Galatians 3

Galatians 3:1

SEt forth] lively represented unto you, with his death and passion, and with the vertue and use thereof.

Galatians 3:2

Receivd you] you have not received the spirit of regeneration from God, nor the miraculous gifts thereof by meanes of the Jewish doctrine of Workes, nor by your endeavouring to do them, nor your adhering to them, but by meanes of the Gospell embraced by faith; then seeing that God hath ratified this Doctrine onely by this divine seal; you ought not any way to doubt of it, and you do very ill to varie therein.

Galatians 3:3

Begun] the course and state of your vocation in Christianitie In the Spirit] namely, by faith, regeneration, and other effects of the Holie Ghost, in which consists the substance and truth of the Gospell, Iohn 4. 23. 2 Cor. 3. 6. 8. Made perfect] you let the false Apostles perswade you, that you may receive some addition of perfection, by the observation of legall ceremonies, as by a thing necessarie to mans righteousnesse and holinesse By the flesh] by externall and corporall things, such as those ceremonies were, especially after their figurative and sacramentall use was nullified by Christ, to establish new Sacraments. See Philippians 3:4. Heb. 7. 16. and 9. 10.

Galatians 3:4

In vain] namely for a Doctrine which now you renounce for the Jewes sakes, who were the first authours of the Christians persecutions, or without any fruit, for the reward is promised to them which persevere If it be] and not rather to your greater condemnation; being that the abandoning of the truth after such great progresses therein, and such strong proofes cannot chuse but be imputed for a far greater fault, as there being greater violence and ruine therein, as in a building alreadie raised to a great height, more malignitie & ingratitude towards God, and more scandall towards men.

Galatians 3:5

Miracles, the Italian, powerfull workes] that is to say, high and noted miracles which in those beginnings were frequent in the Churches. See 1 Corinthians 12:10.

Galatians 3:7

Know yee, the Italian, yet you know] that is to say, this Doctrine is clear and resolved upon amongst Christians, that the true children of Abraham, comprehended in the covenant which God made with him and his posteritie are not the carnal Jewes, which are borne of him, or joyned to him by circumcision, and by the professing of their ceremonies; but all such as according to Abrahams example, do renounce all confidence in their own proper Workes, and put it wholly in Gods promises and grace in Christ; as Abraham was made a father, example and paragon of faith to all those to whom the covenant made with him was to appertain Of faith] namely, of the number, and on that good side of those which follow that onely meanes of salvation. See Romans 4:16.

Galatians 3:8

The Scripture] namely, God speaking by it, Romans 9:17. Galatians 3:22. did formerly reveal his intent to Abraham, to call the Gentiles at his appointed time, through faith in his Son.Preached before the Gospell] namely, he did propound unto him this Euangelicall promise In thee] namely, in so much as they shall be thy children, and joyned to thee by communion and imitation of faith.

Galatians 3:10

For as many] seeing there never were but these two meanes of obtaining Gods blessing, but Workes and Faith, and that through sin man hath made himselfe utterly uncapable of the first, and therefore remaines accursed; there is no way for him, but either to remain in perdition without redemption, or to have recourse unto the other meanes, which is Faith Of the Workes] namely, of the number, of their opinion, and of their side who found the confidence of the righteousnesse and life upon their own Workes, Romans 4:4; Romans 10:3 For it is] he doth presuppose it as a clear thing, that no man after sin can persevere, that is to say, can accomplish the course of obedience in all its heads.

Galatians 3:11

But that no man] let no man deceive himselfe in believing that the aforesaid sentence is onely pronounced against wicked men who are altogether given to evill: the most righteous and holie do not live before God, and consequently are not justified but onely by Faith; seeing that righteousnesse is the onelie and perpetuall cause of life. See Romans 1:17. as it appeares by this passage of Hab 2:4.

Galatians 3:12

And the Law, the Italian, but the Law] let everie one also beware of thinking to mix both the meanes together; namely, of Workes and of Faith in causes of life and justification; for in this regard, and for this effect, Workes have no communitie with Faith; neither in their own nature, seeing they present to God mans own righteousnesse, and Faith receives Christs righteousnesse for a gift; nor by Gods order, which makes these two meanes incompatible one with the other, Rom. 4. 4, 5. and 10. 5, 6. and 116 But the man] that is to say, the substance and sum of the Law consists in mans own proper Workes, contrarie to this reception by Faith in meer gift.

Galatians 3:13

Christ] now he comes again to shew how a blessing comes upon the spirituall children of Abraham by Faith, v. 9. namely, because by the same they receive Christ, who being pay-master for them to God hath borne his wrath and curse for them, to give satisfaction to it, and free them from it, and to obtain Gods grace for them, which is the spring of all blessing, by his perfect righteousnesse, 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Galatians 3:14

Of Abraham] namely, promised to Abraham, and to his spirituall posteritie onely The Gentiles, the Italian, the Nations] namely, to all believers, of all nations indifferently.Through Iesus Christ] that is to say, by vertue of him, and through the communion with him by Faith That we might] that being so restored into Gods grace he might communicate his gifts unto us, and especially that of the holie Ghost to regeneration, which had been so often and so solemnly promised by the Prophets, Isai 32. 15. and 44. 3 Ir. 31. 33. and 32. 40 Ezek. 11. 19. and 36. 27 Ioel 2. 29. Zechariah 12:10.

Galatians 3:15

After the manner] taking example from that which is by common reason observed amongst men in their covenants and contracts.

Galatians 3:16

The promises] he hath a relation especially to that solemne forme of covenant which was made with Abraham, Genes. 17. 7. long time before the Law was given by Moses. He saith not] upon occasion of that passage he sheweth, that seeing all nations at the appointed time were to have part in that blessing as they were Abrahams posteritie, which is but onely one: the naturall Jewes and the Gentiles who were children in spirit, were to be united together: now that is not done by conformitie of ceremonies, nor by them the proselites which were of the Gentiles were incorporated into one and the same carnal nation with the Jewes: but by the spiritual gathering together, which Christ as Head makes of all his Believers into one sole bodie of a Church, which is Abrahams true off-spring, V. 7. See Ephes. 2. 14, 15. and 3. 6 Christ] namely, his whole mysticall Bodie which is the Church, which hath all its life and being from him, and also participates of the glorie of his Name, see 1 Corinthians 12:12.

Galatians 3:17

In Christ] that is to say, of which covenant Christ already appointed and promised for a Mediatour, was the onely foundation shewn and apprehended by the fathers The Law]namely, Moses his Law with all its dependencies The promise] namely, that Euangelicall promise of blessing to all nations, and other such like, which are all free promises, Romans 4:13-14.

Galatians 3:18

Forif) we ought to suppose it would make the promise of none effect indeed if the inheritance and the blessing were by the Law; for these two meanes are incompatible one with the other The inheritance) namely, the heavenly inheritance of which the Land of Canaan promised to Abraham and his seed was a figure, Romans 4:13; Romans 4:16.

Galatians 3:19

Wherefore) namely, seeing the blessing and the inheritance are absolutely given through grace, and are received by faith, the Law being no cause thereof neither in whole nor in part.Because of) namely, to regulate mens lives, and to represse the licentiousnesse and frequencie of misdeeds; or to discover the horror, and seal the condemnation thereof, to drive men to seek the remedie of grace in the promised Messias, Romans 3. 20. and 5. 20. 1 Timothy 1:9. Till the) the use of this servile pedagogie ws to last so long as the Church was yet in its infancie, subject to fall easily into sin through weaknesse or ignorance; but it was to cease at Christs comming in the flesh, who gathering together the whole bodie of his Church from amongst the Jewes and the Gentiles, and endowing it with abundant graces of his Spirit in knowledge and vertue, hath made it by effects be known to be the blessed seed of Gods children, V. 26. driven to love him and obey him by the spirit of adoption and libertie, and not by the spirit of terror as it was anciently; see Romans 8:15. It was ordained, the Italian, it was published) God in the externall manner which he observed in giving his Law did shew that thereby man had no accesse to his Grace to obtain life and inheritance; for God did then appear extremely terrible, which was a qualitie contrary to a treatie of confederacie, and because that at the peoples request who were not able to endure those terrours, (a signe of the guilt of their consciences) Moses was fain to come in between as a mediatour of word and communication, Exodus 20:19. Deuteronomy 5:5. Acts 7:38. Hebrews 12:19. he was therein the figure of Christ the onely Mediatour of propitiation, by whom we have accesse to God in confidence, Hebrews 12:24. By the Angels) who were also mediatours on Gods side as Moses was on the peoples side.

Galatians 3:20

A Mediatour) that is to say, the Office which Moses then performed, and which is not used but onely amongst disagreeing parties, sheweth that by the Law God and man were contrary to one another, as the delinquent and the Judge Is one) he doth not varie one jot in his soveraigne justice which he hath set down in his Law, and therefore these two parties could not be united, but onely by the full satisfaction of Christ the Mediatour, as the Apostle had said, V. 13.

Galatians 3:21

Is the Law) By the foresaid things it appeares that God giving his Law by Moses would not bring in a meanes of acquiring righteousnesse and life, which should be contrarie to his covenant of Grace, but onely to guide men thereby to Christ For if) he gives a reason why the Law hath not been contrarie to the promises of Grace; namely, because neither of it selfe, nor by any order from God it had any power to restore man wh was dead in sin to life, nor consequently to justifie him: whereupon we ought to conclude, that God would not imploy it to any disproportionable use to the prejudice of his Grace, to which he had reserved that absolutely.

Galatians 3:22

But] the Law is so far from having been given to justifie man, that contrariwise it shewed and sealed to the very Jewes (who were Gods people) their condemnation, Romans 3. 10. 20. and 4. 15 The Scripture) namely, God by his Law and Word, Romans 9:17. Galatians 3:8. hath declared that all men generally are sinners and in state of damnation: to the end that the elect, laying aside all confidence in their own righteousnesse might have recourse to Christ to obtain by faith in him, the blessing and inheritance, which are the subject of Gods promise.

Galatians 3:23

aith] namely, the time of the full manifestation, and of the free exercise of Faith under the Gospell We] namely, the Church, which was then restrained within the Jewish nation onely Kept under] that is to say, the severitie of the Law and the subjection to so many painfull observances kept us like children at school in perpetuall labours and discipline, still attentively expecting Christ, to keep us from going astray, either in religion or in life and conversation, beyond the bounds of Gods covenant.

Galatians 3:24

Schoolmaster] that is to say, a meanes and instrument to governe our soules and actions, fitting for the Churches childhood with much rigor and servitude That we might] namely, that looking still upon Christ the Church might even in those dayes receive from him the gifts of righteousnes and life, and that at this present time the effect of free justification might shew it selfe at full by those rigors and labours of the Law.

Galatians 3:26

For ye] for the Christian Church is at this time come to such an age that childish servitude is taken away, and the ight of her adoption is fully revealed, and the use of holy libertie is given unto her by the holy Ghost, Romans 8:15. Galatians 4:1; Galatians 4:5.

Galatians 3:27

For as many] Faith in Christ causeth Christ to be effectually applied to all true Believers who are baptized in his Name with internall as well as with externall Baptisme, even as a garment to the bodie, to communicate his righteousnesse, life, rights, and dignitie unto them, that as he is the son of God by nature, they may also be made the like by grace and adoption, and that without any distinction of nations, states or conditions.

Galatians 3:28

Ye are all] all Believers indifferently are one bodie, enjoy the same rights, and are reputed to be of one and the same condition.

Galatians 3:29

Christs] his members by faith, and by the communion of his Spirit Then are ye) then need ye no more be joyned to the blessed nation by circumcision and other ceremonies as the ancient proselites were, and as the false Apostles would tie you to be; for being united with Christ the reall Head of the blessed race, whereof Abraham was but onely the titular father, you are sufficiently incorporated into it.