Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 3 · Verse extract 15 – Verse extract 16
Verſe. 15. Brethern, I ſpeake according to man: Though it be but a mans couenaunt vvhen it is confirmed, yet no man doth abrogate it, or addeth any thing therto.
After this principall & inuincible argument Paule addeth an other grounded vponupon ye ſimilitude of a mans Teſtament: which ſemeth to be very weake, and ſuch as the Apoſtle ought not to vſe for the confirmation of a matter of ſo great importance. For in high and waightie matters,Humaine things muſt be confirmed by diuine things,, and not contrarivviſe diuine things by humaine things. we ought to confirme earthly things by diuine things, & not diuine and heauenly things by earthly and worldly things. And in deede it is true ye theſe arguments of all other are moſt weake, when we goe about to proue and confirme heauenly matters wt earthly and corruptible things as Scotus is wont to doe. A man (ſayth he) is able to louelove God aboue all things, for he loueth him ſelf aboue all things: therfore much more is he able to louelove God aboue all things. For a good thing the greater it is, the more it is to be loued. And hereof he inferreth that a man is able, ex puris naturalibus: that is to ſay, euen of his owne pure natural ſtrength, eaſily to fulfil that high commaundement: Thou shalt louelove the Lord thy God vvith all thy heart. &c. For (ſayth he) a man is able to louelove ye leaſt good thing aboue all thīgs: yea he ſetteth at naught his life (of all other things moſt deare vntounto him) for a litle vile money: Therfore he can much more doe it for Gods cauſe.
Ye hauehave oftentimes heard of me, yt ciuill ordinaunces are of God: for God hath ordained them and alloweth them, as he doth ye Sunne, the Moone, & other creatures. Therfore an argument taken of the ordinance or of the creatures of God, is good, ſo yt we vſe the ſame rightly.An argument taken from Gods creatures holdeth. So the Prophets hauehave very often vſed ſimilitudes and compariſons taken of creatures, calling Chriſt the Sunne, the Church the Mone, the preachers & teachers of the word the Starres. Alſo there are many ſimilitudes in the Prophets, of trees, thornes, flowers, and frutes of the earth.The often vſe of ſimilitudes in the holy ſcriptures. The new Teſtament likewiſe is full of ſuch ſimilitudes. Therfore where Gods ordināce is in the creature, there may an argument be wel borrowed and applied to diuine and heauenly things.
So our Sauiour Chriſt in Mat. 7. argueth frō earthly thīgs to heauē ly things,Math. 7.11. whē he ſayth: If ye then vvhichwhich are euil cā geue to your children good gifts, hovv much more shall your Father vvhichwhich is in heauē geue good things to them that aske him? Likewiſe Paule: We muſt obey men: therfore much more muſt we obey God. Ieremie alſo in the 53. chap: The Rhecabites obeyed their Father: Rom 13. Ierems. 3….16.hovv much more ought ye to hauehave obeyed me? Now theſe things are appoynted of God, and are his ordinaunces, that Fathers ſhould geue vntounto their children,VVhen arguing from huma…ne things is of force. & that children ſhould obey their parents. Therfore ſuch maner of arguments are good when they are grounded vponupon ye ordinaūce of God. But if they be taken from mens corrupt affections, they are naught.VVhen it is not of force. Such is the argument of Scotus: I louelove the leſſer good thing, therfore I louelove the greater more. I deny the conſequence. For my louing is not Gods ordinaunce, but a deuilliſh corruption. In deede it ſhould be ſo, that I louing my ſelfe or an other creature, ſhould much more louelove God the creatour: but it is not ſo.Our louelove is corrupted. For the louelove wherwith I louelove my ſelfe, is corrupt and againſt God.
This I ſay leſt any man ſhould cauill yt an argument taken of corruptible things, & applied to diuine and ſpirituall matters, is nothing worth. For this argument (as I hauehave ſayd) is ſtrōg enough, ſo that we ground the ſame vponupon the ordinaunce of God, as we ſee in this argumēt which we hauehave in hand. For ye ciuil law which is an ordinaunce of God,The teſtament of a mā is not chaunged. ſayth yt it is not lawfull to breake or to chaunge the teſtament of a man. Yea it commaundeth that the laſt will or teſtament of a man be ſtraitly kept: For that it is one of the holieſt & moſt laudable cuſtomes yt are among men. Now therefore vppon this cuſtome of mans Teſtament Paule argueth after this maner: How cometh it to paſſe that mā is obeyed and not God? Political and ciuill ordinaūces, as concerning Teſtaments and other things, are diligently kept. There nothing is chaūged, nothing is added or taken away.Gods Teſtament is chaū ged. But the Teſtament of God is chaunged: that is to ſay, his promiſe concerning the ſpiritual Bleſſing, that is, concerning heauenly and euerlaſting things, which the whole world ought not onelyonly to receaue with great zeale and affection: but alſo ought moſt religiouſly to reuerence and honour. This perſuadeth vehemently, when we ſo argue from the examples and lawes of men. Therfore he ſayth: I ſpeake after the maner of men: that is to ſay, I bring vntounto you a ſimilitude taken of the cuſtome and maner of men. As if he ſhould ſay:A Teſtament or laſt vvill is confirmed by the death of him that maketh it. The teſtaments of men and ſuch other corruptible things are ſtreitly executed, and that which the lawe commaundeth is diligently obſerued and kept. For when a man maketh his laſt wil, bequeathing his lands and goods to his heires and therupon dieth, this laſt wil is confirmed and ratified by the death of the Teſtator, ſo yt nothing may nowe be either added to it, or taken from it, according to all law & equitie. Now, if a mās wil be kept wt ſo great fibelity, yt nothīg is added to it or taken from it after his death:The Teſtamēt of God ought to be kept vvith greater fidelitie then mans Teſtament. how much more ought the laſt Wil of God to be faithfully kept, which he promiſed and gaue vntounto Abraham and his ſeede after him? For when Chriſt died, then was it confirmed in him, and after his death the writing of his laſt Teſtament was opened: that is to ſay, ye promiſed Bleſſing of Abraham was preached amonge all nations diſperſed throughout the whole world. This was yt laſt Wil and Teſtament of God the great Teſtatour confirmed by the death of Chriſt:The Teſtamēt o… laſt VVill of God. therfore no man ought to chaunge it or to adde any thing to it, as they that teach the law and mans traditions doe. For they ſay, vnleſſe thou be circumciſed, kepe the law do, many workes, & ſuffer many things, thou cāſt not be ſaued. This is not the laſt Will or Teſtament of God. For he ſaid not vntounto Abraham: if thou doe this or that, thou ſhalt obtaine the Bleſſing: or they yt be circumciſed & keepe the law ſhall obtaine the ſame: but he ſaith, In thy ſeede shall all the nations of the earth be bleſſed. As if he ſhould ſay: I of meere mercye doe promiſe vntounto thee, ye Chriſt ſhall come of thy ſeede, who ſhall bring the Bleſſing vponupon all nations oppreſſed with ſinne and death: that is to ſay, which ſhall deliuer the nations from the euerlaſting Curſe: to wit, from ſinne & death, receauīg this promiſe by faith: In thy ſeede &c Wherefore, euen as the falſe Apoſtles were in time paſt, ſo are all the Papiſtes and Iuſticiaries at this day peruerters and deſtroyers,VVho are the deſtroyers of Gods Teſtament. not of mans Teſtament (becauſe they are forbidden by ye law): but of Gods Teſtamēt, whom they feare nothing at all, although he be a conſuming fier.The nature of hypocrites. For ſuch is ye nature of all hypocrites, that they will obſerue mans law exactely: but the lawes of God they doe deſpiſe, and moſt wickedly tranſgreſſe. But the time ſhall come when they ſhall beare an horrible iudgement, and ſhall feele what it is to contemne and peruerte the Teſtament of God. This argument then grounded vponupon the ordinaūce of God, is ſtrong enough.
Verſe. 16. Novv to Abraham and his ſeede vvere the promiſes made. He ſaith not: And to the Seedes, as ſpeaking of many: but and to thy Seede, as of one vvhichwhich is Chriſt.
Here by a newe name he calleth the promiſes of God made vntounto Abraham concerninge Chriſte that ſhoulde bringe the Bleſſinge vntounto all nations,Paule calleth the promiſe a Teſtament. a Teſtament. And in deede the promiſe is nothinge elſe but a Teſtament, not yet reuealed, but ſealed vppe. Nowe, a Teſtament is not a lawe, but a donation or free gifte. For heires looke not for lawes, exactions, or any burdens to be laide vponupon them by the Teſtament, but they looke for the inheritaunce confirmed thereby.
Firſt of all therefore he expoundeth the wordes: Afterwardes he applieth the ſimilitude, and ſtandeth vponupon this worde Seede. There were no lawes geuen vntounto Abraham (ſaith he), but a Teſtament was made and deliuered vntounto him: that is to ſay, the promiſes were pronounced vntounto him as touching the ſpirituall Bleſſing: therefore ſomewhat was promiſed and geuen vntounto him.The Teſtamēt of man is a shadovve of Gods Teſtament. If then the Teſtament of a man be kept, why ſhoulde not rather the Teſtament of God be kept? whereof the Teſtament of man is but a ſhadowe? Againe, if we will keepe the ſignes, why doe we not rather keepe the things which they ſignifie?
Now, the promiſes are made vntounto him, not in all the Iewes, or in many Seedes, but in one Seede, which is Chriſt. The Iewes will not receaue this interpretation of Paule: For they ſay, that the ſingular number is here put for the plurall, one for many. But we gladly receaue this meaning and interpretation of Paule, who oftentimes repeteth this worde Seede, and expoundeth this Seede to be Chriſt:Chriſt the Seede promiſed to Abraham. and this he doth with a true Apoſtolicall ſpirite. Let the Iewes deny it as much as they will: we notwithſtanding hauehave argumentes ſtronge enough, which Paule hath before reherſed, which alſo confirme this thinge, and they can not deny them. Hitherto, as touching the ſimilitude of Gods ordinaunce, that is to ſay: of mans Teſtament. Now he expoundeth and amplifieth the ſame.