Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 3 · Verse extract 22 – Verse extract 23
Verſe. 22. The ſcripture hath concluded all men vnderunder ſinne.
Where? Firſt in the promiſes them ſelues as touching Chriſt, as Geneſis. 3. The Seede of the vvoman shall breake the head of the ſerpent. Geneſ. 3.15. Geneſ. 22.And Geneſis. 22. In thy Seede &c. Wherſoeuer then is any promiſe in the ſcriptures made vntounto the fathers concerning Chriſt, there the Bleſſing is promiſed, that is, righteouſnes, ſaluation, and eternall life.The ſcripture shutteth all vnderunder the Curſe firſt by the promiſe. Therefore by the contrary it is euident, that they which muſt receaue the Bleſſing are ſubiect to the Curſe, that is to ſay, ſinne & eternall death: for els to what ende was the Bleſſing promiſed?
Secondly, the Scripture ſhutteth men vnderunder ſinne and vnderunder the Curſe eſpecially by the law, becauſe it is his peculiar office to reueale ſinne & engender wrath,Secondly by the lavve. as we hauehave declared throughout this Epiſtle, but chiefely by this ſentence of Paule: VVhoſoeuer are of the vvorks of the lavv are vnderunder the Curſe: Galat. 3.10.Alſo by that place which the Apoſtle alleaged out of the .27. chapt. of Deut: Deut. 27.26.Curſed is eueryevery one that abideth not in all the vvordes of this lavve to doe them. &c. For theſe ſentences in plaine wordes doe ſhut vnderunder ſinne and vnderunder the Curſe, not onelyonly thoſe which ſinne manifeſtly againſt the law,Curſed is eueryevery one that abideth not in all things. &c. or doe not outwardly accōpliſh the law: but alſo thoſe which are vnderunder the law, and wt all endeuour go about to performe the ſame: and ſuch were the Iewes, as before I hauehave ſayd. Much more then doth the ſame place of Paule ſhut vppe vnderunder ſinne and vnderunder the Curſe, all Monkes, Friers, Heremites, Carthuſians and ſuch like, with their profeſſions, rules, and religions, to the which they attributed ſuch holines, that when a mā had once made a vowe of his profeſſion, if he died by and by, they dreamed that he went ſtreight to heauen. But here ye heare plainly that the Scripture ſhutteth all vnderunder ſinne. Therefore neither the vowe nor religion of the Carthuſian, be it neuer ſo angelicall, is righteouſnes before God: for the Scripture hath ſhutte all vnderunder ſinne, all are accurſed and damned. Who pronounceth this ſentence? The Scripture. And where? Firſt by this promiſe: The Seede of the vvoman shall bruſe the Serpentes head. In thee shall be bleſſed. The principall office of the lavve.&c. and ſuch like places: Moreouer, by the whole lawe, whereof the principall office is to make men giltie of ſinne. Therefore no Monke, no Carthuſian, no Celeſtine bruſeth the head of the Serpent, but they abide bruſed and broken vnderunder the Serpents head, that is, vnderunder the power of the Deuill.*Theſe things in Luthers time vvere counted ſo high a ſeruice to God, that ſcarce any mā vvould beleue they could be ſo abhominable. Who will beleue this?
Briefly, what ſo euer is without Chriſt and his promiſe, whether it be the lawe of God or the lawe of man, the Ceremoniall or the morall lawe, without all exception, is ſhut vnderunder ſinne: For the Scripture ſhutteth all vnderunder ſinne. Now, he that ſaith all, excepteth nothing. Therefore we conclude with Paule, that the policies and lawes of all nations, be they neuer ſo good and neceſſary, with all ceremonies and religions without faith in Chriſt, are and abide vnderunder ſinne, death and eternall damnation, except faith in Ieſus Chriſt goe withall or rather before all, as followeth in the texte. Of this matter we hauehave ſpoken largely before.
Wherfore this is a true propoſition:OnelyOnly Faith iuſtifieth. OnelyOnly faith iuſtifieth wt out works (which notwithſtanding our aduerſaries can by no meanes abide): For Paule here ſtrongly concludeth that the lawe geueth not life, becauſe it is not geuen to that ende.If the lavv iuſtifie not, much leſſe do vvorks iuſtify. If then the lawe doe not iuſtifie and geue life, much leſſe doe workes iuſtifie. For when Paule ſayth that the lawe geueth not life, his meaning is that workes alſo doe not geue life. For it is more to ſay, yt the law quickeneth & geueth life, then to ſay that works doe quicken & geue life. If then the law it ſelfe being fulfilled (although it be impoſſible that it ſhould be accompliſhed) doe not iuſtifie, much leſſe doe workes iuſtifie. I conclude therefore that faith onelyonly iuſtifieth and bringeth life without workes. Paule can not ſuffer this addition: faith ioyned with works iuſtifieth: but he proceedeth ſimplie by the negatiue, Rom. 3. and before in the ſecond chapiter: Therefore by the vvorkes of the lavv (ſayeth he) shall no flesh be iuſtified. Rom. 3.….And againe in this place: The lavve is not geuen to bring life.
Verſe. 22. That the promiſe by the faith of Ieſus Chriſt shoulde be geuen to them that beleue.
He ſaide before that the Scripture hath ſhutte all vnderunder ſinne. What, for euer? No, but vntill the promiſe ſhoulde be geuen. Nowe, the promiſe is the inheritaunce it ſelfe, or the Bleſſing promiſed to Abraham: The promiſe geuen to Abraham.to witte, the deliueraunce from the lawe, ſinne, death and the Deuill, and a free geuing of grace, righteouſnes, ſaluation and eternal life. This promiſe (ſaith he) is not obtained by any merite, by any law, or by any worke,The promiſe geuen to them that beleue. but it is geuen. To whom? To thoſe that beleue. In whom? In Ieſus Chriſt, who is the bleſſed Seede, which hath redeemed all beleeuers from the Curſe, yt they might receaue the Bleſſing. Theſe wordes be not obſcure, but plaine enough: notwithſtanding we muſt marke them diligently and way well the force and weight therof. For if all be ſhutte vnderunder ſinne, it followeth that all nations are accurſed and are deſtitute of the grace of God: Alſo that they are vnderunder the wrath of God and the power of the Deuill, and that no man can be deliuered from thē by any other meanes then by faith in Ieſus Chriſt. With theſe words therfore Paule fighteth ſtrongly againſt the fantaſticall opinions of the Papiſtes and all Iuſticiaries touching the lawe and workes, when he ſayth: that the promiſe by faith in Ieſus Chriſt might be geuen to all beleeuers.
Nowe, how we ſhoulde aunſwere to thoſe ſentences which ſpeake of workes and the rewarde thereof, I hauehave ſufficiently declared before. And the matter requireth not now yt we ſhould ſpeake any thinge of workes.The ſentences concerning vvorks. For we hauehave not here taken in hande to entreate of works, but of Iuſtification: to witte, that it is not obtained by the lawe and works, ſince all things are ſhutte vnderunder ſinne and vnderunder the Curſe: but by Faith in Chriſt.The commendation of vvorkes out of the matter of Iuſtificatiō When we are out of the matter of Iuſtification, we can not ſufficiently praiſe and magnifie thoſe workes which are commaunded of God. For who can ſufficiently commend and ſet forth the profite & fruit of one onelyonly worke, which a Chriſtian doth through Faith and in Faith? In deede it is more precious then heauen or earth. The whole world therefore is not able to geue a worthy recompence to ſuch a good worke. Yea the world hath not the grace to magnifie the holy works of the faithfull as they are worthy, and much leſſe to rewarde them: For it ſeeth them not: or if it doe, it eſteemeth them not as good workes, but as moſt wicked and deteſtable crimes, and riddeth the world of thoſe which are the doers therof, as moſt peſtilent plagues to mankinde.
So Chriſt the Sauiour of the world, for a recōpence of his incōprehenſible & ineſtimable benefites,Hovv … and … ſt… vvarded … vvo…ld … their benefite. was put to ye moſt ignominious death of the croſſe. The Apoſtles alſo bringing ye word of grace & eternall life into the world, were coūted the ofſcouring & the outcaſtes of the whole world. This is the goodly reward which the world geueth for ſo great & vnſpeakeable benefites. But workes done wtout faith, although they hauehave neuer ſo goodly a ſhew of holines, are vnderunder ye Curſe. Wherfore, ſo farre of it is yt the doers therof ſhould deſerue grace, righteouſnes & eternall life, yt rather they heape ſinne vponupon ſinne.VVorks vvithout faith. 2. Theſ. 2.3. After this maner the Pope, that child of perdition, and all that follow him, doe worke. So worke all meritemongers and heretikes which are fallen frō the faith.
Verſe. 23. But before*Faith vvas the full reuelation of thīgs that vvere h…d vnderunder the lavve. faith came.
He proceedeth in declaring the profite & neceſſitie of ye law. He ſaid before ye the law was added for tranſgreſſions: Not yt it was the principall purpoſe of God to make a law yt ſhould bring death & dānation, as he ſaith. Rom. 7. VVas that vvhichwhich vvas good (ſaith he) made death vntounto me? Rom. 7.13.God forbid For ye law is a word yt ſheweth life & driueth mē vntounto it. Therfore it is not only geuen as a miniſter of death,The vſe of the lavve. but ye principal vſe & end therof is to reueile death, yt ſo it might be ſeene & knowen how horrible ſinne is. Notwtſtanding it doth not ſo reueile death as though it tended to no other end but to kill & deſtroy.VVhy the lavv reuealeth ſinne. But to this end it reuealeth death, yt when men are terrified, caſt downe, & humbled, they ſhould feare God. And this doth ye. 20. chap. of Erodus declare. Feare not (ſaith Moſes) For God is come to proue you & that his feare may be before you that ye ſinne not. The office therfore of ye law is to kill,Exod. 29.20. & yet ſo, yt God may reuiue & quickē againe. The law then is not geuē only to kil: but becauſe mā is proud & dreameth yt he is wiſe, righteous and holy, therfore it is neceſſary he ſhould be humbled by the law, that ſo this beaſte the opinion of righteouſnes I ſay, might be ſlaine: for otherwiſe men can not obtaine life.God vſeth the effect of the lavve, that is to ſay, death, to life. The opiniō of a mans ovvne righteouſnes, confidence & holines, is ſlain by the lavv.
Albeit then yt the law killeth, yet God vſeth this effect of the law, this death, I meane, to a good vſe, yt is to ſay, euen to life. For God ſeeing yt this vniuerſall plague of the whole world: to wit, mās opinion of his owne righteouſnes, his hypocriſie, & cōfidence in his owne holines could not be beatē downe by any other meanes, he would yt it ſhould be ſlaine by the law: not for euer, but yt, when it is once ſlaine, mā might be raiſed vppe againe aboue and beyond the lawe, and there might heare this voice: Feare not: I hauehave not geuen the lawe, and killed thee by the lawe, to this ende that thou ſhouldeſt abide in this death: but that thou ſhouldeſt feare me, and liue. For the preſuming of good workes and righteouſnes ſtandeth not with the feare of God: And where the feare of God is not, there cā be no thirſting for grace or life. God muſt therefore hauehave a ſtrong hammer or a mightie maul, to breake the rockes, and a hote burning fire in the middes of heauen to ouerthrowe the mountaines: that is to ſay, to deſtroy this furious and obſtinate beaſt, (this preſumption I ſay) that when a man by this bruſing and breaking is brought to nothīg, he ſhould deſpaire of his owne ſtrēgth, righteouſnes, and holines, and being thus throughly terrified, ſhould thirſt after mercy and remiſſion of ſinnes.