Sermons of M. John Calvin upon the Epistle of Saint Paul to the GalatiansSermons of M. Iohn Caluine vpon the Epistle of Saincte Paule to the Galathians

6 I marvel that you are so suddenly carried away from him that had called you through the grace of Christ, unto another Gospel. 7 Which is none other thing but that there are some which trouble you, and would overthrow the Gospel of Christ. 8 But if I my self or an Angel from heaven tell you otherwise than I have told you: cursed be he.

6 I maruell that you are so sodenly caried avvay from him that had called you through the grace of Christ, vnto another Gospell. 7 VVhich is none other thing but that there are some vvhich trouble you, and vvould ouerthrovv the Gospell of Christ. 8 But if I my selfe or an Angell from heauen tell you othervvise than I haue tolde you: cursed be hee.

We see here more openly the thing that I have touched already this morning: that is to wit, that Saint Paul spareth not the Galatians, although he mind not too shut them out of the gate of salvation. For inasmuch as his meaning is to bring them back to repentance: it is good reason that he should set the grace of God before them, as a thing common to them. But yet for all that, he flattereth them not, but rather rebuketh them for their faults, and specially for the overgreat lightness that was in them in giving ear to deceivers, which came unto them to disguise the doctrine of the Gospel. And to make them perceive their own unthankfulness the better: he saith that he wondereth to see them carried away so soon and so easily from the heavenly calling, and how it cometh to pass that they could be so quickly thrust out of the way, & continue yet still in their doing, seeing that they had already felt & tried Gods grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. For inasmuch as he laboured to bring them back ⟨image 39⟩again, he saith not at the first dash that they had turned away from the Gospel, but that they had bin overcome by that temptation. And afterward he addeth, that the same was nothing else, but that those busybodies intended to overthrow the truth of God. For there is but one pure doctrine of the Gospel, like as there is but one Jesus Christ, upon whom the same is grounded: so as it is not in us to forge a new Gospel, but whensoever any body goes about too mingle any thing with the pure seed which we have of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is nothing else but an overthrowing of Gods building. This in effect is the thing which is contained in this first sentence of S. Pauls. But here he might seem to be over sharp and rough in finding fault with the feebleness of the Galatians, seeing they never meant to forsake the gospel, nor yet Jesus Christ who had bin preached among them. Howbeit S. Paul passeth not for their opinion, but hath respect to the matter in it self, which is, that as soon as men turn aside from Gods truth, by and by they forsake Jesus Christ, and make themselves strangers to him. Many men would think this strange, according as we see there are many that would fain mingle the light and darkness together. And specially the confusion that is in Popery is a very notable example hereof: