Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 4 · Verse extract 30 – Verse extract 31
Verſe. 30. But vvhat ſayeth the Scripture?Gen. 21.2…. Caſt out the ſeruaunt and her ſonne: For the ſonne of the ſeruaunt shall not be heire vvith the ſonne of the freevvoman.
This word of Sara was very greeuous to Abraham: and, no doubt, when he heard this ſentence, his fatherly bowels were moued wt compaſſion towards his ſonne Iſmael: for he was borne of his fleſh. And this the Scripture plainly witneſſeth, Geneſ. 21. when it ſayeth: And this thing vvas very greeuous in Abrahams ſight, Gen. 21.11.becauſe of his ſonne. God cōfirmed the ſentence of Sara. Gen. 21.12.But God confirmed the ſentence which Sara pronounced, ſaying to Abraham: Let it not be greeuous in thy ſight for the childe and for thy bondvvoman: In all that Sara shall ſay vntounto thee heare her voice: For in Iſaac shall thy Seede be called.
The ſentence pronounced againſt the Iſmalites, is effectuall. &c.The Iſmaelites heare in this place the ſentence pronounced againſt them, which ouerthroweth the Iewes, Grecians, Romanes, and all ſuch other as perſecute the Church of Chriſte. The ſelfe ſame ſentence alſo ſhall ouerthrowe the Papiſtes, and as many as truſt in their owne workes, which at this day boaſt them ſelues to be the people of God and the Church:The vaine hope of hypocrites in condemning others. which alſo truſt that they ſhall ſurely receaue the inheritance, and iudge vsus which reſt vppon the promiſe of God, not onelyonly to be barren and forſaken, but alſo heretikes caſt out of the Church, and that it is impoſſible that we ſhould be ſonnes and heyres. But God ouerthroweth theyr iudgement and pronounceth this ſentence againſt them, that becauſe they are the children of the bondwoman, and perſecute the children of the freewoman:The children of the bondvvoman hauehave no inheritāce vvith the children of the freevvoman. Iohn. 10.35. The vineyard shalbe let out to other huſbandmen. therefore they ſhall be caſt out of the houſe, and ſhall hauehave no inheritaunce with the children of promiſe: to whom onelyonly the inheritaunce belongeth becauſe they are the children of the freewoman. This ſentence is ratified, and can neuer be reuoked: wherefore it ſhall aſſuredly come to paſſe that our Iſmaelites ſhall not onelyonly loſe the Eccleſiaſticall and politike gouernment which now they hauehave, but alſo euerlaſting life. For the Scripture hath foretold that the children of the bondwoman ſhall be caſt out of the houſe, that is to ſay, out of the kingdom of grace: for they can not be heires together with the children of the freewoman.
Now, here is to be noted that the holy Ghoſt calleth the people of the lawe and workes, as it were in contempt, the childe of the bondwoman. As if he ſayd: Why doe ye vaunt of the righteouſnes of the lawe and workes, and why doe ye glory that ye are the people and children of God for the ſame? If ye know not of whom ye are borne, I will tell you. Ye are borne bondſeruauntes of a bondwoman. And what ſeruauntes? The bondſeruauntes of the lawe,They that are borne of the bondvvoman are borne ſeruaunts of the lavve. and conſequently of ſinne of death, and of euerlaſting damnation. Now, a ſeruaunt is no inheritour, but is caſt out of the houſe. Wherfore the Pope with all his kingdom, and all other Iuſticiaries (what outward appearance of holines ſo euer they hauehave) which hope to obtaine grace and ſaluation by the lawe,The Pope and all that ſeeke righteouſnes by vvorkes, are children of the bondvvoman. Philip. 3.19. are ſeruauntes of that bondwoman, and hauehave no inheritaunce with the children of the freewoman. I ſpeake now, not of the Popes, Cardinals, Biſhops & Monks that were manifeſtly wicked, who hauehave made their bellies theyr God, and hauehave committed ſuch horrible ſinnes as I will not willingly name: but of the beſt of them, ſuch I meane as liued holily, and went about through great labour and trauaile by keeping of theyr Monkiſh order, to pacifie the wrath of God, and to merite remiſſion of their ſinnes and euerlaſting life. Theſe heare their ſentence here pronounced, that the ſonnes of the bondwoman muſt be caſt out of the houſe with their mother the bondwoman.
Such ſentences diligently conſidered, make vsus certaine of our doctrine, and confirme vsus in the righteouſnes of Faith,The vvorld embraceth the righteouſnes of vvorks, and condemneth the righteouſnes of Faith. againſt the doctrine and righteouſnes of workes, which the world embraceth and magnifieth, condemning and deſpiſing the other. And this troubleth and offendeth weake conſciences: which albeit they plainly ſee the impietie, the execrable wickednes, and horrible abhominations of the Papiſtes, yet notwithſtanding, they are not eaſily perſwaded, that all the multitude which beareth the name and title of the church doe erre, and that there are but fewe of them which hauehave a ſounde and a right opinion of the doctrine of Faith.A compariſon of the old Papacie, and of the Papacie at this day. And if the Papacie had the ſame holines and auſteritie of life which it had in the time of the auncient fathers, Hierome, Ambroſe, Auguſtine and others, when the Cleargie had not yet ſo euill a name for their Simonie, exceſſe, abundance of riches, diſſolute liuing, voluptuouſnes, whoredome, ſodomitrie and ſuch other infinite abhominations, but liued after the rules and decrees of the fathers religiouſly and holily in outward ſhew, and vnmaried, what could we doe now againſt the Papacie?
The ſingle life which the Cleargye kept very ſtraitly in the time of the fathers, was a goodly thing,The Iuſticiaries make ſuch a shevv of holines, as if they vvere angels and no men. Coloſſ. 2.…. and made of men very Angelles in in the ſight of the world: and therefore Paule in the ſecond Chapiter to the Coloſſians calleth it the religion of Angelles. And the Papiſtes ſing thus of their virgines: He ledde an angelicall life whileſt he liued in the fleſh,The contemplatiue life of Monkes and ſuch other, vvhichwhich ſequeſtred themſelues frō the vvorld and all vvorldly affaires. and yet liued contrary to the fleſh. Moreouer, the life which they call the contemplatiue life (whervnto the clergie men were then very much geuen, vtterly neglecting all ciuile and houſhold gouernmēt) had a goodly ſhew of holines. Wherfore, if that outward ſhew and appearance of the olde Papacie remained at this day, we ſhould peraduenture doe but litle againſt it by our doctrine of Faith, ſeeing we doe now ſo litle preuaile when (that olde ſhew of outward holines and ſeuere diſcipline being vtterly aboliſhed) there is nothing to be ſeene but a very ſinke and puddle of all vices and abhominations.
But admitte the caſe that the olde diſcipline and religion of the Papacie were yet remaining: notwithſtanding we ought by the example of Paule (who vehemently purſued the falſe apoſtles, which outwardly appeared to be very godly and holy men) to fight againſt the Meritmongers of the Papiſticall kingdom, and to ſay: Although ye liue a ſingle life tiering and conſuming your bodies with cōtinuall trauaile, and walking in the humilitie and religion of Angels, yet are ye ſeruauntes of the lawe, of ſinne and of the Deuill, and muſt be caſt out of the houſe: for ye ſeeke righteouſnes and ſaluation by your workes, and not by Chriſte.
Wherefore we ought not ſo much to conſider the wicked life of the Papiſts, as their abhominable doctrine and hypocriſie, againſt the which we ſpecially fight. Let vsus ſuppoſe then that the religion and diſcipline of the olde Papacie doth yet ſtill flouriſh,The deuotion and diſcipline of the old Poperie. No holines of life can be ſet againſt Gods iudgement. and that it is now obſerued with as much ſeueritie and ſtraitnes as euer it was: yet muſt we ſay notwithſtanding: If ye hauehave nothing but this holines and chaſtitie of life to ſette againſt the wrath and iudgement of God, ye are in very deede the ſonnes of the bondwoman, which muſt be caſt out of the kingdom of heauen and be damned.
The Papiſtes at this day do not defend their vvicked life, but their doctrine.And now, they themſelues doe not defend their wicked life: nay rather they which are the beſt and the ſoundeſt of them all doe deteſt it: but they fight for the maintenaunce and defence of the doctrine of Deuils, for hypocriſie, and for the righteouſnes of workes. Here they alledge the authoritie of Councels and the examples of holy fathers, whom they affirme to hauehave bene the authors of their holy orders and ſtatutes. Therefore we fight not againſt the manifeſt wickednes & abhominations of the Papacie, but againſt the greateſt holines & holieſt Saincts therof, which thinke they lead an angelicall life, whileſt they dreame that they kepe not only ye cōmaundements of God, but alſo the counſels of Chriſt, and doe workes of ſuperogation,The Papiſts diuide the Goſpell into precepts and coū ſels. The precepts they are boūd to kepe (ſay they) but not the counſels, and therfore if they kepe them, it is a vvorke of ſuperogation, that is, more then nedeth. & ſuch as they are not bound to doe. This we ſay is to labour in vaine, except they take hold of that onelyonly and alone, which Chriſt ſaith is onelyonly neceſſary, and chooſe the good part with Marie, which ſhall not be taken from them.
This did Bernard, a man ſo godly, ſo holy and ſo chaſt, that he is to be commended & preferred aboue them all. He being once greuouſly ſicke, and hauing no hope of life, put not his truſt in his ſingle life wherin he had liued moſt chaſtly, nor in his good workes and deedes of charitie whereof he had done many: but remoued them farre out of his ſight, and receauing the benefite of Chriſt by Faith, he ſayd: *I hauehave liued wickedly. But thou Lord Ieſus Chriſt, by double right doeſt poſſeſſe the kingdom of heauen: Firſt,Bernards confeſſion. becauſe thou art the ſonne of God: Secondly, becauſe thou haſt purchaſed it by thy death & paſſion. The firſt thou keepeſt for thy ſelfe by thy birthright. The ſecond thou geueſt to me, not by the right of my workes, but by the right of grace. He ſet not againſt the wrath of God his Monkerie nor his angelicall life: but he tooke hold of that one thing which was neceſſary, and ſo was ſaued. I thinke that Hierome, Gregorie, and many other fathers were ſaued after the ſame ſorte. And it is not to be doubted but that alſo in the olde Teſtament many Kings of Iſraell and other Idolaters were ſaued in like maner, who at the houre of death, caſting away their vaine truſt which they had in Idolles, tooke holde of the promiſſe of God, which was made vntounto the Seede of Abraham, that is to ſay, Chriſte in whom all nations ſhould be bleſſed. And if there be any of the Papiſts which ſhall be ſaued, they muſt ſimplie leane, not to their owne good deedes and deſertes, but to the mercy of God offred vntounto vsus in Chriſt, & ſay with Paule:Phil. 3.9. I hauehave not mine ovvne righteouſnes vvhichwhich is of the lavve, but that vvhichwhich is by Faith in Chriſte.
Verſe. 31. Then brethern vve are not children of the ſeruaunt, but of the freevvoman.
Paule here concludeth his allegorie of the barren church, and of the frutefull people of the lawe.The children of the bondvvoman are vnderunder the lavv. We are not (ſayth he) the children of the bondwoman: that is to ſay, we are not vnderunder the lawe which begetteth vntounto bondage, that is, which terrifieth, accuſeth and bringeth to deſperation: but we are deliuered from it by Chriſte: Therefore it can not terrifie nor condemne vsus. Of this we hauehave ſpoken enough before. Moreouer,The children of the bondvvoman shall at length be caſt out. Math. 25.29. although the ſonnes of the bondwoman doe perſecute vsus neuer ſo much for a time, yet this is our comfort, that they ſhall be compelled to leaue the enheritance vntounto vsus, which belongeth vntounto vsus that are the ſonnes of the freewoman, and ſhall at length be caſt into vtter darknes.
Paule therefore by theſe wordes [bondwoman and freewoman] tooke occaſion (as we hauehave heard) to reiect the righteouſnes of the lawe, and to confirme the doctrine of Iuſtification. And of purpoſe he taketh hold of this word [freewoman] vehemently vrging and amplifying the ſame, eſpecially in the beginning of the chapter folowing. Whervpon he taketh occaſion to reaſon of Chriſtian libertie: ye knowledge whereof is very neceſſary. For the Pope hath in a maner quite ouerthrowne it, and made the Church ſubiect to mans traditions and ceremonies, and to a moſt miſerable and filthie bondage. That libertie which is purchaſed by Chriſt, is vntounto vsus at this day a moſt ſtrong fort and munition wherby we defend our ſelues againſt the tyrannie of the Pope. Wherfore we muſt diligently conſider this doctrine of Chriſtian libertie, as well to confirme the doctrine of iuſtification, as alſo to raiſe vppe and comfort weake conſciences againſt ſo many troubles & offences, which our aduerſaries doe impute vntounto the Goſpell. Now, Chriſtian libertie is a very ſpirituall thing,Chriſtian libertie. Rom. 9.23. which the carnall man doth not vnderſtand. Yea they which hauehave the firſt frutes of the ſpirite, and can talke well therof, doe very hardly retaine it in their heart. It ſeemeth to reaſon that it is a matter of ſmall importance. Therefore if ye holy Ghoſt do not magnifie it, & adde a waight vntounto it, it is contēned.
The fifth Chapter.
PAVLE now drawing towardes the ende of his Epiſtle, diſputeth very vehemētly in defence of the doctrine of Faith and Chriſtian libertie, againſt the falſe apoſtles, the enemies and deſtroyers of the ſame: againſt whom he caſteth out very thundring wordes, to beate them downe and vtterly to vanquiſh them.Paule trieth eueryevery vvay to kepe the Galathians in the liberty of the Goſpell. And therewithall he exhorteth the Galathians to flie their pernicious doctrine as a dangerous poyſon. In his exhortation he intermingleth threatnings and promiſes, trying eueryevery way that he may kepe them in that libertie which Chriſt had purchaſed for them, ſaying: