Martin Luther on Galatians 3:15

Verſe. 15. Brethern, I ſpeake according to man: Though it be but a mans couenaunt vvhen it is confirmed, yet no man doth abrogate it, or addeth any thing therto. After this principall & inuincible argument Paule addeth an other grounded vpon ye ſimilitude of a mans Teſtament: which ſemeth to be very weake, and ſuch as the Apoſtle ought not to vſe for the confirmation of a matter of ſo great importance. For in high and waightie matters,Humaine things muſt be confirmed by diuine things,, and not contrarivviſe diuine things by humaine things. we ought to confirme earthly things by diuine things, & not diuine and heauenly things by earthly and worldly things. And in deede it is true ye theſe arguments of all other are moſt weake, when we goe about to proue and confirme heauenly matters wt earthly and corruptible things as Scotus is wont to doe. A man (ſayth he) is able to loue God aboue all things, for he loueth him ſelf aboue all things: therfore much more is he able to loue God aboue all things. For a good thing the greater it is, the more it is to be loued. And hereof he inferreth that a man is able, ex puris naturalibus: that is to ſay, euen of his owne pure natural ſtrength, eaſily to fulfil that high commaundement: Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God vvith all thy heart. &c. For (ſayth he) a man is able to loue ye leaſt good thing aboue all thīgs: yea he ſetteth at naught his life (of all other things moſt deare vnto him) for a litle vile money: Therfore he can much more doe it for Gods cauſe. Ye haue oftentimes heard of me, yt ciuill ordinaunces are of God: for God hath ordained them and alloweth them, as he doth ye Sunne, the Moone, & other creatures. Therfore an argument taken of the ordinance or of the creatures of God, is good, ſo yt we vſe the ſame rightly.An argument taken from Gods creatures holdeth. So the Prophets haue very often vſed ſimilitudes and compariſons taken of creatures, calling Chriſt the Sunne, the Church the Mone, the preachers & teachers of the word the Starres. Alſo there are many ſimilitudes in the Prophets, of trees, thornes, flowers, and frutes of the earth.The often vſe of ſimilitudes in the holy ſcriptures. The new Teſtament likewiſe is full of ſuch ſimilitudes. Therfore where Gods ordināce is in the creature, there may an argument be wel borrowed and applied to diuine and heauenly things. So our Sauiour Chriſt in Mat. 7. argueth frō earthly thīgs to heauē ly things,Math. 7.11. whē he ſayth: If ye then vvhich are euil cā geue to your children good gifts, hovv much more shall your Father vvhich is in heauē geue good things to them that aske him? Likewiſe Paule: We muſt obey men: therfore much more muſt we obey God. Ieremie alſo in the 53. chap: The Rhecabites obeyed their Father: Rom 13. Ierems. 3[illegible: 1 letter].16. hovv much more ought ye to haue obeyed me? Now theſe things are appoynted of God, and are his ordinaunces, that Fathers ſhould geue vnto their children,VVhen arguing from huma[illegible: 1 letter]ne things is of force. & that children ſhould obey their parents. Therfore ſuch maner of arguments are good when they are grounded vpon ye ordinaūce of God. But if they be taken from mens corrupt affections, they are naught.VVhen it is not of force. Such is the argument of Scotus: I loue the leſſer good thing, therfore I loue the greater more. I deny the conſequence. For my louing is not Gods ordinaunce, but a deuilliſh corruption. In deede it ſhould be ſo, that I louing my ſelfe or an other creature, ſhould much more loue God the creatour: but it is not ſo.Our loue is corrupted. For the loue wherwith I loue my ſelfe, is corrupt and againſt God. This I ſay leſt any man ſhould cauill yt an argument taken of corruptible things, & applied to diuine and ſpirituall matters, is nothing worth. For this argument (as I haue ſayd) is ſtrōg enough, ſo that we ground the ſame vpon the ordinaunce of God, as we ſee in this argumēt which we haue in hand. For ye ciuil law which is an ordinaunce of God,The teſtament of a mā is not chaunged. ſayth yt it is not lawfull to breake or to chaunge the teſtament of a man. Yea it commaundeth that the laſt will or teſtament of a man be ſtraitly kept: For that it is one of the holieſt & moſt laudable cuſtomes yt are among men. Now therefore vppon this cuſtome of mans Teſtament Paule argueth after this maner: How cometh it to paſſe that mā is obeyed and not God? Political and ciuill ordinaūces, as concerning Teſtaments and other things, are diligently kept. There nothing is chaūged, nothing is added or taken away.Gods Teſtament is chaū ged. But the Teſtament of God is chaunged: that is to ſay, his promiſe concerning the ſpiritual Bleſſing, that is, concerning heauenly and euerlaſting things, which the whole world ought not onely to receaue with great zeale and affection: but alſo ought moſt religiouſly to reuerence and honour. This perſuadeth vehemently, when we ſo argue from the examples and lawes of men. Therfore he ſayth: I ſpeake after the maner of men: that is to ſay, I bring vnto you a ſimilitude taken of the cuſtome and maner of men. As if he ſhould ſay:A Teſtament or laſt vvill is confirmed by the death of him that maketh it. The teſtaments of men and ſuch other corruptible things are ſtreitly executed, and that which the lawe commaundeth is diligently obſerued and kept. For when a man maketh his laſt wil, bequeathing his lands and goods to his heires and therupon dieth, this laſt wil is confirmed and ratified by the death of the Teſtator, ſo yt nothing may nowe be either added to it, or taken from it, according to all law & equitie. Now, if a mās wil be kept wt ſo great fibelity, yt nothīg is added to it or taken from it after his death:The Teſtamēt of God ought to be kept vvith greater fidelitie then mans Teſtament. how much more ought the laſt Wil of God to be faithfully kept, which he promiſed and gaue vnto Abraham and his ſeede after him? For when Chriſt died, then was it confirmed in him, and after his death the writing of his laſt Teſtament was opened: that is to ſay, ye promiſed Bleſſing of Abraham was preached amonge all nations diſperſed throughout the whole world. This was yt laſt Wil and Teſtament of God the great Teſtatour confirmed by the death of Chriſt:The Teſtamēt o[illegible: 1 letter] laſt VVill of God. therfore no man ought to chaunge it or to adde any thing to it, as they that teach the law and mans traditions doe. For they ſay, vnleſſe thou be circumciſed, kepe the law do, many workes, & ſuffer many things, thou cāſt not be ſaued. This is not the laſt Will or Teſtament of God. For he ſaid not vnto Abraham: if thou doe this or that, thou ſhalt obtaine the Bleſſing: or they yt be circumciſed & keepe the law ſhall obtaine the ſame: but he ſaith, In thy ſeede shall all the nations of the earth be bleſſed. As if he ſhould ſay: I of meere mercye doe promiſe vnto thee, ye Chriſt ſhall come of thy ſeede, who ſhall bring the Bleſſing vpon all nations oppreſſed with ſinne and death: that is to ſay, which ſhall deliuer the nations from the euerlaſting Curſe: to wit, from ſinne & death, receauīg this promiſe by faith: In thy ſeede &c Wherefore, euen as the falſe Apoſtles were in time paſt, ſo are all the Papiſtes and Iuſticiaries at this day peruerters and deſtroyers,VVho are the deſtroyers of Gods Teſtament. not of mans Teſtament (becauſe they are forbidden by ye law): but of Gods Teſtamēt, whom they feare nothing at all, although he be a conſuming fier.The nature of hypocrites. For ſuch is ye nature of all hypocrites, that they will obſerue mans law exactely: but the lawes of God they doe deſpiſe, and moſt wickedly tranſgreſſe. But the time ſhall come when they ſhall beare an horrible iudgement, and ſhall feele what it is to contemne and peruerte the Teſtament of God. This argument then grounded vpon the ordinaūce of God, is ſtrong enough.