Commentary upon the Epistle to the Galatians

Hereupon Paul was able easily to foreshow out of the first commandment, the abominations that were to come, which Antichrist should bring into the Church. For all they which teach that any other worship is necessary to salvation,¹ then that which God requireth of us by the first commandment, which is the fear of ⟨p. 120⟩God, Faith and the love of God, are plain Antichrists and set them selves in the place of God. That such should come, Christ him self foretold, when he sayeth in the xxiiii. Chapter of Matthew: Many shall come in my name, saying: I am Christ. ²So we also at this day may boldly and easily pronounce, that who soever seeketh righteousness by works without faith,³ denieth God and maketh him self God. For thus he thinketh: If I do this work, I shall be righteous, I shall be a conqueror of sin, death, the Devil, the wrath of God, and of hell, and shall obtain life everlasting. And what is this else (I pray you) but to challenge that work unto him self which doth belong to God alone, and to show in deed that he him self is God? Therefore it is an easy matter for us to prophesy, and most certainly to Judge of all those which are without faith, that they are not only Idolaters, but very Idols, which deny God and set them selves in the place of God. Upon the same ground Peter also prophecieth when he saith:⁴ There shall be amongest you false teachers, which privily shall bring in damnable heresies, and shall deny the Lord &c. and make merchandise of the people.

Hereupon Paule was able easily to foreshewe out of the first commaundement, the abhominations that were to come, which Antichrist should bring into the Church. For all they which teach that any other worshippe is necessary to saluation,¹ then that which God requireth of vs by the first commaundement, which is the feare of ⟨p. 120⟩