Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 11 · Verses 30-31
VERSE. 30. For as yee in times paſt, hauehave not beleeued Or obeyed.God, yet hauehave now obtained mercy through their vnbeleefe.
31. Euen ſo hauehave theſe alſo now not beleeued, Or obeyed.that through your merciemercy, they alſo may obtaine merciemercy.
HEere is the laſt Argument to proue the Conuerſion and generall calling of the Iewes, which is furrher confirmed, verſ 32.
The Argument is taken from the like dealing of God with the Gentiles: God after a long time of infidelitie receiued the Gentiles to merciemercy: therefore will hee alſo at laſt receiue the Iewes; for (according to the rule) of things like, there is the ſame iudgement. The impiety of the Gentiles was no impediment to their merciemercy: neither ſhall the infidelity of the Iewes to theirs.
One accounts this Argument probable, not neceſſary, Piſcator.but the Confirmation, verſ. 32. makes it very neceſſary.
In theſe verſes, as in all ſimilitudes, are two parts, Firſt, A propoſition, verſe 30. Secondly, A reddition or application, verſe 31.
In the Propoſition are three things. 1. The ſtate the Gentiles were in, in times paſt: They hauehave not beleeued God. There is a double infidelitie Naturall, Iudiciall, the Gentiles were vnderunder both. Infidelitie may alſo be conſidered as oppoſed to Chriſtianitie: ſo we Chriſtians are not vnbeleeuers: or as oppoſed to faith, and ſo we are borne vnbeleeuers.
2. Their preſent eſtate, Terminus ad quem. They hauehave now obtained merciemercy, that is, Faith, which hee ſhould hauehave ſpoken, but he rather choſe to ſay merciemercy; both becauſe faith is of merciemercy, as of the cauſe, and alſo becauſe the proper act of Faith is to receiue merciemercy.
3. The meanes whereby we come out of an vnbeleeuing eſtate to a beleeuing, namely the vnbeleife of the Iewes. Which was medium occaſionale, the occaſion, not giuen but taken by the goodneſſe of God.
doctrine The Gentiles were Infidells. Eph. 2.12. but by the vnbeleife of the Iewes they are receiued to mercy & conuerted, as appeares in our experience.
Vſe 1.Forget not what thou wert in times paſt, an vnbeleeuer, a profane wretch, for we hauehave all run the race of the Prodigall ſonne. It is Gods grace if it be otherwiſe with thee now. Be thankfull. It may be within theſe few yeares thou wert a drunkard, a blaſphemer, an vncleane perſon: How if God had taken thee away in thy ſinnes, who hath ſuffered others not ſo greeuious ſinners as thy ſelfe to periſh in their iniquities? Let this binde thee to thy good behauiour for euer, and ſpurr thee on to more godlineſſe: If now thou ſhouldſt liue as thoſe which hauehave receiued no mercy, it muſt be a foul ſhame to thee.
Saint Paul ſayth, 1 Tim. 1.15.this a faithfull ſaying and worthy of all men to be receiued, that Ieſus Chriſt came into the world to ſaue ſinners. O its a ſweet ſaying indeed, for elſe we had bene all damned. This is picked out to be read at the receiuing of the Lords ſupper, for the comfort of penitent ſinners: a ſentence worthy to be written in letters of gold: write it vp in thy heart. And remember that Paul ſayth alſo, Tit. 3.8.this is a faithfull ſaying, and worthy of all affirmation, that they which beleeue in God ſhould be carefull to ſhew foorth good workes. As that is a faithfull ſaying, ſo is this a faithfull. As thou deſireſt the ſweetneſſe of the former, ſo ſee thou performeſt the dutie of the latter, for as the former comforts the conſcience, ſo this latter directs the life.
Vſe 2.Faith is a ſweete mercy, ſo is the word of God, the meanes of that faith: alas for the poor Indians, who know not God in Chriſt, who are without the word, who worſhip the diuell, how wretchedly do they liue, how deſperately doe they die. we account them miſerable, as they are indeed. But doe you thinke that we may not find ſome among our ſelues, for whom we may ſay ten thouſand times more alas? Yes certainly: namely for them which hauing the meanes of faith which is the word, yet contemne the ſame, alaſſe, alaſſe for them, for their eſtate is more deſperate: Turne not this grace into wantonneſſe, it will encreaſe thy torments.
Vſe 3Sinne breeds ſorrow, and many times ſorrow killes the ſin which bred it, as a worme breeding in timber conſumes it. So the ſinne of the Iewes workes, to the good of the Gentiles by the goodneſſe of God. One calls the ſinne of Adam happie, Greg. Mag.becauſe it was the occaſion of the reuealing of Chriſt, ſo in ſome ſort may wee ſay of the ſinne and vnbeleefe of the Iewes.
Queſt. But are not men execuſed, if good come of their ſinnes?
Anſ. No, becauſe they intend not the good, neither are our actions to bee cenſured by the good comming of them, but by the law of God. Therefore it was a vile part of that ſtrumpet-Nunne, who was the mother of Lumbard the Maſter of the Sentences, and of Gratian, …he Compiler of the Decrees, that being admoniſhed to repent of her vncleanneſſe, anſwered ſhe would not, affirming that ſhe had merited thereby much, in bringing two ſuch lights into the world as they were.
Vſe. 4.The Iewes are in a miſerable ſtate for our ſakes: God forbid that we ſhould lightly eſteeme of the grace God offers vsus, it comming vntounto vsus at ſo deare a rate as is the caſting off of Gods deare people the Iewes. A Heathen King cauſed a corrupt Iudge to be flayne, and the ſeate of Iuſtice to be couered with the skinne, that the ſight thereof might admoniſh ſucceeding Iudges to beware of bribes. So me thinkes we ſhould neuer ſee, heare, reade, meditate of a Iew, but we ſhould lay our hand vponupon our heart, and ſay, Thus are theſe poore wretches dealt withall for my ſake; what manner of perſon therefore ought I to be?
Vſe. 5.When we were infidels, God ſhewed vsus merciemercy, much more will he be mercifull to vsus now we beleeue.