Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 8 · Section 3 · Subsection 31 – Subsection 32
Quest. 31. To what end the new heauens and earth shall serue in the next world.
1. The Sunne and Moone shall not then serue either to giuegive light vntounto the world, there shall then be no darknes: and the glorie of God, and the Lambe shall be the light of the heauenly Ierusalem, Reuel. 22.23. neither shall they serue for times and seasons, yeares, monethes and dayes, as now: for then there shall be no Summer or Winter, nor any darknes: the Sunne shall not then goe forth as a gyant to runne his course, as now: Psal. 19.6. but then all the creatures shall rest, and their ministerie and seruice, such as is now, shall cease: not yet shall the earth then yeeld fruite for the vse of men, as now: it shall be a time of rest, and the great yeare of Iubile to all creatures: they shall all be freed, and deliuered from seruitude, as the Apostle saith here, v. 21. the word is foreign, seruice or seruitude.
2. Neither yet shall the new earth be without inhabitants, which is Bellarmines opinion, because it shall remaine operta aquis, couered with water, and so be vnfit for habitation, Bellar. lib. 6. de amission. grat. c. 3. resp. ad obiect. 7. for 1. the state of all things shall then be most perfect, not confused and mingled together, as in the beginning the earth was couered with water, before God made a distinction, and seperation: 2. and then there shall be no Sea, Reuel. 22.1. as now: much lesse shall all the earth be a continuall sea: 3. and the Scripture speaketh euidently, that the meeke shall inherit the earth, Matth. 5.5. which promise beeing not performed in this world, shall be fulfilled then.
Neither yet shall the Saints inhabit the earth, to liue in terrene pleasures in eating and drinking, and sporting themselues with terrene delights, as Cerinthus the heretike held, and as the Turkes are made to beleeue, by their false prophet Mahomet, and the carnall Iewes also doe dreame of such a terrestiall Paradise: the Turkish histories doe to this purpose make mention of one Alahodinas the founder of the Assassines, who vsed this deuise to get many followers: he prouided a place most pleasantly situated, abounding with all earthly delicacies and pleasures, whether he would cause some to be conueyed beeing cast into a sound sleepe, and after they had solaced themselues there a while, by the like intoxicate drinke he would returne them to their former place: who when they were awaked would report, that they had beene in Paradise: But the new heauens and earth, shall not abound with carnall and corruptible pleasures; there shall dwell righteousnesse, 2. Pet. 3.13. that is, spirituall delight.
4. And the opinion of Catharinus a Popish writer, that infants dying in their originall sinne shall be the inhabitants of the earth, is but a meere fansie: he thinketh that they shall not goe to heauen, as beeing impure, neither will he thrust them downe to hell, because they committed no actuall sinne: Bellarmine confuteth this phantasticall opinion, by this reason, because then there shall be but two places, heauen and hell: a place of ioy, or of torment, Bellar. lib. 6. de amissi. grat. c. 3.
5. Wherefore it is most probable that the heauen and earth shall both be the seate of the blessed; that there shall be an entercourse betweene heauen and earth: As the Angels sometime came from heauen and appeared in humane bodies, and Moses and Elias talked with Christ in the mount: and out Sauiour himselfe after he was risen againe was 40. daies conuersant with his Apostles in the earth: and which are good probabilities, that the Saints shall passe to and fro from heauen to earth: and shall follow the lambe, whether soeuer he goeth, as it is, Reuel. 14.4. But of this great misterie and secret, nothing can certainely be affirmed: it is enough for vsus to beleeue, that there shall be new heauens, and a new earth prepared for the righteous: and that God shall hauehave a glorious Church, new Ierusalem, both in heauen and vponupon earth: for in them both the new heauens and earth, shall righteousnesse dwell, as S. Peter saith before alleadged. See more qu. 35.2. following.
Quest. 32. Why the Apostle saith, eueryevery creature, v. 22. hauing hitherto named the creature without any other addition.
Here are diuerse opinions: some doe thinke that more is contained here, vnderunder the name (creature) then before: some that as much was said before by the Apostle, and that the same thing is set down here, but yet more expressely: And in each of these opinions there are some differences.
1. Of the first sort. 1. Ambrose thinketh, that where the Apostle said before, the creature is subiect to vanitie, Angels there are excluded: but here in that he saith, eueryevery creature groneth, he vnderstandeth the Angels, who though they are not subiect to vanitie, yet they doe grone as it were and greeue for vsus, as they doe also reioyce for vsus; Ambrose to this purpose, epistol. 22. But the same creature groneth, which hopeth to be deliuered from the bondage of corruption; for otherwise this could not be a reason of the former verse, if the Apostle spake not of the same kind of creatures: if angels then are not the creatures, which shal be deliuered, neither are they the creatures, which grone with vsus.
Of the second sort: 1. Origen in both places vnderstandeth Angels, but he maketh the difference to be in the word foreign, groneth together, eueryevery creature groneth together in compassion both Angels, and others: but eueryevery creature doth not simply grone, as beeing subiect to miserie, namely the Angels: and therefore here the Apostle saith, eueryevery creature; But if the Angels be not subiect at all to groning, as indeed these blessed spirits are not, then neither can they be said to grone together.
2. Augustine vnderstanding by the creature man, saith he is called eueryevery creature, because he communicateth with the hature of eueryevery creature; both of the intelligent spirits, sensitiue creatures, and vegetatiue plantes: so gloss. interline. quia habet communionem cum omni creatura, because he hath communion with eueryevery creature: but see this refused before, qu. 28.4.
3. Our new writers, as Pet. Martyr, Calvin, with others; both here and before vnderstand generally all creatures in the world, which doe labour with vsus vnderunder the burthen of corruption: but all creatures in generall shall not be partakers of the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God, as hath beene also shewed before qu. 28.5.
4. The ordinaire gloss. thus obserueth; the Apostle saith, eueryevery creature, noting not singula generum, sed genera singulorum, not the particular of eueryevery kind, but the kinds of the particulars: But if the Apostle meane eueryevery particular creature before, and here the kind, then eueryevery creature should not be as much, as the creature which was spoken of before.
5. Wherefore with Chrysostome and Theophylact, I thinke the Apostle speaketh here of creatures without life, as before; but he saith all, that is, structura mundi, the frame of the world; which Beza interpreteth, totum mundum conditum, the whole created world, to shew the consent of them together; and he saith (all,) ad maiorem expressionem sententi…, more expressely signifying his meaning: and because the principall partes of the world, perpetu… sunt, are continued and ioyned together, Tolet: yet vnderunder the continent, may be insinuated the things contained: and so all creatures in the continent of the world do communicate with vsus in this groning.