Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 3 · Subsection 28
Quest. 24. How the Apostle here denieth iustification by workes, seeing he said before, c. 2. v. 13. that the doers of the Lawe are iustified.
1. The ordinar. gloss. giueth this solution, secundum ceremonialia intellige, vnderstand this according to the ceremonials: he thinketh that the Apostle speaketh here of the ceremoniall workes of the lawe, whereby none are iustified: but in the other place of the morall workes, which doe instifie: But the Apostle here euen excludeth morall workes, for of the morall lawe the words following are specially vnderstood, by the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne.
2. Caietan thinketh that the Apostle speaketh here of iustification before God, there of the iustice of workes before men: but the verie words of the text doe ouerthrowe this interpretation: for euen in that place the Apostle speaketh of those which are righteous before God, which are not the hearers, but the doers of the lawe.
3. Ambrose to this purpose, lex temporalem habet iustitiam, fides aeternam, the law may giuegive a temporall kind of iustice, but faith an euerlasting: be thinketh that men are said here not to be iustified by workes, that is, without faith: but yet a temporall kind of iustice they might hauehave by the lawe without faith: But the Apostle in both places, as hath beene said, speaketh of true iustice and righteousnesse before God.
4. The moderne Papists tell vsus here of two iustifications, the first which is by faith onelyonly without workes, the second, which is by workes which proceede of faith and grace: of the first speaketh the Apostle here, as they thinke, and of the other in the former place, Rom. 2.13. Perer. disput. 8. to the same purpose Tolet, that the Apostle speaketh here of workes going before faith, which doe not iustifie, there of workes which followe faith: the other doe iustifie in encreasing iustification which was begunne before by faith, annot. 13.
Contra. 1. This is but a Popish fiction of the first and second iustification: the Apostle is saying, Rom. 8.30. whom he iustified, he glorified, maketh but one iustification, after the which followeth glorification. 2. euen the Apostle excludeth here the workes of the regenerate, which may appeare by these reasons. 1. because there neede no question to be made of the workes of carnall men, which are euill, because they are without faith: there can be no shewe at all, that such workes should iustifie. 2. the workes of Abraham were the workes of grace, which the Apostle excludeth from iustification, c. 4.2. 3. This is the reason, why workes cannot iustifie, that all occcasion of reioycing may be taken away from men, and euerie mouth may be stopped: but now, if men might be iustified by their works after they are called, and hauehave faith, they might glorie in such works, by the which (they say) they doe merit, and which (in their opinion) proceede in part from mans owne free will.
5. Some thinke that the Apostle, Rom. 2.13. speaketh ex hypothesi, by way of supposition, that the doers of the lawe shall be iustified, that is, if any could keepe and performe the lawe, they should thereby be iustified: But here he simply denieth iustification to workes, because no man is able to keepe the lawe, Pareus. This is a good distinction, and in other places it may well be receiued, where the Scriptures seeme to attribute much vntounto the law, as he that doth these things shall liue thereby: But here it is not so fit, for in that place, Rom. 2.13. the Apostle encreateth not of the causes of iustification, but onelyonly sheweth who they are, which shall be iustified, not hearers and professors, but doers and followers.
6. Peter Martyr saith, that when iustification seemeth to be ascribed vntounto workes, it must be vnderstood in respect of faith and grace, wherewith they are ioyned: as a man is said to be a reasonable creature, yet in respect of his soule onelyonly, though he consist both of soule and bodie: yet it is faith properly that iustifieth, and not workes, which followe faith: But the Apostle doth not at all in that place, or any other, ascribe iustification before God vntounto workes.
7. Wherefore the best solution is this, that here S. Paul disputeth indeede of the proper and true causes of iustification, which he simply denieth vntounto workes, and giueth vntounto faith: but there he sheweth who, and vponupon what condition men are iustified, and who are not iustified, namely, such as hauing a liuely faith doe bring sorth the fruits thereof, and doe their endeauour to keepe the lawe are iustified: as the Apostle in the same sense had said before, c. 2.6. that God will reward euerie man according to his workes. And in the like sense Christ shall say vntounto the righteous in the day of iudgement, Matth. 25.34. Come ye blessed of my father, inherite the kingdome prepared for you, for when I was hungred, ye gaue me meate: he sheweth not the cause of their saluation, but the condition, state, qualitie of those which should be saued: to this purpose, Faius. see further before c. 1. quest. 26. and controv. 7.