Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 1 · Verse extract 6
Verſe. 6. Imaruell.
Ye ſee here howe Paule handleth his Galathians, which were fallē away and ſeduced by the falſe Apoſtles. He doth not at the firſt ſet vponupon them with vehement & rigorous wordes, but after a very fatherly ſort, not onelyonly patiently bearing their fall, but alſo in a maner excuſing the ſame. Farthermore he ſheweth towards them a motherly affection, and ſpeaketh them very faire, and yet in ſuch ſorte, as he reproueth them notwithſtanding, howbeit with very fitte words and wiſely framed to the purpoſe. Contrarywiſe he is very hotte and full of indignation againſt thoſe falſe Apoſtles their ſeducers, vponupon whom he laieth the whole fault. And therfore forthwt euen in the entraunce of his Epiſtle, he burſteth out into plaine thunderings and lightenings againſt them.Gal. 1.8.9. Galat. 5.10. If any man (ſaith he) preach any other Goſpell then that you hauehave receaued, be he accurſed. And afterwards in the fifte chapter he threateneth damnation vntounto them: VVho ſo troubleth you shall beare his condemnation vvhatſoeuer he be. Moreouer he curſeth them with horrible words ſaying. I vvould to God they vvere cutte of vvhichwhich trouble you. Theſe are dreadfull thunderclaps againſt the righteouſnes of the fleſhe, or of the lawe.
He might hauehave handled the Galathians more vncurteouſly, and hauehave inueied againſt them more roughly after this manner: Out vponupon this backſliding. I am aſhamed of you, your vnthankfulnes greueth me: I am angry with you: Or els thus tragically hauehave cried out againſt thē: O vngracious world,Hovve Preachers ought to behaue thē ſelues in bringing backe ſuch as are gone aſtray, and falne through vveakenes. O wicked dealings &c. But foraſmuch as his purpoſe is to raiſe vp them that were falne, and with a fatherly care to call them backe againe from their errour to the puritie of the goſpell, he leaueth thoſe rough & ſharpe words, eſpecially in the firſt entraūce, and moſt gently and mildly he ſpeaketh vntounto them. For ſeeing he went about to heale them that were wounded, it was not meete that he ſhould now further vexe their greene woōd by laying to it a ſharpe and a fretting plaſter and ſo rather hurt the wounded then heale them. Therfore of all the ſweeteſt and mildeſt words, he could not hauehave choſen any one more fitte then this: I maruel: wherby he ſignifieth both that it greued him, and alſo yt it diſpleaſed him that they had falne away from him.
And here Paule is mindfull of his owne rule, which he giueth hereafter in the 6 chapiter, where he ſaith: Brethern if a man be falne by occaſion into any fault, ye vvhichwhich are ſpirituall reſtore ſuch a one vvith the ſpirite of meekenes, conſidering thy ſelfe, leſt thou alſo be tempted. This example muſt we alſo follow, that we may ſhew our ſelues to beare like affection towards ſuch as are miſled, as parents beare towards their children, that they may perceaue our fatherly and motherly affection towards them, and may ſee that we ſeeke not their deſtruction but their welfare. But as for the Deuill and his miniſters, the authors of falſe doctrine and ſects, againſt them we ought by the example of the Apoſtle, to be impatient, proud, ſharpe and bitter, deteſting and condemning their falſe iugglings and deceits with aſmuch rigour and ſeueritie as may be. So parents when their childe is hurt with the biting of a dogge, are wont to purſue the dogge onelyonly, but the weeping childe they bemone and ſpeake faire vntounto it, comforting it with moſt ſweete words.
The ſpirite therefore that is in Paule, is a wonderfull craftsmaſter in handling the afflicted conſciences of ſuch as are falne. Contrariwiſe the Pope (becauſe he is lead with a wicked ſpirite) breaketh out violently like a tiraunt, and rappeth out his thundercracks and curſings againſt the miſerable and terrified in conſcience: which thing may be ſeene in his Buls, & eſpecially in that Bul touching the Lords ſupper. The Biſhops alſo doe their duety neuer a whit better.The ſtudie of Bishopes to maintaine their Lordeship and ſoueraintie. They teache not the Goſpell, they are not carefull for the ſauing of mens ſoules, but onelyonly they ſeeke Lordſhippe and ſoueraintie ouer them, and therefore their ſpeakings and doings are altogether to maintaine and ſupporte the ſame. In like maner are all the vainglorious Doctours and teachers affected.