Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 5 · Section 3 · Subsection 7 – Subsection 10
Quest. 7. What kind of louelove the Apostle speaketh of, saying, The louelove of God is shed abroad, &c.
1. Some doe take this actiuely, for the louelove wherewith we louelove God, so Oecumenius, Anselme, and Stapleton antidot. pag. 275. doth to the same purpose alleadge Augustine, who vnderstandeth here the louelove non qua ipse nos diligit, Augustin. de spirit. & liter. c. 31.sed qua facit nos dilectores sui, not wherewith God loueth vsus, but whereby he maketh vsus louers of of him, &c. and he would prooue the same by the Apostles phrase, absurdissime dicitur, &c. that is most absurdly said to be shed in our hearts, quod extra nos est, &c. which is without vsus, onelyonly in God.
Contra. 1. Against Oecumenius we set Chrysostome an other Greeke father, who vnderstandeth the Apostle to speake of the louelove of God toward vsus, dilectioni Dei rem omnem acceptam fert, he ascribeth the whole matter vntounto the louelove of God. 2. Augustine shall answear Augustine, who elsewhere interpreteth this place of the louelove of God toward vsus: as where he thus saith,lib. 15. de Trinit. cap. 16. ipse spiritus sanctus dilectio est, non enim habet homo, vnde Deum dilig… nisi ex Deo; vnde Apostolus, the holy spirit himselfe is this louelove, for man cannot tell how to louelove God, but from God: whereupon the Apostle saith, the louelove of God is shed abroad, &c. 3. And in this verie place of Augustine, he speaketh of such louelove of God in vsus, whereby the Lord maketh vsus louelove him, so that he includeth also the louelove of God, first toward vsus, whence issueth our louelove toward him. 4. And the louelove of God in God toward vsus, may without absurditie at all, be said to be shed abroad in our hearts, as in true friendship the louelove of a friend may be said to be shedde on him, whom he loueth: so Gods louelove is shed forth in vsus by the fruits and effects which it worketh in vsus, Pareus dub. 4.
2. Some thinke that both the louelove of God toward vsus, and our louelove toward God, are comprehensive in the Apostles speach, as Origen vponupon this place alloweth both: so also Gorrhan, and Pererius disputat. 2. numer. 9. who hereupon inferreth, that there may be more literall senses, then one, of one place of Scripture. Contra. One Scripture may hauehave one generall sense, which may comprehend diuers particulars: or it may hauehave one literall sense with diuers applications, as typicall or tropologicall, figuratiue or morall: but it can not hauehave more then one literall sense or exposition, specially one beeing different from the other, not any scales included in it, or inferred, or diducted out of it: for then the spirit in the Scripture should speake doubtfully and ambiguously, like vntounto the oracles of Apollo, which were so deliuered, as that they might be taken in a diuers, yea a contrarie sense. See further of this point Synops. Centur. 1. err. 7. But that the louelove, wherewith man loueth God, is not here at all vnderstood, it shall appeare by diuers reasons here following.
3. The best interpretation then is, that the Apostle speaketh here of the louelove of God, wherewith we are beloued of him in Christ. 1. Beza vrgeth this reason, because afterward v. 8. the Apostle speaketh of that louelove: God setteth forth his louelove toward vsus, &c. and in both places mention is made of the same louelove of God, the ground and foundation whereof is Christ, that was giuen to die for vsus. 2. Pareus insisteth vponupon this reason: the louelove of God here spoken of is alleadged as the cause of our reioycing, and of the steadfastnes of our hope: but our louelove of God, beeing weake and imperfect, can not be that cause. 3. Peter Martyr, and Pareus doe further presse the scope of the place: the Apostle assumeth this as an argument of our hope, because Christ was giuen to die for vsus, which proceeded not from the louelove of vsus toward God, but from his louelove toward vsus. 4. Faius vrgeth the force of the Apostles phrase: this louelove is said to be shed abundantly in our hearts, but our louelove toward God is not such an abundant, and surpassing louelove: it is a slender, scant, and weake louelove: he meaneth then the superabundant louelove of God toward vsus, which as the Apostle saith, Phil. 4.7. passeth all vnderstanding. 5. I will adioyne also Tolets reason, annot. 5. in c. 5. the charitie and louelove, whereby we louelove God, is but one grace and vertue: but the Apostle speaking of the shedding forth of this louelove by the holy Ghost, meaneth the effusion and powring out of all the graces, which are wrought in vsus by the spirit: he meaneth then the louelove of God toward vsus, from which fountaine issue faith, all the graces and gifts of the spirit. 6. Adde hereunto the consonant exposition of many of the Fathers, as of Chrysostome cited before, of Hierome, who thus writeth, quomodo Deus nos diligat, ex hoc cognoscimus, &c. how God loueth vsus, we know by this, that he hath not onelyonly by the death of his Sonne forgiuen our sinnes, but hath also giuen vsus the holy Ghost, &c. Likewise Ambrose: pignus charitatis Dei bohemus in nobis, &c. we hauehave the pledge of the louelove of God by the holy spirit giuen vntounto vsus, &c. Theophylact also interpreteth de charitate Dei, quam erga nos ostendit, &c. of the louelove of God, which he sheweth toward vsus, &c. Likewise expound Theodoret, Sedulius, with others.
8. Quest. Why the louelove of God is said to be shed abroad in our hearts.
1. Some doe giuegive this sense: effusa est sicut oleum, &c. this louelove is shed abroad like oyle, … cor occupando, in possessing and occupying the whole heart, according to that saying. Matth. 22. Thou shalt louelove the Lord thy God with all thy heart: Gorrh. but the louelove of … is not here taken actively, for that louelove whereby we louelove God, as is shewed in the former question. 2. Tolet thus expoundeth it, abundantissime facti sunt amici Dei, they are not sparingly, but abundantly made the sonnes of God: likewise the ordinarie glosse referreth it to the greatnes of Gods louelove, late nos diligit, he doth louelove vsus largely, that is, greatly. 3. Some referre it to the cleare manifestation of the louelove of God in our hearts: clare nobis manife…ta, sicut cum lux diffunditur, &c. the louelove of God is clearely manifested to vsus, as when the …ight is spread and dispersed abroad. Gorrhan. 4. But hereby rather is expressed the abundance of those graces, which are powred vponupon vsus by the spirit: so Chrysostome, non mo…ce nos honoravit, &c. he hath not sparingly honoured vsus, but he hath shed forth vponupon vsus his louelove, as the fountaine of all good things: so also Oecumenius, quia vbere datus est, &c. because the spirit is plentifully giuen vsus: and in the same sense the Prophet saith, Ioel 2. I will powre out my spirit vponupon all flesh. Faius.
9. Quest. Why it is added by the holy Ghost, which is giuen vsus.
1. The spirit of God is mentioned as the efficient cause of this worke: the louelove of God is said to be shed in our hearts by the holy Ghost, because the spirit of God beareth witnes vntounto our soules, that we are the sonnes of God, Rom. 8.16. Osiand. Pareus, facit nos intelligere charitatem Dei, &c. the spirit of God maketh vsus to vnderstand and feele the louelove of God toward vsus.
2. And this worke is ascribed to the spirit, not excluding the Father and the Sonne, to whome this louelove toward mankind is common: but the Apostle obserueth the propertie of their persons, because as election is giuen vntounto God the father, and Redemption to the Son, so louelove is the proper worke of the spirit: both to cause vsus to feele the louelove of God, and to make vsus to louelove God againe.
3. And here we are not to vnderstand onelyonly the gifts of the spirit, but the spirit it selfe; which dwelleth in vsus, not in his essence, which is infinite, but by his power, illuminating, directing, conuerting vsus: Faius: so Tolet well saith, that the spirit non solum dona sua nobis communicat, sed per ea in nobis inhabitat, &c. doth not onelyonly communicate his gifts vntounto vsus, but also by them dwelleth in vsus.
4. In that the holy Ghost is said to be giuen vsus, thereby is signified, quod non proprijs vi… tutibus, &c. that we hauehave obtained the spirit not by our owne vertue, but by the free louelove of God: Oecumen. and the person of the holy Ghost is noted, in that he is said to be giuen: and the giuers are the Father and the Sonne. Hug. Card.
10. Quest. How Christ is said to hauehave died according to the time. v. 6.
1. Some doe referre these words to the former clause, and read thus, when we were yet weake according to the time: that is, we were weake in the time of the law, when grace yet appeared not: so Chrysost. Theodor. and Erasmus thinketh this is added, as a mitigation of their infirmity: but it is against the Apostles vse to qualifie the corruption & euilnes of mans nature: and he speaketh to the Gentiles, that had not the law, as well as to the Iewes.
2. The most doe applie it vntounto the latter clause, that Christ died in his time: and here there are diuers opinions. 1. Some vnderstand it of the short time, which Christs death continued, namely but three daies, Ambrose, so also Lyran. but that time beeing assigned see Christs resurrection, is not fitly expounded of his death. 2. Sedulius thus interpreteth, qu… in vltimo mundi tempore mortuus est, because he died in the last time or age of the world. 3. According to the time, that is, he died temporally in the flesh which is mortall: for eternitie knoweth no time. Haymo. 4. Hierom. epist. ad Algas. referreth it to the opportunitie of time: Christ died in a fit time, when the world stood most in neede of his redemption. 5. But the best exposition is, that Christ died in the fulnes of time, as the Apostle speaketh, Gal. 4.4. the time decreed and appointed of his father: thus expoundeth Theodor. and Theophyl. tempore decenti & destinato, in a meete time, and appointed of God: so also Beza, Par. Tol. with others.