Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 1 · Verse 15-17 – Verse extract 17
Ʋerſ. 15.16.17. But vvhen it had pleaſed God (vvhichwhich had ſeparated me from my mothers vvombe, and called me by his grace) to reueale his ſonne in me, that I should preach him among the Gentiles, immediately I communicated not vvith flesh and bloud. Neither came I againe to Ieruſalem to them vvhichwhich vvere Apoſtles before me, but I vvent into Arabia, and turned againe vntounto Damaſcus.
This is the firſt iourney of Paule. And here he witneſſeth,The firſt iourney of Paule. that ſtraight way, after he was called by the grace of God to preach Chriſt among the Gentiles, he went into Arabia without the aduiſe of any mā, to that vvorke whervnto he was called. And this place witneſſeth by vvhom he was taught, & by what meanes he came to the knowledge of the Goſpell and to his Apoſtleſhip. VVhen it pleaſed God (ſaith he.) As if he would ſay: I hauehave not deſerued it, becauſe I was zealous for the lawe of God without iudgement, nay rather this fooliſh and wicked zeale ſtirred me vp, that God ſo permitting, I fell hedlong into more abhominable and outragious ſinnes. I perſecuted the church of God, I was an enemy of Chriſt, I blaſphemed his Goſpell, and to conclude,Paules merite or deſert. I was the author of ſheding much innocent bloud. This was my deſert. In ye middeſt of this cruell rage I was called to ſo great & ineſtimable grace. What? was it becauſe of this outragious cruelty? No forſoth. But the aboundant grace of God who calleth and ſheweth mercy to whom he will, pardoned and forgaue me all theſe blaſphemies: and for theſe my horrible ſinnes (which then I thought to be perfect righteouſnes, & an acceptable ſeruice vntounto God) he gaue vntounto me his grace,By vvhat deſerts vve attaine to grace the knowledge of his truth, and called me to be an Apoſtle.
We alſo are come at this day to the knowledge of grace by the ſelf ſame merits. I crucified Chriſt daily in my monkeſh life, and blaſphemed God through my falſe faith wherin I then continually liued. Outwardly I was not as other men, extorcioners, vniuſt, whoremongers: but I kept chaſtitie, pouerty and obedience. Moreouer I was farre from the cares of this preſent life. I was onelyonly geuen to faſting, watching, praying, ſaying of Maſſe and ſuch like. Notwithſtāding in the meane time I foſtred vnderunder this cloked holines, and truſt in mine owne righteouſnes, continuall miſtruſt, doubtfulnes, feare, hatred and blaſphemy againſt God. And this my righteouſnes was nothing els, but a ſtinking puddle and a pleaſant kingdome of the Deuil. For Sathan loueth ſuch Saincts and accomteth them for his deare darlings,VVhat maner of Saincts the Deuill loueth. who deſtroy their owne bodies and ſoules and depriue themſelues of all the bleſſings of Gods gifts. In the meane time notwithſtanding wickednes, blindnes, contempt of God, ignorance of the goſpel, prophanation of the ſacraments, blaſpheming and treading of Chriſt vnderunder foote, and abuſe of all the benefits and gifts of God raigne in them at the full. To conclude, ſuch Saincts are the bondſlaues of Sathan, and therefore are driuen to ſpeake, thinke, and doe whatſoeuer he will, although outwardly they ſeeme to excell all others in good works, in holines and ſtreitnes of life.
Such were we vnderunder the Popedome: verely no leſſe (if not more) contumelious and blaſphemous againſt Chriſt and his Goſpell then Paule himſelf, and eſpecially I: for I did ſo highly eſteeme the Popes authoritie, that to diſſent from him euen in the leaſt point, I thought it a ſinne worthy of euerlaſting death. And that wicked opinion cauſed me to thinke that Iohn Hus was a curſed heretike,Iohn Hus. yea and I accounted it an heinous offence, but once to thinke of him. And I would my ſelfe in defence of ye Popes authoritie hauehave miniſtred fire & ſword, for ye burning & deſtroying of that heretike, & thought it an high ſeruice vntounto God ſo to do. Wherfore if you compare Publicanes & harlots wt theſe holy Hipocrits, they are not euill. For they, when they offend,Publicans and ſinners are farre better then meritmongers. hauehave remorſe of conſcience, & do not iuſtifie their wicked doings: but theſe men are ſo farre of frō acknowledging their abhominatiōs, idolatries, wicked wilworſhippings & ceremonies to be ſinnes, yt they affirme ye ſame to be righteouſnes & a moſt aceptable ſacrifice vntounto god, yea they adore thē as matters of ſingular holines, & thorow them do promiſe ſaluation vntounto others, & alſo ſell thē for mony, as things auaileable to ſaluation.
This is then our goodly righteouſnes,Our deſert. this is our high merite which bringeth vntounto vsus ye knowledg of grace: to wit, yt we hauehave ſo deadly & ſo deueliſhly perſecuted, blaſphemed, trodē vnderunder foote, & condēned God, Chriſt the goſpell, faith, yt ſacramēts, al godly men, the true worſhip of God, & hauehave taught & ſtabliſhed quite cōtrary things. And ye more holy we wer, ye more wer we blinded, & ye more did we worſhip ye deuil.The Papiſtes a bloudy generation. Ther was not one of vsus, but he was a bloudſucker: if not in deede, yet in hart.
Verſe. 15. VVhen it pleaſed God.
As though he would ſay: It is the alone and ineſtimable fauour of God, that not onelyonly he hath ſpared me ſo wicked & ſo curſed a wretch, ſuch a blaſphemor, a perſecutor, & a rebell againſt God, but beſides yt alſo hath giuen vntounto me ye knowledge of ſaluation, his ſpirit,By vvhat deſerts vve attaine grace. Chriſt his ſonne, ye office of an Apoſtle and euerlaſting life. So God beholding vsus giltie in ye like ſinnes, hath not only pardoned our impieties & blaſphemies, of his mere mercy for Chriſtes ſake, but hath alſo ouerwhelmed vsus wt great benefits & ſpiritual gifts. But many of vsus are not onelyonly vnthankfull vntounto God for this his ineſtimable grace, and as it is written 2. Pet. 1. Do forget the clenſing of their old ſinnes, 2 Pet. 1.….but alſo opening againe a window to ye Deuill, they beginne to loth his word, and many alſo corrupt it, and ſo become authors of new errours.Mat. 12.45. The ends of theſe men are vvorſe then the beginnings.
Verſe. 15. VVhichWhich had ſeperated me from my mothers vvombe.
This is an Hebrew phraſe. As if he ſayde: which had ſanctified, ordained, prepared me. That is, GOD had appoynted when I was yet in my mothers wombe, that I ſhould ſo rage againſt his church, and that afterwards he ſhould mercifully call me backe againe from the middeſt of my cruelty and blaſphemy by his meere grace, into the way of truth and ſaluation. To be ſhort, when I was not yet borne, I was an Apoſtle in the ſight of God, and when the time was come, I was declared an Apoſtle before the whole world.
Thus Paule cutteth of all deſerts, and giueth glory to God alone, but to himſelfe all ſhame and confuſion. As though he would ſay: All the gifts both ſmale and great, as well ſpirituall as corporall, which God purpoſed to giuegive vntounto me, and all the good things which at any time in all my life I ſhould doe, God himſelfe had before appointed when I was yet in my mothers wombe,The deſerts of S. Paule. where I could neither wiſh, thinke, nor doe any good thing. Therefore this gift alſo came vntounto me by the meere predeſtination and free mercy of God before I was yet borne. Moreouer, after I was borne he ſupported me, being loden with innumerable and monſtrous euils and iniquities. And that he might the more manifeſtly declare the vnſpeakeable and ineſtimable greatenes of his mercy towards me, he of his meere mercy forgaue me my greate and innumerable ſinnes, and moreouer repleniſhed me with ſuch plenty of his grace, that not onelyonly I my ſelfe ſhould know what things are giuen vntounto vsus in Chriſt, but that I ſhould preach the ſame vntounto others alſo. Such then were the deſerts and merits of all men, and eſpecially of thoſe old dotards, who exerciſed themſelues farre aboue others in the ſtincking dunghils of mans righteouſnes.
Verſe. 15. And called me by his grace.
Marke the diligence of the Apoſtle. He called me (ſayth he.) Hovve? Was it for my phariſaicall religion? or for my blameles and holy life? for my praiers, faſtings and works? No. Much leſſe then for my blaſphemies, perſecutions, oppreſſions? Hovv then? By his meere grace.
Ʋerſe. 16. To reueile his ſonne in me.
Paules doctrine.You heare in this place, what maner of doctrine is giuen and committed to Paule: to witte, the doctrine of the Goſpel, which is the reuelation of ye ſonne of God. This is a doctrine quite contrary to the lawe, which reueileth not the ſonne of God, but it ſheweth fourth ſinne, it terrifieth the conſcience, it reueileth death, the wrath and iudgement of God, and hell.
The Goſpell then is ſuch a doctrine, as admitteth no law. Now, he that in this caſe could rightly diſtinguiſh, would not ſeeke the Goſpell in the lawe, but would ſeparate the Goſpell as farre from the law, as there is diſtāce betwene heauen and earth. This difference in it ſelfe is eaſie, certaine and plaine, but vntounto vsus it is hard, and almoſt not to be comprehended. For it is an eaſie matter to ſay, that the Goſpell is nothing els but the reueiling of the ſonne of the God, or the knowledge of Ieſus Chriſt: and that it is not ye reueiling of the law. But in the very agony and conflict of conſcience, to hold this faſt, and to practiſe it in deede, it is a hard matter, yea to them alſo yt be moſt exerciſed therein.The definition of the Goſpel.
Now, if the Goſpell be the reueiling of the ſonne of God (as Paule defineth it in this place), then ſurely it accuſeth not, it feareth not the conſcience, it threateneth not death, it bringeth not to deſpaire, as the law doth: but it is a doctrine concerning Chriſt, which is neither law, nor worke, but our righteouſnes, wiſedome, ſanctification & redēption.1 Cor. 1.30. The craftie Sophiſts hauehave turned the Goſpell into the lavve of louelove, and Chriſt into Moſes. Although this thing be more cleare then the ſunne light, yet notwtſtanding the madnes and blindnes of the Papiſtes hath bene ſo great, that of the Goſpell they hauehave made a lawe of charitie, and of Chriſt a lawegiuer, which ſhould giuegive more ſtreit and heauy commaundements then Moſes himſelfe. But the Goſpell teacheth that Chriſt came not to ſet forth a newe law, and to geue commaundements as touching maners:Heb. 10.10. but that he came to this end, that he might be made an oblation for the ſinnes of the vvhole vvorld, and that our ſinnes might be forgeuē, and euerlaſting life giuen vntounto vsus for his ſake, and not for the works of the lawe, or for our righteſouſnes ſake. Of this ineſtimable treaſure freely beſtowed vponupon vsus, the Goſpell properly preacheth vntounto vsus.The Goſpell is not learned by any ſtudie of man, but is taught from aboue, of God. Wherfore it is a kind of doctrine that is not learned or gotten by any ſtudie, diligence or wiſdome of man, nor yet by the lawe of God, but is reueiled by God himſelf (as Paule ſaith in this place), firſt by the eternal word: then by the working of Gods ſpirite inwardly. The Goſpell then is a diuine word, that came downe from heauen and is reueiled by the holy Ghoſt (who was alſo ſent for the ſame purpoſe): yet in ſuch ſort notwithſtanding, that the outward word muſt goe before. For Paule himſelfe had no inward reuelation vntil he had heard the outward word frō heauen, which was this: Saule Saule vvhy perſecuteſt thou me? Acts. 9.4.Firſt therfore he heard the outward word, thē afterwards folowed reuelations, the knowledge of the word, faith, and the giftes of the holy Ghoſt.
Verſe. 16. That I should preach him among the Gentiles.
It pleaſed God (ſayth he) to reueale his ſonne in me. To what purpoſe? Not onelyonly, that I my ſelfe ſhould beleue in the ſonne of God, but alſo that I ſhould preach him among the Gentiles.Paule is the Apoſtle of the Gentiles. Ro. 15.15.16.17 And why not among the Iewes? Loe here we ſee that Paule is properly the Apoſtle of the Gentiles, albeit he preached Chriſt among the Iewes alſo.
Paule comprehēdeth here in few words (as he is wont) his whole diuinitie,Paules diuinitie. which is to preach Chriſt amōg the Gentiles. As if he would ſay: I will not burden the Gentiles with the law, becauſe I am the Apoſtle and Euangeliſt of the Gentiles, and not their law geuer. Thus he directeth all his wordes againſt the falſe Apoſtles. As though he would ſay:The office of Paule to the Gentiles. O ye Galathiās, ye hauehave not heard the righteouſnes of the law, or of workes to be taught by me: for this belongeth to Moiſes and not to me Paule, being the Apoſtle of the Gentiles. For my office and miniſterie is to bring the goſpell vntounto you, and to ſhew vntounto you the ſame reuelation which I my ſelfe hauehave had. Therfore ought you to heare no teacher to teach the law. For among the Gentiles, the law ought not to be preached, but the Goſpell, not Moiſes but the ſonne of God, not the righteouſnes of workes, but the righteouſnes of Faith. This is the preaching that properly belongeth to the Gentiles.
Verſe. 16. Immediatly I communicated not vvith flesh and bloud.
In that he maketh mention here of fleſh and bloud, he ſpeaketh not of the Apoſtles. For by and by he addeth: Neither came I againe to Ieruſalem, to them vvhichwhich vvere Apoſtles before me. But this is Paules meaning, that after he had once receaued the reuelation of the goſpell from Chriſt, he conſulted not with any man in Damaſcus, much leſſe did he deſire any man to teach him the goſpel: Againe, that he went not to Ieruſalem, to Peter and the other Apoſtles to learne the goſpell of them, but that forthwith he preached Ieſus Chriſt in Damaſcus, where he receaued baptiſme of Ananias, and impoſition of handes: for it was neceſſary for him to hauehave the outward ſigne and teſtimonie of his calling. The ſame alſo wryteth Luke. Act. 9.
Verſe. 17. Neither came I to Ieruſalem, to them that vvere Apoſtles before me, but vvent into Arabia, and turned againe vntounto Damaſcus.
That is, I went into Arabia before I ſaw the Apoſtles or conſulted with them, and forthwith I toke vponupon me the office of preaching among the Gentiles: for thervnto I was called, and had alſo receaued a reuelation from God. He did not then receiue his goſpell of any man, or of the Apoſtles them ſelues, but was content with his heauenly calling, and with the reuelation of Ieſus Chriſt alone. Wherefore this whole place is a confutation of the falſe Apoſtles argument,The confutation of the argument of the falſe Apoſtles. which they vſed againſt Paule: ſaying, that he was but a ſcholler and hearer of the Apoſtles, who liued after the law: moreouer, that Paule himſelfe alſo had liued according to the law, and therfore it was neceſſary that the Gentiles them ſelues ſhould kepe the law and be circumciſed. To the ende therfore that he might ſtop the mouthes of theſe cauillers, he rehearſeth this long hiſtorie. Before my conuerſion (ſayth he) I learned not my Goſpell of the Apoſtles, nor of any other of the brethern that beleeued (for I perſecuted extremely, not only this doctrine, but alſo the Church of God, and waſted it): neither after my conuerſion, for I preached ſtraight wayes, not Moſes with his law, but Ieſus Chriſt at Damaſcus, conſulting with no man, neither as yet hauing ſeene any of the Apoſtles.