The Autumn Part from the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Letter 2
The Epistle,
GALAT. 3. 16.
To Abraham and his seede were the promises made, &c.
THis Epistle consistes of three parts: a
Proposition, To Abraham and his seed were made the promises, &c.
Exposition, This I say, &c.
Opposition, Wherefore then serueth the Law, &c.
The maine drift of all this Epistle to the Galathians, is, to shew uCap. 2. v. 16.that a man is not iustified by the workes of the law; but by faith in Iesus Christ. Which our Apostle prooues accurately: 1. by reasons of xIbid. ver. 20.experience: 2. from yCap. 3 6.Abrahams example: 3. by manifest text of zIbid. vers. 11. 12.holy writ: lastly, by manifold apt similitudes and testimonies humane; aFers. 15.Brethren I speake as men doe. The first wherof is the comparison of a mans will; and his argument is from the bSarcerius. Caluin. Aretius.lesser vntounto the greater, (as Logicians speake.) The testament of a man after it is confirmed, may not be broken or abrogated; Ergo much lesse the testament of God. Hee doth argue therefore thus:
The Testament of God confirmed, cannot be disanulled:
The promises made to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ, are his Testament confirmed: Ergo, they cannot be disanulled.
cLuther & Perkinsin loc.Hencewe may learne, that it is lawfull to speake in Sermons as men doe, citing testimonies of humanity for illustration of points in Diuinity, reasoning from things earthly to things heauenly. So Christ in the dMat. 7. 11.Gospell, If ye which are euill can giuegive to your children good gifts, how much more shall your father which is in heauen giuegive good things to them that aske him? So Peter, Acts 5. 29. wee must obey men; Ergo much more God. So the Prophet eCap. 35.Ieremy speaking in the Lords name, the Recabites obeyed their father; how much more ought yee to hauehave obeyed me? fTertulli. in aduersus Hermogen.Philosophers are the patriarkes of heretickes, enemies of the Gospell, as g1. Cor. 2. 14.not vnderstanding the things of the spirit of God: and therefore to conuince their conscience by naturall reason, is to cut off Goliahs head with his owne sword, saith Saint hEpist. ad Magnumorat. Roman.Hierome. iDeut. 21. ver. 11. 12. &c.When thou shalt goe to warre against thine enemies, and the …ord thy God shall deliuer them into thine hands, and thou shalt take them captiues, and shalt see among the captiues a beautifull woman, and hast a desire to take her for thy wife, then shalt thou bring her home to thine house, and shee shall shaue her head, and pare her nailes. Humane learning is the Grecians Helena, full of admirable beauty; kAeneas Siluius Epist. Sigismund. Duc. Austriae.Cuius facies si videri possit, pulchrior est quam lucifer aut hesperus. And therefore wee may not admit her into the Diuinity schooles lHieron. vbi sup. & Aquin. lect. 6. in Gal. 3.vntill her haire be shaued, and her nailes pared; vntill her superfluous idle conceits, and vnprofitable trickes of ornament are taken away. mHieron. consolat ad Pam tom. 1. fol. 165.But when of a Moabite thou hast made her an Israelite, accompany with her and say; nCant. 2. 6.her left hand is vnderunder my head, and her right hand doth imbrace mee. Let vsus ascribe to Philosophy, summa, sed sua. For the wisedome of man, to speake the best of it, is but a learned kinde of ignorance, which yet being bridled and guided by the spirit of God, may be wrought (as oD. Edes ser. duty of a king.one well obserued) to speake like Balaams Asse to good purpose. To quote then in the Pulpit authorities of Poets, and Philosophers; or as heere Saint Paul, the positions of Lawyers and politicians, is not so common as commendable, when it is done reuerently without ostentation, and iudiciously for the better vnderstanding of the text, and pMr. Deering lect. 20. Heb.more cleere declaration of the truth.
To Abraham and his seed] Wee read of qIllyric. Cl…u. script. verb. testament.three testaments in holy Bible; to wit, Abrahamicall, Genes. 12. Mosaicall, Exod. 24. and the new Testament, Ier. 31. Heb. 8. Now the first and last howsoeuer they differ in rTen poris distantia, patefactionis perspicuitate, promissi benedicti s…minis exhibitione. Illyric. vbi sup.circumstance, yet they bee the same for substance. So Zacharias in his hymne, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for hee hath visited and redeemed his people, as hee spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets euer since the world began; to performe the mercy promised to our forefathers, and to remember his holy couenant, to performe the oath which hee sware to our forefather Abraham, &c. And the blessed Virgin in her magnificat; Hee remembring his mercy hath holpen his seruant Israel, as hee promised to our forefathers, Abraham, and his seed for euer. Christ is the Paschall Lambe, 1. Cor. 5. 7. slaine from the beginning of the world, Apocalip. 13. 8. And so the Patriarkes and old Fathers were saued by faith, sKilius in loc.in Christum promissum: as we now by faith in Christum missum.
Were the promises made.] Saint Paul speakes plurally, tPerkins in loc.because they were made sometime to Abraham, & sometime to his seed, and sometime to both: or because they wereu repeated often to Abraham, as Gen. 12. 4. Gen 15. 5. Gen. 22. 18. And therefore called promises in the plurall, although in substance they were but one promise.
Hee saith not in his seeds, as many; but in thy seed, as of one, which is Christ.] The Iewes except against this interpretation of Paul, and say, that the singular number is heere put for the plurall, one for many. So Saint xExposit. pri…r. in Epist. ad Gal. cap. 3.Hierome doth auow, that hee could neuer finde this word in the plurall number; and therefore Panl in this argument may seeme to speake more subtilly then soundly. Yea, that which is worse, the Iesuite yNotat. in loc.Em. Sa. thinks him (as hee speakes of himselfe, 2. Cor. 11. 6.) rude in speaking. zLuther in loc.Answere is made, that our Apostle wrote Apostolically, construing the Scripture by the aCaietan. in loc.same spirit by which it was originally penned. And whereas it is obiected that the word seed is a noune collectiue, signifying all Abrahams posterity; bIllyric. vbi su…. in verb. semen.Diuines answere, that it is vsed often onelyonly for one, so well as for all, or many. For Eue said of Seth, God hath giuen me another seed, Gen. 4. 25. that is another sonne. Secondly, the cGen. 21. 10. & Gala…. 4. 30.Scripture reports expresly, that Ismael, Abrahams son, was cast out, and not made heire with the blessed seed. See Galatin. de arcan. cat. verit. lib. 5. cap. 13. & Marlorat in loc. Or as dAretius in loc.other acutely, there is semen redimendum, and that is collect…uum; and semen redimens, and that is vnicum.
Wee receiue therefore this exposition of Paul, acknowledging Christ to bee this one particular seed and sonne of Abraham, in whom, and by whom the nations of the world are blessed: eternall inheritance being first granted vntounto him, and so conueied vntounto such as eOl…uian. de substantia …oei. part. 1. art. 1. E…asm. paraphra. in loc. Seminis enim nomine non Christus per se. sed cum suo corpore coniunctus est intelligendus. Beza.beleeue in him. As our Apostle concludes in this fVers. 9. & 29.Epistle; If yee be Christs, then are ye Abrahams seed, and heires by promise. See Benedictus.
This I say] Paul in the former verses hath laid downe two propositions; one, that testaments of men confirmed may not bee broken: another, that the promises were made to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ. Now what of all this, may some say? Hee doth expound himselfe therefore, this I say; that is, the drift and intent of all my speech is to shew that the couenant or testament ratified by God can not bee frustrated. And secondly, though it might so bee, yet that the Law could not abrogate the same: Which he proues by two reasons especially.
First, from the circumstance of time: the law which began foure hundred and thirty yeeres after doth not disanull, &c.
Secondly, from the nature of a testament, donation or legacie: for if inheritance come of the Law, it commeth not of promise; but God gaue it to Abraham by promise.
The Law which began afterward] The Iewes obiect and say, that God mistrusting his owne promises as insufficient to iustifie, further added a better thing; that is to say, the law, whereby men might be made righteous. Our Apostle doth answere by demonstration. Abraham obtained not righteousnesse before God through the Law, because there was no Law when hee liued; and if no Law, then assuredly no merit. What then? Nothing else but the meere promise, which Abraham gGalat. 3. 6.beleeued, and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse. hLuther in loc.If a rich man not constrained therevnto, but of his owne good will, should adopt one to bee his sonne, whom hee knoweth not, and to whom hee doth owe nothing, and should appoint him heire of all his lands and goods; and then after certaine yeeres should lay vponupon him a law to doe this or that; hee cannot now say that hee deserued this benefit through his owne workes, seeing hee receiued it of meere fauour many yeeres asore: so God could not respect our deserts going before righteousnesse, for as much as the promise was made 430 yeeres afore the Law. Wherefore, saith iVbi sup.Luther, if thou wilt rightly diuide the word of truth, accustome thy selfe to separate the promises and the law so sarre asunder as heauen and earth, as the beginning of the world and the latter end; that when the Law commeth and accuseth thy conscience, thou maiest answere; Lady law, thou commest not in season, for thou commest too soone; tar…e yet vntill 430 yeeres bee full expired, and when they are past, then come and spare not. But if thou come then, it wilbe too late, for then hath the promise preuented thee 430▪ yeeres; to which I assent, and sweetely repose my selfe in the same. Therfore I hauehave nothing to doe with thee, for I liue now with the beleeuing Abraham; or rather fince Christ his seede is reuealed and giuen vntounto me, I kGalat. 2. 20.liue in him, who is my l1. Cor. 1. 30.righteousnesse, sanctification and redemption. Inheritance commeth on Gods part by promise, not on our part by performance.
It is obiected against this accurate computation of time, Gen. 15. 13. Know for a suertie that thy seed shall bee a stranger in a la…d that is not theirs foure hundred yeeres, and shall serue them. Answere is made by S. mDeciuit. Dei lib. 16. cap. 24.Augustine, and nOecumen. Aquin. Ca. etan. in loc.other, that Moses in that text speakes of the time that was from the beginning of Abrahams seed, or birth of Isaac, to the beginning of the Law: but Paul in this text, of all the time that was betweene the giuing of the promise, and the giuing of the law. Now the promise was made to Abraham when hee was seuentie and fiue yeeres old, Gen. 12. 4. And Isaac was borne when Abraham was a hundred yeeres old, Gen. 21. 5. that is, 25 yeeres after the first promise. And from the birth of Isaac, vntill the children of Israel were deliuered out of Aegypt, at which time the Law was giuen (as Oecumenius, Aquinas, Aretius exactly reckon according to Gods owne records) were 405. yeeres, in all 430. as Moses, Exod. 12. 40.
For if the inheritance come of the law, it commeth not now of promise, but God gaue it, &c.] This argument is plaine: for naturall reason, although it be neuer so blind, compelleth vsus to confesse, that it is one thing to promise, and another thing to require; one thing to giuegive, and another thing to take. The oLuther.law requireth and exacteth of vsus our workes; on the contrarie, the promise doth offer vntounto vsus the spirituall and euerlasting benefits of God, offert & adfert, and that freely for Christs sake. Therefore wee cannot obtaine inheritance by the law, pGalat. 3. 10for as many as are of the workes of the law, are vnderunder the curse: but by the promise; for it saith, qGen. 22. 18.in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bee blessed. rRom. 4. 14.If they which are of the law bee heires, our faith is made vaine, and the promise voide, and God a liar. Eternall life is the fRom. 6. 23.gift of God, conveied by testament as a tPerkins.legacie, which is not an exaction, but a donation. Heires looke not for lawes or any burthens to be laid vponupon them by their fa thers wil, but for an inheritance confirmed thereby. Now that we may receiue this legacy, we must bring vntounto God nothing but hunger and thirst after it, making suit for …t by asking, seeking, knocking. For albeit in our selues all of vsus are most vnworthy: yet shall it suffice for the hauing of this blessing, if our names bee found in the testament of God.
God gaue it to Abraham by promise.] That is, as afore, to Abraham and his seede. For this gift is not priuate, but a publike donation, and Abraham heere must be considered as a publike person, and that which was giuen vntounto him, was in him giuen to all that should beleeue as he did. If then thou beest endued with faith uLuke 17. 6.as much as is a graine of Mustard seede, thou art xGalat. 3. 9.blessed with faithfull Abraham. Inheritance of eternall happinesse is as surely thine, as it was his when he beleeued: and if thou continue faithfull vntounto the end, thou shalt yMatth. 8. 11sit downe with Abraham, Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of heauen, and after this life rest in the zLuk. 16. 22.bosome of Abraham euermore. For whatsoeuer was done to him as the aRom. 4. 11. 12Father of the faithfull, is done to them also that walke in the steps of his faith.
Wherefore then serueth the Law?] You hauehave heard of the proposition, and exposition of our Apostle. Now there followeth an bAquin. Aretius. Kilius.opposition against his doctrine, containing a twofold obiection. The first in the 19. verse: Wherefore then serueth the Law: The second, verse 21. Is the Law then against the promise of God? To the first, answer is made, that the Law was added because of transgressions. cPrimasius in loc.Not for iustification, but for transgression, namely to suppresse, and expresse sinne. The ciuill vse of the Law is to punish transgression, and to restraine villany. Good-men are a dRom. 2. 14.Law to themselues, and so the Law is not giuen vntounto the e1. Tim. 1. 9.righteous man. But almighty God hath ordained Magistrates, Parents, Ministers, Lawes, bonds, to bridle the wicked, at the least to bind Sathan that hee rage not in his bond slaues after his owne lust. And therfore Polititians and States-men hauehave much esteemed and honoured the very senselesse instruments of iustice. Baldwin the great Lawyer called the Gibbet, lignum benedictum; and the good Emperour fMax. 1. Sa…ue sancta Iustitia.Maximilian when-so-euer hee passed by the Gallowes, vsually putting off his hat saluted it thus: All haile holy Iustice.
The spirituall vse of the Law is to reueale sinne, that a man as in a glasse may behold his ignorance, misery, blindnesse, infirmity, iudgement, death, hell: As a gTyndal. prol. in Exod.corosie laid vntounto an old sore, not to heale it, but to stirre it vp, and make the disease aliue, that a man may feele in what perill hee stands, and how nigh to deathes doore. hKilius.For our natures are so corrupt, that wee could not know them to be corrupt without the Law. Rom. 7. 7. I knew not sinne (saith our Apostle) but by the Law; for I had not knowne lust, except the Law had said, thou shalt not lust. iIere. 23. 29.Is not my word euen as fire, saith the Lord? and like an hammer breaking stones? It is that k1. King. 19. ver. 11. 12. 13.mighty strong winde, and that terrible earth-quake, renting the Mountaines, and cleaning the Rockes asunder, that is, the proud and obstinate hypocrites. Eliah as being not able to abide these terrors of the Law, which by these things are signified, couered his face with a mantle. Thus as you see, the Law was added because of transgressions, that is, to restraine them ciuilly, lLuther.but especially to reueale them spiritually, that men might vnderstand the greatnesse of their sinnes, and the iust wrath of God for the same.
Untill the seede came to whom the promise was made] If the daies of the Law should not bee shortned, no man should be saued: and therefore certaine bounds are limited to this Tyrant, beyond the which hee cannot raigne, namely, the Law was added because of transgressions, vntill the seede came. mOecumen. Aquin. Ardens.That is, vntill the time of grace, till Christ in the fulnesse of time was borne. This may be construed literally: for albeit the law serues to reueale sinne till the worlds end; nPerkins.yet in respect of the Mosaicall manner of reuealing transgressions, it is added but vntill Christ. For the law before Christ did conuince men of sinne not onelyonly by precepts and threatnings, but also by Rites and Ceremonies as by washings and sacrifices; all which assuredly were reall confessions of sinne, and as oColess. 2. 14.Paul speakes, an hand-writing against vsus, vntill Christ tooke them away, and fastned them vponupon his Crosse. pMatt. 11. 12The Prophets and the Law did endure till Iohn, and from the time of Iohn the Baptist vntill this day the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Spiritually the blessed seede is qKil us.come when once Christ rEphes. 3. 17.dwelleth in our hearts by faith. Heere we must begin to say, sLuther.Now leaue off Law, thou hast terrified and tormented our consciences enough: tPsal. 42. 9. & 69. 2.All thy waues and stormes are gone ouer vsus. Lord turne not away thy face from thy seruant. uPsal. 6. 1.Rebuke mee not I beseech thee in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy displeasure. When these terrors and troubles come, let the law then be packing out of the conscience, which indeed is added to discouer and encrease sinne, yet no longer but vntill the seede come to which the promise was made. Now must hee deliuer vp his kingdome to another, euen to Christ, whose lippes are gratious, speaking of farre better things then doth the Law, xEsa. 61. 1. 2. 4.bringing glad tidings of saluation vntounto the Poore, binding vp the broken hearted, preaching libertie to the Captiue, comforting all that mourne, giuing beauty for ashes, and the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse.
Is the Law then against the promise of God?] If the Law conuince men of sinne, then it serues not to giuegive life, but to kill: and so by consequent is against the promise giuing life. To this obiection our Apostle doth answer negatiuely,
With
Detestation, God forbid.
Attestation, producing out of Gods owne booke sufficient witnesse against these cauillers. If there had beene a Law giuen which could hauehave giuen life, then no doubt righteousnesse should hauehave come by the Law: but the Scripture concludeth all vnderunder sinne, &c.
God forbid] In that Paul auoides an heriticall and blasphemous obiection with an absit, (which is yAretius in R…m 6▪ 2.abominantis oratio) we may learne to zPerkins.reiect things said or done to the dishonour of God, with loathing and detestation. aMatt. 26 65.Caiphas supposing that Christ had blasphemed, rent his garments: and Iob suspecting his children had done the like fault, sanctified them, Iob. 1. 5. bMagdeburg. epist. praefix. cent. 7.What reason is it to spare great ones, iniuring Christ the greatest one? For as wise men wee must discouer, and as learned men leaue, but as good men abhor such as are hereticall. And therefore we must hate the cLuther.detestable dreames of Iewes, affirming that the Messias is not yet come, because our sinnes hinder his comming. As if God should become vnrighteous, because of our vnrighteousnesse; or made a liar, because men are liars. It is said heere that God is one, dMarlorat.that is, euer the same, being alway iust and true. God forbid then a man should thinke that the Law should be against his promise; for he doth not slacke his promise because of our sinnes, or hasten the same for our righteousnesse and merits, he regardeth in it neither the one nor the other.
For if there had beene a Law giuen which could hauehave giuen life, then no doubt righteousnesse should hauehave come by the Law.] eAretius.If the Law were contrary to the promise, then it should execute the promises office: but that it cannot do▪ for it is the promises office to giuegive life, but the lawes office to kill. And therefore the Law is not against the promise, but rather a fCaietan.preparation to receiue the promise. This argument is an hammer to beat downe Popish opinion of merit: That which doth giuegive righteousnesse, doth first giuegive life; the workes of the Law cannot giuegive life: Ergo, they cannot giuegive righteousnesse or iustifie. See Luther & Perkins in loc.
But the Scripture concludeth all things vnderunder sinne, that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should bee giuen to them that beleeue] Things subordinate, whereof one serues for another, are not one against another: but the Law is subordinate to the promise, concluding all vnderunder sinne, that wee might hauehave recourse to Christ the gIoh. 2. 2.propitiation for our sinnes. hLeo serm. 11. de quadrage sima.Ideo enim datur praeceptum vt praecipientis quaeratur auxilium. It humbleth a man, and in humbling him it maketh him to sigh, and to seeke the helping hand of the Mediatour, iPsal. 109. 20. Sweet is thy mercy.sweetning his mercies, and making his grace gratious and inestimable. The prouerbe is true, that hunger is the best cooke. kLuther.Like then as the dry ground doth couet raine: euen so the Law makes troubled and afflicted soules to thirst after Christ, and in this respect it is our schoolemaster to bring vsus to Christ. lAretius in Galat. 3. 24.A schoolemaster hath two speciall offices; one to correct, another to direct. It correcteth in shutting vsus vp in the prison of sinne; and it mPhotius apud Oecumen. in loc.directeth also, for that it occasioneth vsus hereby to hunger and thirst after the righteousnesse of Christ.
The Scripture] foreign. That Scripture, nPerkins.namely the Scripture mentioned afore, meaning oC…luin. apud Marlorat. in loc.especially the written law of Moses, including all vnderunder sinne: Deut. 27. 26. Cursed is eueryevery man that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them. EueryEvery man is bound to keepe the whole Law: pCaietan.Claudit ergo sub peccato subditos sibi, praecipiendo siquidem, & non adiuuando. But this may bee construed of qLuther.Euangelicall Scripture so well as of the law; for if all men had not bin subiect vntounto the curse by sinne, for what end should the blessing by Christ hauehave beene promised, because rMatth. 9. 12.the whole neede not a Physitian? And so both Gospell and Law shut vp all vnderunder sinne, sRom. 11. 32.that God might hauehave merciemercy on all.
Concludeth] Ergo, the Scripture must be Iudge for the determining of controversies in religion For (as tLib. 5. contra Parmeman.Optatus and uIu Psal. 21. exposit. 2.Augustine note) God hath dealt with vsus as an earthly father is wont with his children, who fearing lest they should fall out after his decease, doth set downe his will in writing vnderunder witnesses; and if there arise debate among the brethren, instantly they goe to the testament. All of vsus are brethren, and xGen. 13. 8.therefore we should not contend: but if any question bee made concerning our Fathers inheritance, wee must examine the words of his testament, and yEsay 8. 20.testimonie, for that as a Iudge concludeth all things.
All things] zMarlorat.As if he should say, not all men only, but all things also, which all men can doe toward their saluation, euen aRom. 3. 19.all the world culpable before God vnderunder sinne.
That the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should bee giuen to them that beleeue] There is bBeza in loc.neuer a word in this clause but is a sufficient argument against our merit: promise, faith, Iesus Christ, giuen, beleeue. Sauing faith is called heere the faith of Iesus Christ, because Christ is both author and obiect thereof. cPerkins.EueryEvery man therefore shall not be saued in his owne faith and religion, but only such as are of the faith of Christ.
Almightie and mercifull God, of whose onelyonly gift it commeth that thy faithfull people doe vntounto thee true and laudable seruice: grant we beseech thee, that wee may so runne to thy heauenly promises, that wee faile not finally to attaine the same through Iesus Christ our Lord:
Amen.