touching the Lord's Supper. The bishops also do their duty never a whit better. They teach not the gospel, they are not careful for the saving of men's souls, but only they seek lordship and sovereignty over them, and therefore their speakings and doings are altogether to maintain and support the same. In like manner are all the vain-glorious doctors and teachers affected.

VERSE 6. That so soon.

Ye see how Paul complaineth, that to fall in faith is an easy matter. In respect whereof, he warneth the faithful in another place, "That he which standeth, should take heed that he fall not," (1 Cor. x. 12.) We also do daily prove by experience, how hardly the mind conceiveth and retaineth a sound and stedfast faith. Also with what great difficulty a perfect people is gotten to the Lord. A man may labour half a score years ere he shall get some little church to be rightly and religiously ordered; and, when it is so ordered, there creepeth in some madbrain, yea and a very unlearned idiot, which can do nothing else but speak slanderously and spitefully against sincere preachers of the word, and he in one moment overthroweth all. Whom would not this wicked and outrageous dealing move?

We, by the grace of God, have gotten here at Wittenberg the form of a Christian church. The word among us is purely taught, the sacraments are rightly used, exhortations and prayers are made also for all estates; and, to be brief, all things go forward prosperously. This most happy course of the gospel some mad head would soon stop, and, in one moment, would overturn all that we, in many years, with great labour, have builded. Even so it befel to Paul, the elect vessel of Christ. He had won the churches of Galatia with great care and travail, which the false apostles, in a short time after his departure, overthrew, as this and divers other of his epistles do witness. So great is the weakness and wretchednes of this present life; and we so walk in the midst of Satan's snares, that one fantastical head may destroy and utterly overthrow, in a short space, all that which many true ministers, labouring night and day, have builded up many years before. This we learn at this day by experience to great grief, and yet we cannot remedy this enormity.

Seeing then that the church is so soft and so tender a thing, and is so soon overthrown, men must watch cheerfully against these fantastical spirits; who, when they have heard two sermons, or have read a few leaves in the holy scriptures, by-and-by they make themselves masters and controllers of all learners and teachers, contrary to the authority of all men. Many such also thou mayest find at this day amongst handicrafts men, bold and malapert fellows, who, because they have been tried by no temptations, did never learn to fear God, nor had any taste or feeling of grace. These, for that they are void of the Holy Ghost, teach

what liketh themselves best, and such things as are plausible and pleasant to the common people. Then the unskilful multitude, longing to hear news, do by-and-by join themselves unto them. Yea, and many also, which think themselves well seen in the doctrine of faith, and after a sort have been tried with temptations, are seduced by them.

Since that Paul therefore, by his own experience, may teach us that congregations, which are won by great labour, are easily and soon overthrown, we ought with singular care to watch against the devil ranging everywhere, lest he come while we sleep, and sow tares among the wheat. For though the shepherds be never so watchful and diligent, yet is the Christian flock in danger of Satan. For Paul, (as I said) with singular study and diligence, had planted churches in Galatia, and yet he had scarcely set his foot (as they say) out of the door, but by-and-by the false apostles overthrew some, whose fall afterward was the cause of great ruin in the churches of Galatia. This so sudden, and so great a loss, no doubt, was more bitter unto the apostle than death itself. Therefore let us watch diligently; first, every one for himself; secondly, all teachers, not only for themselves, but also for the whole church, that we enter not into temptation.

VERSE 6. Ye are removed away.

Here once again he useth not a sharp, but a most gentle word. He saith not: I marvel that ye so suddenly fall away, that ye are so disobedient, light, inconstant, unthankful; but that ye are so soon removed. As if he should say, ye are altogether patients or sufferers; for ye have done no harm, but ye have suffered and received harm. To the intent therefore, that he might call back again those backsliders, he rather accuseth those that did remove, than those that were removed, and yet very modestly he blameth them also, when he complaineth that they were removed. As if he should say: Albeit I embrace you with a fatherly affection, and know that ye are deceived, not by your own default but by the default of the false apostles: yet notwithstanding I would have wished, that ye had been grown up a little more in the strength of sound doctrine. Ye took not hold enough upon the word, ye rooted not yourselves deep enough in it, and that is the cause that with so light a blast of wind, ye are carried and removed. Jerom thinketh, that Paul meant to interpret this word [Galatians] by alluding to the Hebrew word Galath, which is as much as to say, as fallen or carried away. As though he would say ye are right Galatians, both in name and in deed; that is to say, fallen or removed away. Some think that the Germans are descended of the Galatians. Neither is this divination perhaps untrue. For the Germans are not much unlike to them in nature. And I myself also am constrained to wish to my countrymen more steadfastness and constancy; for in all things we

do, at the first brunt we be very hot; but when the heat of our affections is allayed, anon we become more slack, and look, with what rashness we begin things, with the same we give them over, and utterly reject them.

At the first, when the light of the gospel, after so great darkness of men's traditions, began to appear, many were zealously turned to godliness; they heard sermons greedily, and had the ministers of God's word in reverence. But now, when religion is happily reformed with so great increase of God's word, many which before seemed to be earnest disciples, are become contemners and very enemies thereof. Who not only cast off the study and zeal of God's word, and despise the ministers thereof, but also hate all good learning, and become plain hogs, and bellygods, worthy (doubtless) to be compared unto the foolish and inconstant Galatians.

VERSE 6. From him that hath called you in the grace of Christ,

This place is somewhat doubtful, and therefore it hath a double understanding. The first is: "From that Christ that hath called you in grace." The other is: "From him;" that is to say, from God which hath called you in the grace of Christ. I embrace the former. For it liketh me, that even as Paul, a little before, made Christ the Redeemer, who by his death delivereth us from this present evil world; also the giver of grace and peace equally with God the Father; so he should make him here also the caller in grace; for Paul's special purpose is, to beat into our minds the benefit of Christ, by whom we come unto the Father.

There is also in these words-from him that hath called us in grace, a great vehemency; wherein is contained withal a contrary relation, as if he should say, alas! how lightly do you suffer yourselves to be withdrawn and removed from Christ, which hath called you, not as Moses did, to the law, works, sins, wrath, and damnation, but altogether to grace! So we also complain at this day with Paul, that the blindness and perverseness of men is horrible, in that none will receive the doctrine of grace and salvation. Or if there be any that receive it, yet they quickly slide back again, and fall from it; whereas, notwithstanding, it bringeth with it all good things, as well ghostly as bodily, namely, forgiveness of sins, true righteousness, peace of conscience, and everlasting life. Moreover, it bringeth light and sound judgment of all kinds of doctrine and trades of life; it approveth and establisheth civil government, household government, and all kinds of life that are ordained and appointed of God; it rooteth out all doctrines of error, sedition, confusion, and such like; and it putteth away the fear of sin and death; and to be short, it discovereth all the subtile slights and works of the devil, and openeth the benefits and love of God towards

us in Christ. What (with a mischief) means the world to hate this word, this glad tidings of everlasting comfort, grace, salvation, and eternal life, so bitterly, and to persecute it with such hellish outrage?

Paul before called this present world evil and wicked, that is to say, the devil's kingdom; for else it would acknowledge the benefit and mercy of God. Forasmuch as it is under the power of the devil, therefore doth it most spitefully hate and persecute the same, loving darkness, errors, and the kingdom of the devil, more than the light, the truth and the kingdom of Christ, (John iii. 19.) And this it doth, not through ignorance or error, but through the malice of the devil; which thing hereby may sufficiently appear, in that Christ, the Son of God, by giving himself to death for the sins of all men, hath thereby gained nothing else of this perverse and damnable world, but that for this his inestimable benefit, it blasphemeth him, and persecuteth his most healthful word, and fain would yet still nail him to the cross if it could therefore not only the world dwelleth in darkness, but it is darkness itself, as it is written in the first of John.

Paul therefore standeth much upon these words: "From Christ who hath called you;" as though he would say, My preaching was not of the hard laws of Moses, neither taught I that ye should be bond-slaves under the yoke; but I preached the only doctrine of grace and freedom from the law, sin, wrath, and damnation, that is to say, that Christ hath mercifully called you in grace, that ye should be freemen under Christ, and not bondmen under Moses, whose disciples ye are now become again by the means of your false apostles, who, by the law of Moses, called you not unto grace, but unto wrath, to the hating of God, to sin, and death. But Christ's calling bringeth grace and saving health; for they that be called by him, instead of the law that worketh sorrow, do gain the glad tidings of the gospel, and are translated out of God's wrath into his favour, out of sin into righteousness, and out of death into life. And will you suffer yourselves to be carried, yea, and that so soon, and so easily, another way, from such a living fountain, full of grace and life? Now, if Moses call men to God's wrath, and to sin by the law of God, whither shall the Pope call men by his own traditions? The other sense, that the Father calleth in the grace of Christ, is also good; but the former sense concerning Christ, serveth more fitly for the comforting of afflicted consciences.

VERSE 6. Unto another gospel.

Here we may learn to espy the crafty slights and subtleties of the devil. No heretic cometh under the title of errors and of the devil, neither doth the devil himself come as a devil in his own likeness, especially that white devil which we spake of before. Yea, even the black devil, which forceth men to manifest

wickedness, maketh a cloak for them to cover that sin which they commit, or purpose to commit. The murderer, in his rage, seeth not that murder is so great and horrible a sin as it is indeed, for that he hath a cloak to cover the same. Whoremongers, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, and such other, have wherewith to flatter themselves, and cover their sins. So the black devil also cometh out disguised and counterfeit in all his works and devices. But in spiritual matter, where Satan cometh forth not black, but white, in this likeness of an angel, or of God himself, there he passeth himself with most crafty dissimulation, and wonderful slights, and is wont to set forth to sale his most deadly poison for the doctrine of grace, for the word of God, for the gospel of Christ. For this cause, Paul calleth the doctrine of the false apostles, Satan's ministers, a gospel also, saying, "Unto another gospel;" but in derision; as though he would say, Ye Galatians have now other evangelists, and another gospel; my gospel is now despised of you; it is now no more in estimation among you.

Hereby it may be easily gathered, that these false apostles had condemned the gospel of Paul among the Galatians, saying, Paul indeed hath begun well, but to have begun it well is not enough, for there remains yet many higher matters; like as they say in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts, "It is not enough for you to believe in Christ, or to be baptized, but it behoveth also that ye be circumcised; for except ye be circumcised after the law of Moses, ye cannot be saved." This is as much as to say, as Christ is a good workman, which hath indeed begun a building, but he hath not finished it: for this must Moses do.

So at this day, when the fantastical Anabaptists and others cannot manifestly condemn us, they say, these Lutherans have the spirit of fearfulness, they dare not frankly and freely profess the truth, and go through with it. Indeed, they have laid a foundation, that is to say, they have well taught faith in Christ, but the beginning, the middle, and the end, must be joined together. To bring this to pass, God hath not given it unto them, but hath left it unto us. So these perverse and devilish spirits extol and magnify their cursed doctrine, calling it the word of God, and so, under the colour of God's name, they deceive many. For the devil will not be ugly and black in his ministers, but fair and white; and to the end he may appear to be such a one, he setteth forth and decketh all his words and works with the colour of truth, and with the name of God. Hereof is sprung that common proverb among the Germans, "In God's name beginneth all mischief!"

Wherefore let us learn, that this is a special point of the devil's cunning, that if he cannot hurt by persecuting and destroyng, he doth it under a colour of correcting and building up. So now-a-days he persecuteth us with power and sword, that when

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