Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 15 · Section 3 · Subsection 21 – Subsection 22
Quest. 21. Of S. Pauls description of the Ministrie of the Gospel.
1. v. 16. That I should be the Minister. The Apostle here sheweth both the authoritie of his Apostleship, and the execution thereof: in the authoritie he expresseth fowre things, the author, God, that had giuen him that grace, the Minister, Paul, the ende, to be the Minister of Christ, and for whom, toward the Gentiles: then for the execution, there is set forth the thing it selfe, the divulgation of the Gospell, the profit thereof, the oblation of the Gentiles, and the author and efficient thereof, the holy Ghost.
2. The Minister. foreign, which signifieth a publike Minister, and is before giuen vntounto the Magistrate, c. 13.6. but here the Apostle sheweth what manner of Minister he is, ministring in the Gospell, as it followeth in the next words: and Chrysostome well noteth, that the Apostleship was not conferred, vponupon the Apostle as a place of honour, but of labour and seruice, to hauehave care of others, to bring them vntounto God.
3. Ministring the Gospel. 1. the vulgar Latine readeth, sanctifying the Gospel, which they interpret, sanctum esse ostendens, shewing it to be holy, and that the Gentiles must be sanctified by it; Lyran. gloss. interlin. Tolet. 2 but the word is foreign, which signifieth operari sacris, to minister and giuegive attendance of holy things: which Chrysostomes interpreter rendreth sancte administrans, ministring in the holy seruice of the Gospell: Augustine readeth as Erasmus noteth, consecrans, consecrating the Gospell: as if he should hauehave said, ipsum mihi sacerdotium est praedicare Evangelium, this is my Priesthood to preach the Gospell, Chrysost. because the Iewes and Gentiles both boasted of their externall Priesthood and sacrifices, the Apostle sheweth, that his ministrie was farre more excellent, beeing not occupied in sacrificing of beasts, but in offring vp liuing men to be an holy sacrifice vntounto God by their obedience. 3. and this is fitly alleadged, for the Apostles purpose, that as no man vitio vertit sacerdoti, &c. doth seeme to blame the Priest, in seeking to offer an vndefiled sacrifice vntounto God, so they should not thinke much, if by his admonitions he fought to offer them an holy sacrifice to God, machaera mea evangelium, for the Gospell was as his knife, whereby he slayed and prepared this spirituall sacrifice to offer it vntounto God.
4. That the oblation or offring vp of the Gentiles. 1. Not, oblatio, quam offerunt Gentes, the oblation, which the Gentiles offer vp by faith, should be accepted, as Lyranus. 2. but vt ipsae gentes offerantur, that the Gentiles themselues be offred vp by me: tanquam manipuli messis meae, as an handfull of my haruest, Hugo: ipsa Gentilitas, that Gentilisme it selfe may be sanctified by my ministerie, Gorrhan: Calv. Pareus. 3. Chrysostome and Theophylact doe obserue, that the Apostle doth vse this as an argument, ne eum dedignentur habere sacerdotem, not to disdaine to acknowledge him for their spirituall Priest, to whom all the Gentiles were committed, and consequently the Romanes.
5. Sanctified by the holy Ghost. 1. Not by the obseruation of the law, but by the power of the holy Ghost, Origen, qui sanctificationis fons est, who is the fountaine of our sanctification. 2. as the sacrifices of the law, had their legall and externall purifyings, so this oblation hath a spirituall sanctification by the spirit, which consisteth of the inward operation wrought of the spirit, Calv. & fide etiam donantur, they are endued with faith, without the which nothing is acceptable vntounto God, Pellic. 3. this is not added by the Apostle, as though we were acceptable vntounto God, because of our sanctitie, but this our sanctification, is an oblation acceptable to God thorough Christ.
Quest. 22. Of the Apostles boasting or reioycing, and the manner thereof.
v. 17. I hauehave therefore wherein to reioyce. 1. the Apostle hauing before much abased, and as it were cast downe himselfe, now erigit sermonem, ne contemptibilis videatur, he doth now erect and advance his stile, least he might seeme contemptible, Chrysost. and least he might hauehave seemed to vsurpe and intrude vpō the Romanes, in writing vntounto them, he sheweth how he had to reioyce in respect of his labours and trauailes among other of the Gentiles also, Martyr: and because there wanted not some euerie where that depraved the Apostle, and disgraced his ministrie, he now by certaine glorious effects beginneth to extoll his office, and to confirme his authoritie.
To reioyce, or I hauehave matter of glorie, or reioycing. 1. Haymo vnderstandeth it of euerlasting glorie, habeo gloriam praeparatam, I hauehave glorie prepared with God. 2. Lyranus interpreteth this glorie, to be authoritatem officij, the authoritie of his office which he had from Christ. 3. the interlin. gloss. meritum dignum gloria, his merit worthie of glorie: and whereas that place may be obiected, c. 8.18. the afflictions or sufferings of this life, are not (condigna,) condigne or worthy of the glorie which shall be shewed: Gorrhan thus distinguisheth that they are not, condigne, secundum equiparantiam, according to an equalitie, yet they are digna, worthie, quoad sufficientiam meriti, in respect of the sufficiencie of the merit: But this is an idle distinction, for the Greeke word there vsed is foreign worthie, there is no such difference in that word betweene dignitie and condignitie: and there can be no merit, where there is not an equalitie, and like value and proportion Betweene the merit and the thing merited: and further this glosse here is contrarie to the Apostle, who ascribeth all vntounto Christ, as Chrysostome well expoundeth, glorior non in meipso, sed in gratia Dei, I doe not boast in my selfe, but in the grace of Christ. 4. The Apostle then sheweth wherein he might reioyce and commend his ministerie, in respect of the glorious effects, and notable successe thereof: but this his reioycing, least he might seeme to commend himselfe, is two wayes qualified: first for the manner, he reioyceth thorough Christ, acknowledging all this to proceede from his grace, in solo Christo est vera gloriatio apud Deum, in Christ onelyonly is true glorying, and reioycing with God: and without Christ, to reioyce in God, is as if a man should thinke se habere gloriam apud Deum sine iustitia, sine sapientia, &c. that he could hauehave glorie with God without iustice, wisedome, truth: all which Christ is vntounto vsus: secondly, for the matter, he saith, in those things which pertaine to God, that is, not in riches, honour, the wisedome of the world, as Origen expoundeth, but in matters concerning religion and worship of God, wherein his ministrie and office consisted: as the Apostle describeth the office of a Priest, He is appointed for men in things pertaining vntounto God, Hebr. 5.1.