Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 3 · Verse extract 8
Verſe. 8. Preached the Goſpell before vntounto Abraham ſaying:Geneſ. 15.6. Rom. 4 3. in thee shall all the Gentiles be bleſſed.
The Iewes doe not onelyonly lightly paſſe ouer, but alſo doe deride and with their wicked gloſes doe corrupt theſe excellent and notable ſentences: Abraham beleued God &c. The Ievves corrupt the ſcriptures.I hauehave appointed thee a father &c, and ſuch like, which highly commend faith & containe promiſes of ſpirituall things. For they are blinde & hard harted, and therfore they ſee not that theſe places do entreate of faith towards God, and of righteouſnes before God. With like malice alſo they dallye out this notable place of the ſpirituall bleſſing:Geneſ. 12.13. Actes. 3.23. In thee all the nations of the earth shalbe bleſſed. For (ſay they) to bleſſe ſignifieth nothing els but to praiſe,VVhat the Ievves call bleſsing. to pray for proſperitie, and to be glorious in the ſight of the world. After this manner they ſay, that the Iew which is borne of the ſeede of Abraham, is bleſſed: and the proſelyte or ſtraunger which worſhipeth the God of the Iewes and ioyneth himſelfe vntounto them, is alſo bleſſed. Therefore they thinke that Bleſſing is nothing els but praiſe and glory in this world, that is to ſay, that a man may glory and vaunte that he is of the ſtocke and familie of Abraham. But this is to corrupt and peruert the ſentences of the ſcriptures, and not to expoūd them. By theſe words: Abraham beleued, Paule defineth and ſetteth before our eies a ſpirituall Abraham, faithfull, righteous, and hauing the promiſe of God: an Abraham (I ſay) which is not in errour, and in the old fleſh: which is not borne of Adam, but of the holy Ghoſt. And of this Abraham renued by faith and regenerate by the holy Ghoſt, ſpeaketh the ſcripture, and pronounceth of him, that he ſhould be a father of many nations: Alſo, that all the Gentiles ſhould be geuen vntounto him for an inheritaunce, when it ſaith: In thee shall all the nations of the earth be bleſſed.
The ſcripture then attributeth no righteouſnes, but vntounto the beleuing Abraham: and it ſpeaketh of ſuch an Abraham, as he is accounted before God. Therefore ſuch ſentences of the ſcripture doe ſet forth vntounto vsus a new Abraham, A nevv Abraham.which is ſeparate from the carnall mariage and bed, and from the carnall generation, and is taken for ſuch a one as he is before God, that is to ſay, beleuing and iuſtified through faith, & to whom now God maketh this promiſe becauſe of his faith: Thou shalt be a father of many nations. Again: In thee shall all the natiōs of the earth be bleſſed And this is ye meaning of Paule where he ſheweth how the ſcripture preuenteth the vaine preſumption and proude bragges of the Iewes as touching the lawe. For the inheritaunce of the Gentiles was geuen vntounto Abraham, not by the law and circumciſion, but long before the ſame, by the onelyonly righteouſnes of faith.
Therfore, wheras the Iewes will be counted and called bleſſed becauſe they are the children and ſeede of Abraham, it is nothing elſe but a vaine glorious bragge. It is (no doubt) a great prerogatiue and glory before the w…ld to be borne of Abrahams ſeede, as Paule ſheweth.It is a great glory to be borne of Abrahams ſede. Rom. 9: but not ſo before God. Wherfore the Iewes doe wickedly peruert this place cōcerning the Bleſſing, in applying it onelyonly to a carnal Bleſſing, and do great iniurie to the ſcripture which ſpeaketh moſt manifeſtly of the ſpirituall Bleſſing before God, and neither can nor ought otherwiſe to be vnderſtande. This is then the true meaning of this place: In thee shalbe bleſſed. In which thee?The expoſition of theſe vvordes: In thee shalbe bleſſed. In thee Abraham beleeuing, or in thy faith, or thy ſeede which is to come: that is to ſay, in Chriſt in whom thou beleueſt, all the nations of the earth (I ſay) ſhalbe bleſſed: that is, all the nations ſhalbe thy bleſſed children, euen like as thou art bleſſed, as it is writen: So shall thy ſeede be.Geneſ. 15.5.
Hereof it followeth that the Bleſſing & Faith of Abraham is the ſame that ours is: that Abrahams Chriſt is our Chriſt:Abrahams faith and out all one, Io. 3.5 6. that Chriſt died aſwell for the ſinnes of Abraham as for vsus. Abraham vvhichwhich ſavve my day and reioyced. Io. 8. Therefore all ſounde but one thinge. We may not ſuffer this word Bleſſing to be corrupted. The Iewes looke but through a veile into the ſcripture,VVe muſt marke diligently vvhat is ſet out to vsus in the promiſes of the lavv and therefore they vnderſtande not what or whereof the promiſe is which was made to the fathers: Which we notwtſtanding ought to conſider aboue all things. So ſhal we ſee that God ſpeaketh to Abraham the Patriarke, not of the lawe nor of things to be done, but of things to be beleued: that is to ſay, that God ſpeaketh vntounto him of promiſes which are apprehended by faith. Now, what doth Abraham? He beleeueth thoſe promiſes. And what doth God to that beleeuing Abraham? He imputeth faith vntounto him for righteouſnes, and addeth further many moe promiſes, as:Geneſ. 15.…. Geneſ. 17 4. Geneſ. 15.5. I am thy defender. In thee shall all nations be bleſſed. Thou shalt be a father of many nations. So shall thy ſeede be. Theſe are inuincible arguments, againſt the which nothing can be ſaid, if the places of the holy ſcripture be throughly conſidered.