Galatians 5:5–6

The meaning. We] I Paul, the rest of the Apostles, and all other Christian churches. In spirit] that is, in the powers of the soule sanctified and renewed. In this sense Paul saith that the true circumcision is that which is in the heart, in spirit, Rom. 2. 29. and Christ saith, that true worship of God is in spirit, Ioh. 4. 24. And that spirit is here taken in this sense, it is manifest: because it is opposed to circumcision which is in the flesh.

By faith we wait] Faith apprehends the promise, and thereby brings forth hope: and faith by meanes of hope makes them that beleeue to waite. Hope of righteousnes] that is, saluation or life eternall, which is the fruit of righteousnes, Tit. 2. 13. or againe, righteousnes hoped for. Righteousnes indeede is imputed to them that beleeue, and that in this life, yet the fruition and the full reuelation thereof is reserued to the life to come, when Christ our righteousnes shall appeare, and when the effect of righteousnes, namely sanctification, shall be accomplished in vs. Rom. 8. 23. 1. Ioh. 3. 2.

The sense then is this. All the Apostles and Christian churches with one consent in spirit by meanes of their faith, waite for the full reuelation of their imputed righteousnes, and for euerlasting life: whereas the false Apostles place their righteousnes in circumcision of the flesh, and looke to haue the fruition of it in this life.

v. 6. In Christ] that is, in the Church, kingdome, or religion of Christ. 2. Cor. 5. 17. If any be in Christ, that is, if any be a Christian, he is a new creature.

Vncircumcision] that is, the condition and workes of men vncircumcised.

Auaileth any thing] is of no vse, respect, or acceptation with God. Faith working] faith effectuall in duties of loue.

The resolution. These wordes containe a second reason, where Paul confirmes the former conclusion, and it may be framed thus. That thing which makes vs waite for the hope of righteousnes, that iustifies: not circumcision, but faith makes vs waite for the hope of righteousnes: therefore not circumcision but faith iustifies. The proposition is omitted: the minor is in the 5. verse. And it is confirmed by two arguments. The first, is the consent of all Churches, We waite. The second, is taken from the propertie of faith in the sixt verse, thus: It is faith, and not circumcision that auailes before God: therefore faith and not circumcision makes vs waite.

Againe, in these two verses, Paul meetes with an Obiection, which may be framed thus: If ye abolish circumcision and the ceremoniall law, ye abolish the exercises of religion. The answer is: in stead of them we haue other exercises in our spirit, namely, the inward exercises of faith, hope, and loue. The vse. In the 5. verse, foure things are to be considered. The first is, who waites? Paul saith, we waite. Before he hath iustified his doctrine by the Scriptures, now he addes the consent of the Churches. Here then we see what is the office of all faithfull dispensers of the word, namely, to declare such doctrines as are founded in Scriptures, and approoued by the consent of the true Church of God. Paul an Apostle that could not erre, respected consent, much more are all ordinarie Ministers to doe it.

Againe, it is the office of all Christian people to maintaine and defend all such doctrines and opinions as are founded in the Scriptures, and ratified by the consent of the true churches of God, and no other. This to doe is to walke in the way of vnitie, and peace: and to doe otherwise is to walke in the way of schisme and heresie.

The second point is, what is waited for? Paul saith, the reuelation of righteousnes, and eternall saluation. Here I obserue, that there is no iustification by the obseruation of the law: and I prooue it thus: The righteousnes whereby a sinner is iustified, is apprehended by faith, and expected by hope: but if righteousnes were by the law, men should haue the fruition of their righteousnes in this life, and consequently the hope thereof should cease.

Secondly, here is comfort for the godly. They complaine of the want of sanctification: but they are to know, that in this life they shall neuer feele righteousnes, as they feele sinne: here they must hunger and thirst after righteousnes, liuing in some want of it. If we haue the first fruits of the spirit, the hatred of our owne sinne, the purpose of not sinning, the feare of God, and such like, we must content our selues, and waite for the fruition of further grace till the life to come.

Thirdly, we must become waiters for the mercie of God, and for life euerlasting. Gen. 49. 18. Iud. v. 11. For this cause we must doe as they doe which waite & attend for some great benefit: we must daily stand with our supplications knocking at the mercie gate to the death: and we must daily prepare our selues against the day of death, and it must be welcome vnto vs: for then is the ende of all our waiting and attending.

The third point is, by what are we to waite? Paul saith, We waite by faith. Hence it followes, that faith brings with it a speciall certentie of the mercie of God, and of life euerlasting. For men vse not to waite for the things whereof they are vncerten. Waiting presupposeth certentie. The Papists therefore that make speciall hope, should also make speciall faith.

The last point is, where is this waiting? Paul saith, in spirit. Here obserue, that all the exercises of Christian religion, are to be in the spirit. God must be worshipped in spirit. Ioh. 4. 24. Rom. 1. 9. The heart must be rent, and not the garment. Ioel 2. The inward motions of the spirit, are of themselues the worship of God, whereas our words and deedes are not simply, but so farforth as they are founded in the renewed motions of the heart. Men in our daies thinke they doe God high seruice, if they come to Church, heare Gods word, and say some few praiers. Indeede these things are not to be condemned: yet are they not sufficient, vnlesse withall we bring vnto God, a renewed spirit indued with faith, hope, loue.

In the 6. verse, Paul propounds three conclusions. The first is this: that externall and bodely priuiledges are of no vse and moment in the kingdome of Christ. Paul saith, 1. Tim. 4. 8. Bodily exercise profiteth little, and that godlines is profitable for all things. It was a great priuiledge to be familiarly acquainted with Christ, and to haue eaten and drunke with him: yet is it of no vse in the kingdome of Christ. For of such Christ saith, Luk. 13. 26. Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie. It was a great priuiledge to be allied to Christ in respect of blood, yet in the kingdome of Christ, it is of no vse: and therefore Christ saith, He that doth the will of my father, is my brother, sister, and mother. Mark. 3. 33. To conceiue, and beare Christ, was a great honour to the virgin Marie: yet was shee not by this meanes a member of the kingdome of Christ, but by her faith in him. And if shee had not borne him in her heart, as well as shee bare him in her wombe, shee had not bin saued. To prophecie or preach, and that in the name of Christ, is a great dignitie: and yet many hauing this prerogatiue shall be condemned. Matth. 7. 22. It may be alleadged, that some outward exercises, as baptisme, and the Lords supper, are of great vse in the Church of Christ. I answer, the outward baptisme is nothing without the inward. Not the washing of the flesh, but the stipulation of a good conscience saueth. 1. Pet. 3. 18. Circumcision is profitable, if thou keepe the law. Rom. 2. 35.

By this we are taught, not to esteeme of mens religion by their riches, and externall dignities. For the fashion of the world is, if a man haue riches, and honour, to commend him for a wise, vertuous, and godly man. This is foolishly to haue faith in respect of persons. Iam. 2. 1.

Secondly, by this we are taught to moderate our affections in respect of all outward things, neither sorrowing too much for them, nor ioying too much in them. 1. Cor. 7. 30.

The second conclusion. Faith is of great vse and acceptation in the kingdome of Christ. By it first our persons, and then our actions please God: and without it nothing pleaseth God. It is the first and the greatest honour we can doe to God, to giue credence to his word: and from this flowes all other obedience to all other commandements. Hence we learne.

First, that we must labour to conceiue faith a right in our hearts, by the vse of the right meanes, the word, praier, sacraments: as also in, and by the exercises of spirituall inuocation, and repentance. This beeing done, we must rest vpon the bare word and testimonie of God, without, and against sense, and feeling: and quiet our hearts therein, both in life and death.

Secondly, faith in Christ must raigne and beare sway in our hearts, and haue the command ouer reason, will, affection, lust. And by it whatsoeuer we doe or suffer, specially the maine actions of our liues, are to be ordered, and disposed.

Lastly, it is a thing to be bewailed, that the common faith of our daies is but a Ceremoniall faith, conceiued without the ordinarie meanes, and seuered from the exercises of inuocation, and repentance.

The third conclusion is, that true faith workes by loue. Hence the Papists gather, that loue is the forme and life of faith, not because it makes faith to be faith; but because it makes it to be a true faith, a good faith, a liuely faith. But this their doctrine is false, and erronious. For faith is the cause of loue, and loue is the fruit of faith. 1. Tim. 1. 5. Loue out of a pure heart, good conscience, and faith vnfained. Now euery cause as it is a cause, hath his force and efficacie in it selfe, and receiues no force or efficacie from his effect. Secondly, true faith is liuely and effectuall in it selfe, and hath a peculiar forme of his owne, and that is a certen power to apprehend Christ in the promise. For in faith, there are two things, knowledge, and apprehension, which some call application, or speciall affiance, which affiance because the Papists cut off, they are constrained to make a supplie by loue. Thirdly, the operation of faith (according to the doctrine of the Papist) is to Prepare and dispose a sinner to his future iustification. Now, if this operation be from loue, then loue is before iustification: and that cannot be: because (as they teach) iustification stands in loue. Loue therfore is not the forme of faith. They alleadge for themselues this very text in hand, where it is said, faith worketh by loue: or (as they translate it) faith is acted and mooued by loue. Ans. The meaning of the text is, that faith is effectuall in it selfe: and that it shewes and puts forth his efficacie by loue, as by the fruit thereof. And it cannot hence be gathered, that faith is acted and mooued by loue as by a formall cause.

Againe, they alleadge, Iam. 2. 26. As the bodie is dead without the spirit: so is faith without workes. Ans. 1. The soule of man is not the forme of his bodie, but of the whole man. 2. Spirit may as well signifie breath, or breathing, as the soule. And so it carries a fit sense. For as the bodie without breath is dead, and it shewes it selfe to be aliue by breathing: so faith that is without workes, is dead, and it shewes it selfe to be aliue by workes. 3. There is a false composition of the wordes to be considered: faith that is without workes is dead: is true: but to say, faith is dead without workes (as though workes gaue life to faith) is false; and not the meaning of S. Iames, but the former onely.

Againe, the Papists hence gather, that faith and loue are ioynt causes in the iustification of a sinner, and that faith worketh loue in iustifying men before God. But this Interpretation is against the whole scope of this Epistle, in which Paul prooues that there is no iustification by the law, c. 5. v. 4. and therefore no iustification by loue. Againe, Paul saith, Rom. 3. 21. that righteousnes is reuealed without the law: and therefore without loue. And againe, that we are made the righteousnes of Christ, as Christ is made our sinne, namely, by imputation, and therefore not by infusion of loue. 2. Cor. 5. 21. Thirdly, faith iustifies by apprehending Christ in the promise, and therefore not by loue. The consequent I prooue thus. Faith and loue are two hands of our soule. Faith is an hand that laies hold of Christ, and it doth (as it were) pull him and his benefits into our soules. But loue is an hand of another kind, for it serues not to receiue in, but to giue out the good it hath, and to communicate it selfe vnto others. Therefore faith cannot iustifie by loue. Lastly, loue in order of nature followes iustification, and therefore it doth not iustifie. For first of all faith laies hold on Christ: then followes iustification: vpon iustification follows sanctification, and loue is a part of sanctification.

They vrge for themselues the words of Paul, that faith works by loue. Ans. Paul doth not shew in this verse, what iustifieth, but what are the exercises of Godlines in which Christians must be occupied. And he doth not shew how faith iustifieth, but how it may be discerned to be true faith, namely, by loue.

Secondly, they obiect that faith and loue are alwaies ioyned: and therefore ioyntly worke in iustification. Ans. They are ioyned in one person or subiect: and they are ioyned in the exercise of Christian life: but they are not ioyned in the article of iustification.

Thirdly, they vrge the 2. of S. Iames, where it is saide, that a man is iustified not onely by faith, but also by works. v. 24. Ans. Faith in S. Iames is put for an historicall knowledge of religion; or for the bare confession and profession of faith. Againe, iustification is twofold; one of the person, the other of the faith of the person. Iustification of the person is, when a sinner is absolued of his sinnes, and accepted to life euerlasting, for the merit of Christ. Iustification of the faith of the person is, when faith is approoued and found to be true faith: and a beleeuer iustifies himselfe to be a true beleeuer. Of this second iustification speakes S. Iames; and it is not onely by faith, but also by workes.

Lastly, it may be obiected, that loue is of no vse, if it doe not iustifie. Ans. Iustification, and sanctification, are two distinct benefits. 1. Cor. 1. 30. and 6. 11. Iustification ministers vnto vs deliuerance from hell, and a right to life euerlasting: Sanctification is a fruit of the former, and serues to make vs thankefull to God for our iustification: and loue serues for the same vse, because it is a speciall part of Sanctification.

Thus much of the deprauation of the text by the Papists. Hence further I gather, that many falsely in these last daies boast of faith: because it is not ioyned with profiting in knowledge, with true conuersion vnto God, with fruits of loue to God and man: whereas all true faith is fruitefull in good workes.