Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 12 · Section 3 · Subsection 17
17. Quest. Of the Christian affection of louelove, and the properties thereof.
The Apostle hauing hitherto touched certaine speciall and particular duties belonging vntounto Ecclesiasticall offices, proceedeth vntounto generall, and first concerning Christian brotherly louelove: which he sheweth how it should first consist in the inward affection, and then in the outward act, v. 10. in giuing of honour, &c. Concerning the first: this louelove must be verus, true, without simulation; then discretus, discreete, we must not louelove but hate, that which is euill: thirdly, it must be firmus, firme, cleauing vntounto that which is good: and it must be vniversalis, vniuersall, common, without acception of persons, we must be affectioned one toward an other, &c. Lyranus.
1. Let louelove be without dissimulation. 1. The Apostle beginneth with louelove, which giueth a rellish and tast as it were to all other vertues: euen faith without charitie is not right, 1. Cor. 13.2. it is the badge and cognizance, whereby we are knowne to be the disciples of Christ, Ioh. 13.35. therefore the Apostle first beginneth to shew what this louelove is. 2. Origen vnderstandeth this louelove generally of the louelove of God, and our neighbour: but Chrysostome applieth it onelyonly to brotherly louelove, and so the precepts following shew. 3. this louelove must be without dissimulation: which Origen defineth thus, when one loueth onelyonly God, and that which is pleasing to God: Chrysostome giueth this rule, when one loueth an other, and doth vntounto him, as vntounto himselfe: but S. Iohn giueth a perfect description of this kind of louelove, 1. epist. 3.18. My little children, let vsus not louelove in word or tongue, but in deede, and in truth: he then loueth without dissembling, that sheweth his louelove in act and in deede: so S. Paul describeth true charitie, 1. Tim. 1.5. out of a pure heart, good conscience, faith vnfained: where are expressed the subiect or place of this louelove, a pure heart, the cause thereof is faith vnfained, the perpetuall companion, or foreign, the ioynt-worke is a good conscience: as the Apostle to the Hebr. 10.22. let vsus draw neere with a true heart in the assurance of faith, sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience: Gryn. From this true and syncere louelove these are farre of. 1. they which doe nourish hatred in their heart, but colour it with pretensed friendship, onelyonly watching an opportunitie of reuenge: such was Cain toward Abel, and Ioab toward Abner. 2. they which pretend friendship toward other, but onelyonly for hope of some gaine and profit to themselues: these are selfe-louers, and not louers of others; as Felix propounded fauour vntounto S. Paul, but he hoped for some bribe, Act. 24. 3. they also which professe louelove and obedience, but onelyonly for feare, as they which obserue those which are mightie and of authoritie, because they are afraid of their greatnes and power, doe not louelove without dissimulation.
2. Hating that which is euill, or rather abhorring, &c. 1. Chrysostome obserueth an emphasis in the Apostles phrase: he saith not abstaining, but prosequnting with hatred, and that vehemently, the word is foreign: the preposition foreign with the Apostle, addeth alwaies somewhat to the sense, as he sheweth in diuers instances. 2. Haymo taketh this for a generall precept; that we should hate the deuill and his members: but it seemeth rather to belong to the precept of louelove. 3. and in this sense some giuegive this interpretation, that they should in their louelove, abstaine from all euill, hurt, deceit, malice, and follow goodnes, Calvin, Pellican: some thinke, that good and euill signifie here, that which is profitable, or vnprofitable: and so he that loueth, should procure the good, not the hurt of him whome he loueth, Pareus: but the meaning rather is, that we should so louelove, as that we be not partakers with men in their sinnes: neither should be withdrawne from God, but cleaue to him, as the onelyonly good: so Chrysostome saith this is added, because there is dilectio in malis, a louelove & friendship in euill things, as in them that are fellows in robbers, &c. so Origen, qui proprium errantem videt & non corrigit, &c. he that seeth his brother erring, and correcteth him not, he loueth not in truth: so Lyranus also, sic ametur natura, vt vitium odio habeatur, let nature be so loued, as yet vice be hated: this sense followeth Pet. Mart. some are so foolish to thinke, that they louelove their brethren, cum illis consentiant ad libidines, when they consent vntounto them to lust and other vices: to the same purpose Gualter, dilectionis praetexiu non facienda m… la, euill things must not be done vnderunder pretense of louelove.
3. Cleauing to that is good. 1. that is saith Haymo, to God, who is the chiefe good: but this is too generall. 2. here we vnderstand that which is morally good, Gryn. which is agreeable vntounto the will of God, who is onelyonly good. 3. and the meaning is, that we should so adhere vntounto that which is good, that no respect of any friendship, or any thing whatsoeuer should draw vsus away from it. 3. Chrysostome noteth a singular force in the word foreign, cleaving, adhering: the same word is vsed of the coniunction betweene man and wife, Matth. 19.5. shewing the neare coniunction that should be betweene vsus and goodnes: and Origen obserueth further, that as it is said in this phrase, he that cleaueth to God is one spirit, 1. Cor. 6. so we should cleaue vntounto good; vt contingat nobis vnum esse cum bono, that we may as it were be one with it. 4. Lyranus thinketh, that the firmenes and surenes of louelove, is hereby expressed: but rather, it is a limitation of louelove, that we should so cleaue vntounto that is good, that no pretext of louelove should draw vsus from it.
4. Be affectioned one toward an other with brotherly louelove, &c. 1. Origen vnderstandeth this precept generally of the louelove, which we should beare vntounto all; euen the wicked are to be loued, for Christ died for such: but Chrysostome better distinguisheth thus; that when the Apostle speaketh of such as are without, he saith, as much as in you lieth, hauehave peace with all men: quando vero de domesticis, but speaking of our domesticalls, he commendeth brotherly louelove, &c. 2. Gorrhan in one sense, will hauehave this vnderstood of the naturall louelove of brethren; that it should be pleasing vntounto vsus, to see brethren louelove together: but this sense is too particular: and he followeth herein the vulgar Latin, which thus readeth, charitatem fraternitatis, &c. affecting the louelove of brethren: whereas it is in the ablatiue, charitate, with brotherly louelove be affected, &c. 3. here the Apostle vseth two emphaticall words of louelove, foreign, the louelove of brethren, and foreign naturall affection, such as is betweene the parents, and the children: whereby as Chrysostome obserueth, the Apostle exhorteth, ferventer diligere, to louelove seruently: for this naturall affection farre exceedeth other kinds of louelove: for when the parties, whome we louelove, doe degenerate to euill, we also withdraw our louelove; but naturall affection remaineth toward parents and children, though they be not such as we would: againe, we are willing to shew our louelove to such, vnasked, and though they shew no louelove againe, but in other bonds of friendship, where there is no entercourse of louelove, it is soone slaked, Martyr. 4. Chrysostome further obserueth well, that where the Apostle saith, be affectioned one toward an other, &c. that one should not expect, till he be loued of an other; sed tu potius erga alium prior diligendo prorue, but doe thou first fall to louelove an other. 5. Now in that he calleth the louelove of Christians brotherly louelove, the reason hereof is, not onelyonly that they hauehave all one Creator, sed vnus est omnium credentium pater, but there is one father of all beleeuers, who in Christ are made the sonnes of God: vna mater ecclesia, they hauehave one common mother the Church, of the which they are begotten: and ex eodem semine, of the same seede of the word, are they begotten by the spirit, Gualt. as S. Peter thus perswadeth to brotherly louelove, 1. epist. 1.23. louelove brotherly without faining, &c. and feruently beeing borne a new not of mortall, but of immortall seede, &c.