John Trapp on Galatians 5

CHAP. V. Verſe 1. Be not again entangled]

AS oxen tied to the yoke, Thoſe that followed Iudas Galileus, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Act. 5.37. choſe rather to undergo any death, then to be in ſubjection to any mortall. If civil ſervitude be ſo grievous,Ioſeph. 1.18. c. 2 what ought ſpirituall to be? Thoſe poor miſled and muzled ſouls that are held captive in the Popes dark dungeon, have an ill time of it. Ever ſince, being reconciled to the Roman Church, I ſubjected my ſelf and my Kingdoms (ſaid King Iohn of England) to the Popes authority, never any thing went well with me,Nulla mihiprospera, ſed omnia aſverſa evensrunt. but all againſt me.

Verſe 2. Behold I Paul] q. d. As true as I am Paul, and do write theſe things.

Christ ſhall profit you nothing] For he profits none, but thoſe that are found in him, not having their own righteouſneſſe, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Chriſt, the righteouſnes which is of God through faith, Phil. 3.9. As Pharaoh ſaid of the Iſraelites, they are intangled in the Land, the wildernes hath ſhut them in, Exo. 14.3. So may it be ſaid of Phariſaicall and Popiſh Juſticiaries, they are entangled in the fond conceits of their own righteouſneſſe, they cannot come to Chriſt. A man will never truly deſire Chriſt, till ſoundly ſhaken, Hag 2.7.

Verſe 3. That he is a debtour] viz. If he be circumciſed with an opinion of meriting thereby. Chriſt will be our ſole Saviour, or none; he will not mingle his precious bloud with our p[illegible: 2 letters]ddle-ſtuff.

Verſe 4. Chriſt is become of none effect] Woe then to Popiſh merit-mongers. William Wickum, founder of New-colledge,Parc[illegible: 1 letter]biſt pro. fan medul. D Vſher on Eph. 4.13. though he did many good works, yet he profeſſed he truſted to Jeſus Chriſt alone for ſalvation. So did Charles the fife Emperour of Germany. So did many of our fore-fathers in times of Popery.

Ye are fallen from grace] It cannot hence be concluded, that the Apoſtle ſpeaks conditionally, and it may be underſtood of the true Doctrine of Gods free-grace.

Verſe 5.Erigito ſcalam, Aceſi & ſol[illegible: 2 letters] [illegible: 1 letter]ſtendito For we through the spirit] We Apoſtles hope for righteouſneſſe by faith. If you will go to heaven any other way, you muſt erect a ladder, and go up alone, as Conſtantine ſaid to Aceſius the Novatian heretike.

Verſe 6. Neither circumciſion] Unregenerate Iſrael is as Ethiopia, Amos 9.7.

But faith that worketh] Iuſtificamur tribus modis. Effectivè à Deo, apprehenſivè à fide, declarativè ab operibus. Faith juſtifies the man, and works juſtifie faith.

Verſe 7. Ye did run well] Why do ye now ſtop or ſtep back? Tutius recurrere, Reuſner Symb. quam malè currere, was the Emperour Philips ſymboll. Better run back, then run amiſſe: for in this caſe, He that haſteth with his feet, ſinneth, Prov. 19.2. But to run well till a man ſweats, and then to ſit down, and take cold, may cauſe a conſumption.

Verſe 8. This perſwaſion] Sectaries and ſeducers have a ſtrange art in perſwading, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Coloſ. 2.4. And although we thinke our ſelves able enough to anſwer and withſtand their arguments, yet it is dangerous dealing with them. The Valentinian heretikes had a trick to perſwade before they taught. Arrius could cogge a die,Tertullian. and cozen the ſimple and needleſſe hearer.

Verſe 9. A little leven] viz. Of falſe doctrine, Mat. 16.6. See the Note there.

Verſe 10. But he that troubleth you] That hereſiarch, or ring-leader of the faction. the Beaſt and the falſe-prophet, are taken and caſt alive into a lake, &c. when the common ſort ſeduced by them had an eaſier judgement, Revel. 19.20, 21.

Verſe 11. Why do I yet ſuffer perſecution] From the Jews zealous of the Law. It is well obſerved, that the nearer any are unto a conjunction in matters of religion, and yet ſome difference retained,D. Day upon 1 Cor. 16.[illegible: 1 letter]. the deeper is the hatred. A Jew hates a Chriſtian, worſe then he doth a Turk or Pagan. A Papiſt hates a Proteſtant worſe then he doth a Jew, &c. Non circumcidantur modò, ſed & abſcindantur. Chryſ. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

Verſe 12. I would they were even cut] Not circumciſed only, cut round, but cut off.

That trouble you] That turn you upſide down, or that turn you out of houſe and home.

Verſe 13. Only uſe not your liberty] In maxima libertate, minima licentia. Therefore are men the worſe, becauſe they ſhould be better. Chriſt came to call ſinners, not to licentiouſneſſe, but to repentance, Mar. 2.17. to take his yoke upon them, Mat. 11.29. to hire out their members ſervants to righteouſneſſe, Rom. 6.16. Hence it is, that as S. Pauls Epiſtles largely prove free election and juſtification by Chriſt: So the Epiſtles of Iames, Peter, and Iohn, preſſe to love and new obedience, leſt any ſhould argue from mercy to liberty.

Verſe 14. For all the law] i. e. All the ſecond table.Primo praecepto reliquorum omnium obſervantia praecipitur. Luther. The Scripture oft appropriateth the Law to the ſecond Table, as Rom. 13.8. Epheſ. 6.2. &c. A man muſt exerciſe the firſt table in the ſecond, the duties of his generall calling in his particular calling. In the firſt Commandement, ſaith Luther, the keeping of all the law is enjoyned. Neither can any one love his neighbour as himſelf, but he that loves God above all.

Verſe 15. But if ye bite, &c.] Si collidimur, frangimur. If we claſh, we break. Diſſolution is the daughter of diſſenſion, Camer. Medit. hiſt cent. 2. ſaid Nazianzen. The Turks pray to God to keep the Chriſtians at variance. Iſraelites in Aegypt vexed one another: And Chriſtians, as if they wanted enemies, ſlie in one anothers faces. This is a ſad fore-token of a deadly conſumption.

Verſe 16. This I ſay then] For an antidote againſt abuſe of Chriſtian liberty. Set the Spirit, as Pharaoh did Ioſeph, upon the chief Charet of your hearts, and let all be at his beck and check.

Verſe 17. For the fleſh luſteth] Every new man is two men. What can a man ſee in the Shulamite, but as the appearance of two Armies, Cant. 6.13? Theſe maintain civil broils within her, as the two babes did in Rebecca's womb. All was jolly quiet at Epheſus, till Paul came thither: But then there aroſe no ſmall ſtir about that way, Act. 19.23. So is there in the good ſoul, &c.

So that ye cannot doe the things, &c.] As ye cannot doe the good that ye would, becauſe of the fleſh (Rom. 7.21. ſomething lay at the fountain-head, and ſtopt it) ſo neither can ye do the evil that ye would, becauſe of the Spirit. In which reſpect, ſetting the ingratitude aſide, the ſins of godly men are leſſe then of others: becauſe the fleſh cannot carry it without ſome counter-buffs.

Verſe 18. Ye are not under the Law] For where the ſpirit is, there is liberty, from the rigour, irritation, and malediction of the Law.

Verſe 19. Now the works of the fleſh] Sinners are ſore labourers; wicked men great workmen, Would they take but half that pains for heaven that they do for hell, they could not, likely, miſſe of it.Gnama[illegible: 1 letter]. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. The Hebrew and Greek words for ſinne import labour.

Are manifest] They lie above ground, and are condemned by the light of nature. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Wicked men alſo hang out their ſins to the ſight of the Sun, Iſa. 3 9.

Verſe 20. Idolatry] This is fitly ſet after thoſe fleſhly ſins, as commonly accompanied with them, 1 Cor. 10.7, 8. Sir Walter Rawleigh knew what he ſaid, that were he to chuſe a religion for licentious liberty and laſciviouſneſſe, he would chuſe the Popiſh religion.

Verſe 21. Murthers, drunkenneſſe] This is oft the mother of murther.Sueton. Domitius the father of Nero, ſlew Liberius an honeſt man, becauſe he refuſed to drink ſo much as he commanded him. Alexander killed many of his dear friends in his drunkenneſſe, whom he would have revived again (but could not) with his own heart-bloud. Once he invited a company to ſupper, and provided a crown of 180. pounds to be given to thoſe that drank moſt. One and fourty killed themſelves with drinking to get that crown.

Verſe 22. The fruits of the spirit] The ſpirit of grace are thoſe two golden pipes, Zach. 4. thorow which the two olive-branches empty out of themſelves the golden oils of all precious graces into the Candleſtick, the Church: Hence grace is here and elſwhere called the fruits of the ſpirit, pleaſant fruits, Cant. 4.16. and 6.2. Ioh. 15.16.

Long-ſuffering] It hath been queſtioned by ſome, whether a man can be long-ſuffering, Sine anxilio gratiae, without the help of grace. Aquin 2.2. q. 136 [non-Latin text not transcribed]. But that which is right, is a fruit of the ſpirit.

Gentleneſſe] Gr. Ʋſefulneſſe, ſweetneſſe.

Faith] That is, Faithfulneſſe, as Mat. 23.23. 1 Tim. 5.12. Tit. 2.10.

Verſe 23. Meekneſſe, temperance] Queen Elizabeth was famous for theſe two vertues. King Edward 6.Camd Eliſab. called her by no other name, then his ſweet ſister Temperance. She did ſeldome eat but one ſort of meat, roſe ever with an appetite, and lived about 70. years. Next to the holy Scripture, ſhe preferr'd (as the beſt piece) Seneca's book of clemency. S. W. Vaughan. When ſhe ſaid, that book had done her much good, yea, ſaid one, but it hath done your ſubjects much hurt.M. H[illegible: 2 letters]rick[illegible: 1 letter] 3. Sermons.

Against ſuch there is no law] 1 Tim. 1.9. As, for the works of the fleſh, there is no Goſpel.

Verſe 24. And they that are Chriſts] When Chriſt came in the fleſh, we crucified him: when he comes into our hearts, he crucifies us.

Have crucified the fleſh] To crucifie is not abſolutely and out-right to kill; Crucifixion is a lingring death, no member being free from pain. If then we ſo repent of ſin (as that which crucified Chriſt) we ſo pierce the old man, that we are ſure he will die of it, though he be not preſently dead, this is mortification. Thoſe beaſts, Dan. 7.12. had their dominion taken away, and yet their lives were prolonged for a ſeaſon.

With the affections] Sinfull, ſudden paſſions.

And luſts] More deeply rooted in our natures, and ſo, not ſo eaſily overcome.

Verſe 25. If we live in the Spirit] Spirituall men only are heirs of life, 1 Peter 3.7. all other are dead in treſpaſſes.

Let us walk] Walk orderly by line, and by rule, march in rank, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. &c. Life conſiſts in action. Life, ſaith the Philoſopher, is ſuch a faculty as whereby creatures move themſelves in their own places. The godly eſteem of life by that ſtirring they finde in their ſouls: as elſe they lament, as over a dead ſoul, Iſa. 38.15, 16.

Verſe 26. Let us not be deſirous of vain-glory] Ingens dulcedo gloriae (ſaith Aeneas Sylvius:) faciliùs contemnenda dicitur, quam contemnitur. It was this vice that rai[illegible: 1 letter]ed ſo much trouble in Germany betwixt Luther and Carolostadius, and that bred the Sacramentary war, that is not yet ended. It was a ſaying of Luther, From a vain-glorious Doctour, from a contentious Paſtour, and from unprofitable Queſtions, the good Lord deliver his Church.