Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Chapter 33 · Confutations – Moral observations
5 Places of Controversie.
1. Controv. Of the corrupt reading of the Latine text.
Vers. 15. WHereas the Hebrew text here readeth to this effect; If thy face goe not with us; The Latine text changeth it thus, If thou goe not: which Tostatus justifieth thus, that Hierom Cautissime mutavit; did most warilie change it, because there should otherwise seeme to be no difference betweene the Lords answer, and Moses replie, as now there is, for by my face, the Lord might understand his Angell. But Moses is not contented, that Gods Angell goe with them, but requireth that the Lord himselfe would be their guide.
Contra. 1. If the Latine translator were cautelous in altering of the originall, reading for, If thy presence goe not, (If thou goe not) then it would follow, that it is an oversight in the originall: and what is this else, but for man to take upon him to correct the enditing of the Spirit? 2. By Gods face and presence, Moses understood, not any Angell, but God himselfe, as vers. 20. the Lord by face understandeth himselfe: Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live. 3. Neither doth the difference betweene the Lords speech, and Moses replie consist in that distinction, as is shewed before, quest. 31. the like error is committed before, vers. 13. where the Latine Interpreter readeth, Shew me thy face, for shew me thy way.
2. Controv. That our calling is altogether of grace.
Vers. 19. I Will shew merciemercy to whom I will shew merciemercy. Ambrose hereupon inferreth well: Quod Dei gratiam nemo praeveniat merito suo, Epist. 84. ad Demetriad.&c. That no man preventeth Gods grace by his merit: as hee further proveth by that place of the Apostle, 1 Ioh. 4.10. Herein is love, not that we loved him, but that hee loved us. And that of S. Paul, Tit. 5. Not by the works of righteousnesse, which we had done, but by his merciemercy he saved us: then away with the works of preparation, or merits of congruitie, that any man by his owne endevour could make a way for his calling.
3. Controv. Against free will.
FUrther, by this text may be convinced that erronious collection of Chrysostom, who seemeth to thinke that this is but a phrase, to ascribe all to Gods merciemercy: Quia cujus est amplius, totum esse dixit; Because all is said to be his, whose the most is: Nostrum est eligere tantum & velle, &c. For it is our part onelyonly to chuse and will, it belongeth unto God to effect, and bring unto perfection, &c. And so he concludeth: Ne que Deus totum suum esse voluit, ne sine causa videatur nos coronare, ne que iterum nostrum, ne in superbiam incidamus: For God would neither have all to be his, lest he should seeme to crowne us without cause, nor yet all to be ours, lest we might be proud.
But Bernard better applieth that saying of the Apostle, It is not in him that willeth, &c. Is qui vult & currit, Lib. de grat. & liber arbit.non in se, sed in eo, à quo accipit & velle & currere debet gloriari: He that willeth and runneth, must rejoyce not in himselfe, but in him, from whom he receiveth to will and runne, &c. So comparing free will and grace together, he saith: Totum qui lem hoc, & …o…um illa, sed ut totum in illo, s…e totum ex illa; This doth all, and the other doth all, but as all is wrought in the one, that is free will, so all is wrought by the other, that is grace.
Hugo de S. Victor. to this purpose, answering to this question, why God doth conferre his grace upon one more than upon another; hath this excellent resolution 1. Some thinke (saith he) that God cannot doe otherwise than he doth: But this were to lay a necessitie upon God, who is most free. 2. Some affirme, that there is in some more than other, Quoddam s…mi…arium virtutis: A certaine seed of vertue, which maketh him more apt to receive grace than another: but this is also false, seeing we are all alike by nature. 3. Some doe resemble it thus, that grace is offered unto all, like as a man should be bidden to go up and take his meat, which is shewed him in the top of a tower, but he cannot go up without a ladder, and so still he must have one grace after another. But he misliketh this also, because all is ascribed unto grace, nothing to mans endevour, as though he should sit downe, and doe nothing. 4. Some make this demonstration, that grace is offered to a man, as when a rope is let downe into a pit, to draw one up, who putteth to his hand, and layeth hold of the rope, and so hee commeth up: but this he refuseth also, because somewhat here is given unto man without grace. 5. Some make grace as the shining of the Sunne, which cannot give one light if he shut his eyes: so all have not grace, Quia ille, cui gratiae radius inf…nditur, …laudit oculos; Because he to whom grace is infused, shutteth his eyes: Vnde merito illi gratia subtrahitur, quia ipse se subtrahit; Whereupon grace is withdrawne from him, because hee withdraweth himselfe. 6. As he doth not reject this answer, so yet he addeth thus much further: that as in this case, like as when a child, that cannot goe alone, yet being held by another, findeth his legs, which he could not doe, if hee had not of himselfe a naturall power of going, and yet all is ascribed to him that leadeth the child: so he concludeth thus, Vt anima promercatur duo exiguntur gratia & naturalis potentia, &c. Two things are required, that the soule should merit (that is, doe any thing well) grace, and a naturall faultie, yet all the power of meriting, that is, of doing well, is of grace, because the naturall facultie, nihil ponit sine gratia, In qu…stionib. super Epist. ad Rom. qu. 338.can doe nothing without grace: thus Hugo. So that this is his resolution, that mans free-will in a good act onelyonly concurreth, as a naturall facultie, but all the goodnesse of the action is of grace: man by his nature willeth, but to will that which is good, he cannot but by grace.
4. Confut. Against the making of images of God.
Vers. 23. THou shalt see my back parts. Bellarmine would prove from hence,Lib. 2. de imagin. cap. 8. that an image may be made of God, because sometime, corporea specie visus est Deus; God was seene in corporall shape.
Contra. 1. It followeth not, because God by his authoritie could make a visible representation of himselfe, that man therefore of his authoritie can doe it, without Gods warrant. 2. Another difference is: this vision was shewed to Moses alone, and in a secret place: their images are set up in the view of all, and in publike place. 3. This was an image passing, and not continuing, theirs are permanent. 4. This was of the back-parts, they picture the very glorious countenance of God.
6. Morall Observations.
1. Observ. Why God doth more severely punish his owne people than others.
Vers. 3. BEcause thou art a stiffe-necked people, lest I consume thee. Hence Gallasius inferreth, Deum sape majora judicia exercere in medio Ecclesiae; That God doth oftentimes exercise greater judgements in the middest of his Church, than in the world, because their contempt is greater, having received more benefits: like as a master of a familie will be more offended with his owne domesticall servants, if they be disobedient, than with strangers.
2. Observ. In time of mourning it is not fit to put on sumptuous apparell.
Vers. 5. PVt thy costly rayment from thee. The humilitie of the bodie, is an argument of the lowlinesse of the minde: it is not pleasing unto God, that in the time of publike mourning, sumptuous apparell should be used: as Oleaster complaineth of a great abuse in the Romane Church, that when women should come to confesse their sinnes, Armant se melioribus indumentis, &c. they use to put on their better rayment, as if they went to a marriage feast. I would the like complaint might not be taken up among us, that nice and proud women, when they should present themselves in humilitie before God, doe decke and adorne themselves, comming rather to be seene of men, than of God.
3. Observ. Of the efficacie of faithfull prayer.
Vers. 15. THen he said unto him, &c. Moses giveth not over, but continueth still in prayer with a devout importunitie, untill the Lord had condescended unto him, wherein we see the force of faithfull prayer, B. Babing. Teaching us, that we should hold out in our prayers, and applie the Lord with our earnest requests, till he give eare unto us: for the prayer of the righteous availeth much, if it be fervent, Iam. 5.16.
4. Observ. Spirituall things first to be begged in our prayers.
Vers. 18. SHew me thy glorie. Ferus here giveth this note: Moses ut plurimum spiritualia petit; Moses doth for the most part aske spirituall things, Which teacheth us, that in all our requests, wee should principally beg those things at the hands of God, which concerne our soules, as our blessed Saviour saith, First seeke the Kingdome of God, and his righteousnesse, and all these things shall bee ministred unto you.
5. Observ. Against the feare of death.
Vers. 20. NO man shall see me, and live. Then after death, and this life ended wee shall see God: Borrhaius hereupon well noteth, Quam preciosa res sit mors animalis hominis, &c. What a precious thing the death of the bodie is, which bringeth us to see God: as S. Paul saith, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, Philip. 1.23. Death then of a faithfull man is not to be feared.