be made of none effect," (1 Cor. i. 17.) As if he said, I would not that the offence and cross of Christ should be abolished.

Here may some man say, the Christians, then, are madmen, to cast themselves into danger of their own accord; for what do they else by preaching and confessing the truth, but procure unto themselves the hatred and enmity of the whole world, and raise offences? This, saith Paul, doth nothing at all offend or trouble me, but maketh me more bold, and causeth me to hope well of the happy success and increase of the church, which flourisheth and groweth under the cross; for it behoveth that Christ, the head and spouse of the church, should reign in the midst of all his enemies, (Psalm cx.) On the contrary part, when the cross is abolished, and the rage of tyrants and heretics ceaseth on the one side, and offences on the other side, and all things are in peace, the devil keeping the entry of the house, this is a sure token that the pure doctrine of God's word is taken

away.

Bernard, considering this thing, saith, that the church is then in best state, when Satan assaileth it on every side, as well by subtle sleights as by violence; and contrariwise, that it is then in worst case when it is most at ease, and he allegeth very well, and to the that sentence of Hezekiah in his song, "Bepurpose, hold, for felicity I had bitter grief," (Isa. xxxviii. 17.) applying it to the church living in ease and quietness. Wherefore, Paul taketh it for a most certain sign that it is not the gospel, if it be preached in peace. Contrariwise, the world taketh it for a most certain sign that the gospel is heretical and seditious doctrine, because it seeth great uproars, tumults, offences and sects, and such-like, to follow the preaching thereof. Thus God sometimes sheweth himself in the similitude of the devil, and the devil likewise sheweth himself in the likeness of God: and God will be known under the similitude of the devil, and will have the devil known under the likeness of God.

The cross immediately followeth the doctrine of the word, according to that saying, "I believed, and therefore have I spoken, and I was sore troubled," (Ps. cxvi.) Now, the cross of Christians is persecution, with reproach and ignominy, and without any compassion, and therefore it is very offensive. First, they suffer as the vilest people in the world; and so did the prophet Isaiah foreshew even of Christ himself—" He was reputed amongst the wicked," (Isaiah liii.) Moreover, murderers and thieves have their punishments qualified, and men have compassion on them. Here is no offence or slander joined with the punishment. Contrariwise, like as the world judgeth the Christians to be of all other men the most pestilent and pernicious, so doth it think that no torments are sufficient to punish them for their heinous offences. Neither is it moved with any compassion towards them, but putteth them to the most opprobrious and shameful kinds of death that can be; and it thinketh

that it gaineth hereby a double commodity. For, first, it imagineth that it doth high service unto God in killing of them, (John xvi. 23.) Secondly, that the common peace and tranquillity is restored and established by taking away such noisome plagues. Therefore the death and cross of the faithful is full of offences. But let not this reproachful dealing (saith Paul) and the continuance of Christ's cross and offence thereof move you, but rather let it confirm you. For as long as the cross endureth, it shall go well with the gospel.

In like manner Christ also comforteth his disciples in the fifth of Matthew, "Blessed are ye (saith he) when men revile you, and persecute you, and shall falsely say all manner of evil against you, for my name's sake. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." The church cannot suffer this rejoicing to be wrested from her; wherefore I would not wish to be at concord with the pope, the bishops, the princes, and the sectaries, unless they would consent unto our doctrine; for such concord were a certain token that we had lost the true doctrine. To be short, as long as the church teacheth the gospel it must suffer persecution. For the gospel setteth forth the mercy and glory of God; it discloseth the malice and sleights of the devil, painteth him out in his right colours, and plucketh from him the counterfeit visor of God's majesty, whereby he deceiveth the whole world; that is to say, it sheweth that all worshippings, religious orders invented by men, and traditions concerning single life, meats, and such other things, whereby men think to deserve forgiveness of sins and everlasting life, are wicked things and devilish doctrine. There is nothing, then, that more stirreth up the devil, than the preaching of the gospel; for that plucketh from him the dissembled visor of God, and bewrayeth him to be as he is indeed, that is to say, the devil, and not God. Wherefore it cannot be but that, as long as the gospel flourisheth, the cross and the offence thereof must needs follow it, or else truly the devil is not rightly touched, but slenderly tickled. But if he be rightly hit indeed, he resteth not, but beginneth horribly to rage, and to raise up troubles every where.

If Christians, then, will hold the word of life, let them not be afraid or offended, when they see that the devil is broken loose, and rageth every where; that all the world is in an uproar; that tyrants exercise their cruelty, and heresies spring up; but let them assure themselves that these are signs, not of terror, but of joy, as Christ himself expoundeth them, saying, "Rejoice and be glad," &c. God forbid, therefore, that the offence of the cross should be taken away; which thing should come to pass, if we should preach that which the prince of this world and his members should gladly hear, that is to say, the righteousness of works. Then should we have a gentle devil, a favourable world, a gracious Pope, and merciful princes. But, because we set

forth the benefits and glory of Christ, they persecute and spoil us both of our goods and lives.

VERSE 12. Would to God they were cut off that do disquiet you.

Is this the part of an apostle, not only to denounce the false apostles to be troublers of the church, to condemn them, and to deliver them to Satan, but also to wish that they might be utterly rooted out and perish? And what is this else but plain cursing? Paul (as I suppose) alludeth here to circumcision. As if he would say, they compel you to cut off the foreskin of your flesh; but I would that they themselves might utterly be cut off by the root.

Here riseth a question, whether it be lawful for Christians to curse? Why not? Howbeit not always, nor for every cause: but when the matter is come to this point, that God's word must be evil spoken of, and his doctrine blasphemed, and so consequently God himself, then must we turn this sentence, and say, Blessed be God and his word, and whatsoever is without God and his word, accursed be it; yea, though it be an apostle, or an angel from heaven. So he said before, in the fifth chapter. "Although we or an angel from heaven preach otherwise unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed," (Gal. i. 8, 9.)

Hereby it may appear how great a matter Paul made of a little leaven, which for the same durst curse the false apostles. who, in outward appearance, were men of great authority and holiness. Let not us, therefore, make little account of the leaven of doctrine; for although it be never so little, yet if it be neglected, it will be the cause that by little and little the truth and our salvation shall be lost, and God himself be denied. For when the word is corrupted, and God denied and blasphemed (which must needs follow, if the word be corrupted) there remaineth no hope of salvation. But for our parts, if we be cursed, railed upon, and slain, there is yet one than can raise us up again, and deliver us from the curse, death, and hell.

Wherefore let us learn to advance and extol the majesty and authority of God's word. For it is no small trifle, (as brainsick heads surmise at this day); but every tittle thereof is greater than heaven and earth. Wherefore, in this respect, we have no regard of Christian charity or concord, but we sit, as it were, on the judgment-seat; that is to say, we curse and condemn all men which in the least point do deface or corrupt the majesty of God's word: "for a little leaven maketh sour the whole lump." But if they leave us God's word entire and sound, we are not only ready to keep charity and peace with them; but also we offer ourselves to be their servants, and to do for them whatsoever we are able: if not, let them perish and be cast down into hell; and not only they, but even the whole world also, so that God and his true word do remain.

D d

For as long as he remaineth, life, salvation, and the faithful shal! also remaiu.

Paul therefore doth well, in cursing those troublers of the Galatians, and in pronouncing sentence against them, to wit, that they are accursed, with all that they teach and do, and in wishing that they might be cut off, especially that they might be rooted out of the church of God, that is, that God should not govern nor prosper their doctrine nor their doings. And this cursing proceedeth from the Holy Ghost; as Peter also, in the eighth of the Acts, curseth Simon the sorcerer, "thy money and thou perish together." And the holy scripture oftentimes useth cursing against such troublers of men's consciences, and chiefly in the Psalms, as, "Let death come upon them; let them go quick into the pit of corruption," (Ps. lv. 15.) Also, "Let sinners be turned down into hell, and all they that forget God."

Hitherto Paul hath fortified the place of justification with strong and mighty arguments; moreover, to the end he might omit nothing, here and there he hath intermingled chidings, praisings, exhortations, threatenings, and such-like. In the end, he addeth also his own example, namely, that he suffereth persecution for this doctrine, thereby admonishing all the faithful, not to be offended nor dismayed when they shall see such uproars, sects and offences raised up in the time of the gospel, but rather to rejoice and be glad; for the more the world rageth against the gospel, the more the gospel prospereth and goeth happily forwards.

This consolation ought at this day to encourage us: for it is certain that the world hateth and persecuteth us for none other cause, but for that we profess the truth of the gospel. It doth not accuse us for theft, murder, whoredom, and such-like; but it detesteth and abhorreth us, because we teach Christ faithfully and purely, and give not over the defence of the truth. Therefore, we may be out of all doubt, that this our doctrine is holy and of God, because the world hateth it so bitterly: for otherwise there is no doctrine so wicked, so foolish, and pernicious, which the world doth not gladly admit, embrace, and defend: and moreover it reverently entertaineth, cherisheth, and flattereth the professors thereof, and doth all that may be done for them. Only the true doctrine of the gospel, life, and salvation, and the ministers thereof, it utterly abhorreth, and worketh all the spite that may be devised against them. It is an evident token, therefore, that the world is so cruelly bent against us for no other thing, but because it hateth the word. Wherefore, when our adversaries charge us, that there riseth nothing of this doctrine but wars, seditions, offences, sects, and other such infinite enormities, let us answer, Blessed be the day wherein we may see these things. But the whole world is in an uproar. And well done: for if the world were not so trou

bled; if the devil did not rage and stir up such broils, we should not have the pure doctrine of the gospel, which cannot be preached but these broils and turmoils must needs follow. Therefore that which ye count to be a great evil, we take to be a special happiness.

The doctrine of good works.

Now follow exhortations, and precepts of life and good works. For it is the custom of the apostles, after they have taught faith and instructed men's consciences, to add precepts of good works, whereby they exhort the faithful to exercise the duties of charity towards one another. And reason itself, after a sort, teacheth and understandeth this part of doctrine; but as touching the doctrine of faith, it knoweth nothing at all. To the end, therefore, that it might appear that Christian doctrine doth not destroy good works, or fight against civil ordinances, the apostle also exhorteth us to exercise ourselves in good works, and in an honest and outward conversation, and to keep charity and concord one with another. The world cannot, therefore, justly accuse the Christians that they destroy good works, that they are troublers of the public peace, civil honesty, &c. For they teach good works and all other virtues better than all the philosophers and magistrates of the world, because they adjoin faith with their doings.

VERSE 13. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not your liberty as an occasion unto the flesh, but by love serve one another.

As if he would say: Ye have now obtained liberty through Christ, that is to say, ye be far above all laws, as touching conscience and before God: ye be blessed and saved; Christ is your life. Therefore, although the law, sin, and death trouble and terrify you, yet can they not hurt you, nor drive you to despair; and this is your excellent and inestimable liberty. Now standeth it you in hand to take good heed that ye use not that liberty as an occasion to the flesh.

This evil is common, and the most pernicious of all others that Satan stirreth up in the doctrine of faith; namely, that in very many he turneth this liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, into the liberty of the flesh. Of this the apostle Jude also complaineth in his epistle-"There are crept in certain wicked men (saith he) which turn the grace of our God into wantonness," (Jude 4.) For the flesh is utterly ignorant of the doctrine of grace, that is to say, it knoweth not that we are made righteous, not by works, but by faith only, and that the law hath no authority over us. Therefore, when it heareth the doctrine of faith, it abuseth and turneth it into wantonness, and by-and-by thus it gathereth: If we be without law, let us then