Galatians 6:17

Here the Apostle laies downe his last admonition, preuenting an obiection that might be made by the false Apostles, or the Galatians. For whereas it might be said, that Paul sought himselfe, and the world, shunned persecution, and therefore ioyned circumcision to Christ to please the Iewes, and followed not his owne rule v. 16. he takes away this obiection with great authoritie, when he saith, from hence forth let no man put me to busines, And withall he addes a reason of it, for I beare in my bodie the markes of the Lord Iesus: as if he should saie, The bonds, the imprisonments, the stripes, wounds, and scarres in my bodie, doe sufficiently testifie my fidelitie in my ministerie, for if I had preached circumcision I should not haue suffered persecution. The words may be and are taken in a doble sense. First thus, The false Apost. and you Galatians (by their instigation) haue beene troblesome vnto me, by false accusations and scanderous imputations, as that I taught circumcision and the obseruatiō of the ceremoniall Lawe as a thing necessarie to saluation, and so you haue made a reuolt from my doctrine, & by that meanes haue dobled and tripled my labour and paines among you: But from hence forth cease to be troblesome vnto me, you may take experiment and proofe from me; the marks that I beare in my body doe sufficiently witnesse and seale the truth of my doctrine, and my fidelitie in myne Apostleship, as also whose disciple I am, Moses or Christs, and what rule I follow, Iudaisme or Christianisme. Secondly, they cary this sense, I haue sayd, that they which walke according to this rule, in glorying onely in the crosse of Christ, peace shall be vpon them, and mercy, and vpon the Israel of God; And I say againe and againe, that we ought to striue and contend for it, to obserue & keepe it, as a thing most necessarie to saluation: τὰ λοιπὰ, as for othings not necessary to saluation, as circumcision &c. Let no man troble me in the execution of mine Apostolicall function, or hinder the course of the Gospell, by vrging any other doctrine or ceremony contrary or diuerse from this, as necessary to saluation: This one thing is necessarie, other things are needles and fruitles in comparison, therefore neither I, nor the church of God ought to be trobled with them. This latter sense I take to be more ageeable to the text. Some make the sense to be this, I haue had many trobles and conflicts; and haue many markes and scarres in my body inflicted by persecutours: therfore be no more troblesome vnto me: for it were to much to add wormewood to my gale, affliction to affliction. Here we se the condition of the Apostle, and the estate of all faithfull ministers; that it is full of troble and molestations. For as they are accounted men of turbulent spirits, disquieters of the state, as Elias was 1. King. 21. and Ieremie, chap. 15. 18. and Paul, Act. 16. 20. & 21. 28. So they are most trobled with factious opposers and false teachers, who labour to bring into the church things partly needles and superfluous, partly hurtfull & pernicious. Thus the false Apost. trobled the pastors and church of Galatia. Gal. 5. 10. and the churches of Antiochia, Syria, Cilicia, Act, 15. 24.

Secondly, consider how that the most and greatest trobles of the church haue beene for matters not of substance, but of circumstance, partly not necessarie, partly contrarie to the rule: which notwithstanding haue bee vrged with fire and fagot, as things most necessarie.

Lastly, he that stands forth for the defence of Gods truth (as Paul did, and all Ministers ought to doe) must let goe all circumstances, and looke to the substance. Not with Martha to Luk. 10. 41. trouble himselfe about many needelesse things, when as one thing onely is necessarie.

The reason followeth in these words: For I beare in my bodie the markes of the Lord Iesus.

The word in the Originall translated markes, doth properly 〈Greek〉. vide Lip•ium de militia Romana, lib. 1. dialogo. 9. signifie prints with a hot yron. But it is here vsed generally to signifie, any blemish, skarre, or marke whatsoeuer, whether such as was wont to be set vpon seruants bought with money (which among the Iewes was a hole in the eare pearced with a naule. Exod. 21. 6. Deut. 15. 17.) or vpon slaues taken in the warres, as the Samians set vpon an Athenian captiue the signe of an owle: and the Athenians vpon a Samian the signe of a shippe. Or vpon malefactours, as a hole in the eare, an F in the forehead, a brand in the hand. Or such a marke, as some thinke, was set vpon Cain. Gen. 4. 15. or the marke of God. Ezek. 9. 4. or of the beast. Apoc. 16. 2.

The markes of Christ are of two sorts, either inward and inuisible: or outward and visible. The inuisible markes are two. The first, is Gods eternall Election, which is called Gods seale or marke. 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God remaineth sure, and hath this seale, The Lord knoweth who are his. All the Elect are marked with this marke, Apoc. 7. and by it Christ knoweth and acknowledgeth them for his sheepe. Ioh. 10. The second, is regeneration, or the imprinting of the defaced image of God in the soule. By this marke (which is the true indeleble character, neuer to be blotted out) are all beleeuers sealed. 2. Cor. 1. 22. Eph. 1. 13. These inward inuisible markes of Election and Regeneration, are in the soule, and therefore not here meant: for he speakes of bodily markes, I beare in my bodie the markes…. The outward visible marks are twofold: Typicall, or Reall. Typicall, as circumcision, which was a marke set in the foreskin of the flesh. Rom. 4. 11. The blood of the Paschal lambe, wherewith the houses of the Israelites were marked, when the first borne of the Aegyptians were slaine by the destroying Angel. And Baptisme is of the same kind: for by Baptisme Christians are distinguished from Iewes, Turkes, Infidells whatsoeuer Reall markes of Christ, are either in his naturall, or in his mysticall bodie. In his naturall bodie, the wounds which were giuen him in his hands, feete, and sides; which he shewed to his Disciples after his resurrection. Ioh. 20. 27. which whether they be now to be seene in his glorified bodie (as some affirme) or abolished (as others,) I leaue to the Reader, as a thing vncerten, and meerely coniecturall, seeing there is nothing in Scripture either for it, or against it, that doth necessarily conclude it. But of these markes, the Apostle speaketh not in this place. The markes in his mysticall bodie, are those, which are in his members, as wounds, skarres, whippings, maimednes, &c. of which we read 2. Cor. 4. 10. Euery where we beare about in our bodie the dying of the Lord Iesus. and 2. Cor. 11. 24, 25. Fiue times receiued I fourtie stripes saue one: I was thrise beaten with roddes, once stoned, &c. And these the Apostle here calleth the marks of Christ, because they are inflicted for the profession of Christ, and the Gospel: as the wounds and skarres of a souldier may be called his Princes woundes and skarres, because they are had in his cause and quarrell. Now those in his naturall bodie differ from these in his mysticall: First, in that they are meritorious, for by his stripes we are healed, 1. Pet. 2. 24. These in his mysticall body are glorious in the sight of god (as the death of his Saints is;) yet not meritorious. Secondly, those in his naturall bodie, were prophecied of before in particular. Psal. 22. 16. They pearced my hands and my feete. These in his mysticall bodie onely in generall, that we should be conformable vnto him.

In this place Paul speaketh of the latter onely, which were in his owne person; and this he doth, not to put any merit in thē, as (S. Francis did) but to testifie himself to be a faithfull seruant of Christ. And he further meeteth with the false Apostles, who would needes haue had the Galatians circumcised, that so they might glorie in the flesh, as hauing set the marke of circumcision in the foreskin of their flesh. As if he should say, I set not markes in other mens flesh, to glorie of them, as the false Apostles doe; but I beare about in my bodie the markes of the Lord Iesus, these are the signes of mine Apostleship, and arguments of fidelitie in my Ministerie, which I set not in other mens flesh, but haue in mine owne.

Here we see what we are to thinke, and what vse we are to make of the wounds, skarres, and blemishes, that are in any of the Saints for the profession of the Gospel, and maintenance of the truth. First, that they are the sufferings, wounds, and marks of Christ himselfe (as Paul tearmeth them here, and Coloss. 1. 24.) seeing they are the wounds of the members of that bodie, wherof he is the head. Secondly, they haue this vse, to conuince the consciences of persecutors, and wicked men, that they are the seruants of Christ, which suffer thus for righteousnes sake, for which cause they are here mentioned by Paul. Thus he prooues himselfe to be a member of Christ by the afflictions which he suffered for his sake. 2. Cor. 12. Thirdly, if men be constant in their profession, namely in faith and obedience, they are banners of victorie. Therefore no man ought to be ashamed of them, no more then souldiers of their wounds and skarres: but rather in a holy manner to glorie of them as Paul did. For as it is a glorie to a souldier to haue receiued many wounds, and to haue many skarres, in a good cause, in his Princes quarrell, and for the defence of his countrey: So it is a glorie for a Christian souldier to haue the markes of the Lord Iesus in his bodie, as of wounds, scourges, bonds, imprisonment, for the profession of the truth. Therfore Constantine the great, (as the Ecclesiasticall historie records) kissed the holes of the eyes of certaine Bishops, (which had them put out by the Arrians, for the constant profession of the faith of Christ) reuerencing the vertue of the holy Ghost which shined in them.

This makes nothing for the fratres flagellantes, who glorie in the markes which they make in their flesh, by whipping of themselues. For first, it is not the punishment (as Cyprian saith) but the cause that makes a Martyr. Secondly, the marks which men set vpon themselues contrarie to the Law, Leuit. 19. 28. are not the markes of the Lord Iesus: but those onely which are set vpon them by others, for the profession of the truth. Thirdly, this whipping and afflicting of themselues, beeing but willworship, in not sparing of the bodie, Coloss. 2. 23. is no better accepted of God, thē the superstitious practise of Baals priests, lancing themselues with kniues, till the blood gushed out. 1. King. 18. 28.

Againe, if this be the glorie of a seruant of Christ, and a note of constant profession, what shall we say of them who haue not onely their consciences seared with a hot yron, but by drinking, whoring, rioting, &c. get the markes of Bacchus and Venus in their bodies? For if these be the markes of Christ, those must needes be the marks of Satan.

Lastly, hence we are taught a speciall dutie, and that is, to suffer bodily affliction in the profession of the truth: & though bonds and imprisonment abide vs in all places, not to passe for them, so that we may fulfill our course with ioy, according to Pauls example, both here, and Act. 20. 24. as also his commandement to Timothie, Suffer affliction as a good souldier of Iesus Christ. 2. Tim. 2. 3. The reasons are these. First, by suffering bodely affliction, we are made conformable vnto Christ, and fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh Coloss. 1. 24. Secondly, they teach vs to haue a sympathie and fellow feeling of the miseries of our brethren, to remember those that are in bonds, as though we were bound with them, and those that are in affliction, as though we also were afflicted in the bodie. Ebr. 13. 3. Thirdly, our patient induring of affliction, doth not onely serue as a president and example to others to suffer patiently, but also is a notable meanes to confirme them in the truth. 2. Cor. 1. 6. Philip. 1. 14. Lastly, they serue to scoure vs that are earthly vessels, from the rust and filth of sinne, that cleaues so fast vnto our nature.