Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 5 · Verse extract 14
Verſe. 14. For all the lavv is fulfilled in one vvord.
As if he ſayd: Why doe ye burden your ſelues with the lawe? Why doe ye ſo toile and tormoile your ſelues about the ceremonies of the law, about meates, dayes, places and ſuch other things: as how ye ought to eate, drinke, keepe your feaſtes, ſacrifice? &c. Leaue of theſe follies, and hearken what I ſay: All the lawe is fully comprehended in this one ſaying: Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. God deliteth not in the obſeruation of the ceremonies of the lawe, neither hath he any neede of them. The onelyonly thing that he requireth at your hands is this, that ye beleue in Chriſt whom he hath ſent:Epheſ. 1.2. in whom ye are made perfect, and hauehave all things. But if vntounto Faith, which is the moſt acceptable ſeruice of God, ye will alſo adde lawes, then aſſure your ſelues that all lawes are comprehended in this ſhort commaundement: Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. Endeuour your ſelues to keepe this commaundement: which being kept, ye hauehave fulfilled all lawes.
Paule is a very good expounder of Gods commaundementes: For he draweth all Moiſes into a briefe ſumme,A brief ſumme of all Moiſes lavves. ſhewing that nothing elſe is cōtained in all his lawes (which are in a maner infinite) but this ſhort ſentence: Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. Naturall reaſon is offended with this baſenes and ſhortnes of wordes: for it is ſoone ſayd:The shortnes of the doctrin of all true chriſtianitie. Beleue in Chriſt. And againe: LoueLove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. Therefore it deſpiſeth both the doctrine of Faith and true good works. Notwtſtanding this baſe & vile word of faith (as reaſon taketh it): Beleue in Chriſt, is ye power of God to the faithfull, whereby they ouercome ſinne, death, ye Deuill, &c. wherby alſo they attaine ſaluation & eternall life.To ſerue our neighbour through charitie. Thus to ſerue one an other through louelove, that is, to inſtruct him that goeth aſtray, to comfort him that is afflicted, to raiſe vppe him that is weake, to helpe thy neighbour by all meanes poſſible, to beare wt his infirmities, to endure troubles, labours, ingratitude & contempt in the Church, & in ciuile life & conuerſation to obey the Magiſtrate, to geue due honour to thy parentes, to be patient at home with a froward wife and an vnruely familie. &c: theſe (I ſay) are workes which reaſon iudgeth to be of no valew. But, beleue me, they are ſuch workes, that the whole world is not able to comprehend the excellencie and worthines thereof (for it doth not meaſure workes or any other thing by the word of God, but by the iudgement of wicked, blinde and fooliſh reaſon): Yea it knoweth not the valew of any one of the leaſt good works yt can be, which are true good works in deede.
Therfore, when men dreame that they well vnderſtand the commaundement of charitie, they are vtterly deceaued. In deede they hauehave it wrytten in their heart: for they naturally iudge that a man ought to doe vntounto an other, as he would an other ſhould do vntounto him. But it foloweth not therefore that they vnderſtand it: For if they did, they would alſo performe it in deede, and would preferre louelove and charitie before all their workes.A deſcription of an hypocrite. They would not ſo highly eſteme their owne ſuperſtitious toyes, as to goe with an heauie countenaunce hanging downe the head, to be vnmarried, to liue with bread and water, to dwell in the wildernes, to be poorely apparelled, &c. Theſe monſtrous and ſuperſtitious workes, which they hauehave deuiſed and choſen vntounto themſelues, God neither commaunding nor approuing the ſame, they eſteme to be ſo holy and ſo excellent, that they ſurmount and darken charitie, which is as it were ye Sunne of all good works.Charitie the bright ſunne of all good vvorkes. So great and incomprehēſible is the blindnes of mans reaſon, that it is vnable, not onelyonly to iudge rightly of the doctrine of Faith, but alſo of external conuerſation and workes. Wherfore we muſt fight ſtrongly, as well againſt the opinions of our owne heart (to the which we are naturally more enclined in the matter of ſaluation then to the word of God), as alſo againſt the counterfet viſour & holy ſhew of our owne wilworkes: that ſo we may learne to magnifie the workes which eueryevery man doth in his vocation, although they ſeeme outwardly neuer ſo baſe and contemptible, if they hauehave the warrant of Gods worde: and contrariwiſe, to deſpiſe thoſe workes which reaſon chooſeth without the commaundement of God, ſeeme they neuer ſo excellent and holy.
Of this commaundement I hauehave largely entreated in an other place, and therfore I will now but lightly ouerrunne it.A briefe expoſition of this commaundement: Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. In deede this is briefly ſpoken: LoueLove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe, but yet very aptly and to yt purpoſe. No man can geue a more certaine, a better or a nearer example then a mans owne ſelfe. Therfore, if thou wouldeſt know how thy neighbour ought to be loued,Hovv our neighbour ought to be loued. and wouldeſt hauehave a plaine example therof, conſider well how thou loueſt thy ſelfe. If thou ſhouldeſt be in neceſſitie or daunger thou wouldeſt be glad to hauehave the louelove and frendſhip of all men, to be holpen with the counſell, the goods and the ſtrength of all men & of all creatures. Wherfore thou haſt no neede of any booke to inſtruct and to admoniſh thee how thou oughteſt to louelove thy neighbour: for thou haſt an excellent booke of all lawes euen in thy heart. Thou needeſt no Scholemaſter in this matter: aſke counſell onelyonly of thine owne heart, and that ſhall teach thee ſufficiently that thou oughteſt to louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. Moreouer,Charitie a ſingular vertue. louelove or charitie is an excellent vertue, which not onelyonly maketh a man willing and ready to ſerue his neighbour with tounge, with hand, with money and worldly goods: but with his body, and euen with his life alſo. And thus to doe, it is not prouoked by good deſertes or any thing elſe, neither is it hindred through euill deſertes or ingratitude. The mother doth therefore nouriſh and cheriſh her child, becauſe ſhe loueth it.
Now, my neighbour is eueryevery man,VVho is our neighbour. ſpecially which hath neede of my helpe, as Chriſt expoundeth it in the .10. chapt. of Luke. Who although he hath done me ſome wrong, or hurt me by any maner of way: yet notwithſtanding he hath not put of the nature of man, or ceaſed to be fleſh and bloud, & the creature of God moſt like vntounto my ſelfe: briefly, he ceaſeth not to be my neighbour. As long then as the nature of man remaineth in him,The cōmaundement of charitie. ſo long alſo remaineth the commaundement of louelove, which requireth at my hād, that I ſhould not deſpiſe mine own fleſh, nor render euill for euill, but ouercome euill with good: or elſe ſhall louelove neuer be as Paule deſcribeth it .1. Cor. 13.1. Cor. 13.7.
Paule therefore commendeth charitie to the Galathians, and to all the faithfull (for they onelyonly louelove in deede), and exhorteth them that through charitie one of them ſhould ſerue an other. As if he would ſay: Ye neede not to burden your ſelues with circumciſion, and with the ceremonies of Moiſes law: but aboue all things continue in the doctrine of faith which ye hauehave receaued of me. Afterwards, if ye will doe good workes, I will in one word ſhew you the chiefeſt and greateſt works, and how ye ſhall fulfill all lawes: Serue ye one an other through louelove. Ye ſhall not lacke them to whom ye may doe good, for the world is ful of ſuch as neede the helpe of others. This is a perfect and a ſound doctrine of Faith and louelove:The doctrine of faith and charitie the shorteſt and longeſt. and alſo the ſhorteſt and the longeſt Diuinitie. The ſhorteſt as touching the words and ſentences: but as touching the vſe and practiſe it is more large, more longe, more profound, and more high then the whole world.