Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 11 · Verse 22
VERSE. 22. Behold therefore the goodnes and ſeuerity of God; on them which fell, ſeuerity: but towards thee, goodneſſe, if thou continue in his goodneſſe: otherwiſe thou alſo ſhalt be cut off.
THIS verſe is the concluſion of the former admonition, ſhewing to vsus Gentiles, the vſe wee ſhould make of the iudgements of God to the Iew, and his mercy to vsus. This he propoundeth by way of counſell and aduice, directing vsus how to ſpell out a good leſſon for our ſelues out of theſe things.
In this verſe are two things: Firſt an Exhortation: Secondly, an Amplification.
The Exhortation in theſe words, Behold the goodneſſe and ſeueritie of God: on them which fell, ſeuerity: but towards thee goodneſſe: The Amplification in the reſt of the words.
In the Exhortation, are two things to be conſidered: Firſt, the Manner: Secondly, the Matter of it.
The Maner is in this word, Behold, which is not the aduerbe, but the verbe, to note a narrow looking into the point: as in that, Behold the Lambe of God: Ioh. 1.29.as if Iohn ſhould hauehave ſaid, Looke well on him: eye him: marke him well.
The matter to be conſidered: Goodneſſe and ſeueritie. both theſe determined by their proper ſubiects. Seueritie, generally to all, perſonally to the Iew: Goodneſſe perſonally to the Gentile, To thee, ſpeaking to vsus face to face, and generally to all.
Goodneſſe, The word ſignifies the propenſitie of God to do good: Taſte and ſee how good and gratious God is, Pſal. 34.taſte the ſweetneſſe of his nature. If ſo be you hauehave taſted, ſaith Peter, 1. Pet. 2.3.how gratious the Lord is. The ſweetneſſe of the nature of our God: who is not froward and tyrannous, but moſt readie to beſtow grace and goodneſſe, and to receiue ſinners.
This ſweetneſſe, if you pleaſe ſo to call it, is to be diſtinguiſhed from the effects of it, which are LoueLove, MercieMercy, Saluation. Tit. 3.4.5.Saluation is the effect of Gods mercy, mercy of his louelove, louelove, of his ſpeciall goodneſſe.
Seuerity: The word ſignifies ſuch a ſeuerity as notes a cutting off: which word Paul vſeth the more to ſet forth Gods goodneſſe to vsus. Moſt ſweetly hath God dealt with vsus, and moſt bitterly with the Iewes, ſearching and ſifting out all their vngodlineſſe. As a Iudge cuttes the matter in peeces, pondering all reaſons and circumſtances before he giuegive ſentence, or as a Iuſtice ſtrictly examineth and preſſeth the ſuſpected malefactor brought before him: or as in an Anatomie, eueryevery ſinew and veine is laid open; or as Paul bad Titus to reproue the Cretians, ſharpely, Tit. 1:as if one ſhould ſay, rippe vp their conſciences, ſpeake home to them, touch them to the quicke; ſo God dealt with the Iew.
Theſe two are attributed to God, whence the fathers confuted the dotage of the Manichees concerning two beginnings.
Theſe are not oppoſite in God, who is a ſimple eſſence. They are not two things in God, much leſſe two oppoſite things: they are the ſame in God, oppoſed not formally, but in regard of the effect, as it is the ſame heat of the ſunne, which hardens the clay, and ſoftens the wax.
doctrine It is the duty of all, for their better ſtirring vp to thankefullnes and humilitie, diligently to keepe a note-booke of the mercies of God to themſelues, & his iudgments to others. Concerning iudgments. 1. Cor. 10.6.11. 2. Pet. 2.6. And for his goodneſſe Dauid had his tables or booke of remembrance. Pſal. 66.16. And ſo had Paul 1 Tim. 1.
Vſe 1.He ſayth not, behold thy goodneſſe, but Gods: if thou be ſaued, the praiſe is Gods; if thou be damned, the fault is thine owne.
Vſe. 2.His goodneſſe and ſeuerity. Seperate not theſe things which God hath ioyned: he hath reuealed himſelfe to be both mercifull and iuſt. Ioyntly conſider of them, and it will helpe againſt two dangerous tentations, namely diſpayre and preſumption, which are as the two armes of the diuell whereby he gathers vsus vp for himſelfe.
1. For diſpaire. Sinners diſpayre, becauſe they cannot be perſwaded of merciemercy, only veiwing the ſeueritie of God, and poring vponupon that: haſt thou offended God and therefore art afflicted in conſcience? Alaſſe thou haſt deſerued to be a fire-brand of hell; but yet conſider the ſweete goodneſſe of God: he is iuſt to damne ſtubborne ſinners that repent not: but to ſuch as humble themſelues, and with penitent hearts beg for merciemercy, he is a ſweete God. Witneſſe Manaſſes, Mary Magdalene, Paul; theſe vponupon their repentance were pardoned their odious ſinnes: whatſoeuer therefore thy ſinnes hauehave bene, deſpaire not; there is mercy with the Lord, who is more mercifull, then thou art ſinfull, and can pardon more ſinnes then thou canſt commit. Only beleeue it, and repent.
2. For preſumption. As the act of ſeeing, is hindered both by no light and by too much: ſo the light and comfort of conſcience is hindered, either by no ſeeing of merciemercy, which cauſeth deſpaire; or by ſeeing nothing elſe but merciemercy, which cauſeth preſumption. Satan will tell thee, thou maiſt take thy libertie, follow thy pleaſures, needeſt not be ſo preciſe, for God is mercifull. Thy remedy is to conſider not onelyonly the merciemercy, but the ſeueritie of God alſo. He is as iuſt as mercifull. Remember how ſeuerely he hath dealt with the Iewes; they hauehave bene almoſt this 1600. yeares vagabonds for their rebellion againſt Chriſt and his Goſpell. Forget not his ſeueritie to Dauid for the matter of Vriah: how he not onelyonly viſited Dauids conſcience, but tooke him vp, and made him an example to all the world, plaguing him in his Amnon, Abſolon, Adoniah. Thinke of Moſes that meeke man, whom God calls his friend, yet for one fault, (and that ſo ſecret, as by reading the ſtorie we can ſcarce finde it out) for ſtriking the rocke, when he ſhould onelyonly hauehave onelyonly ſpoken to it in confidence, was barred entrance into the land of Canaan. O ſeueritie.
How dareſt thou then dreame of merciemercy vnderunder many ſins, when thou remembreſt how ſeuerely God hath dealt with his owne children for ſome one weaknes which they hauehave ſhewed? If therefore the diuell tell thee that God is mercifull: tel him againe, that he is moſt iuſt and ſeuere alſo. The rather conſider ſeriouſly hereof, becauſe a thouſand periſh this way, to one that periſheth by deſperation. Deſperation is a courſe that Satan takes but with a few, becauſe it is tedious to fleſh and bloud, and often proues the occaſion of a mans conuerſion, and ſo the diuell is ouerſhot in his owne bowe. But preſumption is pleaſing. To liue as we liſt, to enioy our pleaſures, and then go to heauen when we hauehave done, what can be more pleaſing to fleſh and bloud? By this baite the diuell catcheth moſt: let vsus therefore be the more wary, praying with Dauid, Pſal. 19.Lord keepe me from preſumptuous ſinnes.
Vſe 3.Goodneſſe and ſeueritie. Who hauehave goodneſſe? and who ſeueritie? I will tell thee: if thou repenteſt and obeyeſt the Goſpel, go thy way, thou art a happie man. The ſweetneſſe of God and his goodneſſe is to thee. But if thou beeſt a prophane, vnbeleeuing, impenitent wretch, and dieſt in this eſtate, the moſt iuſt God will in his great ſeueritie hurle thee into hell, as out of the middle of a ſling.
Vſe. 4.That thou mayſt value thy merciemercy and the goodnes of God to thee the more, conſider the iudgements that fall vponupon the wicked. See thy happineſſe O England: looke vponupon Turkie, where Mahomet; vponupon Italy, where the Pope tyrannizeth: look vponupon France and the Low countries, how they are fired with contentions, ſwimme in bloud, while thou ſingeſt of peace. Long mayſt thou ſing: and ſhalt, if thou canſt thankfully ſay, God hath not dealt ſo with any nation. Bleſſed be his Name.
Let eueryevery one in particular apply this. Wouldſt thou ſee the bleſſing of health, libertie, competencie of maintenance? looke vponupon the diſeaſed, the priſoners, the poore, who crie in the ſtreetes and high wayes for reliefe. Thou in regard of nature art no better then they, not a haire to chuſe betweene thee and them. Why is it then thus? Becauſe of the goodnes of God to thee, and his ſeueritie to them. Cain and Iudas deſpaire, but thou beleeueſt, and haſt aſſurance of heauen. Feare God for his ſeueritie, and louelove and praiſe him for his ſweetneſſe to thee, which thou haſt not deſerued.
2. The amplification of theſe two properties thus determined, is by a ſeuerall correction to either of them. Concerning the Gentile, in the latter end of this verſe: concerning the Iew in the next verſe, where Paul cunningly reſumes his former buſineſſe, from the which he hath thus digreſſed.
The firſt correction: To thee bountifulneſſe, if thou continueſt in his bountifulneſſe, that is, Faith, the cauſe for the effect, as merciemercy is taken ver. 31. Anſel.This is confirmed by a reaſon: Elſe thou ſhalt be cut off. Some obſerue the change of the word: The Iew is broken off: the Gentile cut off. To the Iew remaineth a hope of reingraffing: but if the Gentiles continue not they ſhall be ſtocked vp by the roots. As the famous Churches of the Eaſt; the very ſeed of theſe ancient Chriſtians is vtterly extirpated: ſo is it notwith the Iewes. Continue O England in his goodneſſe.
doctrine Perſeuerane is a neceſſarie condition of true ſauing faith. Heb. 3.14. 2. Ioh. 9.
The Papiſts from this conditionall (If thou continueſt) collect that none can be ſure to continue. We deny the collection or conſequence. 1. Paul ſpeakes to the whole Church of the Gentiles, among whom were many Hypocrites at whom he aymes. 2. He ſpeakes thus to the elect, not that they can finally fall away, but to prouoke them carefully to looke ouer their euidence that they may be ſure. 3. Its abſurd to inferr an abſolute propoſition, from a conditionall. As if one ſhould thus collect in an other caſe: if the ſunne riſe not to morrow it will be darke: therefore it will be darke to morrow. The courſe of nature appoynted by God, holding, the ſunne ſhall riſe, and ſo. the power and truth of God holding, (which cannot fayle) the elect ſhall continue: ſo Arminius but weakely concludes, that there needes nothing to the conuerſion of men, but the bare propounding of the ſcripture, becauſe it is ſay: that the Tyrians and Sydonians would long agoe hauehave repented, if the great workes which Chriſt did among the Iewes, had bene done amongſt them. Which manner of reaſoning is as if one ſhould collect a power of ſpeaking to be in ſtones, becauſe our Sauiour ſomewhere ſayth, Luk. 19.40.that if theſe hold their peace, the very ſtones would cry out.
Vſe 2.See thou continue, or elſe thou ſhalt not taſt of the ſweeteneſſe of God in the ſaluation of thy foule. Be not like a waning but like a new moon that is increaſing: like the morning light which groweth brighter and brighter to perfit day. Be not like Nabuchadnezzars image, whoſe head was of gold, and whoſe feete were of dirt. Many begin gloriouſly, but end ſhamefully: our end muſt be beſt.
Faith ſaueth if it be kept to the end: if with Paul thou canſt ſay, I hauehave kept the faith, thou ſhalt weare an immortal crowne with Paul. The end tries all, before which a man cannot be ſayd and knowne to others to be happy. Flowers that are freſh and ſweete, we delight to weare, but when they fade and wither, we throw them away. So fading profeſſors ſhall be cut off. If thou returneſt with the dogge and ſwine, to the vomit and mire of thy former ſinnes, it had bene better thou hadſt neuer knowne the way of righteouſneſſe, for as the Lord liueth who caſt off the Iewes, ſo he ſhall alſo caſt off thee. Pray for perſeuerance, and looke to thy ſelfe, that thou looſeſt not the things which thou haſt done, but that thou mayſt receiue a full reward.