Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 5 · Verse extract 13
Verſe. 13. For brethern ye hauehave bene called vntounto libertie: onelyonly vſe not your libertie as an occaſion vntounto the flesh, but by louelove ſerue one an other.
As if he would ſay: Ye hauehave now obtained libertie through Chriſte, that is to ſay, ye be farre aboue all lawes as touching conſcience and before God: ye be bleſſed and ſaued, Chriſt is your life. Philip. 1.21.Therfore although the lawe, ſinne and death trouble and terrifie you, yet can they not hurt you nor driue you to deſpaire. And this is your excellent and ineſtimable libertie. Now ſtandeth it you in hand to take good heede, that ye vſe not that libertie as an occaſion to the fleſh.
This euill is common and the moſt pernicious of all others that Sathan ſtirreth vp in the doctrine of Faith: namely that in very many he turneth this libertie, wherwith Chriſte hath made vsus free, into the libertie of the fleſh. Of this the Apoſtle Iude alſo complaineth in his epiſtle.Iude. 1.4. There are crept in certaine vvicked mē (ſayth he) vvhichwhich turne the grace of our God into vvantonnes. Carnall men vnderſtād not the doctrine of Faith.For the fleſh is vtterly ignorāt of ye doctrine of grace, that is to ſay, it knoweth not that we are made righteous, not by workes, but by Faith onelyonly, and that the lawe hath no aucthoritie ouer vsus. Therfore when it heareth the doctrine of faith, it abuſeth and turneth it into wantonnes, and by and by thus it gathereth:The ſaying of the vvicked. If we be without law, let vsus thē liue as we liſt, let vsus do no good, let vsus geue nothing to the nedie, and let vsus not ſuffer any euil, for there is no lawe to conſtraine vsus or binde vsus ſo to doe.
Wherfore there is daunger on either ſide: albeit the one is more tolerable then the other. If grace or Faith be not preached, no man can be ſaued: for it is Faith alone that iuſtifieth and ſaueth. On the other ſide, if Faith be preached (as of neceſſity it muſt be) the more part of men vnderſtand the doctrine of Faith carnally,The greateſt part of men vnderſtād the doctrine of Faith carnally and draw the libertie of the ſpirite into the libertie of the fleſh. This may we ſee in all kinds of life, as well of the high as ye low. All boaſt themſelues to be profeſſors of the Goſpell, and all bragge of Chriſtian libertie: and yet ſeruing their owne luſtes, they geue themſelues to couetouſnes, pleaſures, pride, enuie, and ſuch other vices. No man doth his duetie faithfully: no mā charitably ſerueth the neceſſity of his brother. The greefe hereof maketh me ſometimes ſo vnpatient, yt many times I wiſh ſuch ſwine which tread precious pearles vnderunder their feete, were yet ſtill remaining vnderunder the tyrannie of the Pope: For it is vnpoſſible that this people of Gomorrha ſhould be gouerned by the Goſpell of peace.
Moreouer, euen we which teach the word, doe not now our duetie with ſo great zeale and diligence in the light of the Goſpell, as we did afore in the darknes of ignoraunce. For the more certaine we be of the freedome purchaſed vntounto vsus by Chriſt, ſo much the more cold and negligent we be in handling the word, in prayer, in well doing, and in ſuffering aduerſites.The profite of tentations. And if Sathan did not vexe vsus inwardly with ſpirituall tentations, and outwardly with the perſecutions of our aduerſaries, and moreouer with the contempt and ingratitude of our owne fellowes, we ſhould become vtterly careles, negligent, and vntoward to all good workes: and ſo in time we ſhould loſe the knowledge and Faith of Chriſt forſake the miniſterie of the word, and ſeeke an eaſier kinde of life for the fleſh. Which thing many of our men begin to doe, for that they trauailing in the miniſterie of the word, can not onelyonly not liue of their labour, but alſo are moſt miſerably entreated euen of thoſe by whom they were deliuered from the ſeruile bondage of the Pope by the preaching of the Goſpell. Theſe men forſaking poore and offenſiue Chriſt, entangle them ſelues with ye affaires of this preſent life, ſeruing their owne bellies and not Chriſte: but with what fruite, that ſhall they finde by experience in time to come.
For as much then as we know that the Deuill layeth waite moſt of all for vsus that hauehave the world (for the reſt he holdeth in captiuitie and ſlauerie at his pleaſure) and laboureth with might and maine to take from vsus the libertie of the ſpirite, or at leaſt wiſe to turne the ſame into the libertie of the fleſh: we teach and exhort our brethern with ſinguler care and diligence by the example of Paule, that they thinke not this libertie of the ſpirite purchaſed by the death of Chriſt, to be geuen vntounto them, that they ſhould make it an occaſion of carnall libertie, or (as Peter ſayeth) ſhould vſe the ſame as a cloke for their wickednes:1. Pet. 2.16. but that they ſhould ſerue one an other through louelove.
To the ende therfore that Chriſtians ſhould not abuſe this libertie (as I hauehave ſayd) the Apoſtle layeth a yoke and bondage vppon their fleſh by the lawe of mutuall louelove.The godly are free accordīg to the ſpirite, but bond ſeruaunts according to the flesh. Wherefore let the godly remember that in conſcience before God, they be free from the curſe of the lawe, from ſinne and from death, for Chriſtes ſake: but as touching the body they are ſeruauntes and muſt ſerue one an other through charitie, according to this commaundement of Paule. Let eueryevery man therfore endeuour to doe his duetie diligently in his calling, & to helpe his neighbour to the vttermoſt of his power. This is it which Paule here requireth of vsus: Serue ye one an other through louelove. Gal. 5.17.Which words doe not ſet the Chriſtians at libertie, but ſhut them vnderunder bondage as touching the fleſh.
Moreouer this doctrine concerning mutuall louelove which we muſt maintaine and exerciſe one towardes an other, can not be beaten into the heades of carnall men, nor ſinke into their heartes. The Chriſtians doe gladly receaue and obey this doctrine. Others as ſoone as liberty is preached, by and by doe thus inferre: If I be free,Carnall men abuſe Chriſtian libertie. then may I doe what I liſt: This thing is mine owne, why then ſhould I not ſell it for as much as I may gette? Moreouer, ſeeing we obtaine not ſaluation by our good works, why ſhould we geue any thing to yt poore? Thus doe they moſt careleſly ſhake of the yoke and bondage of the fleſh, and turne the libertie of the ſpirite into wantonnes and ſleſhly libertie. But we tell ſuch careleſſe contemners (although they beleue vsus not, but laugh vsus to ſcorne), that if they vſe their bodies and their goodes after their owne luſt (as in deede they doe, for they neither helpe the poore, nor lend to the needie, but beguile their brethern in bargaining, ſnatching & ſcraping vntounto themſelues by hooke or by crooke what ſo euer they can gette), we tell them (I ſay) that they be not free, bragge they neuer ſo much of their libertie, but hauehave loſt Chriſte and Chriſtian libertie, are become the bondſlaues of the Deuill, and are ſeuen times worſer vnderunder the name of Chriſtian libertie, then they were before vnderunder the tyrannie of the Pope. For the Deuill which was driuen out of them, hath taken vntounto him ſeuen other feends worſe then him ſelfe, and is returned into them againe: therefore the ende of theſe men is worſe then the beginning.
As touching vsus, we hauehave a cōmaundemēt of God to preach ye goſpel, which offereth to all men libertie from the law, ſinne, death and Gods wrath, frely for Chriſtes ſake, if they beleue. It is not in our power to conceale or reuoke this libertie now publiſhed by ye Goſpel:Chriſtian libertie muſt be taught, though men abuſe it. for Chriſt hath geuen it vntounto vsus freely, & purchaſed it by his death. Neither can we cōſtraine thoſe ſwine which runne headlong into all licentiouſnes & diſſolutenes of the fleſh, to helpe other mē with their bodies or goodes: therefore we doe what we can, that is to ſay, we diligently admoniſh them that they ought ſo to doe. If we nothing preuaile by theſe admonitions, we commit the matter to God, and he will recompence theſe ſcorners with iuſt puniſhment in his good time. In the meane while this is our comfort, that as touching the godly, our labour is not loſt, of whom many (no doubt) by our miniſterie are deliuered out of the bondage of the Deuill,Coloſſ. 1.1…. and tranſlated into the libertie of the ſpirite. Theſe (which notwithſtanding are but few) which acknowledge the glory of this libertie of the ſpirit, & on the other ſide are ready through charitie to ſerue other men, and know themſelues to be detters to their brethern as touching the fleſh: doe more reioyce vsus than the innumerable multitude of thoſe that abuſe this libertie, are able to diſcourage vsus.
Paule vſeth here very apte and plaine wordes, when he ſayeth: Brethern ye are called into libertie. And becauſe no mā ſhould dreame that he ſpeaketh of the libertie of the fleſh,They vvhichwhich vnderſtād the Chriſtian libertie, ſerue one another through louelove. he expoundeth him ſelfe what maner of libertie he meaneth, ſaying: OnelyOnly vſe not your libertie as an occaſion to the flesh, but ſerue ye one an other through louelove. Wherfore let eueryevery Chriſtian know, that, as touching the conſcience, Chriſt hath made him Lord ouer the lawe, ſinne and death, ſo that they hauehave no power ouer him. Cōtrariwiſe let him know that this outward bondage is layed vponupon his body, that he ſhould ſerue his neighbour through louelove. They that vnderſtand Chriſtian libertie otherwiſe, enioy the commodities of the Goſpell to their owne deſtruction, and are worſe Idolaters vnderunder the name of Chriſte, then they were before vnderunder the Pope. Now Paule goeth about to declare out of the ten commaundements, what it is to ſerue one an other through louelove.