Galatians 2:21

The meaning, Grace in Scriptures signifieth two things: the free fauour of God; and the gifts of God in vs. And where the holy Ghost intreates of iustification, grace in the first sense, signifies the good will, and fauour of God, pardoning sinnes, and accepting vs to life euerlasting, for the merit of Christ. 2. Tim. 1. 9. Eph. 2. 8. And in this sense is the word vsed in this place. And when Paul saith, I doe not abrogate the grace of God; his meaning is, I doe not make void, or frustrate the grace of God in respect of my selfe, or in respect of other beleeuers, by teaching the iustification of a sinner by saith alone. He addes, If righteousnes be by the law; that is, if a sinner be iustified by his owne obedience, in performing the law, then Christ died without cause. The word δωρεὰν, freely, translated without cause, hath a double signification. One is, when it signifies as much as without price, or merit. Math. 10. 8. Ye haue receiued freely, giue freely. The second is, when it signifies rashly, without iust, or sufficient cause: as Psal. 69. 4. Mine enemies hate me freely, (as the Seuentie translate) that is, wrongfully, or without iust cause. Thus here is Christ said to die freely, that is, in vaine, or without cause: because if we be iustified by obedience to the law, then Christ died in vaine, to make any satisfaction to the law for vs.

These words are an answer to an obiection. The obiection is this: If thou teach that a sinner is iustified onely by his faith in Christ, then thou abolishest the grace of God. The answer is negatiue. I doe not by this doctrine abrogate the grace of God. And there is a reason also of this answer: If we be iustified by our owne fulfilling of the law, then Christ died in vaine to fulfill the law for vs.

The vse. First, let vs marke that Paul saith, he doth not abrogate the grace of God: and why? because he will suffer nothing in the cause of our iustification to be ioyned with the obedience of the death of Christ. And hence we learne, what is the nature of grace. It must stand wholly, and intirely in it selfe. Gods grace cannot stand with mans merit. Grace is no grace, vnlesse it be freely giuen euery way. Rom. 4. 4. To him that worketh the wages is giuen, not of grace, but of desert. Rom. 11. 6. If election be of grace, then not of workes, els is grace no grace. Grace, and works of grace in the causing of iustification, can no more stand together, then fire and water. By this we are admonished to be nothing in our selues, and to ascribe all that we are, or can doe, to the grace of God.

Againe, here we see our dutie, and that is to be carefull not to abrogate the grace of God vnto our selues. But how is that done? Ans. We must strippe and emptie our selues of all righteousnesse, and goodnesse of our owne, euen to the death, and withall hunger and thirst after Christ and his righteousnes. Math. 5. 6. Luk. 1. 35.

Thirdly, Paul here sets downe a notable ground of true religion; That the death of Christ is made voide, if any thing be ioyned with it in the worke of our iustification, as a meanes to satisfie Gods iustice, and to merit the fauour of God. Therefore the doctrine of iustification by workes, is a manifest errour. For if we be iustified by the workes of the law, then the iudgement of the holy Ghost is, that Christ died without cause. Againe, the doctrine of humane satisfactions is a deuice of mans braine. For if we satisfie for our selues, then did Christ by death satisfie in vaine. Thirdly, it is a false and wicked, (though a colourable inuention) to say, that Christ by his death merited, that we should merit by our workes. For if we merit by workes, Christ died in vaine to merit by his owne death. This is the sentence of God, who cannot erre. Lastly, here we see the Church of Rome erreth in the foundation of true religion: because it ioyneth the merit of mans workes, and the merit of the death of Christ, in the iustification of a sinner. And therefore, we may not so much as dreame of any reconciliation to be made with that religion; for light and darknes cannot be reconciled, nor fire and water. Here the Papists answer, that Paul in this text speakes against them, that looked to be iustified by the naturall obseruation of the law, without the death of Christ. But it is false which they say. For Paul here speakes against Christian Iewes, who ioyned the law and the Gospel: and looked to be iustified both by Christ, and by the works of the law: and not by workes of the law, done by strength of nature, but by works of grace.