promises of God, but to their own works and merits. Therefore they cannot be assured of the good-will of God towards them, but must needs doubt thereof, and so at length despair. No man can understand what God's will is, and what pleaseth him, but in his good word. This word assureth us that God cast away all the anger and displeasure which he had conceived against us, when he gave his only-begotten Son for our sins, &c. Wherefore, let us utterly abandon this devilish doubting, wherewith the whole papacy was poisoned, and let us be fully assured that God is merciful unto us, that we please him, that he hath a care over us, that we have the Holy Ghost, which maketh intercession for us with such crying and groaning as cannot be expressed.

Now, this is the true crying and groaning indeed, when a man in temptation calleth upon God: not as a tyrant, not as an angry judge, not as a tormentor, but as a father, although this groaning be so soft and so secret, that it can scarcely be perceived. For in serious temptations, and in the time of trial, where the conscience wrestleth with the judgment of God, it is wont to call God, not a father, but an unjust, an angry, a cruel tyrant and judge. And this crying, which Satan stirreth up in the heart, far passeth the cry of the spirit, and is strongly felt. For then it seemeth that God hath forsaken us, and will throw us down into hell. So the faithful complain oftentimes, in the Psalms: "I am cast down from the presence of God." (Ps. xxxi. 22.) Also, "I am become as a broken vessel, &c." This is not the groaning that crieth, "Abba, Father;" but the roaring of God's wrath, which crieth strongly, O cruel judge, O cruel tormentor, &c. Here it is now time that thou turn away thine eyes from the law, from works, and from the sense and feeling of thine own conscience, and lay hold by faith of the promise; that is to say, of the word of grace and life, which raiseth up the conscience again, so that it now beginneth to groan and say, Although the law accuse me, sin and death terrify me never so much, yet, O my God, thou promisest grace, righteousness and everlasting life through Jesus Christ. And so the promise bringeth a sighing and a groaning, which crieth, Abba, Father.

VERSE 7. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son.

This is the shutting up and the conclusion of that which he said before. As if he should say, This being true, that we have received the spirit by the Gospel, whereby we cry, Abba, Father, then is this decree pronounced in heaven, that there is now no bondage any more, but mere liberty and adoption. And who bringeth this liberty? Verily, this groaning. By what means? The Father offereth unto me, by his promise, his grace and his fatherly favour. This remaineth then, that I should receive this grace. And this is done when I again with this groaning do cry, and with a childly heart do assent unto this name, Father.

Here, then, the father and son meet, and the marriage is made up without all pomp and solemnity: that is to say, nothing at all cometh between, no law nor work is here required. For what should a man do in these terrors and horrible darkness of temptations? Here is nothing else but the Father promising, and calling me his son, by Christ, who was made under the law, &c.; and I receiving and answering by this groaning, saying, "Father." Here then is no exacting; nothing is required, but only that childly groaning that apprehendeth a sure hope and trust in tribulation, and saith, Thou promisest, and callest me thy child, for Christ's sake; and I again receive thy promise, and call thee Father. This is, indeed, to be made children, simply, and without any works. But these things, without experience and practice, cannot be understood.

Paul in this place taketh this word "servant," otherwise than he did before, in the third chapter, where he saith, "There is neither bond nor free," &c. Here he calleth him a servant of the law which is subject to the law, as he did a little before: "We were in bondage under the rudiments of the world." Wherefore to be a servant, according to Paul in this place, is to be guilty and captive under the law, under the wrath of God and death, to behold God, not as a merciful father, but as a tormentor, an enemy, and a tyrant. This is, indeed, to be kept in bondage and Babylonical captivity, and to be cruelly tormented therein. For the law delivereth not from sin and death, but revealeth and increaseth sin, and engendereth wrath. This bondage (saith Paul, Rom. iii. 20, iv. 15.) continueth no longer: it oppresseth us not, nor maketh us heavy any more, &c. &c. Paul saith: "Thou shalt be no more a servant." But the sentence is more general, if we say: there shall be no bondage in Christ any more, but mere freedom and adoption. For when faith cometh, that bondage ceaseth, as he said before, in the third chapter.

Now, if we, by the spirit of Christ crying in our hearts, "Abba, Father," be no more servants, but children; then it followeth that we are not only delivered from the Pope, and all the abominations of men's traditions, but also from all the jurisdiction and power of the law of God. Wherefore we ought in no wise to suffer the law to reign in our conscience, and much less the Pope, with his vain threatenings and terrors. Indeed, he roareth mightily as a lion (Apoc. x. 3.); and threateneth to all those that obey not his laws, the wrath and indignation of Almighty God and of his blessed apostles, &c. But here Paul armeth and comforteth us against these roarings, when he saith: "Thou art no more a servant, but a son." Take hold of this consolation by faith, and say, O law, thy tyranny can have no place in the throne where Christ my Lord sitteth: there I cannot hear thee, (much less do I hear thee, O Antichrist,) for I am free and a son, who must not be subject to any bondage, or scivile law. Let not Moses, therefore, with his laws, (much less

the Pope) ascend up into the bride-chamber, there to lie, that is to say, to reign in the conscience, which Christ hath delivered from the law, to the end that it should not be subject to any bondage. Let the servants abide with the ass in the valley: Let none but Isaac ascend up into the mountain with his father Abraham. (Gen. xxii. 5.) That is, let the law have dominion over the body, and over the old man: let him be under the law, and suffer the burden to be laid upon him: let him suffer himself to be exercised and vexed with the law: let the law limit and prescribe unto him what he ought to do, what he ought to suffer, and how he ought to live and govern himself among men. But let it not defile the bed in which Christ should rest and sleep alone: that is to say, let it not trouble the conscience. For she alone ought to live with Christ her spouse in the kingdom of liberty and adoption.

If then (saith he) by the spirit of Christ ye cry, Abba, Father, then are ye indeed no longer servants, but free men and sons. Therefore ye are without the law, without sin, without death; that is to say, ye are saved, and ye are now quite delivered from all evils. Wherefore the adoption bringeth with it the eternal kingdom, and all the heavenly inheritance. Now, how inestimable the glory of this gift is, man's heart is not able to conceive, and much less to utter. In the mean time we see this but darkly, and as it were afar off: we have this little groaning and feeble faith which only resteth upon the hearing and the sound of the voice of Christ in giving the promise. Therefore we must not measure this thing by reason, or by our own feeling, but by the promise of God. Now, because he is infinite, therefore his promise is also infinite, although it seem to be never so much inclosed in these narrow straits, these anguishes, I mean. Wherefore there is nothing that can now accuse, terrify, or bind the conscience any more. For there is no more servitude, but adoption: which not only bringeth unto us liberty from the law, sin, and death, but also the inheritance of everlasting life, as followeth.

VERSE 7. Now, if thou be a son, thou art also the heir of God through Christ.

For he that is a son, must be also an heir: for by his birth he is worthy to be an heir. There is no work or merit that bringeth to him the inheritance, but his birth only; and so in obtaining the inheritance he is a mere patient, and not an agent; that is to say, not to beget, not to labour, not to care: but to be born is that which maketh him an heir. So we obtain eternal gifts, namely, the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, the glory of the resurrection, and everlasting life, not as agents, but as patients; that is, not by doing, but by receiving. Nothing here cometh between, but faith alone apprehendeth the promise offered. Like as therefore a son, in the politic and household government, is made an heir by his only birth: so here, faith

only maketh us sons of God, born of the word, which is the womb of God, wherein we are conceived, carried, born, and nourished up, &c. By this birth, then, we are made new creatures, formed by faith in the word: we are made Christians, children and heirs of God through Jesus Christ. Now, being heirs, we are delivered from death, sin, and the devil, and we have righteousness and eternal life.

But this far passeth all man's capacity, that he calleth us heirs; not of some rich and mighty prince, not of the emperor, not of the world, but of God, the almighty creator of all things. This, our inheritance, then, (as Paul saith in another place) is inestimable. And if a man could comprehend the great excellency of this matter, that he is the son and heir of God, and with a constant faith believe the same, this man would esteem all the power and riches of all the kingdoms of the world but as filthy dung, in comparison of his eternal inheritance. He would abhor whatsoever is high and glorious in the world; yea, the greater the pomp and glory of the world is, the more would he hate it. To conclude, whatsoever the world most highly esteemeth and magnifieth, that should be, in his eyes, most vile and abominable. For what is all the world, with all his power, riches, and glory, in comparison of God, whose son and heir he is? Furthermore, he would heartily desire with Paul, (Philip. i. 23.) to be loosed, and to be with Christ; and nothing could be more welcome unto him than speedy death, which he would embrace as a most joyful peace, knowing that it should be the end of all his miseries, and that through it he should attain to his inheritance, &c. Yea, a man that could perfectly believe this, should not long remain alive, but should be swallowed up incontinent with excessive joy.

But the law of the members, striving against the law of the mind, hindereth faith in us, and suffereth it not to be perfect. Therefore we have need of the help and comfort of the Holy Ghost, which in our troubles and afflictions may make intercession for us with unspeakable groanings, as before I have said. Sin yet remaineth in the flesh, which oftentimes oppresseth the conscience, and so hindereth faith, that we cannot with joy perfectly behold and desire those eternal riches which God hath given unto us through Christ. Paul himself, feeling this battle of the flesh against the spirit, crieth out: "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" (Rom. vii. 24.) He accuseth his body, which notwithstanding it behoved him to love, calling it by an odious name, his Death. As if he would say: My body doth more afflict me, and more grievously vex me, than death itself. For it hindered in him also this joy of spirit. He had not always the sweet and joyful cogitations of the heavenly inheritance to come, but he felt oftentimes also much heaviness of spirit, great anguish, and terrors. Hereby we may plainly see how hard a matter faith is: which is not easily and quickly apprehended, as certain full and loath

ing spirits dream, which swallow up at once all that is contained in the holy scriptures. The great infirmity which is in the saints, and the striving of the flesh against the spirit, do sufficiently witness how feeble faith is in them. For a perfect faith bringeth by-and-by a perfect contempt and loathing of this present life. If we could fully assure ourselves, and constantly believe that God is our father, and we his son and heirs, then should we utterly contemn this world, with all the glory, righteousness, wisdom, and power, with all the royal sceptres and crowns, and with all the riches and pleasures thereof. We should not be so careful for this life: we should not be so addicted to the world and worldly things, trusting unto them when we have them, lamenting and despairing when we lose them; but we should do all things with great love, humility, and patience. But we do the contrary: for the flesh is yet strong, but faith is feeble, and the spirit weak. Therefore Paul saith very well, that we have here, in this life, but only the first-fruits of the spirit, and that, in the world to come, we shall have the tenths also.

VERSE 7. Through Christ.

Paul hath Christ always in his mouth: he cannot forget him: for he did well foresee that nothing should be less known in the world (yea, among them which should profess themselves to be Christians) than Christ and his gospel. Therefore he talketh of him, and setteth him before our eyes continually. And as often as he speaketh of grace, righteousness, the promise, adoption, and inheritance, he is always wont to add, "in Christ," or "through Christ," covertly impugning the law. As if he would say: These things come unto us neither by the law nor by the works thereof; much less by our own strength, or by the works of men's traditions; but only by Christ.

VERSE 8, 9. But even then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, seeing ye know God, yea, rather, are known of God, how turn you again unto impotent and beggarly rudiments, whereunto, as from the beginning, ye will be in bondage again ?

This is the conclusion of Paul's disputation. From this place unto the end of the epistle he doth not much dispute, but only giveth precepts as touching manners. Notwithstanding he first reproveth the Galatians, being sore displeased that this divine and heavenly doctrine should be so suddenly and easily removed out of their hearts. As if he would say, Ye have teachers which will bring you back again into the bondage of the law. This did not I; but by my doctrine I called you out of darkness, and out of the ignorance of God, into a wonderful light and knowledge of him. I brought you out of bondage, and set you in the freedom of the sons of God, not by preaching unto