Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 5 · Verse extract 1
Verſe. 1. Stand faſt therefore in that libertie vvherein Chriſte hath made vsus free.
That is to ſay: Be ye ſtedfaſt. So Peter ſayeth: Be ſober and vvatch, for your aduerſarie the Deuill as a roaring Lion vvalketh about, 1. Pet. 5.3.….ſeeking vvhom he may deuoure, vvhom reſiſt, being ſtedfaſt in the Faith. Be ye not careleſſe (ſayth he) but ſtedfaſt and conſtant. Lie not downe and ſleepe, but ſtand vp. As if he would ſay: It ſtandeth you in hand to be watchfull and conſtant,The godly muſt ſtād faſt that they loſe not their libertie in Chriſte. that ye may keepe and hold faſt that libertie wherin Chriſte hath made you free. They that are ſecure and negligent can not kepe this libertie. For Satan moſt deadly hateth the light of the Goſpell, that is to ſay, the doctrine of grace, libertie, conſolation and life.Satan deadly hateth the light of the Goſpell. Therfore when he ſeeth that it beginneth once to appeare, forthwith he fighteth againſt it with all might and maine, ſtirring vppe ſtormes and tempeſts to hinder the courſe therof, and vtterly to ouerthrow it. Wherefore Paule warneth the Faithfull not to ſleepe, not to be negligent: but conſtantly and valiantly to reſiſt Satan, that he ſpoile them not of that libertie which Chriſte hath purchaſed for them.
EueryEvery word hath here a certaine vehemencie. Stand, ſayth he. As if he ſhould ſay: Here hauehave ye neede of great diligence & vigilancie. In that libertie. In what libertie? Not in that wherwith the Emperour hath made vsus free, but in that wherwith Chriſt hath made vsus free. The Emperour hath geuen, or rather was compelled to geue to the Biſhop of Rome a free citie and other landes: alſo immunities,The freedome of the Papiſts. priuileges and prerogatiues. &c. This is alſo a libertie, but it is a ciuill libertie, whereby the Pope with all his cleargie is exempt from all publicke charges.The fleshly libertie. Moreouer there is a fleſhly or rather a deuiliſh libertie, wherby the Deuill chiefly raigneth thorow out ye whole world. For they that inioy this libertie obey neither God nor lawes, but doe what they liſt. This libertie the people ſeeke and embrace at this day:The Anabaptiſts and Libertines vvill be free to doe vvhat they liſt. and ſo doe the Sectaries which will be at libertie in their opinions and in all their doings, to the ende they may teach and doe whatſoeuer they dreame to be good and ſound, without reprehenſion. Theſe ſtand in that libertie wherein the Deuill hath made them free. But we ſpeake not here of this libertie: albeit the whole world ſeeketh no other libertie. Neither doe we ſpeake of the ciuill libertie: but of a farre other maner of libertie which the Deuill hateth and reſiſteth with all his power.
This is that libertie whereby Chriſte hath made vsus free: not from an earthly bondage, or from the Babylonicall captiuitie, or from the tyrannie of ye Turkes, but frō Gods euerlaſting wrath. And where is this done? In the conſcience. There reſteth our libertie, and goeth no farther. For Chriſte hath made vsus free, not ciuily nor carnally, but diuinely,Freedom from the vvrath of God to come. that is to ſay, we are made free in ſuch ſort, that our cōſcience is now free and quiet, not fearing the wrath of God to come. This is that true and ineſtimable libertie, to the excellēcie & maieſtie wherof if we compare ye other, they are but as one droppe of water in reſpect of ye whole ſea.To hauehave God fauourable vntounto vsus for Chriſtes ſake, is an incomprehenſible freedome. For who is able to expreſſe what a thing it is when a man is aſſured in his heart, that God neither is nor will be angry with him, but will be for euer a mercifull and a louing father vntounto him for Chriſtes ſake? This is in deede a maruelous and an incomprehenſible libertie, to hauehave the moſt high and ſoueraigne Maieſtie ſo fauourable vntounto vsus, that he doth not onelyonly defend, maintaine and ſuccour vsus in this life,1. Cor. 15.41.43.44. but alſo as touching our bodies w…ll ſo deliuer vsus, that our bodies which are ſowen in corruption, in diſhonor and infirmitie, ſhall riſe againe in incorruption,Freedom from the lavv, ſinne and death. &c in glory and power. Wherfore this is an ineſtimable libertie, that we are made free from the wrath of God for euer: and is greater then heauen and earth and all other creatures.
Of this libertie there foloweth an other, whereby through Chriſte we are made free from the lawe, ſinne, death, the power of the Deuill, hell, &c. For as the wrath of God can not terrifie vsus for that Chriſte hath deliuered vsus from the ſame: ſo the lawe, ſinne and death, can not accuſe and condemne vsus. And although the law accuſe vsus and ſinne terrifie vsus, yet they can not driue vsus to deſperation. For Faith, which ouercometh the world, by and by ſayeth: Theſe things belong not vntounto me: for Chriſte hath made me free, and deliuered me from them all. Likewiſe death which is the moſt mighty and moſt dreadful thing in all the world, is vtterly vanquiſhed in the conſcience by this libertie of the ſpirite. Wherfore the maieſtie of this Chriſtian libertie is highly to be eſtemed, and diligently conſidered. It is an eaſie matter for a mā to ſpeake theſe words [freedome from the wrath of God,The fruites of Chriſtian liberty are not eaſily felt and laid hold of in tentations. ſinne, and death] but in the time of tentation, experiēce and practiſe to applie them to him ſelfe, and to feele the excellencie of this libertie and the frute thereof, it is a harder matter then can be expreſſed.
Therfore our conſcience muſt be enſtructed and prepared before hand, that when we feele the accuſation of the lawe, the terrours of ſinne, the horrour of death and the wrath of God, we may remoue theſe heauie ſightes and fearfull fantaſies out of our mindes,A remedy againſt the terrours of the minde in tentations. and ſet in the place thereof ye freedome purchaſed by Chriſt, ye forgeuenes of ſinnes, righteouſnes, life and ye euerlaſting mercy of god. And albeit ye feeling of the contrary be very ſtrong, yet let vsus aſſure our ſelues that it ſhall not long endure: according to that ſaying of the Prophet:Eſay. 54.8. For a moment in mine anger I hidde my face from thee for a litle ſeaſon: but vvith euerlaſting mercy I hauehave compaſſion on thee. But this is very hard to doe. Wherefore that libertie which Chriſt hath purchaſed for vsus, is not ſo ſoone beleued as it is named. If it could be apprehended with a ſure and a ſtedfaſt Faith, then no rage or terrour of the word, of the law, ſinne, death or ye Deuill could be ſo great, but by & by it ſhould be ſwalowed vp as a litle drop of water is ſwallowed of the maine ſea. And certainly this Chriſtian libertie ſwalloweth vp at once & taketh quite away the whole heape of euils, ye law, ſinne, death, Gods wrath, and briefly the ſerpent him ſelfe, with his head and whole power, and in the ſtead therof it placeth righteouſnes, peace & euerlaſting life,Luke. 11 28. Iohn. 13.17. &c. But bleſſed is he that vnderſtandeth and beleueth.
Let vsus learne therefore to magnifie this our libertie purchaſed by Ieſus Chriſte the ſonne of God,Chriſtian libertie. by whom all things were created both in heauen and earth. Which libertie he hath purchaſed with no other price then with his owne bloud, to deliuer vsus, not from any bodely or temporall ſeruitude, but from a ſpirituall and euerlaſting bondage vnderunder mighty and inuincible tyrannes, to witte, the lawe, ſinne, death and the Deuil, and ſo to reconcile vsus vntounto God his father. Now, ſince theſe enemies are ouercome, and we reconciled vntounto God by the death of his ſonne, it is certaine that we are righteous before God, and that what ſo euer we doe, pleaſeth him. And although there be certaine remnantes of ſinne yet ſtill in vsus, they are not laid to our charge, but pardoned for Chriſtes ſake.
Paule vſeth wordes of great force and vehemencie.Liberty is frely geuen vntounto vsus for Chriſtes ſake. Stand (ſayth he) in that libertie vvherin Chriſte hath made you free. This libertie then is not geuen vntounto vsus by ye law or for our righteouſnes, but freely for Chriſtes ſake: Which thing Paule here witneſſeth, and plainly declareth thorow out his whole Epiſtle.Iohn. ….36. Chriſte alſo in the .8. of Iohn ſayth:) If the ſonne shall make you free, there shall ye be free in deede. He onelyonly is ſette betwixt vsus and the euils which trouble and afflict vsus: he hath ouercome them and taken them away, ſo that they cā no more oppreſſe vsus nor condemne vsus. In the ſted of ſinne and death he geueth vntounto vsus righteouſnes and euerlaſting life: and by this meanes he chaū geth the bondage and terrours of the law, into the liberty of cōſcience and conſolation of the Goſpel,Math. 9.…. Iohn. 5.24. which ſayeth: Be of good comfort my ſonne, thy ſinnes are forgeuen thee. Whoſoeuer then beleueth in Chriſt the ſonne of God, he hath this libertie.
Reaſon can not perceaue the excellencie of this matter: which when a man conſidereth in ſpirite he ſhall ſee that it is ineſtimable. For who is able to conceaue in his minde how great and vnſpeakable a gift it is to hauehave the forgeuenes of ſinnes, righteouſnes & euerlaſting life, in the ſted of the law, ſinne, death and the wrath of God, & to hauehave God him ſelfe fauourable and merciful for euer?Hypocrites bragge of God. The Papiſts and the hypocrites that ſeeke the righteouſnes of the lawe or their owne righteouſnes, doe glory that they likewiſe hauehave remiſſion of ſinnes, righteouſnes, life, and the grace of God. For they vaunt that they alſo hauehave this libertie, and they promiſe the ſame vntounto others: but in very deede they are the ſeruauntes of corruption, and in the time of tentation all their vaine confidence vaniſheth away euen in a moment. For they truſt vntounto the workes and ſatiſfactions of men, and not to the word of God nor vntounto Chriſte. Wherefore it is impoſſible for the Iuſticiaries which ſeeke to winne heauen, life and ſaluation by workes and merites, to know what the libertie and deliuerance from ſinne is.
Contrariwiſe our libertie hath for her foundation Chriſte him ſelfe, who is our euerlaſting high Biſhop, ſitting at the right hand of God & making interceſſiō for vsus. Wherfore the forgeuenes of ſinnes, righteouſnes, life & libertie which we hauehave through him, is ſure, certaine & perpetual, ſo that we beleue this. Wherefore if we cleaue vntounto Chriſt with a ſtedfaſt Faith, and ſtand faſt in that libertie wherein he hath made vsus free, we ſhall obtaine thoſe ineſtimable gifts: but if we be careleſſe and negligent we ſhall loſe them. It is not without cauſe that Paule biddeth vsus watch and ſtand faſt: for he knew that the Deuil ſeeketh nothing more then to ſpoile vsus of this libertie which coſt Chriſte ſo great a price, and to entāgle vsus againe by his miniſters in the yoke of bondage, as foloweth.