Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 1 · Verse extract 4 – Verse extract 5
Verſe. 4. That he might deliuer vsus from this preſent euil vvorld.
In theſe words alſo Paule handleth yet more largely the argument of this Epiſtle. He calleth this whole world, which hath bene,VVhy Paule doth call this vvorld preſent and euill. is and ſhall be, the preſent vvorld, to put a difference betwixt this, and that euerlaſting world which is to come. Moreouer he calleth it an euill world, becauſe that whatſoeuer is in this world, is ſubiect to the malice of the Deuil raigning ouer the whole world.Io. 12.31. For this cauſe the world is ſaid to be the kingdome of the Deuill. For there is nothing els in this world, but ignoraunce, contenpt, blaſphemy, and hatred of God. Alſo diſobedience againſt all the words and works of God. In and vnderunder this kingdome of the world are we.
Here againe you ſee that no man is able by his owne workes or his owne ſtrēgth to put away ſinne, becauſe this preſent world is euill, and as S. Iohn ſayth,1. Iohn. 5.19. is ſet vponupon miſcheefe. As many therfore, as are in the world, are the bond ſlaues of the deuill, conſtrained to ſerue him, and to doe all things at his pleaſure. What auailed it then to ſet vp ſo many orders of religions for the putting away of ſinnes: to deuiſe ſo many great and exceeding painfull workes, to weare heary coates, to beat the body with whips till the bloud followed, to goe on pilgrimage to S. Iames in harnes and ſuch other like? Be it ſo that thou doeſt all theſe things, yet neuertheles doth this determinate ſentence remaine ſtil, That thou art in this preſent euel vvorld, & not in the kingdom of Chriſt. And if thou be not in the kingdom of Chriſt, it is certaine that thou doeſt belong vntounto the kingdom of Satan which is this euil world. Therfore all giftes either of the body or of the minde which thou poſſeſſeſt,That the vngodly vvith al their gifts doe ſerue the Deuill. as wiſedom, righteouſnes, holines, eloquence, power, beautie, riches, are but the ſlauiſh inſtruments of the helliſh tyrannie, and with all theſe thou art compelled to ſerue the deuill, and to promote and enlarge his kingdom.
Firſt with thy wiſedom thou doſt darken the wiſedom and knowledge of Chriſt, and by thy wicked doctrine leadeſt men out of the way, ſo that they can not come to the grace and knowledge of Chriſt. Thou ſetteſt out and praiſeſt thine owne righteouſnes and holines: but the righteouſnes of Chriſt,They that knovve not Chriſt, the more vviſe and righteous they are, the more do they hate and perſecute the goſpell. by which onelyonly we are iuſtified and quickened, thou doeſt deteſt and condemne as wicked and deuilliſh. To be ſhorte by thy power thou deſtroyeſt the kingdom of Chriſt, and doeſt abuſe the ſame to roote out the goſpell, to perſecute and kill the miniſters of Chriſt, and ſo many as heare them. Wherfore if thou be without Chriſt, this thy wiſedom is double fooliſhnes, thy righteouſneſſe double ſinne and impietie, becauſe it knoweth not the wiſedom and righteouſnes of Chriſt: moreouer it darkneth, hindreth, blaſphemeth, and perſecuteth the ſame.Galat. 1.4. Therfore Paule doth rightly call it the euill or vvicked vvorld: for when it is at the beſt, then is it worſt. In the religious, wiſe, and learned men the world is at the beſt, and yet in very dede in them it is double euill. I ouerpaſſe thoſe groſſe vices which are againſt the ſecond table, as diſobedience to parents, to magiſtrates, addulteries, whoredomes, couetouſnes, thefts, murthers, and maliciouſnes, wherin the world is altogether drowned, which notwithſtanding are light faultes if ye compare them with the wiſedom and righteouſnes of the wicked, wherwith they fight againſt the firſt table. This white Deuill which forceth men to commit ſpirituall ſinnes,The vvhite deuill. Spirituall vvhoredomes the moſt abhominable. that they may ſell them for righteouſnes, is farre more daungerous then the blacke deuill, which onelyonly enforceth them to commit fleſhly ſinnes which the world acknowledgeth to be ſinnes.
By theſe wordes then: That he might deliuer vsus &c. Paule ſheweth what is the argument of this Epiſtle: to wit, that we hauehave neede of grace and of Chriſt, and that no other creature,Chriſt only deliuereth vsus out of this preſent euell vvorld. neither man nor Angell, can deliuer man out of this preſent euill world. For theſe workes are onelyonly belonging to the diuine Maieſtie, and are not in the power of any, either man or Angell, that Chriſt hath put away ſinne, and hath deliuered vsus from the tyrannie and kingdom of the Deuill, that is to ſay, from this wicked world, which is an obedient ſeruaunt, and a willing follower of the Deuill his God. Whatſoeuer that murtherer and father of lies either doth or ſpeaketh, that the world,The vvorld obayeth his prince the deuill. as his moſt loyall and obedient ſonne, diligently followeth and performeth. And therfore it is full of the ignoraunce of God, of hatred, lying, errours, blaſphemie, and of the contempt of God: Moreouer of groſſe ſinnes, murthers, adulteries, fornications, theftes, robberies,VVhat ſinnes are in the vvorld. and ſuch like, becauſe he followeth his father the deuill, who is a lier and a murtherer. And the more wiſe, righteous and holy men are without Chriſt, ſo much the more hurt they doe to the goſpell. So we alſo that were religious men, were double wicked in the Papacie, before God did lighten vsus with the knowledge of his goſpell, and yet notwithſtanding vnderunder the colour of true pietie and holines.
Let theſe words then of Paule ſtand as they are in deede, true and effectual, not coloured or coūterfait, namely:VVhat the vvorld is vvith all his vertues and righteouſnes. that this preſent world is euill. Let it nothing at all moue thee that in a great nombre of men there be many excellent vertues, and that there is ſo great a ſhew of holines in hypocrites. But marke thou rather what Paule ſayeth: out of whoſe wordes thou maiſt boldly and freely pronounce this ſentence againſt the world: That the world with all his wiſedome, power, and righteouſnes is the kingdom of the deuill, out of the which God onelyonly is able to deliuer vsus by his onelyonly begotten ſonne.
Therfore let vsus praiſe God the father, & geue him harty thankes for this his vnmeaſurable mercy, that hath deliuered vsus out of ye kingdom of the Deuill, (in which we were holden captiues) by his owne ſonne, when it was impoſſible to be done by oure own ſtrength. And let vsus acknowledge together with Paule, Phil. 3.8.that all our works & righteouſnes (with all which we could not make the deuil to ſtoupe one hear bredth) are but loſſe and dung. Alſo let vsus caſt vnderunder our feete and vtterly abhorre all the power of free will, all Pharaſaicall wiſedom and righteouſnes, all religious orders, all Maſſes, ceremonies, vowes, faſtings,Eſay. 64.6. and ſuch like, as a moſt filthie defiled cloth, and as the moſt daungerous poyſon of the Deuill. Contrariwiſe let vsus extoll and magnifie the glory of Chriſt, who hath deliuered vsus by his death, not out of a world onelyonly, but out of an euill world.
Paule then by this word Euill, ſheweth that the kingdom of the world, or the Deuils kingdom is a kingdom of iniquitie, ignoraunce, errour,The kingdom of the vvorld. ſinne, death, blaſphemie, deſperation and euerlaſting damnation. On the other ſide, the kingdom of Chriſt is a kingdom of equitie, light,The kingdom of Chriſt. Coloſſa. 13. grace, remiſſion of ſinnes, peace, conſolation, ſauing health, and euerlaſting life, into the which we are tranſlated by our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, to whom be glory world without end. So be it.
Ʋerſe. 4. According to the vvill of God, euen our father.
Here Paule ſo placeth and ſetteth in order eueryevery word, that there is not one of them but it fighteth againſt thoſe falſe Apoſtles for the article of iuſtification. Chriſt (ſayth he) hath deliuered vsus out of this moſt wicked kingdom of the deuill and the world. And this hath he done according to the will, good pleaſure and commaundement of the father. wherfore we be not deliuered by our owne will or running, nor by our owne wiſedom or policie, but for that God hath taken mercy vponupon vsus, and hath loued vsus: like as it is wrytten alſo in an other place. Herein hath appeared the great louelove of God tovvardes vsus, Iohn. 3.16. Iohn. 4.10.not that vve hauehave loued God, but that he hath loued vsus, and hath ſent his onelyonly begotten ſonne to be a reconciliation for our ſinnes: That we then are deliuered from this preſent euill world, it is of mere grace, and no deſert of our ours. Paule is ſo plentifull and ſo vehement in amplifying and extolling the grace of God, that he ſharpeneth & directeth eueryevery word againſt the falſe Apoſtles.
There is alſo here another cauſe why Paule maketh mention of the Fathers wil, which alſo in many places of S. Iohns goſpel is declared, wher chriſt cōmēding his office,Iohn. 8.16. calleth vsus back to his fathers wil, that in his words & works we ſhould not ſo much loke vponupon him,It is a great conſolation to knovv that Chriſt is geuē for vsus by the vvill of his father. as vpō the father. For Chriſt came into this world & toke mans nature vpō him, yt he might be made a ſacrifice for the ſinnes of the whole world, & ſo recō cile vsus to God the father, that he alone might declare vntounto vsus how that this was done through the good pleaſure of his father, yt we by faſtning our eyes vpō Chriſt, might be drawn & caried ſtreight vntounto the father.
For we muſt not thinke (as I hauehave warned you before) that by the curious ſearching of the Maieſtie of God, any thing concerning God can be known to our ſaluation: but by taking hold of Chriſt, who according to the wil of the father, hath geuē himſelf to ye death for our ſinnes. Whē thou ſhalt acknowledge this to be the wil of God through chriſt, then wrath ceaſeth, feare and trembling vaniſheth away, neither doth God appeare any other then mercifull, who by his determinate coūſell would that his ſonne ſhould die for vsus, that we might liue thorow him. This knowledge maketh the hart chearfull, ſo that it ſtedfaſtly beleueth that God is not angry, but yt he ſo loueth vsus wretched ſinners, that he gaue his onelyonly begotten ſonne for vsus. It is not for nought therfore, that Paule doth ſo oftē repeat and beat into our minds that Chriſt was geuen for our ſinnes, & that by the good will of the father. On the contrary part, the curious ſearching of the Maieſtie of God and his dreadfull iudgements, namely how he deſtroyed the whole world with the floud, how he deſtroyed Sodome, and ſuch other things are very daūgerous, for they bring men to deſperation and caſt them downe headlong into vtter deſtruction, as I hauehave ſhewed before.
Verſe. 4. Of God and our Father.
This word OVR, muſt be referred to both,God is a common father both to Chriſt and to vsus. that the meaning may be this: of our God and of our father. Then is Chriſtes father and our father all one. So in the 20. of Iohn Chriſt ſayth to Mary Magdalen: Goe to my brethern and ſay vntounto them: Iohn. 10.17.I aſcend vntounto my father and your father, to my God and to your God. Therfore God is our father and our God, but through Chriſt. And this is an Apoſtolike maner of ſpeache, and euen Paules owne phraſe, who indede ſpeaketh not with ſuch picked and gay wordes, but yet very fit and to the purpoſe, and ful of burning zeale.
Verſe. 5. To vvhom be glory for euer and euer.
The Hebrues are wont in their wrytings to intermingle praiſe and geuing of thankes. This cuſtome the Hebrues and Apoſtles themſelues do obſerue. Which thing may very often be ſeene in Paule. For the name of the Lord ought to be had in great reuerence, and neuer to be named without praiſe & thankſgeuing. And thus to do is a certaine kind of worſhip and ſeruice of God. So in worldly matters, when we mention the names of kings or princes we are wont to do it with ſome comely geſture, reuerence & bowing of the knee: much more ought we, when we ſpeake of God to bowe the knee of our harte,VVhat knees vve ought to bovve vvhen vve mention the name of God. and to name the name of God with thankfulnes and greate reuerence.