Commentary upon the Epistle to the Galatians

Let us therefore arm our harts with these & such like sentences of the holy scripture, that we may be able to answer the devil (accusing us & saying: thou art a sinner & therefore thou art damned) in this sort. Because thou sayest I am a sinner, therefore will I be righteous & saved. Nay (saith the devil) thou shalt be damned. No (say I) for I fly unto Christ, who hath given himself for my sins. ¹Therefore satan thou shalt nothing prevail against me in that thou ghost about to terrify me in setting forth the greatness of my sins, & so to bring me into heaviness, distrust, despair, hatred, contempt and blaspheming of God: yea rather by this, that thou sayest I am a sinner, thou givest me armour & weapon against thy self, that with thine ⟨p. 19⟩own sword I may cut thy throat, and tread the under my feet: for Christ died for sinners. Moreover thou thy self preachest unto me the glory of God.² For thou puttest me in mind of Gods fatherly love towards me wretched and damned sinner, who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting life. Also as oft as thou objectest that I am a sinner, so often thou callest to my remembrance the benefit of Christ my redeemer, upon whose shoulders, and not upon mine, lie all my sins: For the Lord hath laid all our iniquity upon him. ³Again: For the transgression of his people was he smitten. ⁴Wherefore when thou objectest that I am a sinner, thou doest not terrify me, but comfort me above measure.

Let vs therfore arme our harts wt these & such like sentēces of ye holy scipture, yt we may be able to answer ye deuil (accusing vs & saying: thou art a sinner & therfore thou art dāned) in this sort. Because thou saist I am a sinner, therfore wil I be righteous & saued. Nay (saith the deuil) thou shalt be dāned. No (say I) for I flie vnto Christ, vvho hath geuen himself for my sinnes. ¹