Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 8 · Section 3 · Subsection 3 – Subsection 6
Quest. 3. What is vnderstood by the law of sinne, and death.
1. Some by the law of sinne vnderstand the morall law, which was the ministrie of death, and by it came the knowledge of sinne: So Ambrose, who propoundeth this obiection, that seeing the Gospell, and law of faith is likewise vntounto sinne the sauour of death vntounto death, vntounto some the sauour of life vntounto life; as the Apostle saith, 2. Cor. 2. why faith if it worke the same thing, which the law doth, may not be said also to be lex mortis, the law of death; maketh this answer: qui non obediunt fidei, non occiduntur à fide, sed à lege, &c. they which obey not faith, are not killed by faith, but by the law, because they which came not vntounto the faith, are condemned by the law, as guiltie of sinne and death, &c. But this were to confound the law and faith, as though the law commanded and prescribed the Euangelicall faith, for the law punisheth onelyonly the breach and transgression thereof: but the law commandeth one thing, namely, doe this, and thou shalt liue: saith onelyonly in the Gospel requireth of vsus to beleeue, Rom. 4. 10.9. Pet. Martyr giueth this answer: that the Gospel, quamdiu f…ris sovat, &c. so long as it onelyonly foundeth outwardly, and the spirit worketh not within, doth differ nothing from the law: but when the spirit worketh inwardly together with the preaching of the Gospel, then it hath the effect to saluation: which the law cannot hauehave, because it requireth other things then the Gospel: the Gospel then is not the ministrie of death, as the law, not for that it doth not punish vnbeleeuers, as the law doth the disobedient, but in respect of the doctrine of saluation by faith, which men are capable of by grace, whereas the doctrine of workes by the law can bring no saluation vntounto any, no not beeing in the state of grace. Together with Ambrose, Vatablus, and Pareus, by the law of death will hauehave the law of Moses to be vnderstood, quia peccatum deteget & occidit, because it discouereth sinne, and killeth it, iudging it worthie of death: so also Bellarmine lib. 4. de iustificat. c. 13. ration. 5. and gloss. interlin. But if the law doe condemne sinne, and sentence it with death, it is not the law of sinne beeing against it: it is called the ministerie of condemnation, 2. Cor. 3.9. but so it is nostro vitio, by our fault, not of it selfe: but that is said to be the law of a thing, which it properly prescribeth, and aymeth at.
2. Origen seemeth to vnderstand, the ceremoniall law, which was impossible to be obserued, as he giueth instance of the law of the Sabboth, and of sacrifices: as before by the spirit he interpreteth the spirituall sense of the law: But the Apostles intent is not here, to compare the literall and spirituall sense of the law together: but to shew what libertie we hauehave obtained by Christ, from sinne and condemnation.
3. Some by the law of sinne and death, vnderstand carnis imperium, the dominion or power of the flesh, or of sinne raigning in the flesh, and the tyrannie of death which followeth, Calvin: the law of sinne, is the law of the members, which the Apostle spake of before: Chrysostome, Pet. Martyr: the accusing of sinne, and power of death: Osiander: or ab obligatione, from the bond and obligation of sinne and death, Lyranus: à iure peccati, &c. from the right or power of sinne and death, as Erasmus: we are deliuered both from the power and guilt of sinne, for Moses law the Apostle no where calleth the law of sinne: Chrysostome: So here there is mention made of three lawes: two good, the law of grace, which taketh away sinne, the law of Moses which is mentioned in the next v. which sheweth sinne, but taketh it not away, and one euill law, namely of sinne, which maketh vsus guiltie: gloss. ordin.
Quest. 4. Of the best reading of the 3. verse.
1. Erasmus and Vatablus doe supplie the word, effecit, or praestitit, did, or performed: in this sense, that which was impossible to the law, &c. God sending his Sonne, &c. did &c. This reading also follow the Ecclesiasticall expositors, collected by Marlorat: but this supplie is not necessarie, the sense is full and perfect without it, as afterward shall appeare.
2. Some doe transpose the words thus, because the law was weake by reason of the flesh: Syrian interpreter: but in the originall, the words foreign, wherein, do follow after foreign, the law: it were an hard construction, to set the relatiue before the antecedent.
3. Neither neede we with Camerarius to supplie the preposition foreign, for, or because: as thus to read, because of that which was impossible to the law, &c. which reading Pareus followeth, and Beza misliketh not.
4 Neither need we here to admit an Hebraisme, with Tolet, who will hauehave the participle, sending, according to the phrase of the Hebrew, to be taken for he sent: because he would coine those words, and for sinne, vntounto the last clause, which doe hang on the words going before.
5. Neither is it put in the nominatiue, foreign, in this sense such was the weaknes of the law, as Beza: for here also diuerse words must be supplied.
6. But the best reading is, to put it in the accusatiue; the thing impossible to the law, in as much as it was weake, &c. and to referre it to the last clause, condemned sinne in the flesh, by way of opposition: in this sense, God sending his Sonne, &c. condemned sinne in the flesh, which was impossible to the law, as the Latine well obserueth: and so our English translations doe well expresse it thus: for that which was impossible to the law, &c.
Quest. 5. What is meant by the similitude of sinnefull flesh.
1. The Maniches, and Marcionites did wrest the Apostles words to signifie, that Christ had no true humane flesh, but a similitude and likenes onelyonly: But Basil epistol. 65. well answereth them, that this word similitude, must not simply be referred to flesh, but to sinnefull flesh: for Christ was like vntounto vsus in all things, sinne onelyonly excepted.
2. The Commentatie which goeth vnderunder Hieromes name, saith it is called the similitude of sinnefull flesh, quia erat ad peccandum proclivior, because it was prone vntounto sinne: but yet he took it without sinne: for Christs flesh beeing conceiued without sinne, had no pronnes, or aptnes at all vntounto sinne: vnlesse he meane humane flesh in generall, and not that particular flesh, which was assumed by Christ.
3. Some by the similitude of sinnefull flesh, interpret similem per passibilitatem & mort… tatem, like in mortalitie and suffering, gloss. inter. Lyranus: so also Melancthon: peccatur in speciem visa est, it seemed as sinnefull flesh, because he sustained the punishment doe vntounto our sinnes: likewise Osiander: because he bare our punishment, he was taken of some to be a great sinner: But this sense is to much restrained, and too particular.
4. Nor yet doth Erasmus well translate foreign, in specie, in the shew of sinnefull flesh: for so the Angels and Christ himselfe, before his incarnation appeared in humane shape.
5. But Theophylact well interpreteth, he had our flesh, secundam substantiam, sed pecca… expertem, in substance, but void of sinne: so also Basil, with other Greeke expositors car… nostram in naturalibus affectibus, he tooke our flesh with the naturall affections: he tooke our verie flesh: as Phil. 2.7. he was found in shape as a man, Pareus. Beza, with others.
Quest. 6. Of these words; and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh.
1. Origen by sinne, vnderstandeth sacrifice for sinne: so many of our new wi… Melancthon, Bucer, Calvin, Osiander, Martyr: so also Pererius, Vatablus, disput. 4.10. so they interpret, pro peccato, 1. per peccatum, by sinne, by sinne, that is, by his sacrifice so sinne, he condemned sinne in the flesh: but though elsewhere, sinne is taken in that sense, for sacrifice for sinne, as 2. Cor. 5.21. he made him to be sinne for vsus, which knewe no sinne: yet it is but an hard construction here: for the preposition foreign, signifieth not by or thorough, but pro, for.
2. Augustines exposition is yet more hard, who by sinne vnderstandeth the flesh of Christ, which he tooke, like vntounto sinnefull flesh, and therefore it is called sinne, lib. 3. contra 2. epist. Pelag. c. 6. but the Apostle saith afterward, he condemned sinne in the flesh, this should be superfluously put, if by sinne he had meant the flesh before.
3. Hillarius in Psal. 67. by sinne which is condemned interpreteth the deuill, who was condemned and iudged in Christs death by that sinne, which he had committed by the Iewes in putting Christ to death: this seemeth hard also.
4. Anselme by death in the first place will hauehave death signified, which is the effect of sinne: and so Christ by his death condemned sinne: but the Greeke preposition will not beare this sense.
5. Chrysostome and Theodoret, whom Tolet followeth, deuise this sense, that Christ condemned sinne, tanquam reum iniquitatis, as guiltie of great sinne and iniquitie, because it rose vp against Christ beeing innocent, and caused him to die: so they doe giuegive vntounto sinne a certaine person, which for the great offence which is had committed, was condemned.
6. But all these expositions fayle herein, because they ioyne these words and for sinne, to the last clause, condemned, whereas they are a part of the former member, how God sent his Sonne in the similitude of sinnefull flesh, and for sinne, that is, vt tolleret peccatum, to take away sinne, so Beza, Pareus, Rolloch: and this exposition Oecumenius also maketh mention of: so that this is the ende why God sent his Sonne, to take away sinne.
7. There is also an other exposition which the ordin. gloss. hath, and Gorrhan, peccatum de peccato, sinne of sinne, they interpret to be the corruption of our nature, springing from the sinne of Adam: But this fayleth with the rest in seuering the words from the former sentence.