Galatians — Introduction

^{0 !} The Galatians after they had bene instructed by S. Paul in the trueth of the Gospel, gaue place to false Apostles, who entring in, in his absence corrupted the pure doctrine of Christ, & taught that the ceremonies of the Law must be necessarily obserued, which thing the Apostles so earnestly reasoneth against, that he proueth that the granting thereof is the ouerthrowe of mans saluacion purchassed by Christ: for thereby the light of the Gospel is obscured: the conscience burdened: the testaments confounded: mans justice established. And because the false teachers did pretend, as thogh they had bene sent of the chief Apostles, and that Paul had no autoritie, but spake of him self, he proueth bothe that he is an Apostle ordeined by God, and also that he is not inferior to the rest of the Apostles: which thing established, he procedeth to his purpose, prouing that we are frely justified before God without any workes or ceremonies: which notwithstanding in their time had their vse and commoditie: but now they are not onely vnprofitable figures, but also pernicious, because Christ the trueth and the end thereof is come: wherefore men oght now to embrace that libertie, which Christ hathe purchased by his blood, & not to haue their consciences snared in the grennes of mans traditions: finally he sheweth wherein this libertie standeth, and what exercises apperteine thereunto.