Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 1 · Section 3 · Subsection 10 – Subsection 13
10. Quest. How S. Paul is said to be set, or put apart for the Gospel of God.
The word which the Apostle here vseth, is foreign, separated, or set apart. 1. Ambrose thinketh that here there is an allusion to the sect of the Pharisies, whereof S. Paul was, who were so called, because they were in a more strict kind of liuing separated from others. 2. Whereas S. Paul saith likewise, Galat. 2.15. that God separated him from his mothers wombe, some interpret, ab vtero synagogae, he was separate from the wombe of the Synagogue, gloss. interlin. à doctrina Phariseorum, from the doctrine of the Pharisies, gloss. ordinar. but this S. Paul expresseth in the words following, and called me by his grace, Gal. 2.15. 3. Hug. Cardin. segregatus à grege, he is saide to be separated from the rest of the flocke: but so were the other Apostles also. 4. Oecumen. alij ad alia, ego ad Euangelium, some were set apart for other things, I for the Gospel: but this was generall also to all the other Apostles. 4. Anselmus, he is said to be segregatus, set apart, prae caeteris discipulis, &c. in respect of other disciples, which were with him, then at Antioch: when the Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, Act. 13. but the Apostle speaketh of a separation euen from his mothers wombe, as he expoundeth himselfe, Gal. 2.15. 5. As these hauehave speciall reference to Pauls actuall separation, when he was called: so others referre it to the electing and foreordaining Paul to this worke in the counsell of God. But Origen and Sedulius, ascribe this separation to Paul merits, that the Lord foresaw his merits and labours, which he should take in the Gospel, and therefore elected him to be an Apostle. But Tolet well confureth this, because it is contrarie to S. Pauls owne doctrine, Rom. 9. who ascribeth election to the merciemercy and grace of God: and he himselfe professeth, that he was called by the grace of God, Gal. 2.15. therefore not by any merits. 6. Chrysostome vnderstandeth this separation, of his preordaining vntounto the Apostleship: as the Lord likewise saith to Ieremie, c. 1.5. Before thou camest out of the wombe, I sanctified thee: and so, inculcat divinam electionem, he doth vrge his diuine election, that his Epistle might be receiued with great authoritie: so also Peter Mart. he sheweth his calling initium habuisse ex praedestinatione, to hauehave taken beginning from Gods predestination: which he maketh mention of, to shew a difference betweene his calling to be an Apostle, who was thereunto also elected, and theirs, which were called, but not elected, as was Iudas. Hyperi…. And further, apponit vitae priori, he setteth this against his former life: while he was a persecuter, all that he did, was per accidens & foreign, as by the way, and out of course: but this was that whereunto he was ordained. Aretius. 7. But beside this eternall separation in Gods prescience, here is somewhat noted, quod Paulus ab alijs Apostolis habuit peculiare, which Paul had peculiar euen from other Apostles: he was appointed an Apostle to preach among all the Gentiles, as it followeth, v. 5. for the rest of the Apostles remaining in Iudea, he first with Barnabas was separated to preach to the Gentiles, Act. 23. Tolet. And so consequently his office was to preach to the Romanes among other Gentiles, Aretius. Here also he insinuateth his extraordinarie calling to be an Apostle, diuers from the rest: he was separate from them, beeing an Apostle aboue the number of the twelue: Mathias was chosen in the place of Iudas, and so did but fill vp that number: but S. Paul was ouer and aboue, Tolet. so S. Paul was separate first vntounto eternall saluation, then vntounto the knowledge of Christ, and thereby to be an Apostle. Faius.
11. Quest. Of the description of the Gospel, v. 1, 2, 3.
v. 1. The Gospel of God, which was promised, &c. 1. The Gospel is taken two waies, either for the doctrine concerning Iesus Christ, which containeth foure things: 1. of the comming of Christ in the flesh, which comprehendeth the whole historie of the incarnation of Christ, and all his acts: both his holy sermons, and speaches, and his holy and powerfull workes: 2. the effects of his comming, as the remission of sinne, the subduing of the kingdome of Satan, the reconciling vsus to God, opening the kingdome of heauen, and the like: 3. the third is the veritie of those things, which in the Gospel are prescribed to be beleeued; the holy doctrine and precepts of the Gospel: 4. the obseruation of such things as Christ commanded, Matth. 28.20. Teaching them to obserue all things, which I hauehave commanded you: Tolet. secondly, the Gospel is taken for the publishing, preaching, and annuntiation of it: in which sense the Apostle saith, If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to thē which are lost.
2. Here all the parts of the Gospel are expressed: 1. the efficient, it is called the Gospel of God: to shew that it was no humane inuention, Gualter. 2. the forme thereof, it was promised before: as the Apostle saith, Gal. 3.23. Before faith came, &c. we were shut vp vntounto the faith which should be reuealed: Gryu. which promises concerning Christ to come were made vntounto the fathers for these fiue reasons. 1. for their comfort in the expectation of the Messiah to come: as Isa. 40.2. Speake comfortly to Ierusalem, and crie vntounto her, that her warfare is accomplished, &c. 2. to stirre vp their desire to long for the comming of the Messiah: as Isa. 64.1. O that thou wouldest breake the heauens, and come downe. 3. to set forth the honour and glorie of the Messiah, that sent his forerunners, and messengers the holy Prophets before him, to proclaime the comming of the great king: as the Prophet saith, Isa. 40.3. A voice crieth in the wildernes, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, &c. 4. that none might be excused by their ignorance, as touching the comming of the Messiah: as Abacuck 2.2. Write the vision, and make it plaine vponupon tables, that he may runne that readeth it. 5. that the fathers should not rest in the figures, but by them should be brought to the vnderstanding of these things, which were shadowed forth by those figures: as the Apostle saith, Hebr. 10.1. That the law had the shadow of good things to come. Hug. Card. 3. The ministers and instruments of these promises, or the Gospel promised, were the Prophets in the Scriptures, Gryneus, Aretius: and here by Prophets we vnderstand not onelyonly them, which were writers of the prophesies, but they also which preached to the people, as Nathan to Dauid: and to whome those promises were made concerning Christ, and so Adam, Abraham, Isaack, Iaakob, and the rest of the Patriarks are here also comprehended. Hyperius. 4. The subiect and matter of the Gospel, is Iesus Christ the Sonne of God: who is described in his person, the Sonne of God, in his offices, he is Iesus, the Sauiour, and Christ, the annointed of God, and his two natures, his humanitie, v. 3. his diuine nature, v. 4.
Now, this Gospel is sometime called the Gospel of God, as in this verse, sometime the Gospel of Christ, v. 16. the one in respect of the author of the Gospel, the other of the matter and subiect. Gryneus.
12. Quest. Whether the Gospel be comprehended in the old Testament.
1. This is euident by diuers reasons, that the fathers vnderunder the old Testament enioyed the Gospel of Christ. 1. If they had not the Gospel, they could not consequently hauehave faith: for how could they beleeue in him, of whome they had not heard? and faith commeth of hearing, Rom. 10.14, 17. but the fathers had faith, as the Apostle prooueth at large, Heb. 11. 2. If they had not the Gospel, then were they not saued by the grace of Christ, which is by the Gospel: for the law was giuen by Moses, but faith and truth came by Iesus Christ: now the fathers were saued by the grace of Christ, Act. 15.11. 3. The fathers had the knowledge of God, but that commeth by the reuelation of Iesus Christ, Ioh. 1.18. 4. The fathers did eate and drinke Christ, 1. Corinth. 10.3. but he is onelyonly eaten and drunke by faith: therefore the fathers were not without the faith of the Gospel.
2. But it will be thus obiected on the contrarie: 1. the Gospel was onelyonly promised to the fathers, as here the Apostle saith, which he had promised before by the Prophets: but that which is promised, a man hath not in deede: 2. againe the Apostle saith, that the mysterie of the Gospel was kept secret since the world beganne, Rom. 16.25. therefore it seemeth to hauehave beene vnknowne to the fathers: 3. S. Marke also thus beginneth his Gospel, Mark. 1.1. The beginning of the Gospel of Iesus Christ: if the Gospel beganne but then, it will follow that the Patriarks had it not before.
3. For answer hereunto, the Gospel must be distinguished: for it either may be taken for the Gospel promised, or the Gospel complete and exhibited: the Gospel promised, is the doctrine of grace by Christ to come: the Gospel complete and exhibited, is the doctrine of grace in Christ alreadie exhibited, and performed to the world. By this distinction the seuerall obiections propounded may be answered.
1. That which is promised, a man hath not in full complement and perfection, but he may hauehave it in certen and assured hope: so the fathers had not in deede the Gospel exhibited, but they had it promised, and so enioyed it in hope. 2. Likewise the mysterie of the Gospel which lay hid from the beginning of the world, must be vnderstood of the Gospel exhibited. 3. And S. Marke also vnderstandeth the beginning of the Gospel, not accomplished, but onelyonly exhibited, and manifested. Pareus.
13. Quest. How Christ is said to be made of the seede of Dauid after the flesh. v. 3.
1. Some doe read, genitus, begotten, as Vatablus, or natus, borne, Erasm. but the word foreign, properly signifieth made: which doth better set forth the admirable conception of Christ of a virgin, without the helpe of man: which is not so well expressed in the other reading: to say he was borne, or begotten. Beza, Tolet.
2. Chrysostome well noteth, why it is added, after the flesh, significans quod & iuxta spiritum generationem habeat, signifying, that he had a generation also after the spirit, as he had one according to the flesh. And this generation also after the flesh is first spoken of, not because it was first in order, but this infinite generation, commodius auditorem subducit, doth more fitly bring the hearer, to the other diuine and first generation.
3. By flesh is here vnderstood the substance of Christs humane nature, as it was infirme and weake (which weaknes notwithstanding continued but for a time) not as it is corrupt: as it is taken, Ioh. 1.14. 1. Tim. 3.17. And although mention be not made here of the soule of Christ, it must neither be vnderstood to hauehave had the same beginning with the flesh of the seede of Dauid: nor yet (as Origen) is it here vnderstood by the spirit of sanctification, which sheweth the diuine nature of Christ, Beza: but Christs soule was infused of God, and seeing he tooke our flesh, and became very man, it followeth consequently, that hauing an humane and organicall bodie, he was also endued with an humane soule: Gryneus.
4. Now he is said to be of the seede of Dauid, that although he was not conceiued by any humane seede, yet, ex ea carne formatus est, quae constat ex semine, he was formed of that flesh, which came of (humane) seed: gloss. ex August. so that this word seede, doth not onelyonly note here the Virgin Marie, which was of the posteritie of Dauid, but ipsam carnem de Virgine assumptam, the very flesh taken of the Virgin: Beza.
5. And though he came also of the seede of Abraham, and of other the holy fathers: yet mention is made of Dauid for these reasons: 1. because the Messiah was promised to come of Dauid, Hugo. 2. vt ex rege natus oftendatur, that it might appeare he was borne of a king. 3. & quia Dauid criminosus, and because Dauid was a sinner: that he was not borne of his seede for any merit of his, but of grace: Haimo: and because he vouchsafed to be borne of sinners, to shew, quod non dedignetur peccatores, that he disdaineth not sinners, Gorrham.