Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 3 · Verse extract 9
Verſe. 9. So then they vvhichwhich are of faith, are bleſſed vvith faithfull Abraham.
All the weight and force lieth in theſe wordes: vvith faithfull Abraham. For he putteth a plaine difference betwene Abraham and Abraham, of one and the ſelfe ſame perſon making two. As if he ſayde:A vvorking Abraham and a beleuing Abraham. There is a working Abraham & there is a beleuing Abraham. With the working Abraham we hauehave nothing to doe. For if he be iuſtified by works, he hath to reioyce, but not with God. Let the Iewes glorie as much as they will of that begetting Abraham, which is a worker,Rom. 4.3. is circumciſed, and keepeth the law: but we glorie of the faithfull Abraham, of whom the ſcripture ſaith, that he receaued the Bleſſing of righteouſnes through his faith, not onelyonly for himſelfe, but alſo for all thoſe which beleue like as he beleued: And ſo the world was promiſed to Abraham, becauſe he beleued. Therefore all the world is bleſſed. that is to ſay, receaueth imputation of righteouſnes, if it beleue as Abraham did.
Wherfore the Bleſſing is nothing els but the promiſe of the Goſpell. And, that all nations are bleſſed, is aſmuch to ſay, as all nations ſhall heare the Bleſſing,That all nations are bleſſed. that is, the promiſe of God ſhall be preached and publiſhed by the Goſpell among all nations. And out of this place the Prophets hauehave drawen many propheſies by a ſpirituall vnderſtanding.Pſal. 2.8. As Pſal. 2: Aſke of me and I vvill geue thee the heathen for thine inheritaunce, and the endes of the earth for thy poſſeſſion. And againe,Pſal. 19.3. Pſal. 19: Their voice hath gone through all the earth. Briefely, all the propheſies of ye kingdom of Chriſt and of ye publiſhing of the Goſpel throughout all the world, hauehave ſprong out of this place: In thee shall all the nations of the earth be bleſſed. The Prophets diligently vvaied thoſe promiſes that vvere made vntounto the fathers.Wherefore, to ſay that the nations are bleſſed, is nothing els, but that righteouſnes is freely geuen vntounto them, or that they are coūted righteous before God, not through the lawe, but by the hearing of faith: For Abraham was not iuſtified, by any other meanes, then by hearinge the worde of promiſe, of bleſſing, and of grace. Therefore, like as Abraham obtained imputation of righteouſnes by the hearing of faith: euen ſo did all the Gentiles obtaine and yet doe obtaine the ſame. For the ſame word that was firſt declared vntounto Abraham, was alſo afterward publiſhed to all the Gentiles.
Hereby then we ſee that to bleſſe ſignifieth nothing els, but (as I ſaide before) to preach and teach the worde of the Goſpell, to confeſſe Chriſt, and to ſpread abroad the knowledge of him among all the Gentiles. And this is the office of the Prieſthod and continuall ſacrifice of the Church in the new teſtament,The office of the prieſthod of the church of Chriſt. which diſtributeth this Bleſſing by preaching and by miniſtring of the ſacramēts, by comforting the broken harted, by diſtributing the worde of grace, which Abraham had and which was alſo his Bleſſing: which when he beleued, he receaued ye Bleſſing.Our bleſſing is ſpirituall and not corporall, as the Ievves dreame. So we alſo beleuing the ſame, are bleſſed. And this bleſſing is a greate glorie, not before the world, but before God. For we hauehave heard that our ſinnes are forgeuen vsus, and that we are accepted of God, that God is our father, and that we are his children, with whom he will not be angry, but will deliuer vsus from ſinne, from death and all euils, and will geue vntounto vsus righteouſnes, life and eternall ſaluation. Of this Bleſſing (as I hauehave ſaid) doe the Prophetes preach in eueryevery place, who did not ſo coldly conſider thoſe promiſes made vntounto the fathers as the wicked Iewes did, and as the popiſh Scholemen and Sectaries doe at this day,The diligence of the Prophetes. Hoſeas. 13.14. but did reade them and way them with greate diligence, and alſo drew out of thoſe promiſes whatſoeuer they prophecied of Chriſt or his kingedome. So the prophecie of Hoſeas. 13. chapter: I vvill redeeme them from the povver of the graue: I vvill deliuer them from death: O death I vvill be thy death: O graue I vvill be thy deſtruction, and ſuche like places of the other Prophetes did all ſpring out of theſe promiſes, in which God promiſed to the fathers the bruſing of the ſerpentes heade and the bleſſing of all nations.Geneſ. 3.
Moreouer, if the nations be bleſſed, that is to ſay, if they be accounted righteous before God, it followeth yt they are free from ſinne and death, and are made pertakers of righteouſnes, ſaluation, and euerlaſting life, not for their works, but for their faith in Chriſt. Therfore that place of Geneſis the .12. chapter:Genes. 12.…. In thee shall all the nations be bleſſed, ſpeaketh not of the bleſſing of the mouth, but of ſuch a bleſſing as belongeth to the imputation of righteouſnes, which is auaileable before God, and redemeth from the curſe of ſinne, and from all thoſe euils that doe accumpany ſinne. Now,The Bleſſing is receaued onelyonly by faith this Bleſſing is receaued onelyonly by faith. For the text ſaith plainely: Abraham Beleued and it vvas accounted vntounto him for righteouſnes. Wherefore it is a meere ſpirituall Bleſſing, & there is no Bleſſing in deede but this: which although it be curſed in the world (as in deede it is) yet is it auaileable before God. This is therefore a mightie place, that they which are of faith are become partakers of this promiſe of the Bleſſing made vntounto the beleeuing Abraham. And by this meanes Paule preuenteth the cauillation of the Iewes, which bragge of a begetting and a working Abraham and iuſt before men, and not of a beleeuing Abraham.
Now, like as the Iewes doe glorie onelyonly of a working Abraham, euen ſo the Pope ſetteth out onelyonly a working Chriſt,The Pope ſetteth Chriſt forth as an example and not as a gifte, Io. 13.1…. or rather an example of Chriſt. He that will liue godly (ſaith he) muſt walke as Chriſt hath walked, according to his owne ſaying in the .13. of Iohn: I hauehave geuen you an example, that you should doe euen as I hauehave done to you. We deny not but that the faithful ought to follow the example of Chriſt, and to worke well: but we ſay that they are not iuſtified therby before God. And Paule doth not here reaſon what we ought to doe, but by what meanes we are made righteous. In this matter we muſt ſet nothing elſe before our eies, but Ieſus Chriſt dyinge for our ſinnes, and riſinge againe for our righteouſnes, and him muſt we apprehende by faith,In the matter of iuſtificatiō vve muſt loke vponupon Chriſt as a gifte and not as an example. as a gift and not as an example. This reaſon vnderſtandeth not, & therfore as the Iewes follow a working and not a beleuing Abraham, euen ſo the Papiſtes and all that ſeeke righteouſnes by workes doe behold and apprehend, not a iuſtifying, but a working Chriſt, & by this meanes they ſwarue from Chriſt, from righteouſnes and ſaluation. And like as the Iewes which were ſaued, ought to follow the beleuing Abraham: ſo we alſo, if we will be deliuered from our ſinnes and be ſaued, muſt take holde of the iuſtifying and ſauing Chriſt, whom Abraham him ſelfe alſo by faith did apprehend and through him was bleſſed.
It was in deede a greate glorie that Abraham receaued circumciſion at the commaundement of God, that he was endued with excellent vertues, that he obeied God in all things: as it is alſo a greate praiſe and felicitie to follow the example of Chriſt working, to louelove thy neighbour, to doe good to them that hurt thee, to pray for thine enemies, patiently to beare the ingratitude of thoſe which render euill for good: but all this auaileth nothing to righteouſnes before God. The excellent deedes and vertues of Abraham were not the cauſe that he was counted righteous before God: So likewiſe the imitation and following of the example of Chriſt doth not make vsus righteous before God. For, to make vsus righteous before God, there is a farre more excellent price required, which is neither the righteouſnes of man, nor yet of the law. Here we muſt needes hauehave Chriſt to bleſſe vsus and ſaue vsus: like as Abraham had him to be his bleſſer and Sauiour. Howe? Not by works, but by faith. Wherfore, as the beleuing Abraham is a thing farre differing from ye working Abraham: ſo is Chriſte bleſſing & redeming a thing farre differing frō Chriſt working or geuing example. And Paule here ſpeaketh of Chriſt redeming and Abraham beleuing, and not of Chriſt geuing example, or of Abraham working. Therefore he addeth purpoſely and that with greate vehemencie: They vvhichwhich are of faith are bleſſed vvith faithfull Abraham.Galat 3.9.
Wherefore we muſt ſeparate the beleuing and the working Abraham as farre aſunder, as there is diſtance betwixt heauen & earth. A man beleuing in Chriſt is altogither a diuine man, the child of God, the inheritour of the world, a conquerour of ſinne, death, the world and the Deuill: therefore he can not be praiſed and magnified enough. Let vsus not ſuffer this faithfull Abraham to lie hid in his graue, as he is hid from the Iewes: but let vsus highly extoll and magnifie him, and let vsus fill both heauen and earth with his name: ſo that in reſpect of this faithfull Abraham, we ſee nothing at al in the working Abraham. For when we ſpeake of this faithfull Abraham, we are in heauen. But afterwards, doing thoſe things which the working Abraham did, which were carnall and earthly, and not diuine and heauenly (but in as much as they were geuen vntounto him of God) we are among men in earth. The beleuing Abraham therefore filleth both heauen and earth. So eueryevery Chriſtian through his faith filleth heauen and earth, ſo that beſides it he ought to behold nothing.
Now, Paule of this word, [shalbe bleſſed] gathereth a contrary argument. For the ſcripture is full of oppoſitions or contrary relations. And it is a great point of cunning, to marke wel theſe kindes of ſpeach in the ſcriptures, and by them to expound the ſentences therof: as here this word bleſſing by and by inferreth the contrary: that is to ſay, malediction.All nations through faith are bleſſed: therfore vvith out faith all are accurſed. For when the ſcripture ſaith that all nations are bleſſed in faith or with faithfull Abraham, it followeth neceſſarily, that all, aſwel Iewes as Gentiles are accurſed without faith, or without this beleuing Abraham. For ye promiſe of Bleſſing was geuē to Abraham, that in him all natiōs ſhould be bleſſed. There is no Bleſſing then to be looked for, but onelyonly in the promiſe made vntounto Abraham, now publiſhed by the Goſpell throughout the whole world. Therefore whatſoeuer is without that Bleſſing, is accurſed. And this Paul ſheweth plainly when he ſayth: