Galatians 1:6–7

Here beginnes the second part of the Epistle, in which he giues instruction to the Galatians. And it hath two parts: one concernes doctrine, the other manners. The first part touching doctrine, beginnes in this sixt verse, and continues to the 13. verse of the 5. chapter. The summe of it is a reproofe of the Galatians for reuolting from the Gospell: and it is disposed in this syllogisme. If I be immediately called of God to teach, and my doctrine be true, ye ought not to haue reuolted from my doctrine. But I was called immediately of God to teach, and my doctrine is true. Therefore ye should not haue reuolted from my doctrine.

The proposition is not expressed: because it was needelesse. The minor is handled, through the whole Epistle. The Conclusion is in the 6. and 7. verses, the meaning whereof I will briefely deliuer. So soone] that is, presently after my departure. remooued] carried away by the perswasions of false teachers, to another Gospel.] to another doctrine of saluation, which in the speech and opinion of the false teachers, is another manner of Gospel, more sufficient and more excellent, then that which Paul hath deliuered. From him] that is, from me beeing an Apostle, who haue called you by preaching the Gospell of Christ. In the grace] that is, haue called you freely, without any desert of yours, to be partakers of the fauour of God in Christ. Which is not another] which pretended Gospell of the false Apostles, is not indeed another gospell from that of Paul, because there is but one; but it is an inuention of the brame of man. But there be some] that is, but I plainely perceiue the cause of your reuolt, that some trouble you, and seeke to ouerthrowe the Gospell of Christ.

In these words, two points are to be considered. The first is, the manner which Paul vseth in reproouing the Galatians. He tenders their good, and saluation, and seeks by all meanes their recouerie. And therefore in his reproofe he doth two things. First, he reprooues them with meekenesse, and tendernesse of heart, following his owne rule, Gal. 6. 1. for he might iustly haue said, ye may be ashamed, that ye are remooued to another Gospell, but he saith onely, I maruell, that is, I was well perswaded of you, and I hoped for better things, but I am deceiued, & I wonder at it. Secondly, he frames his reproofe with great warinesse, & circumspection: for he saith not, ye of your selues doe remooue to another Gospell, but ye are remooued: and thus he blames them but in part, and laies the principall blame on others. Againe, he saith not, ye were remooued, but in the time present, ye are remooued, that is, ye are in the acte of Reuolting, and haue not as yet altogither reuolted. And hereby he puts them in minde, that although they be in a fault, yet there is nothing done, which may not easily be vndone. According to his example, we are in all Reproofes, to shewe loue, and to keepe loue: to shewe loue to the partie reprooued, and to frame our reproofe, so as we may keepe his loue.

The second point is the fault reprooued, and that is, the Reuolt of the Galatians, which was a departure from the calling, whereby they were called to the grace of Christ. If it be demāded, what kind of Reuolt this was? I answer, there be two kinds of reuolt, particular and generall. Particular, when men professe the name of Christ, and yet depart from the faith, in some principall points thereof. Of this kinde was the Apostacie of the tenne tribes, and such is the Apostacie of the Romane Church. A generall reuolt is, when men wholly forsake the faith & name of Christ. Thus doe the Iewes, and Turkes at this day. Againe, a reuolte is sometime of weakenesse, and humane frailtie, and sometime of obstinacie. Nowe the reuolt of the Galatians was onely particular in the point of iustification, and of weakenesse, and not of obstinacie: and this Paul signifies when he saith, they were carried by others. Of this Reuolt, 4. things are to be considered. The time, so soone: from whome, or what? from the doctrine of Paul, & consequently the grace of Christ. To what? to another Gospell. By meanes of whome? but some trouble you, &c.

Touching the time, it was short, They were soone carried away. This shewes the lightnesse and inconstancie of mans nature, specially in matter of religion. While Moses tarried in the mount, Aaron and the people set vp a golden calfe, and departed from God. Osea saith, The righteousnesse of the Israelites, was like the morning dewe, which the rising, of the sunne consumeth, chap. 6. 4. Iohn was a burning light, & the Iewes reioyced in this light: that is well; but marke what is added: for an houre or moment. Iohn. 5. 35. They which cried Osanna to the sonne of Dauid, shortly after cried, Crucifie him, crucifie him. The crosse and persecution, will make men call the Gospell in question, if not forsake it. Luk. 8. 13. The multitude of people among vs are like waxe, and are fit to take the stampe, and impression of any religion: and it is the law of the land that makes the most imbrace the Gospell, & not conscience. That we may constantly perseuere in the profession of the true faith, both in life, and death, first we must receiue the Gospell simply for it selfe, because it is the Gospell of Christ, and not for any other by-respect. Secondly, we must be mortified, and renewed in the spirit of our mindes, and suffer no by-corners in our hearts, where secret vnbeleefe, secret hypocrisie, and spirituall pride may lurke, and lie hid from the eies of men. Heb. 3. 12. Thirdly, we must not onely be hearers of the word, but also doers of it, in the principall duties to be practised, of faith, conuersion, and newe obedience.

To come to the second point: when Paul saith, the Galatians were remooued from him that called them, that is, himselfe; he shewes Christian modestie: because speaking things praiseworthie of himselfe, he speaks in the third person: from him that hath called, &c. The like he doeth, 2. Cor. 12. I knowe a man taken vp into the third heauen: that is, himselfe. And Iohn saith, the disciple that leaned on the breast of Christ, whome Christ loued, asked whome he meant. Ioh. 13. 23. After this practise, we are to giue praise to God, and to his instruments, but neither to praise nor dispraise our selues. This is Christian ciuilitie to be ioyned with our faith.

Secondly, when he saith, who hath called you in the grace of Christ, we learne, that the scope of the Gospel is to bring men to the grace of Christ. To this very ende God hath vouchsafed vs in England the Gospel more then fourtie yeares. And therefore our words, and deedes, and liues, should be seasoned with grace, and sauour of it: and shew forth the grace of God. Secondly, we owe vnto God great thankfulnes, and we can neuer be sufficiently thankefull for this benefit, that God calls vs to his grace. But it is otherwise: the sunne is a goodly creature: yet because we see it daily, it is not regarded: and so it is with the grace of God.

Thirdly, the Galatians are remooued not onely from the doctrine of Paul, but also from the grace of God. And the reason is, because they ioyned the workes of the law with Christ and his grace in the cause of their iustification, and saluation. Here it must be obserued, that they which make an vnion of grace, and workes, in the cause of iustification, are separated from the grace of God. Grace admits no partner, or fellow. Grace must be freely giuen euery way, or it is no way grace. Hence it followes, that the present Church of Rome is departed from the grace of God, because it makes a concurrence of grace, and workes, in the iustification of a sinner before God: and we may not make any reconciliation with that Church in religion: because it is become an enemie of the grace of God.

The third point is, To what thing the Galatians reuolt? to another Gospel, that is, to a better gospel, then that which Paul taught, compounded of Christ and the workes of the law. And this forged gospel the false apostles taught, and the Galatians quickly receiued. Here we see the curious nicenes and daintines of mans nature, that cannot be content with the good things of God, vnlesse they be framed to our minds: and if they please vs for a while, they doe not please vs long, but we must haue new things. Our first parents not content with their first estate, must needes be as God. Nadab and Abihu offer sacrifice to God, but the fire must be of their owne appointment. Lev. 10. 1. King Achas will offer sacrifice to God, but the altar must 2. Reg. 16. 11. be like the altar at Damascus. False-teachers beside the doctrine of the Apostles, had profound learning of their Rev. 2. 24. owne. The Iewes beside the written law of Moses, must haue their Cabala, containing, as they supposed, more mysticall and excellent doctrine. The Papists beside the written word, set vnwritten Tradition which they make equall with the Scripture. We that professe the Gospel, are not altogether free from this fault. We like, that Christ should be preached: but sermons are not in common reputation learned, neither doe they greatly please the most, vnlesse they be garnished with skill of arts, tongues, and varietie of reading: this curiousnes and discontentment the Lord condemnes, when he forbids plowing with Deut. 22. 9. the oxe, and the asse, and the wearing of garments of linsi-wolsie. And it is the worst kind of discontment, that is, in things pertaining to saluation. It is called by Paul, the itching of the care, 2. Tim. 4. 5. and it is incident to them that follow their owne lusts. The remedie of this sinne, is to learne the first lesson that is to be learned of them that are to be good schollers in the schoole of Christ: and that is to feele our pouertie, and in what extreame neede we stand of the death and passion of Christ: and withall to hunger, & thirst after Christ, as the bread, and water of life. Read Isa. 44. 3. Ioh. 7. 37. Psal. 25. 11. the example of Dauid, Psal. 143. 6. When the heart and conscience hath experimentally learned this lesson, and not the braine, and tongue alone: then shall men beginne to sauour the things of God, and discerne of things that differ, and put a difference betwene grace, and workes, mans word and Gods word, and for the working of our saluation, esteeme of mans workes, and mans word, as offols that are cast to dogges.

Paul addes, which is not another Gospel, that is, though it be an other gospel in the reputation of false teachers, yet indeede it is not an other, but is a subuersion of the Gospel of Christ. Hēce I gather, that there is but one Gospel, one in number and no more. For there is but one way of saluation by Christ, whereby all the Elect are saued, from the beginning of the world to the ende. Act. 15. 11. 1. Cor. 10. 3. It may be demanded, how they of the old Testament, could be partakers of the bodie, & blood of Christ, which then was not. Answer. The bodie, and blood of Christ, though then it was not subsisting in the world, yet was it then present to all beleeuers, two waies: first, by diuine acceptation: because God did accept the incarnation and passion of Christ to come, as if it had beene accomplished. Secondly, it was present to them by meanes of their faith, which is a subsistance of things that are not seene; and consequently it makes them present to the beleeuing heart.

Againe, hence it appeares, to be a falshood, that Euery man may be saued in his owne religion, so be it, he hold there is a God, and that he is a rewarder of them that come vnto him. For there is but one Gospel: and if the former opinion were true, then so many opinions, so many gospels. Paul saith, that the world by her wisdome could not know God in his wisdome, and for this cause he ordained the preaching of the word to saue men, 1. Cor. 1. 21. And though he that comes to God must beleeue that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that come to him: yet not euery one that beleeues generally that there is a God, and that he is a rewarder of them that come to him, comes to God: for this the deuills beleeue.

The fourth point, is concerning the Authors of this Reuolt: and Paul chargeth them with two crimes. The first is, that they trouble the Galatians, not onely because they make diuisions, but because they trouble their consciences setled in the gospel of Christ. It may be alleadged, that there be sundrie good things which trouble the conscience, as the preaching of the law, the censure of excommunication, the authoritie of the magistrate in compelling Recusants to the congregation. I answer, these things indeede trouble the consciences of men, but they are euill consciences: and the ende of this trouble is that they may be reformed, and made good. But the crime wherewith the false-apostles are charged, is, that they trouble the consciences of the godly, or the good consciences of men. Here then is set downe a note, whereby false, and erroneous doctrines, may be discerned: namely, that they serue onely to trouble, and disquiet the good conscience. And by this we see the Romane religion to be corrupt and vnsound: for a great part of it tends this way. Iustification by workes is a yoke that none could euer beare. Act. 15. The vowe of single life is as a snare, or as the noose in the halter to strangle the soule. 1. Cor. 7. 34. So is the doctrine which teacheth that men after their conuersion, must still remaine in suspence of their saluation: and that pardon of sinne, is necessarily annexed to confession in the eare, & to satisfaction for the temporall punishment of sinne in this life, or in purgatory.

On the contrary, the Gospell of Christ (as here it appeares) troubles not the good conscience, but it brings peace and perfect ioy. Iohn. 15. 11. Rom. 15. 4. And the reason is plaine: for it ministers a perfect remedy for euery sinne, and comfort sufficient for euery distresse. And this is a note whereby the gospell is discerned from all other doctrines, whatsoeuer.

The second crime where with the false-apostles are charged, is, that they ouerthrow the gospell of Christ: the reason of this charge must be considered. They did not teach a doctrine flat contrary to the Gospell of Christ: but they maintained it in word, and put an addition to it of their owne out of the law, namely instification, and saluation, by the workes thereof. And by reason of this addition, Paul giues the sentence that they peruert, and turne vpside downe the Gospell of Christ. Vpon this ground it appeares that the Popish religion is a flat subuersion of the Gospell of Christ, because it ioynes iustification by workes, with free iustification by Christ. The excuse, that the works that iustify, are workes of grace, and not of nature, will not serue the turne. For if Christ by his grace make workes to iustifie, then is he not onely a sauiour, but also an instrument to make vs sauiours of our selues: he beeing the first, and principall sauiour, and we subordinate sauiours, vnto him. But if Christ haue a partner in the worke of iustification, and saluation, he is no perfect Christ.