Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 5 · Section 3 · Subsection 21
21. Quest. And death by sinne: what kind of death the Apostle speaketh of.
1. Ambrose here vnderstandeth onelyonly the death of the bodie, when the soule is separated from the bodie: There is an other death (saith he) which is called the second death in hell. quam non peccato Adae patimur, sed eius occasione proprijs peccatis acquiritur: which we suffer not by reason of Adams sinne, but by occasion thereof, it is procured by our sinnes: so Ambrose is herein deceiued, for Adam was threatned to die the same day he should eate of the forbidden fruit, Gen. 2.17. but he died not then the bodily death: Augustine, who seemeth to be of the same minde with Ambrose, lib. 13. de ciuit. Dei, c. 23.that the death of the bodie onelyonly was threatened, not the second death, quod eam Deus occultam esse volait propter dispositionem novi Testamenti, &c. which God would hauehave kept secret because of the newe Testament, wherein it should be manifestly declared: Augustine (I say) thus answereth this reason, that although Adam and Eue did not that day die the corporall death, yet because from that time forward mutata in deterius & vitiata natura, their nature decayed and was corrupted, and the necessitie of death was brought in, they then beganne to die, &c. and Ambrose to the same purpose saith, that there was after that no day not houre, wherein they were not merit obnoxij, subiect to death: But the words of the text moriendo morieris, in dying thou shalt die, doe seeme to imply an actuall death which then they should die, not a potentiall onelyonly. Pererius is of the same opinion, numer. 38. that S. Paul here speaketh of the death of the bodie: because after our Parents had eaten of the forbidden fruit; the Lord said to Adam, Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt returne: But this is no good argument, they were subiect to the death of the bodie, Ergo, to no other death.
2. Some were of opinion, that the spirituall death is here onelyonly meant, because they did not the same day die the death of the bodie, but liued 900. yeares after: so Philo lib: de … legor. leg. Mosaic. and Eucherius lib. 1. in Genes. Gregor. epistol. 31. ad Eulog. the Pelagians, to whom consenteth impious Socinus, were also of the same opinion, that the spirituall death onelyonly must be here vnderstood, but vponupon an other reason, because they thought, the death of the bodie to be naturall: But neither of th… reasons conclude: not the first, for the same day they became mortall, though actually they died not: nor the second, for Adam being created according to Gods image was made immortall, he was not then mortall by nature.
3. Pererius hath here an other conceit by himselfe, that the death of the soule was also a companion of originall sinne, if it be taken onelyonly for the separation of the soule from God, and the privation of eternall life, but not as it signifieth beside the euerlasting torments of hell, numer. 39. But 1. this assertion includeth a contradiction, for if the death of the soule depriue sinners of eternall life, it consequently casteth them downe to hell. 2. seeing Christ the second Adam deliuered vsus from that thraldome, whereunto we were brought by the sinne of the first Adam, and he hath redeemed vsus from the torments of hell, it followeth that by Adams transgression we were made guiltie of hell.
4. Wherefore the founder opinion is, that sinne brought into the world the death both of bodie and soule: as Haymo well interpreteth, mors animae & corporis in omnes homines pertransijt, the death both of the bodie and soule went ouer all men, &c. Origen giueth this reason, these two kinds of death are here signified, quia corporalem mortem vmbram illia… dixeris, &c. because you may call the corporall death a shadow of the other, namely, the the death of the soule: that wheresoeuer that invadeth, the other doth necessarily followe, &c. he thinketh the death of the soule to be here specially meant, as in that place of Ezechiel, The soule that sinneth, shall die, but so, as the corporall death must necessarily followe: Theophylacts reason concludeth as much, who saith by the sinne of one, sinne and death invaded the world, abcessisse que hominis vnius, id est Christi virtute: and both are remooued and taken away by the vertue and strength of one, that is Christ, &c. Thus then the argument is framed, what is recouered in Christ, was lost in Adam, but Christ restoareth vsus both to the eternall life of the soule, and the life of the bodie in the resurrection: therefore by Adams transgression we died both in bodie and soule, Pareus. Pet. Martyr addeth further, that as there is a double life, of the soule, whereby we seeke such things at are heauenly and spirituall, and of the bodie, which seeketh those things, that concerne the preseruation of the bodie: so vtram que hanc vitam mors inflicta propter peccatum sustulit: so both these liues death inflicted by sinne hath taken away: Faius giueth this reason, in Adam we are the children of wrath, now the wrath of God invadeth not the bodie onelyonly, but the soule also.
By death then here we must vnderstand, first the spirituall and eternall death of the soule, which is to be cast out of Gods presence into hell, whereunto all are subiect without the merciemercy of God in Christ: secondly, the death of the bodie, which is the separation of the soule from the bodie: thirdly, all the forerunners, and consequents of both these deaths, as sickenesse, weakenes, corruption in the bodie, griefe, horror, despaire, and such like in the soule, Pareus.