Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 2 · Section 3 · Subsection 23
23. Qu. How God is said not to accept the persons of men.
The Apostle hauing made mention of the equall condition of the Iewes and Gentiles, both in punishment and reward, addeth this as a reason, because God is no accepter of persons, in respect of their nation and kinred: So S. Peter saith, God is no accepter of persons, … in eueryevery nation, he that feareth God, &c. is accepted with him, Act. 10.34, 35, here the respecting of persons is vnderstood of the nation or countrey: likewise S. Paul saith, Gal. 3.28. that in Christ, There is neither Iew nor Grecian, bond, nor free, male nor female: that is, in Christ there is no respect of persons: Deut. 16.19. Thou shalt not accept any person, neither take any reward: to preferre any for gifts or rewards, beside the merit of his cause, is to hauehave respect of persons: God then accepteth no mans person, he preferreth not any for his riches, countrey, honour, strength, or any other such qualitie, but iudgeth eueryevery man, as his cause is, and a… his works are: But thus it will be obiected on the contrarie:
1. Obiect. Moses entreateth the Lord to spare his people for Abraham, Isaak, and … kobs sake, Exod. 32. herein then the Lord had respect of persons.
Ans. Some giuegive this answer, that in temporall things, such as was the forbearing to punish the people, God may hauehave respect to persons, but not in eternall, Mart. But it may be better answered, that God had not respect to the persons of these Patriarks, but to his gracious promise, which he had made vntounto them, as there Moses saith, Remember Abraham, &c. to whome thou swarest by thy selfe, &c.
2. Obiect. S. Paul would hauehave vsus doe good to all, but specially to the houshold … faith, Gal. 6.10. here the person is respected.
Ans. The person is not respected here, but the cause: for the faithfull are preferred, in respect of their faith, which is the cause, why they hauehave the preheminence.
3. Obiect. But God doth elect some vntounto saluation, some are reiected, whereas all by nature are the children of wrath, and in the same common condition: to giuegive then vnequall things, as life or death, to those which are in the same equall condition, seemeth to be done with respect of persons.
Ans. 1. Some giuegive this solution, that there is no acception of persons in donis gratuitis, in gifts of gratuitie, and freely bestowed: as election, vocation, are of the free gift of God, he calleth and electeth whome he will: but a person may be accepted, in the distribution of that which doth of right appertaine vntounto one: and so the Lord accepteth no ma… person, but rewardeth eueryevery one according to his worke. Peter. disput. 6. numer. 42.
2. Beza thus answereth, that in the decree of election, there can be no acception of persons: when God electeth some before they hauehave any beeing, and so are yet no person at all.
3. But this answer is more full and sufficient: there are three things to be considered in the accepting of persons. 1. when some externall condition is respected beside the merit of the cause. 2. and this is done contrarie to the law of equitie. 3. and not without iniur… done vntounto an other, when of partiall affection, that is taken from one which is his right, and adiudged to an other: But none of these are seene in Gods election: 1. he respecteth not any condition or qualitie in them, which are elected: but he maketh choice of them, of his owne good pleasure. 2. he is not tied to any law, and so transgresseth no law. 3. he doth not wrong vntounto any, in exempting some from destruction, which in the rigour of his iustice is due vntounto all: like as Augustine putteth the case of two debters: if the Creditour doe forgiue his debt vntounto one, and exact it of an other, he doth no wrong: it is free for him to doe what he will with his owne, Matt. 20.15. Pareus, Faius: so as Augustine well determineth, ibi acceptio personarum recte dicitur, vbi ille, qui iudicat, relinquens causae meritum, &c. there acception of persons is rightly saide to be, when he that iudgeth leauing the merit of the cause, doth finde somewhat in the person, for the which he giueth sentence with one against an other, &c. lib. 2. ad 2. epist. Pelagian. c. 7. But to doth not God, for he findeth no difference in the persons, but all beeing in the same cause of damnation, he of his owne free will forgiueth his debt vntounto some, and requireth it of others.
4. Obiect. But it is an accepting of persons, as well, cum aequalibus in aequalia tribnuntur, &c. when vnequall things are giuen to those which are equall in cause: as when all are guiltie, and yet one is saued, an other condemned, as when the persons are vnequall, as the innocent condenmed, and the guiltie freed: God seemeth in the first kind to hauehave respect vntounto persons, freeing some from condemnation, which belongeth in the rioour of Gods iustice to all.
Answ. 1. It is not simply an accepting of persons, to giuegive vnequally where the cause is equall: but when this is done with respect vntounto some qualitie in the person, as because he is rich, or honourable, or such like, and the other is not: But God doth not so, he electeth some before other, not for any respect to their persons, but of his meere grace and fauour. 2. betweene the decree of Gods election, and the execution thereof, there commeth the faith and pietie of the elect, which maketh a manifest difference betweene them and the reprobate, which freeth God from all partialitie, who iudgeth men according to the qualitie of their workes. See more afterward, 3. addition to the places of doctrine.