Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 3 · Verse extract 10
Verſe. 10. For as many as are of the vvorks of the lavv are accurſed.
Here ye ſee that the Curſe is as it were a floude ſwallowing vp whatſoeuer is without Abraham: that is to ſay, without faith and the promiſe of the Bleſſing of Abraham. Now, if the law it ſelfe geuen by Moſes at the cōmaūdement of God, maketh them ſubiect to the Curſe which are vnderunder it, much more ſhall the lawes and traditions deuiſed by mans braine doe the ſame. He therefore that will auoid the Curſe, muſt lay hold vponupon the promiſe of Bleſſing, or vponupon the faith of Abraham, or els ſhall he abide vnderunder the Curſe. VponUpon this place therefore [shalbe bleſſed in thee] it followeth, yt all nations, whether they were before Abraham, in his time, or after him, are accurſed & ſhall remaine vnderunder the Curſe for euer, vnleſſe they be bleſſed in ye faith of Abraham, vntounto whom the promiſe of Bleſſing was geuen to be publiſhed by his ſeede throughout the whole world.
To know theſe things it is very neceſſary, for they helpe greatly to comfort troubled and afflicted conſciences:The righteouſnes of faith and ciuill righteouſnes. moreouer they teach vsus to ſeparate the righteouſnes of Faith from the righteouſnes of the fleſh or ciuill righteouſnes. For we muſt note that Paule here is in hande, not with a matter of policie, but with a matter diuine and ſpirituall before God, leſt any mad braine ſhould cauill, and ſay that he curſeth and cōdemneth politike lawes and Magiſtrates. Here all the Sophiſters and popiſh Scholemen are dumme and can ſay nothing. Therefore the readers muſt be admoniſhed that in this place ther is nothing handled as touching ciuill lawes,Ciuill lavves and ordinaunces are good, and of God. or touching manners and matters politicall (which are the ordinaunces of God and good thinges, and the ſcripture elſewhere approueth and commendeth the ſame), but of a ſpirituall righteouſnes, by which we are iuſtified before God, and are called the children of God in the kingdom of heauen. To be briefe, there is nothing handled here concerning the bodily life, but concerding euerlaſting life, where no bleſſing is to be hoped for, or righteouſnes to be ſought either through the law, or traditions, or whatſoeuer can be named in this life, beſides the promiſe of Abrahams Bleſſing. Let ciuill lawes and ordinaunces abide in their right place and order: let the magiſtrate make good and notable lawes, yet notwithſtanding they deliuer no man from the Curſe of Gods law. The kingdome of Babylon ordained of God, and by him committed vntounto Kings, had excellent lawes, and all nations were commaunded to obey them: notwithſtanding this obedience of the lawes did not ſaue it from the Curſe of the lawe of God. In like manner we obey the lawes of Princes and magiſtrates, but we are not thereby made righteous before God: For here we are in an other matter.
It is not without cauſe that I doe ſo earneſtly vrge this diſtinction.The righteouſnes of faith and ciuill righteouſnes are eaſily confounded. For it is very neceſſary to knowe it. Albeit there are very fewe that doe marke it and vnderſtand it in deede. Againe, the confounding and mingling together of the heauenly and ciuill righteouſnes, is very eaſie. In the ciuill righteouſnes we muſt hauehave regarde to lawes and workes, but in the ſpirituall, diuine and heauenly righteouſnes, we muſt vtterly reiect all lawes and workes, and ſet the onelyonly promiſe and Bleſſing before our eies, which layeth before vsus Chriſt the geuer of this Bleſſing and of grace, and our onelyonly Sauiour. So that this ſpirituall righteouſnes, ſecluding the law and all workes, looketh only vntounto the grace and bleſſing which is geuen by Chriſt, as it was promiſed to Abraham and of him beleued.
Hereby we may plainely ſee, that this argument is inuincible. For if we muſt hope to receaue this bleſſing by Chriſt alone, then it muſt needes followe of the contrary that it is not receaued by the law. For the bleſſing was geuen to faithful Abraham before the law and without the law. Now, like as Abraham beleued in Chriſt to come, the geuer of the Bleſſing: ſo and by the ſame faith, we beleue in Chriſt being come, and ſo are we now iuſtified by faith, as Abraham was then iuſtied by faith. They therfore which are vnderunder the lawe are not bleſſed, but doe remaine vnderunder the Curſe.
This the Pope and his proude Prelates neither doe nor can beleue, neither can they abide this doctrine. Yet muſt we not holde our peace, but muſt cōfeſſe the truth and ſay, that the Papacie is accurſed: yea all the lawes and ciuill ordinaunces of the Emperour are accurſed: For according to Paule, whatſoeuer is without the promiſe and faith of Abraham, is accurſed. When our aduerſaries heare this, by and by they peruert and ſclaūder our words,Hovv the aduerſaries ſclauder and vvreſt our vvordes. as though we taught that the Magiſtrates ſhould not be honoured, but that we raiſe vp ſeditions againſt ye Emperour, that we condemne all lawes, that we ouerthrow and deſtroy common weales &c. But they doe vsus greate wronge. For we put a difference betwene the corporall and the ſpirituall Bleſſing, and we ſay that the Emperour is bleſſed with a corporall bleſſing. For to hauehave a kingdom, lawes, and ciuill ordinaunces, to hauehave a wife, children, houſe and landes is a bleſſing. For all theſe thinges are the good creatures and giftes of God.The corporall bleſſing deliuereth vsus not from ſinnes. But we are not deliuered from the euerlaſting Curſe by this corporall bleſſing, which is but temporall and muſt hauehave an ende. Therefore we condemne not lawes, neither doe we ſtirre vp ſedition againſt the Emperour: but we teach that he muſt be obeied, that he muſt be feared, reuerenced and honoured, but yet ciuily. But when we ſpeake of the bleſſing after the manner of Diuines, then we ſay boldely with Paule, that all thinges which are without the faith and promiſe of Abraham, are accurſed and abide vnderunder that heauēly and euerlaſting Curſe. For ther we muſt looke for an other life after this, & an other Bleſſing after this corporall Bleſſing.
To conclude,Corporall things are the good creatures of God. we ſay that all corporall things are the good creatures of God. Therefore (as I hauehave ſaid) to hauehave wife, children, goodes, to hauehave politike lawes and orders, are the good bleſſings of God in their place: that is to ſay, they are temporall bleſſings belonging to this life. But theſe bleſſinges the Iuſticiaries and Lawworkers of all ages, as the Iewes, Papiſts & Sectaries, and ſuch like, do confound and mingle together. For they put no difference betweene corporall and ſpirituall bleſſings. Therefore they ſay: We hauehave a lawe, and this lawe is good, holy, and righteous: therefore we are iuſtified through it.The lavve of ſinne, vvrath, and death. Who denieth but that the lawe is good, holy, & righteous? And yet is it alſo the lawe of malediction, of ſinne, of wrath, and of death. Therfore we make here a diſtinction betweene the corporall and ſpirituall Bleſſing, & ſay, that God hath a double Bleſſing: one corporall for this life,Corporal bleſſings are to be ſundred from ſpirituall bleſsings. and an other ſpirituall for the euerlaſting life. Therfore to hauehave ritches, children and ſuch like, we ſay it is a bleſſing, but in his degree, that is to ſay, in this life preſent. But as touching life euerlaſting, it is not enough to hauehave corporall bleſſings: for the very wicked doe therein abound moſte of all. It is not ſufficient that we hauehave ciuill righteouſnes or the righteouſnes of the law: for therein alſo the wicked doe ſpecially flouriſh. Theſe things God diſtributeth in the world freely, & beſtoweth them both vponupon the good and bad, like as he ſuffereth the Sunne to riſe both vponupon the good and the euill,God beſtovveth his giftes both vponupon the good & euill. Rom. 1.20. and ſendeth raine vponupon the righteous and vnrighteous: for he is liberall vntounto all. And to him it is a ſmall matter to put all creatures vnderunder the feete of the wicked. The Creature is ſubiect to vanitie, not of his ovvne vvill. Rom. 8. They therfore which hauehave but onelyonly theſe corporall bleſſings, are not the children of God, bleſſed before God ſpiritually, as was Abraham: but they are vnderunder the Curſe, as Paule here ſayth: VVhoſoeuer is vnderunder the vvorkes of the lavv, is vnderunder the Curſe.
Paule might hauehave ſayd by a generall propoſition: Whatſoeuer is without faith, is vnderunder the Curſe. He ſayth not ſo, but he taketh that which beſides faith is the beſt, the greateſt, and moſt excellent among all corporall bleſſings of the world: to witte, the lawe of God. That lawe (ſayth he) in deede is holy and geuen of God: notwithſtanding it doth nothing elſe but make all men ſubiect to the Curſe and keepe them vnderunder the ſame.The effectes of the lavve. Nowe, if the lawe of God doe make men ſubiect to the Curſe, much more doe the inferior lawes and bleſſings. And that it may be plainly vnderſtand what Paule calleth it to be vnderunder the Curſe, he declareth by this teſtimonie of the ſcripture, ſaying: