Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 11 · Section 3 · Subsection 21 – Subsection 26
21. Quest. How the roote can make the branches holy, seeing many branches did degenerate, and by nature all are vnholy branches.
Here many doubts are propounded together, which shall be answered in their order.
1. Obiect. The Apostle before out of Isai, c. 10.21. shewed how Israel is called a rebellious and disobedient people, and yet now the Apostle saith they are holy.
Ans. The same Israel can not be said wholly in all the parts, and in respect of the same time to be both holy and vnholy; but diuers parts and times considered, both may agree vntounto Israel: for the faithfull and elect considered in Israel, they were holy; but the rest were rebellious and vnholy; like as if one should reason thus: Englishmen are Papists, and Englishmen are Protestants, therefore Papists nor Protestants, it followeth not: for the proposition must be vnderstood, not of the whole nation but of diuerse partes.
2. Obiect. But holines is not propagated by nature: how then can the holy roote make the braunches holy.
Ans. We must distinguish betweene the internall, inherent and personall qualities, such are the habites of the minde, as wisedome, learning, pietie, faith, and such like, which are not conueyed by generation, and the externall priuiledges, which are giuen vntounto a stocke and kinred, which doe descend by generation: as free men beget freemen, slaues beget slaues, Iewes beget Iewes, and so Christians are borne of Christians: because the promise is made to the faithfull and their seed: the braunches then are holy, because of the holy roote, not by an actuall and inherent holines, but by an outward prerogatiue of grace grounded vponupon the promise of God made vntounto beleeuing fathers and their seed.
3. Obiect. Againe it may be obiected, that all men are impure by birth, as Dauid confesseth, in sinne hath my mother conceiued mee, Psal. 51. and who can bring a cleane thing out of that, which is vncleane, Iob. 14.4. how then can the braunches by naturall propagation be holy of an holy roote.
Ans. We must likewise make a difference betweene a generall condition of nature, as it is now corrupt in Adam, which is common to all, which are descended of Adam, and the prerogatiue grace, which is not common to all, but to those which are within the couenant: this prerogatiue of the couenant, and the corruption of nature may stand together; the grace of regeneration qualifieth the corruption of nature, but the grace of the couenant, neither qualifieth nor taketh it away, vntill the grace of regeneration beside be added therevnto: like as one that is leprous may beget a leprous sonne, and yet beeing free borne himselfe, his yssue also shall be partaker of his freedome: so the father beeing a Christian may beget his sonne in sinne, and yet beeing within the couenant, he shall hauehave this priuiledge, to be made a member of the visible Church: though a liuely member he cannot be vntil he hauehave attained to the gift of regeneration.
4. Obiect. If the braunches be holy, because they came of an holy roote, then consequently the braunches, which came not of that roote, cannot be holy, and so the Gentiles should not be partakers of the fatnes of the oliue, not springing out of Abrahams holy roote.
Ans. Though the Gentiles are not naturally descended by carnall generation of that holy roote, yet they are graft in by faith, and so also become braunches; and the Apostle in this place hath this distinction, of naturall braunches, and braunches, that are graft in: the Gentiles then, though not the naturall sonnes of Abraham, yet ate his sonnes by faith, and so within the couenant, and are made partakers thereby of all the priuiledges, which the naturall braunches had, before they were cast off.
Quest. 21. How Abraham is said to be the roote, to be graffed into, whereas we are said to be graffed into Christ. c. 6.5.
1. Christ is as the head, the Church and partes thereof are his bodie, and they which are planted into the bodie, are graffed also into the head: and so there is no contradiction at all to be graffed into Christ the head, or into the Church as the bodie, or into Abraham a principall member of the bodie: for he is the roote, but onelyonly by way of relation vntounto Christ: Pareus.
2. Abraham then is the holy roote, but by the holines of Christ: and he is the roote onelyonly, foreign, by way of example: foreign, effectually Christ is onelyonly the roote, and the vine, we the braunches, Ioh. 15.1. Christ is the roote simply of all: Abraham onelyonly by way of relation to his offspring, which is descended of him.
Quest. 22. What S. Paul meaneth by the wild oliue and by the graffing of it in, v. 17.
1. For the coherence, hitherto the Apostle repressed the insulting of the Gentiles against the Iewes by two arguments taken from the two ends of their reiection, the one the calling of the Gentiles, the other the planting in againe of the Iewes, so now he vrgeth a third reason taken from the former condition of the Gentiles, which were as a wild oliue, vntill they were planted in.
2. Concerning the reading of the words, thou wast graft in foreign, for them, that is, in their place, as the Syrian interpreter translateth, but Erasmus refuseth this reading as ridiculous, and will hauehave the preposition foreign, in, to be here redundant and superfluous: as the like phrases are vsed often in the Hebrew, as percussus in gladio, smitten in the sword: and so he would hauehave it referred vntounto the oliue, into the which they were planted: likewise some of our owne interpreters, read, insicus illis, graft into them, Bucer, Martyr: But the other reading is the better, graft in for them, for it hath relation to the braunches broken off, and as yet no mention is made of the right oliue tree: Lyranus, by in them, vnderstandeth the braunches yet standing, as the Apostles, into whom the Gentiles were planted: but plants are not properly graffed into the braunches, but into the stock: therefore the better sense is, graft in for them: in loco factorum, in the stead of the broken braunches: so glosse interlin. Gorrhan, Tolet: and of our writers, Beza, Faius, Pareus, Genevens. or, among them: B.
3. Was graft in: the Apostle sheweth a threefold benefit bestowed vponupon the Gentiles, first they were planted in stead of the incredulous Iewes, which were as braunches broken off, then they are made partakers of the roote, that is of the faith of Abraham and the Patriarkes, Lyran. and made one Church with them; and thereby they are partakers of the farmes of the oliue: which the ordinarie glosse vnderstandeth of the Apostles, who receiued of the fatnes of the spirit to conuay it to the Gentiles: Gorrhan of the fatnes of charitie: but rather generally thereby is meant the doctrine and grace of Christ, Lyran. and all the spirituall graces, which the Lord conferreth vponupon his Church; as the Prophet Dauid saith, Psal. 63.3. My soule shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatnes, &c. Pareus.
4. But it will be obiected, that the Iewes by nature, were a wild oliue, as well as the Gentiles: as Saint Paul saith, Ephes. 2.3. We were by nature the children of wrath as well as others. Ans. True it is, that in respect of originall corruption there is no difference; but the Iewes were the right oliue, because they were descended of beleeuing parents, to whom the …ise was made.
5. Ambrose here noteth a difference betweene spirituall, and externall planting; as Origen also obserueth the same: husbandmen vse to graffe good plants into a sower stocke, not fowre and wild plants into a good stocke; but here it is otherwise; the wild oliue is planted into the true oliue; And the reason is this, the Apostle, res magis causis, quam causas rebus …vit, did applie the things vntounto his cause, not the cause to the things, from whence he taketh his similitude; Origen.
Quest. 23. Of the meaning of these words, Thou bearest not the roote, but the roote thee.
v. 18. Boast not thy selfe against the branches, &c. 1. This is the consequent or conclusion inferred out of the former reason, that the Gentiles considering their former state and condition, that they were the branches of a wild oliue, should not insult against other: which words beside this conclusion, doe include two secret reasons against this reioycing. 1. Because none ought to reioyce in themselues, but onelyonly in the Lord, 1. Cor. 1.31. Gryneus. 2. Ambrose noteth how it is a thing displeasing vntounto God, to reioyce in the calamitie and ouerthrowe of others, and therefore the Gentiles should offend God if they insulted ouer the Iewes, because of their incredulitie. Thou bearest not the roote, but the roote thee. 1. for the connexion of these words, because the Apostle passeth from the branches to the root, against the which the Gentiles reioyced not: Chrysostome thinketh, that the Apostle doth it because he would affoard vntounto the Iewes vmbram solatij, a certaine shadowe of comfort, and nothing else: and he thinketh that in words onelyonly he seemeth to allay their griefe, not in deede: but farre be it from vsus to thinke that the Apostle should as it were double with his owne nation, in so serious a matter, hauing made so solemne a protestation before, c. 9.1, I speake the truth in Christ, I lie not.
2. Gryneus maketh this to be the coherence: the branches, which are graft in should imitate the root: it lamenteth for the branches which are broken off, and so should they which are planted in: but this rather is the reason of the coherence: if they should insult against the branches, they should in a manner also lift vp themselues against the root which bore those braunches, euen against Abraham the Parent of the Iewes, Pareus.
3. This then is a newe argument, that they ought not to insult against the Iewes the branches, for so consequently they should insult against the roote it selfe: which were either an absurd thing, that the braunch should vaunt it selfe against the roote that beareth it: or an vncomelie thing to insult against him, from whom thou hast receiued so great benefits, as they beeing graffed into the roote, are made partakers of the fatnes thereof.
4. This roote is said to beare the Gentiles, and not they the root: because they had their conuersion from the Iewes, and not the Iewes from them, Lyranus: as our Bl. Sauiour saith, Ioh. 4.22. saluation is of the Iewes: the Iewes might receiue the ground of Philosophie, and of other arts from the Gentiles, but that is not the fatnes of the Oliue, nor the sappe of the roote, which is faith in Christ: which was the faith of Abraham rooted and grounded in Christ.
Quest. 24. Of those words, v. 22. if thou continue in his bountifulnes.
1. Chrysostome giueth this sense, si ea feceris, if thou dost those things which are answearable to the diuine goodnes: non enim fide sola opus est, for we hauehave not neede onelyonly of faith here, &c. But the Apostle speaketh euidently of the goodnes of God, not of man; and so Osiander thereby vnderstandeth clementiam Dei, the clemencie of God, if thou continue in the grace and fauour of God: the interlin. glosse thus expoundeth, si totum Des tribuas, if thou ascribe all vntounto God: But here rather the cause is taken for the effect, as the goodnes of God, for faith which is wrought in vsus by the goodnes and grace of God: as afterward, v. 31. by merciemercy is vnderstood faith giuen in Gods merciemercy: and this to be the sense appeareth by the contrarie, v. 23. If they abide not still in vnbeleefe.
2. If thou continue: This neither sheweth, that it is in mans power to continue, for all is ascribed to the goodnesse and merciemercy of God: neither yet can it be hence gathered, that the elect may fall away, and not continue: but these conditionall speaches are vttered, to work in the faithfull a greater care, and to stir them vp, and take away from them all carnall securitie.
3. Or els thou also shalt be cut off. 1. Origen here obserueth a difference betweene the cutting off the Gentiles, and the breaking off the Iewes, which is lesse then to be cut off: whereby he doth gather that the iudgment of the Gentiles, should be greater then of the Iewes, if they did fall from the faith: But Pet. Martyr reiecteth this collection vponupon this reason, because the sinne of the Iewes rather in leauing of the faith seemeth to be greater, then of the Gentiles, because they had receiued greater promises and blessings of God, then the Gentiles: and so their sinne being greater, they deserued also greater punishment. 2. neither can it be inferted hereupon, because the Apostle saith, thou also shalt be cut off, that they which are graft once into Christ, can fall away: but we must consider 1. that the Apostle speaketh not of the standing or falling of any in particular, but he treateth of the calling of the Gentiles in generall, as many famous Churches of the Gentiles vnderunder the Turke are now quite fallen away and cut off, Pareus. 2. there is a difference betwene the outward infition and graffing into the Church, and the decree of election, Calvin, Beza: one may be cut off from the societie of the visible Church, that was neuer a true member thereof.
Qu. 25. Of the meaning of those words; v. 24. was graffed contrarie to nature.
1. Concerning the coherence of these words: whereas the Apostle had said immediately before, God is able to graffe them in, least this might seeme no firme argument, to reason from the power of God: he could graffe in the Iewes againe, therefore he would: now the Apostle sheweth that God is as willing and readie to doe it, as he is able, because the naturall branches are more easily graffed in againe, then they which were graft in against nature.
2. Praeter naturam, foreign, beside or contrarie to nature. 1. Some, as the ordinarie glosse out of Ambrose, and Haymo doe vnderstand it of the difference betweene spirituall & naturall planting; for in this the science which is graft into the stock, yet followeth it own kind, and beareth not after the kind of the stocke; but they which are spiritually implanted into Christ, doe beare fruit in him according to the spirit: but this is not the Apostles meaning. 2. nor yet beside nature, is vnderstood of the corruption of mans nature, contrarie to which is the work of grace & spirituall ingraffing: for so both Iewes as well as Gentiles, are graffed in against their corrupt nature. 3. nor yet is it the meaning, that beside nature, that is, contrarie to their idolatrie and other superstitions, which were by vse as naturall vntounto them, the Gentiles were graffed in, gloss. inter. for as they were graffed in beside nature, so were the Iewes according to nature, which could not be …heir idolatrie, which did break thē off, and not graffe them in. 4. nor yet can this be referred to freewill, as Origen, arbitrij libertas naturam fecerit vnicui que , &c. the libertie or freedome of will doth giuegive eueryevery one his nature, whether he be a right, or wild oliue: for then one should be no more graft in beside or according to nature, then an other, because they hauehave the same libertie of will by nature. 5. neither with Chrysostome, doe we referre it vntounto the nature and offspring of Abraham; as he saith, the Gentile praeter naturam Abrahae insuus, was graft in beside the nature of Abraham: for grace is not naturally graft into any stocke. 6. and yet more is vnderstood, then verisimile vel par, &c. it was more likely and reasonable, that the children of holy Abraham should be holy, then of the prophane Gentiles, as the Greeke scholiast. 7. here then the naturall offspring of Abraham must be considered, with a relation to the promises of God, which were made to Abraham and to his seede: the Iewes then were the naturall branches, because naturally descended of Abraham and the holy fathers: the Gentiles were graft beside nature, because they were not descended of the fathers, to whome the promise was made, but were receiued in by grace. Faius.