Galatians 4:17–18

The word zeale, hath many significations; here it is fittely translated ielousie. Ye are ielous] hereby much is signified; that there is a spirituall marriage betweene Christ and his Church: that the Church is the Bride, Christ the bridegroome, or husband, the Gospel an instrument drawne touching the marriage: the sacraments as seales, the graces of the spirit as loue-tokens, the Ministers of Christ, as friends of the bridegroome, and suters for him. In this respect they put on the affection of Christ, and are zealous for him. This Ielousie is twofold, pretended ielousie, and true ielousie. Pretended ielousie is, when men falsely pretend the loue of the Church for Christs sake. Thus Paul saith, They are ielous, that is, they pretend a loue vnto you for Christs sake, but indeede they doe it amisse. And the reason follows, They would exclude you, namely, from louing of me. Others read the wordes thus; they would exclude ἡμᾶς, vs: the difference in the Original is onely in one letter: and the sense is the same, that the false Apostles would exclude Paul from the loue of the Galatians, that they onely might be honoured and loued.

Jt is good] These words may be vnderstood either of the Galatians, or of Paul. I rather choose to applie them to Paul, that for ielousie he may make an opposition betweene himselfe, and the false teachers. The sense is this: that ielousie is a good thing, if it be in a good cause, that is, if it be indeede for Christs sake, and be alwaies the same. And Paul addes further, that this kind of ielousie is in himselfe: because he is ielous ouer the Galatians not onely when he is present with them, but also when he is absent: and this he further confirmes in the two next verses.

The scope. In these wordes, Paul meetes with a conceit of the Galatians: for they might happely say, that their new Teachers loued them exceedingly, and were zealous for their saluation. Paul therefore answers by a comparison, thus: they are ielous ouer you, but it is amisse: nay, ielousie for you is good. The first part of the comparison is in the 17. verse, the second in the 18.

The vse. When Paul saith, that the false Apostles were ielous ouer the Galatians amisse, he sets out the fashion of men in the world, which is to doe things which are good in their kind, but to doe them for wrong ends. It is an excellent office to preach the word, but some doe it of enuie and contention, Phil. 1. 15. others make marchandise of the word. It is an excellent thing to imbrace the Gospel: and yet many men doe it amisse, for feare, or for honour, or for profit, or for other sinister respect, and not for the Gospels sake. This temporall life is an excellent thing, yet few there are that know the ende of this life. For men commonly spend not their time to seeke the kingdome of heauen, and to serue God in seruing of men, but with all their might, they aime at honours, profits, pleasures: and thus they liue amisse not for the honour of God, but for themselues. This must teach vs not onely to doe good, but to doe it well, and to propound good ends to our selues: and to seeke to be vpright in the statutes of God. Psal. 119. 80. To this ende, three things must be done. First, we must set before vs the will and commandement of God, and this must mooue vs to doe the good we doe. Secondly, the outward action must be conformable to the inward motions of the inward man: and they must both goe together. Thirdly, we must directly intend to obay God in the things we doe, and to approoue our hearts and doings to him.

In that the false Apostles are saide to be ielous, or zealous, we see how nature can counterfeit the grace of God: and that which the child of God doth by grace, that the naturall man can doe by nature. Thus Pharao fained repentance, Exod. 9. 27. and Ahab, that sold himselfe to worke wickednes, 1. king. 21. 27. and Iudas in the midst of his despaire is said to repent. Matt. 27. 1. Daily experience shewes the like in such persons, who in their extremitie, with teares vse to bewaile their liues past, and with many vowes, and protestations, promise amendment: and yet afterward when they are on foote againe, they returne to their old bias. In a word, there is nothing that the godly man doth by the spirit of God spiritually, but an hypocrite may doe the like carnally. Nature can play the part of the ape in imitating good things. Therefore it stands vs in hand to praie, and examine our hearts, least we be deceiued in our selues. For there may lie a depth of deceit and falshood lurking in the heart. And that we be not deceiued, two things must be obserued. One is, that we must cherish in our hearts an vniuersall hatred of all and euery sinne; first in our selues, and then in others. The second is, that we must be changed and renewed in our minds, consciences, and affections.

Thirdly, here we see the propertie of enuie, and Ambition, in these false teachers. Paul must be excluded from the loue of the Galatians, that they alone may be loued. Thus Iosua would haue excluded Eldad and Medad from prophesying, and he would haue Moses to be the onely prophet: but Moses saith, I would to God all the people could prophecie. Num. 11. 29. Iohns disciples would haue excluded Christ baptising: but Iohn saith, He must increase, and I must decrease. Ioh. 3. 30. The disciples of Christ would haue excluded one that cast out deuills in the name of Christ, but did not follow him, and Christ forbad them. Luk. 9. 49.

Lastly, we here see the propertie of deceiuers is to make a diuision betweene the Pastors and the people.

Beside the former pretended ielousie, there is a good ielousie, which the Apostle takes to himselfe, and els where he calls it the ielousie of God. 2. Cor. 11. 2.

This ielousie presupposeth the office of the Apostles, and all Ministers, which stands in three things. The first, is, to become suters to the Church, or to the soules of men, in the name of Christ, and to make the offer or motion in his name, of a spirituall marriage: and this is done in the ministerie and dispensation of the Gospel. The second is, to make the Contract betweene mens soules and Christ. Now to the making of a contract, the consent of both the parties (at the least) is required: Christ giues his consent in the word, Ose 2. 20. and we giue our consent to him and choose him for our head, when we turne to God, and beleeue in Christ. And the ministerie of the word serues to signifie the will of Christ vnto vs, and to stirre vp our hearts to an holy consent. The third is, after the contract, to preserue them in true faith, and good life, that they may be fit to be presented to Christ in the day of iudgement, and so be married to him eternally: for then, and not before, is the marriage of the lambe. These duties are all noted by Paul, when he saith, that he prepared the Corinthians that he might present them as a pure virgin vnto Christ. 2. Cor. 11. 2. And because this charge and office is laid vpon the Apostles and Ministers: therefore they are said to be ielous.

This Ielousie stands in three things. The first is, to loue the Church, indeede and truth, for Christs sake. The second is, to feare least by reason of weaknes, and by meanes of the temptations of the deuill, the Church and they that beleeue, should fall away from Christ. The third is, after the fall of the church, to be angrie with holy anger and indignation, for Christs sake. Thus Moses was ielous, when the Israelites worshipped the golden calfe: and Elias with like zealessue the priests of Baal. Thus is Paul said to be ielous in this place, and Act. 14.

If the Apostle be thus ielous, how much more then is Christ himselfe ielous, who hath espoused himselfe to his Church? This plainly shewes, that he cannot brooke either Partner, or deputie. And therefore his sacrifice on the crosse must stand without the sacrifice of the masse, his intercession without the intercession of Saints, his merits without the merit of workes, his satisfaction without any satisfaction of ours. He will haue the heart alone, and all the heart, or nothing: and he will not giue any part of his honour to any other.

This Ielousie in the Ministers must teach all faithfull seruants of God, that they keepe themselues as pure virgins for Christ, and set their hearts on nothing in the world, but on him. Therefore they must hunger after Christ: they must account all things dongue for him: they must haue their conuersation in heauen with him: and loue his comming vnto thē by death. Psal. 45. 10. Contrariwise they that set their hearts on any other thing beside him, are said to goe a whoring from him, and therefore they are accursed. Psal. 73. 27. Thus many Protestants doe in their practise, whatsoeuer they professe. Thus doth the Church of Rome both in word and deede. For beside Christ shee hath many other louers: and shee goes a whoring after them when shee worships Angels and Saints, the images of God, and Christ, with religious worship.

Againe, by this we are put in minde to yeeld an vniuersall subiection to Christ: for this is the dutie of the espoused wife to her husband.

Lastly, that good things may be well done, good ends must be propounded: and we must be constant in the good which we doe. And thus Paul saith, it is a good thing to be iealous.