for without Faith it is impossible to vnderstand what a good worke is or what pleaseth God. Let no man thinke therefore that he thorowly knoweth this commaūdement Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe In deede it is very short and easy as touching the wordes but shew me the teachers and hearers that in teaching learning and liuing doe exercise and accomplish it rightly Therefore these wordes Serue ye one an other through loue and these also Thou shalt loue thy neighbor as thy self are incomprehensible no man no not euen the godly doe sufficiently consider teach and exercise the same And which is a wōderful thing the faithfull haue this tentation that if they omit neuer so light a matter which they ought to do by and by their conscience is wounded but they are not so troubled if they neglect the dueties of charitie as daily they doe or beare not a sincere and brotherly loue and affection towards their neighbour For they doe not so much regard the commaundement of charitie as their owne superstitions from the which they be not altogether free during this life Paule therfore reprehendeth the Galathians in these words For the vvhole lavv is fulfilled in one vvord As if he had said ye are drowned in your superstitions ceremonies concerning places times which profit neither your selues nor others and in the meane while ye neglect charitie which ye ought onely to haue kept What madnes is this So sayth Ierome We weare cōsume our bodies with watching fasting and labour but we neglect charitie which is the onely lady mistresse of workes And this may be wel seene in the Monkes who straitly obserue their traditions concerning their ceremonies fasting watching apparel such like In this case if they omitte any thing be it neuer so litle they sinne deadly But whē they do not only neglect charitie but also hate one an other to the death they sinne not nor offend God at all Therefore by this commaundement Paule not onely teacheth good works but also cōdemneth fantasticall and superstitious works He not onely buildeth gold siluer and precious stones vpon the foundation but also throweth downe the woode and burneth vp the hay stubble God witnessed by examples in the olde Testament how much he did alwayes esteme of charitie whervnto he would haue that very law it self and the ceremonies therof to geue place At such time as Dauid and they that were with him were hungrie and had not what to eate they did eate the holy shewbread which by the lawe the lay people might not eate but onely the priests Christes disciples brake the Saboth in plucking the eares of corne yea and Christ him selfe brake the Saboth as sayd the Iewes in healing the sicke on the Saboth day All these things shew that charitie or loue ought to be preferred before all lawes ceremonies that God requireth nothing so much at our handes as loue towardes our neighbour The same thing Christe also witnesseth when he sayeth And the second is like vnto this Verse 14. For all the lavv is fulfilled in one vvord As if he sayd Why doe ye burden your selues with the lawe Why doe ye so toile and tormoile your selues about the ceremonies of the law about meates dayes places and such other things as how ye ought to eate drinke keepe your feastes sacrifice c. Leaue of these follies and hearken what
of our neighbour In the meane time notwithstanding that we may be righteous in this life also we haue Christe the Mercie seat and throne of grace and because we beleue in him sinne is not imputed vnto vs Faith therfore is our righteousnes in this life But in the life to come when we shall be thorowly clensed and deliuered from all sinnes and concupiscence we shall haue no more neede of Faith and hope but we shall then loue perfectly It is a great errour therfore to attribute iustification or righteousnes to loue whiche is nothinge or if it be any thinge yet is it not so great that it can pacifie God for loue euen in the faithfull as I haue sayd is imperfect and impure But no vncleane thing shall enter into the kingdom of god Notwithstanding in the meane while this trust and confidence sustaineth vs that Christe who a lonely committed no sinne and in whose mouth was neuer foūd any guile doth ouershadow vs with his righteousnes We being couered with this cloud and shrouded vnder this shadow this heauen of remission of sinnes throne of grace doe begin to loue and to fulfill the law Yet for this fulfilling we are not iustified nor accepted of God whilest we liue here But whē Christ hath deliuered vp the kingdom to God his father abolished all principalitie and God shall be all in all then shall Faith and hope cease and loue shall be perfect and euerlasting 1. Cor. 13. This thing the popish Schoolemen vnderstand not and therfore when they heare that loue is the summe of the whole lawe by and by they inferre Ergo the law iustifieth Or contrariwise when they read in Paule that Faith maketh a man righteous yea say they Faith formed and furnished with charitie But that is not the meaning of Paule as I haue largely declared before If we were pure from all sinne and were inflamed with perfect loue both towardes God and our neighbour then should we in deede be righteous and holy through loue and God could require no more of vs This is not done in this present life but is differred vntill the life to come In deede we receaue here the gift and first frutes of the spirite so that we begin to loue howbeit very slenderly But if we loued God truely and perfectly as the law of God requireth which sayeth Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God vvith all thy heart vvith all thy soule and vvith all thy strength then should we be as well contented with pouertie as with wealth with paine as with pleasure with life as with death Yea he that could loue God truly and perfectly in dede should not long continue in this life but should straight way be swalowed vp by this charitie But now mans nature is so corrupt and drowned in sinne that it can not haue any right sense or cogitation of god It loueth not God but hateth him deadly Wherfore as Iohn sayth VVe loued not god but he loued vs sent his sonne to be a reconciliation for our sinnes And as Paule sayth before in the second Chap Christe hath loued me and geuen him selfe for me And in the .4 Chap. But vvhen the fulnes of time vvas come God sent forth his sonne made of a vvoman and made vnder the lavve that he might redeme them vvhich vvere vnder the lavv We being redemed and iustified by this Sonne begin to loue according to that saying of Paule in the .8 to the Romains That vvhich vvas impossible to the lavv in as much as it vvas vveake because of the flesh God sending his ovvne sonne in the similitude of sinnefull flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that the righteousnes of the lavv might be fulfilled in vs that is might begin to be fulfilled They are mere dreames therfore which the Sophisters and Schoolemen haue taught concerning the fulfilling of the lawe Wherfore Paule sheweth by these words VValke in the spirit how he would haue that sentence to be vnderstād where he sayd Serue ye one an other through loue And againe Loue is the fulfillīg of the lavv c. As if he should say When I bid you loue one an other this is it that I require of you that ye walke in the spirit For I know that ye shall not fulfill the law because sinne dwelleth in you as lōg as ye liue and therfore it is impossible that ye should fulfill the law Notwithstādīg in the meane while endeuor your selues diligētly to walk in the spirit that is wrastle in spirit against the flesh folow spiritual motions c. It appeareth then that he had not forgotten the matter of iustifition For when he biddeth them to walke in the spirit he plainly denieth that works do iustifie As if he shuld say When I speake of the fulfilling of the law I meane not that ye are iustified by the law but this I meane that there be two contrary capitaines in you the spirite and the flesh God hath stirred vp in your bodies a strife and a battaile For the spirite wrastleth against the flesh the flesh against the spirit Here I require nothing else of you but that ye folow the spirit as your captaine and guide that ye resist that captaine the flesh for that is all that ye be able to doe Obey the spirit and fight against the flesh Therfore when I teach you to obserue the lawe and exhort you to loue one an other thinke not that I goe about to reuoke that which I haue taught concerning the doctrine of Faith and that now I attribute iustification to the lawe or to charitie but my meaning is that ye should walke in the spirite and that ye should not fulfill the lustes of the flesh Paule vseth very fitte wordes and to the purpose As if he would say we come not yet to the fulfilling of the lawe therefore we must walke in the spirite and be exercised therein that we may thinke say and doe those things which are of the spirite and resist those things which are of the flesh therfore he addeth Verse 16. And ye shall not fulfill the lustes of the flesh As if he would say The desires or lustes of the flesh be not yet dead in vs but spring vppe againe and fight against the spirite The flesh of no faithful man is so good which being offended would not bite and deuour or at the least omitte somewhat of that commaundement of loue Yea euen at the first brunt he can not refraine him selfe but is angrie with his neighbour desireth to be reuenged and hateth him as an enemie or at the least loueth him not so much as he should doe and as this commaundement requireth And this hapneth euen to the faithfull Therefore the Apostle hath geuen this rule for the faithfull that they should serue one an other through loue that they should beare the burdens and infirmities one of an
consent to the flesh which alwayes enticeth vs to some euill but to resist it by the spirit We must not be ouercome with impatiencie for the vnthankfulnes and contempt of the people which abuseth the Christian libertie but through the spirite we must ouercome this all other temptations Looke then how much we striue against the flesh by the spirite so much are we outwardly righteous Albeit this righteousnes doth not commend vs before God. Let no man therefore despaire if he feele the flesh oftentimes to stirre vppe new battell against the spirite or if he can not by and by subdue the flesh and make it obedient vnto the spirite I also doe wish my selfe to haue a more valiaunt and constant heart which might be able not only boldly to contemne the threatnings of tyrants the heresies offences and tumults which Satan and his souldiers the enemies of the Gospell stirre vp but also might by and by shake of the vexatiōs and anguish of spirit and briefly might not feare the sharpnes of death but receaue and embrace it as a most frendly ghest But I find an other law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde c. Some other doe wrastle with inferiour temptations as pouertie reproch impatiencie and such like Let no man maruel therfore or be dismaied when he feeleth in his body this battell of the flesh against the spirite but let him plucke vp his heart and comfort him selfe with these wordes of Paule The flesh lusteth against the spirite Also These are contrary one to an other so that ye doe not those things that you vvould For by these sentences he comforteth them that be tēpted As if he should say It is impossible for you to folow the guiding of the spirit in all thinges without any feeling or hinderance of the flesh Nay the flesh will resist and so resist and hinder you that ye can not doe those things which gladly ye would Here it shalt be enough if ye resist the flesh and fulfill not the lust therof that is to say if ye folow the spirite and not the flesh which easily is ouerthrowne by impatiencie coueteth to reuenge biteth grudgeth hateth God is angrie with him despaireth c. Therefore when a man feeleth this battell of the flesh lette him not be discouraged therewith but let him resist in spirite and say I am a sinner and I feele sinne in me for I haue not yet put of the flesh in which sinne dwelleth so long as it liueth But I will obey the spirite and not the flesh that is I will by Faith and hope lay hold vpon Christe and by his word I will raise vppe my selfe and being so raised vppe I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh It is very profitable for the godly to know this and to beare it wel in minde for it wonderfully comforteth them when they are tempted When I was a Monke I thought by and by that I was vtterly cast away if at any time I felt the lust of the flesh that is to say if I felt any euill motion fleshly lust wrath hatred or enuie against any brother I assayed many wayes to helpe and to quiet my conscience but it would not be For the cōcupiscence and lust of my flesh did alwayes returne so that I could not rest but was cōtinually vexed with these thoughts This or that sinne thou hast cōmitted thou art infected with enuie with impatiencie such other sinnes therfore thou art entred into this holy Order in vaine and all thy good works are vnprofitable If then I had rightly vnderstand these sentences of Paule The flesh lusteth cōtrary to the spirit the spirit contrary to the flesh And These tvvo are one against an other so that ye can not do the things that ye vvould doe I should not haue so miserably tormented my selfe but should haue thought and sayd to my selfe as now commonly I doe Martine thou shalt not vtterly be without sinne for thou hast flesh thou shalt therefore feele the battell thereof according to that saying of Paule The flesh resisteth the spirite Despaire not therefore but resist it strongly and fulfill not the lust thereof Thus doing thou art not vnder the lawe I remember that Staupitius was wont to say I haue vowed vnto God aboue a thousand times that I would become a better mā but I neuer performed that which I vowed Hereafter I wil make no such vow for I haue now learned by experience that I am not able to performe it Vnlesse therefore God be fauourable and mercifull vnto me for Christes sake and graunt vnto me a blessed happie hower when I shall depart out of this miserable life I shall not be able with all my vowes and all my good deedes to stand before him This was not onely a true but also a godly an holy desperation and this must all they confesse both with mouth and heart which wil be saued For the godly trust not to their owne righteousnes but say with Dauid Enter not into iudgement vvith thy seruaunt for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified Againe If thou O Lord shouldest straitly marke iniquities O Lord vvho shall stand They loke vnto Christ their Reconciler who gaue his life for their sinnes Moreouer they know that the remnant of sinne which is in their flesh is not laid to their charge but freely pardoned Notwithstāding in the meane while they fight in spirite against the flesh lest they should fulfill the lustes thereof And although they feele the flesh to rage and rebell against the spirite and them selues also to fall sometimes into sinne through infirmitie yet are they not discouraged not thinke therefore that their state and kinde of life and the workes which are done according to their calling displease God but they raise vppe them selues by Faith. The faithfull therefore receaue great consolation by this doctrine of Paule in that they know them selues to haue part of the flesh and part of the spirite but yet so notwithstanding that the spirite ruleth and the flesh is subdued and kept vnder awe that righteousnes raigneth and sinne serueth He that knoweth not this doctrine and thinketh that the faithfull ought to be without all fault and yet seeth the contrary in him selfe must needes at the length be swalowed vppe by the spirite of heauines and fall into desperation But who so knoweth this doctrine well and vseth it rightly to him the things that are euil turne vnto good For when the flesh prouoketh him to sinne by occasion therof he is stirred vp and enforced to seeke forgeuenes of sinnes by Christe and to embrace the righteousnes of Faith which else he would not so greatly esteme nor seeke for the same with so great desire Therefore it profiteth vs very much to feele sometimes the wickednes of our nature and corruption of our flesh that yet by this meanes we may be
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
trust in his death and victorie theyr strait and painfull life auailed them nothing at all These things sufficiently declare who be the true Sainctes in deede and which is to be called a holy life Not the life of those which lurke in caues dennes which make their bodies leane with fasting which weare hear and doe other like things with this perswasion and trust that they shall haue some singular reward in heauen aboue all other Christians but of those which be baptised and beleue in Christ which put of the olde man with his workes but not at once For concupiscence and lust remaineth in them so long as they liue the feeling wherof doth hurt them nothing at all if they suffer it not to raigne in them but subdue it to the spirite This doctrine bringeth great consolation to godly mindes that when they feele these dartes of the flesh wherewith Sathan assaileth the spirite they should not despaire As it hapneth to many in the Papacie which thought that they ought to feele no concupiscence of the flesh where as notwithstanding Hierome Gregorie Benedict Barnard and others whom the Monks set before them as a perfect example of chastitie and of all Christian vertues could neuer come so farre as to feele no concupiscence or lust of the flesh Yea they felt it and that very strongly Which thing they acknowledge and plainly confesse in diuers places of their bookes Therfore we rightly confesse in the articles of our beleefe that we beleue there is a holy Church For it is inuisible dwelling in spirit in a place that none can attaine vnto and therefore her holines can not be seene For God doth so hide and couer her with infirmities with sinnes with errours with diuers formes of the crosse and offences that according to the iudgement of reason it is no where to be seene They that are ignorant of this when they see the infirmities and sinnes of those which are baptised which haue the word and beleue it are by and by offended and iudge them not to pertaine to the Church And in the meane while they dreame that the Heremites the Monks and such other shauelings are the church which honour God with their lippes and worship him in vaine because they folow not the word of God but the doctrines and commaundements of men teach others to doe the same And because they doe certaine superstitious and monstrous works which carnal reason magnifieth and highly estemeth therfore they iudge them only to be Saincts and to be the church And in so doing they chaunge and turne this article of the Faith cleane contrary I beleue that there is a holy church c. and in the steede of this word I beleue they put in I see These kinds of righteousnes holines of mans owne deuising are nothing else but spiritual sorceries wherw t the eyes minds of mē are blinded led frō the knowledge of true holines But thus teach we that the Church hath no spot nor wrinkle but is holy and yet through Faith onely in Christ Iesus Againe that she is holy in life and cōuersation by abstaining from the lusts of the flesh and exercise of spirituall works but yet not in such sort that he is deliuered from all euill desires or purged from all wicked opinions and errours For the church alwayes confesseth her sinnes prayeth that her faults may be pardoned Also she beleueth the forgeuenes of sinnes The Saincts therfore doe sinne fall and also erre but yet through ignorance For they would not willingly deny Christe forsake the Gospell c therefore they haue remission of sinnes And if through ignorance they erre also in doctrine yet is this pardoned for in the ende they acknowledge their errour and rest onely vppon the truth and the grace of God offered in Christe as Hierome Gregorie Bernard and others did Let Christians then endeuour to auoide the workes of the flesh but the desires or lustes of the flesh they can not auoide It is very profitable therfore for them to feele the vncleane lustes of the flesh lest they should be puffed vp with some vaine wicked opinion of the righteousnes of their owne works as though they were accepted before God for the same The Monks being puffed vp with this opinion of their owne righteousnes thought thēselues to be so holy that they solde their righteousnes holines to others although they were cōuinced by the testimony of their owne hearts that they were vncleane So pernitious and pestilent a poyson it is for a mā to trust in his owne righteousnes to thinke himselfe to be cleane But the godly because they feele the vnclennes of their owne harts therfore they cānot trust to their own righteousnes This feeling so maketh thē to stoupe so hūbleth them that they cannot trust to their owne good workes but are constrained to flie vnto Christe their Mercy seat and onely succour who hath not a corrupt and sinfull but a most pure and holy flesh which he hath geuen for the life of the world in him they finde a sound and perfect righteousnes Thus they continue in humilitie not counterfet and Monkish but true and vnfained because of the vncleanes which yet remaineth in their flesh for the which if God would straitly iudge them they should be foūd giltie of eternal death But because they lift not vp thē selues proudly against God but with a broken a cōtrite heart humbly acknowledging their sinnes resting wholy vppon the benefite of the Mediatour Christ they come forth into the presence of God and pray that for his sake their sinnes may be forgeuen them God spreadeth ouer them an infinite heauen of grace and doth not impute vnto them their sinnes for Christes sake This I say to the end that we may take heede of the pernicious errours of the Papists touching the holines of life wherin our minds were so wrapped that without great difficultie we could not winde our selues out of them Wherfore doe your endeuour with diligence that ye may discerne and rightly iudge betwene true righteousnes or holines and that which is hypocriticall then shall ye behold the kingdom of Christ with other eyes then carnall reason doth that is with spirituall eyes and certainly iudge those to be true Sainctes in deede which are baptised and beleue in Christe and afterwardes in the same Faith wherby they are iustified and their sinnes both past and present are forgeuen doe abstaine from the desires of the flesh But from these desires they are not thorowly clensed for the flesh lusteth against the spirite Notwithstanding these vncleane rebellious lustes doe still remaine in them to this ende that they may be humbled and being so humbled they may feele the sweetenes of the grace and benefite of Christe So these remnauntes of vncleane lustes and sinnes doe nothing at all hinder but greatly furder the godly For the more they feele
dreame are possessed of the Deuil and altogether carnall therefore they performe and fulfill the desires of the flesh euen with all the power of the soule Therfore most necessary it was that so horrible and terrible a sentence should be pronounced by the Apostle against such careles contemners and obstinate hypocrites namely that all they which do such works of the flesh as Paule hath recited shall not inherite the kingdom of God that yet some of them being terrified by this seuere sentence may begin to fight against the workes of the flesh by the spirit that they accomplish not the same Verse 22. But the fruits of the spirite are loue ioy peace long suffering svvetenes goodnes faithfulnes gentlenes or mekenes temperance The Apostle sayeth not the workes of the spirite as he sayd the workes of the flesh but he adorneth these Christian vertues with a more honorable name calling them the frutes of the spirite For they bring with them most excellent frutes and commodities for they that haue them geue glory to God and with the same doe allure and prouoke others to embrace the doctrine and Faith of Christ Loue. It had bene enough to haue sayd Loue and no more for loue extendeth it selfe vnto all the fruites of the spirite And in the. 1. Cor. 13. Paule attributeth to loue all the fruites which are done in the spirite when he sayth Loue is patiēt curteous c. Notwithstāding he would set it here by it selfe amongs the rest of the fruites of the spirit and in the first place thereby to admonish the Christians that before all things they should loue one an other geuing honour one to an other euery man esteming better of an other then of him selfe and seruing one an other because they haue Christ the holy Ghost dwelling in them because of the word baptisme other gifts of God which christiās haue Ioy. This is the voyce of the Bridegrome and of the Bride that is to say sweete cogitations of Christ holesom exhortations plesant songs or Psalmes praises and thanks geuing wherby the godly do instruct stirre vp and refresh them selues Therefore God loueth not heauines and doulfulnes of spirite he hateth vncomfortable doctrine heauy and sorowfull cogitations and loueth chearfull hearts For therefore hath he sent his sonne not to oppresse vs with heauines and sorrow but to cheare vp our soules in him For this cause the Prophets the Apostles and Christ him selfe do exhort vs yea they commaūd vs to reioyce be glad Zach. 9. Reioyce thou daughter of Syon be ioyful thou daughter of Ierusalem for behold thy king commeth to thee And in the Psalmes it is often sayd Be ioyfull in the Lord. Paule sayth Reioyce in the Lord alvvaies c. And Christe sayeth Reioyce because your names are vvryttē in heauen Where this ioy of the spirit is there the heart inwardly reioyceth through faith in Christ with ful assurance that he is our Sauiour and our byshop and outwardly it expresseth this ioy with wordes and gestures Also the faithfull reioyce when they see that the Gospell spreadeth abrode that many be wonne to the Faith and that the kingdom of Christ is enlarged Peace Both towardes God men the Christians may be peaceable quiet not contentious nor hating one an other but one bearing an others burden through long suffering or perseuerance without the which peace cannot continue and therfore Paule putteth it next after peace Long suffering or perseuerance Wherby a mā doth not only beare aduersities iniuries reproches such like but also with patiēce waiteth for the amendmēt of those which haue done him any wrong When the Deuil cannot by force ouercome those which are tempted then seketh he to ouercome them by long cōtinuance For he knoweth that we be earthen vessels which can not long endure hold out many knockes violent strokes therfore with long continuance of tēptations he ouercometh many To vanquish these his cōtinuall assaults we must vse long sufferance which patiētly looketh not only for the amendment of those which doe vs wrong but also for the ende of those temptations which the Deuil raiseth vp against vs. Gentlenes Which is when a man is gentle and tractable in his conuersation in his whole life For such as wil be true folowers of the Gospel must not be sharpe and bitter but gentle milde courteous and faire spoken which should encourage others to delite in their company which can winke at other mens faults or at least expound them to the best which will be well contented to yelde and geue place to others contented to beare with those which are froward intractable as the very Heathen sayd Thou must know the maners of thy frend but thou must not hate thē Such a one was our Sauiour Christ as euery where is to be sene in that Gospell It is wryttē of Peter that he wept so often as he remēbred the sweete mildnes of Christe which he vsed in his daily conuersation It is an excellent vertue and most necessary in euery kinde of life Goodnes Which is when a man willingly helpeth others in their necessitie by geuing lending and such other meanes Faith. When Paule here reckeneth faith amongs the fruites of the spirit it is manifest that he speaketh not of Faith which is in Christe but of the fidelitie humanitie of one man towards an other Herevpon he sayeth in the .13 Chap. of the first to the Cor. that charitie beleueth all things Therfore he that hath this faith is not suspicious but milde taketh all things to the best And although he be deceaued and findeth himselfe to be mocked yet such is his patiencie and softnes that he letteth it passe Briefly he is ready to beleue al mē but he trusteth not all On the cōtrary where this vertue is lacking there men are suspicious froward waiward dogged so neither wil beleue any thing nor geue place to any body They can suffer nothing Whatsoeuer a mā saith or doth neuer so wel they cauill sclander it so that who so serueth not their humor cā neuer please them Therefore it is impossible for thē to kepe charity frendship concord peace with men But if these vertues be takē away what is this life else but biting and deuouring one of an other Faith therfore in this place is whē one mā geueth credite to an other in things pertaining to this present life For what maner of life should we lead in this world if one man should not credite an other Mekenes Which is when a man is not lightly moued or prouoked to anger There be infinite occasions in this life which prouoke men to anger but the godly ouer come them by meekenes Temperance chastitie or continencie This is a sobrietie or modestie in the whole life of man which vertue Paule setteth against the works of the flesh He would therfore that Christians should liue soberly and
an other but geue place one to an other in geuing honour preuēt one an other Contrariwise they that be desirous of glory enuie one an other may bost that they haue the spirite and liue after the spirite but they deceaue themselues they folow the flesh and doe the workes thereof and they haue their iudgement already that they shall not inherite the kingdom of God. Now as nothing is more daūgerous to the Church then this execrable vice so is there nothing more common For when God sendeth forth labourers into his haruest by and by Sathā raiseth vp his ministers also who wil in no case be coūted inferiour to those that are rightly called Here straightwayes riseth dissension The wicked wil not yeld one heares breadth to the godly For they dreame that they farre passe them in witte in learning in godlines in spirite and other vertues Much lesse ought the godly to yelde to the wicked lest the doctrine of Faith come in danger Moreouer such is the nature of the ministers of Sathan that they can make a goodly shew that they are very charitable humble louers of concord and are indued with other fruits of the spirit also they protest that they seeke nothing else but the glory of God the saluation of mens soules and yet are they ful of vainglory doing all things for none other ende but to get praise and estimation among men To be short they thinke that gaine is godlines and that the ministerie of the word is deliuered vnto them that they may get fame and estimation therby Wherfore they can not but be authors of dissension and Sectes Forasmuch then as the vaineglory of the false apostles was the cause that the Churches of Galatia were troubled and forsooke Paule therefore in this Chapter specially his purpose was to suppresse that execrable vice yea this mischeefe gaue the Apostle occasion to wryte this whole Epistle And if he had not so done all his trauell bestowed in preaching of the Gospell among the Galathians had bene spent in vaine For in his absence the false apostles which were men in outward shew of great authority raigned in Galatia who besides that they would seeme to seeke the glory of Christe and the saluation of the Galathians pretended also that they had bene conuersant with the Apostles that they folowed their footesteppes saying that Paule had not seene Christe in the flesh nor had bene conuersant with the rest of the Apostles therfore they made no accoūt of him but reiected his doctrine boasted their owne to be true sincere Thus they troubled the Galathians and raised Sectes among them so that they prouoked and enuied one an other which was a sure token that neither the teachers nor hearers liued and walked after the spirit but folowed the flesh and fulfilled the workes thereof and so consequently lost the true doctrine Faith Christ and all the giftes of the holy Ghost and were now become worse then the Heathen Notwithstanding he doth not onely inueigh against the false apostles which in his time troubled the Churches of Galatia but also he foresaw in spirite that there should be an infinite numbre of such euen to the worlds end which being infected with this pernicious vice should thrust them selues into the Church boasting of the spirite and heauenly doctrine and vnder this pretence should quite ouerthrow the true doctrine and Faith. Many such haue we also seene in these our dayes who haue thrust them selues into the kingdom of the spirit that is to say into the Ministery of the word by this hypocrisie they haue purchased vnto thē selues fame estimation that they were great doctours pillers of the Gospel such as liued in the spirite and walked according to the same But because their glory consisted in mennes mouthes and not in God therefore it could not be firme and stable but according to Paules prophesie it turned to their owne confusion and theyr ende was destruction For the vvicked shall not stand in iudgement but shall be taken avvay like chaffe and scattered abrode vvith the vvinde The same iudgement remaineth for all such as in preaching the Gospell seeke their owne profite and not the glory of Iesus Christe For the Gospell is not deliuered vnto vs that we should thereby seeke our owne praise and glory or that the people should honour and magnifie vs which are the Ministers therof but to the end that the benefite and glory of Christe might be preached and published and that the father might be glorified in his mercy offred vnto vs in Christ his sōne whom he deliuered for vs all and with him hath geuen vs all things Wherfore the Gospel is a doctrine wherin we ought to seeke nothing lesse than our owne glory It setteth forth vnto vs heauenly and eternall things which are not our owne which we haue neither done nor deserued but it offereth the same vnto vs to vs I say which are vnworthy and that through the meere goodnes and grace of god Why should we then seeke praise and glory therby He therfore that seeketh his owne glory in the Gospell speaketh of him selfe And he that speaketh of him selfe is a lier and there is vnrighteousnes in him Contrariwise he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him is true and there is no vnrighteousnes in him Iohn 7. Paule therfore geueth earnest charge to all the ministers of the word saying If vve liue in the spirite let vs vvalke in the spirite that is to say Let vs abide in the doctrine of the truth which hath ben taught vnto vs in brotherly loue and spirituall concord let vs preach Christe and the glory of God in simplicitie of heart and let vs confesse that we haue receaued all things of him let vs not thinke more of our selues than of others let vs raise vp no Sectes For this is not to walke rightly but rather to raunge out of the way and to sette vp a new and a peruerse way of walking Hereby we may vnderstand that God of his speciall grace maketh the teachers of the Gospell subiect to the crosse and to all kindes of afflictions for the saluation of them selues and of the people for otherwise they could by no meanes represse and beate downe this beast which is called vaineglory For if no persecution no crosse or reproch followed the doctrine of the Gospell but onely praise reputation and glory amongst men then would all the professors thereof be infected and perish through the poyson of vainglory Ierome sayth that he had seene many which could suffer great inconueniences in theyr body and goodes but none that could despise their owne praises For it is almost impossible for a mā not to be puffed vp whē he heareth any thing spoken in the praise of his owne vertues Paule notwithstanding that he had the spirite of Christe sayth that there was geuen vnto him
game and therefore they goe about especially the Gentlemen to make their pastours subiect vnto them like seruaunts and slaues And if we had not so godly a Prince and one that so loueth the truth they had ere this time driuen vs out of the countrey When the pastours aske their dutie or complaine that they suffer penurie they cry out the priestes be couetous they would haue plentie no man is able to satisfie their vnsatiable couetousnes if they were true Gospellers they should haue nothing of their owne but as poore men ought to folow poore Christ to suffer all aduersities c. Paule horribly threatneth here such tyrannes such mockers of God who so carelesly proudly doe scorne the miserable preachers and yet will seeme to be Gospellers and not to be mockers of God but to worshippe him very deuoutly Be not deceiued sayth he God is not mocked that is to say he doth not suffer him selfe to be mocked in his ministers For he sayeth He that despiseth you despiseth me Also he sayeth vnto Samuel They haue not cast thee avvay but me Therfore O ye mockers although God differre his punishment for a season yet when he seeth time he will finde you out and will punish this contempt of his word bitter hatred which ye beare against his ministers Therfore ye deceiue not God but your selues and ye shall not laugh at God but he will laugh at you Psalme 2. But our proud Gentlemen citizens and common people are nothing at all moued with this dreadfull threatning Neuertheles they shall feele when death approcheth whether they haue mocked thēselues or vs nay rather not vs but God himselfe as Paule saith here In the meane time because they proudly despise our admonitiōs with an intollerable pride we speake these things to our cōfort to the ende we may know that it is better to suffer wrong than to do wrōg for patience is euer innocēt harmles Moreouer God will not suffer his ministers to starue for honger but euen when the rich men suffer scarsitie and honger he wil feede them and in the dayes of famine they shall haue enough Verse 7. For vvhatsoeuer a man sovveth that shall he reape All these things tende to this purpose that ministers should be nourished and maintained For my part I doe not gladly interprete such sentences for they seeme to commend vs and so they doe in dede Moreouer if a mā stand much in repeting such things to his hearers it hath some shew of couetousnes Notwithstanding men must be admonished hereof that they may know that they ought to yelde vnto their pastours both reuerence and a necessary liuing Our Sauiour Christe teacheth the same thing in the .10 of Luke Eating and drinking such things as they haue for the labourer is vvorthy of his revvard And Paule sayth in an other place Doe ye not knovv that they vvhich sacrifice in the tēple liue of the sacrifices that they vvhich serue at the altare are partakers of the altare euē so hath the lord ordained that they vvhich preach the gospel should liue of the Gospel It is good that we also which are in the ministerie should know these things lest for our labour we might with euill cōscience receaue the stipend which is geuen vnto vs of that Popes goods And although such goodes were heaped together by mere fraud disceit yet notwithstanding God spoyling the Egyptians that is to say the Papistes of their goods turneth them here amongst vs to a good and holy vse not when noble men and gentlemen spoile them and abuse them but when they which sette forth Gods glory and bring vppe youth vertuously are maintained therewith Let vs know then that we may with good conscience since God hath ordained and commaūded that they which preach the Gospell should liue of the Gospell vse those things that are geuen vs of the Church goodes for the necessary sustentation of our life to the ende we may attend vpon our office the better Let no man therefore make any scrupule hereof as though it were not lawfull for him to vse such goodes Verse 8. For he that sovveth in the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that sovveth in the spirite shall of the spirite reape euerlasting life He addeth a similitude and an allegorie And this generall sentence of sowing he applieth to the particular matter of nourishing and maintaining the ministers of the word saying He that sovveth in the spirite that is to say he that chearisheth the teachers of Gods word doth a spirituall worke and shall reape euerlasting life Here riseth a question whether we deserue eternall life by good works for so Paule seemeth to auouch in this place As touching such sentences which speake of workes and the reward of them we haue treated very largely before in the .5 chapter And very necessary it is after the example of Paule to exhort the faithfull to good workes that is to say to exercise their faith by good workes For if they folow not faith it is a manifest token that their Faith is no true faith Therefore the Apostle sayth He that sovveth in the flesh some vnderstand it in his owne flesh that is to say he that geueth nothing to the ministers of Gods word but onely feedeth and careth for him selfe which is the counsell of the flesh that man shall of the flesh reape corruption not onely in this present life but also in the life to come For the goods of the wicked shall wast away and they them selues also at length shall shamefully perish The Apostle would faine stirre vp his hearers to be liberall and beneficiall towards their pastours and preachers But what a misery is it that the peruersenes and ingratitude of men should be so great that the churches should neede this admonition The Encratites abused this place for the confirmation of their wicked opinion against mariage expounding it after this maner He that soweth in the flesh shall reape corruption that is to say he that marieth a wife shall be damned Ergo a wife is a damnable thing and mariage is euill for as much as there is in it a sowing in the flesh These beastes were so destitute of all iudgement that they perceiued not whereabout the Apostle went I speake this to the ende ye may see how easily the Deuill by his ministers can turne away the heartes of the simple from the truth Germanie shall shortly haue an infinite number of such beastes yea and already hath very many For on the one side it persecuteth and killeth the godly ministers and on the other side it neglecteth and despiseth them and suffereth them to liue in great penurie Let vs arme our selues against these and such like errours and let vs learne to know the true meaning of the Scriptures For Paule speaketh not here of matrimonie but of nourishing the ministers of the church which euery mā
be feared from hearing of them As if he should say Behold I sette before your eyes what maner of teachers ye haue First they are vaineglorious men which seeke nothing but their owne profite and care for nothing but their owne bellie Secondly they flie the crosse and finally they teach no truth or certaintie but all their sayings and doings are counterfet and full of hypocrisie Wherefore although they keepe the lawe outwardly yet in keping it they keepe it not For without the holy ghost the law can not be kept But the holy Ghost can not be receaued without christ and where the holy ghost dwelleth not ther dwelleth an vncleane spirit that is to say despising god seking his owne gaine and glory Therfore al that he doth as touchīg the law is mere hypocrisie double sinne For an vncleane heart doth not fulfill the lawe but only maketh an outward shew thereof and so is it more confirmed in his wickednes and hypocrisie And this sentence is diligently to be marked that they which are circumcised keepe not the lawe that is to say that they which are circumcised are not circūcised It may also be applied vnto other workes He that worketh prayeth or suffereth without Christ worketh praieth suffereth in vaine for all that is not of faith is sinne It profiteth a man therefore nothing at all to be outwardly circumcised to fast to pray or to doe any other worke if he be within a despiser of grace of forgeuenes of sinnes of faith of Christe c. and be puffed vp with the opinion presumption of his owne righteousnes which are horrible sinnes against the first table and afterward there folow also other sinnes against the secōd table as disobedience whoredom furiousnes wrath hatred and such other Therfore he saith very wel that they which be circumcised keepe not the lawe but onely pretend that they keepe it But this counterfetting or rather hypocrisie is double wickednes afore God. What meane the false apostles whē they would haue you to be circumcised Not that ye might become righteous although they so beare you in hand but that they may glory in your flesh Now who would not detest this most pestilēt vice of ambition and desire of glory which is sought with so great perill of mennes soules They are sayth he disceitfull shameles and vaine spirites which serue their owne belly and hate the crosse Againe which is worst of all they compel you to be circumcised according to the lawe that they may therby abuse your flesh to their owne glory in the meane season they bring your soules into daūger of euerlasting destruction For what gaine ye else before God but damnation and what else before men but that the false apostles may glory that they are your teachers and ye their disciples and yet they teach you that which they them selues do not Thus doth he sharply reproue the false apostles These wordes That they may glory in your flesh are very effectuall As if he should say they haue not the word of the spirit therfore it is impossible for you to receaue the spirite by their preaching They do but only exercise your flesh making you fleshly Iusticiaries or iustifiers of your selues Outwardly they obserue dayes times sacrifices and such other things according to the lawe which are altogither carnall whereby ye reape nothing else but vnprofitable labour and damnation And on the other side this they gaine thereby that they boast that they are your teachers and haue called you backe from the doctrine of Paule the heretike vnto their mother the Synagoge So at this day the Papistes bragge that they call backe those to the bosome of their mother the holy church whom they deceaue and seduce Contrariwise we glory not in your flesh but we glory as touching your spirite because ye haue receaued the spirite by our preaching Galath 3.2 Verse 14. But God forbid that I should glory but in the crosse of our Lord Iesu Christ The Apostle closeth vp the matter with an indignation with great vehemencie of spirite he casteth out these wordes But God forbid c. As if he should say This carnall glory and ambition of the false apostles is so daungerous a poyson that I wish it were buried in hell for it is the cause of the destruction of many But let them glory in the flesh that list and let them perish with their cursed glory As for me I desire no other glory but that whereby I glory and reioyce in the crosse of Cbriste After the same maner speaketh he also Rom. 5. VVe glory in our afflictions Also in the .2 Cor. 12. T vvill glory in mine infirmities Here Paule sheweth what is the glory and reioysing of the Christians namely to glory and to be proud in tribulations reproches infirmities c. The world iudgeth of the Christians not onely that they are wretched and miserable men but also most cruelly and yet as it thinketh with a true zeale hateth persecuteth condemneth and killeth them as most pernicious plages of the spirituall worldly kingdom that is to say like heretikes and rebels But because they do not suffer these things for murther theft and such other wickednes but for the loue of Christe whose benefite and glory they sette forth therefore they glory in tribulations and in the crosse of Christe and are glad with the Apostles that they are counted worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Christ So must we glory at this day when the Pope and the whole world most cruelly persecute vs condemne vs and kill vs because we suffer these things not for our euil dedes as theeues murtherers c. but for Christes sake our Lord and Sauiour whose Gospell we truly preach Now our glory is encreased and confirmed principally by these two things First because we are certaine that our doctrine is sound perfect Secondly because our crosse and suffering is the suffering of Christ Therfore when the world persecuteth and killeth vs we haue no cause to complaine or lament but we ought rather to reioyce and be glad In deede the world iudgeth vs to be vnhappy accursed But on the other side Christ who is greater thā the world and for whom we suffer pronoūceth vs to be blessed willeth vs to reioyce Blessed are ye sayth he vvhen men reuile you persecute you and falsly say all maner of euill against you for my sake Reioyce and be glad Our glory then is an other maner of glory then the glory of the world is which reioyceth not in tribulation reproch persecution and death c. but glorieth altogether in power in riches peace honour wisedom and his owne righteousnes But mourning and confusion is the ende of this glory Moreouer the crosse of Christ doth not signifie that peece of wood which Christ did beare vpon his shoulders and to the which he was afterwardes nailed but generally
Here is no colouring or new outward shew but a thing done in deede Here is created an other sense and an other iudgement that is to say altogether spirituall which abhorreth those things that before it greatly estemed The Mōkish life and Order did so bewitch vs in time past that we thought there was no other way to saluation But now we iudge of it farre otherwise We are now ashamed of those things which we adored as most heauēly and holy before we were regenerate into this new creature Wherfore the chaunging of garments other outward things is not a new creature as the Monkes dreame but it is the renewing of the minde by the holy Ghost after the which foloweth a chaunge of the members and senses of the whole body For when the heart hath conceaued a new light a new iudgement and new motions through the Gospell it commeth to passe that the inward senses are also renewed for the eares desire to heare the word of God and not the traditiōs and dreames of men The mouth and tounge doe not vaunt of their owne works righteousnes and Rules but they set forth the mercy of God onely offered vnto vs in Christ These chaunges consist not in words but are effectuall and bring a new spirit a new will new senses new operations of the flesh so that the eyes eares mouth and tounge doe not onely see heare and speake otherwise than they did before but the minde also approueth loueth and foloweth an other thing than it did before For before being blinded with popish errours and darknes it imagined God to be a marchaūt who would sell vnto vs his grace for our works and merites But now in the light of the Gospell it assureth vs that we are counted righteous by faith onely in Christ Therfore it now reiecteth all wilworkes and accomlisheth the workes of charitie of our vocation cōmaunded by god It praiseth magnifieth God it reioyceth and glorieth in the only trust and confidence of Gods mercy through Iesus Christ If it must suffer any trouble or affliction it endureth the same cherefully and gladly although the flesh repine and grudge thereat This Paule calleth a new creature Verse 16. And to as many as vvalke according to this rule peace be vpon them and mercy This he addeth as a conclusion This is the onely and true rule wherin we ought to walke namely the new creature which is neither circumcision nor vncircumcision but the new man created vnto the image of God in righteousnes true holines which inwardly is righteous in the spirite and outwardly is holy and cleane in the flesh The Monkes haue a righteousnes and holines but it is hypocriticall and wicked because they hope not to be iustified by onely faith in Christe but by the keping of their Rule Moreouer although outwardly they counterfet an holines and refraine their eyes handes tounge other members from euill yet they haue an vncleane heart ful of filthy lust enuie wrath lecherie idolatrie contempt and hatred of God blasphemie against Christe c. for they are most spitefull and cruell enemies of the truth Wherefore the Rule and religion of the Monkes is most wicked and accursed of God. But this rule whereof Paule speaketh in this place is blessed by the which we liue in the Faith of Christe and are made newe creatures that is to say righteous and holy in deede by the holy ghost without any colouring or coūterfetting To them which walke after this rule belongeth peace that is the fauour of God forgeuenes of sinnes quietnes of conscience and mercy that is to say helpe in afflictions and pardon of the remnantes of sinne which remaine in our flesh Yea although they which walke after this rule be ouertaken with any sinne yet for that they are the children of grace and peace mercy vpholdeth them so that their sinne and fall shall not be layd vnto their charge Verse 16. And vpon the Israel of God. Here he toucheth the false apostles and Iewes which gloried of their fathers bragged that they were the people of God that they had the lawe c. As if he sayd They are the Israel of God which with faithfull Abraham beleue the promises of God offered already in Christ whether they be Iewes or Gentiles and not they which are begotten of Abraham Isaac and Iacob after the flesh This matter is largely handled before in the third Chapter Verse 17. From hence forth let no man put me to busines He concludeth his Epistle with a certaine indignation As if he sayd I haue faithfully taught the Gospel as I haue receaued it by the reuelation of Iesus Christ Who so will not folow it let him folowe what he will so that hereafter he trouble me no more At a word this is my censure that Christe which I haue preached is the onely high Priest and Sauiour of the world Therefore either lette the world walke according to this rule of which I haue spoken here thorough out all this Epistle or else let it perish for euer Verse 17. For I beare in my body the markes of the Lord Iesus This is the true meaning of this place The markes that be in my body doe shew well enough whose seruaunt I am If I sought to please men requiring circumcision the keeping the law as necessary to saluation and reioysing in your flesh as the false apostles doe I needed not to beare these markes in my body But because I am the seruaunt of Iesus Christe and walke after a true rule that is I openly teach and confesse that no man can obtaine the fauour of God righteousnes and saluation but by Christe alone therfore it behoueth me to beare the badges of Christe my Lord which be not markes of mine owne procuring but are laid vppon me against my will by the world and the Deuill for none other cause but for that I preach Iesus to be Christe He calleth therefore the stripes and sufferings which he did beare in his body markes also the fierie dartes of the Deuill anguish and terrour of spirite c. Of these sufferings he maketh mention euery where in his Epistles As Luke also doth in the Acts. I thinke sayth he that God hath sette forth vs the last Apostles as men appoynted to death For vve are made a gasing stocke vnto the vvorld and to the aungels and to men Againe Vnto this houre vve both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and haue no certaine dvvelling place and labour vvorking vvith our ovvne handes VVe are reuiled vve are persecuted vve are euill spoken of vve are made as the filth of the vvorld the ofscouring of all things Also in an other place In much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in prisonmentes in tumultes in labours by vvatchings by fastings c. And againe In labours more aboundant in stripes aboue
vehemeÌ„t flames of carnall lust in Hierome The flesh is to be subdued not killed Ephes 5.29 1. Cor. 7.9 The godly feele the concupiscence or lust of the flesh Psal. 4.4 The faithfull haue flesh vvhich resisteth the spirite Rom. 7 1â— The godly feele the terrours and captiuitie of sinne The Monkes such other cloisterers neuer had experience of any spirituall tentations Christ our righteousnes Rom. 9.33 The outvvard righteousnes of the faithfull The godly feling the corruptions of the flesh must not despaire The battell of the flesh and the spirite in the godly To vvalke in the spirite Let all troubled consciences comfort them selues by this example of Martin Luther and say as he said Stanpitius a godly learned man of vvhom he made mention before A holy desperâ—tion â— Psal 143.2 Psal. 130. â— VVhat the godly must do vvhen they feele sinne The conflict battell of the flesh and the spirite in the children of God. Rom 1. â—8 A Christian a maruellous vvorkman Read more hereof before in the lease 246. and in the line 32. The children of God do fele the rebellion of the flesh against the spirite To vvhom God doth not impute sinne Rom. 14.23 The errour of the Sophisters or Scholemen The vvisedom of the godly The godly only feele sinne Rom. 1.14 Galath 5.24 Rom. 8.12 Sentence pronouÌ„ced agaiÌ„st such as obey the lusts of the flesh The true Sainctes of God. Psal. 32.5.6 Psal. 143. â— To be led by the spirite Galath 4.4 VVhat it is to be led by the spirite Hovv a troubled minde is to be comforted Novv the lusts of the flesh must be ouercome The great and vehement tentations of Luther Not to be vnder the lavve Math. 7.10 Hypocrites mingled amongst the godly Euery age of man hath his peculiar temptations * That is a secrete contempt of God vvherof Dauid speaketh Psal. 3.2 Some are exercised vvith greater tentations and some vvith lesse Luke 2.48 2. Cor. â— 5 Rom. 7 2â— VVhom the Stoickes couÌ„ted vvise meÌ„ VVho they be vvhich Christ and his Apostles cal saiÌ„cts VVho be true Sainctes The vveaknes of Faith. Al the faithful be Sainctes A holy life I beleue that there is a holy Church I do not see but I beleue Hypocriticall holines The church is holy The church prayeth that her sinnes maâ— be forgeuen To feele the vnclennes of the flesh is profitable To the godly those things vvhich are euil turne vnto good Christian doctrine raiseth vp and comforteth vveake and troubled consciences VVhat Paule meaneth by flesh Idolatrie or Idoll seruice Carthusians or charterhouse moâ—kâ— The false and true vvorshipping of God. Idolatrie is vnknovvne to the vvorld The Masse horrible idolatrie and blasphemie against Christ Flesh. The vvorkes of the flesh as the Papistes define them Reason estemeth idolatry and heresie for most excellent vertues VVitchcraft Idolatrie Iusticiaries or iustifiers of themselues The Pope an Archheretike No vnitie or concord in the Popish church Drunkards surfetters The most sobre and temperate are many times most assailed vvith tentations Hovv the burning heat of lustes may be quenched An horrible sentence pronounced by Paule The fruites of the spirite Rom. 12.10 The scripture exhorteth vs to reioyce in God. The ioy of the spirite LoÌ„g sufferaÌ„ce or perseuerance The gentlenes and mildnes of Christe Ex libro Clementis ad Iacobum fratrem Domini Chastitie The lavv is abolished to the beleuers in Christ VVhat it is to crucifie the fleâ—h The armour of God. * After the coÌ„mon diuision this is the .25 verse of the former chapter Vaineglory a detestable vice and most pernicious to the church of god Tit. 1.7 Hovv great a mischefe vain glory is Ouide Horace Rom. 12.10 Vaineglory a common vice in the church Math. 9. â—8 2 Cor. 11 15. The nature of false teachers 1. Timo. ◠◠〈◊〉 â— â—0 Rom 10 1â— The authoritie of the false apostles The false apostles despised Paule Such as thrust them selues into the ministerie The ende of vaineglorious teachers Phil. 3.19 Psal. 1.4.5 VVhat vve ought to seke in the gospell Rom. 1.32 Iohn 7 1â— VVhat it is to vvalke in the spirite VVhy God layeth the crosse vpon the preachers of the gospel Rom. 14.16 Rom. 12.10 VVhen men be praised the flesh vvaxeth proud 2. Sam. 14.17 2. Cor. 6.8 VVho vvalke in order and vvho do not Galath 1.5 1. Cor. 4.7 Priuie open enemies of the Gospell VVe must not be proud of our spirituall giftes Luke 12 4â— Ephes 4.12 Actes 10.34 Vainglorious spirites Galath 4.17 Rom. 3.25 The praise of the person of the ministerie Rom. 14.16 2. Cor. 6.3 The effect and fruite of vaineglory Galath 2.5 VVhat offences are to be forgeuen Leuit. 6.3 Gal. 2.20.3.16 Sathan lieth in vvait both against purity of doctrine life Hovv pastorâ— ought to deale vvith them that are fallen The Pope and his bishops are tormeÌ„tors of mens coÌ„sciences Sayings of Pope Gregorie 2. Thes 2.3 By vvhat meanes the Pope establisheth his tyrannie and povver Hovve they that are falne ought to be intreated The spirite of mekenes Ezech. 34.4 Ex libro de vitis patrum Math. 7.3 1. Cor. 10.12 2. Sam. â—1 Loue. 1. Cor. 13.4 Rom. 13.9 VVhose burdens are to be borne 1. Tim. 5.22 The authors of Sectes painted out iÌ„ their right colours Mat. 18.24 â—1 Deceauers of themselues Apoc. 3.17 Desire of vain-glory Vainglorious heades Three vices of the vaineglorious linked together Phil. 2.27 The people delited vvith nouelties He shall lacke no praise that preacheth the Gospel purely The ende of the ministerie of the vvord 2. Tim. 4.5 To haue praise in himselfe VVhat is the glory of heretikes The glory of the godly Iâ—hn 16.32 Phil. 4.4 The vvorld dishonoreth the godly ministers of the vvord 1. Cor. 6.3 The Gospell is the vvord of the crosse and offence 1. Cor. 1.18 The disciples of the gospel VVhat it is for a man to proue his ovvne vvork Exod 20 7. 1. Sam. 2.30 1. Cor. 4.2 The vvorke of euery mans calling Phil. 3.19 2. Tim. 3.9 Psal. 37.6 In death and in the day of iudgement other mennes praises profit not Rom. 2.16 A comparison betvene good vvorkes and hypocriticall vvorke Vaineglory A commaundemeÌ„t for the nourishing of the ministers of the vvord of God. The ministers of SathaÌ„ haue pleÌ„tie but the ministers of Christe doe vvant Luke 2.7 Luke 9.58 Iohn 19. â— Cor. 8. 9. 1. Tim. 4.1 SathaÌ„ oppresseth the gospell tvvo vvaies Mâ—â—h 1.7 Fulnes of Gods vvord bringeth lothing 1. Cor. 9.11 The vvorld lodeth the ministers of Sathan vvith all vvorldly good things The punishment of vnthankfulnes In all good things Gentlemen citizens and husbandmen despisers of Gods ministers Luke 10. â—6 1. Sam. 8.7 Psal. 34.10 Psal. 37.19 Reuerence necessary liuing due to the ministers of the vvord 1. Cor. 9.13.14 Exod. 3. â—â— VVhat it is to sovve in the spirite The heretikes called Encratites VVhose errour the Papistes haue reuiued as touching matrimonie and therfore they may cruely be called nevv Encratites VVe must doe good vvithout vveerines Iohn 9.4 Iohn 12.35 The houshold of faith The motherly affection of Paule Enormities in the false apostles Galath 1.8 Phil. 3.19 Gen. 17.10 14. Gen. 17 1â— Phil. 2.21 The lavv is not accomplished vvith outvvard vvorkes Rom. 14 2â— VVorks done vvithout faith are sinnes The peril that follovveth ambition and vaine glory * That is they do but kepe your flesh in a seruile and slauish exercise The glory of the Christians Actes 5.41 The faithfull suffer for Christe Math. 5.11.12 The glory of the vvorld The crosse of Christ 2. Cor. 1.5 Col. 1.24 The afflictioÌ„s of the godly are the afflictioÌ„s of Christ Actes 9.4 Zach. 2.1 The feeling of the head is most sensible The crosse of the godly iâ— svveete 2. Cor 1.5 Psal. 44 22. Math. 11.30 To glory in the crosse of Christ Rom. 5.3 2. Cor. 7.5 1. Sam. 22.22 Zach. 2. â— Iohn 15.19 To be crucified to the vvorld The contrary iudgement of the faithful of the vvorld as concerning true doctrine 1. Cor. 2.13 1. Iohn 3.8 Iohn 8.44 The vvorld condemneth the life and doctrine of the godly Psal. 139.22 Ephes 6.16 2. Cor. 1â— â— ChristiaÌ„ righteousnes 1. Cor. 1. â— 1. Cor. 2.14 VVithout Christ there is no saluation Vncircumcision signifieth all the Gentiles Circumcision all the Ievves Lavves be good The vse of ceremonies and lavves 1. Cor. 14.40 Gal. 3.5 Eph. 4.24 A nevv creature Actes 15.9 The renevving of the members of the body folovv the renevving of the minde The Papists imagined God to be a marchaunt and to sell his grace for vvorkes and merites A right rule Eph. 4.24 The righteousnes of Monkes Peace Mercy Rom. 9.4.5 Rom. 9.7 8. Ephes 1.16 1. Cor. 4.9 1. Cor. 4.11.12.13 2. Cor. 6.4.5.6 2. Cor. 11 2â—.24.25 â—â— The markes vvhich vve beare at this day Ephes 6.16 Math. 26.41
and a carnall libertie to doe what so euer they list These as Peter sayeth haue the libertie of the spirite as a cloke of maliciousnes through which the name of God and the Gospell of Christe is sclaundered euery where and therfore they shall once suffer worthy punishment for this their vngodlines Thirdly such doe also abuse the lawe who feeling the terrours thereof doe not vnderstand that such terrours ought no longer to continue but vnto Christe This abuse in them is the cause that they fall to desperation as in the hypocrites it is the cause of arrogancie and presumption Contrariwise the true vse of the lawe can neuer be estemed and magnified as it is worthy namely that when the conscience shutte vp vnder the lawe despaireth not but being instructed by the wisedom of the holy Ghost concludeth with it selfe after this sort I am in deede shut vppe as a prisoner vnder the lawe but not for euer yea this shutting vppe shall turne to my great profite How so Because that I being thus shut vppe shall be driuen to sigh and seeke the hand of an helper c. After this maner the lawe is as an enforcer which by compulsion bringeth the hungrie vnto Christe that he may satisfie them with his good things Wherefore the true office of the lawe is to shew vnto vs our sinnes to make vs giltie to humble vs to kill vs and to bring vs downe to hell and finally to take from vs all helpe all succour all cōfort but yet altogether to this end that we may be iustified exalted quickned to life caried vppe into heauen and obtaine all good things Therfore it doth not onely kill but it killeth that we may liue Verse 24. VVherefore the lavve vvas our Scholemaster to bring v◠to Christe Here againe he ioyneth the lawe and the Gospell together which are separate so farre asunder as touching the affections and inward man when he sayeth The lawe is a Scholemaster to Christ This similitude also of the Scholemaster is worthy to be noted Although a Scholemaster be very profitable and necessary to enstruct and to bring vppe children yet shewe me one childe or scholer which loueth his master We may easily coniecture what affection the Iewes bare to their Moises and how zelously they performed that which he commaunded In deede such was their loue and obedience towards him that euery hower as the Storie testifieth they would with all their hearts haue stoned him to death It is not possible therefore that the scholer should loue his master For howe can he loue him which keepeth him in prison that is to say which suffereth him not to doe that which gladly he would And if he doe any thing against his commaundement by and by he is rebuked and chastised yea and is constrained moreouer to kisse the rodde when he is beaten Is not this I pray you a goodly righteousnes and obedience of the scholer that he obeyeth his master so seuerely threatning and so sharply correcting him and kisseth the rodde But doth he this with a good wil As soone as his master hath turned his backe he breaketh the rodde or casteth it into the fire And if he had any power ouer his master he would not suffer him selfe to be beaten of his master but rather he would beat him And yet notwithstanding the scholemaster is very necessary for the child to enstruct and to chastise him otherwise the childe without this discipline enstruction and good education should be vtterly lost The scholemaster therfore is appoynted for the child to teach him to bring him vp to kepe him as it were in prison But to what ende or how long Is it to the ende that this streit and sharpe dealing of the scholemaster should alwayes cōtinue or that the child should remaine in continuall bōdage Not so but onely for a time that this obedience this prison and correction might turne to the profit of the child that in time he might be heire and Prince For it is not the fathers will that his sonne should be alwayes subiect to the scholemaster and alwayes beaten with roddes but that by this instruction and discipline he may be made able and meete to be his fathers successour Euen so the law sayth Paule is nothing else but a Scholemaster not for euer but vntill it haue brought vs to Christ as in other wordes he sayd also before The lavve vvas geuen for transgressions vntill the blessed Seede should come Also the scripture hath shut all vnder sin c. Againe vve vvere kept vnder shut vp vnto faith vvhich should after be reuealed Wherefore the lawe is not onely a Scholemaster but it is a Scholemaster to bring vs vnto Christ For what a Scholemaster were he which would alwaies torment beat the child teach him nothing at all And yet such Scholemasters there were in time past when Scholes were nothing else but a prison and a very hell the Scholemasters cruell tyrannes and very butchers The childrē were alwayes beaten they learned with continuall paine and trauell yet few of thē came to any proofe The law is not such a Scholemaster For it doth not onely terrifie torment as the foolish Scholemaster beateth his scholers teacheth them nothing but with his roddes he driueth vs vnto Christ like as a good Scholemaster enstructeth exerciseth his scholers in reading and wryting to the ende they may come to the knowledge of good letters other profitable things that afterwardes they may haue a delite in doing of that which before when they were constrained thervnto they did against their willes By this goodly similitude Paule sheweth what is the true vse of the lawe namely that it iustifieth not hypocrites for they remaine without Christ in their presumption securitie And contrariwise that it leaueth not in death damnation those that are of a contrite heart so that they vse it as Paul teacheth but driueth them vnto Christ But they which in these terrours continue still in their weaknes doe not apprehend Christ by faith do fall at length into desperatiō Paule therfore in this allegorie of the Scholemaster most liuely expresseth the true vse of the law For like as the Scholemaster reproueth his scholers he greeueth them maketh thē heauy yet not to the end that this bondage should alwayes continue but that it should cease when the children are well brought vppe and enstructed accordingly that afterwards without any cōstraint of the Scholemaster they should cherefully enioy their libertie their fathers goods euen so they which are vexed oppressed with the law doe know that these terrours and vexations shall not alwayes continue but that therby they are prepared to come vnto Christ which is to be reuealed and to receaue the libertie of the spirite c. Verse 24. That vve may be made righteous by Faith. The lawe is not a Scholemaster to bring vs vnto
an other lawgeuer which requireth good workes but vnto Christ our Iustifier and Sauiour that by Faith in him we might be iustified and not by workes But when a man feeleth the force and strength of the law he doth not vnderstand nor beleue this Therefore he sayth I haue liued wickedly for I haue transgressed all the commaundements of God and therfore I am giltie of eternall death If God would prolong my life certaine yeres or at least certaine moneths I would amend my life and liue holily hereafter Here of the true vse of the lawe he maketh an abuse Reason being ouertaken in these terrours and streites is bolde to promise vnto God the fulfilling of all the workes of the whole law And hereof came so many sectes and swarmes of Monkes and religious hypocrites so many ceremonies and so many workes deuised to deserue grace and remission of sinnes And they which deuised these things thought that the lawe was a Scholemaster to lead thē not vnto Christ but to a new lawe or vnto Christe as a lawgeuer and not as one that hath abolished the lawe But the true vse of the lawe is to teach me that I am brought to the knowledge of my sinne humbled that so I may come vnto Christ and may be iustified by Faith. But Faith is neither lawe nor worke but an assured confidence which apprehendeth Christ vvho is the end of the lavv Rom. 10. And how Not that he hath abolished the olde law and geuen a newe or that he is a iudge which must be pacified by workes as the Papistes haue taught but he is the ende of the lawe to all those that beleue that is to say euery one that beleueth in him is righteous and the lawe shall neuer accuse him The lawe then is good holy and iust so that a man vse it as he should doe Nowe they that abuse the lawe are first the hypocrites which attribute vnto the law a power to iustifie and secondly they which doe despaire not knowing that the lawe is a Scholemaster to lead men vnto Christ that is to say that the lawe humbleth them not to their destruction but to their saluation For God woundeth that he may heale againe he killeth that he may quicken againe Now Paule as before I haue sayd speaketh of those that are to be iustified and not of those which are iustified already Therefore when thou goest about to reason as concerning the lawe thou must take the matter of the lawe or that whervpon the lawe worketh namely the sinner and the wicked person whom the lawe iustifieth not but setteth sinne before his eyes casteth him downe and bringeth him to the knowledge of him selfe it sheweth vnto him hell the wrath and the iudgement of god This is in deede the proper office of the law Then foloweth the vse of this office to witte that the sinner may knowe that the lawe doth not reueale vnto him his sinne and thus humbleth him to the ende he should despaire but that by this accusing and brusing it may driue him vnto Christ the Sauiour and comforter When this is done he is no longer vnder the Scholemaster And this vse is very necessary For seeing the whole world is ouerwhelmed with sinne it hath neede of this ministerie of the lawe that sinne may be reuealed Otherwise no man should euer attaine to righteousnes as before we haue largely declared But what worketh the lawe in them which are already iustified by Christ Paule aunswereth by these wordes which are as it were an addition to that which goeth before Verse 25. But after that Faith is come vve are no longer vnder the Scholemaster That is to say we are free from the lawe from the prison and from our Scholemaster for when Faith is reuealed the lawe terrifieth and tormenteth vs no more Paule here speaketh of Faith as it was preached and published vnto the world by Christ in a certaine time before appoynted For Christ taking vppon him our flesh came once into the world he abolished the lawe with all his effectes and deliuered from eternall death all those which receaue his benefite by Faith. If therefore ye looke vnto Christe and that which he hath done there is now no lawe For he comming in the time appoynted tooke away the lawe Nowe since the law is gone we are not kept vnder the tyrannie therof any more but we liue in ioy and safetie vnder Christ who now sweetely raigneth in vs by his spirit Now where the Lord raigneth there is libertie Wherefore if we could perfectly apprehend Christe which hath abolished the lawe by his death and hath reconciled vs vnto his father that Scholemaster should haue no power ouer vs at all But the lawe of the members rebelling against the lawe of the minde letteth vs that we can not perfectly lay hold vppon Christe The lacke therfore is not in Christ but in vs which haue not yet put of this flesh to the which sinne continually cleaueth as long as we liue Wherfore as touching our selues we are partly free from the law and partly vnder the lawe According to the spirite vve serue vvith Paule the lavve of God but according to the flesh the lavve of sinne Rom. 7. Hereof it foloweth that as touching the conscience we are fully deliuered from the law therfore that Scholemaster must not rule in the cōscience that is he must not afflict the conscience with his terrours threatnings and captiuitie And albeit it goe about to vexe to trouble the conscience neuer so much yet is she not moued therewith. For she hath Christ crucified before her eyes who hath remoued out of the cōscience all the offices of the law putting out the handvvriting of ordinaunces that vvas against vs c. Coloss 2. Therfore euen as a virgin knoweth no man so the conscience must not onely be ignorāt of the law but also it must be vtterly dead vnto the law the law likewise vnto the conscience This is not done by any works or by the righteousnes of the law but by faith which apprehendeth and layeth hold vpon Christ notwithstanding sinne cleaueth still in the flesh as touching the effect thereof which oftentimes accuseth troubleth the conscience So long then as the flesh doth remaine so long this Scholemaster the law doth also remaine which many times terrifieth the conscience maketh it heauie by reuealing of sinne threatning of death Yet is it raised vppe again by the daily cōming of Christ who as he came once into the world at the time before appoynted to redeme vs from the hard and sharpe seruitude of our Scholemaster euen so he commeth daily vnto vs spiritually to the ende that we may encrease in faith and in the knowledge of him that the conscience may apprehend him more fully and perfectly from day to day and that the lawe of the flesh and of sinne with the terrour of death and all euils that