other fleshly desires; but of forgiveness of sins, of justifying the conscience, of obtaining righteousness before God, of deliverance from the law, sin, and death; and yet notwithstanding he saith here, that they, forsaking the spirit, do now end in the flesh. Flesh therefore is here taken away for the very righteousness and wisdom of the flesh, and the judgment of reason, which seeketh to be justified by the law. Whatsoever then is most excellent in man, the same here Paul calleth flesh, as the wisdom of reason, and the righteousness of the law itself.

And this place must be well considered, because of the slanderous and cavilling Papists, which wrest the same against us, saying, that we in popery began in the spirit, but now, having married wives, we end in the flesh. As though a single life, or that to have a wife, were a spiritual life; and as though it nothing hindered their spiritual life, if a man, not contented with one whore, have many. They are mad men, not understanding what the spirit, or what the flesh is. The spirit is whatsoever is done in us according to the spirit; the flesh, whatsoever is done in us according to the flesh, without the spirit. Wherefore, all the duties of a Christian man, as to love his wife, to bring up his children, to govern his family, and such like (which unto them are worldly and carnal) are the fruits of the spirit. These blind buzzards cannot discern things which are the good creatures of God, from vices.

Here is also to be noted the manner of speech which the apostle useth when he saith, Ut corne consummamini, speaking in the passive voice. As if he said, ye end, yea rather ye are ended in the flesh. For the righteousness of the law, which Paul here calleth the flesh, is so far off from justifying, that they which after the receiving of the Holy Ghost through the hearing of faith, fall back again unto it, are ended in it; that is to say, are utterly destroyed. Therefore, whosoever teach that the law ought to be fulfilled to this end, that men might be justified thereby, while they go about to quiet their consciences, they hurt them, and while they would justify them, they condemn them.

Paul hath always a glance at the false apostles; for they still urged the law, saying, Faith only in Christ taketh not away sin, pacifieth not the wrath of God, justifieth not; therefore, if ye will obtain these benefits, ye must not only believe in Christ, but therewith ye must also keep the law, be circumcised, keep the feasts, sacrifices, &c. Thus doing ye shall be free from sin, from the wrath of God, from everlasting death. Yea, rather, saith Paul, by the self-same things ye establish unrighteousness, ye provoke the wrath of God, ye add sin to sin, ye quench the spirit, ye fall away from grace, and utterly reject the same, and ye, together with your disciples, do end in the flesh. This is the first danger, from the which he terrifieth the Galatians, lest, if they seek to be justified by the law, they lose their spirit, and forego their good beginnings for a wretched end.

VERSE 4. Have ye suffered so many things in vain?

The other danger or incommodity is this: "Have ye suffered so many things in vain?" As though he would say, Consider, not only how well ye began, and how miserably ye have forsaken your good beginning, and your course well begun: moreover, that not only ye have lost the first fruits of the spirit, being fallen again into the ministry of sin and death, and into a doleful and a miserable bondage of the law: but consider this also, that ye have suffered much for the gospel's sake, and for the name of Christ: to wit, the spoiling of your goods, railings and reproaches, dangers both of bodies and lives, &c. All things were in a happy course and great towardness with you. Ye taught purely, ye lived holily, and ye endured many evils constantly, for the name of Christ. But now, all is lost, as well doctrine as faith, as well doing as suffering, as well the spirit as the fruits thereof.

Hereby it appeareth sufficiently, what incommodity the righteousness of the law, and man's own righteousness bringeth: to wit, that they which trust in it do lose at once unspeakable benefits. Now, what a miserable thing is it, so suddenly to lose such inestimable glory and assurance of conscience towards God? Also to endure so many great and grievous afflictions, as loss of goods, wife, children, body and life, and yet notwithstanding to sustain all these things in vain? And out of these two places, much matter may be gathered to set forth and amplify at large the goodly commendation of the law and man's own righteousness, if a man would stand upon every parcel by itself, and declare what spirit it was wherewith he began; what, how great, and how many the afflictions were which he endured for Christ's sake. But no eloquence can sufficiently set forth these matters: for they are inestimable things whereof Paul here entreateth: to wit, the glory of God, victory over the world, the flesh and the devil; righteousness and everlasting life: and on the other side, sin, desperation, eternal death, and hell. And yet, notwithstanding, in a moment we lose all these incomparable gifts, and procure unto ourselves these horrible and endless miseries, and all by false teachers, when they lead us away from the truth of the gospel unto false doctrine. And this do they, not only very easily, but also under a shew of great holiness, bring to pass.

VERSE 4. If notwithstanding it be in vain.

This he addeth as a correction: whereby he mitigateth the reprehension that goeth before, which was somewhat sharp. And this he doth as an apostle, lest he should terrify the Galatians too much. Although he chide them, yet notwithstanding he always doth it in such sort, that he poureth in sweet oil withal, lest he should drive them to desperation.

He saith therefore, "If notwithstanding it be in vain." As

if he would say, Yet I do not take away all hope from you. But if ye will so end in the flesh, that is to say, follow the righteousness of the law and forsake the spirit, as ye have begun, then know ye, that all your glory and affiance which ye have in God, is in vain, and all your afflictions are unprofitable. Indeed I must needs speak somewhat roughly unto you in this matter; I must be fervent in the defence thereof, and somewhat sharp in the chiding of you, especially the matter being so weighty, and constraining me thereunto, lest ye should think it to be but a trifle to reject the doctrine of Paul, and receive another. Notwithstanding, I will not utterly discourage you, so that ye repent and amend. For sickly and scabbed children may not be cast away, but must be tendered and cherished more diligently than they which are in health. So that Paul here, like a cunning physician, layeth all the fault in a manner upon the false apostles, the authors and only cause of this deadly disease. Contrariwise he handleth the Galatians very gently, that by his mildness he might heal them. We therefore, by the example of Paul, ought in like manner to reprehend the weak, and so to cure their infirmity, that in the meantime we leave not off to cherish and comfort them, lest if we handle them too sharply, they fall into desperation.

VERSE 5. He therefore that ministereth to you the spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doth he it through the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith preached?

This argument, grounded upon the experience of the Galatians, doth so well like the apostle, that after he hath reproved and terrified them, setting before them a double danger, he now repeateth the same again, and that with a more large amplification, saying, "He which ministereth," &c. That is to say, ye have not only received the spirit by the hearing of faith, but whatsoever ye have either known or done, it came by the hearing of faith. As though he would say, It was not enough that God gave you once the spirit; but the same God hath also enriched you with the gifts of the spirit, and increased the same in you, to the end that when ye have once received the spirit, it might always grow, and be more and more effectual in you. Hereby it is plain, that the Galatians had wrought miracles, or at the least, had shewed such fruits of faith as the true disciples of the gospel are wont to bring forth. For the apostle elsewhere saith: "That the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power," (1 Cor. iv. 20.) Now, this power is not only to be able to speak of the kingdom of God; but also in very deed to shew that God through his spirit is effectual in us. So before, in the second chapter, he saith of himself: "He that was effectual in Peter among the Jews, was also effectual in me; he that was mighty by Peter in the apostleship over the circumcision, was also mighty by me towards the Gentiles."

When a preacher then so preacheth, that the word is not fruitless, but effectual in the hearts of the hearers, that is to say, when faith, hope, love, and patience do follow, then God giveth his spirit, and worketh miracles in the hearers. In like manner Paul saith here, "that God hath given his spirit to the Galatians, and hath wrought miracles among them." As though he would say: God hath not only brought to pass, through my preaching, that ye should believe, but also that ye should live holily, bring forth many fruits of faith, and suffer many afflictions. Also, by the same power of the Holy Ghost, of adulterers, of wrathful, impatient, and covetous persons, and of very enemies, ye are become liberal, chaste, gentle, patient, and lovers of your neighbours. Whereupon afterwards he giveth testimony of them in the fourth chapter, that they received him as an angel of God, yea rather as Christ Jesus: and that they loved him so entirely, that they were ready to have plucked out their own eyes for him.

Now, to love thy neighbour so heartily, that thou art ready to bestow thy money, thy goods, thine eyes, and all that thou hast for his salvation, and moreover to suffer patiently all adversities and afflictions, these, no doubt, are the effects and fruits of the spirit, and these, saith he, ye received and enjoyed before these false teachers came among you. But ye received them not by the law, but of God, who so ministered unto you, and daily increased in you his Holy Spirit, that the gospel had a most happy course among you, in teaching, believing, working and suffering. Now, seeing ye know these things, (being convicted even by the testimony of your own consciences) how cometh it to pass that shew not the same fruits that ye did before: that is, that ye teach not truly, that ye believe not faithfully, that ye live not holily, that ye work not rightly, and that ye suffer not patiently: finally, who hath so corrupted you, that you bear not so loving affection towards me, as ye did before? That ye receive not Paul now as an angel of God, nor as Jesus Christ? That ye will not pluck out your eyes to give them unto me? How cometh it to pass, I say, that this fervent zeal of yours waxeth so cold towards me, and that ye now prefer before me the false apostles, which do so miserably seduce you?

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In like manner it happeneth unto us at this day. When we first preached the gospel, there were very many that favoured our doctrine, and had a good and reverend opinion of us: and after the preaching thereof, followed the fruits and effects of faith. But what ensued? A sort of light and brain-sick heads sprang up, and by-and-by destroyed all that we had in long time and with much travel planted before, and also made us so odious unto them which before loved us dearly, and thankfully received our doctrine, that now they hate nothing more than our name. But of this mischief the devil is the author, working in his members contrary works, which wholly fight against the works of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, saith the apostle, your experience (O

ye Galatians) ought to teach you, that these excellent virtues proceeded not of the works of the law; for as ye had them not before the hearing of faith preached, so ye have them not now, although the false apostles reign in the midst of you.

We likewise may say, at this day, to those which vaunt themselves to be gospellers, and to be freed from the tyranny of the Pope: have ye overcome the tyranny of the Pope, and obtained liberty in Christ through the Anabaptists, and such other fantastical spirits, or through us who have preached faith in Jesus Christ? Here, if they will confess the truth, they must needs say: no doubt, by the preaching of faith. And true it is, that at the beginning of our preaching, the doctrine of faith had a most happy course, and down fell the Pope's pardons, purgatory, vows, masses, and such like abominations, which drew with them the ruin of all popery. No man could justly condemn us: for our doctrine was pure, raising up and comforting many poor consciences, which had been long oppressed with men's traditions under the papacy, which was a plain tyranny, a racking and crucifying of consciences. Many therefore gave thanks unto God, that through the gospel (which we first, by the grace of God, then preached) they were so mightily delivered out of these snares, and this slaughterhouse of consciences. But when these new-found heads sprang up (who went about by all means to work our discredit), then began our doctrine to be evil thought of: for it was commonly bruited abroad that the professors thereof disagreed among themselves. Whereat many being greatly offended, fell quite from the truth, putting the Papists in comfort, that we, together with our doctrine, should shortly come to nought, and by this means they should recover their former dignity and authority again.

Wherefore, like as the false apostles vehemently contended that the Galatians, now justified by faith in Christ, ought to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, if they would be delivered from their sins, and from the wrath of God, and obtain the Holy Ghost, and yet notwithstanding by the self-same means they burthened them the more with sins, (for sin is not taken away by the law, neither is the Holy Ghost given through it, but only it worketh wrath, and driveth men into great terrors), so at this day these rash heads, which ought to provide for the safety of the catholic church, and at once to drive down all popery, have done no good, but much hurt to the church: they have not overthrown the papacy, but have more established it.

But if they had, as they begun, with a common consent together with us, taught and diligently urged the article of justification; that is to say, that we are justified neither by the righteousness of the law, nor by our own righteousness, but by only faith in Jesus Christ; doubtless this one article, by little and little, as it began, had overthrown the whole papacy, with all her brotherhoods, pardons, religious orders, relics, ceremo