Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 2 · Verse extract 18
Verſe. 18. For if I builde againe the things that I hauehave deſtroyed, I make my ſelfe a treſpaſſer.
As if he ſhould ſay: I hauehave not preached to this ende that I might build againe thoſe thīgs which I once deſtroyed. For if I ſhould ſo do, I ſhould not onelyonly labour in daine, but ſhould make my ſelfe alſo a trāſgreſſor and ouerthrowe altogether, as the falſe Apoſtles doe: that is to ſay, of grace and of Chriſt I ſhould againe make the law and Moſes: & contrariwiſe of the law and Moſes I ſhould make grace and Chriſt. Now, by the miniſtery of the Goſpell I hauehave aboliſhed ſinne,VVhat Paule had deſtroyed by the miniſtery of the Goſpell. heauines of heart, wrath and death. For thus hauehave I taught: Thy conſcience O man, is ſubiect to the law, ſinne, and death: from which thou canſt not be deliuered either by men or Angels. But now cometh the Goſpell and preacheth vntounto thee remiſſion of ſinnes by Ieſus Chriſt, who hath aboliſhed the law, and hath deſtroyed ſinne and death. Beleue in him: ſo ſhalt thou be deliuered from the curſe of the law and from the tyrannie of ſinne and death: thou ſhalt become righteous and hauehave eternall life.
Behold how I hauehave deſtroyed the law by the preaching of the Goſpell, to the end that it ſhould not reigne in thy conſcience any more. For when the new Geſt Chriſt Ieſus cometh into the new houſe there to dwell alone,Moſes geueth place to chriſt and the lavve to the goſpel. Moſes the old inhabiter muſt geue place vntounto him and depart ſome whether els. Alſo where Chriſt the new Geſt is come to dwel, there can ſinne, wrath & death hauehave no place: but there now dwelleth meere grace, righteouſnes, ioy, life, true affiance and truſt in the father, now pacified and reconciled vntounto vsus, gracious, long ſuffering & full of mercy for his ſonne Chriſtes ſake. Should I then, driuing out Chriſt and deſtroying his kingdome which I hauehave planted through the preaching of the Goſpell, now build vp againe the law and ſette vp the kingdome of Moſes? In deede this ſhould I doe if I ſhould teach circumciſion and the obſeruation of the law to be neceſſary to ſaluation, as the falſe Apoſtles doe: and by this meanes, in the ſteede of righteouſnes and life, I ſhould reſtore againe ſinne and death. For the law doth nothing els but vtter ſinne, procure Gods wrath, kill and deſtroy.
What are the Papiſts (I pray you) yea the beſt of them all,The Papiſtes are deſtroyers of the kingdome of Chriſt. but deſtroyers of the kingdome of Chriſt and builders vp of the kingdome of the Deuill and of ſinne, of wrath and eternall death? Yea they deſtroy the church, which is Gods building, not by the law of Moſes, as did the falſe Apoſtles, but by mens traditions and doctrines of Deuils. And euen ſo the fantaſticall heads which are at this day and ſhall come after vsus, doe deſtroy and ſhall deſtroy thoſe things which we hauehave built: doe build and ſhall build vp againe thoſe things which we hauehave deſtroyed.
But we by the grace of Chriſt holding the article of iuſtification, doe aſſuredly know that we are iuſtified and reputed righteous before God by faith onelyonly in Chriſt.The difference of the lavve and the Goſpell diligently to be marked. Therfore we doe not mingle the law and grace, faith and works together: but we ſeparate them farre aſunder. And this diſtinction or difference betwene the law and grace, let eueryevery man that feareth God marke diligently, and let him ſuffer the ſame to take place, not in letters and ſyllables, but in practiſe & inward experience: So that when he heareth, that good works ought to be done, and that the example of Chriſt is to be followed, he may be able to iudge rightly and ſay: well, all theſe things will I gladly doe. What then followeth? Thou ſhalt then be ſaued and obtaine euerlaſting life. Nay, not ſo. I graunt in deede that I ought to do good workes, patiently to ſuffer troubles and aflictiōs, and to ſheed my bloud alſo if neede be, for Chriſtes cauſe: but yet am I not iuſtified, neither doe I obtaine ſaluation therby.
We muſt not therfore draw good workes in to the article of iuſtification as the Monkes hauehave done, which ſay, that not only good works, but alſo the puniſhments and torments which malefactors ſuffer for their wicked deedes,Hovv the Monkes vvere vvont to cō fort condemned Perſons at the time of their death. doe deſerue euerlaſting life. For thus they comfort them when they are brought to the gallowes or place of execution. Suffer willingly and patiently this ſhamefull death: which if thou do, thou ſhalt deſerue remiſſion of thy ſinnes and euerlaſting life. What an horrible thing is this, that a wretched theefe, a murtherer, a robber ſhould be ſo miſerably ſeduced in that extreame anguiſh and diſtreſſe, that euen at the very point of death, when he is now ready to be hanged or to hauehave his head cut of, he ſhould refuſe the Goſpell and ſweete promiſes in Chriſt, which are onelyonly able to bring comforte and ſaluation, and ſhould be commaunded to hope for pardon of his ſinnes, if he willingly and patiently endure that opprobrious death which he ſuffereth for his miſcheuous deedes? What is this els but to heape vponupon him that is already moſt miſerably afflicted, extreme perdition and deſtruction, and through a falſe confidence in his owne death, to ſhew him the ready way to hell?
Hereby theſe hypocrites doe plainely declare, that they neither teache nor vnderſtande one letter or ſyllable concerning grace, the Goſpell, or Chriſt. They retaine onelyonly in outwarde ſhewe the name of the Goſpell and of Chriſt, that they may begile the heartes of the people. Notwithſtanding they denying and reiecting Chriſt in deede, doe attribute more to the traditions of men then to the Goſpell of Chriſt. Which thing to be true, ſo many kindes of falſe worſhippe, ſo many religious orders, ſo many ceremonies, and ſo many wilworkes doe witneſſe: All which things were inſtituted as auailable to deſerue grace, righteouſnes, and euerlaſting life.The maner of Popish confeſſions, In their confeſſions they make no mention of faith or the merite of Chriſt, but teach and ſet forth the ſatiſfactions and merits of men, as it may plainly appeare in this forme of abſolution (I ſpeake nothing here of other matters) which the Monkes vſed among themſelues, yea and ſuch as would be counted more deuout and more religious then others: which I thinke good here to ſette downe, that our poſteritie may ſee howe greate and howe horrible the kingdome of the Pope is.
The forme of a Monkish abſolution.
God forgeue thee, my brother. The merite of the paſſion of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and of bleſſed Saincte Mary alwaies a virgine, and of all the Saincts: the merite of thine order, the ſtreitnes of thy religion, the humilitie of thy confeſſion, the contrition of thy hart, the good workes which thou haſt done and ſhalt doe for the louelove of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, be vntounto thee auaileable for the remiſſion of thy ſinnes, the encreaſe of deſert and grace, and the reward of euerlaſting life. Amen.
Ye heare the merite of Chriſt mencioned in theſe words: but if ye weye them well, ye ſhall perceaue that Chriſt is there altogether vnprofitable, and that the glory and name of a iuſtifier and Sauiour is quite taken from him, and geuen to Monkiſh merites. Is not this to take the name of God in vaine? Is not this to confeſſe Chriſt in wordes, and in very deede to deny his power, and blaſpheme his name? I my ſelfe alſo was once entangled with this errour. I thought Chriſt to be a iudge (although I confeſſed with my mouth that he ſuffered and died for mans redemption) and ought to be pacified by the obſeruation of my rule and order. Therfore when I prayed or when I ſaid Maſſe, I vſed to adde this in the end: O Lord Ieſus, I come vntounto thee, & I pray thee yt theſe burthens and this ſtreitnes of my rule and religion may be a full recompence for all my ſinnes. But now I geue thankes vntounto God ye father of all mercies, which hath called me out of darkenes vntounto ye light of his glorious Goſpell, & hath geuen vntounto me plentifull knowledge of Chriſt Ieſus my lord: for whoſe ſake I coūt al things to be but loſſe, yea I eſteme them but as dunge that I may gaine Chriſt, and that I may be found in him, not hauing mine owne righteouſnes out of the rule of Auguſtine, but that righteouſnes which cometh by faith in Chriſt: VntoUnto whom with the father & the holy ghoſt be praiſe and glory world wtout end. Amen.
Faith vvithout vvorkes.We conclude therefore with Paule, that we are iuſtified by faith onelyonly in Chriſt, without the law. Now, after that a man is once iuſtified and poſſeſſeth Chriſt by faith, and knoweth that he is his righteouſnes and life, doubtles he will not be idle, but as a good tree he wil bring forth good frutes. For the beleuing man hath the holy Ghoſt, and wher the holy Ghoſt dwelleth, it will not ſuffer a man to be idle, but ſtirreth him vp to all exerciſes of pietie and godlines and of true religion, to the louelove of God, to the patient ſuffering of afflictions, to praier, to thankes geuing, to the exerciſe of charitie towards all men.
Hitherto we hauehave handled the firſt argument, wherin Paule contendeth that either we can not be iuſtified by the law, or els that Chriſt muſt needes be the miniſter of ſinne. But this is impoſſible: wherefore we conclude that iuſtification cometh not by the law. Of this place we hauehave largely entreated, as it is well worthy, and yet can it not be caught and ſetforth ſufficiently.