Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 10 · Verses 14-17
VERSE 14. How then ſhall they call on him, in whom they hauehave not belieued? and how ſhall they belieue in him of whom they hauehave not heard? and how ſhall they heare without a Preacher?
15. And how ſhall they preach except they be ſent? as it is written, cEſay 52.7. Naum. 1.15.How beautifull are the feet of them, that preach the Goſpel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things?
16. But they hauehave not all obeyed the Goſpel: For Eſayas ſaith, dEſay 53.1. Iohn 12.38.Lord, who hath belieued our *Or Preaching. Gr. the hearing of vsus.report?
17. So then, Faith commeth by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
SAint Paul hath before ſpoken of Faith, and the righteouſnes of it: and ſome thinke that here his purpoſe is to ſhew the meanes to come to Faith, which is, by hearing the Word. This is true, but the whole cōtext in my opinion ſhewes, that Paul hath another drift in theſe verſes: namely, to proue that the Goſpell muſt be preached to the Gentiles, which the Iewes could not abide to heare of.
The Apoſtle ſaid, that vvhoſoeuer, Iew or Gentile calles vponupon God, ſhall be ſaued. Hence hee inferreth that the Goſpell muſt be preached to the Gentiles. The Argument is thus:
It is the will of God that the Gentiles ſhould be ſaued.
But without the Goſpel they cannot be ſaued,
Therefore the Goſpel muſt be preached vntounto them.
The firſt Propoſition is auouched before; the Minor is in theſe verſes proued, where wee hauehave the Argument it ſelfe, verſe 14. and part of the 15. with the 17. The other part of the 15. and the 16. verſe, are an Amplification of the Argument. The Minor is proued by a heape of Arguments mSorites.clapt together, from the firſt to the laſt, thus; Thoſe that call on the Name of the Lord, ſhall be ſaued.
But none can call, except they beleeue, nor belieue, except they heare; nor heare but by a Preacher; nor preach, except ſent.
Therefore, Faith comes by hearing, verſe 17. that is, Preaching, and preaching by the Word, that is, by the Commandement of God.
The Argument followes backward and backward, Affirmatiuely and Negatiuely.
The words are familiar, which he ſetteth downe by Interrogations, which are equiualent to ſtrong Negations.
How ſhall they call, &c. That is, They cannot call on him in whom they beleeue not.
True Prayer, is the effect of true Faith.
How ſhall they beleeue, &c. That is, they cannot beleeue without hearing, which is the ordinary and high-way to Faith. For Faith preſuppoſeth knowledge. Knowledge inſtruction: Inſtruction hearing, which is the ſenſe of learning. We hauehave ſeene blinde men learned, but neuer deafe men ſo borne. He that is borne deafe, is alſo borne dumbe. The reaſon, becauſe we learne to ſpeake. Deafe men are barred from Faith and ſaluation, to be attained by hearing, but not ſimply and abſolutely, becauſe God when he pleaſeth, can extraordinarily worke Faith without the ſenſes. Wee hauehave ſome Notions of God left in Nature; but to know God in Chriſt, and things to be beleeued vntounto ſaluation, comes from without, and requires Inſtruction.
How can they heare, &c.? That is, they cannot heare to faith, without a Preacher; Preaching and Hearing are Relatiues.
How can they preach, except they be ſent? That is, None can Preach, except they be ſent. A man vnſent may debate or diſcourſe of matters, but not as the Embaſſadors of God, to the begetting of Faith, except they bee ſent of God.
If a man take vponupon him to preach not being ſent, hee were as good hold his peace. As a priuate mans doings running on an Embaſſy of his owne head, are not approued of the King: ſo good workes onelyonly with them whom he ſendeth. He that begets Faith in any, is ſent of God.
Sending, is Externall or Internall. We ſpeake of externall, which is, by Eccleſiaſtike ordination from thoſe who themſelues hauehave beene firſt ordained, and deriue their power ſucceſſiuely from the Apoſtles, and ſo from our Sauiour Chriſt.
doctrine Without the preaching of the Goſpell there is (ordinarily) no ſaluation. The Goſpell is the power of God to ſaluation, not written in leaues, but preached, Rom. 1.16. 1. Cor. 1.21. Iam. 1.18.
Vſe 1.Saints are not to be inuocated, becauſe we may not beleeue in them: This ſeruice of our Faith is onelyonly due to God.
Ʋſe 2.Faith breedes Prayer: and indeede none can pray but beleeuers. An vnbeleeuer may ſpeake and ſay ouer a forme of words, but pray he cannot without Faith. When we are perſwaded of the goodneſſe of God, and his readineſſe to helpe, then we fall to Prayer. When Peter was in danger of drowning, if hee had not beene perſwaded of Chriſts louelove, hee would neuer ſo confidently hauehave cryed; Helpe, Maſter, I periſh. The Saints (whoſe practice herein muſt be our example) for the kindling of Prayer, hauehave vſed to ſtirre vp their Faith, by attributing ſuch Titles to God, which doe manifeſt his Power, Mercy and Truth. As we eſteeme not the cryes of ſuch which truſt vsus not: ſo neither doth God the words of them which beleeue him not.
Vſe 3.Many thinke, that of all other things preaching might beſt be ſpared, and that the Miniſters office is leaſt neceſſarie: but here we ſee, that Faith and the promiſed good things cannot be attained without preaching. Next to Chriſt, it is the greateſt benefite which God hath giuen to men: For by this wee know, and apply that to our Saluation. When Princes are crowned, they are bountifull; ſo when Chriſt our King aſcended, he gaue gifts. What gifts? Some to bee Paſtors and Teachers, for the gathering and edifying his Church vntounto ſaluation: Epheſ. 4.Hee therefore that deſpiſeth preaching, deſpiſeth the bounty of Chriſt, and is guilty of his owne damnation: For, as our bodies cannot liue without bread: ſo nor our ſoules without the Word.
Q. Shall none be ſaued, but thoſe which heare Sermons?
A. No, Ordinarily.
Q. Cannot God ſaue men, though they heare none?
A. It is a needleſſe Queſtion: none denies but hee can: yet when he giues ordinary meanes, hee ſhewes he will ſaue no otherwiſe. As a man refuſing to eate, becauſe God can ſaue him without meate, tempteth God; ſo doth hee, vvho following his pleaſures, and refuſing to heare, thinkes to be ſaued. Manna is for the wilderneſſe, which an Iſraelite lookes not for in Canaan, where hee may ſow and reape: ſo, while thou liueſt in a Church, where thou maiſt partake of the ordinary meanes, vſe them, if thou wouldſt be nouriſhed in the hope of eternall life.
God could hauehave taught the Eunuch without Philip; conuerted Paul, without Anamias; inſtructed Cornelius, without Peter; opened Lydias heart, without Paul: but hee vſed (not the Miniſterie of Angels, but) the miniſterie of men, to teach vsus, that it is his will wee ſhould ſubmit vntounto it, if wee would be bleſſed. The Miniſtery of the Word is by the wiſedome of God, which reuerence thou, vnleſſe thou accounteſt thy ſelfe wiſer then God.
Vſe 4.The Papiſts from Gregory, make Images Laymens books; but God hath appointed, not by looking on an Image, but by hearing his ordinance, to inſtruct the Church in the Faith.
Vſe 5.None can preach till they be ſent. If God ſend not, wee goe without good ſpeede: Therefore, Eſay, Iohn Baptiſt, Chriſt himſelfe, the Apoſtles goe not til their commiſsions be ſealed by God.
Q. How may a man know who is ſent of God?
A. A Miniſter may know that God ſends him; if he find his heart moued by GOD to deſire the Calling for Gods glory; if hee be competently qualified vvith learning, godlineſſe, diſcretion, vtterance; if his gifts bee allowed by the Church, and hee bee ſent according to the ordinarie courſe of the Church, wherein hee is a Miniſter: which is not after one manner in all Churches, neither is it neceſſary.
The Hearer may know that his Teacher is ſent of God, if his teaching beget Faith and Inuocation. The bleſſing of God vponupon his labours, is an infallible token of his lawfull Calling: ſo Ieremie approues a true Prophet, Ier. 23.21,22.and Paul his Apoſtleſhip.2. Cor. 3.1,2.
The Separatiſts as they deny our Church (their mother) the name of a Church; ſo they deny vsus to bee true Miniſters of Chriſt. But if ordinary begetting of faith be an argument of a lawfull calling: Bleſſed be God, we hauehave a calling to our comfort.
They ſay we are falſe, Idolatrous, Antichriſtian Miniſters, euen prieſts of Baal. And I aske them whether ordinarily God conuerteth men to himſelfe, and ſtabliſheth them in true Grace, by falſe, Idolatrous and Antichriſtian meanes? Whether hee followes the prieſts of Baal, with his aboundant bleſſing in their calling, or his own Miniſters whom he ſends himſelfe?
And if we be ſent of God, how dare they refuſe to heare vsus, though there might bee ſome defect in our Calling, which I am ſure is as iuſtifiable, as the calling in any Church vponupon earth? and when it is at the worſt; too good, that theirs ſhould enter into any compariſon with it. Howſoeuer they blaſpheme our Calling, I am ſure, that if there bee any grace in any of them, they are beholding to the Miniſterie of the Church of England for it.
Ʋſe 6.How can they preach, vnleſſe they bee ſent? Therefore whereſoeuer preaching is, it is by the ſending of God, and a token of his louelove, as where he ſends it not, it is a token of his diſpleaſure toward the place. Apoc. 1.16.Chriſt hath the Miniſters as Starres in his right hand, not onelyonly for their defence, but alſo to make them riſe or ſet, to ſeuerall parts of the world, as he pleaſeth. He can make it raine on Gedeons Fleece, Iudg. 6.37,38,39,40.and no where elſe, and eueryevery where, ſaue on Gedeons Fleece. If you hauehave the Word, thanke him that ſent it; if you want it, ſeeke it from him that giues it.