Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 10 · Verse 13
VERSE 13. aIoel. 2.32. Act. 2.21.For whoſoeuer ſhall call on the Name of the Lord, ſhall be ſaued.
THat God is rich vntounto all that call on him, is here confirmed by a Teſtimonie out of Ioel.
The occaſion of Ioels ſpeech was this: There was a great famine in Iewry: the Cauſe, their ſinnes: the meanes; Firſt, a great raine preſently after Seede time: after that a wonderderful drought. Alſo God ſent Graſhoppers and Caterpillers, &c. which deuoured the little encreaſe which the earth afforded. Farther, hee threatneth them with forraine enemies, and vponupon this, exhorts them to Repentance, telling them that whoſoeuer ſhall call on the Name of God ſhall be ſafe. For in Zion, that is, the Church of God, ſhall be deliuerance.
Pauls Argument is thus framed: If whoſoeuer call on God ſhall be ſaued: then is God rich to all that call on him, for no riches are comparable to ſaluation. But the firſt is true. Therfore the laſt.
In this verſe are two things. Firſt, the Duty. Secondly, the Euent. The Duty, Calling vponupon God. The euent, Saluation.
Whoſoeuer, as before, verſe 11.
Shall call vponupon: By this is meant Prayer, which ſometimes is taken for the whole worſhip of God. Inuocare, quaſi …tus, aut in ſe vocare. Anſelm.Prayer is called Inuocation in Latine, becauſe it muſt be performed with the Inmoſt affections; or, as to call God into vsus: Or, as the Greeke word ſignifies, to call vponupon another for helpe in extremitie. And therefore Chryſoſtome well expounds it by Confeſſion, ioyned with Prayer. For he which beggeth helpe of another, confeſſeth his owne weakeneſſe and want.
The Name of the Lord. That is, God himſelfe, whoſe infinite perfections no name can comprehend. Yet God hath by certaine Names and Appellations notified himſelfe vntounto vsus, ſo farre as was fit for abilitie to vnderſtand. Some here vnderſtand Chriſt, the Name, expreſſe Image and Character of his Father, by whom we know God, as wee know things by their names.
Shall be ſaued. Not that our prayers deſerue Saluation, but becauſe Saluation followes faithfull praying by the promiſe of God.
doctrine God will ſaue all ſuch which call vponupon him, Act. 2.21. Pſal. 50.15. & 145.18.
Vſe 1.God is infinitely good, who propounds conditions of ſaluation, as eaſie to the poore, as to the rich. If hee had offered ſaluation on theſe termes, as to build Churches, Hoſpitals, and to endow them, &c. Alas, what ſhould hauehave become of poore men! But if thou beeſt not rich, nor eloquent, &c. Yet if thou calleſt on the Name of the Lord, thou ſhalt be ſaued.
Vſe 2.Whoſoeuer calleth vponupon the name (not of our Lady) but of the Lord. How then comes it to paſſe, that the Papiſts ſo much ſtriue for Inuocation of Saints?
There is no example, nor promiſe, nor commandement for it in the Bible. No threatning to them which omit it: neither doe the Saints departed know our particular neceſſities or our hearts.
The Heathen Philoſophers conceiued one chiefe god, and diuers inferior and VnderUnder-gods, as mediators, by whom they might come to the chiefe God, as by Noble men we come to the King. This is one of their beſt arguments, which Ambroſe on the Romanes excellently propounds and confutes.Amb. comment. in 1. cap. Epiſt. ad Rom.
A certaine man, Chemnitius exem. Decr. Conc. Trid. par. 3. de Inuo. Sanctorum.hauing vſed the helpe of ſome Noble men, in a cauſe to his King, and being maruellouſly delayed, hearing by occaſion a Biſhop preach that wee muſt goe to God, by the mediation of Saints. Alas, ſaith he, if it bee in the Court of Heauen, as it is in the Courts of Princes, wee ſhall all hauehave but a cold ſuite of it. Wee doe many times requeſt particular men and Churches on earth to pray for vsus: becauſe we hauehave commandement, example and promiſe for it in the Word, it being a miniſtery appointed for the Militant Church. But that from hence I ſhould pray to Angels or Saints departed, followes not. For firſt, I doe not inuocate theſe as the Papiſts doe their Saints: neither doe I deſire that office, vnleſſe either face to face, or by Letter or Meſſenger, I acquaint them with my deſire: but there is no ſuch entercourſe betweene vsus and the Virgin Mary, or other Saints.
Ob. But they pray not to Saints to fulfill, but to impetrate their deſires.
A. This alſo is vnlawful, it being a part of the Office of our Mediator, as Saint Paul teacheth to Timothy, where he (ſpeaking of Prayer) ſaith, 1. Tim. 2.5.We hauehave but one Mediator betweene God and vsus, euen Ieſus Chriſt. Farther, though they teach this in the Schooles, yet (which is much to be blamed) they direct their people to practiſe otherwiſe, and to pray to Saints, for the fulfilling of their deſires. As I could ſhew in diuers of their prayers, which I hauehave ſeene, & moſt blaſphemouſly appeares in their Ladies Pſalter. Concerning which, it is to be vnderſtood, that the common ſort of Papiſts, are taught vponupon Beades to ſay ouer certaine Aue Maries & Pater noſters: to ten Aue Maries, one Pater noſter, which beeing fiue times ſaid ouer, make one Roſary (as they call it.) And that they might not be deceiued in their tale, they ſay that S. Dominick (it may be one of our Ladies Chaplaines) found out the vſe of Beades for that purpoſe. From hence comes our Ladies Pſalter, which conſiſts of three Roſaries: Of which Pſalter there is a peculiar Fraternity, endowed with many Indulgences by diuers Popes.
VntoUnto this Pſalter, are added diuers prayers to the bleſſed Virgin, ſpecially the Verſuall Salutations, in imitation of Dauids Pſalmes, which ſome ſay was done by Bonauenture. In which, I may be bold to ſay, are many obominable things; wherein they pray in the ſame manner and words to the Virgin Mary, in which Dauid prayeth to God, and not according to the ſenſe of their Schoole diſtinction.
Vſe 3.He ſaith not, EueryEvery one that prayeth, ſhal hauehave that which he deſireth, but ſhall be ſaued. Thou ſhalt hauehave all thy deſires, if they ſtand with Gods glory and thy good, otherwiſe it is not good for thee to deſire to hauehave them. Paul prayed for the remouall of a temptation, and it was not remoued, for Gods and Pauls greater glory in ouercomming. Aske for neceſſary grace and ſaluation, and thou ſhalt be ſure to receiue it. A certaine vvidow deſired of Saint Auſten direction ſo to pray as ſhe might be heard; and he wiſhes her to pray for a bleſſed life. If he be compelled to giuegive, which is vn willingly wakened by the ſuiter, how much more bountifully vvill he giuegive, which needes no waking, but wakens vsus, that wee may aske himtAug. ep. 121. ad orobam de orando Deo.?
Ʋſe 4.Prayer is a ſingular refuge in trouble. In warre, Moſes did more good with his prayers againſt Amalek, then the Souldiers did with their ſwords. As a ſtrong Caſtle in a commotion, ſo is prayer vntounto God in trouble.
When Chriſt tells of the troubles of the laſt daies, Luke 21 36.he aduiſeth to prayer; and accordingly himſelfe practiſed.
Prayer is the buckles of Chriſtian Armour. The great neglect of this dutie, is the cauſe that we are ſo often ouercome in temptation, and ouertaken with foule enormities. Hee that ſanctifies himſelfe in the morning with prayer, is the ſtronger to reſiſt tentations all the day after; for as when the Lion roares, the beaſts hide themſelues, ſo there is nothing that ſooner putteth the diuell to flight, then faithfull prayer. Not to pray, is a note of a wretch, and ſuch lie open to all the plagues of God.
Ʋſe 5.Not eueryevery ſaying, Lord, Lord, ſhall obtaine ſaluation, but that Inuocation which hath Faith for the roote, and Obedience for the fruit: For we ſhall not receiue, if either wee belieue that God will not giuegive our asking, or if we glorifie him not with a godly life. If I regard wickedneſſe in my heart, the Lord will not heare me, ſaith Dauid. Pſal. 66.18.Let eueryevery one that calleth one Chriſt, depart from iniquity, ſaith Paul. 2 Tim. 2.19.The prayer of a righteous man auaileth much, ſaith Iames. Iaco. 5.15.As the Serpent going to drinke, layes downe his poyſon; ſo doe thou lay aſide thy ſinnes when thou goeſt to prayer.
If a man hauing murdered his neighbours child, ſhould come with his hands reeking with the blood to intreat a kindneſſe, ſhould he obtaine? So neuer make account to be graciouſly heard, when thou preſenteſt thy ſelfe before the Lord, with the tokens of thy pride on thy body, or in the ſteame of thy wine and ſtrong drink, &c.