If We Live in the Spirit, Let Us Also Walk in the Spirit

The Apostle reckoned before among the works of the flesh heresy and envy, and pronounced sentence against those which are envious, and which are authors of sects, that they should not inherit the kingdom of God. And now, as if he had forgotten that which he said a little before, he again reproves those which provoke and envy one another. Why does he do so? Was it not sufficient to have done it once? Indeed he does it of purpose: for he takes occasion here to inveigh against that execrable vice of vainglory, which was the cause of the troubles that were in all the churches of Galatia, and has been always most pernicious and hurtful to the whole Church of Christ. Therefore in his Epistle to Titus he would not that a proud man should be ordained a Bishop. For Pride (as Augustine truly says) is the mother of all heresies, or rather the headspring of all sin and confusion: which thing all histories as well holy as profane do witness.

Now, vainglory or arrogance has always been a common poison in the world, which the very heathen poets and historiographers have always vehemently reproved. There is no village wherein there is not some one or other to be found, that would be counted wiser, and be more esteemed than all the rest. But they are chiefly infected with this disease which stand upon their reputation for learning and wisdom. In this case no man will yield to another, according to this saying: You shall not lightly find a man that will yield to others the praise of wit and skill: For it is a goodly thing to see men point at one, and say: this is he. But it is not so hurtful in private persons, nor in any kind of magistrate, as it is in them that have any charge in the church. Albeit in civil government (especially if it be in great personages) it is not only a cause of troubles and ruins of commonwealths, but also of the troubles and alteration of kingdoms and Empires: which thing the histories both of the Scripture and profane writers do witness.

But when this poison creeps into the Church or spiritual kingdom, it cannot be expressed how hurtful it is. For there is no contention as touching learning, wit, beauty, riches, kingdoms, Empires and such like: but as touching salvation or damnation, eternal life or eternal death. Therefore Paul earnestly exhorts the ministers of the word to flee this vice, saying: If we live in the spirit, etc. As if he should say: If it be true that we live in the spirit, let us also proceed and walk in the spirit. For where the spirit is, it renews men, and works in them new motions: that is to say, whereas they were before vainglorious, wrathful and envious, it makes them now humble, gentle and patient. Such men seek not their own glory, but the glory of God: they do not provoke or envy one another, but give place one to another, and in giving honor prevent one another. On the contrary they that be desirous of glory and envy one another, may boast that they have the spirit and live after the spirit: but they deceive themselves, they follow the flesh and do the works thereof, and they have their judgment already, that they shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now, as nothing is more dangerous to the Church than this execrable vice, so is there nothing more common: For when God sends forth laborers into his harvest, immediately Satan raises up his ministers also, who will in no case be counted inferior to those that are rightly called. Here straightway rises dissension. The wicked will not yield one hair's breadth to the godly: For they dream that they far surpass them in wit, in learning, in godliness, in spirit and other virtues. Much less ought the godly to yield to the wicked, lest the doctrine of faith come in danger. Moreover, such is the nature of the ministers of Satan, that they can make a goodly show that they are very charitable, humble, lovers of concord, and are endowed with other fruits of the spirit: also they protest that they seek nothing else but the glory of God and the salvation of men's souls: and yet are they full of vainglory, doing all things for no other end but to get praise and esteem among men. To be short, they think that gain is godliness, and that the ministry of the word is delivered to them that they may get fame and esteem thereby. Therefore they cannot but be authors of dissension and sects.

Forasmuch then as the vainglory of the false apostles was the cause that the churches of Galatia were troubled and forsook Paul, therefore in this chapter specially his purpose was to suppress that execrable vice: yea this mischief gave the Apostle occasion to write this whole Epistle. And if he had not so done, all his labor bestowed in preaching of the gospel among the Galatians had been spent in vain. For in his absence the false apostles, which were men in outward show of great authority, reigned in Galatia: who besides that they would seem to seek the glory of Christ and the salvation of the Galatians, pretended also that they had been conversant with the Apostles, and that they followed their footsteps, saying that Paul had not seen Christ in the flesh, nor had been conversant with the rest of the Apostles, and therefore they made no account of him, but rejected his doctrine, and boasted their own to be true and sincere. Thus they troubled the Galatians and raised sects among them, so that they provoked and envied one another: which was a sure token, that neither the teachers nor hearers lived and walked after the spirit, but followed the flesh and fulfilled the works thereof: and so consequently lost the true doctrine, faith, Christ, and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and were now become worse than the heathen.

Notwithstanding he does not only inveigh against the false apostles which in his time troubled the churches of Galatia, but also he foresaw in spirit, that there should be an infinite number of such even to the world's end; which being infected with this pernicious vice, should thrust themselves into the Church, boasting of the spirit and heavenly doctrine, and under this pretense should quite overthrow the true doctrine and faith. Many such have we also seen in these our days, who have thrust themselves into the kingdom of the spirit: that is to say, into the Ministry of the word, and by this hypocrisy they have purchased to themselves fame and estimation that they were great doctors and pillars of the Gospel, and such as lived in the spirit, and walked according to the same. But because their glory consisted in men's mouths and not in God, therefore it could not be firm and stable, but according to Paul's prophecy, it turned to their own confusion, and their end was destruction. For the wicked shall not stand in judgment, but shall be taken away like chaff, and scattered abroad with the wind.

The same judgment remains for all such as in preaching the Gospel seek their own profit and not the glory of Jesus Christ. For the Gospel is not delivered to us that we should thereby seek our own praise and glory, or that the people should honor and magnify us which are the ministers of it: but to the end that the benefit and glory of Christ might be preached and published, and that the father might be glorified in his mercy offered to us in Christ his son, whom he delivered for us all and with him has given us all things. Therefore the Gospel is a doctrine wherein we ought to seek nothing less than our own glory. It sets forth to us heavenly and eternal things: which are not our own, which we have neither done nor deserved: but it offers the same to us, to us (I say) which are unworthy, and that through the mere goodness and grace of God. Why should we then seek praise and glory thereby? He therefore that seeks his own glory in the Gospel, speaks of himself: and he that speaks of himself is a liar and there is unrighteousness in him. Contrariwise he that seeks the glory of him that sent him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him (John 7).

Paul therefore gives earnest charge to all the ministers of the word, saying: If we live in the spirit, let us walk in the spirit, that is to say: Let us abide in the doctrine of the truth which has been taught to us in brotherly love and spiritual concord: let us preach Christ and the glory of God in simplicity of heart, and let us confess that we have received all things of him: let us not think more of ourselves than of others: let us raise up no sects. For this is not to walk rightly, but rather to range out of the way, and to set up a new and a perverse way of walking.

Hereby we may understand that God of his special grace makes the teachers of the Gospel subject to the cross and to all kinds of afflictions for the salvation of themselves and of the people: for otherwise they could by no means repress and beat down this beast which is called vainglory. For if no persecution, no cross or reproach followed the doctrine of the Gospel, but only praise, reputation and glory among men: then would all the professors thereof be infected and perish through the poison of vainglory. Jerome says that he had seen many which could suffer great inconveniences in their body and goods, but none that could despise their own praises. For it is almost impossible for a man not to be puffed up when he hears anything spoken in the praise of his own virtues. Paul notwithstanding that he had the spirit of Christ, says that there was given to him the messenger of Satan to buffet him, because he should not be exalted out of measure through the greatness of his revelations. Therefore Augustine says very well: If a minister of the word be praised, he is in danger. If a brother despise or dispraise him he is also in danger. He that hears a preacher of the word, ought to reverence him for the word's sake: but if he be proud thereof he is in danger. Contrariwise if he be despised, he is out of danger: but so is not he which despises him.

Therefore we must honor our great benefit, that is, of the preaching of the word and receiving of the Sacraments. We must also reverence one another according to that saying: In giving honor one to another, etc. But wherever this is done, by and by the flesh is tickled with vainglory and grows proud. For there is none (no not among the godly) which would not rather be praised than dispraised, except perhaps some be so well established in this behalf, that he will be moved neither with praises nor reproaches: As that woman said of David (2 Samuel 14): My Lord the king is like an angel of God, who will neither be moved with blessing nor cursing. Likewise Paul says: by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, etc. Such men as be neither puffed up with praise, nor thrown down with dispraise, but endeavor simply to set forth the benefit and glory of Christ, and to seek the salvation of souls, do walk orderly. Contrariwise they which grow proud in hearing of their own praises, not seeking the glory of Christ but their own: also they which being moved with reproaches and slanders do forsake the ministry of the word, walk not orderly.

Therefore let every one see that he walk orderly, and specially such as boast of the spirit. If you be praised, know that it is not you that is praised, but Christ, to whom all praise and honor is due. For in that you teach the word purely and live in a godly manner, these are not your own gifts, but the gifts of God: therefore you are not praised but God in you. When you acknowledge this, you will walk orderly, and not be puffed up with vainglory (for what have you that you have not received?) but will confess that you have received the same of God, and will not be moved with injuries, reproaches, or persecution to forsake your calling.

God therefore of his special grace at this day covers our glory with infamy, reproach, mortal hatred, cruel persecution, railing and cursing of the whole world: also with the contempt and ingratitude even of those among whom we live, as well the common sort as also the citizens, gentlemen and noble men (whose enmity, hatred and persecution against the gospel, like as it is private and inward, so is it more dangerous than the cruelty and outrageous dealings of our open enemies) that we should not become proud of the gifts of God in us. This millstone must be hung about our neck, that we be not infected with that pestilent poison of vainglory. Some there be of our side which love and reverence us for the ministry of the word: but where there is one that reverences us, there be on the other side a hundred that hate and persecute us. These spiteful dealings therefore, and these persecutions of our enemies, this great contempt and ingratitude, this cruel and private hatred of them among whom we live, are such pleasant sights and make us so merry, that we easily forget vainglory.

Therefore, rejoicing in the Lord who is our glory, we remain in order. Those gifts which we have, we acknowledge to be the gifts of God and not our own, given for the edifying of the body of Christ: Therefore we are not proud of them. For we know that more is required of them to whom much is committed, than of them which have received but little. Moreover we know that there is no respect of persons before God. Therefore a poor craftsman faithfully using the gift which God has given him, pleases God no less than a preacher of the word: for he serves God in the same faith and with the same spirit. Therefore we ought no less to regard the meanest Christians, than they regard us. And by this means shall we continue free from the poison of vainglory, and walk in the spirit.

Contrariwise the fantastical spirits, which seek their own glory, the favor of men, the peace of the world, the ease of the flesh, and not the glory of Christ, nor yet the health of men's souls (although they protest that they seek nothing else) cannot but discover themselves in commending their own doctrine and industry and disparaging other men's, and all to get them a name and praise. These vainglorious spirits do not rejoice and glory in the Lord: but then do they glory, then are they stout and hardy when they are magnified of the people. Whose hearts they win by wonderful sleights and subtleties: for in their words, gestures and writings they can counterfeit and dissemble all things. But when they are not praised and commended of the people, then be they the most fearful men in the world: for they hate and shun the cross of Christ and persecution. On the contrary, when they are praised and magnified (as I said) none are so stout, no Hector, no Achilles so bold and hardy as they.

Such a sly and crafty beast therefore is flesh, that for no other cause it forsakes his function, corrupts true doctrine, and breaks the concord of the church, than only upon this cursed vainglory. Therefore it is not without cause that Paul so sharply inveighs against it both here and in other places, as before in Chapter 4. They are (says he) jealous over you amiss: yes, they would exclude you from me, that you should altogether love them: that is to say, they would discredit me that they themselves might be famous. They seek not Christ's glory and your salvation, but their own glory, my reproach and your bondage.

Verse 26. Let us not be desirous of vainglory.

Which is to glory, not in God (as I have said) but in lies, in the opinion, liking and estimation of the people. Here is no right foundation of true glory, but a false foundation, and therefore impossible long to stand. He that praises a man as he is a man, is a liar: for there is nothing praiseworthy in him, but all things are worthy of condemnation. Therefore as for our person, this is our glory, that all men have sinned and are guilty of everlasting death before God. But the case is otherwise when our ministry is praised. Therefore we must not only wish, but also to the uttermost of our power endeavor that men may magnify it and have it in due reverence: for this shall turn to their salvation. Paul warns the Romans that they offend no man: to the end, says he, that our commodity be not evil spoken of: And in another place: that our ministry be not reprehended. Therefore when our ministry is praised, we are not praised for our own persons' sake, but (as the Psalm says) we are praised in God and in his holy name.

Verse 26. Provoking one another, and envying one another.

Here he describes the effect and fruit of vainglory. He that teaches any error, or is an author of any new doctrine, cannot but provoke others: and when they do not approve and receive his doctrine, by and by he begins to hate them most bitterly. We see at this day with what deadly hatred the Sectaries are inflamed against us, because we will not give place to them and approve their errors. We did not first provoke them, nor spread abroad any wicked opinion in the world: but rebuking certain abuses in the church, and faithfully teaching the article of Justification, have walked in good order. But they forsaking this article, have taught many things contrary to the word of God. Here, because we would not lose the truth of the Gospel, we have set ourselves against them, and have condemned their errors: which thing, because they could not abide, they did not only provoke us first without cause, but also do still most spitefully hate us, and that upon no other occasion but only upon vainglory: for they would gladly deface us that they alone might rule and reign: For they imagine that it is a great glory to profess the Gospel, whereas indeed there is no greater ignominy in the sight of the world.

Earlier in this chapter, Paul listed heresy and envy among the works of the flesh and declared that those who practice them will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now he seems to circle back and reprove those who provoke and envy one another all over again. Why does he do this? Was once not enough? He does it deliberately, because he wants to attack the destructive vice of vainglory — the root cause of all the trouble in the Galatian churches and one of the most persistent enemies the church of Christ has ever faced. In his letter to Titus, he said that a proud man should never be ordained as a bishop. Pride, as Augustine rightly said, is the mother of all heresies — indeed, the source of all sin and disorder — and both sacred and secular history bear this out.

Vainglory and arrogance have always been a widespread poison in the world, something even pagan poets and historians condemned with force. In any village you can find someone who wants to be regarded as wiser and more important than everyone else. But those most infected with this disease are the ones who take pride in their reputation for learning and wisdom. No one in that position wants to yield to another, as the saying goes: you will rarely find a man willing to let someone else have the credit for intelligence and skill — because being the one people point to and say 'that's him' is a prize too sweet to give up. This vice is not as destructive in ordinary private citizens, or even in civil rulers, as it is in those who hold responsibility in the church. Yet even in civil government — especially among powerful leaders — it not only tears apart communities but overturns whole kingdoms and empires, as both Scripture and secular history demonstrate.

But when this poison seeps into the church — into the spiritual kingdom — its harm is beyond description. In the world, people compete over learning, talent, beauty, wealth, or political power. In the church, the contest is over salvation or damnation, eternal life or eternal death. That is why Paul urges ministers of the word so earnestly to flee this vice: 'If we live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit.' His point is this: if it is truly the Spirit who gives us life, then let us also move forward and walk according to that same Spirit. Where the Spirit is present, He transforms people and produces new impulses in them — those who were once vainglorious, wrathful, and envious become humble, gentle, and patient. Such people do not seek their own glory but God's; they do not provoke or envy one another but give way to each other and compete only in showing honor. Those who chase glory and envy one another may boast all they like about living in the Spirit — but they are deceiving themselves, following the flesh and doing its works, and their judgment has already been declared: they will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Nothing is more dangerous to the church than this vice, and nothing is more common. Whenever God sends workers into His harvest, Satan immediately raises up his own ministers alongside them — men who will not, under any circumstances, accept being counted inferior to those genuinely called by God. Conflict breaks out at once. The wicked refuse to yield so much as a hair's breadth to the godly, convinced they surpass them in intelligence, learning, godliness, spiritual depth, and every other virtue. The godly, for their part, must not yield to the wicked either — not when the doctrine of faith is at stake. What makes Satan's ministers so dangerous is their ability to appear outwardly charitable, humble, and peace-loving — full of the Spirit's fruits — while insisting that they seek nothing but God's glory and the salvation of souls. In reality they are driven entirely by vainglory, doing everything for the praise and esteem of men. They view the ministry of the word as an instrument for building a reputation. And so they inevitably become authors of dissension and sects.

The vainglory of the false apostles was the direct cause of the turmoil in the Galatian churches and the reason those churches turned away from Paul. Suppressing that destructive vice is one of the chief purposes of this chapter — and in fact, this very crisis gave Paul the occasion to write the entire letter. Had he not written it, all his labor preaching the Gospel among the Galatians would have come to nothing. In his absence, the false apostles — men who carried great outward authority — had taken control of Galatia. Beyond their apparent zeal for Christ's glory and the Galatians' salvation, they claimed to have been personally with the original apostles and to follow their teaching directly. They said Paul had never seen Christ in the flesh, had never truly been among the apostles, and therefore deserved no authority — his teaching should be rejected, and theirs accepted as the true and genuine Gospel. By these means they threw the Galatian churches into confusion and stirred up envy and rivalry among the believers. This was clear proof that neither the teachers nor their hearers were walking in the Spirit — they were following the flesh and fulfilling its works, and in doing so they had lost the true doctrine, faith, Christ, and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and had sunk lower than the pagans they had left behind.

Paul was not only attacking the false apostles who troubled the Galatian churches in his own day. By the Spirit he also foresaw that an endless succession of such people would arise until the end of the world — men infected with this destructive vice who would push their way into the church, boasting of the Spirit and heavenly doctrine, and under that pretense would overthrow true doctrine and faith. We have seen many such people in our own time, forcing their way into the ministry of the word and through this hypocrisy gaining a reputation as great teachers and pillars of the Gospel, as men who lived and walked in the Spirit. But because their glory rested in human opinion rather than in God, it could not last. In keeping with Paul's prophecy, it turned to their own disgrace, and their end was destruction. For the wicked will not stand in judgment but will be swept away like chaff scattered by the wind.

The same judgment awaits all who preach the Gospel for personal gain rather than for the glory of Jesus Christ. The Gospel was not given to us so that ministers might win praise and honor for themselves, or so that people would admire those who preach it. It was given so that the grace and glory of Christ might be proclaimed, and so that the Father might be glorified in the mercy He offered us in Christ His Son — the Son He gave up for us all, and with whom He has freely given us everything. Therefore the Gospel is a message in which we should seek our own glory least of all. It holds out heavenly and eternal gifts — things we did not produce, did not earn, and do not deserve. It offers them to the unworthy, through the sheer goodness and grace of God. Why, then, would anyone seek praise through it? The one who seeks his own glory in the Gospel speaks on his own authority — and the one who speaks on his own authority is a liar, and there is no truth in him. But the one who seeks the glory of the One who sent him is true, and there is no falsehood in him (John 7).

Paul therefore charges all ministers of the word with urgency: 'If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.' That means: stay in the truth that has been taught, live in brotherly love and spiritual harmony, preach Christ and God's glory with a simple and honest heart, acknowledge that everything we have comes from Him, do not think more highly of ourselves than of others, and do not raise up sects. To do otherwise is not walking in the right way — it is wandering off the path and setting up a new and crooked one.

This helps us understand why God in His special grace subjects teachers of the Gospel to the cross and every kind of affliction — both for their own good and for the people's. There is no other way to beat back and keep down that beast called vainglory. If nothing followed Gospel preaching but praise and reputation and human esteem, with no persecution and no cross, all who professed it would be poisoned and ruined by vainglory. Jerome said he had seen many who could endure great physical and material hardship but none who could truly despise their own praise. It is almost impossible not to swell up when you hear someone speak well of your own virtues. Even Paul, who had the Spirit of Christ, says that a messenger of Satan was given to him to strike him, so that he would not become proud because of the greatness of his revelations. Augustine puts it well: when a minister of the word is praised, he is in danger. When a brother despises or criticizes him, he is also in danger. A person who hears a preacher of the word should honor him for the word's sake — but if the preacher takes pride in that honor, he is in danger. On the other hand, if the preacher is despised, he is in less danger — though the one who despises him is not.

We must therefore honor the great gifts we have received — the preaching of the word and the Sacraments. We must also honor one another, as the saying goes: 'Give preference to one another in showing honor.' But wherever this is done, the flesh immediately senses the praise and grows proud. There is almost no one — not even among the godly — who would not rather be praised than criticized, unless perhaps a person is so firmly grounded that neither praise nor blame can move him. As the woman said to David in 2 Samuel 14: 'My lord the king is like an angel of God, who is disturbed by neither blessing nor cursing.' Paul says the same: 'by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report.' Those who are neither inflated by praise nor crushed by criticism — but simply strive to make known the grace and glory of Christ and to seek the salvation of souls — walk in the right way. Those who grow proud when they hear their own praises, seeking their own glory rather than Christ's — and equally those who, when insulted or slandered, abandon the ministry of the word — do not walk in the right way.

Let everyone, especially those who boast of the Spirit, make sure they are walking rightly. If you are praised, understand that it is not you being praised but Christ, to whom all praise and honor belong. When you teach the word faithfully and live a godly life, those are not your own achievements — they are God's gifts. So it is not you who is being praised but God working in you. When you recognize this, you will walk in the right way: you will not be inflated by vainglory — for what do you have that you did not receive? — but will confess that everything came from God, and you will not be driven by injuries, reproaches, or persecution to abandon your calling.

In His special grace, God covers our glory with shame, reproach, bitter hatred, fierce persecution, insults, and curses from the whole world — along with the contempt and ingratitude of those we live among: common people, citizens, merchants, and nobles alike. The enmity of those close to us, precisely because it is hidden and personal, is more dangerous than the open cruelty of declared enemies. God allows all this so that we will not grow proud of His gifts working through us. This millstone must hang around our neck so that the pestilent poison of vainglory cannot infect us. There may be some on our side who love and honor us for the ministry of the word — but for every one who honors us, a hundred hate and persecute us. These hostile actions, these persecutions, this deep contempt and ingratitude, this private bitterness from those we live among — these things keep us so sobered that we easily forget vainglory.

Rejoicing in the Lord, who is our true glory, we remain in the right path. We recognize that whatever gifts we have are God's gifts, not our own, given for building up the body of Christ — and so we do not take pride in them. We know that more is required from those who have received much than from those who have received little. We also know that God shows no partiality. A humble craftsman who faithfully uses the gift God has given him pleases God no less than a preacher of the word — for he serves God in the same faith and the same Spirit. We should therefore regard the most ordinary Christians with as much respect as they show us. In this way we will remain free from the poison of vainglory and walk in the Spirit.

Those who crave their own glory — who seek the favor of people, the peace of the world, and the comfort of the flesh, rather than the glory of Christ and the salvation of souls (though they protest that this is all they seek) — cannot help but reveal themselves. They constantly promote their own teaching and methods while denigrating others', all to build a name for themselves. These vainglorious spirits do not rejoice and glory in the Lord. Their confidence and boldness come entirely from being praised by the people. They win people's hearts through cunning and clever tactics, able to play any role in their words, gestures, and writings. But when they are not being praised and admired, they are the most cowardly men in the world — they despise and avoid the cross of Christ and persecution. Yet when they are being praised and lifted up, none are bolder — not Hector, not Achilles — than they.

The flesh is just such a sly and crafty beast — it abandons its proper work, corrupts true doctrine, and tears apart the church's unity for no reason other than this accursed vainglory. It is no wonder, then, that Paul attacks it so sharply, both here and elsewhere — as he did earlier in chapter 4: 'They are zealous for you, but not in a good way; they want to shut you off from me so that you will be zealous for them.' In other words: they want to discredit me so that they alone can be famous. They are not seeking Christ's glory or your salvation — they are seeking their own glory, my disgrace, and your bondage.

Verse 26. Let us not become boastful.

This kind of boasting is not glorying in God but in human opinion — in the approval and admiration of people. It rests on a false foundation and cannot stand for long. Anyone who praises a person merely as a person is telling a lie, for there is nothing praiseworthy in a human being — everything is worthy of condemnation. As for our own persons, this is our true standing: all have sinned and are deserving of eternal death before God. But the ministry is a different matter. We should not only wish that people honor and respect the ministry of the word — we should work with all our strength to bring this about, because it leads to their salvation. Paul warns the Romans not to give anyone cause for offense, 'so that our service may not be discredited,' and elsewhere, 'so that no fault may be found with our ministry.' So when the ministry is praised, it is not we ourselves who are praised — it is, as the Psalm says, praise offered to God and to His holy name.

Verse 26. Challenging one another, envying one another.

Here Paul describes the natural fruit and outcome of vainglory. Anyone who teaches error or introduces some new doctrine cannot help but provoke others — and when those others refuse to approve and embrace his teaching, he immediately begins to hate them with fierce bitterness. We see this today in the deadly hatred the sectarians direct at us, simply because we will not give way to them or affirm their errors. We did not provoke them first, nor did we spread any false teaching. We simply rebuked certain abuses in the church and faithfully preached the article of justification — and in this we walked in the right order. But they abandoned this article and taught many things contrary to the word of God. When we refused to surrender the truth of the Gospel, we opposed them and condemned their errors. Unable to bear this, they did not merely provoke us without cause — they continue to hate us bitterly to this day, and for no reason other than vainglory. They want to discredit us so that they alone can have authority and influence. They imagine it is a great prize to profess the Gospel, when in the eyes of the world it is the greatest reproach of all.