Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 9 · Section 3 · Subsection 29
29. Quest. How the Gentiles obtained righteousnes that sought it not, and the Iewes missed of it, that sought it.
1. Whereas this might seeme a strange paradox, that they which seeke righteousnes, should not hauehave it, and they which seeke it not, obtained it; Origen thinketh here, by a distinction to dissolue this knot: it is one thing, saith he, sectari, to follow, which is vnderstood of a prescript forme of doctrine, such as the written law was, which the Gentiles had not, and therefore could not follow it: it is an other thing to follow the law of nature, which the Gentiles had, and followed: but the Apostle here speaketh not of any law, which the Gentiles followed at all, but that they obtained that, which they neither sought not followed.
2. Chrysostome thinketh that the Apostle sheweth here the reason of the electing of the Gentiles, and reiecting of the Iewes, namely the faith of the one, and the incredulitie of the other: But these are not the causes of the decree of election, and reprobation, but the effects: for three things the Apostle treateth of in this chapter concerning election, and reprobation, of the beginning thereof in Gods decree, of the ende, which is the glorie of God, which two the Apostle hath handled hitherto, and of the meanes, saith of the one, and incredulitie of the other, which the Apostle toucheth here.
3. Tolet here distinguisheth betweene the law of righteousnes, and righteousnes it selfe: the Iewes followed the law, but not righteousnes, because they did not the works of the law, but abounded in sinne: but it is euident, that the Apostle by the law of righteousnes, vnderstandeth the perfection, which the law required, which were the works of the law, vntounto the which the Iewes attained not.
4. Some by the law vnderstand onelyonly the ceremonies and rites of the law, by obseruing whereof the Iewes could not attaine vntounto righteousnesse: but it is euident that throughout this epistle the Apostle vnderstandeth euen the workes of the morall law, as c. 7. he directly maketh mention of that law, whereof one precept is, thou shalt not lust.
5. Some make a difference here betweene, iustitiam legis, ex lege, the iustice of the law, and iustice by the law: the iustice of the law, is such workes, which the law requireth, but the iustice by the law, is such workes as men doe according to the prescript of the law, of their owne strength without faith: the Apostle reiecteth this in the matter of iustification, but not the other: to this purpose Bellarmine lib. 1. iustificat. c. 19. And so the Apostle here saith, that the Iewes sought the law of righteousnesse, but while by their owne power they sought to fulfill it, they could not attaine vntounto it: he alleageth to this purpose Angustine, who saith, iustitiam legis non implet iustitia quae ex lege est, lib. 3. cont. 2. epist. Pelag. c. 7.&c. the righteousnesse which is of the law fulfilleth not the righteousnesse of the law, &c. and the righteousnes by the law he interpreteth to be that, quam homo suis viribus facit, &c. which a man doth by his owne strength.
But 1. it is euident, that the Apostle indifferently vseth these phrases, the righteousnesse of the law, and by or from the law: as he taketh the righteousnesse foreign, of God, Rom. 3.22. and foreign, by or from God, Phil. 3.9. for one and the same: so whether we say the righteousnesse of faith, which the Apostle calleth the law of faith, Rom. 3.27. and the word of faith. Rom. 10.8. or the righteousnesse foreign, by or through faith, there is no difference, but in words. 2. Origen hath the like curious distinction vponupon these words of the Apostle, Rom. 3.30. who shall iustifie circumcision of faith, and vncircumcision through faith, betweene foreign, of faith, and foreign, through faith, he maketh this difference; that to be iustified ex fide, of faith, is to beginne with faith, and end with works, and to be iustified through faith, is to beginne with works and end with faith, &c. whereas the Apostle intendeth one and the same manner of iustification: the like curiositie there is in this distinction, betweene the righteousnesse of the law, and by the law.
3. And the verie words of the Apostle, They followed the righteousnesse of the law, shew as much, which he interpreteth afterward, They sought it by the workes of the law, that is by the righteousnesse of the law: the workes of the law, are the righteousnesse of the law, which are excluded from iustification, Rom. 3.28. neither did the Iewes so cleaue vntounto the workes of the law, as that they excluded the grace of God: for the Pharisie in his vaine glorious prayer, Luk. 18. giueth formall thanks vntounto God. 4. And although Augustine seeme to make some difference betweene these tearmes, yet he is farre off from thinking, that we are iustified by the fulfilling of the law, but by faith onelyonly: his meaning onelyonly is, that we hauehave no power to doe the workes of the law of our selues, but by the grace of Gods spirit; and concerning iustification by faith onelyonly, and not by workes, he saith, quantaelibet fuisse vertutis antiquos iustos praedicas, lib. 1. cont. 2. epist. Pelag. c. 21.non eos salvos fecit nisii fides, of how great value soeuer you reporte the auncient righteous persons to hauehave beene, nothing saued them but their faith, &c.
5. Some by the righteousnesse of the law in the first place vnderstand the righteousnesse prescribed in the law, but in the latter, the true righteousnesse of the Euangelicall law: and make this to be the sense, while they followed the legall righteousnesse, they could non attaine vntounto veram iustificationis rationem, the true way of iustification, Calvin, quae est propria Evangelij, which is peculiar and proper to the Gospel, Hyper. so also Tolet, and Lyranus vnderstandeth in the latter place, legem fidei Catholicae, the law of the Catholike faith; and before them Origen thus expoundeth, that while they followed the law according to the letter, they attained not vntounto the law of the spirit: for if the Apostle did meane the same law, he would not hauehave said, that they attained not vntounto that law, which they had: to this purpose Origen: But the Apostle saith not, they attained vntounto, or had the law of righteousnesse, but onelyonly followed it; and in both places the law of righteousnesse is taken in the same sense: that whereas the Iewes endeauoured by keeping of the law to be iustified, they failed, and came short euen of that iustice which they sought for in keeping of the law: Martyr, Pareus, and so Chrysostom excellently sheweth a threefold difference here between the Gentiles and the Iewes: first the Gentiles 1. found iustice, 2. which they sought not for, 3. and the most perfite iustice, euen of faith, which exceeded the iustice of the law: But the Iewes, 1. missed of iustice, 2. which they earnestly sought for, 3. yea they attained not vntounto the iustice of the law, which is the lesse and inferior kind of iustice, because they sought not aright, namely by faith.