Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 10 · Verse 11
VERSE 11. For the Scripture ſaith, Eſay 28.16.Whoſoeuer belieueth on him, ſhall not be aſhamed.
THe ſauing effect of Faith and Confeſsion, ſpoken of in the two laſt precedent verſes, is here proued by Scripture: Either, Eſay 28.16. or as one, Pſal. 25.3. Beza.It is not materiall whether of the two you take. I thinke the firſt fitteſt, becauſe of the Meſsiah there & here ſpoken of: and if in particular he aimed at neither of the two, yet it is enough that this is the generall doctrine of the Scripture.
The Argument is thus:
Whatſoeuer the Scripture faith, muſt needs be ſo: for the Scripture cannot be looſed.1. Ioh. 10.35.
But the Scripture teſtifieth that Beleeuers ſhall be ſaued. Therefore.
Q. This proues the point of Beleeurs; but how of Confeſſors?
A. If it proue it of Faith, it proues it alſo of Confeſsion. For as the Sunne is not without light; ſo Faith is not without Confeſsion. Beſide, it is proued alſo of Confeſsion, ver. 13. The Argument is taken from the proper effect of Faith, Saluation, which Peter calls the end of Faith.1. Pet. 1.9.
In this verſe are 4. things. 1. The generality, Whoſoeuer. Eſay ſaith, He that beleeueth: but its all one; for an Indefinite Propoſition, is equiualent to an Vniuerſall.
2. The Reſtruction of the generall, Whoſoeuer belieueth. Whoſoeuer, concludes all Belieuers; Belieuers, excludes all vnbelieuers.
3. The obiect of Faith, In him. To belieue on Chriſt, is not onelyonly to belieue that Chriſt is, and that what he ſaith is true, but to reſt vponupon his Righteouſnes for Iuſtification, and to truſt him with our Saluation, as Paul, 2. Tim. 1.12.I knowe whom I hauehave belieued. On him, notes Faith and Confidence.
4. The effect of Faith, Not aſhamed; The contrary denied for the direct effect. As if he had ſaid, Shall be ſaued. For the denying of one contrary, is the affirming of the other. They ſhall not be fruſtrate of their end; therefore not aſhamed.
Ob. But wee account it a good thing to be aſhamed, and the contrary a fault. Diogenes thus incouraged a young man bluſhing, Feare not, it is Vertues colour. Yet the Philoſophers wiſely diſtinguiſh of it, counting it a grace in young folkes; but old folkes ſhould commit nothing which might make them bluſh.
A. Here is a Figure. The word is not vſed in the ordinary ſignification: hee meanes not that beleeuers ſhall not be aſhamed of their faults, for none are more, and the wicked are noted to be ſhameleſſe: Ier. 3.3.but the ſence is, they ſhall not miſſe the end of their faith, and ſo be aſhamed. A man boaſts of a matter, and in the end vp ſtarts iuſt nothing; then is he aſhamed, as profane people bragge of their hope to bee ſaued; but when their Crakes faile, they ſhall bee confounded vvith ſhame. Eſay ſaith, Shall not make haſte; that is, ſhall not betake themſelues to ſhamefull courſes, to bring their deſires to paſſe, but ſhall wait vponupon God, and in the end hauehave aſſured deliuerance: but as ſuch who runne haſtily, often ſtumble and fall, and ſo are aſhamed: ſo they which will not ſtay Gods leiſure, fall into many inconueniences vvhichwhich cauſe their ſhame.
doctrine He that beleeueth, is ſure to be ſaued, Ioh. 3.18. Pſal. 22.4. Rom. 5.5. 1. Pet. 1.6. The promiſes are called ſure: Rom. 4.16. The counſell of God, ſtable, and the conſolation thereby, ſtrong. Heb. 6.17,18.
Ʋſe 1.Whoſoeuer truſt in any thing but in Chriſt, ſhall be aſhamed: The Iewes of their confidence in the Lawe. The Papiſts, though they now bragge and face out the matter, that they be the only men, and the true Church, ſhall one day bee aſhamed of their religion; becauſe they build their ſaluation on a rotten foundation, as maſſes, pardons, indulgences, pilgrimages, prayer to Saints, their owne merits, &c. They are like him in the Goſpell, who began to build a Tower, but not being able to finiſh it, was aſhamed.
Thoſe which truſt in horſes and armed men in the day of battell, ſhall be aſhamed: They alſo which with King Aſa truſt in the Phyſicians, and not in God in the day of ſickneſſe; ſo they which truſt in their riches contrary to the commandement of the Spirit, whom Chriſt calls fooles: 1. Tim. 6.17. Luke 12.20.Theſe alſo who ſeek in loſſes to Wizards, and not to God. Many truſt in outward things without God; but there are few who truſt in God without outward things.
Ʋſe 2.There is much feare and doubting where faith is; but in the end beleeuers ſhall not be aſhamed. This makes them confident againſt the obloquy and reproach caſt vponupon them by the world: The children of God are laughed to ſcorne, as the Philiſtims mocked Sampſon. What then? Though Saul louelove not Dauid, nor his Religion, yet he will ſpeake of Gods teſtimonies before Kings, & wil not be aſhamed; Pſal. 119.46.and though the Goſpell bee ſpoken againſt in eueryevery place, yet Paul will not be aſhamed of it.Rom. 1.16.
This alſo comforts againſt the guiltineſſe of ſinne, which is the true cauſe of ſhame, following it as the ſhadow doth the body. How profane wee were before our conuerſion, and how weakely we hauehave walked ſince, our conſcience knowes and is aſhamed. Here is our helpe, faith obtaines pardon of ſinne, and therefore we ſhall neuer bee put to ſhame for our faults: we are ſinners; but as when the light comes, the darkneſſe departs, and the more light, the leſſe darkneſſe: ſo faith driues away ſhame, and the more wee beleeue, the leſſe doe we feare confuſion and ſhame. Peter walked vponupon the water and ſhamed himſelfe, for he began to ſinke. What was the cauſe? Not the winde or waues, but the defect of Faith. Abraham beleeued, and left his countrey, and offered vp Iſaac, and yet was not aſhamed.
Ob. Abraham had a great Faith, but my faith is little.
Anſ. If thou haſt true Faith, though neuer ſo little, thou ſhalt not be aſhamed. A childe cannot take vp his meate ſo ſtrongly, nor eate ſo much as doth a man, yet that little which he takes weakely and eates, nouriſheth him, as well as more meat doth a man. So though thou be but a child in Faith, thy Faith ſhal ſaue thee, as wel as Abrahams Faith ſaued him. For a man is not ſaued by the quantitie of his Faith, but by the preciouſneſſe of that which Faith receiues, which is the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, which a weake and little Faith will as ſauingly apprehend as a ſtrong Faith; as a Begger that hath a ſhaking weake hand, can make ſhift to take an almes, as well as he that hath not ſuch infirmitie.
Ob. But I am peſtered with much doubting, and cannot be rid of doubts.
A. Like enough: But doeſt thou beleeue? Beleeue ſtill. It is not the commendation of Faith, to bee without doubtings but to ouercome them: Thou ſhalt ouercome in the end and ſhalt not be aſhamed. Hee that kils his enemy at the firſt blow, ſhewes himſelfe valiant: ſo doth he alſo ſhew a great deale of valour, who being often knockt downe, and wounded, yet ſtands to it. So though the field ſeeme doubtfull betweene thy Faith and doubting, yet in the end, thou ſhalt ouercome, and thy victory ſhall be famous.
Make precious account therefore of thy Faith, and labour to increaſe it. A certaine CaptainedEpaminondas., being in a hote skirmiſh, was ſtriken downe, ſore wounded, and taken vp for dead: as ſoone as he came to himſelfe, hee firſt asked if his Target were ſafe, being loth his enemies ſhould get that: ſo looke to thy Faith, (for the Diuell thy enemy will looke to it) and thou ſhalt not be aſhamed.
Vſe 3.Wicked men and vnbeleeuers are miſerable, becauſe of the ſhame which followes them. There can bee almoſt no ſtronger Argument againſt ſinne, then to ſay it will make aſhamed: then which there is nothing more grieuous to a generous minde, therefore diuers hauehave rid themſelues of their liues, that they may be rid of their ſhame, as Samſon. For to dye is naturall, but to liue in ſhame, is more then nature can endure, and yet the wicked muſt eternally endure it.
Some like ſhameleſſe beaſts, glory in their ſhame, ſeeking no corners, nor muffling themſelues as Thamar; but as Abſolon, bare-faced, and in the open Sunne, practiſing abominable things, and diſcouering their filthineſſe; making a paſtime of that with Salomons foole, Prou. 10.23.which they ſhould bewaile with teares of blood, and of which the very Heathen would be aſhamed. It is a face of braſſe, and a Whores forehead, that is not aſhamed of blaſphemie, drunkenneſſe, adulterie, pride in paintings, powderings (the Diuels inuentions) and other lewdneſſe. Though many, of theſe things bee not now aſhamed, yet at the day of death or Iudgement they ſhall be put to ſhame, and then there ſhall be no couering for their ſhame, but they ſhall be clothed, and couered with ſhame.
If thou which readeſt theſe things, beeſt one of theſe wretches, and couldſt bluſh, there were hope of thee. When a Thiefe is taken in the manner, how doth he hang downe his head before men. Alas, if thou beleeueſt not, nor repenteſt, how ſhalt thou be able to looke Chriſt in the face, when hee comes to Iudgement? Let vsus therefore ſo liue, that when he ſhall appeare, we may be bold, and not be aſhamed before him at his comming.Ioh. 2.28.