Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 3 · Verse extract 1
Verſe. 1. And vvas among you crucified.
What did I then paint out? Euen Chriſt him ſelfe. How was that done? In this ſort, that he is crucified in you or among you.The Apoſ…o vſeth bitter and rough vvordes. He vſeth here very rough and ſharpe wordes. Before he ſaid that they ſought righteouſnes by the lawe, reiected the grace of God, and that to them Chriſt died in vaine. Now he addeth moreouer yt they crucifie Chriſt, who before liued & raigned in them. As if he ſhould ſay: Ye hauehave now not onelyonly reiected the grace of God, not onelyonly to you Chriſt died in vaine, but alſo he is moſt ſhamefully crucified among you. After the ſame maner he ſpeaketh. Heb. 6. Heb. 6.….Crucifying to them ſelues againe the ſonne of God, and making a mocke of him. &c.
If a mā do but heare the name of a Monke, of his ſhauen croune, of his cowle, of his rule, it ſhould make him to tremble (howe much ſo euer the Papiſts doe adore theſe abominations, and bragge that they are perfect religion and holines, as I and others did iudge of them before God reuealed his Goſpell vntounto vsus: for we were brought vp in the traditions of men, which darkened Chriſt and made him vtterly vnprofitable vntounto vsus) when he heareth Paule ſay, as here he doth, that euen they which ſeeke to be iuſtified by the lawe of God, be not onelyonly deniers and murtherers of Chriſt, but alſo they doe moſt wickedly crucifie him againe. Nowe,They that ſeeke to be iuſtified by the lavv, crucifie Chriſt. if they be crucifiers of Chriſt which ſeeke to be iuſtified by the righteouſnes of the law of God and the works therof, what are they (I pray you) which ſeeke ſaluation and eternall life by the dregges and filthie dunge of mans righteouſnes, and by the doctrine of Deuils?
But who could euer beleeue or thinke that it was ſo horrible and ſo abhominable a ſinne to be made a religious man (for ſo they call thē) namely to be made a Maſſing prieſt, a Monke, a Frier, a Nunne? Doutles no man. Yea they them ſelues ſay moreouer that Monkerie is a new baptiſme.The Papiſtes are crucifiers of the ſonne of God. Can there be any thing more horrible then that the kingdome of the Papiſts is the kingdome of ſuch as ſpitefully ſpitte in the face of Chriſt the ſonne of God, and crucifie him againe? For in deede they crucifie him a freſh (who was once crucified & roſe againe) both in them ſelues, in the church, and in the hearts of the faithfull: for with their ſpiteful reproches, rebukes, ſclaūders and iniuries they ſpit vponupon him, and with their wicked opinions they wounde him and thruſt him thorow, that in them he may die moſt miſerably: and in the ſteade of him they ſet vp a glorious witchcraft, wherby men are ſo miſerably charmed and deluded, that they cā not know Chriſt to be their iuſtifier, their reconciler and Sauiour, but a miniſter of ſinne, their accuſer, their iudge and their deſtroyer, which muſt be pacified no otherwiſe then by our workes and merites.
And out of this opinion did afterwards ſpring the moſt peſtilent & pernicious doctrine that is in the whole Papacie, which is this: If thou wilt ſerue God, thou muſt merite forgeuenes of ſinnes and euerlaſting life, and muſt alſo helpe others to attaine ſaluation: Thou muſt enter into a Monaſterie, vow obedience, chaſtitie, pouertie &c. Monks and Friers,The Monkes dreamed that they vvere only in the ſtate and life of perfection. and the reſt of that religious rable being puffed vp with this opinion of their owne holines, dreamed that they onelyonly were in the life and ſtate of perfection, and that other Chriſtians led but a common life, for they did no vndue workes, or more then they were bounde to doe, that is, they did not vowe and keepe chaſtitie, pouertie, obedience &c. they were but onelyonly baptiſed and kept the ten commaundements: But as for them ſelues, beſides that which was common as wel to them as to other Chriſtians, they kept alſo the works of*VVorkes of ſuperogation they call ſuch vvorks as thei doe of their ovvne good vvill, more then they are bound to doe. ſupererogation, and the counſels of Chriſt: wherfore they hoped to hauehave merite and a place in heauen amongs the principall Saintes, farre aboue the common ſort of Chriſtians.
The illuſiō of the Deuill.This was vndoutedly an horrible illuſion of the deuill, wherby he hath bewitched almoſt the whole world. And eueryevery man, the more holy he would ſeeme to be, the more he is ſnared with this witcherie, that is to ſay, with that peſtilent perſwaſion of his owne righteouſnes. And this was the cauſe that we could not know that Ieſus Chriſt was our Mediatour & Sauiour: but we did thinke that he was a ſeuere iudge, which ſhould be pacified by our owne workes:In the time of poperie vve vvere ſo bevvitched, that it vvas impoſſible to acknovvledge Chriſt. Daniel. 9.2…. Superſtitious Monkes and ſuch other, by ſtreitnes of life, and afflicting their ovvne bodies, ſought righteouſnes and remiſsion of ſinnes. which was nothing elſe but moſt horribly to blaſpheme Chriſt, and as Paule ſaid before, to reiect the grace of God, to make the death of Chriſt of none effect, and not onelyonly to kill him, but alſo moſt ſhamefully to crucifie him againe. And this is the right meaning of that which Chriſt alledgeth out of Daniell: that abomination ſtandeth in the holy place. Wherefore eueryevery monke and religious perſon, and eueryevery Iuſticiarie ſeeking remiſſion of ſinnes and righteouſnes by his owne works or by his afflictions, is a crucifier of Chriſt nowe raigning and liuing, although not in the proper perſon of Chriſt, yet in his owne heart and in the hearts of others. And whoſoeuer doe enter into Monaſteries to the ende, that by the keping of their rule and order they may be iuſtified, doe enter into the dennes of theeues and ſuch as crucifie Chriſt againe.
Wherefore Paule vſeth in this place very rigorous and bitter wordes, to the ende that he may feare and call backe the Galathians from the doctrine of the falſe Apoſtles. As if he ſhould ſay: Conſider well what ye hauehave done. Ye hauehave crucified Chriſt againe (and this I doe ſo plainly ſhewe and paint out before your eyes, that ye may ſee it, yea and touch it with your handes) becauſe ye ſeeke to be iuſtified by the lawe. But if righteouſnes come by the lawe, then is Chriſt a miniſter of ſinne, and his death altogether in vaine. If this be true, then muſt it needes follow that Chriſt is crucified againe in you.
And it is not without cauſe that he addeth this clauſe, in you, In you, or amongſt you. Rom. 6.9.or among you. For Chriſt is no more crucified, or dieth any more in his owne perſon (as is ſaide in the ſixte chapter to the Romaines): but he dieth in vsus when we reiecting true doctrine, grace, faith, free remiſſion of ſinnes, ſeeke to be iuſtified by our owne workes,To ſeeke righteouſnes by the lavve. or elſe by ye workes commaunded in the law. Here Chriſt is crucified in vsus againe. Now, this falſe and wicked perſwaſion, to ſeeke righteouſnes by the law and workes, is nothing elſe (as I hauehave before more amplie declared) but the illuſion of the Deuill, wherwith men are ſo bewitched, that in no wiſe they can acknowledge the benefite of Chriſt: yea in all their life they can doe nothing elſe but, not onelyonly denie the Lord who hath bought them and in whoſe name they are baptiſed, but alſo crucifie him againe in them ſelues. Who ſo euer then hath a feare of God and a true heart to Chriſt and his religion, let him flie quickly out of this Babylon, and let him tremble at the very name of the Papacie.The abhomination of the papacie horrible. For the impietie & abomination therof is ſo horrible, yt no man is able to expreſſe it wt words, neither cā it be otherwiſe ſeene then wt ſpiritual eies only.
Theſe two argumentes Paule proſecuteth, & driueth into the heades of the Galathians very diligently: Firſt, that they are ſo bewitched of the deuill, that they obey not the truth moſt clearely ſet forth before their eies: Secondly, that they crucifie Chriſt againe in them ſelues. Theſe ſeeme to be ſimple and plaine words, and without any high eloquence, but in very deede they are ſo mighty, that they exceede all the eloquence of man. It can not therfore be cōprehended, but onelyonly in ſpirit,The commendations of the righteouſnes of the lavv, & of our ovvne righteouſnes. how great an impietie it is to ſeeke to be iuſtified by the righteouſnes of ye law or by mans owne righteouſnes. For, as Paul ſaith here, it is nothing els but to be witched of the deuill, to be diſobedient to the truth, and to crucifie Chriſt againe. Are not theſe goodly commendations of the righteouſnes of the law and mans owne righteouſnes?
The Apoſtle therefore is here kindled with greate zeale, and with bitter words he purſueth & condemneth the preſumption of our owne righteouſnes riſing vponupon the obſeruation of the law of God, and chargeth it with this impiety, that it crucifieth againe the ſonne of God. Seing then it is ſo daungerous a thinge, it can not be beaten downe enough or condemned as it ſhould be: For therof enſueth ſuch a fall as is no leſſe then the fall of Lucifer,The fall of Lucifer. and ſuch a loſſe as can neuer be recouered, and therfore he vſeth ſo ſharpe and rigorous words againſt it, that he ſpareth not the very law of God: againſt the which he ſo bitterly inueieth, that it ſeemeth he would vtterly reiect and condemne it. And this doth he being conſtrained by greate neceſſity: for otherwiſe he could not withſtand the falſe Apoſtles, nor defend the righteouſnes of faith againſt them. Albeit then that the law be holy, iuſt, and good, yet muſt it put on as it were the viſour of an hipocrite, if he ſeeke to be iuſtified by workes. Now he preſſeth them with an argument wherof they themſelues had good experience, and which they could not denie.