Commentary on Galatians, Chapter 5 · Verse extract 16 – Verse extract 17
Verſe. 16.
And ye shall not fulfill the luſtes of the flesh.
As if he would ſay:Deſires and luſtes of the flesh euen in the godly. The deſires or luſtes of the fleſh be not yet dead in vsus, but ſpring vppe againe and fight againſt the ſpirite. The fleſh of no faithful man is ſo good, which being offended would not bite and deuour, or at the leaſt omitte ſomewhat of that commaundement of louelove. Yea euen at the firſt brunt he can not refraine him ſelfe, but is angrie with his neighbour, deſireth to be reuenged, and hateth him as an enemie, or at the leaſt loueth him not ſo much as he ſhould doe, and as this commaundement requireth. And this hapneth euen to the faithfull.
Therefore the Apoſtle hath geuen this rule for the faithfull, that they ſhould ſerue one an other through louelove, that they ſhould beare the burdens and infirmities one of an other, and that they ſhould forgeue one an other. And without this bearing and forbearing through louelove, it is impoſſible that peace and concord ſhould continue amongſt Chriſtians. For it can not be, but that thou muſt needes often offend, and be offended. Thou ſeeſt many things in me which offend thee, and I againe ſee many things in thee which miſlike me. Here, if one beare not with an other through louelove, there ſhall be no end of diſſenſion, diſcord, enuie, hatred and malice.
Wherfore Paul would hauehave vsus to walke in the ſpirit,To vvalke in the ſpirite. leſt we fulfil ye luſt of the fleſh. As if he ſhould ſay: Although ye be moued wt wrath & diſpleaſure againſt your brother, offending you or doing any thing hainouſly agaīſt you, yet notwtſtāding reſiſt & repreſſe theſe violēt motiōs through the ſpirit. Beare with his weaknes and louelove him according to that cōmaundement: Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe. For thy brother doth not therfore ceaſe to be thy neighbour, becauſe he ſlippeth or offēdeth thee: but thē hath he moſt nede yt thou ſhuldeſt exerciſe and ſhew thy charitie towardes him. And this commaundement: Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelfe, requireth the ſelfe ſame thing: to wit, that thou ſhouldeſt not obey yt fleſh: which when it is offended, hateth, biteth and deuoureth. But wraſte againſt it in ſpirit, and cōtinue through the ſame in the louelove of thy neighbour, although thou finde no thing in him worthy of louelove.
The Scholemen take the concupiſcence of the fleſh for carnall luſt. In deede it is true that euen yt godly, eſpecially ye yōger ſort are tempted with fleſhly luſt. Yea, they alſo that be married (ſo corrupt and peſtilent is fleſh) are not without ſuch carnall luſt. Here let eueryevery one (I ſpeake now to the godly beinge married,VVhat the cōcupiſcence or luſt of the flesh is after Paule. bothe man and wife) diligently examine him ſelfe, and, no doubt, many ſhall finde this in themſelues, that the bewtie and conditions of an other mans wife pleaſeth him better then of his owne: & ſo contrariwiſe. His owne lawfull wife he lotheth or miſliketh & loueth her which is vnlawful. And this cōmō ly is wont to happen, not in marriage onelyonly, but in all other matters. Men ſet light by that which they hauehave, & are in louelove with that which they hauehave not: as the Poet ſaith:
Nitimur in vetitum ſemper cupimuſ que negata: That is,
Of things moſt forbidden vve alvvaies are faine:
And things moſt denied vve ſeeke to obtaine,
I doe not deny therfore but that the concupiſcence of the fleſh comprehendeth carnall luſt, but not that onelyonly For concupiſcence comprehendeth all other corrupt affections, wherewith the very faithful are infected, ſome more, ſome leſſe: as pride, hatred, couetouſnes, impatiency and ſuch like. Yea Paule rehearſeth afterwardes among the works of the fleſh, not only theſe groſſe vices, but alſo idolatry, hereſies and ſuch other. It is plaine therfore that he ſpeaketh of the whole concupiſcēce of the fleſh & of the whole dominion of ſinne, which ſtriueth euē in the godly who hauehave receaued the firſt fruites of the ſpirite, againſt the dominion of the ſpirite. He ſpeaketh therefore not onelyonly of carnall luſt, pride, couetouſnes. &c: but alſo of incredulitie, diſtruſt, deſpaire, hatred, & contempt of God, idolatrie, hereſies and ſuch other, when he ſayth: And ye shall not fulfill the luſts of the flesh. As if he ſhould ſay: I wryte vntounto you that ye ſhould louelove one an other. This ye do not, neither can ye doe it becauſe of the fleſh, which is infected and corrupted with concupiſcence, and doth not onelyonly ſtirre vppe ſinne in you, but alſo is ſinne it ſelf. For if ye had perfect charitie, no heauines, no aduerſitie could be ſo great, which ſhould be able to hurt or hinder that charitie: for it would be ſpread throughout the whole body. There ſhould be no wife, were ſhe neuer ſo hard fauoured, whom her huſband would not louelove entirely, lothing all other womē, though they were neuer ſo faire and beautifull. But this is not done: therefore it is impoſſible for vsus to be made righteous through louelove.
Wherefore, thinke me not to reuoke and vnſay that which I hauehave taught concerning Faith: For Faith and hope muſt continue, that by the one we may be iuſtified, and by the other we may be raiſed vppe in aduerſities, and endure vntounto the ende. Moreouer, we ſerue one an other through charitie, becauſe Faith is not idle: but charitie is weake and litle. Therefore when I bid you walke in the ſpirite, I doe ſufficiently declare that ye are not iuſtified through charitie.
And when I exhort you to walke in the ſpirite, that ye fulfill not the concupiſcence of the fleſh: I doe not require of you that ye ſhould vtterly put of the fleſh or kill it, but that ye ſhould bridle and ſubdue it. For God will hauehave mankinde to indure euen to the laſt day. And this can not be done without parentes, which doe begette and bring vppe children. Theſe meanes continuing, it muſt needes be that fleſh alſo muſt continue, and conſequently ſinne, for fleſh is not without ſinne. Therefore in reſpect of the fleſh we are ſinners: but in reſpect of the ſpirite, we are righteous: and ſo we are partly ſinners, and partly righteous. Notwithſtanding,Beleuers are both ſinners & righteous. our righteouſnes is much more plentifull then our ſinne, becauſe the holines and righteouſnes of Chriſte our Mediatour doth farre excede the ſinne of the whole world: And the forgeuenes of ſinnes which we hauehave through him is ſo great, ſo large, and ſo infinite, that it eaſily ſwaloweth vp all ſinnes, ſo that we walke according to the ſpirite. &c.
The Papiſtes dreamed that this commaundement belongeth only to their Cleargymen, and that the Apoſtle exhorteth them to liue chaſtly by ſubduing the fleſh wt watching, faſting, labour. &c: and then they ſhould not fulfill the concupiſcence of the fleſh, that is to ſay, carnall luſt. As though the whole concupiſcence of ye fleſh were ouercome when this fleſhly luſt is ſubdued: which notwithſtanding they were neuer able to ſuppreſſe and keepe vnderunder with any yoke that they could lay vppon the fleſh.Hierome. Which thing Hierome (I ſay nothing of others) who was a maruelous louer and defender of chaſtitie, doth plainly cō feſſe. O (ſaith he) how often hauehave I thought my ſelfe to be in ye middeſt of the vaine delites and pleaſures of Rome, euen when I was in the wilde wildernes, which being burnt vppe with the heat of the Sunne, yeldeth an ougleſome habitation to the Monks? &c. Againe: I, who for feare of hell had condemned my ſelfe to ſuch a priſon, thought my ſelfe oftētimes to be daūcing among yong wemen, whē I had no other companie but Scorpions and wilde beaſtes. My face was pale with faſting, but my minde was inflamed with deſires in my cold body, and although my fleſh was halfe dead already, yet the flames of fleſhly luſt boyled within me. &c.
If Hierome felt in him ſelfe ſuch flames of fleſhly luſt, who liued in the barraine wildernes with bread and water:The vehemēt flames of carnall luſt in Hierome. what do our holy bellygods the Cleargiemen feele (thinke ye): who ſo ſtuffe and ſtretch out them ſelues with all kindes of daintie fare, that it is maruell theyr bellies burſt not? Wherfore theſe things are wryttē, not to Heremites & Monks (as the Papiſts dreame) nor to ſinners in ye world onelyonly: but to the vniuerſall church of Chriſt, and to all the faithfull: whom Paule exhorteth to walke in the ſpirite, that they fulfill not the luſts of ye fleſh: that is to ſay, not onelyonly to bridle the groſſe motions of the fleſh, as carnall luſt, wrath, impatiencie, & ſuch like: but alſo ye ſpirituall motions, as douting, blaſphemie, idolatrie, contempt and hatred of God, &c.
The flesh is to be ſubdued & not killed. Epheſ. 5.29.Paule (as I hauehave ſaid) doth not require of the godly, yt they ſhould vtterly put of or deſtroy the fleſh: but that they ſhould ſo bridle it, that it might be ſubiect to the ſpirite. In the .10. to the Rom. he biddeth vsus cheriſh the fleſh. For as we may not be cruell to other mens bodies, nor vexe them with vnreaſonable labour: euen ſo we may not be cruell to our owne bodies. Wherfore, according to Paules precept, we muſt cheriſh our fleſh, that it may be able to indure the labours both of the minde and of the body: but yet only for neceſſities ſake, and not to nouriſh the luſtes thereof. Therefore if thy fleſh begin to waxe wanton, repreſſe it and bridle it by the ſpirite.1. Cor. 7.9. If it will not be, marrie a wife, for it is better to marry then to burne. Thus doing thou walkeſt in the ſpirit, that is, thou foloweſt Gods word and doeſt his will.
Verſe. 17.
For the flesh luſteth againſt the ſpirite, and the ſpirite againſt the flesh.
When Paule ſayeth that the fleſh luſteth againſt the ſpirite, and the ſpirite againſt the fleſh, he admoniſheth vsus that we muſt feele the concupiſcence of the fleſh,The godly feele the concupiſcence or luſt of the flesh. that is to ſay, not onelyonly carnall luſt, but alſo pride, wrath, heauines, impatiencie, incredulitie, and ſuch like. Notwithſtāding he would hauehave vsus ſo to feele them, that we conſent not vntounto them, nor accompliſh them: that is, that we neither thinke, ſpeake, nor doe thoſe things which the fleſh prouoketh vsus vntounto. As, if it moue vsus to anger, yet we ſhould be angry in ſuch wiſe (as we are taught in the fourth Pſalme) that we ſinne not. As if Paule would thus ſay:Pſal. 4.4. I know that the fleſh will prouoke you vntounto wrath, enuie, doubting, incredulitie and ſuch like: But reſiſt it by ye ſpirite, that ye ſinne not. But if ye forſake the guiding of the ſpirite, and folow the fleſh, ye ſhall fulfill the luſtes of the fleſh, and ye ſhall die, as Paule ſayth in the .8. to the Romaines. So this ſaying of the Apoſtle is to be vnderſtand, not of fleſhly luſt onelyonly, but of the whole kingdom of ſinne.