Galatians 3

Galatians 3:1

VVHo hath bewitched you] The word in the Originall, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is derived, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, burning wit the eye, signifying a kinde of witchcraft practised upon the eyes of young children and cattell, according to that of the Poet; Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos: and the meaning of the Apostle is, that as those witches, who cast venemous beames out of their eyes mischiefe children, and sucklings; so those false Teachers poysoned the tender faith of the Galatians: or as the devill by those witches put out the eyes of the body, so the evill spirit by those false teachers his instruments put out the eyes of their minde; Ʋt quomod tenera aetas noceri dicitur fascino, sic etiam Galatae in Christi side nuper nati & mutriti lacte veluti quo lam fascinante sint nociti & stomacho fidei nauseantes Spiritus sancti fidem evomuerant.

crucified among you] Christ was laid before you so notably and so plainly, that you had his lively image as it were represented before your eyes, as if he had been crucified in your sight: or Christ was crucified among you, that is, suffered much in his members persecuted among you. In which sense Christ speaking to Saint Paul said; Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Acts 9:5-6. and to Saint Peter, a little before his death, I goe again to Rome to be crucified, as we read in the Ecclesiasticall Stories.

Galatians 3:2

received ye the spirit] Those spirituall graces and gifts, which were a seale as it were to the Galatians, that the Gospel that was preached unto them was true. But here it may be objected, that the Galatians received not the Spirit by faith, but faith by the Spirit. For faith is the gift of God, and a speciall worke of the Spirit in the heart. Hereunto it may be answred, that either the Apostle meaneth by the Spirit, the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, as the gift of tongues, and healing, which the Galatians received by Pauls preaching the Christian faith among them; or else he meaneth by the Spirit, the Spirit of comfort, and sanctification, which goeth not before, but followeth true faith; for being justified by faith we have peace with God, and feele the Spirit of comfort within us.

of faith] That is, the word and doctrin of faith, Romans 10:8.

Galatians 3:3

perfect by the flesh] By the flesh, he meaneth the ceremonies of the law, against which he setteth the Spirit, that is, the spirituall working of the Gospel. Hebrews 7:16. & 9 10.

Galatians 3:4

so many] Or, so great.

in vain] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, That is without any profit; So S. Basil useth the phrase, Hom. adv. Heb.〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, O how many nights have you watched, how many dayes have you spent unprofitably!

Galatians 3:6

Even as Abraham beleeved God] See Genesis 15:6.

accounted to him] Or, imputed.

for righteousnesse] Gr. to.

Galatians 3:8

In thee shall all nations be blessed] See Genesis 12:3.

Galatians 3:9

with faithfull Abraham] Not by faithfull Abraham: to give us to understand, that the blessing cometh not from Abraham, but from him by whom Abraham and all his posteritie is blessed.

Galatians 3:10

are of the works of the law] They who are of the works of the law, that is, they which stand upon the works of the law for their justification, or which value their righteousnesse by the performance of the law are accursed, therefore they are blessed which are of faith, that is, they who have righteousnesse by faith.

Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things] See Deuteronomy 27:26.

Galatians 3:11

The just shall live by faith] See Hab. 2. 4. Romans 1:17. Hebrews 10:38.

the man that, &c.] See Leviticus 18:5.

Galatians 3:12

the law is not of faith] The Law promiseth life to all that keep it, and therefore if it be kept it justifieth and giveth life; but the Scripture attributing righteousnesse and life to faith, taketh it from the Law; seeing faith justifieth by imputation of anothers righteousnesse, and the Law by the performing of the work in our own person.

Galatians 3:13

hath releemed us from the curse of the law] In these words he preventeth an objection, How can they be blessed whom the Law pronounceth to be accursed? because Christ sustaineth the curse which the Law laid upon us, that we might be quit from it.

Cursel is every one, &c.] See Deuteronomy 21:23.

Galatians 3:15

covenant] Or, testament.

Galatians 3:16

And to seeds, as of many; but as of one] The word seed is sometimes taken for the whole posteritie, as Genesis 15:18. Sometimes for a particular person descended from such a one, as Genesis 4:25. and 21. 13. And here the Apostle sheweth that it must be taken in the second sense, teaching that Christ is that seed, asi it is afterwards expounded.

which is Christ] That is all his mysticall body, viz. the whole Church, having all their life and being from him, and also participating of the glory of his name: all which are as one seed consisting of Jews and Gentiles, 1 Corinthians 12:12. For it is the scope of the Apostle to prove the assurance of enternall life to all beleevers for Christs sake, according unto the promise made unto Abraham.

Galatians 3:17

which was foure hundred and thirtie yeers after] These yeers are to be reckoned from the promise first made to Abraham, which fell upon the 75. yeer of his age.

Galatians 3:19

Wherefore then serveth the law] If the inheritance be not by the law, then why was the law given after the promise was made? the Apostle answereth, to reprove and convince men ofsinne, and so to teach them to look unto Christ in whom at length that promise of saving all people together should be fulfilled, and not that the law was given to justifie men.

because of transgressions] To make them known, Romans 3:20. and Romans 7:7. and to convience men thereof; to discover the hamousnesse of sinne, and to seal the condemnation thereof, thus to drive men to seek for the remedie of grace in the promised Messaih.

till the seed should come] This use of the servile manuduction was to last during the churches infancie, and pronenesse to fall into sinne by infirmitie, or ignorance; but it was to be laid by and surcease at the coming of Chirst into the flesh, who collecting into one and the same body the whole Church of Jews and Gentiles together, supplying the same with the abundant grces of the Spirit in knowledge and vertue, hath made the same to be children of God, vers 26. wholly set and bent to love and obey him by the Spirit of adoption and grace, and not by the spirit of terrour as of old, Romans 8:15.

ordained by angels] God would shew in the very outward manner which he observed in giving the law, that thereby there was no accesse for man to his grace for obtaining life and the inheritance; and therefore he appeared there in such an extremitie of terrour, that upon the peoples request which was not able to endure those terrours it was needfull that Moses came between, who was as the mediatour of that communication, Exodus 20:19. Hebrews 12:19. being therein the type of Christ the onely Mediatour of propitaton, by whom we have accesse to God with confidence. Now although there is no mention made of the ministery of Angels by Moses in giving the Law, yet may it well be gathered from divers other Texts of Scriptures, as Acts 7:53. Hebrews 2:2.

in the hand of a mediatour] Some by this Mediatour understand Moses, whom God did use as an interpreter between himself, and the people in giving the Law: others understand Christ himself by whom God led the people of Israel out of Egypt though the wildernesse, and spake to Moses on Mount Sinai, Acts 7:38. 1 Timothy 2:5.

Galatians 3:20

Now a mediatour is not a mediatour of one] Either the meaning is, a Mediatour is not a Mediatour of one partie, but betwixt two, and these disagreeing; this sheweth that at the giving of the Law there was a difference and a distnace between God and us, which difference grew from this, that we were transgressours of the Law: or the meaning is, a mediatour is not Mediatour of one Covenant onely, but as well of the Covenant of grace as of the Covenant of works.

but God is one] In these words he taketh away in objection lest any man might say, that sometimes by consent of the parties which have made a Covenant something is added to the Covenant; or the former Covenants are broken: this, saith the Apostle, cometh not to passe in God, who is alwaies one and the self same, and like to himself, and hath the same scope and end in both his Covenants; for Christ is the end of the Law: or that God is still the same in holding a distance between himself and transgressours, if they seek to be justified by the Law.

Galatians 3:22

all under sinne] See Romans 3:9.

Galatians 3:24

Wherefore the law was our school-master] A means and instrument to rule and regulate our minds and actions agreeable to the infancie of the Church with a great deale of austeritie. The Jews under the law here are compared to children, and the faithfull under the Gospel to men of riper yeers that need no school-master; the school-master is the Law, both Morall and Ceremoniall. For the Morall Law leadeth unto Christ by convincing us of sinne, and denouncing the curse against it, shewing us thereby that if we desire to escape that cuse we must flie to Christ for refuge, who hath redeemed us both from sinne and curse; and the Ceremoniall Law also brings us unto Christ; because the same not onely convinceth men of sinne, but also exhibiteth types and figures of Christ and his benefits; and teacheth that whatsoever was shadowed out by them, was truly to be found in Christ, Heb. 9. 10, 11.

Galatians 3:27

as many of you] See Romans 6:3.

as bave been baptized unto Christ] To all that are baptized in Christs Name with the inward baptisme as well as the outward Christ is effectually applied, even like a garment to the body, to communicate unto them his justice, life, right, and dignities: that as himself is the Sonne of God by nature, they shall be made his children by grace and adoption, and that without all distinction of either nation, state, or condition.

have put on Christ] As a spirituall garment wherewith our spirituall shame and nakednesse is covered, and we are adorned as with rich and comely apparell.

Galatians 3:28

for ye are all one in Christ Jesus] That is, countrey, sex, or nation makes no difference; but if we are true beleevers, we are in equall esteem with God; or we are all one in Christ, that is, we make all one mysticall body communicating with Christ as our head, and one with another as members.