Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 5 · Section 3 · Subsection 28 – Subsection 29
Quest. 28. How sinne is said to be imputed where there is no lawe, ver. 13.
1. Chrysostome here reporteth the opinion of some, that make this a part of the obiection: but he refuseth it: and Tolet addeth this reason further: because men doe not vse to obiect, but that hath some shewe of probabilitie: now none could doubt whether there were sinne in the world before the lawe, for that was euident and apparant to all: these words then the Apostle vttereth in his owne person.
2. Oecumenius thinketh that the Apostle speaketh of the imputation of such sinnes, as were against the ceremoniall lawe of Moses, as touching circumcision, sanctifying of the Sabboth, and such like: for other sinnes before the lawe of Moses, were both knowne and imputed: as is euident in the examples of Cain, Lamech, the Sodomites, which were punished for their sinnes: But the Apostle directly speaketh of such sinnes, as were in the world before the lawe: now the breach of ceremonies commanded by the lawe, was counted no transgression before the lawe.
3. Some by the imputation of sinne vnderstand the account made of sinne, and take imputation for reputation: as the Syrian interpreter, and Beza in his last edition, non putatur esse peccatum, it is not thought to be sinne: which is referred vntounto the iudgement: and opinion of men: before the lawe came, they had no perfect knowledge of sinne: obscurum tum erat naturae lumen, the light of nature was so obscure, that men did not see their sinnes, Mart. so also Os…ander, non reputabatur, it was not reputed sinne; also Melancthon, vbi non est lex, non agnoscitur, non accusatur, &c. where no lawe is, sinne is not acknowledged, accused: to the same purpose M. Calvin: though euen before the lawe their consciences accused them, and there were diuerse examples of Gods iudgements, vt plurimum tamen ad sua scelera connivebant, yet for the most part they did winke at their sinnes, &c. Thus before them Augustine vnderstandeth it of the knowledge of sinne, because per legem cognitio peccati, by the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne, lib. 1. de peccat. merit. c. 10. and Oecumenius also to the same purpose taketh it comparatiuely, magnitudo peccati non erat ita cognita, &c. the greatnesse of sinne was not knowne so before the lawe, as afterward by the law: and Haymo so expoundeth, peccatum non agnoscebatur tam graue malum esse, sinne was not knowne to be so great euill: to the same purpose Lyranus, Hug. Card. But these expositions seeme not to be agreeable to the scope of the Apostle: for to what purpose should the Apostle vse this qualification: sinne was in the world, though it were not imputed, and taken to be sinne before the law came: for the Apostle doth not here intend to shew the effects or propertie of the law, but his purpose is to prooue, that men before the law came, were punished with death euen because of their originall sinne.
4. Origen taketh the imputation of sinne for the reputation, but he followeth his former sense, vnderstanding the law of nature: that in children, while yet they hauehave no vse of reason, and so no knowledge of the law of nature, that which they doe is not counted sinne: But the Apostle euidently sheweth in the next verse, speaking of Moses, that he meaneth here the written law of Moses: Origen fortifieth his opinion, that the Apostle here meaneth the law of nature; because if it be vnderstood of any other law, diabolus & angeli eius videdutur absolvi, the Deuill and his angels may seeme to be absolved, because they had no other law, then the law of nature. Contra. The Apostle speaketh not of the sinne of Angels, but of men propagated from Adam, whome he prooueth all to be sinners in Adam, because they die in Adam: but in the spirits there is neither propagation, nor mortalitie.
5. Ambrose referreth this imputation of sinne vntounto the opinion, which men had of God, whom they thought not to regard nor punish the sinnes of men: But the contrarie is euident in Pharaoh and Abimelech, who knewe that they were punished for keeping Sarah Abrahams wife.
6. Anselme and Pererius doe vnderstand this to be spoken onelyonly of originall sinne: that it was not acknowledged to be sinne, before Moses lawe came, by the light of nature: though to the Patriarkes and holy men it were knowne: But the contrarie is prooued by the Apostle, that originall sinne was imputed to men, euen before the law was giuen, because death raigned ouer all, euen ouer children: so farre is he from saying, that originall sinne was not imputed: for where death was inflicted for sinne, there sinne was imputed.
7. This word of imputing of sinne is taken two wayes, it signifieth either to hauehave the fault imputed, or the punishment: but here the latter rather, to impute sinne, is adiudicare … reum, to adiudge the guiltie person worthie of punishment: in this sense is the word taken, 2. Tim. 4.16. All hauehave forsaken me, I pray God it be not imputed vntounto them: that is, that God doe not punish them for it: so to Philemon, 18. if he hauehave hurt thee any thing at all, impute it vntounto me, that is, let me satisfie for it, Faius, Tolet: in this sense the Apostle saith, Rom. 4.8. Blessed is he to whom the Lord imputeth not his sinne, his sinne shall not be laid to his charge in iudgement. And so the Apostle saith here, where no lawe is, sinne is not imputted, that is, there is no punishment inflicted for sinne, but by the prescript of a lawe: seeing then, that the punishment of death was inflicted vponupon those which liued before the lawe, it could not be for sinnes, which they actually cōmitted, which had no law to punish them: therefore it was originall sinne, which was punished by death: and least it might be said, that though there were no written lawe, whereby sinne was imputed, yet there was a naturall law, which men transgressed, and therefore were punished: the Apostle sheweth in the next raise, that euen death raigned ouer them which had committed no actuall sinne, as Adam had done, and therefore death was inflicted as a punishment not onelyonly of actuall, but originall sinne, Beza.
29. Quest. How death is said to hauehave raigned, from Adam to Moses.
1. Origen distinguisheth betweene the word pertransijt, entred or passed, which the Apostle vsed before, v. 12. and regnavit, raigned: death entred ouer all both the iust and vniust, but it raigned onelyonly in those, qui se peccato tota mento subiecerunt, which did giuegive themselues wholly vntounto sinne: But the Apostle speaketh generally of all, not onelyonly of some that death raigned vponupon: by the generallitie of death, he prooueth the generallitie of some: and by this word regno, he sheweth potentiam mortis, the power of death, tha… none could resist it, Martyr: instar tyranni saeuijt, it raged like a Tyrant, Pareus.
2. By death, some vnderstand, mons anima, the death of the soule, that is, sinne, which raigned from Adam vntounto Moses: Haymo, Hug. but it is euident, that the Apostle in this discourse distinguisheth death from sinne: and prooueth by the effect, the vniuersalitie of death, brought in by sinne, the generalitie of sinne also. Origen seemeth to vnderstand, mortem gehennae, the death of hell, vntounto which all descended, and therefore Christ went to hell to deliuer them: this sense followeth also the ordinarie glosse, and Gorrhan. But in this sense it appeareth not, why the Apostle should say, vntounto Moses: for they hold, that all the iust men euen vnderunder the law also, went to hell. But in truth the death of hell raigned not ouer the righteous either before the law, or after, from the which they were deliuered by Christ: therefore the death of the bodie is here vnderstood, which entred vponupon all euen ouer infants, which sinned not as Adam did.
3. VntoUnto Moses. 1. Origen by Moses, vnderstandeth the Law, and by the law the whole time of the law, vsque ad adventum Christi, vntounto the comming of Christ, who destroied the kingdome of sinne: so also Haymo: but in that the Apostle setteth Moses against Adam, it is euident, that he vnderstandeth the time, when the law was giuen: and what law he speaketh of, is further shewed v. 20. The Law entred that offence should abound: the dominion then of sinne and death there ended not. 2. Some thinke this limitation is set, because men were more afraid of death before Christs comming then after, because they had not such hope of the resurrection, Gorrhan. but it is an hard and forced exposition, to interpret, vntounto Moses, vntounto the comming of Christ, as is shewed before. 3. Some thinke it is said, vntounto Moses, because then a remedie was giuen by the law in restraining of sinne: and then first in Iudas capit destrui regnum mortis, the kingdome of sinne beganne to be destroied, and now eueryevery where: gloss. ordinar. but the law gaue no remedie against sinne, for sinne then abounded much more, v. 20. and the Apostle said before, c. 4.15. That where no law is, there is no transgression: there is no such knowledge of sinne. 4. Therefore vntounto Moses, noteth the time of the giuing of the law: vsque ad legem per Mosen promulgatam, vntounto the law published by Moses gloss. ordin. not that death raigned not after Moses also: but this is added, to shew that death was in the world euen before the law, Lyran. and so consequently sinne: for of those greatest doubt might be made, which liued before the law, whether death entred vponupon them as a punishment of their sinne.