Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 12 · Section 3 · Subsection 20
20. Quest. Of the remedies against the calamities of this life, namely, hope, patience, prayer.
v. 12. Reioycing in hope.]Of hope and the nature thereof. 1. Chrysostome taketh this to be added by the Apostle as an encouragement to all the former duties, namely, the expectation of the reward; spes ad omnia audentem facit, hope maketh one bold to all things: Gorrhan followeth this sense. 2. Lyranus maketh the coherence with the former precept of seruing God, because his seruice bringeth a reward with it: so also Tolet, spes confirmat animas in obsequia Dei, hope confirmeth the minde in the obedience of God. 3. Hugo hath particular relation vntounto the precept of louing our enemies, which none can doe without hope of reward: but that precept followeth afterward, v. 14. 4. But I consent rather vntounto them, which take this aphoris… of the Apostle to be de remedijs calamitatum, of the remedies against calamities, which are these three following, hope, patience, prayer, Pareus: so also Oleviane thinketh that the Apostle here sheweth, quomodo superare deb…amus obstacula, how we should ouercome the obstacles and impediments.
In hope. Hope is nothing els, but a grace and facultie wrought in the minde by the holy Ghost, whereby we hope in due time, for the accomplishment of that saluation now begun, which we are assured of by faith: where in the nature of hope, we consider the obiect of hope, then the qualitie and condition thereof. 1. The obiect in generall of hope.: it is first difficile, hard, for that which is easie and in mans power, is not hoped for, but presently enioyed: yet it is not impossibile, for no man can hope for that which is impossible: and againe, spes est futurorum, hope is of things to come, Chrysostome: whereupon hope hath partly griefe, because the full fruition of hope is deferred; partly ioy, because hope doth certenly expect; and so maketh the things, that are absent, present: for vnlesse they were in some sort present, hope could not bring forth ioy. 2. the proper obiect of hope is the kingdome of God, and euerlasting life: for the thing which we hope for, must be of great value, otherwise the hope thereof should not be so ioyous, whereas all earthly things, are vaine and of no value: and it must be also certaine and permanent, whereas things of this world, are transitorie and casuall. And though the principall obiect of our hope be eternall life, yet here are not excluded from our hope, the good things of this life, so farre forth as they concerne the glorie of God, and the furtherance of our saluation; as the Apostle saith, Rom. 8.32. who spared not his owne Sonne, &c. how shall be not then with him giuegive vsus all good things also. 3. This expectation of hope is certaine; which hath two grounds, the promises of God in Christ, which are bound with an oath: which are two immutable things, the promise and word of God, and his oath, it is impossible God should lie, as the Apostle saith, Hebr. 6.18. whereupon he calleth our hope the anker-hold of the soule: the other ground is the power and all-sufficiencie of Christ, as the Apostle saith, I know whome I hauehave beleeued, &c. that he is able to keepe that which I hauehave committed vntounto him against that day: Olevian. 4. But here this doubt ariseth, that here hope is put before patience: for first the Apostle saith, reioycing in hope, then, patient in tribulation: and yet, Rom. 5.4. it is said patience bringeth forth experience, and experience hope. The answer is this, that this is seene in rebus maxime coniunctis, in things of a neere coniunction together, vt se mutuo inferant, that they mutually beget themselues: as the clouds bring raine, and by the falling of the raine by the raising of vapours clouds are engendred: so the Philosophers said, that vertues sprang of good actions, and they againe sprang of vertue: as Chrysostome here saith, that ex dilectione, out of louelove commeth the exhibiting of honour, and louelove againe, ex illo accensus, is kindled and encreased by it: so hope in the order of nature first bringeth forth patience, and then patience encreaseth and confirmeth hope, Martyr: see the very like question of probation, and patience, 5. Chap. quest. 5.
Patient in tribulation. 1. There are two kinds of afflictions and tribulations in this life;Of patience. ordinarie, such as are the cares of the world, continuall labour and trauell, diseases, sicknesses, which all were brought in by sinne; extraordinarie, as persecution which is raised by the world against the children of God for the truth sake: of this the Apostle speaketh here; of tribulation illata à persecutoribus, which is brought vponupon men by persecutors, Haymo. 2. This is a second remedie against calamities, that if they doe encrease, then our hope must confirme vsus patiently to beare them; as the Apostle saith, Ye hauehave neede of patience, &c. that ye might receiue the promise, Hebr. 10.36. 3. And vntounto patience these reasons should perswade vsus, 1. because tribulation is omnibus bonis communis, common to all good men;Reasons moouing vntounto patience. as the Apostle saith, no tentation ha…h taken you, but such as appertaineth to man. 2. we must consider, that nothing falleth out without Gods prouidēce; there is no affliction which he knows not; and therefore we should rest contented with the good will and pleasure of our heauenly father, he woundeth and he healeth againe, Iob 5.18. 3. likewise it must be remembred, that God is iust, and our sinnes hauehave deserued whatsoeuer is laid vponupon vsus, and much more; therefore the consideration of our sinnes, which iustly procure Gods iudgements, should make vsus patient; as it is said, Psal. 107. foolish men are plagued for their offences. 4. likewise the Lords merciemercy must be had in remembrance, who punisheth not according to the greatnes of our sinnes; Lament. 3.22. It is the Lords merciemercy, that we are not consumed: he remembreth his merciemercy in iudgement. 5. adde hereunto, that like a father that chasteneth his child, so the Lord laieth not more vponupon his children then they can beare, he giueth an issue together with the tentation, 1. Cor. 10.13. 6. and lastly, the Lord causeth our afflictions to worke our further good, in strengthening and confirming our faith, in purging and refining vsus, as Iob saith, exibo sicut aurum, I shall come forth tried like vntounto gold.
Continuing in prayer. 1. this is as Chrysostome calleth it, alia armatura, Of praier.an other armour or weapon, against affliction: wherein appeareth the necessitie of praier, whereby is supplied by diuine helpe, that which we cannot of our selues attaine vntounto: and the dignitie of Gods children, that are admitted continually to Gods presence, as it were a great fauour, for a Prince vponupon all occasions to suffer his subiects to come vntounto him: and further this priuiledge praier hath, that although other helps may be denied vntounto vsus, yet praier can nothing hinder: the spirit of the faithfull is free to hauehave recourse vntounto God. 2. In that the Apostle would hauehave vsus continue in praier, 1. it fauoureth not the fansie of the Euchites, and Psalliones, that did nothing els but pray continually: for the busines of our vocations must be also attended vponupon:What it is to pray continually. and if men should doe nothing but pray continually, they must needes fall into that fault of battalogie, that is, much babling, which our Sauiour reprooueth in praier. 2. some vnderstand it of instance and earnestnes in praier: as the vulgar Latine readeth, orationi instantes, instant in praier: so also Marloret, frigide oramus, that we should not pray coldly: and so our Sauiour by praying continually, vnderstandeth not to faint in praier, Luk. 18.1. 3. Augustine, whom Gualter followeth, vnderstandeth this place of continuing in praier: of the set houres of prayer eueryevery day, which should by no meanes be intermitted; as D…iel praied thrice in a day. 4. Pellican vnderstandeth that place, 2. Thess. 5.17. pray foreign, without ceasing, non de murmure oris, sed de syderio cordis, not of the sound of the mouth, but the desire of the heart: so Oleviane, placatus animus semper in Deum respicit, a mind at peace in it selfe, alwaies looketh vntounto God. 5. Martyr referreth it to the often occasions which Christians hauehave, quoties aliquid occurrit, as often as any thing offereth it selfe, either any thing which grieueth, or any thing to be asked, pray: and he vnderstandeth it of such praiers, quae tanquam ardentes faces taciuntur in coelum, which as burning brands are cast vp into heauen: so also Osiander, semper habemus, &c. we alwaies hauehave somewhat either to aske for our selues, or our brethren, or to giuegive thanks for: I take of all the rest these two, that we must be readie vponupon eueryevery occasion to turne vsus vntounto God by praier, and when we pray, to pray instantly and feruently.
3. But here the question will be asked,Why the Lord deferreth the requests of his children. why the Lord heareth not our praiers presently, that we neede not continue so in praier; and our Sauiour saith, God (at the instance of the praiers of his children) will auenge him quickly, Luk. 18.8. The answear is, that God heareth quickly, and performeth our requests quickly: as he is said to doe a thing quickly, that doth it, quamprimum se offer at occasio, as soone as opportunitie serueth: so that mora non est in Deo, sed in sensu nostro, the stay is not in God, but in our sense, Martyr: like as a carver first finisheth one part of his worke, then an other, so God bringeth forth eueryevery thing in due time, Olevian: and further by this meanes, when God deferreth our requests, our faith is exercised and tried: and illustrius est, &c. the benefit is so much the greater when it commeth, Gualter: and further, we must pray continually, because so is the will and pleasure of God; as the Apostle saith, 1. Thess. 5.17. Pray continually, in all things giuegive thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Iesus: Olevian.