Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 2 · Verse extract 6
Verſe. 6. God accepteth no mans perſon.
This place he alledgeth out of Moſes, who vſeth ye ſame,God reſpecteth no mans perſon. Deut. 10.17. 2 Chron. 19.7. Rom. 2.11. Eccleſ. 35.16. Acts. 10.34. Epheſ. 6.9. Coloſ 3.26. not once but many times: Thou shalt not accept in iudgemēt the perſō of the rich man or of the pore. And this is a principle of diuinitie: God is no acceptor of perſons. With the which ſaying he ſtoppeth the mouthes of the falſe apoſtles. As though he would ſay: Ye ſet thoſe againſt me which ſeeme to be ſomewhat: but God careth not for ſuch outward things. He regardeth not ye office of Apoſtleſhip. It is not ye dignity or authority of mē ye he loketh vponupon. And in tokē hereof,Iudas. Saule. Iſmaell. Eſau. he ſuffered Iudas one of ye chiefeſt Apoſtles, & Saul one of ye greateſt kings, yea & the firſt of all, to fall away & to be damned. Iſmaell alſo & Eſau he refuſed, being both firſt born. So ſhal you find throughout al ye whole ſcripture yt god oftētimes reiected thoſe which in outward ſhew were very good & holy mē. And in theſe exāples God ſemeth ſometimes to be cruel: but it was moſt neceſſary yt ſuch feareful exāples ſhould be ſhewed & alſo be writē. For this vice is naturally grafted in vsus, that we highly eſteeme yt perſons and outward appearance of men and more regard the ſame then the word of God. Contrariwiſe God will hauehave vsus to fixe our eies and to reſt wholy vponupon the word it ſelfe:Mā regardeth the perſon. he will not hauehave vsus to reuerence and adore the Apoſtleſhip in the perſons of Peter and Paule, but Chriſt ſpeaking in them, and the word which they bring and preache vntounto vsus.
This the naturall man can not ſee: but the ſpirituall man onelyonly diſcerneth the perſon from ye word,EueryEvery creature of God may be called the veile of God, becauſe God is, as it vvere couered and shadovved vnderunder it. ye veile of God from God himſelfe. Now this veile of God is eueryevery creature. Moreouer, God here in this life dealeth not with face to face, but couered and ſhadowed from vsus: yt is, as Paul ſaith in an other place:*1. Cor. 13.12. vve ſe him novv as it vvere through a glaſſe and darkely. Therefore we can not be wtout veiles in this life. But wiſedom is here required, which can diſcerne the veile from God himſelfe: and this wiſedom the world hath not. The couetous man hearing that man liueth not by bread onelyonly,Deut. 5.10. Mat. 4.4. but by eueryevery word that procedeth out of the mouth of God, eateth the bread, but he ſeeth not God in the bread:Mā truſteth to the veiles of God, and not to God himſelfe. for he beholdeth the veile onelyonly and outward ſhew. So he doth with gold and other creatures, truſting to them ſo long as he hath them: but when they leaue him, he deſpaireth. And thus he honoureth not the creator, but the creatures, not God but his owne belly.
This I ſpeake leaſt any man ſhould thinke yt Paule vtterly condemneth theſe outward veiles or perſons. For he ſayth not that there ought to be no perſon, but that ther is no reſpect of perſons with God. There muſt be perſons and outward veiles:The outvvard veiles are Gods good creatures, but vve muſt not truſt in them, vvhichwhich is vvicked. God hath geuen them and they are his good creatures: but we muſt put no truſt in them. All the matter is in the right vſing of things, & not in the things thēſelues, as before I hauehave ſayd. There is no fault in circumciſion or vncircumciſion (for circumciſion is nothing, and vncircumciſion is nothing) but in the vſe therof. To put righteouſnes in the one, and vnrighteouſnes in the other, that vſe is damnable and ought to be taken away: which being remoued, circumciſion and vncircumciſion are things tolerable.
So the Prince, the magiſtrate, the preacher, the ſcholemaſter, the ſcholer, the father, the mother, the children, the maſter, the ſeruaūt are perſons and outward veiles, which God will hauehave vsus to acknowledge, louelove and reuerence as his creatures, which alſo muſt needes be had in this life: but he wil not hauehave vsus ſo to reuerence them or truſt vntounto them, that we forget him. And to the end that we ſhould not too much magnifie the outward perſons or put any truſt in them, God leaueth in them offences and ſinnes, yea great and foule ſinnes, to teach vsus what difference there is betwene the perſon and God him ſelf.God ſuffreth his deare ſainctes to fal into great vices, that vve shuld not cleaue to their perſons. *2. Sam. 11.4.17.Dauid that good king, becauſe he ſhould not ſeeme to be a perſon vponupon whom men ſhould truſt, fel into horrible ſinnes, adulterie and murther.*Mat. 26.69. Marke. 14.66. Luke. 22.55. Iohn. 18.25. Men are but men. Peter that excellent Apoſtle denied Chriſt. Theſe and ſuch like examples, wherof the ſcripture is full, ought to warne vsus that we repoſe not our truſt in the perſon & outward veile, nor thinke that when we hauehave the outward ſhewes & ſhadowes, we hauehave al things: As it is in Poperie, where they iudge all things according to the outward veile, and therefore all Poperie is nothing elſe but a meere reſpecting of perſons and outward ſhewes. God hath geuen his creatures to our vſe and to doe vsus ſeruice, and not as Idols, that we ſhould do ſeruice vntounto them. Let vsus then vſe bread, wine, apparell, poſſeſſions, gold, ſiluer, and all other creatures: but let vsus not truſt or glory in them: for we muſt truſt and glory in God alone: He onelyonly is to be loued, he only is to be feared and honored.
Paule calleth here the perſon of man the Apoſtleſhip or office of the Apoſtles, which wrought many and greate miracles,Paule calleth the Apoſtleship the perſon of man. taught and conuerted many to the faith, and were alſo familiar with Chriſt. Briefly, this word perſon comprehendeth the whole outward conuerſation of the Apoſtles which was holy, and their authoritie which was great. Notwithſtanding (ſayth he) God eſteemeth not theſe things: Not that he eſteemeth them not at all, but in the matter of iuſtification he regardeth them not, be they neuer ſo great and ſo glorious. For we muſt diligently marke this diſtinction, that in matters of diuinitie we muſt ſpeake farre otherwiſe then in matters of policy. In matters of policy (as I hauehave ſayd) God will hauehave vsus to honour and reuerence theſe outward veiles or perſons as his inſtruments by whom he gouerneth and preſerueth the world. But when the queſtion is touching religion, conſcience, the feare of God, faith and the ſeruice of God, we muſt not feare theſe outward perſons, we muſt put no affiance in them, loke for no comfort from them,The outvvard perſon is not to be looked vponupon in iudgement, Deut. 1. or hope for deliuerance by them either corporally or ſpiritually. For this cauſe God will hauehave no reſpect of perſons in iudgement: for iudgement is a diuine thing. Wherefore I ought neither to feare the iudge, nor truſt to the iudge: but my feare & truſt ought to be in God alone, who is the true iudge. The ciuill iudge or magiſtrate I ought in deede to reuerence for Gods cauſe, whoſe miniſter he is: but my conſcience may not ſtay or truſt vponupon his iuſtice & equitie, or be feared through his vniuſt dealing or tyranny, whereby I might fal into any offence againſt God, either in lying, in bearing falſe witneſſe, or denying the truth &c. Otherwiſe I will reuerence and honour the magiſtrate with all my heart.
VVhat can the Pope othervviſe do being Antichriſt but take vponupon him dominion ſuch as Gods vvord neuer allovved of? Marke vvhat ſeruitude Luther vvas cō tent to endure ſo that he and others might enioy the liberty of conſcience. Acts. 4.19. The dominion of the Pope intolerable.So I would alſo honour the Pope and louelove his perſon if he would leaue my conſcience free and not compell me to ſinne againſt God. But he will ſo be feared and adored as can not be done without offence to the maieſtie of God. Here ſince we muſt needes loſe the one, let vsus loſe the perſon and ſticke to God. We could be content to ſuffer ye dominion of the Pope: but becauſe he abuſeth the ſame ſo tirannouſly againſt vsus, & would compell vsus to deny and blaſpheme God, & him onelyonly to acknowledge as our Lord & maſter, clogging our conſciences, & ſpoiling vsus of the feare & truſt which we ſhould hauehave in God, therfore we are compelled by the commaundement of God to reſiſt the Pope: for it is writen that vve muſt rather obey God then men. Therfore wtout offēce of cō ſciēce (which is our ſingular cōfort) we cōtemne ye authority of ye pope.
There is a vehemencie in this word God: for in the cauſe of religion and the word of God, there muſt be no reſpect of perſon: but in matters of policy we muſt hauehave regard to the perſon: otherwiſe there muſt needes follow a contempt of all reuerence and order. In this world god will hauehave an order, a reuerence and a difference of perſons. For els the childe, the ſcholler, the ſeruaunt, the ſubiect would ſay: I am a Chriſtian as well as my father, my ſcholemaſter, my maſter, my Prince: why then ſhould I reuerēce him? Before God there is no reſpect of perſons, neither of Grecian nor of Iewe,Rom. ….9.10 but all are one in Chriſt: although not ſo before the world.
Thus Paule diſſolueth the argument of ye falſe Apoſtles touching ye authority of ye Apoſtles, ſaying that it is nothing to yt purpoſe. For the queſtion is not here concerning ye reſpect of perſons, but ther is a farre weightier matter in hand, yt is to ſay, a diuine matter cōcerning God & his word, & whether this word ought to be preferred before ye Apoſtleſhip or no. Whereunto Paule aunſwereth: So that the truth of the goſpel may continue, ſo that the word of God and the righteouſnes of faith may be kept pure and vncorrupt, let the Apoſtleſhip goe, let an Angell from heauen, let Peter, let Paule and altogether periſh.