Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 5 · Verse extract 3
Verſe. 3. For I teſtifie againe vntounto eueryevery man vvhichwhich is circumciſed, that he is bound to kepe the vvhole lavve.
The firſt inconuenience is in deede very great, where Paule ſayth that Chriſte profiteth them nothing which are circumciſed: and this that foloweth is nothing leſſe, where he fayth that they which are circumciſed, are bound to keepe ye whole law. He ſpeaketh theſe words wt ſuch earneſtnes, that he confirmeth them with an oth. I teſtifie, that is to ſay, I ſweare by ye liuing God. But theſe wordes may be expounded two wayes, negatiuely and affirmatiuely. Negatiuely after this maner. I teſtifie vntounto eueryevery man which is circumciſed that he is bound to kepe the whole lawe,The doers of the lavve doe not the lavve. that is to ſay, that he performeth no peece of the law: yea that in the very worke of circumciſion he is not circumciſed, and euen in the fulfilling of the law he fulfilleth it not, but trāſgreſſeth it. And this ſeemeth to me to be the ſimple and true meaning of Paule in this place.Verſe. 12. Afterwardes in the .6. Chapter he expoundeth him ſelfe, ſaying: They themſelues vvhichwhich are circumciſed, keepe not the lavv. So he ſayth alſo before in the third Chapter.Verſe. 10. VVhoſoeuer are of the vvorkes of the lavve are vnderunder the curſe. As if he ſayd: Although ye be circumciſed, yet are ye not righteous and free from the lawe, but by this deede ye are rather detters and bondſeruauntes of the lawe: And the more ye goe about to ſatiſfie the lawe, and to be ſette free from it, the more ye intangle and ſnare your ſelues in the yoke thereof, ſo that it hath more power to accuſe and condemne you. This is to goe backward like the crabbe, and to waſh away filth with filth.
And this which I ſay by occaſion of Paules words, I hauehave learned both in my ſelfe and others. I hauehave ſeene many which hauehave painfully trauailed, and vppon mere conſcience hauehave done as much as was poſſible for them to doe, in faſting, in prayer, in wearing of heare, in puniſhing and tormenting their bodies with ſundry exerciſes (whereby at length they muſt needes hauehave vtterly conſumed them,The conſciēce is not quieted and pacified vvith the obſeruation of mans traditions. yea although they had ben made of iron), and all to this end that they might obtaine quietnes and peace of conſcience: notwithſtanding, the more they trauailed, the more they were ſtricken down wt feare, & ſpecially when the houre of death approched they were ſo fearfull, that I hauehave ſeene many murtherers and other male factours condemned to death, dying more couragiouſly then they did: which notwithſtanding had liued very holily.
Therefore it is moſt true, that they which doe the lawe, doe it not: For the more they goe about to fulfill the lawe, the more they tranſgreſſe it. Euen ſo we ſay and iudge of mens traditions. The more a man ſtriueth to pacifie his conſcience therby, the more he troubleth and tormenteth it. When I was a Monke, I endeuored as much as was poſſible, to liue after the ſtreit rule of mine Order. I was wont to ſhriue my ſelfe with great deuotion, and to recken vp all my ſinnes (yet being alwayes very contrite before): and I returned to confeſſion very often, and throughly performed the penaunce that was enioyned vntounto me: Yet for all this my conſcience could neuer be fully certified, but was alwayes in doubt, and ſayd: This or that thou haſt not done rightly: thou waſt not contrite and ſorrowfull inough: this ſinne thou diddeſt omitte in thy confeſſion, &c. Therefore the more I went about to helpe my weake, wauering and afflicted conſcience by mens traditiōs, the more weake and doubtfull, and the more afflicted I was. And thus, the more I obſerued mens traditions, the more I tranſgreſſed them, and in ſeeking after righteouſnes by mine Order, I could neuer attaine vntounto it. For it is impoſſible (as Paule ſayeth) that the conſcience ſhould be pacified by the workes of the lawe, and much leſſe by mens traditions, without the promiſe and glad tidings concerning Chriſte.
Wherfore they that ſeeke to be iuſtified and quickned by the law, are much further of from righteouſnes and life, then the Publicanes, ſinners and harlots. For they can not truſt to their owne works, ſeing they be ſuch, for the which they can not hope to obtaine grace and ſorgeuenes of ſinnes.Confidence in vvorks vtterly taketh avvay Faith, or at leaſt hindreth it in vsus. For if righteouſnes & works done according to the lawe doe not iuſtifie, how can ſinnes iuſtifie which are committed contrary to the lawe? Therefore in this poynt they are in farre better caſe then the Iuſticiaries: for they hauehave no affiance in theyr owne workes: which greatly hindreth true Faith in Chriſte, if it doe not vtterly take it away. Contrariwiſe the Iuſticiaries which abſtaine outwardly from ſinnes, and liue holily and without blame in the ſight of the world, can not be without the opinion of their owne righteouſnes, with the which true Faith in Chriſte can not ſtande: And for this cauſe they be more miſerable then Publicanes and harlotes,Iuſticiaries & meritmongers vvill be recō penſed for their vvorkes vvith euerlaſting life. who offer not their good workes to God in his diſpleaſure, that for the ſame he may recompence them with euerlaſting life (as the Iuſticiaries doe) for they hauehave none to offer: but deſire that their ſinnes may be pardoned for Chriſtes ſake, &c.
He that receaueth Moiſes in one poynt, muſt receaue him in all.The other expoſition is affirmatiue: He that is circumciſed, is alſo bound to kepe the whole law. For he that receaueth Moſes in one poynt, muſt of neceſſitie receaue him in all. And it nothing helpeth to ſay: that circumciſion is neceſſary, and not the reſt of Moiſes lawes. For by the ſame reaſon that thou art bound to keepe circumciſion, thou art alſo bound to kepe the whole lawe. Now, to be bound to kepe the whole lawe, is nothing elſe but to ſhew in effecte, that Chriſte is not yet come. If this be true, then are we bound to kepe all the Iewiſh ceremonies and lawes touching meates, places and times: and Chriſte muſt be looked for as yet to come, that he may aboliſh the Iewiſh kingdom and prieſthoode, and ſette vppe a new kingdom thorowout the whole world. But the whole Scripture witneſſeth, and the ſequele thereof plainely declareth that Chriſte is already come, that by his death he hath redemed mankinde, that he hath aboliſhed the lawe, and that he hath fulfilled all things which all the Prophetes hauehave foretolde of him. Therefore the lawe being cleane aboliſhed and quite taken away, he hath geuen vntounto vsus grace and truth. It is not then the lawe nor the workes thereof, but it is Faith in Ieſus Chriſte, that maketh a man righteous.
Some would binde vsus at thys day to certaine of Moiſes lawes that like them beſt, as the falſe apoſtles would hauehave done at that time. But this is in no wiſe to be ſuffered. For if we geue Moiſes leaue to rule ouer vsus in any thing, we are bound to obey him in all things. Wherefore we will not be burdened with any law of Moiſes. We graunt that he is to be redde amongſt vsus,Chriſtians are free from the policie of Moiſes, as touching their conſcience. and to be heard as a Prophet and a witneſſe bearer of Chriſte: and moreouer, that out of him we may take good examples of good lawes and holy maners. But we will not ſuffer him in any wife to to hauehave dominion ouer our conſcience. In this caſe lette him be deade and buried, and lette no man know where his graue is.Deut. 34.
The former expoſition: that is to ſay, the negatiue ſeemeth to me to be more apte and more ſpirituall: notwythſtanding both are good, and both doe condemne the righteouſnes of the lawe. The firſt is, that we are ſo farre from obtaining righteouſnes of the lawe, that the more we goe about to accompliſh the law, the more we tranſgreſſe the lawe: The ſecond is: that he which will performe any peece of the lawe, is bound to kepe the whole lawe: To conclude, that Chriſte profiteth them nothing at all that will be iuſtified by the lawe.
Hereby it appeareth that Paule meaneth nothing elſe, but that the lawe is a plaine deniall of Chriſte. Now,They that ſeke to be iuſtified by the lavve, deny Chriſt. it is a wonderfull thing that Paule dare affirme, that the lawe of Moiſes which was geuen by God to the people of Iſraell, is a deniall of Chriſte. Why then did God geue it? Before the comming of Chriſte, and before his manifeſtation in the fleſh, the lawe was neceſſary. For the lawe is our Schoolemaſter to bring vsus vntounto Chriſte. But now that Chriſte is reuealed, in that we beleue in him,Gal. 3.14. we are no longer vnderunder the Scholemaſter. Hereof we hauehave ſpoken largely enough before in the ende of the third Chapter. Who ſo teacheth then, that the lawe is neceſſary to righteouſnes, teacheth a plaine deniall of Chriſte and of all his benefites, he maketh God a lier, yea he maketh the lawe alſo a lier: For the lawe it ſelfe beareth witneſſe of Chriſte, and of the promiſes made as concerning Chriſte, and hath foretold that he ſhould be a King of grace, and not of the lawe.