Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 11 · Section 4
4. Places of Doctrine.
Doct. 1. Of Gods prescience, v. 2. God hath not cast away his people, which he knew before.
Concerning Gods prescience and foreknowledge. 1. It is a certaine truth, that there is in God from the beginning a prescience of all things in the world, before they were, Act. 15.18. From the beginning of the world God knoweth all his workes. 2. There is in God a double kind of prescience, one is cognationis, of knowledge onelyonly, and speculatiue, whereby he foreseeth onelyonly things that shall be: or it is also approbationis, a prescience ioyned with approbation and liking, which is also called practica, his practicall prescience. 3. This latter kind of prescience in God, which is ioyned with his will and approbation is the cause of things, the other is not. 4. The prescience of God is certaine and infallible: for God is not as man, that he can lie or be deceaued: whatsoeuer he foreseeth shall be, shall certainely come to passe. 5. Gods prescience doth not impose a necessitie vponupon such things, as fall out in the world, but onelyonly in respect of the first cause, which is the infallible knowledge of God: and so all things euen those which seeme to happen by chaunce, are necessarie necessitate infallibilitatis, by an infallible necessitie, in respect of Gods prescience, which cannot be deceiued: but in respect of the second causes eueryevery thing remaineth in it owne nature: such things, as hauehave necessarie causes, are foreseene of God, as necessarie, certaine, and definite: such was the betraying of Christ by Iudas, before so decreed and determined of God, Act. 13. but such things, as are contingent and casuall, doe so remaine still in themselues, though in respect of Gods foresight are necessarie: as 1. Sam. 23.11. the Lord answeareth Dauid, that if he stayed still in Keilah, Saul would come downe, and the Lord of the towne would deliuer him into Sauls hands: this was a thing contingent, coniect… all onelyonly and probable: but in respect of Gods foreknowledge it was certaine, that Dauid should not stay there, and so neither Saul would come downe. 6. Gods prescience and foreknowledge is thus distinguished from election and predestination: either it signifieth the generall prescience and foreknowledge of God of all things, both the good, which the Lord himselfe decreed to doe, or the euill which he decreed to permit, and so prescience differeth from election, as the whole from the part: for election is but a part of Gods generall prescience and prouidence: or Gods prescience and foreknowledge is taken for election it selfe, and so it is all one with election: as here the Apostle saith, God hath not cast away his people, whom he knowe before: and thirdly, Gods foreknowledge signifieth his louelove and approbation of those whom he electeth, as S. Peter saith, 1. epist. 1.2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God: and thus Gods foreknowledge differeth from election, as the cause from the effect: for the louelove, acceptance, and approbation of God, is the cause of election.
Doct. 2. Gods generall promises or threatnings must hauehave a particular application.
v. 1. I demaund then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid, &c. The Apostle had in the ende of the former chapter, alleadged out of the Prophet a generall complaint against Israel, All the day long hauehave I stretched out my hand to a disobedient people: which menacing speach, though generally propounded, yet the Apostle would not hauehave generally vnderstood of all the people, for they were not all cast off, but onelyonly the peruerse and obstinate: So likewise the promises of God made vntounto Abraham and his seede, did not concerne all, but onelyonly those which were the true Israel, and children of the promise, as the Apostle shewed before, c. 9.7.8.
Doct. 3. Against the old Pagane names of dayes and moneths.
v. 4. Which hauehave not bowed the knee to Baal, &c. In the place, 1. King. 19. whence this is cited, it is added further, nor kissed him with their mouth: whereupon Pet. Martyr obserueth, that they did neither honour Baal, with the kisses of their mouth, nor yet in naming him with their lippes; whereupon the Lord saith, he would not be called of the people, Baali, that is, my husband or Lord, but ishi, mi vir, my man or husband: and the reason is added, For I will take the name of Baalam out of their mouth, Hosh. 2. …. though the Lord were indeede Baal, that is, the Lord and husband of his people, yet because they gaue that name to their idoles, the Lord would none of it: and so Pet. Martyr inferreth further, that he wondreth how those Pagan tearmes of the moneths, as March so called of Mars, and of the dayes of the weeke, as moonday of the moone, and twesday of Mars, which planets the beathen made their gods, were at the first taken vp of the Christians, which might better saue beene layed downe: though nowe there is no such danger, as in the beginning, when Christians were newly conuerted from Pagan Idolatrie.
Doct. 4. Of the grace of God, with the diuerse kinds, properties, and effects thereof.
v. 6. If it be of grace, &c. 1. The grace of God either signifieth his free louelove and merciemercy, which is called foreign, or the gifts of grace, which are called foreign. 2. the grace, louelove, and fauour of God in the first sense is either eternall in his election, before the world was, or temporall in the actuall vocation of the elect: and this grace, is either praeve…, a preuenting grace, whereby he calleth and converteth, as Psal. 59.10. My mercifull God will prevent me: or it is subsequens gratia, subsequent or following grace, whereby the Lord assisteth those which are called, as Augustine saith, gratia praevenit vt velimus, subsequi… … frustrà velimus, grace preuenteth vsus, that we may be willing, and it followeth vsus, that our will be not in vaine. 3. the cause of the grace of God, is his owne merciemercy, the Apostle saith here, v. 35. who hath giuen vntounto him first: the internall motiue, is the free louelove of God: the externall impulsiue and moouing cause is the merit of Christ. 4. the effects of the grace and fauour of God, are either externall, as election, predestination, or such as are brought forth in time, as vocation, iustification, sanctificatiō. 5. the graces in the second sense which are the gifts of the spirit, are either salutis, the graces belonging to saluation, as knowledge, faith, hope, or they are vocationis, such as appertaine vntounto our vocation and calling: which are either extraordinarie, as were the miraculous and propheticall gifts which the Prophets and Apostles had, or ordinarie, as are the knowledge of arts, the gift of vtterance, and such like, which now are attained vntounto by diligent labour and industrie.
Doct. 5. Concerning good workes, the qualitie and kinds thereof, the causes and effects.
v. 6. But if of workes, &c. 1. The works of men are either naturall, as to sleepe, or ciuill, as to buy, to sell, which are indifferent, or they are morall, which are either good or evill. 2. the efficient cause of good works is first God moouing by his spirit: then the will of man converted and prepared by grace: the helping causes are instruction, exhortation, faithfull endeauour, prayer. 3. the matter of good works, is the internall and externall act of the will and mind, heart, and bodie: the forme is the consent and agreement with the lawe of God. 4. the effects of good works, are toward God, our obedience which in Christ is pleasing and acceptable to him: in our selues, the fruits and testimonie of our faith: toward our brethren their edification, they are stirred vp by our good conuersation to glorifie God.
Doct. 6. We must compare the present state of the Church with the times past.
v. 5. Euen so now at this present time: As S. Paul compared the estate of the Church then present, with the times of Elias: so we are taught to comfort our selues in the afflictions of the Church of God in these dayes, with looking backe into the times past: for God doth after the same manner gouerne his Church: So Origen well obserueth, sicut factum est sub Helsa, &c. as it was vnderunder Helias, so it was in the comming of Christ, and in S. Pauls time, &c. like as the small number of true professors was then no preiudice to the truth, no more ought it to be now.
Doct. 7. Of the priviledge of the seede of the faithfull.
v. 16. If the first fruits be holy, so is the whole lumpe: like as the Iewes, which were descended of Abraham, were within the couenant, and so vntounto them belonged circumcision the signe of the couenant, the paschal lambe, the Temple and sacrifices, vntounto the which the seede of the Gentiles, which were not of Abraham had no right: so now the seede and ofspring of Christians, are counted holy: vntounto them belongeth baptisme, and other Sacraments and rites of Christian profession: for they are an holy seede, as the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 7.14. Els were your children vncleane, but now are they holy.
Doct. 8. How the Church or a righteous man is resembled to a tree.
v. 16. If the roote be holy so are the branches, &c. 1. a iust man is resembled to a tree, 1. propter pedis, i. fidei immobilitatem, for the stedfastnes of his foot, that is, his faith: v. 20. thou standest by faith. 2. propter stipitis, i. spei erectionem, &c. for the erecting of the stalke or truncke, which signifieth hope: and therefore Iob saith, 19.10. he hath remooued my hope like a tree. 3. the roote is charitie, Eph. 4. beeing rooted and grounded in louelove. 4. The branches are his vertues, Hosh. 14.7. His branches shall spread, and his beautie shall be as the olive tree. 5. the bloomes and blossomes are his sweete manners. 6. the leaues his gracious words. 7. the fruit good workes. 8. the shadowe of the tree is his merciemercy, Hosh. 14.7. They that dwell vnderunder his shadowe shall returne, Gorrhan.
Doct. 9. The old Testament and the newe one and the same in substance.
v. 18. Thou bearest not the roote but the roote thee, &c. There was then the same roote both of the Iewes and beleeuing Gentiles: the same faith, the same Mediator, the same substance, efficacie, and force of the Sacraments, though the externall rites and symboles were diuerse, Martyr: so S. Paul, Ephes. 4. There is one bodie, one spirit, &c. one Lord, one faith, &c.
Doct. 10. Of Gods omnipotencie.
v. 23. God is able to graffe them in againe: The Apostle prooueth the returne and graffing in of the Iewes, by the power of God: though simply and generally this is no good argument: God can doe it, therefore it shall be; yet here is a sufficient reason, because there was no doubt of Gods will, seeing the Iewes, were his people of old: otherwise Gods power is not limited to his will: for he can doe more then he will: it is contrariwise with man: who willeth many things that he cannot effect, and so his will is larger then his power, Martyr.
Doct. 11. Christ prooued to be God, by the remission of sinnes.
v. 27. This is my couenant, when I shall take away their sinnes, &c. This sheweth Christ to be God, who onelyonly is able to forgiue sinnes: men may remit the punishment, that it be not inflicted, but the guilt of sinne is onelyonly purged by God: the keyes are indeede committed to the Church in the preaching of the word, but they are the instruments onelyonly whereby God forgiueth sinnes: the Ministers are onelyonly the proclaymers of Gods will herein: they cannot remit sinnes, but onelyonly ministerially as the instruments.
Doct. 12. Of the excellencie of the knowledge of God.
v. 33. O the depth of the riches, of the wisedome, and knowledge of God, &c. Gods knowledge is excellent, 1. for the largenes of it, in knowing all things. 2. the perfection of it, he knoweth all things perfitly. 3. the manner, he needeth no meanes of his knowledge but himselfe. 4. the celeritie of it, he knoweth all things in a moment. 5. the certaintie of it, it cannot be deceiued. 6. the eternitie, it was from the beginning. 7. the efficacie, it is the cause of all things. 8. the secunditie of it, all things are lightened by his knowledge.