Galatians 5:10

The sense. In the Lord] by the gratious assistance of God, who no doubt will giue a blessing to my Ministerie.

No otherwise minded] that is, thinke no otherwise then ye haue done, and ought to thinke; and thinke no otherwise then I haue taught you.

He that troubleth you] the Church is troubled three waies: 1. by false doctrine. Thus Ahab troubled Israel, 1. king. 18. 18. and the false Apostles trouble Galatia. 2. By wicked example: thus Achan troubled Israel. Ios. 7. 25. 3. By force and crueltie: thus tyrants and persecutors trouble the Church.

Shall be are] shall haue his due and deserued punishment, partly in this life, and partly in eternall death. See this verified in the ende of the booke of English Martyrs, in the desperate, horrible, and stinking endes of persecutors. But yet this threat must be vnderstood with the Exception of repentance.

The scope. The wordes are an Answer to an Obiection, which may be framed thus: It seemes by your former prouerb of leauen, that you hold us to be a people corrupted, and vnsauorie vnto God. To this Paul answers by a distinction: I hope better things of you: but the false Apostles for troubling the Church shall surely be punished.

The vse. When Paul saith, I haue an affiance in you, he teacheth in his own example, that we are to hope the best of men so long as they are curable. It may be saide, they that hope the best are sometimes deceiued. Ans. They are onely deceiued in their iudgement, and that in things whereof they haue no certen knowledge, and they are not deceiued in practise. For it is a dutie of loue to hope the best. And they which vse to suspect the worse are oftner deceiued. Againe, it may be saide, that we must iudge of things as they are indeede. Ans. Iudgement of things, and iudgement of persons must be distinguished. Of things, vpright iudgement is to iudge of them as they are: and if they be doubtfull to suspend. Now our iudgement of the persons of men, must be to take things in the better part as much as possibly may be. Lastly, it may be alleadged, that we must loue our neighbour as our selues: and that we despaire in respect of our selues. Ans. We are to despaire in respect of our selues, because we are priuie to our owne estate: but we are not priuie to the estate of any other man: and therefore we are to hope the best of them. This shewes the fault of our times: if any professing the Gospel fall vpon frailtie, there are numbers of men that will make no bones of it to condemne them to the pit of hel, for hypocrites: but such persons are not carried by the spirit of Paul, who hopes the best of them that fall.

Againe, here we see how we are to put affiance in men. We are to put affiance in God for all things whatsoeuer, whether concerning bodie or soule: but our affiance in men, must be onely for such things as they are able to performe. Secondly, we must put affiance in God absolutely for himselfe, and therefore we say, I beleeue in God, &c. but all our affiance in men whatsoeuer, must be in the Lord.

When Paul saith, that he had affiance of them in the Lord, he shewes that renewed repentance is the gift of God. And there are two graces required vnto it, helping grace, and Exciting grace. Helping grace preserues and confirmes the first and initiall repentance. Exciting grace giues the will and the deede. And without these graces the child of God, if he fall, cannot repent. and recouer himselfe. They therefore are deceiued, who thinke that they may haue repentance at command, and that they may repent when they will.

It may be demanded, why Paul vseth mild tearmes, and doth not excommunicate the Galatians? Ans. So long as men are curable, meanes must be vsed to recouer them. The sheepe or oxe that goes astray, must be brought home againe, Exod. 23. 4. much more thy neighbour. Christ himselfe brings home againe the lost sheepe, and so must euery shepheard. Ezech. 34. 4. Now the Galatians were in all likelihood persons curable: and therefore not to be cut off. For the Censure of Excommunication pertaines to them alone, of whose recouerie there is no hope.

Some there be that mislike the Preaching vsed in these daies, because we vse not seueritie, and personall reproofes, after the manner of Iohn Baptist. But these men are deceiued. We haue not the like calling that he had, nor like gifts: neither are we in the like times. For Iohn the Baptist was in the very time of the change betweene the old and the new Testament. Christ did not follow him in the same manner of teaching, neither doth the Apostle in this place, when he saith of the Galatians in Apostasie, that he hoped better things of them.

In the last place, the commination which the Apostle vseth, is to be obserued, that troublers of the Church shall beare their iudgement. Hence I gather,

1. That God watcheth ouer his Church with a speciall prouidence. We in England haue found this by experience: and we are to be thankfull for it.

2. That the doctrine of the Apostles is of infallible certentie: because the oppugners of it are plagued by the iust iudgement of God.

3. On the contrarie, our dutie is, to pray for the good estate of the Church of God, and for the kingdomes where the Church is planted, and for the continuance of the Gospel specially in England. For what will all the things we haue doe vs good, if we be forth of Gods kingdome, and lose our soules?