Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 11 · Verse 8
VERSE 8. According as it is written, Eſay 29.10.God hath giuen them the ſpirit of ſlumber, or remorſe.eyes that they ſhould not ſee, Eſay. 6.9.& eares that they ſhould not heare vntounto this day.
THe latter part of the ſeuenth verſe, that the reſt were blinded is proued by a double teſtimonie. The one of Eliah in this verſe; the other of Dauid. In the two next verſes.
That which the ſcripture teſtifieth is true.
But it teſtifies that the multitude of the Iewes are blinded. Ergo.
This firſt teſtimony is taken out of two places in Eſay. The firſt part out of Eſay. 29.10. The latter part, which is an expoſition of the ſpirit of ſlumber out of Eſay. 6.9.
Vſe 1.The authoritie of the ſcriptures; the ground of truth.
Vſe 2.Scripture the beſt interpreter of it ſelfe.
In this teſtimonie are two things. Firſt. The Iudgment. Secondly, the Amplification. The Iudgement forethreatned is Slumber. If I vnderſtand our owne tongue, ſlumber is a kind of vnquiet ſleepe, either in the beginning or end of our reſt, when eueryevery little thing will awake vsus. This cannot bee the meaning; but rather a heauy dead ſleepe is heere vnderſtood, tranſlated by Beza, Sopor, as death is called by the Poet Perpetuus Sopor, the Hebrew word is tranſlated by ſome foreign. Horat. Aquila.The ſleep here meant may be likened to Adams when his rib was taken out.
Queſt. But is it a iudgement to be caſt into ſuch a ſleepe? Many deſire it.
Anſw. Heere is not meant the ſleep of the body, but of the minde Blindneſſe of minde and hardneſſe, is ſo called by a metaphore, as if you would ſay, a ſpirituall lethargie, when neither the thundring noiſe of the Law, nor the ſweete ſound of the Goſpell can awake vsus.
The Greeke word vſed by Paul, foreign.from the Septuagint, ſignifies another thing, namely, pricking and compunction, as if a man had a naile or bodkin in his ſides. Now becauſe Eſayes word ſignifies dead …leepe, Beza tranſlates Pauls word, foreign.though anciently, and properly it hath beene tranſlated Compunction, as is partly expreſſed in the margine. There is a word in Greeke, very like this here vſed, which ſignifies ſleep, being deriued from a roote, that ſignifies Night. But this word in no wiſe doth ſo ſignifie. Saint Luke who well vnderſtood the Greeke tongue, vſeth it for Compunction in the ſecond of the Acts 5.foreign. Act. 2.37.
The naturall meaning may well be retained: Dead ſleepe being called Compunction by a figure, the effect for the cauſe, becauſe much or no Compunction can awake it, or rather of the cauſe for the effect, becauſe Compunction is the cauſe of dead ſleepe (not in the body, but) in the minde.
There is a double Compunction of minde; one comming from ſorrow for ſinne, as that, Act. 2.37. another comming from Enuie and Malice, which was in the Iewes, becauſe the Goſpell of Chriſt, whom they crucified, was preached and receiued in the world: this was as a dagger at their hearts. This Compunction of Enuie is heere meant, which is the cauſe of ſuch a deadneſſe of mind, that as a man in a dead ſleep heares and vnderſtands nothing: ſo a mind poſſeſſed with Enuy, is not patient to heare or conceiue any thing, for its good. Exceſſe of griefe brings a failing of the mind: Now enuy is a gnawing of the heart againſt our neighbour. When Stephen preached, Act. 7.the Iewes gnaſh their teeth, ſtoppe their eares, their hearts being readie to burſt for anger and rage. And when Paul preaches at Antiochia, Act. 13.48.the Iewes raile, contradict, and ſtirre vp perſecution, ſo that a man had as good ſpeak to a wall or a dead man, as vntounto them. Chryſoſtome expounds it, as a nayling to their paſſion, wherby they are vnmoueable in their perfidiouſneſſe. Theodotian.Some tranſlate it Exſtaſie, for enuy makes a man beſide himſelfe, capable of no good inſtruction. Cyprian calls it Tranſpunction: Cypr. l. 1. ep. 3.as a veſſell hauing a hole ſtriken thorow the bottome, holds not the liquor put in it: ſo whatſoeuer was preached to the Iewes, their hearts ſo aked with enuy, that they were vncapable of good counſaile and doctrine, being as ſenſeleſſe of all good things, as if they were dead.
This Iudgement is amplified by foure Arguments. 1. The Cauſe. 2. The Effect, 3. The Subiect. 4. The Adiunct.
1. The Cauſe is two-fold, firſt Principal, God the Author of this Compunction, not as it is a ſinne, but as it is a iudgement: ſecondly, Inſtrumentall, Satan: therefore Paul ſaith, The ſpirit of ſlumber: not as God workes grace in his owne, doth he worke this blindneſſe in the reprobate, but grace by himſefe, blindneſſe by Satan: to whom concerning ſome Reprobate, God ſpeaketh as it were thus: Satan, is ſuch a one ſo wretched, that he enuies the Goſpell, and ſpets at it? Take him to thee, torment him for it, harden him more, that his condemnation may be the greater. God is the Iudge: Satan the tormentor,: by the ſpirit of ſlumber is alſo meant the forcible working of Satan vponupon our corrupt nature, as if a man being vponupon the top of an hill, and purpoſing to runne downe, the Diuell ſhould ſtand at his backe and puſh him forward.
2. The Effect, Eyes that they ſhould not ſee, &c. Blindneſſe of minde, not to be capable of ſauing knowledge, is an effect of malice againſt the truth.
3. The Subiect, The Iewes, a wiſe and learned people in the Law.
4. The Adiunct, To this Day, which may be referred to the ſeuenth verſe, Hardened, or blinded to this day: it is all one; the meaning, not for euer, but to this day. The vaile vntounto this day is layd ouer their hearts, but it ſhall be taken away.2. Cor. 3.16.
doctrine God in his iuſt iudgement giues ouer ſuch as are enemies to the Goſpell, to the diuell, to be blinded, that they cannot conuert. Ioh. 9.39. 2. Cor. 4.3.
Vſe 1.Many, in worldly things, are wittie and of great apprehenſion, and iudgement, and yet as blinde as beetles, very blocks in religion. Eyes they hauehave, ſee they doe, they are no fooles, yet they perceiue not the things belonging to their peace. As Bats and Owles ſee beſt in the night, ſo their chiefeſt vnderſtanding is of worldly matters. As a Moule within the ground is nimble and quicke, but aboue the ground can make little ſhift: ſo talke or deale with theſe men of earthly matters, they are cunning, but ſpeake of Religion, and you poſe them as with a ſtrange language. Achitophel, a great Stateſman, goes home in a dudgeon, and in a ſullen yet hangs himſelfe. Could any Ideot hauehave done more fooliſhly? Pray that thy wit may be ſanctified, otherwiſe thou mayeſt proue an enemie, and be beſotted with the worſt folly.
Enuy and malice towards the Goſpell, makes worldly wiſe men, ſpiritual fooles: which is the reaſon, that, when a worldly wiſe-man heares the Word, and receiues no benefite, ſome plaine man that loues it, is edified by it to ſaluation. He that would grow by the word, muſt caſt away enuy and malice.1. Pet. 2.1.2.
It is a fearefull eſtate to enuy the Goſpell, ſuch are giuen ouer to the Diuell to be blinded, and what will not the diuell bring ſuch vntounto? Needes muſt he goe whom the diuell driues: as he tumbled the ſwine into the ſea, ſo wi…l he thruſt ſuch into all iniquitie. Tell ſome ſwearer of his ſwearing, and he will ſweare the more to ſpite you: this were not poſſible, if men were not giuen ouer to the diuell: as the Diuell tyrannized ouer Iob, when God hath giuen him licenſe; ſo will he rage in thy conſcience. Pray with Dauid: Pſal. 51.11. Pal. 143.10.Lord take not thy holy ſpirit from me, and let thy good ſpirit lead me into the land of righteouſnes.
Vſe. 2.To hauehave eyes and not to ſee, to know the truth and to hauehave no power to apply it to our conſciences is fearfull. It is vncomfortable to be borne bodily blind; much more is ſpirituall blindneſſe vncomfortable.
When Chriſt came nigh Ieruſalem, he wept ouer it: what was the cauſe? euen the blindneſſe of the Iewes; Luk 19.41. Ioh 11.33.O that thou hadſt knowne the things belonging to thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes; thou art blinded. When he raiſed Lazarus, he groned in the ſpirit. Why? for the hardneſſe of their hearts. A grieuous plague muſt blindneſſe of mind be, when Chriſt ſo wept and groned for them which were ſtiken with it, when he neuer cried Oh, for all his owne bodily ſufferings and bitter paſſions. Repent of thy malice to the word, that thou maiſt ſee.