Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 9 · Section 3 · Subsection 15
Quest. 15. Of the meaning of these words, I will hauehave merciemercy on whom I will hauehave merciemercy.
1. Origen and Heirome, epist. ad Heath. qu. 10. doe thinke that this is an obiection made by some as it were contradicting the Apostle; But this is the Apostles answer rather to the former obiection: is their iniquitie with God, that he should elect one, and reiect an other, both of them beeing in the same state and condition: to the which the Apostle maketh answer, God forbid, and giueth a reason of his answer here out of the Scripture.
2. Chrysostome thinketh, whom Theophylact followeth, that by this sentence the Apostle staieth mans curiositie, from requiring the cause why some are elected, some are refused, which is best knowne vntounto God; as the Lord answeared Moses who was desirous to know, why all of the Israelites beeing guiltie of the same sinne, in worshipping the golden calfe, yet were not alike punished: to whom the Lord answeareth thus in effect: non est tuum scire Moses, &c. Moses it belongeth not to thee to know who are worthy of my merciemercy, &c. But in this sense, there were small coherence in the Apostles speach: for then there should be no answer made vntounto the former obiection, which the Apostle remooueth here: Tolet annot. 22. neither was this sentence vttered vponupon any such occasion, concerning the punishing of sinne of the Israelites, and sparing of others; but whereas Moses had made request to see Gods glorie, and the Lord had granted him to see his backer partes, and so in part yeelded vntounto his request, then this is added, as a reason thereof; I will hauehave merciemercy, Mar.
3. Ambrose is farre wide, who maketh this the sense of these words: I will hauehave merciemercy on him, on whom I will hauehave merciemercy, that is, quem praescivi, whom I foresaw like after his error to returne vntounto me: so the ord. gloss. cui praescio misericordiam, whom I foresaw, merciemercy is to be shewed vponupon: the like glosse Thomas maketh mention of in his Commentarie, I will hauehave merciemercy on him, quem dignum praenonero misericordia, whome I foresaw to be worthy of merciemercy. But this is not agreeable to the Apostles minde: 1. there had beene no occasion of any such obiection, if the cause were in the foresight of mens worthines, why some are elected, and not others, for then there had beene no shew of iniustice at all in God, the reason had beene plaine: Tolet annot. 22. 2. this, to giuegive vntounto those which are worthie, respicit iustitiam Dei, respecteth the iustice of God, whereas the Apostle here referreth all vntounto Gods merciemercy; Martyr. 3. neither can that be a cause of election, which is an effect thereof: for to beleeue, and to be obedient, are effects of election, then the foresight thereof cannot be the cause: Pere. dsiput. 7. err. 39.
4. Neither is this onelyonly an Hebrew phraise signifying the same thing, as Tolet ibid. as the Hebrewes for more vehemencie sake doe expresse the same thing, by an emphaticall repetition: neither yet are these words so curiously to be distinguished with Anselme, as to referre thē to Gods mercy in calling, in beleeuing, & in working, that whom he sheweth mercy vponupon in calling, he will shew further merciemercy in giuing grace to beleeue, and whom he giueth grace vntounto beleeue, they shall hauehave grace also to worke by their faith: Lyranus and Pererius vnderstand the three degrees of Gods merciemercy, in predestinating, in giuing present grace, and glorie to come, and so make this the sense, I will hauehave merciemercy, in giuing grace to him, on whom I hauehave merciemercy, in electing him: and to whom I giuegive finall grace I will shew merciemercy in giuing him future glorie: Iunius much differeth not, I will hauehave merciemercy (ex facto) in fact and indeed, vponupon whom I hauehave merciemercy, decreto, in my decree of election: parallel. 11. But Pareus better sheweth the reason of the ingemination and repeating of these words: to shew, 1. this merciemercy, gratuitam, to be franke and free, and that there can be no reason or cause yeilded why God sheweth merciemercy, but his owne gracious inclination to merciemercy. 2. arbitrariam, that it is arbritarie depending onelyonly vponupon the will of God. 3. constantem, that it is constant and immutable: where he sheweth merciemercy, he will hauehave merciemercy to the end. 4. immensam, this merciemercy is infinite and without measure, not onelyonly in bestowing one grace, but many.
5. Further it is to be obserued, that thought the same word, to hauehave merciemercy, be reteined both in the Greeke translation of the Septuagint, and in the latine in both partes of the sentence, yet in the Hebrew there are two words, the one in the former clause of the sentence, canan, which signifieth to shew grace, and fauour: the other in the latter part, is racham, to shew bowels of compassion, and beside the Septuagint doe put the verbe in the present-tense, in the latter part of both the clauses, whereas in the originall the same tense and time is kept in both; but this is no great difference, the sense still notwithstanding remaineth the same.
6. This then is the Apostles meaning; whereas it was obiected that if God elect some and not others, their case beeing the same, the Lord might seeme to be partiall and vniust: he answereth in effect thus much, that whereas all are endebted to God, and without Gods merciemercy like to perish, here is no iniustice, if God remit his debt to one and not to an other: as Augustine saith, debitum si non reddis, habes quod gratuleris, si reddis, Ad Simplic. lib. 1. qu. 2.non habes quod queraris, if thou doe not pay the debt, which thou owest, thou hast cause to be thankfull, if thou doest, thou hast no cause to complaine: So then the Apostle here sheweth, that betweene the decree of election and reprobation, and the execution thereof, there came betweene certaine subordinate causes: all are sinners in Adam, for merciemercy presupposeth miserie, where the Lord then findeth all in miserie, there if he shew merciemercy to some, and not to others, no man can accuse him of iniustice, because he is not endebted or tied in his iustice vntounto any, but all are by nature the children of wrath: if then he saue some out of that masse of corruption, it is a worke of his merciemercy, and no iniustice is to be imputed vntounto him, where in iustice nothing is due to any: to this purpose Beza. annot.