Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 12 · Section 3 · Subsection 28 – Subsection 31
Quest. 15. What it is to be high minded, and to be wise in our selues.
v. 16. Be not high minded. 1. Chrysostome thinketh, that the Apostle doth so often inculcate these precepts of humilitie to the Romanes, because they had many provocations therevnto, in respect of the citie, which then had the Empire and rule of the world, and for other causes. 2. and this is the coherence of these words with the former: that whereas he had mooued them to mutuall concord, now he remooueth the two principallers, the one is pride, when a man in an high conceite of his gifts, and despising others, ambitiously aspireth vntounto great matters: and the other is arrogancie, when one in a selfe-louelove is carried away with an ouerweening opinion of his wisedome, and other gifts. 3. Tolet curiously distinguisheth betweene the phrase here vsed, be not high minded, and that c. 11.20. for there it is all one word, (saith he) compounded of two simple words, foreign, be not high minded: but here there are two words foreign, minding high things: and in that place he referreth it to the vnderstanding and conceit: as when one thinketh better of himselfe then there is cause, and here to the affection: But if the places be well compared, it may appeare, that in both places the Apostle speaketh against ambitious aspiring, ioyned with contempt and disdaine of others: as there he would hauehave the Gentiles called to the faith, not to be lifted vp in minde in respect of the deiected Iewes: vnlesse we will make this difference, that there the Apostle forbiddeth any to hauehave an haughtie opinion and conceit: that is, as Calvin interpreteth, altos gerere spiritus, to beare a lostie minde, and here he prohibiteth, ambitiously to seeke after high places, which is a fruit of the haughtinesse of mind: as M. Calvin calleth it, ambitiosè spirare, to aspire ambitiously.
Submitting or applying your selues to the lowly. 1. Some take this to be vnderstood of the persons of lowe degree: and make this to be the sense, apply your selues to the lowly, that is, i… iliorum vilitatem descende, descend to their basenes, Chrys. eorum consortium ne aspernare, dispise not their companie: Vatabl. cum eis humiliter conuersando, in conuersing humbly with them: the vulgar Latine readeth, consentientes humilibus, consenting to the humble: that is, saith Origen, amare humiles, to louelove the humble: he consenteth with the humble, quei cum humilibus se humiliat, which humbleth himselfe, with those that are humble, Haymo: humiliorum imitatores, imitators of those which are humble, gloss. interlin. consenting to the humble, that is, in heart, and not with the mouth onelyonly, gloss. ordin. Gorrhan: all these vnderstand by the humble, the lowely, referring it to their persons.
2. Some vnderstand this word of the things rather then of the persons: and take it in the neuter gender, that foreign, to the humble, may answear vntounto foreign, the high things before spoken of, Calvin, Beza, Pareus: so also Osiander, humilia curate, tractate, &c. respect and handle humble things: likewise Tolet, let them embrace base things, quae vilea mundus reputat, which the world counteth base: And this sense is to be admitted, by reason of the opposition of the words, though not onelyonly.
3. Faius saith, non tam res ipsae, quam hominum affectus spectantur, not so much the things themselues, as the affections of men are here considered: true it is, that the obiect cannot be seuered from the affection: but it is euident, that the Apostle, by high and lowe things, meaneth the obiect of pride and humilitie.
4. Pet. Martyr comprehendeth, both base things, and base persons: that we should apply our selues vntounto both: neither dispising the one, not refusing the other, euen meane and base ministeries and seruices to profit our brother, as our B. Sauiour disdained not to wash his Apostles feere: and this is most agreeable to the Apostles meaning: now the other word foreign, is not well translated by the Latine interpreter consentientes, consenting, it properly signifieth impetu quodam correpti, carried us it were with force: shewing how prone we ought to be to descend to lowe and base things: Beza rendreth it, obsecundantes, submitting your selues, the Syrian interpreter adhaerentes, cleauing: Vatablus, accomodantes, applying your selues: our English making your selves equall, &c. giueth the meaning, rather then the sense of the word.
Be not wise in your selues. 1. Chrysostome thus interpreteth it, ne putetis vos sufficere vobis ipsis, thinke not that your are sufficient for your selues: God hath so made vsus, vt alter alterum opera iudigeat, that one standeth in neede of an other: so also Theophylact vnderstandeth it of those, which dispise the counsel of others: and yet Moses dispised not the counsell of his father in lawe. 2. Ambrose thinketh they are said to be wise in themselues, which turne their wsedome altogether to their owne profit, and not to the good of others: so also the interlin. gloss. and Gorrhan, ne prudentiam apud vos tantum exerceatis, &c. exercise not your wisedome onelyonly for your selues, but for your neighbours also. 3. Basil regul. brev. resp. 260. interpreteth those to be wise to themselues, qui solam humanam prudentiam, &c. which onelyonly hauehave humane wisedome, and regard not the diuine will and pleasure: such we call worldly wise. 4. Haymo, he is wise in himselfe; who non authori sapientia deputat, &c. doth not ascribe vntounto the author of wisedome, that wisedome which he hath. 5. But all these are the effects of arrogancie; he which taketh himselfe to be wise, dispiseth the counsell of others, consulteth not with God, neither ascribeth the praise to him; here then the Apostle toucheth the verie roote and beginning of pride, which is propriae prudentiae opinio, the opinion of a mans owne wisedome, Marlorat: so that here the Apostle remooueth an other let and impediment of humilitie, which is arrogancie, and that is apud seipsum nimium sapere, to be too wise in himselfe; such the Prophet Isay speaketh against, we vntounto them that are wise in their owne eyes, and prudent in their owne sight, Isay. 5.21. Pareus: so Origen before them, hic cum arrogantia stultus est, &c. qui suam stultitiam quasi sapientiam colit, he is arrogant and foolish, who adoreth his owne folishnesse, as if it were wisedome, &c. But here Lyranus aduertiseth well, that prudence and wisedome is here not taken properly, but in a certaine similitude: for vera prudentia, non nisi in bonis, true wisedome and prudence is onelyonly found in the good, it is craft not wisedome which the wicked hauehave. Now this arrogancie is the cause of all errors, which are of three sorts, either errors in opinion and iudgement, or in practise of religion, or in life and conuersation; for hereupon some hauehave deuised newe doctrines, and strange worship; not contenting themselues with the simplicitie of Gods word; as though they were wiser then God; and they giuegive themselues euer vntounto grosse sinnes in their life, holding scorne to be admonished by others, Gualter.
Quest. 25. How euill is not to be recompenced for euill, v. 17.
1. Chrysostome noteth the generalitie of the speach, recompence to no man, whether beleeuer or vnbeleeuer; not to a beleeuer, because he is thy brother, not to an infidel and vnbeleeuer, that thou mayest winne him, Haymo. 2. Origen obserueth, that reddere malum, to render euill, is a greater sinne, quam inferre malum, then to offer euil at the first; for it may be that he did it ignorantly, non sensisse malum, &c. that he perceiued it not to be euill, which he did, but he that recompenceth euill sheweth that he was not ignorant, that it was euill. 3. this precept concerneth onelyonly particular wrongs; it is not extended to magistrates that render euill vntounto offenders, according to the lawe, in Deut. an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth: and yet punishment is not euill, because it is opus iustitiae, a worke of iustice, Gorrhan, Martyr. 4. here that pharisaicall doctrine is reprooued, that they were to hate their enemies and louelove their friends. 5. and if it be a sinne, to render euill for euill, much more to recompence euill for good, the one is incident into our humane corrupt nature, but the other is plaine diabolicall. 6. Calvin thinketh, that this precept is somewhat larger, then that which followeth, avenge not your selues: for in some cases euill may be rendered for euill, sine manifesta vltione, without manifest reuenge, as when one refuseth to giuegive entertainment & succour to one in his need, and so the other to requite him, withdraweth his hand in his necessitie; so also Gualt. but Martyr misliketh this; I cannot see saith he, how he which willingly doth render euill for euill, doth not intend to take revenge; and the Apostle (he thinketh) doth inculcate the same precept againe, because it is so necessarie; thus also Pareus: but this difference betweene them may be soone taken away; for Calvin saith onelyonly without manifest reuenge: there may be a reuenge in all kind of retalion: but in some the revenge is more manifest, then in other.
Quest. 26. How honest things are to be procured before all men.
1. The vulgar Latine readeth, prouiding things honest, not onelyonly before God, but before all men: but this clause not onelyonly before God, is not in the originall, Origen, Chrysostome, Theophylact, omit this clause, and the Syriake interpreter; Tolet alloweth the vulgar Latine by the authoritie of Ambrose and Basil, and because the Apostle so hath, 2. Cor. 8.21. but Erasmus iudgement is better, which thinketh, this part was added by the interpreter: neither doth this supplement agree with that which followeth, before all men: which sheweth that the opposition here is not betweene God and man, but man and man; and in that other place, the Apostle saith not, not onelyonly before God, but before the Lord: and not before all men, but before men: the comparing then of that place, is no reason to adde that clause here.
2. Oecumenius will hauehave this sentence to be referred to the former, that we should be so farre from rendring euill for euill, as contrariwise we should procure things honest: but so the Apostles meaning should be too much restrained, which is more generall.
3. This precept is not to be vnderstood onelyonly of things honest and lawfull, that we must …ke heede that we commit not any dishonest thing: but in things otherwise lawfull and indifferent, we must take heede of giuing offence, Martyr.
4. Origen here mooueth this doubt, that this should seeme to be contrarie to that sayling of the Apostle, If I should please men, I should not be the seruant of Christ, Gal. 1. he answereth, that the Apostle saith not here, that we may please men: but let vsus doe things honest before them, siue placeant, siue non placeant, whether they please or not: to the same purpose P. Martyr: the Apostle saith not, seeke to please men, but procure things honest, &c. for as we must approoue our conscience before God, so also, bona fama non negligenda est, a good fame and name is not to be neglected.
5. Gorrhan here well obserueth sowre sorts of men; some procure things honest onelyonly before men, as hypocrites; some onelyonly before God, as they which are simple, and not yet perfect; some neither before God, nor man, as notorious offenders, and licentious persons; some before both, as they which hauehave integritie of conscience before God, and of life before men.
27. Quest. How we should hauehave peace with all men.
1. Tolet taketh this to be an other reason of the former precept, why we should not render euill for euill, both because we must procure things honest; and, we must maintain peace: Gorrhan thus diuideth these precepts; three things the Apostle admonisheth to be done concerning our enemies: first to doe them good, to blesse them, v. 14. then to doe them no hurt, to recompence none euill for euill, v. 17. then, if they doe vsus wrong, to beare it, and not to breake peace: but the Apostles sentence is more generall, to hauehave peace with all men, as well enemies as others. 2. Erasmus would hauehave this clause, if it may be, to be ioyned with the former sentence, procure things honest before all men, if it may be. But Beza well obserneth, that that precept is without limitation, or condition: we must simply procure things honest: but peace onelyonly, if it may be. 3. Origen maketh both these exceptions, if it may be, and as much as in you lieth, to hauehave one and the same meaning: as much as in you lieth, that is, quod proposito vestro, & fidei vestrae convenit, as it may stand with your profession and faith: for to hauehave societie with the euill, agreeth not with your faith. 4. Gorrhan, following the interlinearie glosse, thus expoundeth these words, that which in you lieth, that is, in pote…are vestra est, it is in your power to hauehave peace with al men: and so he thinketh three things to be here noted; the difficultie, if it may be; the possibilitie, that which in you is; and the generalitie, with all men: but neither is it true, that it is in our power to hauehave peace with all men, for it is God that maketh one to be like minded to an other, Rom. 15.5. and these two are contrarie the one to the other, if it may be, and yet, it is in your power. 5. Wherefore these two exceptions, are thus better distinguished; if it may be: for in some cases, we must hauehave no peace at all with men, but reprooue them; as quando de pietate sermo est, when the question is of pietie and religion: Origen toucheth an other case, that we must not societatem habere cum malis, hauehave any societie with the euill: when we see either the truth betraied and oppugned by heretikes, or infidels, or God offended by mens euill life, we should not vnderunder pretense of violating peace, be silent in such occasions. Now, where he saith, that which in you lieth, that is added, because some are so contentious, that they will hauehave no peace: but yet we must doe our endeauour, that there be no fault in vsus: quae tui sunt officij praesta, doe that which is thy part to doe, si ille pacem non servaverit, &c. tu voluntate sis amicus, if he will not hauehave peace with thee, yet be thou friendly and peaceable in thine owne disposition: Chrysost. Origen addeth this may be done, cum crimina oderi… …omines amant, when they louelove the men, yet hare their vices, &c. peace is not broken … them in reproouing their vices, for therein they shew, that they notwithstanding louelove the men themselues.