Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 12 · Section 3 · Subsection 15
15. Quest, What is to be vnderstood by the proportion of analogie of faith, v. 6.
1. By the analogie of faith the Greeke expositors vnderstand faith, quae sperat & credit, which hopeth and beleeueth, Origen: and they thus interpret the Apostle, that prophesie is giuen secundum mensuram fidei, according to the measure of the faith of the receiuer: tantum influit, quantum invenerit fidei vasculum, it is so much infused, as it findeth a capacitie in the vessel of faith, Chrysost. Theophyl. so also Haymo, according to the reason of faith, that is, provt fides meruit, as faith dererueth: but this is a corrupt glosse, and contrarie to the Apostle in this place; seeing we hauehave gifts according to the grace, that is giuen vntounto vsus: if they be of grace, then are they not merited: and againe, the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 12.11. that the spirit distributeth to eueryevery one, as he will: then not as we will. Origen answeareth, 1. that as he will, may be referred to eueryevery one: that it is as God willeth, but he willeth according to our will. 2. or it is in a mans endeauour to obtaine faith, but that it be giuen, ad id, quod expedit, to that which is expedient it is of God; as the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 12.7. the manifestation of the spirit is giuen to eueryevery one to profit withall.
Contra. 1. It is very iniurious to the diuine maiestie to tie Gods will vntounto mans will; that God should not will any gift to be conferred vponupon any, vnlesse he first desired it: and further, many among the Corinthians desired the gift of tongues, and yet had it not, for some causes best knowne vntounto God: graces then were not bestowed, as they would themselues. 2. not onelyonly the vse of the gift is from God, to profit with, but the gift it selfe; 1. Cor. 12.6. God is the same, which worketh all in all: and v. 11. all these things worketh the same spirit.
1. Obiect. But it will be obiected, that if these gifts be onelyonly of God, non erit in culpa, &c. man is not in fault, if he doe not prophesie, teach, or exhort, &c. Origen answereth, that because faith is partly in the will of man, partly it is the gift of God, therefore the blame lieth vponupon man, if he hauehave not faith. But we answer rather, that concerning speciall and particular gifts, which belong vntounto these functions and offices, they which hauehave them not, shall not be charged for not vsing them: the seruant that hid the talent was reprooued, because it was committed vntounto him; but if he had receiued no talent, he had beene blamelesse: but concerning such graces, as are common to all beleeuers, as faith, hope, charitie, although it be not in their power to hauehave them, yet it is their fault, that they refuse them, and desire them not: vnbeleeuers then are condemned, not because they hauehave not faith beeing in their power, but because they refused the meanes off…red vntounto them, whereby faith might hauehave beene wrought in them.
2. Obiect. But the Apostle saying, 1. Cor. 14.1. earnestly pursue spirituall gifts, but rather that ye may prophesie, sheweth, that these gifts ex humana industria pendent, doe depend of humane industrie, Tolet. This collection hath no ground; the Apostle saith not, that it is in mans power to obtaine these gifts, sed ostendit, quod magis expetendum, but he sheweth onelyonly what gifts are most to be desired, Martyr: though man must vse his endeauour, and diligence, which are the meanes, yet those spirituall gifts doe onelyonly proceede from God as the author.
Thus then it appeareth, that the proportion of faith, is not the measure of ones faith, according to the which he obtaineth other graces.
2. Neither is yet this proportion or analogie of faith, the same with that which is v. 3. called foreign, the measure of faith, as Erasmus: and so thereby should be signified, the proportion and measure of eueryevery ones gift, which he should not exceede: this sense followeth the Syrian interpreter, iuxta mensuram fides suae, according to the measure of his faith: and so Pet. Martyr will hauehave saith here to signifie, that measure of knowledge, which eueryevery one hath receiued: so also Rolloc. but thus much the Apostle said before in this verse, according to the grace giuen vntounto vsus: and a measure is one thing, an analogie or proportion an other: the first is of one and the same thing that is measured; the other is betweene two things proportioned, and compared together, Pareus: and further, this clause then, according to the proportion and measure of faith, should not onelyonly be ioyned vntounto prophesying, as it is, but it should be required also in all the other gifts here named.
2. Much lesse was this analogie of faith, a rule without writing, according to the which all the bookes of the new Testament were tried, as the Rhemists here note in their corrupt glosse: for the writings of the Prophets, and Apostles were the rule it selfe of faith, they were not ruled by any other direction: for their doctrine is called the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, Eph. 2.20.
4. Many doe take this analogie of faith, to be axiomata prima religionis, the first principles of Christian religion, Calvin: such as are contained in the Symbole of the Apostles, which from the beginning euen from the Apostles time was appointed to be a rule of faith, though it be vncertaine by whome it was collected, Faius, Gualter, Beza: and so Tertullian. lib. de velandis virginib. saith of the Symbole, regula fidei est sola immobilis, &c. the rule of faith is onelyonly immooueable. But as we denie not, but that there might be in the Apostles time some such rule of faith, consisting of certaine principles collected out of the Scriptures; so because, this is but a coniecture, and there is no certaine ground thereof, it can not be precisely determined, that this should be the rule of faith, here mentioned.
5. Therefore I consent rather vntounto Gryneus, that this analogie of faith, was Scriptura sancta, the holy Scriptures: according to the rule whereof the brethren of Berea examined the Apostles doctrine, Act. 17.11. and S. Paul himselfe preached none other thing, then the Prophets and Moses had prophesied of, Act. 26.22. According to this rule, were the false prophets of old time discerned, if they perswaded vntounto idolatrie contrarie to the doctrine of the law, Deut. 13.2. yet withall it is probable, that there were certaine principal heads of religion, which were collected out of the Scriptures, euen in the Apostles time (which is called the doctrine of beginnings, Heb. 6.1.) from the which the Prophets and preachers were then not to swarue.