A06492:745
Commentary upon the Epistle to the Galatians
A commentary of M. Doctor Martin Luther upon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Galatians first collected and gathered word by word out of his preaching, and now out of Latin faithfully translated into English for the unlearned. Wherein is set forth most excellently the glorious riches of Gods grace ...A commentarie of M. Doctor Martin Luther vpon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Galathians first collected and gathered vvord by vvord out of his preaching, and novv out of Latine faithfully translated into English for the vnlearned. Wherein is set forth most excellently the glorious riches of Gods grace ...
London: printed by Thomas Vautroullier dwelling wihtin sic, 1575London: printed by Thomas Vautroullier dvvelling vvihtin sic, 1575
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
What marvel is it then, if rewards be promised to this incarnate Faith: that is to say, to the working faith, as was the faith of Abel, or to faithful works? And why should not the holy Scripture thus speak diversly of faith,1 when it speaketh divers ways of Christ as he is God and man: that is to say, sometime of his whole person, sometime of his two natures a part, either of his divine or of his human nature? If it speak of the natures apart, it speaketh of Christ absolutely: but if it speak of the divine nature united in one person to the human nature, then it speaketh of Christ compound and incarnate. There is a common rule among the Schoolmen of the communication of the proprieties,2 when the proprieties belonging to the divinity of Christ, are attributed to the humanity: which we may see every where in the Scriptures. As Luke. 2. the Angel calleth the infant borne of the virgin Mary, the Saviour of men, and the universal Lord both of the Angels & men. And chap. 1. 3the Son of God. Hereupon I may truly say, that that infant which lay in the manger, & in the lap of the virgin, created heaven & earth, and that he is Lord of the Angels. Here I speak in deed of a man: but man in this proposition is a new word, & (as the Schoolmen them selves do grant) it is referred to the divinity,4 that is to say: This god which is made man, hath created all things. Creation is attributed only to the ⟨p. 124⟩divinity of Christ: for the humanity doth not create, & yet notwithstanding it is very well said, man created, because the divinity, which only createth, is incarnate with the humanity, and therefore the humanity together with the divinity, is partaker of the same proprieties. Wherefore it is well & godly said: This man Jesus Christ brought Israel out of Egypt, stroke Pharaoh, & wrought all the wonders from the beginning of the world.
What maruell is it then, if rewardes be promised to this incarnate Faith: that is to say, to the working faith, as was the faith of Abel, or to faithfull works? And why should not ye holy Scripture thus speake diuersly of faith,