Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 9 · Section 3 · Subsection 6 – Subsection 7
Quest. 6. How Moses wished to be blotted out of the booke of life, for Israels sake.
Moses words are these, Exod. 32.31. If thou wilt not (pardon their sinne,) blot me out of the booke which thou hast written: Because that desire of Moses, and this of Paul here are verie like, as Hierome saith, If we consider Moses voice making request for his people, we shall see, eundem fuisse Mosi & Paulo erga creditum gregem affectum, &c. that both Moses and Paul had the same affection toward the flocke committed to them: it shall not be amisse to insert somewhat here touching Moses wish. Two things doe here breede question, the manner of Moses wish, and the matter, and sense thereof. 1. for the manner, Moses vseth that bouldnes of speach that a subiect will scarcely vse speaking to his Prince, non solum cla… apud Deum, sed reclamat, he doth not onelyonly crie vntounto God, but he reclaymeth and crieth as it were against his minde: But Philo remooueth this doubt, because the Scripture saith, that God talked with Moses as with his friend: he speaketh therefore freely and boldly as to his friend: this libertie then and freedome of his speach is not to be attributed vntounto his arrogancie, but vntounto his friendship and familiaritie:lib. quis rerum divinarum fit haeres. arrogantis est audacia, amici est fiducia, boldnes and rashnes sheweth arrogancie, but confidence is in friendship. 2. But there remaineth a greater doubt as touching the matter and meaning of Moses vowe and desire: for whereas Gods booke of life signifieth his ordaining of some vntounto eternall life: which is of two sorts, either secundum praedestinationem, according to the decree of predestination which cannot be altered: or secundum praesentem iustitiam, according to mens present iustice: in the first sense it would seeme to be stulta petitio, a foolish request, to desire that which was impossible to be blotted out of Gods decree of predestination, and in the other it would be thought to be impia, an vngodly desire, to wish to fall from the present state of iustice: now for the solution of this doubt there are diuerse answears framed.
1. Rabbi Salomon taketh this to be the booke of Moses law, that it should hauehave no denomination from him, but that his name might be taken out thence: but it appeareth in the Lords answer, I will blot out of that booke him that sinneth, that this booke belonged vntounto more then Moses onelyonly.
2. Rab. Moses Gerundens. thinketh, Moses extra se captum, to hauehave beene as it were beside himselfe, and in his great zeale to his people to hauehave spoken he knew not what: But seeing Moses prayer was so well accepted of God, it is not to be thought that he offended in making so rash and inconsiderate a prayer.
3. Paulus Burgensis varieth not much from the first interpretation, he taketh the booke here, for the historicall narration in Scripture of the acts and doings of the Saints: and so he thinketh, that Moses onelyonly desired, that the great workes, which God had wrought by his hand, should not be written of him. But this had beene to pray against the setting forth of Gods glorie, which was manifested in those great workes.
4. Caietan vnderstandeth it, de libro principatus, of the book of principalitie: that whereas God had appointed Moses to be gouernour of a greater nation and people, if he should destroy Israel, Moses desireth rather to be no gouernour at all, then that Israel should perish: But the words of the Lord, I will blot out him that sinneth, shewe that Moses speaketh not of a personall writing in any such booke, which concerned him alone, but of such a booke, wherein others were written as well as himselfe.
5. Augustine maketh this sense, qu. 147. in Exod. as thou hast made it certaine, that I can not be raced out of the booke which thou hast written, so let me be as sure and certaine, that thou wilt remit the sinne of this people: But Gods answear, I will blot out, &c. ouerthroweth this sense, for there the Lord answeareth negatiuely, vntounto Moses, that he should not be blotted out: then Moses wish was to be blotted out.
6. Lyranus saith, that Moses did thus wish secundum desiderium partis inferioris animae, according to the desire of the inferiour part of his minde, not in the superiour part, which was his iudgement and vnderstanding: as Christ prayed that the cup might passe from him: but yet there is a more sufficient answear then this, see answ. 6. following.
7. Thostatus qu. 44. in 32. Exod. thinketh, that it is an hyperboricall speach, as that of Rachel, giuegive me children or else I die, and yet shee had rather hauehave had no children, then to hauehave died: yet in such passionate speeches, they shewe their seruent and exceeding great desire: But in this sense Moses should hauehave had no such meaning to be blotted out of Gods booke: the contrarie whereof appeareth in the Lords answear.
8. Oleaster will hauehave this to be the meaning: blot me out of thy booke, that is, obliuiscere … perpetuo, forget me for euer: for as we vse to commit those things to writing, which we would remember, so the things which we desire to forget we blot out: But it is more then a metaphoricall speach, as is euident by the Lords answear to Moses.
9. Heirome epist. 151. ad Algas. and Grego. lib. 10. Moral. c. 7. Euthym. in Psal. 68. vponupon these words, let them be blotted out of the booke of the liuing, doe take this booke to be the decree onelyonly of this temporall life, and those to be blotted out, which are depriued of life: so Moses in their opinion wisheth onelyonly to be depriued of this mortall life: so also Pererius. But this cannot be so, for the Lord saith, he will blot out him which sinneth, now not onelyonly sinners, but righteous men are taken away out of this life.
10. But Chrysostomes exposition is best, who lib. 3. de prouident. doth interpret these words of Moses, as the other of Paul, of the finall seperation from Christ, and of beeing depriued of the vision of God, and fruition of Christ: so also Bernard, Moses noluit introduci in gaudium Domini, &c. Moses would not be brought into the ioy of the Lord, the people remaining without. Bernar. in serm. 12. in Cantic. the reasons for the confirmation of this, see in the end of the former question: and the solution of this doubt, how Moses could desire an impossible thing of God, see also there in the answer to the 3. obiection.
Quest. 7. Whether in matters of saluation, one kindred after the flesh ought to hauehave any prioritie before others.
v. 3. My kinsmen according to the flesh. 1. Basil regal. brev. res. 190. deliuereth this doctrine, that in spirituall matters none ought to hauehave more respect vntounto their kindred after the flesh, then vntounto others, that are not neere in blood: And that saying of Saint Paul, may seeme to confirme this opinion, 2. Cor. 5.16. Hence forth know we no man after the flesh, us though we had knowne Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more. Contra. In this place the Apostle opposeth himselfe against these false teachers, which stood vponupon carnall prerogatiues, and the legall and carnall ceremonies, and the generation of Christ onelyonly after the flesh: these things Saint Paul would no longer know, that is, trust vntounto: before his calling he stood vponupon such outward priuiledges, as that he was circumcised, an Hebrew, of the tribe of Beniamin, and such like, Phil. 3.5. But he counted all these things a drosse and dung in comparison of Christ: and he wil not know Christ onelyonly according to the flesh, in respect of his outward state in the world, for our Sauiour himselfe saith, Ioh. 6.13: It is the spirit that quickneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. Mar.
2. But that euen spirituall things may by the rule of charitie be first wished vntounto our …ted, it may thus appeare. 1. because our naturall affection is not destroyed by religion, but perfected; pietie doth qualifie and moderate naturall compassion, it doth not extinguish duplicate page duplicate page it. 2. charitie must be ordinata, ordered: it proceedeth in degrees: first a man may expresse his louelove toward his owne, 1. Tim. 5.4. Let them first learne to shewe godlinesse toward their owne house. 3. S. Paul giueth this as a reason of his heauinesse and griefe for the Israelites, because they were his kindred after the flesh: where though he vseth a limitation: that after the flesh they were onelyonly his brethren, but otherwise they were not, beeing vnbeleeuers and contemners of the Gospell, yet it much mooued him for them, because they were his kinred after the flesh.