Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 1 · Section 3 · Subsection 64 – Subsection 67
Quest. 64. How God is said to hauehave deliuered them to their owne hearts lusts, v. 24.
1. Some doe expound this onelyonly by way of permission, tradidit, nihil aliud est, quam permisit, he deliuered or gaue them vp, that is suffered them: so Chrysostome, Origen, Oecumenius with others: Chrysostome vseth two similitudes: like as if a captaine should withdraw himselfe from his souldiers, and so in the time of battell they fall into their enemies hand: the captaine might be said to deliuer them vntounto their enemies: likewise a king hath a sonne that is giuen to riot, whom he cannot reclayme, he leaueth him to himselfe, that by experience he may see his owne folly: Theodoret also to the same purpose vseth this similitude, that God leaueth men to themselues, tanquam cymbam abs que rectore, as aship left without a pilote: Theophylact likeneth God herein to a Phisitian, who hauing to deale with an vnruly patient, that will not obey his precepts taketh no more care of him: likewise Ambrose thus expoundeth, tradere est permittere, non incitare, to deliuer vp is to permit, not to i…ite, or stirre vp. Damascen. lib. 4. de fide orthodox. c. 20. sheweth, that it is the vse of Scripture to call the permission of God, his action, that he is said to doe that, which he onelyonly permitteth and suffereth: yea Pererius here addeth further, that the permission of God sometime nomine praecepti appellatur, is called by the name of precept: as, whereas Christ saith according to Matthew, c. 19.8. Moses suffered you for the hardnesse of your heart, to put away your wiues; according to S. Marke, c. 10.3. he saith, What did Moses command you?
Setus in his commentarie maketh two kindes of permission: est vna generalis, there is one generall, when any man is suffered to sinne, but this permission is not called a deliuering vp: altera est singularis quaedam & valde formidabilis, there is an other a singular and most fearefull kinde of permission, when God for the punishment of former sinnes, suffereth one to be blinded, and hardened in his sinne: which kinde of permission the Apostle speaketh of here. Of this opinion generally are the Romanists, that this deliuering vp is vnderstood of permission; as Lyranus with the ordinarie gloss. Varablus, Tolet. the Rhemists.
Contra. 1. To make God onelyonly a sufferer or permitter of things to be done, doth admit a double inconuenience: first they make God an idle beholder of mens actions, like as Homer bringeth in Iuppiter feasting and spotting himselfe in Aethiopia, while the Grecians did take Troy: and againe, they make God accessarie and consenting vntounto euill: for like as the father, or master of the house, if he should suffer his seruants to liue riotously, and giuegive themselues to all licentiousnesse, though he doe not encourage them to it, yet in not hindering them, he seemeth to giuegive consent: the like inconuenience also would follow, if God should be a permitter or sufferer onelyonly of such things to be done. Pareus.
2. But it will be here obiected, that if God suffer not sinne to be done in the world, it could not be: how then is not he accessarie to that, which he doth not hinder? Answ. God is here otherwise to be considered, then as man: we can not suffer any euill to be done before vsus, which is in our power to hinder, but we must be guiltie of it: But the Lord is alwaies most iust: euill should not be done in the world, if it did not stand with Gods will and pleasure; who notwithstanding is therein iust, and good, as Augustine saith, probando patientiam dat locum. poenitentiae, nolens aliquem perire, &c. the Lord therein sheweth his patience in giuing way vntounto repentance, because he would not hauehave any perish, &c. and so he concludeth, Deus non facit voluntates malas, sed vtitur ijs, vt voluerit, cum aliquid iniquè velle non possit, though God make not mens wills euill, yet he vseth them, as it pleaseth him, and yet he willeth not any thing vniustly. August. contr. Iulian. lib. 5. c. 3.
3. Chrysostomes similitudes are not fit: for the captaine which leaueth his armie, is a betraier of them, and the very cause of their deliuering vp: but so is not God the author of euill: and the father can not turne his sonne from his licentious life: but God is able to turne the heart. Martyr.
4. Seeing the Scripture ascribeth vntounto God manifest action, as shall appeare afterward: as he is said to hauehave hardened Pharaohs heart, and to bid Shemei curse Dauid, and such like, it is a forcing of Scripture to applie that vntounto a bare permission, which sheweth an actiue and working power. Pareus.
2. An other way, how God is saide to deliuer them vp, is by the subtraction, and withdrawing of his grace: as he which taketh away the proppe or pillar, that beareth vp a great stone or weight, may be said to be the cause of the fall thereof: Thomas. Thus Gregorie expoundeth: God is said to harden the heart, quando cor reprobum per gratiam non emollit, when he doth not mollifie with his grace a reprobate heart: So also Augustine, Deus non indurat cor impertiendo malitiam, sed non largiendo gratiam, &c. God doth not harden the heart, by imparting vntounto it malice, but in not giuing vntounto it grace: So also Thomas vponupon this place: God directly doth not deliuer ouer men to vncleannes by inclining the affections, sed indirectè tradit in peccatum, in quantum subtrahit gratiam, but he doth indirectly deliuer them to sinne, by withdrawing his grace. This interpretation may safely be admitted, but yet it seemeth not fully to expresse the meaning of the Apostles phrase: for deliuering vp, signifieth more then a subtraction onelyonly, or depriuing one of grace.
3. Some doe expound the Apostle thus, that God is said to harden the heart, and to deliuer vp vntounto co…c…piscence, and such like, by ministring occasion, which is peruerted by the wicked vntounto euill: for as vntounto those that louelove God, all things are turned to the best, so vntounto those that hate God, all things make for their ruine and destruction: thus the miracles and wonders wrought in Egypt, and the messages which Moses brought from God vntounto Pharaoh, were a meanes to harden Pharaohs heart, not so intended by God, but so peruerted by Pharaohs malice. Thus God is saide to doe those things, because by occasion of such things as the Lord doth, other things fall out: In this sense it is said, that he which loueth iniquitie, hateth his owne soule, not that he intendeth directly the death of his soule, but because he doth such things, as procure the death of his soule: So the Lord bestowed many benefits, and temporall blessings vponupon the heathen, which they abused to couetousnes, and wantonnes, in following of their owne lusts. This interpretation followeth Pet. Martyr, and Pererius. But this seemeth to be no fit exposition: God deliuered them vp, that is, they abusing the blessings of God vntounto wantonnes, deliuered themselues vp: for the Apostle here sheweth, that this deliuering of them vp, was inflicted as a punishment vponupon the Gentiles for their idolatrie: and therefore God must be considered here as a iust Iudge, who had an hand in this their punishment, otherwise, then by ministring occasion onelyonly.
4. Some doe thus interpret, tradidit illos Deus. id est, delictum in Dominum, God deliuered them vp, that is, their sinne committed against God deliuered them: as we say, perdidit illum pecunia, his money was his destruction, whereas it was not the money, but the abuse of the money which hurt him: so caeten. Graec. which Stapleton followeth. But Faius here well answereth, that, here money is considered foreign, by way of passion, it is a thing vsed, as an instrument, it hath no action: but an actiue power is here giuen vntounto God.
5. The blasphemous Manichees were here driuen to this strait, because they would free God from beeing any way accessarie to euill, that they made two gods, one good the father of Christ, and the author of the new Testament, the other euill, the author of the old: and that God it was, which is saide to hauehave hardened Pharaohs heart, and to bid Shemei curse Dauid: and of this god, they vnderstood S. Paul to speake, 2. Cor. 4.4. In whome the god of this world hath blinded the mindes: But the Manichees doe here manifestly contradict the Apostle, who saith, Eph. 4.6. There is one God, and father of all, &c. who is aboue all: there are not then more Gods then one. And in that other place, by the god of this world, the Apostle meaneth Sathan, who is the prince of the darknes of this world, who is so called, because he is so held to be of the infidels. Some thinke that God may as well be said to blind the minds of infidels, as here to deliuer them vp to their owne concupiscence: as P. Mart. following Augustine: But the Scripture vseth not so to speake of God: the God of this world, is all one, as to say, the prince of the world, which name Christ giueth vntounto Sathan, Ioh. 14.30.
6. Wherefore, there is more to be considered in these actions, of hardening the heart, & deliuering vp vntounto a reprobate sense, then bare permission onelyonly, & subtraction of grace: these we refuse not: so that permission be here vnderstood, as ioyned with Gods will: for otherwise to thinke that God permitteth any thing, which he can not hinder, were great blasphemie, Faius: yet God hath a further stroke in these actions, then by permission onelyonly, and withholding of his grace. 1. Augustine doubteth not to affirme, that not onelyonly the good wills and mindes of men, which God maketh good of euill, are in Gods hand, but also the euill minds and wills of men, are so in Gods power, vt eos quo voluerit, quando voluerit, factat inclinari, that the same God causeth to be enclined, which way he will, and when he will: and he giueth instance in diuers places of Scripture; as how God is saide to hauehave hardened Pharaohs heart, that he bid Shemei curse Dauid, non iubendo dixit, sed eius voluntatem proprio suo vitio malam in hoc peccatam iusto suo indicio inclinavit, not that he in deede badde him, but by his iust iudgement he inclined his will, beeing euill of it selfe, into this sinne: so it is saide, 2. Chron. 25.20. But Amaziah would not heare for it was of God, that he might deliuer them into his hand, &c, likewise Ezek. 14.9. if the Prophet be deceiued, when he hath spoken a thing, the Lord hath deceiued that Prophet: vponupon these and other such places, Augustine thus inferreth: that it is manifest, operari Deum in cordibus hominum, ad inclinandus sorum voluntates, quacun que voluerit, &c. that God worketh in the hearts of men to incline their wills, which way he will, either vntounto good for his merciemercy sake, or vntounto euill, according to their desert: indicio suo aliquando aperto, aliquando occulto, semper nutem iusto, by his iudgement sometime open, sometime hid, but alwaies iust: thus August. lib. 5. contr. Iulian. c. 3. All these places alleadged shew, that God in such actions, is to be considered as an agent, and yet is free from the imputation of any euill.
2. Which that it may more fully appeare, these considerations following are here necessarie. 1. we must distinguish, betweene the motion of the mind, & foreign, and the disorder or euilnes of the motion, Pareus: and there are two things in sinne, actio, & defectus, the action it selfe, and the defect or fault: the action is of God, but not the other, Mart. so Hugo Cardinal. Deus non incitat ad malas notiones, in quantum sunt mala, &c. God doth not stirre vp vntounto euill actions, as they are euill, but as they are actions. 2. Beside, sinnes are considered three waies: first as they are transgressions of the law of God: then as they are causes of other sinnes: in neither of these respects doth sinne any way stand with the will and pleasure of God: thirdly, as they are poena praecedentium scelerum, punishments of sinnes before-going: and so they are of God: so then, as there is foreign, a disordered motion in sinne, God no way is accessarie vntounto them: but the foreign, the infliction of them as a punishment, proceedeth from the iust iudgement of God, Pareus. 3. As God is to be considered, as a iust Iudge in punishing sinne by sinne, so likewise as a wise foreseer, and prouident worker and contriuer of all things, to effect his good pleasure: so then we affirme, Deum iusto suo iudicio ordinare, &c. God doth so ordaine in his iust iudgement, that men be deliuered vp to their owne concupiscence: as the Iudge deliuereth male factours ouer to the tormentor, or hangman, Calvin. carnifex agit vi, & authoritate iudicis, &c. the tormentor worketh by the authoritie of the Iudge: yet carnisicis opus, cum imperio iudicis non confundo, I confound not the worke of the hangman with the commandement of the Iudge, saith Beza: So it is true, as Faius here saith, Deus arcano suo iudicio effecit, &c. God so wrought by his secret iudgement, that they which were alreadie estranged from him, magis averterentur, should yet be estranged more.
But it will be thus obiected against this resolution. 1. Iulianus the Pelagian thus cavilled, If this concupiscence, vntounto the which the Gentiles were deliuered vp, were a punishment of sinne, then it is good and commendable. Ans. It followeth not, for by the same reason the deuill should deserue commendation, because he is the executer of Gods reuenge, and punishment. 2. He obiecteth, that they were left by the patience of God, not per po…tiam compulsi, not compelled by his power. Ans. 1. God sheweth herein both his patience and his power, as the Apostle sheweth, Rom. 9.22. What if God would, to shew his wrath, and make his power knowne, suffer with long patience, the vessels of his wrath prepared to destruction, &c. 2. yet although God herein shew his power and secret iudgement, in punishing them with their owne concupiscence, yet he forceth not their wills, but beeing euill of themselues, he giueth them ouer further to all impietie. 3. Obiect. The Apostle saith, Eph. 4.19. Which beeing past feeling, hauehave giuen themselues vntounto wantonnes, &c. they then giuegive themselues ouer, God giueth them not vp. Ans. It followeth not: for both God doth deliuer them vp, as a iust Iudge, and Sathan as a minister of Gods vengeance: and they themselues, as willingly precipitating themselues into all vncleannes: So God deliuered vp his Sonne vntounto death, and the Iewes also: in one and the same action, God is iust, and man guiltie: quia in vna re quam fecerunt, causa non est vna ob quam fecerunt, because in one ende the same thing which they did, there was not one cause, for the which they did it. August. See more of this question, Hexapl. in Exod. c. 11. qu. 15. to qu. 28. where it is discussed at large.
65. Quest. How the Gentiles are said to defile their bodies in themselues, v. 24.
1. Chrysostome thus interpreteth, propria corpora inter seipsus debonestar… solitos, that they were accustomed to defile their bodies betweene themselues: so also Erasmus, Vatablus, and Beza: Theophylact readeth, à seipsis, of themselues: but in the originall it is foreign, in themselues: as the vulgar Latin translateth: so also Calv. Pareus. 2. Some retaining this reading, by in themselues, vnderstand that kind of pollution and vncleannes, which men commit with themselues, & not with any other person, Ansel. Garr: or there are three kinds of sinnes of vncleannes against na…ure: either the same partie with himselfe worketh vncleannes: or with an other person, of the same sexe, but of the same kind, as man with man, or with an other kind, as man with beast: the first of these is signified here, Lyranus. 3. Some thinke that the Apostle speaketh of such vncleannes, which was committed by themselues one with an other, Osiand. but that is spoken afterward. 4. Tolet taketh this to be vnderstood, not of sinnes against nature, but of adulterie, fornication, and such like: that first they fell into peccata simplicia, into simple sinnes, then as they exceeded in idolatrie, so they fell into more grosse sinnes. 5. But this is better vnderstood generally of all kind of pollution, and vncleannes, naturall, or vnnaturall, which was committed in themselues, that is, against their owne bodies: for other sinnes are committed without the bodie, but the sinne of vncleannes defileth the bodie, and such doe sinne against their owne bodies: as the Apostle sheweth, 1. Cor. 6.28. And so Augustine distinguisheth betweene flagitium, and facinus: the first is that which one committeth against himselfe in defiling his owne bodie, and soule: the other is in hurting of an other, Pareus. 6. And this was the iust recompence of retalion, that as they had dishonoured God, so they should dishonour themselues: and like as they had turned God into the similitude of beasts, and beasts into gods; so they themselues should be giuen ouer to beastly affections. Faius.
66. Quest. How they worshipped the creature, rather then the Creator.
1. So readeth the vulgar Latin, and the Syrian translator: but vponupon this reading it would follow, that they worshipped the Creator, but not so much as the creature: and the same inconuenience followeth to read, aboue the Creator, Chrysost. Vatabl. but the word in the originall is foreign, which signifieth, beside the Creator: as Cyprian well giueth the sense, relicto Creatore, the Creator beeing forsaken, lib. 3. contr. Iudaeos, c. 10. and Hilarie, praeter… Creatore, the Crea…or beeing omitted: so also Beza. 2. Tolet here noteth, that they committed two things in their idolatrous worship, vnum ad intellectum, alterum ad voluntatem spectat, one concerneth the vnderstanding, in the error of their mind: they changed the truth of God, the true worship of God into a lie, that is, a lying image: the other was in their will and affection, in worshipping the creature. But Gryneus addeth a third degree, which was in their action: for he distinguisheth these two, they worshipped, and serued, the first he applieth vntounto the inward veneration and worship, the other to their outward seruice. 3. By the creature, is not onelyonly here vnderstood such things as were, and had an existence in the nature of things, as the Sunne, the Moone, the starres, but they did also worship foreign, such things as had no beeing: which were of three sorts, either such as neuer were in the world, but were imagined gods and goddesses, as Venus, Pallas, Herculius, Febris, and such like: or such as were sometime in the world, but were now dead, and not in the world, as Hercules, Romulus; so Faius: and they worshipped some things of d…uers shapes, which neuer were, nor could be in the world: as Iuppiter of Lybia had a rammes head, and Anubis of Egypt a dogges head: the Faunes and Satyrs had goates feete, the Na…ades and Trit…, had a mixt shape of men, and fishes: Aretius: by the creature then is vnderstood, whatsoeuer beside the Creator, which they worshipped.
4. Whereas the Apostle addeth, which is blessed for euer: Chrysostome well noteth, null… ille ex hac impietate da…no afficitur, &c. that God, notwithstanding this contumelie offered him by idolaters sustanied no losse thereby, he still remained blessed for euer: and that it is said for euer, a difference is shewed betweene the honour of God, which remaineth invio…able for euer, and the honour of idols, which remaineth but for a time, Gorrh.
67. Quest. Of the vnnaturall sinnes of the heathen.
26. For this cause God gaue them vp, &c. 1. Aretius taketh this to be but an foreign further explanation of that which the Apostle had spoken of before: but it is rather an foreign an exaggeration rather, and amplifications for it is more to be giuen ouer, foreign vntounto passions, then foreign, vntounto the lusts of the heart: for they differ in three things, 1. the passion here signifieth a … defeate of the minde, which could not be remooued, whereas the lust of the heart was not yet perfected, Faius. 2. by the lust is signified their vncleane desires, but here the Apostle also speaketh of their vncleane acts, Pareus: 3. and before the Apostle touched such vncleannes, as defiled the bodie: but now they are giuen ouer vntounto such vile affections as also defile the mind, deprauing it of the vse of reason, Tolet.
2. How the women did change the naturall vse, may seeme strange: Theophylact thinketh it was obscaenum aliquid, quod nec dici fas est, some obscene thing, that is not to be vttered. Lyranus, so also Tolet, and before them Ambrose and Anselmo, vnderstand it de commistione foeminarum inter se, of the commixtion of women among themselues, as the men were defiled betweene themselues. But rather here the naturall vse is to be referred vntounto the organe and instrument of generation: when the women did prostitute themselues, the …en exercising praeposterum & sterilem venerem, preposterous and sterilous venerie, Osiand. Sodomiticos concubitus, or they companied with men, as Sodomites, Pareus: and as Augustine saith, when the males abused ex parte corporis, quae non ad generandum instituta est, that part of the bodie in the female, which was not appointed for generation: so the Syrian translator, re quae non est ex natura vsae sunt, they vsed the thing both which was not of nature, &c.
3. So likewise the men with men wrought filthines: actiuely, in forcing vponupon other vnnaturall acts of vncleannes: and passiuely, in suffering others to doe it: this was the sinne of Sodome, for the which they were destroied. Socrates is noted among the Philosophers for masculine venerie, which Plato condemneth. And the Apostle may seeme to hauehave speciall relation here vntounto the abominable vncleannes of the Romanes, and specially …, who was a monstrous beast for such sinnes against nature, Pareus. Chrysostome … elegantly sheweth, how whereas by Gods ordinance, in lawfull copulation by mariage, two became one flesh, both sexes were ioned together in one: by this Sodomiticall vn…nnes, the same flesh is diuided into two, the men with men working vncleannes with women, and so serue in stead of two sexes.