Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Chapter 34 · Doctrines – Moral observations
4. Places of Doctrine.
1. Doct. God only writeth in the heart.
Vers. 1. HEw thee two tables of stone, and I will write. As Moses hewed the stone, and prepared the tables, but God did write in them: So man may move, exhort, prepare, and stirre up. But God only, docet intus, teacheth inwardly, writing in mens hearts by the finger of his Spirit, Ferus. As Paul may plant, Apollos water, but God giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3.6.
2. Doct. Sinne is no substance.
Vers. 7. FOrgiving or taking away iniquitie. If God take away iniquity and sinne, and yet spareth sinners: then there is great difference betweene sinne and the sinner: it followeth then, that sinne is not a substance, but an accident, Marbach. The Apostle defineth sinne to bee a transgression of the Law, foreign, 1 Ioh. 3.4. as then justice and righteousnesse, which is obedience to the Law, is no substance, but grace infused: so sinne, which is the transgression of the Law, is an evill quality or habite, no substantiall thing.
3. Doct. Gods generall promises must be specially applied by faith.
Vers. 9. PArdon our iniquity and sinne. God had proclaimed himselfe before to be mercifull, forgiving sinne. But Moses is not contented with a generall apprehension of Gods mercy, but laboureth for a particular assurance thereof: so it sufficeth not generally to know the attributes of God, nisi speciali fide applicemus, unlesse we make speciall application of them by faith, Pelarg. As S. Paul saith of Christ, Who loved me, and gave himselfe for me, Galath. 2.20.
4. Doct. Of the right manner of praying.
Vers. 8. MOses made haste, and bowed himselfe, &c. Moses here teacheth us a right forme of prayer. 1. First, though he had prayed before, yet he prayeth againe, teaching us to pray often. 2. He humbleth himselfe, bowing to the ground. 3. He prayeth in secret in the mount, lifting up his minde unto God. 4. He is not long in prayer, but compendious. 5. He prayeth not for himselfe only, but for the people. 6. He ascribeth all to Gods mercy, confessing his and the peoples sinnes. If wee follow this paterne, and president in our prayers, we cannot pray amisse, Simler.
5. Places of Controversie.
1. Controv. That reconciliation is not denied unto any upon their repentance.
Vers. 1. HEw thee two tables. In this chapter is set downe the reconciliation betweene the Lord and his people: who although they had committed a great sinne, yet the Lord upon their repentance receiveth them to merciemercy. Which confuteth the errour of the Novatians, who denied pardon or reconciliation to them, which had sinned against their conscience, Marbach. Whereas both David after those two great sinnes of adultery, and murder, and Peter after his deniall of Christ, were upon their repentance restored to Gods favour.
2. Controv. That man cannot prepare his owne heart.
PRocopius giveth this note, that whereas the Lord did both prepare the first tables, and writ in them, it signified, that God first, suo spiritu paravit cordis tabulas, & suo spiritu impressit, by his Spirit prepared the tables of the heart, and by his Spirit printed them: but these second tables of the heart, quilibet per poenitentiam praparet, every one prepareth by repentance. But it is not in mans power to prepare his owne heart, who of himselfe cannot thinke▪ a good thought, 2 Cor. 3.5. God only must open our heart, as he did the heart of Lydia, Act. 16.14.
3. Controv. All sinne against the holy Ghost irremissible.
Vers. 7. FOrgiving iniquitie, transgression, and sinne. Cajetane noteth hereupon: that, Quodlibet peccati genus veniam apud Deum invenit, &c. there is no kinde of sinne which doth not finde forgivenesse with God. And whereas it is said in the Gospell, that sin against the holy Ghost shall never be forgiven: it is not contrary to this: hîc est sermo de venia peccatorum ex parte Dei; for here is speech of forgivenesse of sinne on Gods behalfe, there ex parte peccantis indispositi, on the behalfe of the sinner which is not disposed to repentance: and so he concludeth, that, regulariter, ordinarily, such shall not obtaine pardon, &c. So herein he seemeth to concurre with Bellarmine, that sinne against the holy Ghost is not simply irremissible, sed non ordinarie, & ut plurimum, but not ordinarily and for the most part.
Contra, 1. Wee grant indeed, that in respect of Gods omnipotencie, and al-sufficient and abounding merciemercy, there is no sinne that is unpardonable: yet in respect of the invincible hardnesse of heart in such impenitent sinners, which cannot repent, it is irremissible. 2. The Apostle saith, It is impossible that such should be renued by repentance: such namely as sinne against the holy Ghost. If then it be impossible for any sinne to be forgiven without repentance; and it be impossible for such to repent, then it is impossible for such to be forgiven. See more hereof, Synops. Centur. 4. error. 73.
4. Controv. The Virgin Marie not privileged from sinne.
Vers. 7. ANd not making innocent. But the Latine text readeth thus, Nullus apud te per se innocens est; None of himselfe is innocent before thee: which text, as they reade it, doth include, that none are innocent before God, and so consequently that the Virgin Marie was not free from actuall sinne, much lesse originall: which question, though it be not yet defined in the Romane Church, yet Tostat. quaest. 8. thinketh it more probable, that the Virgin Marie was not conceived in originall sinne; and then he maketh this answer, that true it is that none is innocent before God, per se, of themselves, yet with God it is all one, as in his merciemercy, ex nocente innocentem reddere, &c. he can make a sinner to be innocent, so, ne nocens esset, efficere, he can bring it to passe, that they should not sinne at all. But the question is not here, what God can doe, but what he doth. Let him, or any other Romanist shew a text of Scripture, for this privilege of the Virgin Marie, that shee was exempted either from originall or actuall sinne: this only was peculiar unto Christ, that he was in all things like unto us, sinne only excepted. And she her selfe acknowledging Christ to be her Saviour in her song, saying, My spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour; confesseth therein, that she was a sinner.Heb. 2.14. & 4.15. Luk. 1.47. The Romanists then must looke for small thanke at the Virgin Maries hand, who would fasten upon her such a blasphemous conceit, to be free from originall sinne. See more hereof also, Synops. pap. Centur. 2. er. 79.
5. Controv. Images not to be tolerated.
Vers. 15. BReake their images in peeces, &c. for thou shalt bow downe to no other god. Osiander here giveth this corrupt note: Vbi ergo nihil est periculi ab adoratione, ibi nihil est periculi à statuis, &c. Where therefore there is no danger of adoration, there is no danger to be feared from any images, &c. Therefore he thinketh that such images, as are not adored may stand. Contra. 1. Nay, the Lord in this place would have the occasion of stumbling removed, and images to be defaced, lest the people might be corrupted by them: and therefore, Deut. 7.5. they are simply commanded to breake downe their images, because they were an holy people unto God. 2. And if it shall be said, that the Israelites were weake and prone to idolatry, and therefore are so charged: the Apostle also reviveth the same precept, Babes, keepe your selves from idols, 1 Ioh. 2.21. shewing that even now also under the Gospell, there is like danger to be feared from images and idols.
6. Controv. Christs and Moses forty dayes fast cannot be imitated.
Vers. 28. HE was with the Lord forty dayes, &c. The Romanists are ridiculous, in grounding their forty dayes fast yeerely upon this example, and our blessed Saviours fasting forty dayes. 1. The miracles which the Prophets and Apostles wrought, scimus nobis ad confirmationem veritatis, non ad imitationem proponi, &c. we know are propounded unto us for the confirmation of the truth, not for imitation, Gallas. We may as well imitate Christ, in his walking upon the sea, and other miraculous workes, as in fasting forty dayes. 2. Our blessed Saviour, so likewise Moses did eat nothing at all: but they feed delicately in their fasts. 3. Christ fasted but once, they injoyne this fast yeerely, Gallas. 4. Christ fasted, ut Evangelio plenam fidem acquireret, to win credit to the Gospell, as Moses did to the Law: unlesse then they bring in a new Gospell, no such fast for religion sake is to be injoyned, Calvin.
7. Controv. That Henoch and Elias are not preserved in their bodies in Paradise.
Vers. 28. HE did neither eat bread, nor drinke water, &c. Tostatus thinketh, that as Moses was preserved in the mount, without any naturall decay at all, forty dayes and forty nights: so Henoch and Elias are kept still in Paradise by the power of God in their bodies, to returne againe in the latter dayes, to turne the hearts of the fathers to the children, quaest. 23, 24. Contra. 1. If he meane they are kept in the terrestriall Paradise, that cannot be: for seeing all the earth was overflowed in Noahs floud, how could Henoch live there? 2. And in heaven they are not with their bodies, for Christ was the first, as Origen saith, Qui carnem evexit in coelum; Which carried his flesh into heaven. 3. Concerning that prophecie of the comming of Elias, it was fulfilled in Iohn Baptist, as our blessed Saviour saith: If yee will receive it, this is Elias, that was to come, Matth. 11.14. See further of this question, Synops. Centur. 5. error. 32.
6. Morall observations.
1. Observ. God giveth more than we aske.
Vers. 10. I Will doe marvels such as have not beene done, &c. Moses only asked of God forgivenesse, and that he would go with them: the Lord granteth more, to doe such wonders for them, as never were seene. Such is the Lords bounty, that he giveth more to his servants than they aske: as unto Salomon, that desired wisdome, he gave both honour and riches, Simler.
2. Observ. God will protect his children being occupied in his service.
Vers. 24. SO that no man shall desire thy land. Such care hath God of those that are occupied in his service, that he will then most of all protect and defend them: as the Israelites, while they went up to appeare before the Lord, are promised, that no detriment should befall them in the meane time at home, Gallas. Like as when the enemies came upon the Israelites in Samuels time, while they were assembled in prayer, yet they were delivered, 1 Sam. 7.
3. Observ. God will provide all things necessary for them that serve him.
Vers. 28. HE did neither eat bread, nor drinke water. While Moses attendeth upon God, he hath no need either of meat or drinke: this was miraculous, and extraordinary in Moses, yet it teacheth, that God will provide for those all things necessary, that preferre his glory and service before all other things: as our blessed Saviour saith, Matth. 6.33. Seeke first the kingdome of God, and his righteousnesse, dnd all things shall be ministred unto you.
4. Observ. Gods children are not proud of their gifts.
Vers. 29. MOses wist not that the skin of his face shone bright. Lippoman hereupon noteth: Ignorabat Moses propriam gloriam, &c. Moses knew not his owne glory, for the Saints doe not acknowledge their excellencie, but are humble, &c. As the Apostle saith, If any man thinke that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet, as he ought to know, 1 Cor. 8.2.
5. Observ. God lighteneth mens hearts by prayer, and hearing the Word.
ANd as Moses in talking with God, had his face lightened: so in our prayers, and hearing the word of God, accenditur in mentibus nostris nova lux, &c. a new light is kindled in our mindes, as the two Disciples which went to Emmaus, felt their hearts to burne within them, while Christ opened unto them the Scriptures.