Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 4 · Verse extract 24-25 – Verse extract 25
Verſ. 24.25. For theſe mothers are the tvvo*They are called tvvo couenaunts, one of the olde, another of the nevv teſtamēt although in very deede they are not tvvo, but are ſo called in reſpect of the times. Teſtamentes: the one vvhichwhich is Agar of mount Syna, vvhichwhich engendreth vntounto bondage. (For Agar or Syna is a mountaine in Arabia.
Abraham is a figure of God.Abraham is a figure of God, which hath two ſonnes, that is to ſay, two ſortes of people are repreſented by Iſmael and Iſaac. Theſe two are borne vntounto him by Agar and Sara, the which ſignifie the two Teſtaments,Tvvo ſortes of people. the olde and the new. The olde is of mount Syna, begetting vntounto bondage,Tvvo teſtaments. which is Agar. For the Arabians in their lāguage call Agar the ſame mountaine which the Iewes call Sina (which ſemeth to hauehave that name of brambles and thornes):Sina. Agar.which alſo Ptolomaeus and the Greeke commentaries doe witneſſe. After the ſame maner diuers names are geuen to many mountaines, according to the diuerſitie of nations.Hermon. So the mounte which Moſes calleth Hermon, of the Sidonians is called Sirion, and of the Amorites Senir.
Now, this ſerueth very well to the purpoſe, that mount Sina in ye Arabians language ſignifieth as much as an handmaid: and I thinke the likenes of this name gaue Paule light and occaſion to ſeeke out this allegorie.Agar brought forth a ſonne, not an heire but a ſeruaūt. Likewiſe then as Agar the bondmaid brought forth to Abraham a ſonne, and yet not an heire but a ſeruaunt, ſo Sina the allegoricall Agar, brought forth to God a ſonne, that is to ſay, a carnall people. Againe, as Iſmael was the true ſonne of Abraham, Sina brought vntounto God a ſonne, but a carnal people.ſo the people of Iſrael had the true God to be their father, which gaue them his law, his oracles, religion and true ſeruice, and the temple: as it is ſaid in the Pſalme. 147: He shevveth his vvord vntounto Iacob, his ſtatutes and his iudgements vntounto Iſrael. Pſal. 147.19.Notwithſtanding this onelyonly was the difference: Iſmael was borne of a bondmaid after the fleſh, that is to ſay, without the promiſe, and could not therfore be the heire. So the miſticall Agar, that is to ſay,The people of the lavve. mount Sina where the lawe was geuen and the old Teſtament ordained, brought forth to God, who is yt great Abraham, a people, but without the promiſe, that is to ſay, a carnall and a ſeruile people, and not the heire of God. For the promiſes as touching Chriſt the geuer of all Bleſſing, and as touching the deliuerance from the curſe of the law, from ſinne and death: alſo as touching the free remiſſion of our ſinnes, of righteouſnes and euerlaſting life, are not added to the lawe, but the lawe ſayth:Rom. 10.5. He that shall doe theſe things shall liue in them.
Therefore the promiſes of the lawe are conditionall,The promiſes of the lavve & the goſpell. promiſing life, not freely, but to ſuch as fulfill the law, and therefore they leaue mens conſciences in doubt: for no man fulfilleth the law. But the promiſes of the new Teſtament hauehave no ſuch condition ioyned vntounto them, nor require any thing of vsus, nor depend vppon any condition of our worthines, but bring and geue vntounto vsus freely forgeuenes of ſinnes, grace, righteouſnes and life euerlaſting for Chriſtes ſake, as I hauehave ſayd more largely in an other place.
Therfore the law or the old Teſtament containeth onelyonly conditionall promiſes: for it hath alwayes ſuch conditions as theſe are,The promiſes of God in the lavv are conditionall. Deut. 26.1. &c. ioyned to it: If ye harken to my voice: If ye kepe my ſtatutes: if ye vvalke in my vvayes, ye shall be my people. &c. The Iewes not conſidering this,Hovv the Ievves toke the promiſes of God. layd hold of thoſe conditionall promiſes as if they had bene abſolute and wtout all condition: which they ſuppoſed that God could neuer reuoke, but muſt needes kepe them. Herevpon, when they heard the Prophets foreſhew the deſtruction of the citie of Ieruſalem, of the temple, of the kingdom and prieſthoode (which could well diſcerne betwixt the corporall promiſes of the lawe, and the ſpirituall promiſes concerning Chriſte and his kingdom):The Ievves perſecuted the Prophets. they perſecuted and killed them as heretikes and blaſphemers of God: For they ſawe not the condition that was annexed: If ye kepe my commaundementes, it shall goe vvell vvith you. &c.
The lavv bringeth forth bondmen, or bondſeruaūtsTherfore Agar the bondmaid bringeth forth but a bond ſeruaunt. Iſmael then is not the heire, although he be the naturall ſonne of Abraham, but remaineth a bondman. What is here lacking? The promiſe and Bleſſing of the word. So the lawe geuen in mount Sina, which the Arabians call Agar, begetteth none but ſeruauntes. For the promiſe made as concerning Chriſt, was not annexed to the lawe. Wherfore (O ye Galathians) if ye, forſaking the promiſe and faith, fall backe to the law and works, ye ſhall alwayes continue ſeruaunts: that is, ye ſhall neuer be deliuered from ſinne and death, but ye ſhall alwayes abide vnderunder the curſe of the lawe. For Agar gendreth not the ſeede of the promiſe and heires,The lavv maketh not heires, neither doth it iuſtify. that is to ſay, the lawe iuſtifieth not: it bringeth not the adoption & inheritance, but rather it hindreth the inheritance, and worketh wrath.
Verſe. 25. And it anſvvereth to Ieruſalem vvhichwhich novv is, and she is in bondage vvith her children.
This is a wonderfull allegorie. As Paule a litle before made Agar of Sina, ſo now of Ieruſalem he would gladly make Sara: but he dareth not, neither can he ſo doe: but is compelled to ioyne Ieruſaſalem with mount Sina. For he ſayth: The ſame belongeth to Agar, ſeeing mount Agar reacheth euen to Ieruſalem. And it is true that there be continuall mountaines reaching from Arabia Petrea, vntounto Cades Bernea of Iurie. He ſayth then that this Ieruſalem which now is, that is to ſay, this earthly and temporall Ieruſalem is not Sara: but pertaineth to Agar:The earthly Ieruſalem perteineth to Agar. for there Agar raigneth. For in it is the law begetting vntounto bondage: in it is the worſhip and ceremonies, the temple, the kingdome, the Prieſthoode: and whatſoeuer was ordained in Sina by the mother which is the lawe,That vvhichwhich vvas ordained in Sina, vvas kept in Ieruſalem. the ſame is done in Ieruſalem. Therfore I ioyne her with Sina, and I cōprehend both in one word, to witte, Sina or Agar.
I durſt not hauehave bene ſo bolde to handle this allegorie after this maner, but would rather hauehave called Ieruſalem Sara or the new Teſtament, eſpecially ſeeing the preaching of the Goſpell began in it, the holy Ghoſt was there geuen, and the people of the new Teſtament were there borne: and I would hauehave thought that I had found out a very fitte allegory.It is not for eueryevery man to dally vvith allegories. Wherfore it is not for eueryevery man to vſe allegories at his pleaſure: for a goodly outward ſhew may ſoone deceaue a man and cauſe him to erre. Who would not thinke it a very fitte thing to call Sina Agar, and Ieruſalem Sara?Tvvo Ieruſalems, an heauenly and an earthly. In deede Paule maketh Ieruſalem Sara, but not this corporall Ieruſalem, which he ſimplie ioyneth vntounto Agar: but that ſpirituall and heauenly Ieruſalem in which the law raigneth not nor the carnall people,Sara the heauenly Ieruſalem. as in that Ieruſalē which is in bondage with her children, but wherein the promiſe raigneth, wherin is alſo a ſpirituall and a free people.
And to the ende that the lawe ſhould be quite aboliſhed, and that whole kingdom which was eſtabliſhed in Agar:The earthly Ieruſalem deſtroyed. the earthly Ieruſalē was horribly deſtroyed, wt all her ornamēts, ye tēple, ye ceremonies. &c. Now, although ye new teſtament began in it, & ſo was ſpread through out the whole world, notwtſtanding it appertaineth to Agar: that is to ſay, it is the citie of the law,The citie of the lavv. of ye ceremonies & of ye prieſthoode inſtituted by Moſes. Briefly it is gendred of Agar the bondwoman, and therfore is in bondage with her children, that is to ſay:The earthly Ieruſalem in bondage. it walketh in the works of the lawe, and neuer attaineth to the libertie of the ſpirite, but abideth continually vnderunder the lawe, ſinne, an euil conſcience, the wrath and iudgement of God, and vnderunder the gilt of death and hell. In deede it hath the libertie of the fleſh, it hath a corporall kingdom,Ieruſalem had a corporall kingdom for a time. it hath magiſtrates, riches, and poſſeſſions, and ſuch like things: but we ſpeake of the libertie of the ſpirit, wherby we are dead to the law, to ſinne and death, and we liue and raigne in grace, forgeuenes of ſinnes, righteouſnes and euerlaſting life. This can not the earthly Ieruſalem performe, and therefore it abideth with Agar.