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
that man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that procedeth out of the mouth of God eateth the bread but he seeth not God in the bread for he beholdeth the veile onely and outward shew So he doth with gold and other creatures trusting to them so long as he hath them but when they leaue him he despaireth And thus he honoureth not the creator but the creatures not God but his owne belly This I speake least any man should thinke that Paule vtterly condemneth these outward veiles or persons For he sayth not that there ought to be no person but that ther is no respect of persons with god There must be persons and outward veiles God hath geuen them and they are his good creatures but we must put no trust in them All the matter is in the right vsing of things not in the things thēselues as before I haue sayd There is no fault in circumcision or vncircumcision for circumcision is nothing and vncircumcision is nothing but in the vse therof To put righteousnes in the one and vnrighteousnes in the other that vse is damnable and ought to be taken away which being remoued circumcision and vncircumcision are things tolerable So the Prince the magistrate the preacher the scholemaster the scholer the father the mother the children the master the seruaūt are persons and outward veiles which God will haue vs to acknowledge loue and reuerence as his creatures which also must needes be had in this life but he wil not haue vs so to reuerence them or trust vnto them that we forget him And to the end that we should not too much magnifie the outward persons or put any trust in them God leaueth in them offences and sinnes yea great and foule sinnes to teach vs what difference there is betwene the person and God him self Dauid that good king because he should not seeme to be a person vpon whom men should trust fel into horrible sinnes adulterie and murther Peter that excellent Apostle denied Christ These and such like examples wherof the scripture is full ought to warne vs that we repose not our trust in the person outward veile nor thinke that when we haue the outward shewes shadowes we haue al things As it is in Poperie where they iudge all things according to the outward veile and therefore all Poperie is nothing else but a meere respecting of persons and outward shewes God hath geuen his creatures to our vse and to doe vs seruice and not as Idols that we should do seruice vnto them Let vs then vse bread wine apparell possessions gold siluer and all other creatures but let vs not trust or glory in them for we must trust and glory in God alone He onely is to be loued he only is to be feared and honored Paule calleth here the person of man the Apostleship or office of the Apostles which wrought many and greate miracles taught and conuerted many to the faith and were also familiar with Christ Briefly this word person comprehendeth the whole outward conuersation of the Apostles which was holy and their authoritie which was great Notwithstanding sayth he God esteemeth not these things Not that he esteemeth them not at all but in the matter of iustification he regardeth them not be they neuer so great and so glorious For we must diligently marke this distinction that in matters of diuinitie we must speake farre otherwise then in matters of policy In matters of policy as I haue sayd God will haue vs to honour and reuerence these outward veiles or persons as his instruments by whom he gouerneth and preserueth the world But when the question is touching religion conscience the feare of God faith and the seruice of God we must not feare these outward persons we must put no affiance in them loke for no comfort from them or hope for deliuerance by them either corporally or spiritually For this cause God will haue no respect of persons in iudgement for iudgement is a diuine thing Wherefore I ought neither to feare the iudge nor trust to the iudge but my feare trust ought to be in God alone who is the true iudge The ciuill iudge or magistrate I ought in deede to reuerence for Gods cause whose minister he is but my conscience may not stay or trust vpon his iustice equitie or be feared through his vniust dealing or tyranny whereby I might fal into any offence against God either in lying in bearing false witnesse or denying the truth c. Otherwise I will reuerence and honour the magistrate with all my heart So I would also honour the Pope and loue his person if he would leaue my conscience free and not compell me to sinne against god But he will so be feared and adored as can not be done without offence to the maiestie of god Here since we must needes lose the one let vs lose the person and sticke to god We could be content to suffer the dominion of the Pope but because he abuseth the same so tirannously against vs would compell vs to deny and blaspheme God him onely to acknowledge as our Lord master clogging our consciences spoiling vs of the feare trust which we should haue in God therfore we are compelled by the commaundement of God to resist the Pope for it is writen that vve must rather obey God then men Therfore without offēce of cōsciēce which is our singular cōfort we cōtemne the authority of the pope There is a vehemencie in this word God for in the cause of religion and the word of God there must be no respect of person but in matters of policy we must haue regard to the person otherwise there must needes follow a contempt of all reuerence and order In this world god will haue an order a reuerence and a difference of persons For els the childe the scholler the seruaunt the subiect would say I am a Christian as well as my father my scholemaster my master my Prince why then should I reuerēce him Before God there is no respect of persons neither of Grecian nor of Iewe but all are one in Christ although not so before the world Thus Paule dissolueth the argument of the false Apostles touching the authority of the Apostles saying that it is nothing to that purpose For the question is not here concerning the respect of persons but ther is a farre weightier matter in hand that is to say a diuine matter cōcerning God his word whether this word ought to be preferred before the Apostleship or no. Whereunto Paule aunswereth So that the truth of the gospel may continue so that the word of God and the righteousnes of faith may be kept pure and vncorrupt let the Apostleship goe let an Angell from heauen let Peter let Paule and altogether perish Verse 6. Neuerthelesse they that seemed to be the chiefe did communicate nothing vvith me
carnall generation had any prorogatiue or could haue made children to Abraham is shut out and yet the scripture saith In Isaac shall thy seede be called The second is of Esau and Iacob who when they were as yet in their mothers wombe and had done neither good nor euill it was said The elder shall serue the yonger I haue loued Iacob and Esau haue I hated Therfore it is plaine that they which are of faith are the children of Abraham But some will here obiecte as the Iewes doe and certaine vnskilfull persons at this day which will seeme to know much and say that this worde faith in the Hebrew signifieth truth and therfore we doe wrongly alleage it in this matter and moreouer that this place out of Genesis 15. speaketh of a corporall thing namely of the promise of posteritie and therfore is not wel applied of Paule to faith in Christ but ought simplie to be vnderstand of the faith of Abraham wherby he beleeued according to the promise of God that he should haue seede And hereby they would proue that the arguments and allegations of Paule doe conclude nothing In like manner they may cauill also that the place which Paule a litle after alledgeth out of Habacuc speaketh of faith concerning the accomplishing of the whole vision and not of faith onely in Christ for the which Paule alledgeth it Likewise they may wrest all the .11 chapter to the Hebrews which speaketh of faith and the examples of faith By these things such vaineglorious and arrogant spirites doe hunt for praise and seeke to be counted wise and learned where they least of all deserue it But because of the simple and ignoraunt we will briefly answer to their cauillations To the first I aunswere thus that faith is nothing else but the truth of the hearte that is to say a true and a right opinion of the hearte as touching god Now faith only thinketh and iudgeth rightly of God and not reason And then a man thinketh rightly of God when he beleueth his word But when he will measure God without the word and beleue him according to the wisedome of reason he hath no right opinion of God in his heart and therfore he cā not thinke or iudge of him as he should doe As for example when a Monke imagineth that his Cowle his shauen croune and his vowes doe please God that grace and euerlasting life is geuen vnto him for the same he hath no true opinion of God but false and full of impietie Truth therfore is faith it selfe which iudgeth rightly of God namely that God regardeth not our works righteousnes because we are vncleane but that he will haue mercy vpon vs looke vpon vs accept vs iustifie vs and saue vs if we beleue in his Sonne whom he hath sent to be a sacrifice for the sinnes of the whole world This is a true opinion of God and in very deede nothing else but faith it selfe I can not comprehend nor be fully assured by reason that I am receaued into gods fauour for Christes sake but I heare this to be pronounced by the Gospell and I lay hold vpon it by faith To the seconde cauillation I answere that Paule doth rightly alledge the place out of the .15 of Genesis applying it to faith in Christ For with faith alwayes must be ioyned a certaine assurance of Gods mercy Now this assurance comprehendeth a faithfull trust of remission of sinnes for Christes sake For it is impossible that the conscience should looke for any thing at Gods hand except first it be assured that God is mercifull vnto it for Christes sake Therfore all the promises are to be referred to that first promise concerning Christ The seede of the vvoman shall bruse the serpents head So did all the Prophetes both vnderstand it and teach it By this we see that the faith of our fathers in the olde Testament and ours nowe in the newe is all one although they differ as touching their outward obiectes Which thing Peter witnesseth in the Actes when he sayth vvhich neither vve nor our fathers vvere able to beare But vve beleeue through the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ to be saued euen as they did And Paule sayth Our fathers did all drinke of that spirituall rocke that folovved them vvhich rocke vvas Christ And Christ himselfe sayth Abraham reioyced to see my day and he savve it and vvas glad Notwithstāding the faith of the fathers was grounded in Christ which was to come as ours is nowe in Christ which is now reuealed Abraham in his time was made righteous through faith in Christ to come but if he liued at this day he should be made righteous by faith in Christ now already reuealed and present Like as I said before of Cornelius who at the first beleeued in Christ to come but being instructed by Peter he beleeued that Christ was already come Therfore the diuersitie of times neither chaungeth faith nor the holy Ghost nor the gifts therof For there hath bene is and euer shal be one will one meaning and vnderstanding concerning Christ as well in the auncient fathers as in the faithfull which are at this day and shall come hereafter So we also haue aswell Christ to come and beleeue in him as the fathers of the olde Testament had For we looke for him to come againe in the last day with glory to iudge both the quicke and the dead whom nowe we beleue to be come alredy for our saluation Therfore this allegation of Paule offendeth none but those blinde and ignorant cauillers Paule therfore as I haue said rightly alledgeth that place out of Genesis of faith in Christ when he speaketh of the faith of Abraham For all the promises past were contained in Christ to come Therfore as well Abraham and the other fathers as also we are made righteous by faith in Christ They by faith in him to come we by faith in him now present For we entreate now of the nature and manner of iustification which is all one both in them and vs concerning Christ to come and being come It is enough therfore that Paule sheweth that the law iustifieth not but onely faith whether it be in Christ to come or in Christ already come At this day also Christ to some is present to other some he is to come To al beleuers he is present To vnbeleuers he is not yet come neither doth he profit them any thing at all but if they heare the Gospel and beleue that he is present vnto them he iustifieth saueth them Verse 7. Ye knovv therfore that they vvhich are of faith the same are the children of Abraham As if he would say Ye know by this example of Abraham and by the plaine testimony of the scripture that they are the children of Abraham which are of faith whether they be Iewes or Gentiles without any respect either
to bring into contempt yea and vtterly to abolish the law of God and the kingdom of the Iewes contrary to the law of God contrary to the custome of the Iewish nation contrary to the example of the Apostles and to be short contrary to his owne example Wherefore he was to be shunned as an open blasphemer against God and a rebell against the whole common weale of the Iewes saying that they themselues ought rather to be heard who besides that they preached the Gospell rightly were also the very disciples of the Apostles with whom Paule was neuer conuersant By this policie they defamed and defaced Paule among the Galathians so that by this their peruerse dealing of very necessitie Paule is compelled with all his mighte to set him selfe againste these false Apostles whom he boldly reproueth and condemneth say-ing that they are the troublers of the Churches and ouerthrowers of Christes gospell as followeth Verse 7. And intendeth to peruert the Gospell of Christ That is to say they doe not onely goe about to trouble you but also vtterly to abolish and ouerthrow Christes Gospell For these two things the Deuill practiseth most busily First he is not contented to trouble and deceaue many by his false Apostles but moreouer he laboureth vtterly to ouerthrow the Gospell by them and neuer resteth till he haue brought it to passe Yet such peruerters of the Gospell can abide nothing lesse then to heare that they are the Apostles of the Deuill nay rather they glory aboue others in the name of Christ and boast themselues to be the most sincere preachers of the Gospell But because they mingle the law and the Gospell together they can not but be the peruerters of the Gospell For either Christ must remaine and the law perish or the law must remaine and Christ perish For Christ and the law can by no meanes agree and raigne together in the conscience Where the righteousnes of the law ruleth there can not the righteousnes of grace rule And againe where the righteousnes of grace raigneth there can not the righteousnes of the lawe raigne for one of them must needes geue place vnto the other And if thou canst not beleeue that God will forgeue thy sinnes for Christes sake whom he sent into the world to be our high priest how then I pray thee wilt thou beleeue that he will forgeue the same for the works of the law which thou couldest neuer performe Or for thine owne workes which as thou must be compelled to confesse be such as it is impossible for them to counteruaile the iudgement of God Wherefore the doctrine of Grace can by no meanes stande with the Doctrine of the Lawe The one must simplye be refused and abolished and the other confirmed and stablished For as Paule sayeth here to mingle the one with the other is to ouerthrow the Gospell of Christ And yet if it come to debating the greater parte ouercommeth the better For Christ with his side is weake and the Gospell is but a foolish preaching Contrariwise the kingdome of the world and the Deuill the prince thereof are strong Besides that the wisedom and righteousnes of the flesh cary a goodly shew And by this meanes the righteousnes of grace and Faith is lost and the other righteousnes of the law and workes aduaunced and maintained But this is our comforte that the Deuill with all his limmes can not doe what he would He may trouble many but he can not ouerthrow Christes Gospell The truth may be assailed and may come in daunger but pearish it can not It may be assailed but vanquished it can not be For the vvord of the Lord indureth for euer It seemeth to be a light matter to mingle the lawe and the Gospell faith and works together but it doth more mischiefe then mans reason can conceaue For it doth not onely blemish and darken the knowledge of grace but also it taketh away Christ with all his benefits and it vtterly ouerthroweth the Gospell as Paule saith in this place The cause of this great euill is our flesh which being plunged in sinnes seeth no way how to get out but by works therefore it would liue in the righteousnes of the lawe and rest in the trust and confidence of her owne works Wherefore it is vtterly ignoraunt of the doctrine of faith and grace without which notwithstanding it is impossible for the conscience to finde rest and quietnes It appeareth also by these words of Paule And intend to peruert the Gospell of Christ that the false Apostles were exceeding bolde and shamelesse which with all their might set them selues against Paule Wherefore he againe vsing his spirite of zeale and feruencie and being fully perswaded of the certaintie of his calling setteth him selfe strongly against them wōderfully magnifieth his ministery saying Verse 8. But though that vve or an Angell from heauen preach vnto you othervvise then that vve haue preached vnto you let him be accursed Here Paule casteth out very flames of fire and his zeale is so feruent that he beginneth also almost to curse the Angels Although sayth he that we our selues euen I and my brethren Timothy and Titus and as many as teach Christ purely with me I speake not now of those seducers of cōsciences yea or if an angel from heauen preach vnto you c. notwithstanding I would rather that I my selfe my brethren yea the very Angels from heauen also should be holden accursed then that my Gospel should be ouerthrowen This is in deede a vehement zeale that he dare so boldly curse not onely him selfe and his brethren but also euen an Angell from heauen The Greke word Anathema in Hebrew Herem signifieth a thing accursed execrable and detestable which hath nothing to doe no participation or communion with god So the citie Hierico saith Iosua shal be accursed for euer that it neuer be builded vp againe And in the last of Leuiticus it is written Nothing separate from the common vse vvhich shal be separate from man shal be redemed but die the death vvhether it be man or beast So God had appointed that Amalech certaine other cities accursed by gods owne sentence should be vtterly rased and destroied This then is Paules minde I had rather that my selfe and other my brethren yea and an Angell from heauen should be accursed then that we or others should preach any other Gospell then that which we haue preached already So Paule first curseth him selfe for cunning artificers are wont first to finde faulte with themselues that they may the more frely and sharply afterwards reproue others Paule therfore concludeth that there is no other Gospell besides that which he himselfe had preached But he preached not a Gospell which he had him selfe deuised but the same which God promised before by his Prophets in the holy scriptures Rom. 1. Therefore he pronounceth him selfe and others yea euen an Angell from heauen
meditation of the worde And when we haue striuen neuer so much yet shall we haue enough to keepe vs occupied For we haue to doe with no small enemies but strong and mighty and such as are in continuall warre against vs namely our owne flesh all the daungers of the world the law sinne death the wrath and iudgement of God and the Deuill himselfe who neuer ceaseth to tempt vs inwardly by his fierie darts outwardly by his false Apostles to the ende that he may ouerthrow if not all yet the most part of vs. This argument therefore of the false apostles had a goodly shew and seemed to be very strong Which also at this day moueth many namely that the Apostles the holy fathers and their successours haue so taught that the Church so thinketh and beleeueth Moreouer that it is impossible that Christ should suffer his Church so long time to erre Art thou alone say they wiser then so many holy men wiser then the whole church After this maner the deuil being chaunged into an Angell of light setteth vpon vs craftely at this day by certaine pestiferous hypocrites who say We passe not for the Pope nor for the Bishops those great persecutors and contemners of Gods word we abhorre also the hypocrisie deceitfulnes of Monkes such like but we would haue the aucthoritie of holy Church to remaine vntouched The Church hath thus beleeued and taught this long time So haue all the Doctours of the primatiue Church holy men more auncient and better learned then thou Who art thou that darest dissent from all these and bring vnto vs a contrary doctrine When Satan reasoneth thus conspiring with the flesh and reason then is thy conscience terrified and vtterly despaireth vnlesse thou constantly retourne to thy selfe againe and say Whether it be Cyprian Ambrose Augustine either S. Peter Paule or Iohn yea or an Angell from heauen that teacheth otherwise yet this I know assuredly that I teach not the things of men but of God that is to say I attribute all things to God alone and nothing to man. When I first tooke vpon me the defence of the Gospell I remember that Doctor Staupitius a worthy man sayd thus vnto me This liketh me well that this doctrine which thou preachest yeldeth glory and all things else vnto God alone and nothing vnto man for vnto God there can not be attributed too much glory goodnes mercie c. This saying did then greatly comfort and confirme me And true it is that the doctrine of the Gospell taketh from men all glory wisedom righteousnes c. and geueth them to the creatour alone who made all things of nothing We may also more safely attribute too much vnto God then to man For in this case I may say boldly Be it so that the Church Augustine and other Doctours also Peter and Apollo yea euen an Angell from heauen teach a contrary doctrine yet my doctrine is such that it setteth forth and preacheth the grace and glory of God alone and in the matter of saluation it condemneth the righteousnes and wisedom of all men In this case I can not offend because I geue both to God and man that which properly and truely belongeth vnto them both But thou wilt say The Church is holy The Fathers are holy It is true notwithstanding albeit the church be holy yet is it compelled to pray forgeue vs our trespasses So though the fathers be holy yet are they saued through the forgeuenes of sinnes Therfore neither am I to be beleued nor the Church nor the Fathers nor the Apostles no nor an Angell from heauen if we teach any thing against the word of God but let the vvord of God abide for euer For else this argument of the false Apostles had mightely preuailed against Paules doctrine For in deede it was a great matter a great matter I say to set before the Galathians the whole Church with all the companie of the Apostles against Paule alone but lately sprong vp and of small authoritie This was therefore a strong argument and concluded mightely For no man sayth willingly that the Church erreth and yet it is necessary to say that it erreth if it teache any thing besides or against Gods worde Peter the cheefe of the Apostles taught both in life and doctrine besides Gods word therfore he erred and was deceaued Neither did Paule dissemble that errour although it seemed to be but a light fault because he sawe it would turne to the hurt of the whole Church but vvithstoode him euen to his face because he vvalked not after the truth of the Gospell Therefore neither is the Church nor Peter nor the Apostles nor Angels from heauen to be heard vnlesse they bring and teach the pure word of God. This argument euen at this day is not a little preiudiciall to our cause For if we may neither beleeue the Pope nor the Fathers nor Luther nor any other except they teach vs the pure word of God whom shall we then beleeue Who in the meane while shall certefie our consciences which part teacheth the pure word of God we or our aduersaries For they bragge that they also haue the pure worde of God and teach it Againe we beleue not the Papistes because they teach not the word of God neither can they teach it Contrariwise they hate vs most bitterly and persecute vs as most pestilent heretikes and seducers of the people What is to be done in this case Shall it be lawfull for euery fantasticall spirite to teach what him selfe listeth seeing the world can neither heare nor abide our doctrine For although we glory with Paule that we teach the pure Gospell of Christ vnto which not onely the Emperour Pope and the whole world ought to geue credite but also ought gladly and thankfully to receaue and embrace it yea and diligently to prouide that it be taught in euery place and if any should teach the contrary were he the Pope an Apostle or an Angell from heauen to holde him accurssed together with his Gospell yet for all that we profite nothing but are compelled to heare that this our glorying is not onely vaine rash and arrogant but also Deuilish and full of blasphemie But if we abase our selues and geue place to the rage of our aduersaries then both the Papists and Anabaptists waxe proud The Anabaptists wil vaunt the they bring and teach vs some straunge thing which the world neuer heard of before The Papistes will set vp againe and stablishe their olde abhominations Let euery man therfore take hede that he be most sure of his calling and doctrine that he may boldly say with Paule Although vve or an Angell from heauen preach vnto you othervvise then that vvhich vve haue preached vnto you let him be accursed Verse 13. For you haue heard of my conuersation in times past in the Ievvish religion hovv thar I persecuted the Church of God
had not preuailed herein he could neuer haue stopped the mouthes of the false apostles For thus they would haue obiected agaīst him We are as good as Paule we are the disciples of the Apostles as well as he Moreouer he is but one alone and we are many therfore we excell him both in authoritie and in number also Here Paule was constrained to boast to affirme and sweare that he learned not his gospell of any man neither receaued it of the Apostles themselues For his ministerie was here in great daunger and al the churches likewise which had vsed him as their cheefe pastor and teacher The necessitie therfore of his Ministerie and of all the Churches required that with a necessary and holy pride he should vaunt of his vocation and of the reuelation of the Gospell made open vnto him by Christ that their consciences might be thorowly perswaded that his doctrine was the true word of god Here had Paule a waightie matter in hand namely that all the Churches in Galatia might be kept in sound doctrine and to be short the matter was concerning life death euerlasting For if the pure and certaine word of God be once taken away there remaineth no more consolation life or saluation The cause therfore why he reciteth these things is to retaine the Churches still in true doctrine and not to maintaine his own glorie as Porphirie and Iulian doe falsly sclaunder him His purpose is then to shew by this historie that he receaued his gospel of no man Againe that he preached for a certaine time namely the space of three or foure yeares the selfe same Gospel that the Apostles had preached by reuelation from God both in Damascus and Arabia before he had seene any of the Apostles Verse 20. And novve the things vvhich I vvrite vnto you he hold I vvitnes before God I lie not Wherefore addeth he an oth Because he reporteth an history he is constrained to sweare to the ende that the churches might beleue him and also that the false Apostles should not say who knoweth whether Paule speaketh the truth or no Here you see that Paule the elect vessel of God was in so great contempt among his owne Galathians to whom he had preached that it was necessary for him to sweare that he spake the truth If this happened then to the Apostles to haue so mighty aduersaries that they durst despise them and accuse them of lying what maruell is it if the like at this day happen vnto vs which in no respect are worthy to be compared with the Apostles He sweareth therfore in a matter as it seemeth of no weight that he speaketh the truth namely that he taryed not with Peter to learne of him but onely to see him but if you way the matter diligently it is very weighty and of greate importance as may appeare by that is said afore In like maner we sweare after the example of Paule God knovveth that vve lie not c. Verse 21. After that I vvent into the coastes of Syria and Cilicia Syria and Cilicia are countreys neare situate together This is it that he still goeth about to perswade that as well before he had seene the Apostles as after he was alwaies a teacher of the Gospell and that he receaued it by the reuelation of Christ and was neuer any disciple of the Apostels Verse 22 23. For I vvas vnknovven by face vnto the churches of Iudea vvhich vvere in Christ But they heard onely some say he vvhich persecuted in times past novv preacheth the faith vvhich before he destroied And they glorified God. This he addeth for the sequele and continuance of the history that after he had seene Peter he went into Syria and Cilicia and there preached and so preached that he wonne the testimony of all the churches in Iudea As though he would say I appeale to the testimony of all the churches yea euen of those which are in Iudea For the churches doe witnesse not onely in Damascus Arabia Syria and Cilicia but also in Iudea that I haue preached the same faith which I once withstoode and persecuted And they glorifie God in me not because I taught that circumcision and the law of Moses ought to be kept but for the preaching of faith and for the edifying of the churches by my ministery in the Gospell Ye therefore haue the testimony not onely of the people of Damascus and of Arabia but also of the whole Catholike or vniuersall church in Iudea The second Chapter Verse 1. Then fourtene yeares after I vvent vp to Ierusalem PAVLE taught that the Gentiles were iustified by faith onely without the works of the law This doctrine when he had published abroad among the Gentiles he commeth to Antioch and declareth to the Disciples what he had done Then they which had bene trained vp in the old customes of the law rose against Paule with great indignation for that he preached to the Gentiles libertie from the bondage of the law Wherevpon followed greate dissention which afterwards stirred vp new troubles Paule and Barnabas stoode strongly to the truth and testified saying wheresoeuer we preached among the Gentiles the holy Ghost came and fell vpon those which heard the word and this was done through out all the churches of the Gentiles But we preached not circumcision neither did we require the keping of the law but we preached onely faith in Iesus Christ and at this preaching of faith God gaue to the hearers the holy Ghost The holy Ghost therefore doth approue the Faith of the Gentiles without the law and Circumcision For if the preaching of the Gospell and faith of the Gentiles in Christ had not pleased him he had not come downe in a visible shape vpon the vncircumcised which heard the word Seing then by the only hearing of faith he came downe vpon them it is certaine that the holy ghost by this signe hath approued the faith of the Gentiles For it doth not appeare that this was euer done before at the preaching of the law Then the Ievves and many of the Phariseis which did beleue and notwithstanding bare yet a greate zeale to the law earnestly striuing to maintaine the glory thereof sette themselues fiercely against Paule who affirmed that the Gentiles were iustified by faith onely without the works of the lawe contending that the lawe ought to be kept and that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised for otherwise they could not be saued And no maruell for the very name of the lawe of God is holy dreadfull The heathen man which neuer knew any thing of the law of God if he heare any man say This doctrine is the law of God doubtles he is moued How thē could it be but that the Ievves must nedes be moued vehemently contend for the maintenāce of the law of God which euen from their infancie had bene nusled and trained vp therein We see at this day how obstinate the
precious Pearle Christ which he possesseth by faith This our aduersaries vnderstand not and therfore they cast away this precious Pearle Christ in his place they set charitie which they say is their precious Diamund Now when they can not tell what Faith is it is vnpossible that they should haue faith much lesse can they teach it vnto others And as for that which they will seme to haue it is nothing else but a very dreame an opinion and naturall reason and not faith This I say to the end ye may perceaue that Paule mentioning here the truth of the Gospell speaketh with great feruencie of spirite for the more reproofe of the contrary For by these wordes he reprehendeth the false apostles for that they had taught a false gospell for they required circumcision the obseruation of the law as necessary to saluation Moreouer they went about by craftie sleights and policie to entrap Paule for they watched him narowly to see whether he would circumcise Titus or no Also whether he durst withstand them in the presence of the Apostles and for this cause he reprehendeth them bitterly They vveÌ„t about sayth he to spie out our libertie vvhich vve haue in Christ Iesu that they might bring vs into boÌ„dage Wherfore the false apostles armed them selues on euery side that they might coÌ„uince and confound him before the whole congregation Besides this they went about to abuse the authoritie of the Apostles in whose presence they accused him saying Paule hath brought Titus being vncircumcised into the company of all the faithfull he denieth and condemneth the law in your presence which are Apostles If he dare be so bold to atteÌ„pt this here before you what wil not he attempt in your absence among the Gentiles Wherfore when he perceaued that he was so craftely assailed he stroÌ„gly withstode the false apostles saying we did not suffer our liberty which we haue in Christ Iesu to come in dauÌ„ger although the false brethren sought by all meanes to snare vs and put vs to much trouble but we ouercame them euen by the iudgement of the Apostles themselues and we would not yelde vnto them no not one hower for no doubt their drift was to haue caused Paule to surcease from this liberty for a time sithens we saw that they required the obseruation of the law as necessary to saluation But if they had alleaged nothing els but charitable bearing with the brethren no doubt but Paule would haue giuen them place But it was an other thing that they sought to witte that they might bring Paule and all that stucke to his doctrine into bondage Therefore he would not yelde vnto them no not the space of one moment In like maner doe we also offer to the Papistes all that is to be offered yea and more then we ought Onely we except the libertie of conscience which we haue in Christ Iesus For we will not suffer our consciences to be bound to any worke so that by doing this thing or that we should be righteous or leauing the same vndone we should be damned We are contented to eate the same meates that they eate we wil kepe their feastes and fasting daies so that they will suffer vs to doe the same with a free conscience and leaue these threatning words wherw t they haue terrified and brought vnder their subiection the whole world saying we commauÌ„d we charge we charge againe we excoÌ„municate c. but this liberty we can not obtaine like as Paule also could not in his time Therefore we doe as he did For when he saw that he could not obtaine this libertie he would not geue place to the false Apostles for the space of one hower Wherefore like as our aduersaries wil not leaue this free vnto vs that onely faith in Christ iustifieth so on the other side neither will we nor can we geue place vnto them that faith furnished with charitie iustifieth Here we wil and we ought also to be rebellious and obstinate against them for els we should lose the truth of the Gospell we should lose our liberty which we haue not in the Emperour not in Kings and Princes not in that moÌ„ster the Pope not in the world not in flesh bloude reason c but which we haue in Christ Iesus We should lose faith in Christ which as before I haue said appreheÌ„deth nothing els but that precious pearle Christ This faith whereby we are regenerate iustified and engrafted into Christ if our aduersaries will leaue vnto vs sound and vncorrupt we offer vnto them that we will doe all things so that they be not contrary to this faith But because we can not obtaine this at their haâ—des we againe for our parte will not yelde vnto them one heares breadth â–ª For here is a great and a weighty matter in hand namely touching the death of the sonne of God who by the will and commaundement of the father was made flesh was crucified and died for the sinnes of the world If faith here geue place then is this death and resurrection of the sonne of God in vaine then is it but a fable that Christ is the Sauiour of the world then is God also found a lier because he hath not performed that he promised Our stoutnes therefore in this matter is godly and holy For by it we seeke to preserue our liberty which we haue in Christ Iesus and therby to retaine the truth of the Gospell which if we lose then doe we also lose God Christ all the promises faith righteousnes and euerlasting life But some man will say The lawe is diuine and holy Let the law haue his glory but yet no law be it neuer so diuine and holy ought to teach me that I am iustified and shall liue through it I graunt it may teach me that I ought to loue God and my neighbour also to liue in chastitie sobernes patience c. but it ought not to shew me how I should be deliuered from sinne the Deuill death and hell Here I must take counsell of the Gospell I must harken to the Gospell which teacheth me not what I ought to doe for that is the proper office of the law but what Iesus Christ the sonne of God hath done for me to wit that he suffered and died to deliuer me from sinne and death The Gospell willeth me to receaue this and to beleue it And this is the truth of the Gospell It is also the principall article of all Christian doctrine wherein the knowledge of all godlines consisteth Most necessary it is therfore that we should know this article wel teach it vnto others and beate it into their heades continually For as it is very tender so is it soone hurt This Paule had well tried and of this haue all the godly also good experience To conclude Paule would not circumcise Titus and as he saith for no other cause but for that certaine false
brethren were crept in to espie out their liberty and would haue constrained Paule to circumcise Titus Paule perceauing this constraint and necessity would geue no place no not for one hower but strongly resisted them And therefore he saith Neither Titus vvhich vvas vvith me being a Gentile vvas compelled to be circumcised If they had required this in the way of brotherly charitie doubtles he would not haue denied it But seīg they would haue done it as a necessary thing and that by compulsion to the ill example of others to the ouerthrowing of the Gospell and to bring mens consciences into bondage therefore he setteth himselfe mightely against them and preuailed so that Titus was not circumcised It may seeme to be but a small matter to be or not to be circumcised But when a man hath an affiance in keping or is in feare for not keping of it here God is denied Christ is reiected the grace and all the promises of God are refused But if circumcision be kept without this addition there is no daunger If the Pope would in this sort require of vs the keping of his traditions as bare ceremonies it should not be greuous vnto vs to kepe them forasmuch as we also doe vse ceremonies but to binde mens consciences to these ceremonies and to make of them an high and acceptable seruice vnto God yea and moreouer to adde that life and saluation or death and euerlasting damnation consisteth in the obseruation hereof is a deuilish superstition and full of blasphemie Who so will not crie out against this accursed be he Verse 6.7 And of them vvhich seemed to be great I vvas not taught vvhat they vvere in times past it is no matter to me c. This is a vehement and a stout confutation For he geueth not to the true Apostles themselues any glorious title but as it were abasing their dignitie he saith vvhich seemed to be great that is which were in authoritie vpon whom the determination of all matters depēded Notwithstanding the authoritie of the Apostles was in deede very greate in all the churches And Paule also did not seeke any whit to diminish their authoritie but he thus contemptuously aunswereth the false Apostles which set the authoritie dignitie of the Apostles against Paule in all the churches that therby they might weaken his authority bring his whole ministery into contempt This Paule might not suffer To the end therfore that the truth of the Gospell and liberty of conscience in Christ might continue among the Galathians and in all the churches of the Gentiles he aunswereth stoutly to the false Apostles that he passed not how greate the Apostles were or what they had bene in time past and wheras they alleadged the authority of the name of the Apostles against him it toucheth him nothing at all He confesseth that the Apostles are in deede somewhat and that their authority is to be reuerenced Notwithstanding his Gospell and ministery ought not to be ouerthrowne for the name or title of any whatsoeuer be he an Apostle or an Angeil from heauen And this was one of the greatest arguments that the false Apostles vsed against Paule The Apostles said they were familiarly conuersant with Christ for the space of three yeares They heard and saw all his preachings and miracles Moreouer they themselues preached wrought miracles whiles Christ was yet liuing in the world whom Paule neuer saw in the flesh as touching his conuersion it was long after the glorification of Christ Wherefore they should now consider which of these they ought more to beleue Paule which was but one and alone and also but a disciple yea and one of the last of all or the cheifest and most excellent Apostles which long before Paule were sent confirmed by Christ himselfe To this Paule aunswereth what of all this This argument concludeth nothing Let the Apostles be neuer so greate yea let them be Angels from heauen it is no matter to me The question is not here cōcerning the excellency of the Apostles but concerning the word of God and the truth of the Gospell Herein consisteth all the weight of the matter that the Gospell may be preserued pure and vncorrupt which also aboue all things ought to be preferred Therefore how greate Peter and the other Apostles haue bene what greate miracles they haue wrought it is no matter to me This is it that I onely seeke euen that the truth of the Gospell may continue among you This seemeth to be but a slender aunswere of Paule when of purpose he so contemneth the authoritie of the Apostles which the false Apostles alledged against him and geueth no other solution to their mighty argument then this it is no matter to me Notwithstanding he addeth a reason of the confutation Verse 6. God accepteth no mans person This place he alledgeth out of Moses who vseth the same not once but many times Thou shalt not accept in iudgemēt the persō of the rich man or of the pore And this is a principle of diuinitie God is no acceptor of persons With the which saying he stoppeth the mouthes of the false apostles As though he would say Ye set those against me which seeme to be somewhat but God careth not for such outward things He regardeth not the office of Apostleship It is not the dignity or authority of mē the he loketh vpon And in tokē hereof he suffered Iudas one of the chiefest Apostles Saul one of the greatest kings yea the first of all to fall away to be damned Ismaell also Esau he refused being both first born So shal you find throughout al the whole scripture that god oftētimes reiected those which in outward shew were very good holy mē And in these exāples God semeth sometimes to be cruel but it was most necessary that such feareful exāples should be shewed also be writē For this vice is naturally grafted in vs that we highly esteeme that persons and outward appearance of men and more regard the same then the word of god Contrariwise God will haue vs to fixe our eies and to rest wholy vpon the word it selfe he will not haue vs to reuerence and adore the Apostleship in the persons of Peter and Paule but Christ speaking in them and the word which they bring and preache vnto vs. This the naturall man can not see but the spirituall man onely discerneth the person from the word the veile of God from God himselfe Now this veile of God is euery creature Moreouer God here in this life dealeth not with face to face but couered and shadowed from vs that is as Paul saith in an other place vve se him novv as it vvere through a glasse and darkely Therefore we can not be without veiles in this life But wisedom is here required which can discerne the veile from God himselfe and this wisedom the world hath not The couetous man hearing
To whom be glory for euer This bewitching and sorcerie then is nothing else but a plaine illusion of the Deuill printing in the hearte a false opinion of Christ and against Christ and he that is deluded with this opinion is bewitched They therfore that haue this opinion that they are iustified by the workes of the lawe or traditions of men are bewitched for this opinion is against faith and against Christ Paule vseth this word bevvitching in contempt of the false Apostles which so vehemently vrged the doctrine of the lawe and workes As if he should say what a deuelish bewitching is this For as the senses are peruerted by bodely witchcrafte so are the mindes of men also deluded by this spirituall with craft Verse 1. That ye should not obey the truth The Galathians at the first did gladly heare and obey the truth Therfore where he sayth VVho hath bevvitched you he sheweth that they were bewitched by these false apostles and were fallen away from that truth which they before did obey But this seemeth yet a more bitter and vehement kinde of speech when he sayeth that they doe not beleeue the truth For he signifieth by these wordes that they are bewitched and that he would deliuer them from this witcherie and yet they will not acknowledge nor receaue this benefite For it is certaine that he did not reduce all from the errour of the false Apostles vnto the truth but that many of them remained yet still bewitched Therfore he vseth these sharpe and vehement wordes VVho hath bevvitched you As if he would say Ye are so deluded and bewitched that nowe ye can not obey the truth I feare lest many of you are vtterly lost and so falne away that ye will neuer returne againe to the truthe Here haue ye yet an other goodly commendation of the lawe and mans owne righteousnes that it so bewitcheth men that they can not obey the truth Hereof the Apostles and the fathers of the primitiue Church did oftentimes make mention There is a sinne vnto death for vvhich I say thou shouldest not pray 1. Iohn 5. And againe It is impossible that they vvhich vvere once lightned and haue tasted of the heauenly gift and vvere made pertakers of the holy ghost and haue tasted of the good vvorde of God and of the povvers of the vvorld to come if they fall avvay should be renued againe by repentaunce c. Heb. 6. These wordes sound at the first as if some Nouatian had spoken them But the Apostles were constrained to speake after this maner because of the Heretikes And yet notwithstanding they did not hereby denie but that they which were fallen might returne againe to the fellowship of the faithfull After the same manner must we also speake at this day because of the authors and maisters of errours sectes that such shall neuer retourne to the truth Notwithstanding some there are which doe retourne but such as are not greatly bewitched or strongly deluded But the captaines and the authors of this sorcerie doe neuer retourne For to them we may well attribute this title which Paule here geueth vnto them that they can not heare nor abide the truth but studie rather how they may resist it Verse 1. To vvhom Iesus Christ before vvas described in your sight It was bitterly spoken where he said before that they were so bewitched that they could not obey the truth But it is more bitterly said when he addeth that Christ was so liuely described before them that they might handle him with their handes and yet they would not obey the truth Thus he conuinceth them euen by their owne experience As though he would say Ye are so bewitched and deluded with the deuillish opinions of the false apostles that now ye will not obey the truth And wheras I haue with great trauel and diligence set forth Christ plainly before your eyes yet doth this profit you nothing at al. In these wordes he hath respect to the former arguments wherby he proued that to those that will be iustified by the lawe Christe is but the minister of sinne that such doe reiect the grace of God and that to them Christ died in vaine Which arguments he had before more vehemently prosecuted and more largely amplified in their presence as if a painter had purtred Christ Iesus before their eies Now being absent he putteth them in minde of the same things saying To vvhom Iesus Christ vvas described in your sight As if he said There is no painter that with his colours can so liuely set out Christ vnto you as I haue painted him out by my preaching and yet notwithstāding ye still remaine most miserably bewitched Verse 1. And vvas among you crucified What did I then paint out Euen Christ him selfe How was that done In this sort that he is crucified in you or among you He vseth here very rough and sharpe wordes Before he said that they sought righteousnes by the lawe reiected the grace of God and that to them Christ died in vaine Now he addeth moreouer that they crucifie Christ who before liued raigned in them As if he should say Ye haue now not onely reiected the grace of God not onely to you Christ died in vaine but also he is most shamefully crucified among you After the same maner he speaketh Heb. 6. Crucifying to them selues againe the sonne of God and making a mocke of him c. If a mā do but heare the name of a Monke of his shauen croune of his cowle of his rule it should make him to tremble howe much so euer the Papists doe adore these abominations and bragge that they are perfect religion and holines as I and others did iudge of them before God reuealed his Gospell vnto vs for we were brought vp in the traditions of men which darkened Christ and made him vtterly vnprofitable vnto vs when he heareth Paule say as here he doth that euen they which seeke to be iustified by the lawe of God be not onely deniers and murtherers of Christ but also they doe most wickedly crucifie him againe Nowe if they be crucifiers of Christ which seeke to be iustified by the righteousnes of the law of God and the works therof what are they I pray you which seeke saluation and eternall life by the dregges and filthie dunge of mans righteousnes and by the doctrine of Deuils But who could euer beleeue or thinke that it was so horrible and so abhominable a sinne to be made a religious man for so they call thē namely to be made a Massing priest a Monke a Frier a Nunne Doutles no man Yea they them selues say moreouer that Monkerie is a new baptisme Can there be any thing more horrible then that the kingdome of the Papists is the kingdome of such as spitefully spitte in the face of Christ the sonne of God and crucifie him againe For in deede they crucifie him a fresh who
was once crucified rose againe both in them selues in the church and in the hearts of the faithfull for with their spiteful reproches rebukes sclaūders and iniuries they spit vpon him and with their wicked opinions they wounde him and thrust him thorow that in them he may die most miserably and in the steade of him they set vp a glorious witchcraft wherby men are so miserably charmed and deluded that they cā not know Christ to be their iustifier their reconciler and Sauiour but a minister of sinne their accuser their iudge and their destroyer which must be pacified no otherwise then by our workes and merites And out of this opinion did afterwards spring the most pestilent pernicious doctrine that is in the whole Papacie which is this If thou wilt serue God thou must merite forgeuenes of sinnes and euerlasting life and must also helpe others to attaine saluation Thou must enter into a Monasterie vow obedience chastitie pouertie c. Monks and Friers and the rest of that religious rable being puffed vp with this opinion of their owne holines dreamed that they onely were in the life and state of perfection and that other Christians led but a common life for they did no vndue workes or more then they were bounde to doe that is they did not vowe and keepe chastitie pouertie obedience c. they were but onely baptised and kept the ten commaundements But as for them selues besides that which was common as wel to them as to other Christians they kept also the works of supererogation and the counsels of Christ wherfore they hoped to haue merite and a place in heauen amongs the principall Saintes farre aboue the common sort of Christians This was vndoutedly an horrible illusion of the deuill wherby he hath bewitched almost the whole world And euery man the more holy he would seeme to be the more he is snared with this witcherie that is to say with that pestilent perswasion of his owne righteousnes And this was the cause that we could not know that Iesus Christ was our Mediatour Sauiour but we did thinke that he was a seuere iudge which should be pacified by our owne workes which was nothing else but most horribly to blaspheme Christ and as Paule said before to reiect the grace of God to make the death of Christ of none effect and not onely to kill him but also most shamefully to crucifie him againe And this is the right meaning of that which Christ alledgeth out of Daniell that abomination standeth in the holy place Wherefore euery monke and religious person and euery Iusticiarie seeking remission of sinnes and righteousnes by his owne works or by his afflictions is a crucifier of Christ nowe raigning and liuing although not in the proper person of Christ yet in his owne heart and in the hearts of others And whosoeuer doe enter into Monasteries to the ende that by the keping of their rule and order they may be iustified doe enter into the dennes of theeues and such as crucifie Christ againe Wherefore Paule vseth in this place very rigorous and bitter wordes to the ende that he may feare and call backe the Galathians from the doctrine of the false Apostles As if he should say Consider well what ye haue done Ye haue crucified Christ againe and this I doe so plainly shewe and paint out before your eyes that ye may see it yea and touch it with your handes because ye seeke to be iustified by the lawe But if righteousnes come by the lawe then is Christ a minister of sinne and his death altogether in vaine If this be true then must it needes follow that Christ is crucified againe in you And it is not without cause that he addeth this clause in you or among you For Christ is no more crucified or dieth any more in his owne person as is saide in the sixte chapter to the Romaines but he dieth in vs when we reiecting true doctrine grace faith free remission of sinnes seeke to be iustified by our owne workes or else by the workes commaunded in the law Here Christ is crucified in vs againe Now this false and wicked perswasion to seeke righteousnes by the law and workes is nothing else as I haue before more amplie declared but the illusion of the Deuill wherwith men are so bewitched that in no wise they can acknowledge the benefite of Christ yea in all their life they can doe nothing else but not onely denie the Lord who hath bought them and in whose name they are baptised but also crucifie him againe in them selues Who so euer then hath a feare of God and a true heart to Christ and his religion let him flie quickly out of this Babylon and let him tremble at the very name of the Papacie For the impietie abomination therof is so horrible that no man is able to expresse it with words neither cā it be otherwise seene then with spiritual eies only These two argumentes Paule prosecuteth driueth into the heades of the Galathians very diligently First that they are so bewitched of the deuill that they obey not the truth most clearely set forth before their eies Secondly that they crucifie Christ againe in them selues These seeme to be simple and plaine words and without any high eloquence but in very deede they are so mighty that they exceede all the eloquence of man It can not therfore be cōprehended but onely in spirit how great an impietie it is to seeke to be iustified by the righteousnes of the law or by mans owne righteousnes For as Paul saith here it is nothing els but to be witched of the deuill to be disobedient to the truth and to crucifie Christ againe Are not these goodly commendations of the righteousnes of the law and mans owne righteousnes The Apostle therefore is here kindled with greate zeale and with bitter words he pursueth condemneth the presumption of our owne righteousnes rising vpon the obseruation of the law of God and chargeth it with this impiety that it crucifieth againe the sonne of god Seing then it is so daungerous a thinge it can not be beaten downe enough or condemned as it should be For therof ensueth such a fall as is no lesse then the fall of Lucifer and such a losse as can neuer be recouered and therfore he vseth so sharpe and rigorous words against it that he spareth not the very law of God against the which he so bitterly inueieth that it seemeth he would vtterly reiect and condemne it And this doth he being constrained by greate necessity for otherwise he could not withstand the false Apostles nor defend the righteousnes of faith against them Albeit then that the law be holy iust and good yet must it put on as it were the visour of an hipocrite if he seeke to be iustified by workes Now he presseth them with an argument wherof they themselues had good experience and
of faith in god Let him that is a Rethorician amplifie this place and he shall see that faith is an almighty thing that the power therof is inestimable and infinite For it geueth glory vnto God which is the highest seruice that can be geuen vnto him Nowe to geue glory vnto God is to beleeue in him to count him true wise righteous merciful almighty briefly to acknowledge him to be the author and geuer of all goodnes This reason doth not but faith That is it which maketh vs diuine people and as a man would say it is the creator of a certaine diuinitie not in the substaunce of God but in vs For without faith God loseth in vs his glory wisedom righteousnes truth and mercy To conclude There no maiestie or diuinitie remaineth vnto God where faith is not And the cheefest thing that God requireth of man is that he geue vnto him his glory and his diuinitie that is to say that he take him not for an idoll but for God who regardeth him heareth him sheweth mercy vnto him and helpeth him This being done then hath God his full and perfect diuinitie that is he hath whatsoeuer a faithfull heart can attribute vnto him To be able therfore to geue that glory vnto God it is the wisedom of wisedomes the righteousnes of righteousnesses the religion of religions and sacrifice of sacrifices Hereby we may perceaue what an high and excellent righteousnes faith is and so by the contrary what an horrible and greeuous sinne infidelitie is Whosoeuer then beleeueth the word of God as Abraham did is righteous before God because he hath faith which geueth glory vnto God that is he geueth to God that which is due to him For faith saith thus I beleeue thee O God when thou speakest And what sayth God Impossible things lies foolish weake absurde abhominable hereticall and deuillish things if ye beleeue reason For what is more absurde foolish and vnpossible then when God saith to Abraham that he should haue a sonne of the harren and dead body of his wife Sara So if we will follow the iudgement of reason God setteth forth absurde and impossible things when he setteth out vnto vs the Articles of the Christian faith In deede it seemeth to reason an absurde and a foolish thing that in the Lordes supper is offred vnto vs the body and bloud of Christ that baptisme is the Lauer of the new birth and of the renewing of the holy Ghost that the dead shall rise in the last day that Christ the sonne of God was conceiued and caried in the wombe of the virgin Marie that he was borne that he suffered the most reprochefull death of the crosse that he was raised vp againe that he nowe sitteth at the right hand of God the father and that he hath power both in heauen and in earth For this cause Paule calleth the Gospell of Christe crucified the worde of the crosse and foolish preaching which to the Iewes was offensiue and to the Gentiles foolish doctrine c. Reason therfore doth not vnderstand that to heare the worde of God and to beleeue it is the cheefest seruice that God requireth of vs but it thinketh that those thinges which it chooseth and doth of a good entent as they call it and of her owne deuotion please god Therefore when God speaketh reason iudgeth his word to be heresie and the word of the Deuill for it seemeth absurde and foolish But faith killeth reason and slaieth that beast which the whole world and all creatures cannot kill So Abraham killed it by faith in the worde of God by which word seede was promised him of Sara who was barren and now past childe bearing Vnto this word reason yeelded not streight way in Abraham but doubtles it fought against faith in him iudgeing it to be an absurde a foolish and vnpossible thing that that Sara who was nowe not onely 90. yeares of age but also was barren by nature should bring forth a sonne Thus faith no doubt wrestled with reason in Abraham but heerein faith got the victory killed and sacrificed reason that most cruell and pestilent ennemie of god So all the godly entring with Abraham into the darkenes of faith doe kill reason saying Reason thou art foolish thou doest not sauour those things which belong vnto God therefore speake not against me but hold thy peace iudge not but heare the word of God and beleeue it So the godly by faith kill such a beast as is greater then the whole world and thereby doe offer to God a most acceptable sacrifice and seruice And in comparison of this sacrifice of the faithfull all the religions of all nations and all the workes of all Monkes and meritemongers are nothing at all For by this sacrifice first as I said they kill reason a greate and mightie ennemie of God. For reason despiseth God denieth his wisedome righteousnes power truth mercie maiestie and diuinitie Moreouer by the same sacrifice they yeeld glory vnto God that is they beleeue him to be righteous good faithfull true c they beleeue that he can doe all things that all his wordes are holy true liuely and effectuall c. which is a most acceptable obedience vnto god Therefore there can be no greater or more holy religion in the world nor more acceptable seruice vnto God then faith is Contrariwise the Iusticiaries and such as seeke righteousnes by their owne woorkes lacking Faithe in deede doe many things They fast they pray they watch they lay crosses vppon themselues But because they thinke to appease the wrath of God and deserue grace by these things they geue no glory to God that is they doe not iudge him to be mercifull true and keeping promise c. but to be an angrie iudge which must be pacified with woorkes and by this meanes they despise God they make him as a lier in all his promises they denie Christe and all his benefites to conclude they thrust God out of his seate and set them selues in his place For they reiecting and despising the worde of God doe choose vnto them selues such worshippe and woorkes as God hath not commaunded They imagine that God hath a pleasure therin and they hope to receiue a reward of him for the same Therefore they kill not reason that mightie enemie of God but quicken it and they take from God his maiestie and his diuinitie and attribute the same vnto their owne woorkes Wherfore onely faith geueth glory to God as Paule witnesseth of Abraham Abraham sayeth he vvas made strong in the faith and gaue glory to God being fully assured that vvhatsoeuer God had promised he vvas able to performe and therefore it vvas imputed to him for righteousnes Christian righteousnes consisteth in Faith of the hearte and Gods imputation It is not without cause that he addeth this sentence out of the fiftene Chapiter of Genesis And it
throughout the whole world Therefore whatsoeuer is without that Blessing is accursed And this Paul sheweth plainly when he sayth Verse 10. For as many as are of the vvorks of the lavv are accursed Here ye see that the Curse is as it were a floude swallowing vp whatsoeuer is without Abraham that is to say without faith and the promise of the Blessing of Abraham Now if the law it selfe geuen by Moses at the cōmaūdement of God maketh them subiect to the Curse which are vnder it much more shall the lawes and traditions deuised by mans braine doe the same He therefore that will auoid the Curse must lay hold vpon the promise of Blessing or vpon the faith of Abraham or els shall he abide vnder the Curse Vpon this place therefore shal be blessed in thee it followeth that all nations whether they were before Abraham in his time or after him are accursed shall remaine vnder the Curse for euer vnlesse they be blessed in the faith of Abraham vnto whom the promise of Blessing was geuen to be published by his seede throughout the whole world To know these things it is very necessary for they helpe greatly to comfort troubled and afflicted consciences moreouer they teach vs to separate the righteousnes of Faith from the righteousnes of the flesh or ciuill righteousnes For we must note that Paule here is in hande not with a matter of policie but with a matter diuine and spirituall before God lest any mad braine should cauill and say that he curseth and cōdemneth politike lawes and Magistrates Here all the Sophisters and popish Scholemen are dumme and can say nothing Therefore the readers must be admonished that in this place ther is nothing handled as touching ciuill lawes or touching manners and matters politicall which are the ordinaunces of God and good thinges and the scripture elsewhere approueth and commendeth the same but of a spirituall righteousnes by which we are iustified before God and are called the children of God in the kingdom of heauen To be briefe there is nothing handled here concerning the bodily life but concerding euerlasting life where no blessing is to be hoped for or righteousnes to be sought either through the law or traditions or whatsoeuer can be named in this life besides the promise of Abrahams Blessing Let ciuill lawes and ordinaunces abide in their right place and order let the magistrate make good and notable lawes yet notwithstanding they deliuer no man from the Curse of Gods law The kingdome of Babylon ordained of God and by him committed vnto Kings had excellent lawes and all nations were commaunded to obey them notwithstanding this obedience of the lawes did not saue it from the Curse of the lawe of god In like manner we obey the lawes of Princes and magistrates but we are not thereby made righteous before God For here we are in an other matter It is not without cause that I doe so earnestly vrge this distinction For it is very necessary to knowe it Albeit there are very fewe that doe marke it and vnderstand it in deede Againe the confounding and mingling together of the heauenly and ciuill righteousnes is very easie In the ciuill righteousnes we must haue regarde to lawes and workes but in the spirituall diuine and heauenly righteousnes we must vtterly reiect all lawes and workes and set the onely promise and Blessing before our eies which layeth before vs Christ the geuer of this Blessing and of grace and our onely Sauiour So that this spirituall righteousnes secluding the law and all workes looketh only vnto the grace and blessing which is geuen by Christ as it was promised to Abraham and of him beleued Hereby we may plainely see that this argument is inuincible For if we must hope to receaue this blessing by Christ alone then it must needes followe of the contrary that it is not receaued by the law For the blessing was geuen to faithful Abraham before the law and without the law Now like as Abraham beleued in Christ to come the geuer of the Blessing so and by the same faith we beleue in Christ being come and so are we now iustified by faith as Abraham was then iustied by faith They therfore which are vnder the lawe are not blessed but doe remaine vnder the Curse This the Pope and his proude Prelates neither doe nor can beleue neither can they abide this doctrine Yet must we not holde our peace but must cōfesse the truth and say that the Papacie is accursed yea all the lawes and ciuill ordinaunces of the Emperour are accursed For according to Paule whatsoeuer is without the promise and faith of Abraham is accursed When our aduersaries heare this by and by they peruert and sclaūder our words as though we taught that the Magistrates should not be honoured but that we raise vp seditions against the Emperour that we condemne all lawes that we ouerthrow and destroy common weales c. But they doe vs greate wronge For we put a difference betwene the corporall and the spirituall Blessing and we say that the Emperour is blessed with a corporall blessing For to haue a kingdom lawes and ciuill ordinaunces to haue a wife children house and landes is a blessing For all these thinges are the good creatures and giftes of God. But we are not deliuered from the euerlasting Curse by this corporall blessing which is but temporall and must haue an ende Therefore we condemne not lawes neither doe we stirre vp sedition against the Emperour but we teach that he must be obeied that he must be feared reuerenced and honoured but yet ciuily But when we speake of the blessing after the manner of Diuines then we say boldely with Paule that all thinges which are without the faith and promise of Abraham are accursed and abide vnder that heauēly and euerlasting Curse For ther we must looke for an other life after this an other Blessing after this corporall Blessing To conclude we say that all corporall things are the good creatures of god Therefore as I haue said to haue wife children goodes to haue politike lawes and orders are the good blessings of God in their place that is to say they are temporall blessings belonging to this life But these blessinges the Iusticiaries and Lawworkers of all ages as the Iewes Papists Sectaries and such like do confound and mingle together For they put no difference betweene corporall and spirituall blessings Therefore they say We haue a lawe and this lawe is good holy and righteous therefore we are iustified through it Who denieth but that the lawe is good holy righteous And yet is it also the lawe of malediction of sinne of wrath and of death Therfore we make here a distinction betweene the corporall and spirituall Blessing say that God hath a double Blessing one corporall for this life and an other spirituall for the euerlasting life Therfore to haue ritches
promise so long before the law Which he did of purpose and to this ende that it should not be sayd that righteousnes was geuen through the lawe and not through the promise For if he would that we should haue ben iustified by the lawe then would he haue geuen the law 430. yeares before the promise or else together with the promise But nowe at the first he speaketh not a worde as concerning the lawe but at the length after 430. yeares he geueth the lawe In the meane while all that time he speaketh onely of his promises Therfore the Blessing and free gift of righteousnes came before the lawe through the promise The promise therfore is farre more excellent then the lawe And so the law doth not abolish the promise but Faith in the promise whereby the beleuers euen before Christes time were saued which is now published by the Gospell throughout the whole world destroyeth the law so that it can not encrease sinne any more terrifie sinners or bring them into desperation laying hold vpon the promise through Faith. And in this also lieth a certaine vehemencie specially to be noted that he expressely setteth downe the number of .430 yeares As if he would say Cōsider with your selues how long it was betwene the promise geuen and the lawe It is plaine that Abraham receaued the promise a long time before the lawe For the lawe was geuen to the people of Israel .430 yeares after And this is an inuincible argument gathered and grounded vpon a certaine time And he speaketh not here of the lawe in generall but onely of the written lawe As if he would say God could not then haue regarde to the Ceremonies and workes of the law and geue righteousnes to the obseruers thereof For as yet the lawe was not geuen which commaundeth ceremonies requireth workes and promiseth life to those that obserue them saying The man that shall doe these things shall liue in them And although it promise such things yet it foloweth not therfore that we obtaine these promises For it sayeth plainly The mā that shal do these things c. Now it is certaine that no man can doe them Moreouer Paule sayth that the lawe can not abolish the promise therefore that promise made vnto Abraham .430 yeares before the law remaineth firme and constant And that the matter may be better vnderstand I will declare the same by a similitude If a rich man not constrained but of his owne good will should adopte one to be his sonne whom he knoweth not and to whom he oweth nothing and should appoynt him to be the heire of all his lands and goods certaine yeres after that he hath bestowed this benefite vpon him he should lay vpon him a law to do this or that he cā not now say that he hath deserued this benefite by his owne workes seeing that many yeres before he asking nothing had receaued the same freely and of mere fauour So God could not respect our workes and desertes going before righteousnes for the promise and the gift of the holy Ghost was .430 yeares before the lawe Hereby it appeareth that Abraham obteined not righteousnes before God through the lawe For there was yet no law If there were yet no lawe then was there neither worke nor merite What then Nothing else but the mere promise This promise Abraham beleued and it was counted to him for righteousnes By the selfe same meanes then that the father obteined this promise the children doe also obteine it and holde it So say we also at this day Our sinnes were purged by the death of Christ aboue a thousand and fiue hundreth yeres agoe when there were yet no religious Orders no Canon or rule of Penance no merites of congruence and worthines We can not nowe therfore begin to abolish the same by our owne workes and merites Thus Paule gathereth arguments of similitudes of a certaine time and of persons so sure strong on euery side that no man can deny them Let vs therfore arme and fortifie our consciences with such like arguments For it helpeth vs excedingly to haue them alwayes ready in tentations For they lead vs from the lawe and workes to the promise and to faith from wrath to grace from sinne to righteousnes and from death to life Therfore these two things as I doe often repeate to witte the lawe and the promise must be diligently distinguished For in time in place and in person and generally in all other circumstances they are separate as farre asunder as heauen and earth the beginning of the world and the later ende In deede they are neare neighbours for they are ioyned together in one man or in one soule but in the inward affection as touching their office they ought to be separate farre asonder so that the lawe may haue dominion ouer the flesh and the promise may sweetely and comfortably raigne in the conscience When thou hast thus appoynted vnto them both their own proper place then thou walkest safely betwene them both in the heauen of the promise and in the earth of the lawe In spirite thou walkest in the Paradise of grace and peace In the flesh thou walkest in the earth of workes and of the crosse And nowe the troubles which the flesh is compelled to beare shall not be hard vnto thee because of the sweetenes of the promise which comforteth and reioyceth the hart excedingly But now if thou confound and mingle these two together and place the lawe in the conscience and the promise of libertie in the flesh then thou makest a confusion such as was in Poperie so that thou shalt not knowe what the lawe what the promise what sinne or what righteousnes is Wherfore if thou wilt diuide the worde of truth aright thou must put a great difference betwene the promise and the lawe as touching the inward affections and whole practise of life It is not for naught that Paule prosecuteth this argument so diligently For he foresawe in spirite that this mischiefe should creepe into the Church that the word of God should be confounded that is to say that the promise should be mingled with the lawe and so the promise should be vtterly lost For when the promise is mingled with the lawe it is nowe made nothing else but the very lawe Therefore accustome thy selfe to separate the promise and the law asunder euen in respect of time that when the lawe cometh and accuseth thy conscience thou mayest say Lady lawe thou comest not in season for thou comest to soone Tarry yet vntil .430 yeres be expired and when they are past then come and spare not But if thou come then yet shalt thou come to late For then hath the promise preuented thee .430 yeres to the which I assent and sweetely repose my selfe in the same Therefore I haue nothing to doe with thee I heare thee not For nowe I liue with the beleuing Abraham or
Monke if he kepe his order and performe his vowes But all these are deceaued and become vaine in their owne cogitations as Paule sayeth Rom. 1. not knowing what pleaseth or displeaseth God therfore in steed of the true and naturall God they worship the dreames and imaginations of their owne heart This is it that Paul meaneth whē he saith vvhē ye knevv not God that is when ye knew not the wil of God ye serued those which by nature were no gods that is to say ye serued the dreames imaginatiōs of your owne heart wherby ye imagined without the word the God was to be worshipped with this or that worke with this or that rite or ceremonie For vpon this proposition which all men doe naturally hold namely that there is a God hath sprong all Idolatrie which without that knowledge of the Diuinitie could neuer haue come into the world But because men had this naturall knowledge of God they conceaued vaine and wicked imaginations of God without against the word which they esteemed and maintained as the very truth it selfe and so dreamed that God is such a one as by nature he is not So the Mōke imagineth him to be such a God as forgeueth sinnes geueth grace and euerlasting life for the keping of his Rule This God is no where to be foūd therfore he serueth not the true God but that which by nature is no God to witte the imagination and Idoll of his owne heart that is to say his owne false and vaine opinion of God which he dreameth to be an vndoubted truth Now reason it selfe will enforce vs to confesse that mans opinion is no God. Therfore who so euer wil worship God without this word serueth not the true God as Paule sayth but that which by nature is no God. Therfore whether ye call rudiments here the lawe of Moises or else the traditions of the Gentiles albeit he speaketh here properly and principally of the rudiments of Moises there is no great difference For he that falleth from grace to the law falleth with no lesse daunger then he that falleth from grace to Idolatrie For without Christ there is nothing else but mere Idolatrie an Idoll and false imagination of God whether it be called Moises law or the Popes ordinance or the Turks Alcoran c. Therfore he sayth with a certaine admiration Verse 9. But novv seing ye knovv God. As though he would say This is a maruelous thing that ye knowing God by the preaching of Faith doe so suddainly reuolt from the true knowledge of his will wherein I thought ye were so surely established that I feared nothing lesse then that ye should so easily be ouerthrowne doe now againe by the instigation of the false Apostles returne to the weake and beggerly ceremonies which ye would serue againe afresh Ye heard before by my preaching that this is the will of God to blesse all nations not by circumcision or by the obseruation of the law but by Christe promised to Abraham They that beleue in him shall be blessed with faithfull Abraham they are the sonnes and heires of God. Thus I say haue ye knowen God. Verse 9. Yea rather are knovven of god c. He correcteth the sentence going before But novv seing ye haue knovven God or rather turneth it after this maner yea rather ye are knovven of God. For he feared lest they had lost God vtterly As if he would say Alas are ye come to this poynt that now ye know not God but returne againe from grace to the law Yet notwithstanding God knoweth you And in deede our knowledge is rather passiue then actiue that is to say it consisteth in this that we are rather knowen of God then that we know him All our doing that is all our endeuour to know and to apprehend God is to suffer God to worke in vs He geueth the word which when we haue receiued by Faith geuen from aboue we are new borne and made the sonnes of god This is then the sense and meaning Ye are knovven of God that is ye are visited with the word ye are endued with Faith and the holy Ghost wherby ye are renewed c. Wherfore euen by these words Ye are knovven of God he taketh away all righteousnes from the law and denieth that we attaine the knowledge of God through the worthines of our owne workes For no man knovveth the father but the sonne he to vvhom the sonne vvill reueale him Also He by his knovvledge shall iustifie many because he shall beare our iniquities Wherefore our knowledge concerning God consisteth in suffering and not in doing He much meruelleth therfore that seing they knew God truely by the Gospell they returned so suddenly backe to weake and beggerly rudiments by the perswasion of the false apostles As I my selfe also should greatly maruell if our Church which by the grace of God is godly reformed in pure doctrine and Faith should be seduced and peruerted by some fond and frantike head through the preaching of one or two sermons that they would not acknowledge me for their pastour any more Which thing notwithstanding shall one day come to passe if not whilest we liue yet when we are dead and gone For many shall then rise vppe which will be maisters and teachers who vnder a colour of true religiō shall teach false and peruerse doctrine and shall quickly ouerthrow all that we in so long time and with so great trauel haue builded We are not better then the Apostles who whiles they yet liued sawe not without their great griefe and sorow the subuersion of those Churches which they thēselues had planted through theyr ministerie Therfore it is no great maruell if we be constrained to behold the like euill at this day in those Churches where Sectaries doe raigne who hereafter when we are dead shall possesse those Churches which we haue wonne and planted by our ministerie and with their poyson infect and subuert the same And yet notwithstanding Christe shall remaine and raigne to the end of the world and that maruelously as he did vnder the Papacie Paule seemeth to speake very spitefully of the lawe when he calleth it rudiments as he did also before in the beginning of this chapt and not only rudiments but weake and beggetly rudiments and ceremonies Is it not blasphemie to geue such odious names to the law of God The lawe being in his true vse ought to serue the promises and to stand with the promises grace But if it fight against them it is no more the holy law of God but a false and a deuilish doctrine and doth nothing else but driue men to desperation therfore must be reiected Wherefore when he calleth the lawe weake and beggerly rudiments he speaketh of the lawe in respect of proud and presumpteous hypocrites which would be iustified by it and not of the law being spiritually vnderstand which engendreth wrath
comfort the weake with sweete louing wordes as occasion should require Verse 20. For I am troubled for you That is to say I am so troubled in my spirite that I know not how by letters to behaue my selfe towardes you Here is a liuely description of the true affections of an Apostle He omitteth nothing he chideth the Galathians he entreateth them he speaketh them faire he highly commendeth their Faith labouring by all meanes to bring them backe againe to the truth of the Gospell and to deliuer them out of the snares of the false apostles These are vehement words proceding from a heart stirred vppe and enflamed with a hot burning zeale and therfore ought diligently to be considered Verse 21. Tell me ye that vvill be vnder the lavve doe ye not heare the lavve Here would Paule haue closed vp his Epistle for he desired not to wryte any more but rather to be present with the Galathians and to speake vnto them him selfe But he being in great perplexitie and very carefull for this matter taketh by the way this allegorie which then came into his minde For the people are greatly delighted with allegories and similitudes and therfore Christe himselfe oftentimes vseth them For they are as it were certaine pictures which set forth things as if they were painted before the eyes of the simple and therefore they moue and perswade very much especially the simple and ignorant First therfore he stirreth vp the Galathians with words and wrytings Secondly he painteth out the matter it selfe before theyr eyes with this goodly allegorie Now Paule was a maruelous cunning workman in handling of allegories For he is wont to applie them to the doctrine of Faith to grace and to Christ and not to the law and the workes therof as Origen and Hierom doe who are worthely reprehended for that they turned the plaine sentences of the Scripture where allegories haue no place into vnfitte and foolish allegories Therfore to vse allegories it is oftentimes a very daungerous thing For vnlesse a man haue the perfect knowledge of Christian doctrine he can not vse allegories rightly and as he should doe But why doth Paule call the booke of Genesis out of the which he aleageth the hystorie of Ismael and of Isaack the lawe seeing that booke containeth nothing at all concerning the law and specially that place which he aledgeth speaketh not of any law but onely containeth a plaine hystorie of Abrahams two children Paule is wont to call the first booke of Moses the lawe after the maner of the Iewes which although it cōtaine no law besides the law of circumcision but the principall doctrine therof is concerning Faith and that the Patriarkes pleased God because of their Faith yet the Iewes notwithstanding onely because of the law of circumcision which is there contained called the booke of Genesis the lawe as well as the other bookes of Moses So did Paule him selfe also being a iewe And Christ vnder the title of the lawe comprehendeth not onely the bookes of Moses but also the Psalmes Iohn 15. But it is that the vvord might be fulfilled vvhich is vvrytten in their lavve They hated me vvithout a cause Vers 22.23 For it is vvrytten that Abraham had tvvo sonnes one by a seruaunt and one by a free vvoman But he vvhich vvas of the seruaunt vvas borne after the flesh and he vvhich vvas of the free vvoman vvas borne after the spirite As if he sayd Ye forsake grace Faith and Christe and turne backe againe to the lawe ye will be vnder the lawe and become wise through it Therefore I will talke with you of the lawe I pray you then consider the lawe diligently Ye shall finde that Abraham had two sonnes Ismael by Agar and Isaack by Sara They were both the true sonnes of Abraham Ismael was as well the true sonne of Abraham as Isaack was for both came of one father of one flesh and of one Seede What was then the difference This maketh not the difference sayeth Paule that the mother of one was free and the other bond albeit it pertaineth to the allegorie but that Ismael which was borne of the bondwoman was borne after the flesh that is to say without the promise and the word of God. But Isaack was not onely borne of the freewoman but also according to the promise What thē Yet was Isaack notwithstanding as well borne of the seede of Abraham as Ismael was I graunt that they were both the children of one father and yet notwithstanding there is a difference For although Isaack were borne of the flesh yet the promise went before None obserued this difference but onely Paule which he gathered out of the text of Genesis after this maner In that Agar conceaued and brought forth Ismael there was no word of God that foreshewed that thys should come to passe but by the permission of Sara Abraham went in to his seruaunt Agar whom Sara being barren had geuen to wife to Abraham as is sayd in the booke of Genesis For Sara had heard that Abraham by the promise of God should haue seede of his body and she hoped that she should be the mother of this seede But when she had waited now for the promise many yeares with great anguish of spirite and sawe that the matter was so long differred she was out of hope This holy woman therefore geueth place for the honour of her husband and resigneth her right to an other that is to say to her maide Notwithstanding she suffreth not her husband to marrie an other wife out of his house but she geueth vnto him in mariage her seruaunt to the ende that she might be builded by her For so sayeth the hystorie Genes 16. Novv Sara Abrahams vvife bare him no children and she had a maid an Egyptian Agar by name And Sara said vnto Abraham Behold novv the Lord hath restrained me frō childe bearing I pray thee goe in to my maide it may be that I shall be builded by her This was a great humilitie of Sara who so abased her self tooke in good part this tentation trial of her faith For thus she thought God is no lier that which he hath promised to my husband he will surely performe But peraduenture God will not that I shall be the mother of that Seede It shall not greeue me that Agar should haue this honour vnto whom let my Lord enter for I may peraduenture be builded by her Ismael therefore is borne without the word and promise at the onely request of Sara For there is no word of God which commaunded Abraham thus to doe or promised vnto him a sonne but al this is done at aduenture which the wordes doe also declare It may be sayeth she that I shall be builded by her Seeing therfore there was no word of God spoken to Abraham before as there was when Sara should bring forth
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 they know that they haue an euerlastīg righteousnes which they wait for through hope as a certaine and sure possession laid vp for them in heauen euen when they feele the horrible terrours of sinne and death Moreouer that they are then Lordes of all things when they are most destitute of all things according to that saying hauing nothing and yet possessing all things This sayeth the Scripture is to conceaue comfort through hope But this cunning is not learned without great and often tentations Verse 6. For in Iesus Christe neither circumcision auaileth any thing neither vncircumcision but Faith vvhich vvorketh by loue That is to say Faith which is not fained nor hypocritical but true and liuely This is that faith which exerciseth requireth good works through loue It is as much to say as He that will be a true Christian in deede or one of Christes kingdom must be a true beleuer Now he beleueth not truely if workes of charitie folow not his Faith. So on both hands as well on the right hand as on the left he shutteth hypocrites out of Christes kingdom On the left hand he shutteth out the Iewes and all such as will worke their owne saluation saying In Christ neither circumcision that is to say no works no seruice no worshipping no kinde of life in the world but faith without any trust in works or merites auaileth before god On the right hand he shutteth out all slouthfull and idle persons which say if faith iustifie without works then let vs worke nothing but let vs onely beleue and doe what we list Not so ye enemies of grace Paule sayeth otherwise And although it be true that onely faith iustifieth yet he speaketh here of Faith in an other respect that is to say that after it hath iustified it is not idle but occupied and exercised in working through loue Paule therfore in this place setteth forth the whole life of a Christian man namely that inwardly it consisteth in faith towards God and outwardly in charitie and good works towardes our neighbour So that a man is a perfect Christ an inwardly through faith before God who hath no neede of our workes and outwardly before men to whom our Faith profiteth nothing but our charitie or our works Therfore when we haue heard or vnderstād of this forme of Christian life to witte that it is faith and charitie as I haue sayd it is not yet declared what Faith or what charitie is for this is an other question For as touching faith or the inward nature force and vse of Faith he hath spoken before Where he shewed that it is our righteousnes or rather our iustification before god Here he ioyneth it with charitie and workes that is to say he speaketh of the externall office thereof which is to stirre vs vp to doe good workes and to bring forth in vs the frutes of charitie to the profite of our neighbour Verse 7. Ye did runne vvell vvho did let you that ye did not obey the truth These are plaine wordes Paule affirmeth that he teacheth them the truth and the selfe same thing that he taught them before and that they ranne well so long as they obeyed the truth that is they beleued and liued rightly but now they did not so since they were misled by the false apostles Moreouer he vseth here a new kinde of speech in calling the Christian life a course or a race For among the Hebrues to runne or to walke signifieth as much as to liue or to be conuersant The teachers doe runne when they teach purely and the hearers or learners doe runne when they receaue the word with ioy and when the frutes of the spirite doe folow Which thing was done as long as Paule was present as he witnessed before in the third and fourth chap. And here he sayeth Ye did runne vvell that is to say all things went forward well and happely among you ye liued very well ye went on the right way to euerlasting life which the word of God promised you c. These wordes Ye did runne vvell containe in them a singuler comfort This tentation oftentimes exerciseth the godly that their life seemeth vnto them to be rather a certaine slow creeping then a running But if they abide in sound doctrine and walke in the spirite lette this nothing trouble them thoughe their doings seeme to goe slowly forward or rather to creepe God iudgeth farre otherwise For that which seemeth vnto vs to be very slow scarsely to creepe runneth swiftly in Gods sight Againe that which is to vs nothing els but sorrow mourning and death is before God ioy mirth true happines Therfore Christ sayth Blessed are ye that mourne vveepe for ye shal receaue cōfort ye shall laugh c. All things shall turne to the best to them which beleue in the sonne of God be it sorrow or be it death it selfe Therefore they be true runners in deede and whatsoeuer they doe it runneth well goeth happely forward by the furtherance of Gods spirite which can not skill of slow procedings Verse 7. VVho did let you that you did not obey the truth They are hindred in this course which fall away from Faith and grace to the lawe and workes as it hapned to the Galathians being misled and seduced by the false apostles whom he couertly reprehendeth with these wordes vvho did let you that ye did not obey the truth In like maner he sayd before in the third Chap. vvho hath bevvitched you that ye should not obey the truth And here Paule sheweth by the way that men are so strongly bewitched with false doctrine that they embrace lies heresies in the sted of the truth and spirituall doctrine And on the other side they say and sweare that the sound doctrine which before they loued is erroneous that their errour is sound doctrine maintaining and defending the same with all their power Euen so the false apostles brought the Galathians which ranne well at the beginning into this opinion to beleue that they erred and went very slowly forward when Paule was their teacher But afterwardes they being seduced by the false apostles and falling cleane away from the truth were so strongly bewitched with their false perswasion that they thought them selues to be in an happie state and that they ranne very well The same hapneth at this day to such as are seduced by the Sectaries and fantasticall spirits Therfore I am wont to say that falling in doctrine cometh not of man but of the Deuil and is most perillous to witte euen from the high heauen to the bottom of hell For they that continue in errour are so farre of from acknowledging their sinne that they maintaine the same to be high righteousnes Wherfore it is vnpossible for them to obtaine pardon Verse 8. It is not the persvvasion of him that calleth you This is a great consolation and a singulare doctrine whereby
vpō this their fall vnlesse they repented This fatherly and Apostolicall care and admonition of Paule moued some of them nothing at all For many of them acknowledged Paule no more for their teacher but preferred the false apostles farre aboue him of whom they thought them selues to haue receaued the true doctrine and not of Paule Moreouer the false apostles no doubt sclaundered Paule among the Galathians saying that he was an obstinate and a contentious fellow which for a light matter would breake the vnitie of the churches and for no other cause but that he alone would be counted wise and be magnified of them Through this false accusation they made Paule very odious vnto many Some other which had not yet vtterly forsakē his doctrine thought that there was no daunger in dissenting a litle from him in the doctrine of iustification Faith. Wherfore when they heard that Paule made so hainous a matter of that which seemed vnto them to be but light and of small importance then maruelled and thus they thought with themselues Be it so that we haue swarned something from the doctrine of Paule and that there hath bene some fault in vs yet that being but a small matter he ought to winke thereat or at least not to vehemently to amplifie it lest by the occasion thereof the concord of the Churches should be broken Wherevnto he answereth with this sentence A litle leuen leueneth or maketh sovver the vvhole lumpe of dough And this is a caueat or an admonition which Paule stādeth much vppon And we also ought greatly to esteme the same at this day For our aduersaries in like maner obiect against vs that we are contentious obstinate and intractable in defending our doctrine and euen in matters of no great importance But these are the craftie fetches of the Deuill whereby he goeth about vtterly to ouerthrow our doctrine To this we answer therefore with Paule that a litle leuen maketh sovver the vvhole lumpe In Philosophie a small fault in the beginning is a great and a foule fault in the ende So in Diuinitie one litle errour ouerthroweth the whole doctrine Wherefore we must separate life and doctrine farre asunder The doctrine is not ours but Gods whose ministers onely we are called therefore we may not chaunge or diminish one tittle therof The life is ours therefore as touching that we are ready to doe to suffer to forgeue c. what so euer our aduersaries shall require of vs so that Faith and doctrine may remaine sound and vncorrupt of the which we say alwayes with Paule A litle leuen leueneth c. A small mote in the eye hurteth the eye And our Sauiour Christ sayeth The light of the body is the eye therefore vvhen thine eye is single then is thy vvhole body light but if thine eye be euill then thy body is darke Againe If thy body shall haue no part darke then shall all be light By this allegorie Christe signifieth that the eye that is to say the doctrine ought to be most simple cleare and sincere hauing in it no darknes no cloud c. And Iames the Apostle sayth He that faileth in one poynt is giltie of all This place therfore maketh very much for vs against these cauillers which say that we breake charitie to the great hurt and damage of the churches But we protest that we desire nothing more then to be at vnitie with all men so that they leaue vnto vs the doctrine of Faith entire and vncorrupt to the which all things ought to geue place be it charitie an Apostle or an angell from heauen Let vs suffer them therfore to extoll charity and concord as much as they list but on the other side lette vs magnifie the maiestie of the word and Faith. Charitie may be neglected in time and place without any daunger but so can not the word and Faith be Charitie suffereth all things geueth place to all men Contrariwise Faith suffereth nothing geueth place to no man Charitie in geuing place in beleuing in geuing and forgeuing is oftentimes deceaued and yet notwithstanding being so deceaued it suffereth no losse which is to be called true losse in deede that is to say it loseth not Christe Therefore it is not offended but continueth still constant in well doing yea euen towards the vnthankfull and vnworthy Contrariwise in the matter of Faith and saluation when men teach lies and errours vnder the colour of the truth and seduce many here hath charitie no place For here we lose not any benefite bestowed vppon the vnthankfull but we lose the word Faith Christe and euerlasting life Let it not moue vs therfore that they vrge so much the keping of charitie and concord For who so loueth not God his word it is no matter what or how much he loueth Paule therfore by this sentence admonisheth as well teachers as hearers to take heede that they esteme not the doctrine of Faith as a light matter wherw t they may dally at their plesure It is as a bright sunne beame comming downe from heauen which lightneth directeth and guideth vs Now like as the world with all the wisedom and power thereof is not able to stoppe or turne away the beames of the sunne comming downe from heauen directly vnto the earth euen so can there nothing be added to the doctrine of Faith or taken from it for that is an vtter defacing and ouerthrowing of the whole Verse 10. I haue trust in you through the Lord. As if he would say I haue taught admonished and reproued you enough so that ye would hearken vnto me Notwithstanding I hope wel of you in the lord Here riseth a question whether Paule doth wel whē he sayth he hath a good hope or trust of the Galathians seing the holy Scripture forbiddeth any trust to be put in men Both Faith and charitie haue their trust and beleefe but after diuers sorts by reason of the diuersitie of their obiectes Faith trusteth in God and therfore it can not be deceaued charitie beleueth man and therefore it is often deceaued Now this Faith that springeth of charitie is so necessary to this present life that without it life can not continue in the world For if one man should not beleue trust an other what life should we liue vpon earth The true Christians doe sooner beleue and geue credite through charitie then the childrē of this world doe For faith towards men is a fruite of the spirit or of christian Faith in the godly Herevpon Paule had a trust of that Galathians yea though they were falne frō his doctrine but yet through the lord As if he should say I trust vnto you so farre forth as the Lord is in you ye in him that is to say so farre forth as ye abide in the truth From which if you fall away seduced by the ministers of Sathan I will not trust vnto you any more Thus it is
Deuil and the Deuil likewise sheweth him selfe in the likenes of God And God will be knowen vnder the similitude of the Deuill and will haue the Deuil knowen vnder the likenes of God. The crosse immediatly foloweth the doctrine of the word according to that saying Psal. 116 I beleued and therfore haue I spoken and I vvas sore troubled Now the crosse of the Christians is persecution with reproch and ignominie and without any compassion and therfore it is very offensiue First they suffer as the vilest people in the world so did the Prophet Esay foreshew euen of Christ himself cap. 53. He vvas reputed amōgst the vvicked Moreouer murtherers and theues haue their punishments qualified and men haue compassion on them Here is no offence or sclaunder ioyned with the punishment Cōtrariwise like as the world iudgeth the Christiās to be of all other mē the most pestilent pernicious so doth it thinke that no torments are sufficient to punish them for their hainous offences Neither is it moued with any compassion towardes them but putteth them to the most opprobrious and shamefull kinds of death that can be And it thinketh that it gaineth hereby a double commodity For first it imagineth that it doth high seruice vnto God in killing of them secondly that the cōmon peace and tranquillitie is restored and stablishing by taking away such noisome plagues Therfore the death and crosse of the Faithfull is full of offences But let not this reprochfull dealing sayeth Paule and the continuance of Christes crosse and offence therof moue you but rather let it confirme you For as long as the crosse endureth it shall goe well with the Gospell In like maner Christe also comforteth his disciples in the .5 of Math. Blessed are ye sayeth he vvhen men reuile you and persecute you and shall falsely say all maner of euill against you for my names sake Reioyce and be glad for great is your revvard in heauen For so persecuted they the Prophets vvhich vvere before you The church cā not suffer this reioysing to be wrested frō her Wherfore I would not wish to be at concord with the Pope the bishops the princes and the Sectaries vnlesse they would consent vnto our doctrine For such concorde were a certaine token that we had lost the true doctrine To be short as long as the church teacheth the Gospell it must suffer persecution For the Gospell setteth forth the mercy and glory of God It discloseth the malice and sleightes of the Deuill painting him out in his right coulours and plucking from him the counterfet visour of Gods Maiestie wherby he deceaueth the whole world that is to say it sheweth that all worshippings religious Orders inuented by men and traditions concerning single life meates and such other things wherby men thinke to deserue forgeuenes of sinnes euerlasting life are wicked things and deuelish doctrine There is nothing then that more stirreth vppe the Deuill than the preaching of the Gospell For that plucketh from him the dissembled vizour of God and bewrayeth him to be as he is in deede that is to say the Deuil not god Wherfore it can not be but that as long as the Gospell flourisheth the crosse and the offence thereof must needes folow it or else truely the Deuill is not rightly touched but slenderly tickled But if he be rightly hitte in deede he resteth not but beginneth horribly to rage and to raise vp troubles euery where If Christians then will hold the word of life let them not be afraid or offended when they see that the Deuill is broken lose and rageth euery where that all the world is on an vprour that tyrannes exercise their crueltie and heresies spring vppe but lette them assure them selues that these are signes not of terrour but of ioy as Christe himselfe expoundeth them saying Reioyce and be glad c. God forbid therefore that the offence of the crosse should be taken away Which thing should come to passe if we should preach that which the Prince of this world and his members would gladly heare that is to say the righteousnes of workes Then should we haue a gentle Deuil a fauourable world a gracious Pope and mercifull Princes But because we set forth the benefites and glory of Christe they persecute and spoile vs both of our goodes and liues Verse 12. VVould to God they vvere cutte of that doe disquiet you Is this the part of an Apostle not onely to denounce the false apostles to be troublers to condemne them and to deliuer them to Sathan but also to wish that they might be vtterly rooted out and pearish And what is this else but plaine cursing Paule as I suppose alludeth here to circumcision As if he would say They compell you to cutte of the foresakin of your flesh but I would that they themselues might be vtterly cutte off by the roote Here riseth a question whether it be lawfull for Christians to curse Why not howbeit not alwayes nor for euery cause But when the matter is come to this poynt that Gods word must be euill spoken of and his doctrine blasphemed and so consequently God him selfe then must we turne this sentence and say Blessed be God and his word and what so euer is without God and his word accursed be it yea though it be an Apostle or an Angell from heauen So he sayd before in the first Chapter Although vve or an Angell from heauen preach othervvise vnto you then that vvhich vve haue preached let him be accursed Hereby it may appeare how great a matter Paule made of a litle leauen which for the same durst curse the false apostles who in outward appearance were men of great authoritie and holines Let not vs therefore make litle account of the leauen of doctrine For although it be neuer so litle yet if it be neglected it will be the cause that by litle and litle the truth and our saluation shall be lost and God himselfe be denied For when the word is corrupted and God denied and blasphemed which must needes folow if the word be corrupted there remaineth no hope of saluation But for our partes if we be cursed railed vppon and slaine there is yet one that can raise vs vppe againe and deliuer vs from the curse death and hell Wherefore lette vs learne to aduaunce and extoll the Maiestie authoritie of Gods word For it is no small trifle as brainsicke heades surmise at this day but euery title thereof is greater then heauen and earth Wherefore in this respect we haue no regard of Christian charitie or concord but we sitte as it were on the iudgement seat that is to say we curse and condemne all men which in the least poynt deface or corrupt the Maiestie of Gods word For a litle leauen maketh sovver the vvhole lumpe But if they leaue vs Gods word entire and sound we are not onely ready to keepe charitie
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
profite that commeth to the godly by the tentation of Satan 1. Iohn 4.4 2. Cor. 12.9 Sathan continually bevvitcheth meÌ„ Iob. 1. â— Io. â— 44 The false Apostles bevvitchers of men The example of Doctor Kraus The deuils definition of a false Christ The Godly must diligently vvatch VVorldly and secure men are soone bevvitched VVitchcraft vvhat it is VVho are bevvitched An other goodly commendation of the righteousnes of the lavve 1. Iohn 5.16 Hebr. 6.4.5.6 The errour of the Nonations VVho returne not to the truthe The Aposâ—â—o vseth bitter and rough vvordes Heb. 6. â— They that seeke to be iustified by the lavv crucifie Christ The Papistes are crucifiers of the sonne of God. The Monkes dreamed that they vvere only in the state and life of perfection * VVorkes of superogation they call such vvorks as thei doe of their ovvne good vvill more then they are bound to doe The illusioÌ„ of the Deuill In the time of poperie vve vvere so bevvitched that it vvas impossible to acknovvledge Christ Daniel 9 2â— Superstitious Monkes and such other by streitnes of life and afflicting their ovvne bodies sought righteousnes and remission of sinnes In you or amongst you Rom. 6.9 To seeke righteousnes by the lavve The abhomination of the papacie horrible The commendations of the righteousnes of the lavv of our ovvne righteousnes The fall of Lucifer An argument dravven from the GalathiaÌ„s ovvne experience Paule speaketh of the vvhole lavv Tvvo vvaies to iustificatioÌ„ The holi ghost is receaued by hearing the vvord of faith and not by the lavve Neither the teachers nor hearers nor yet the doers of the lavve are iustified bi the lavve Acts 10 44. Acts. 11.15 Acts. 15.8.9 Acts. 19.5.6 The lavv bringeth not the holy ghost Rom. 10.3 Rom. 11.7 Math. 3.16 The appeariÌ„g of the holy ghost Actes 2.41 Actes 10.44.45 Actes 15.5.6.7 Paulus Sergius the lieutenaunt The Ievves and Gentiles are iustified by faith onely The Gentiles iustified by faith Acts. 11.3 Verse 18. The murmuring of the Ievves against the Gentiles Mat. 20. The Councell of the Apostles Act. 11.17 Actes 15. Acts. 15 8.9.1â— 1. Cor. 1. â— That the holy Ghost is geuen by the onely hearing of faith The Papistes are our Ievves vvhich molest vs no lesse theÌ„ the Ievves did Paule The argument of the booke coÌ„teining the Actes of the Apostles The difference betvvene the lavv and the Gospell To exacte To geue freely Actes 10. â—8 Cornelius 〈◊〉 Gentile is iustified by faith The lavv helpeth not to righteousnes The fathers in the old testament vvere holy c. Faith in Christ already come and in Christ to come * Messias doth signifie Christ the Sauiour Rom. 1.17 VVorke of congruence or merite before grace The person first to be considered and then the vvorke Actes 10.1.6 2. Reg. 5.14.15.16 * He feleth his conscience vvounded in being present at idol seruice and therefore desireth God to forgeue 〈◊〉 left others by his example might fall to idolatrie For as for his ovvne parte he confesseth that he vvill neuer serue any but the true God. Iob. Niniuites Ionas 3.5 Galat. 3.2 The coÌ„science vvitnesseth that the holy Ghost is not geuen by the lavv but by the hearing of faith The blindnes of the Popes kingdome The orders and kindes of life that are appointed of God. The state of seruauntes allovved before God. The certaintie of true beleuers By vvhat meanes the holy ghost is geuen vnto vs. The disputation of mans reason Luke 12.32 To vvhom the kingdome of heauen is geuen VVhat the aduersaries doe obiect against vs. The obiection of the Pelagians against Christians Luke 11 45.4â— A man is made a Christian by hearing the doctrine of faith Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the vvord of God. The conflict of the flesh against the spirite in the godly To heare the vvorde of God. To begin in the spirite VVhat flesh signifieth in this place The spirite The flesh VVhat the papistes call vvorldly and carnall VVhat inconueniences maÌ„s ovvne righteousnes or the righteousnes of the lavv doe bring Paule maketh often rehearsall of the argument grouÌ„ded vpon experience The kingdome of God consisteth not in vvordes but in povver 1. Cor. 4. Ver. 20. Chap. 2.8 Chap. 4.14.15 The vvorkes of the Deuill VVhat happie successe the gospell had vvhen it vvas first preached The Popedom a very slaughterhouse of consciences The Anabaptistes the authors of tumultes and seditions hindred much the course of the gospell The Anabaptists enemies to the article of iustificatioÌ„ This mai rightly be applied to Munster KnipperdoliÌ„g and such outragious Anabaptistes of vvhom Sleidan maketh mention vvho before times had much hindred the course of the gospell Genes 15.6 Rom. 4.2.3 Rom. 4.19.20.21 c. The povver of faith infinite To geue glory to God. Faith geueth glory to God. Righteous before God. VVhat God saith if ye set faith aside harken vnto reason The iudgemeÌ„t of reason touching the articles of faith The Gospell is the vvord of the crosse 1. Cor. 1 18.2â— The chiefe vvorship of God. Faith â—layeth reason The vvrestling of faith vvith reason in Abraham The sacrifice of Christians Reason Gods enemy The commendation of faith The vnfaithful geue not glory to God. Rom. 4.20.21.22 * Formall is that vvhich geueth perfection to the substance vvherunto it is ioyned The remnants of sinne in the godly Rom. 8.23 The blindnes of the Scholemen God accepteth our vvorkes say the Papists not of duetie but of Congruence that is because it is meete that God should revvard them Mans reason Rom. 8.7 Reason must be killed by faith Math. 20.12 Psal. 2.2 The definition of the Christian faith The diuinitie of Paule Christian righteousnes consisteth in tvvo things A Christian iâ— a righteous man and a sinner Hovv they that fele sinne ought to be comforted Christians be Priestes The daily sacrifice of the nevv testameÌ„t Christian righteousnes Galat. 2 2â— Galat. 3.13 A child is borne vnto vs a Sonne is geuen vnto vs. Esay 9.6 VVe are reputed righteous by faith in Christ this Sonne and this gifte geuen vnto vs. The righteousnes of faith out of the xv chapter of S. Iohns Gospel Christ is called our obiect because the eie of our faith is directed vnto him * CoÌ„trary sayings Iohn 16.27 Iohn 17.8 The imputation of righteousnes Rom. 7.23 Rom. 8.1 Things contrary in Christ are made to agree 1. Tim. 2.5 Rom. 8.1 Ro. 4.11.12 c. Rom. 9.6.7.8 The disputation of Paule against the Ievves The bosting of the Ievves Actes 9.15 By vvhat meanes Abraham vvas iustified Genes 12.1.2.3 c. Genes 17.24 Genes 22.2.3 Genes 15.6 Rom. 4.18.19 Iames. 2.2 Galat. 3.6 That the carnall begetting doth not make vs the acceptable children of Abraham Iohn 8.39 The beleeuing Abraham and the begetting Abraham VVhat maner of ones the carnall children of Abraham are Iohn 8.38.39 Rom. 9.11 The first example of Ismael and Isaac Genes 21 1â— Rom. 9.7 Heb. 11.17 The second example of Esau and Iacob Genes 25. â—3 Rom. 9.12