Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 4 · Verse extract 17 – Verse extract 18
Ver. 17. They vvould exclude you, that you shuld altogether louelove thē.
As if he ſayd: True it is, that they are very zealous towards you,The zeale of the falſe apoſtles. but by this meanes they ſeeke that ye againe ſhould be zelous towards them, and reiect me. If their zeale were ſincere and godly, then ſurely they would be content that I alſo ſhould be beloued of you as well as they. But they hate our doctrine, and therfore their deſire is to hauehave it vtterly ouerthrowne, & their owne preached amongſt you. Now, to yt ende they might bring this to paſſe, they goe about by this ielouſie to plucke your hearts from me, & to make me odious vntounto you: to ye ende that when ye hauehave conceiued an hatred againſt me & my doctrine, and turned your affection & zeale towards them, ye ſhould louelove them onelyonly, & receiue no other doctrine but theirs. Thus he bringeth the falſe apoſtles into ſuſpition among the Galathians, ſhewing that by this goodly pretence they goe about to deceiue them. So our Sauiour Chriſte alſo warneth vsus, ſaying: Take heede of falſe prophets, Math. 7.15.vvhichwhich come to you in sheepes clothing.
Paule ſuffred ye ſame tentation which we ſuffer at this day. He was maruelouſly troubled wt this enormitie,Many euils folovved Paules doctrine, notvvithſtanding that it vvas godly and holy. that after the preaching of his doctrine which was diuine & holy, he ſaw ſo many ſects, commotiōs, diſſipations of common weales, chaūges of kingdoms and ſuch other like things to enſue, which were the cauſe of infinite euils & offences. He was accuſed of ye Iewes to be a pernicious felow, a mouer of ſedition in his whole nation,Actes. 24.5. and to be an author of the ſecte of the Nazarites. As if they had ſayd: This is a ſeditious and a blaſphemous fellow: for he preacheth ſuch things wherby he not onelyonly ouerthroweth ye Iewiſh common wealth excellently well ordred and ſtabliſhed by the lawes of God: but alſo aboliſheth euen the ten commaundements, the religion and ſeruice of God, and our prieſthoode and publiſheth thorow out the world the Goſpell (as he calleth it): whereof are ſprong infinite euilles, ſeditions, offences, and ſectes. He is compelled to heare of ye Gentiles alſo which cried out againſt him in Philippi,Actes. 16.20.21. that he was a troubler of their Citie, and preached ordinaūces which were not lawfull for them to receaue. &c.
Such troubles of common weales and other calamities, as famine,The Ievves imputed all euils to the doctrine of the Apoſtles. warres, diſſenſions and Sects, ye Iewes and Gentiles imputed to the doctrine of Paule and of the other Apoſtles: and therefore they perſecuted them as cōmō plages, & enemies of ye publike peace & religion. The Apoſtles notwtſtanding all this did not ceaſe to doe their office, but moſt conſtantly preached & confeſſed Chriſt. For they knew yt they ſhould rather obey God then men: and that it was better that the whole world ſhould be troubled & in an vprore,Actes. 5.29. then that Chriſt ſhould not be preached, or that one ſoule ſhould be neglected and periſh.
In the meane time it was (no dout) a heauy croſſe to the Apoſtles to ſee theſe offences: for they were not made of iron. It was a wonderfull greefe vntounto them that that people for whoſe ſakes Paule wiſhed to be ſeparate from Chriſt, ſhould periſh with all their ornaments. They ſaw that great tumultes & chaunges of kingdoms ſhould follow theyr doctrine.Rom. 9.3. The Apoſtles vvere the beholders of great euils, not vvithout their great griefe. And (which was more bitter vntounto them then death it ſelf, but ſpecially to Paule) they ſawe that euen amongs them there ſprang vp many Sectes. It was heauy newes to Paule, when he heard that the Corinthians denied the reſurrection of the dead: when he heard that the churches which were planted by his miniſtery were troubled, that the Goſpell was ouerthrowne by the falſe apoſtles, and that all Aſia was reuolted from his doctrine, and certaine great perſonages.
But he knew that his doctrine was not ye cauſe of theſe offences and Sects,The conſolation of Paule. and therfore he was not diſcouraged: he forſoke not his vocation, but went forward, knowing that ye Goſpel which he preached was ye power of God to ſaluation to all that beleue,Rom. 1.16. howſoeuer it ſeemed to ye Iewes & Gētiles to be a foliſh & offenſiue doctrine.1. Cor. 1.23. He knew that they are bleſſed which are not offended by this word of the croſſe, whether they be teachers or hearers, as Chriſt hīſelf ſayth: Bleſſed is he vvhichwhich is not offended in me. Math. 11.6.Contrariwiſe he knew that they were condemned, which iudged this doctrine to be fooliſh & hereticall. Therfore he ſayth as Chriſte ſaid of the Iewes and Gentiles which were offended wt this doctrine:Math. 15.14. All the troubles vvhichwhich are at this day the vvorld layeth vntounto Luthers charge. Let thē alone, they are blind, & leaders of the blind.
We alſo are conſtrained at this day to heare the ſame ſpoken of vsus, which was ſayd of Paule & the other Apoſtles: to witte, that ye doctrine of the Goſpel which we profeſſe, is the cauſe of many & great enormities, as of ſeditions, warres, ſects and innumerable offences. Yea they impute vntounto vsus al the troubles which are at this day. Surely we teach no hereſies or wicked doctrine, but we preach ye glad tidings cōcernīg Chriſt, that he is our high Prieſt & our Redemer. Moreouer, our aduerſaries are conſtrained (if they will confeſſe the truth) to graunt vsus this, that we hauehave geuen no occaſion through our doctrine, of ſeditiōs, warres, or tumults: but alwayes hauehave taught that honour & reuerence muſt be geuen to the Magiſtrate, becauſe God hath ſo commaunded. Neither are we ye authors of offences: but in that the wicked are offended, the fault is in thēſelues and not in vsus. God hath cōmaunded vsus to preach the doctrine of the Goſpell without any reſpect of offence. But becauſe this doctrine condemneth the wicked doctrine and idolatrie of our aduerſaries, they being prouoked thereby, breede offences of thē ſelues, which the Schoolemen called offences taken,Offence tak… which they ſayd ought not to be auoided, nor can be auoided.
Chriſt taught the Goſpell, hauing no regard to the offence of the Iewes. Suffer thē (ſayth he): they are blinde, & leaders of the blinde. Math. 15.14. Actes. 4.31. Acts. 2.21.36. Actes. 2.36. Actes. 4.12.The more the prieſts forbad ye Apoſtles to preach in ye name of Chriſt, the more the Apoſtles gaue witneſſe that the ſame Ieſus whom they had crucified, is both Lord and Chriſte: and vvhoſoeuer should call vponupon him, should be ſaued: and that there vvas none other name geuen vntounto men vnderunder heauē through vvhichwhich they could be ſaued. &c.
Euen ſo we preach Chriſt at this day,The cōplaints of the aduerſaries againſt the doctrine of the goſpell. not regarding the clamours of the wicked Papiſts and all our aduerſaries: which crie out that our doctrine is ſeditious and full of blaſphemie, that it troubleth common weales, ouerthroweth religion, and teacheth hereſies, and briefly that it is the cauſe of all euils. When Chriſte and his Apoſtles preached,Iohn. 11.48. the ſame was ſayde likewiſe of them. Not long after, the Romanes came, and according to their owne propheſie, deſtroyed both the place and ye nation. Wherfore let the enemies of the Goſpel at this day take heede that they be not ouerwhelmed with theſe euils, which they propheſie vntounto themſelues.
Theſe they make greeuous and hainous offences,The Papiſtes iuſtifie their ovvne horrible ſinnes, and condemne our good deedes. that Monks and prieſts doe marry wiues, that we eate fleſh vponupon the fridayes, and ſuch like. But this is no offence to them at al, that by their wicked doctrine they ſeduce & daily deſtroy innumerable ſoules, yt by their euill examples they offend the weake, that they blaſpheme & condemne ye goſpell of the glory of the mighty God, and that they perſecute and kil thoſe ye louelove the ſinceritie of doctrine & the word of life: this (I ſay) is to them no offence, but an obedience, a ſeruice and an acceptable ſacrifice vntounto God.Math. 15.14. Apoc. 22.11. Let vsus …er them therfore: For they are blinde, and leaders of the blinde. He that hurteth, let him hurt ſtill, and he that is filthie, let him be more filthie. But we, becauſe we beleue, will ſpeake and ſette forth the wonderful works of the Lord ſo long as we hauehave breath, and wil endure ye perſecutiōs of our aduerſaries vntill the time that Chriſt our high Biſhop and King ſhall come from heauen, who we hope will come ſhortly as a iuſt iudge to take vengeaunce of all thoſe that obey not his Goſpell.1. Theſ. 1.8. So be it.
With theſe offences which the wicked alledge, the godly are nothing moued: For they know that the Deuill hateth nothing more then the pure doctrine of the Goſpel,The Deuil defaceth the goſpell vvith infinite offences. & therefore he goeth about to deface it wt innumerable offences, that by this meanes he might roote it out of mens heartes for euer. Before, when nothing elſe was taught in the church but mans traditions, the Deuil did not ſo rage. For whileſt the ſtrong man kept the houſe, all that he poſſeſſed was in peace: but now when a ſtronger cometh which vanquiſheth and bindeth that ſtrong one and ſpoileth his houſe,Luke. 11.21.22. then he beginneth to rage in deede. And this is an infallible token, that the doctrine which we profeſſe is of God.Iob. 40.16. For elſe (as it is ſayd in ye 40. of Iob) that Behemoth vvould lie hid vnderunder the trees in the couert of the reede and fennes. But now, that he rangeth about like a roring Lion & ſtirreth vp ſuch hurly burleis,1. Pet. 5.8. it is a manifeſt token that he feeleth ye power of our preaching.
When Paule ſayth: They are ielous ouer you, but amiſſe, he ſheweth by the way who are the authors of ſectes: to witte, thoſe ielous ſpirits which in all times ouerthrow the true doctrine,Zelous ſpirits vvithous knovvledge, are the authors of Sectes. and trouble the publike peace. For theſe being ſtirred vp wt a peruerſe zeale, imagine that they hauehave a certaine ſinguler holines, modeſtie, patience and doctrine aboue others, & therfore they thinke that they are able to prouide for ye ſaluation of all men, yt they can teach more profound & profitable things, ordaine better ſeruice & ceremonies then all other teachers beſides: whom they deſpiſe as nothing in cōpariſon of themſelues, and abaſe their authority, and corrupt thoſe things which they hauehave purely taught. The falſe apoſtles had ſuch a wicked & peruerſe zeale, ſtirring vp ſects, not onelyonly in Galatia, but alſo in all ye places wherſoeuer Paul & the other Apoſtles had preached: after the which ſectes folowed innumerable offences & maruelous troubles. For the Deuil (as Chriſt ſayth) is a lier and a murtherer, Iohn. 8.44.and therefore he is wont, not onelyonly to trouble mens conſciences by falſe doctrine, but alſo to ſtirre vppe tumultes, ſeditions and warres.
There are very many in Germanie at this day which are poſſeſſed with this kinde of ielouſie: which pretend great religion, modeſty, doctrine & patience, and yet in very deede they are rauening wolues:Math. 7.15. who with their hypocriſie ſeeke nothing elſe but to diſcredite vsus, that the people might eſteme, louelove, and reuerence them onelyonly, and receaue no other doctrine but theirs. Now, becauſe theſe men hauehave a great opinion of them ſelues & deſpiſe other, it can not be but that there muſt needes folow horrible diſſentions, ſectes, diuiſions and ſeditions. But what ſhould we doe? We can not remedy this matter: as Paule could not doe in hi time. Notwithſtanding he gained ſome which obeyed his admonitions. So I hope alſo that we hauehave called ſome backe from the errours of the Sectaries.
Verſe. 18. But it is a good thing to louelove earneſtly alvvayes in a good thing, and not onelyonly vvhen I am preſent vvith you.
As if he ſhould ſay: I commend you for this, that ye loued me ſo entirely when I preached the Goſpel amongſt you in the infirmitie of ye fleſh. Ye ought to hauehave borne ye ſame affection towards me now whē I am abſent, euē as if I had neuer departed from you. For although I be abſent in body, yet hauehave ye my doctrine, which ye ought to retain & maintain, ſeeing ye receiued ye holy ghoſt through it: thinking wt your ſelues that Paule is alwaies preſent wt you as long as ye hauehave his doctrine. I do not therfore reprehend your zeale, but I praiſe it, & ſo farre forth I praiſe it, as it is the zeale of God or of the ſpirite,The zeale of the ſpirit, and the zeale of the flesh. and not of the fleſh. Now, the zeale of the ſpirite is alwayes good: for it is an earneſt affection and motion of the heart to a good thing, and ſo is not ye zeale of the fleſh. He commendeth therfore the zeale of the Galathians, that therby he may pacifie their mindes, and that they may patiently ſuffer his correction. As if he would ſay: Take my correction in good parte: for it procedeth not of an angrie but of a ſorrowfull heart and careful for your ſaluation.A liuely picture of a faith full paſtor. This is a liuely example to teach all miniſters how to be careful for their ſheepe, and to aſſay eueryevery way, that by chiding, faire ſpeaking or entreating, they may reteine them in ſound doctrine, and turne them from ſubtill ſeducers and falſe teachers.