Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 8 · Verses 38-39
VERSE 38. For I am perſwaded, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come,
39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other Creature, ſhall be able to ſeparate vsus from the louelove of God which is in Chriſt Ieſus our Lord.
IN theſe Verſes the third tentation is remoued, which is from the euill ſuppoſed to be in God; which is mutabilitie of his louelove, and it is brought in as anſwering a doubt.
Some might ſay: Nothing can ſo preſſe vsus, but that wee ſhal be ſure to conquer, if God continue to louelove vsus, & to ſtand on our ſide.
Paul confidently anſweres, that not onelyonly no tribulation as before; but no creature or thing that is or may bee preſent or to come; no Wit, Power, or Policy; no Men, Diuels, Angels, if they were all muſtered in one armie, could ſeparate Gods children, from his louelove vntounto them in Chriſt Ieſus. If any thing could, then theſe all, or ſome which are reckoned; but not theſe, therefore nothing.
In theſe words are two parts. 1. A Propoſition, That Nothing can ſeparate vsus from Gods louelove. 2. The Amplification which is double. 1. Pauls perſwaſion vponupon great experience. 2. The ground of his perſwaſion, which is, that Gods louelove is not grounded vponupon vsus, but vponupon Chriſt; whoſe merite is infinite, and efficacie omnipotent; and therefore Gods louelove neuer to faile.
I am perſwaded; That is, I am vnfallibly certified: it is my Faith, no Morall coniecture: ſome note that vnderunder this word is implyed, that Paul was brought vntounto this aſſurance by the preaching of the Word.
That neither Death, nor Life: Death cannot, which is of all terrible things the moſt terrible: and life cannot, though it be ſweet, as wee ſay; which the Diuell knew well enough when he ſaid, Iob 2.4.Skin for skin, and all that a man hath, will he giuegive for his life! Death cannot, for it is our Aduantage: which a wicked man ſpied out, when he wiſhed Numb. 23.10.that hee might dye the death of the Righteous, & that his latter end might be like theirs. Life cannot: for Gods children, are ready to offer vp their liues as a ſacrifice to God. In trouble, many hauehave borne much, who hauehave beene ouercome of pleaſure; but no Aduerſitie, which is meant by death, the chiefe of things feared, nor any pleaſure, which is meant by life, the chiefe of the things deſired, can ſet GOD off from his children.
Nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers. Some write here of the diſtinction conceiued to be among miniſtring Angels; I meddle not with that, neither thinke I that Paul aimed at it here. Some meane good Angels: ſome euill, for theſe titles are giuen to both: To good: Epheſ. 1.21. To euill: Col. 2.15. I ſubſcribe to them who thinke both meant. The euill cannot, though they enterpriſe it what they can; The good will not, who rather reioyce at the Conuerſion and conſtancie of the Saints.
Q. But why ſhould Paul ſpeake of good Angels?
A. For our greater Conſolation. And it is to bee vnderſtood conditionally; that if they ſhould attempt it (which they neuer will doe) yet neither their cunning, nor ſtrength is able to doe it, ſo ſure is our ſaluation founded vponupon the blood and merit of Ieſus Chriſt. The like confident ſpeech Paul vſeth in another place. Gal. 1.8.Though an Angell from Heauen preach any other Goſpell, let him bee accurſed. It is impoſſible that the Angels ſhould; but if they ſhould: So here in this place.
Nor things preſent, nor things to come. Things which we now endure, or to be endured hereafter. Things preſent worke either griefe, or delight: things to come, either feare or deſire: whatſoeuer they worke, they cannot worke our ſeparation from God.
Nor height, nor depth: 2. Cor. 10.5.Some vnderſtand proſperitie, and aduerſitie: ſome honour and baſeneſſe: ſome the ſublimitie of mans reaſon, called a high thing ſome-where, and humilitie of minde: ſome the height of authoritie and depth of wiſedome, as we call a wiſe man, a profound man: ſome the elements aboue and below vsus: ſome heauen and earth: ſome heauen and hell; and ſo Chryſoſtom, whoſe expoſition I take to be leaſt conſtrained. Quocunque modo profundum & ſublimitas intelligatur, non poterit nos ab amore Chriſti ſeparare. Anſel.But howſoeuer it bee taken, whether all, or one of theſe wayes, or any other way, it cannot ſeparate vsus from the louelove of God in Chriſt.
Nor any other creature; Not extant: as if hee ſhould dare all creatures that are or may be; which is ſet to the reſt as an &c. in the end of a ſentence.
doctrine Gods louelove can neuer faile, to his Church, and children, Iam. 1.17. Eſay 54.9,10. Mat. 16 18. Ioh. 10.28. & 13.
Vſe 1.Nothing can ſeparate vsus from the ſenſe of Gods louelove; but hauehave ſenſe we cannot without Faith: Therefore Faith cannot faile.
Ʋſe 2.The ground of Gods louelove to vsus is Chriſt: in our ſelues we are odious, in him beloued.
doctrine Ʋſe 3.All other eſtates and things in this life are vncertaine: only the ſtate of Gods children is certaine.
The fauour of a King is a great matter: but the Kings Fauorite may either by enuy, or iuſt deſert, as Haman, bee caſt off: Yea Kings themſelues hauehave no certaintie, as appeares in Nebuchadnezzar: But neither enuie, nor our own deſeruings, if once the children of God, can ſeparate vsus from him. Wee may ſinne, but we cannot finally and totally fall away. God will correct vsus becauſe we ſinne, but neuer forſake vsus, becauſe we are his. For our eſtate ſtands vponupon foure brazen pillers, which are all founded vponupon, and vpholden by Chriſt.
1. The Vnchangeableneſſe of Gods louelove. 2. The Immutabilitie of Predeſtination: 3. the Infallibility of his Promiſes: 4. The continual Interceſſion of Chriſt. All theſe are in Chriſt. In Chriſt he loues vsus: In Chriſt we are predeſtinated; All the promiſes are yea and Amen in Chriſt; and it is Chriſt that makes interceſſion for vsus. So that vponupon theſe grounds whoſoeuer ſtands, muſt needs be certaine. Yea, with reuerence be it ſpoken: Chriſt muſt ceaſe to be himſelfe, if we be not ſaued; neither can he be ſaued without vsus, as the head liues not without the body.
Vſe 4.The ſtate of Gods children is ſure in it ſelfe, and in God: and they know it to be ſo, and that it ſhall ſo continue.
Obiect. But they doubt.
Anſ. True: but they ouercome doubting by their Faith. So that though by their fleſh they doubt: yet by their Faith they are certaine: as Paul ſaith here, He is perſwaded.
Ob. Paul was indeed ſure, but by Reuelation.
A. It is no where ſo written, nor can be proued: Apoſtolus non loquitur ſingulariter de ſe, ſed in perſona omnium Praedeſtinatorū. Aquin. in loc.and Paul ſpeakes heere not ſingularly of himſelfe, but in the perſon of all the predeſtinate, as in the whole current of the reſt of this Chapter and Epiſtle appeares. Otherwiſe by this obiection of exemption by priuiledge, it may as well bee auouched that Saint Paul intendeth to proue or auerre no more, then that onelyonly Paul accounted the afflictions of this preſent to be vnvaluable to the future glory; 8.18.that onelyonly Saint Paul had the firſt fruits of the Spirit; 8.23.that Chriſt made interceſſion onelyonly for S. Paul. And ſo his comfortable arguments here deliuered, ſhould ſerue rather for a glorious diſplaying of the ſpeciall priuiledge of the Writer, then for the perſonall application, & ſound comfort of the children of God, his fellow-beleeuers, to whom, and for whom hee wrote this and other Epiſtles. Therefore, this comfortable and firme perſwaſion certainely is a thing common to all beleeuers.
Ob. But the word ſometimes ſignifies a coniecturall perſwaſion, which may faile.
A. But ſo it cannot here by the iudgement of our Aduerſaries themſelues, who ſay that he was certain by Reuelation. When this word is vſed of others, ſingulars: it is the perſwaſion of Charity which may faile. But when of the holy Catholike Church, or of our ſelues according to the word, then it is the perſwaſion of Faith, which is moſt certaine.
Ob. But we may be ſure now, but not of the time to come.
A. Yes, well inough: becauſe Paul ſaith, no future thing can ſeparate vsus from Gods louelove. 1. Cor. 13.8.And if our Charitie ſhall neuer fall away, much more ſhall Gods louelove continue.
Doubt not therefore, but be beleeuing. And yet this is not our praiſe not to doubt, but to ouercome doubting by our Faith. Let this encourage thee againſt all tentations. Martiall men deſcend with great reſolution to the battell, vncertaine of the euent. Thou art certaine of victory, be therefore couragious.
Vſe 5.If we eſteeme not Chriſts louelove aboue all other things, hee may hauehave iuſt cauſe to account his bloud & louelove ill beſtowed on vsus. If a wife ſhould louelove her husbands eſtate, more then himſelfe, ſhe were vnworthy: ſo were we, if wee ſhould preferre any thing before God, who loues vsus Thus. Phil. 3.8.Paul accounts all other things as dung in compariſon hereof. Nay, our Sauiour ſaith, Luke 14.26.that hee that hates not all deare things in compariſon of Him, is not worthy of him.
Heauen is not ſo much to be deſired as Gods louelove, nor hell ſo much to be feared, as the want of it. It is better to bee in hell with Gods louelove, then in Heauen without it, if that were poſſible. LoueLove Chriſt then more then Heauen, more then thine owne ſoule, who left heauen to redeeme thy ſoule.
Whom doeſt thou louelove beſt? Chriſt? or other things? If thou beſtoweſt more paines to get riches, and more coſt to compaſſe thy pleaſures, then thou doeſt to obtaine Chriſt: ſure thou loueſt theſe aboue Chriſt. If thou wilt neglect Chriſt and his Word, rather then renounce thy vile affections; thou loueſt thy ſelfe more then Chriſt. He that taſteth hony, relliſheth not other things; ſo where the louelove of Chriſt is, other things will be of ſmall account. As the Starres, though they be as well in the day as in the night, yet ſhine cleerely in the abſence of the Sunne, and are obſcured in his preſence: ſo till men taſte of Chriſt, worldly things are pleaſant and admired: but when Chriſt comes, they be nothing delightfull as before.