Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 12 · Section 5
5. Places of controversie.
Controv. 1. Concerning the power of free-will.
1. Wherea… … Apostle in this 12. chapter beginneth to giuegive precepts of righteousnes, and to exhort … holinesse: hence the enemies to the garce of God take occasion to establish their opinion concerning free-will: that a man assisted by Gods grace, is able to performe all these precepts: Stapletons reasons are these, Antid. p. 777.
1. The precepts of the morall lawe, are agreeable to the lawe of nature, and to the lawe of nations, therefore they hauehave not such difficultie, but that they may be kept.
2. All things are possible to the grace of God: which grace of God is had and obtained by prayer.
3. God commandeth in vaine, if his precepts cannot be performed: so also Erasmus, praecepta frigent, si nihil tribuitur voluntari, the precepts are cold,in diatrib. advers. Luther. if nothng be yeelded to the will of man, &c.
4. Either God is vniust, in commanding that which cannot be performed, or imprudent in requiring such obedience, which he thought might be performed and cannot.
5. And men herein hauehave an excuse of their disobedience, because it is not in their power to doe that which they are bidden.
Contra. 1. The perfect obedience, which the lawe requireth, farre exceedeth that righteousnesse, which the Lawe of nature, and of nations exacteth: for that onelyonly requireth an externall discipline: but the morall lawe prescribeth a perfect conformitie of the creature with the Creator.
2. To the grace of God giuen in perfection nothing is hard and impossible: but so is it not giuen to any in this life, but in a certaine measure and degree: the regenerate by grace are made able in some measure to keepe Gods commandements, but not perfectly.
3. Neither are the precepts of God in vaine, though men are vnable to keepe them: for there are diuerse other ends: as the vnregenerate are either thereby stirred vp and called, or are made inexcusable: the regenerate by such precepts are raised vp from negligence, and slouthfulnesse, hauehave a rule giuen them to followe, and doe see their owne weakenesse, and are encouraged and prouoked to goe on still vntounto perfection, to attaine as neere it, as they can.
4. God is neither vniust in so commanding: for the creature is bound to yeeld perfect obedience to the Creator, and the creature both once had receiued strength in the creation, which through wilfull transgression was lost, and now a way is shewed by restauration in Christ, how the will of God may be fulfilled: neither is God imprudent, for he is not deceiued in those ends, which he propoundeth to himselfe in giuing such precepts vntounto men.
5. Man can hauehave no excuse for his disobedience, seeing once he had receiued strength to performe the Creators will, which was lost by mans willing transgression: and because he seeketh not to hauehave his disobedience satisfied by the perfect obedience of Christ, and so he contemneth grace offered.
2. Now touching the doctrine of truth, concerning freewill: this we affirme, that man by nature hath no power or actiuitie at all vntounto that which is good, but is altogether a seruant to sinne, and that without grace in Christ, no man can choose and followe that which is good: this is euident by these texts of Scripture, Genes. 6.5. all the imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart are onelyonly euill continually: if all are euill, and onelyonly, and continually, what place or time is left here to that which is good in mans corrupt heart: Math. 7.18. a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit: it is against the nature of things, for euill to bring forth good, or good euill: euerie thing bringeth forth by nature, that which is like vntounto it: Rom. 6.20. Ye were seruants of sinne: Eph. 2.5. we were dead by our sinnes: seruants are not freemen, neither can the dead doe any worke of the liuing: no more can a man by nature doe any thing, that is good, 1. Cor. 2.14. the naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God: if he perceiue not, nor knowe them, he cannot choose to doe them: for there is nothing in the election of the will, which is not first in the conception of the vnderstanding.
But it will be obiected. 1. Then is not the will of man free, if it hauehave not power indifferently to good or euill.
Answ. The will of man is free from coaction and compulsion, but not from necessitie: for the determination of the will to one thing, taketh not away the libertie and freedome thereof: for the will of God by the perfection of nature, is enclined onelyonly to that which is good, in the Angels by the perfection of grace: and to euill the will is onelyonly inclined by the peruersnesse of the will, either simply and vnchangeably, as in reprobate Angels and men, or for a time, and in some sort, though not simply, as in the vnregenerate: yet in all these the will worketh freely without any forcing.
2. Obiect. Though a man without grace can doe no good thing, yet his will assisted by grace is enabled to euerie good thing.
Answ. 1. That good thing which is wrought in the regenerate by the grace of Christ, proceedeth not at all from their owne freewill: grace worketh, the will is wrought vponupon: for Christ saith, without me ye can doe nothing, Ioh. 15.5. 2. this grace worketh not perfitly in any in this life, but is begun onelyonly here: for the Apostle saith, if we say we hauehave no sinne we deceiue our selues, and the truth is not in vsus, 1. Ioh. 1.8. See further hereof, Synops. Centur. 4. err. 42. to err. 45.
Controv. 2. Whether the Masse be a sacrifice properly so called.
The Romanists would prooue it out of this place v. 1. because the Apostle exhorteth to giuegive vp our bodies a liuing foreign, sacrifice. 1. hence they reason thus: Christians hauehave a sacrifice properly so called, which is the oblation of some externall and sensible thing vntounto God by the lawfull Minister: but there is no such externall sacrifice to be found among Christian, saving the Masse: it remaineth then that the Masse is that externall sacrifice.
2. Euerie Priest must hauehave a sacrifice to offer, but there is no other sacrifice offered vp by the Priests of the newe testament, but the Masse: Ergo: to this purpose Bellarm. lib. 1. de Miss. cap. 2. & 15.
Contra. 1. Christians neede not any externall sacrifice to offer vntounto God, such as were the legall sacrifices of beasts: but they hauehave a true sacrifice, (though not to offer vp daily themselues) which was once killed and sacrificed vponupon the crosse: which now is not daily to be offered vp: but the memorie of that sacrifice is to be reuiued by the celebration of the Sacrament: as our Sauiour saith, this doe in remembrance of me. And beside, this sacrifice once offered for all, there are other sacrifices, not properly so called, but metaphorically, such are the spirituall sacrifices of Christians, as is their mortification, mentioned by the Apole here, v. 1. such are the sacrifices of praise, Heb. 13.15. the sacrifice of almes, Philip. 4.17. and S. Paul calleth martyrdome, a sacrifice of faith, Philip. 2.17. other externall sacrifice there is none necessarie for Christians to offer.
2. Euerie sacrificing Priesthood must hauehave somewhat indeede to offer, but the ministrie of the Gospel is no such sacrificing Priesthood: that is a function of the Popes deuising, one of Antichrists creatures, to hauehave power to make and offer vp Christs bodie: the sacrificing Priesthood of the newe Testament, is appropriated and determined to, and in the person of Christ, neither doth passe vntounto any other: Priests to offer vp spirituall sacrifices all Christians are made in Christ, Reuel. 1.6. and Ministers especially, who are by calling to offer vp the prayers of the congregation vntounto God, and to declare his will againe vntounto them.
3. But touching the Masse, it is no sacrifice at all: the Eucharist is a Sacrament, therefore no sacrifice: for a Sacrament is a representation of a thing absent, a sacrifice is an oblation of a thing present: the one is giuen from God to vsus, the other offered by vsus vntounto God. 2. Christ did not sacrifice himselfe in his last supper, but vponupon the crosse: therefore neither is Christ now sacrificed in the Eucharist. 3. where a sacrifice is, there is a change and alteration of the thing sacrificed: but in the Eucharist, the bread and wine remaine visibly and sensibly vnchanged: therefore no sacrifice.
Controv. 3. Of the difference betweene foreign, and foreign, worship, and seruice, whether they signifie two kinds of religious worships, the one peculiar to God, the other to the creatures.
This is generally affirmed by the Romanists, that these two words doe signifie two kinds of religious worships, the first proper vntounto God, the other communicated to the creatures: their arguments are these.
1. The Scripture so vseth these words, giuing foreign, worship vntounto God, and foreign, seruice vntounto the creatures.
2. For otherwise there should want a proper and peculiar name for the worship due only vntounto God: for seruice is due to man, pietie to parents; and other such tearmes of reuerence are imparted to the creatures: onelyonly foreign, worship, is left to signifie that peculiar kind of seruice which is due vntounto God, or els none.
3. Worship is due vntounto ones person, in respect of the excellencie thereof: now there are three kinds of excellenc…e, diuine, humane, and the middle betweene both, which is of the Angels and Saints, and …o accordingly, there must be three kinds of worship, divine, peculiar to God, ciuill or humane, due vntounto men, and a middle kind of worship, due vntounto Saints: to this purpose, Thomas, 2. quest. 103. art. 3.
Contra. 1. It is vntrue, that the Scripture so distinguisheth these two words, making the one peculiar to God, the other to the creatures: for both foreign, seruice, is vsed to expresse the diuine worship: as Deut. 13.4. Iud. 2.7. 1. Sam. 7.3. c. 12.11. and in diuerse o… …aces of the old Testament, likewise in the newe, Matt. 6.24. Luk. 6.23. and we shall …de the diuine worship to be oftener signified, by this word foreign, seruice, then foreign, worship: for as Pareus hath diligently obserued, the first is found at the least 39. times in the olde and newe testament ascribed vntounto God, the other about 30. times. And as foreign, seruice, is giuen vntounto God, so foreign, worship or seruice, is giuen to the creatures: for 10. times in the old Testament, as Pareus hath summed the places, it is said, thou shalt not do in the Sabbath, foreign, any seruile worke: as Leuit. 23.7.8.21. Numb. 28.18. the other places may be supplyed out of Pareus. And whereas Bellarmine obiecteth, that in the newe Testament, foreign, is onelyonly vsed for the diuine worship: that is not so, for once in the newe testament, is it taken for the worship of the creatures, Rom. 1.25. Neither doe these two words signifie two kinds of religious worships, the one due onelyonly to God, the other communicable to the creature: for, as the worship of idols vnderunder the tearme of foreign, is forbidden 34. times in the old testament, and once in the new, as learned Pareus hath collected: so is it forbidden vnderunder the other tearme foreign, 23. times in the old testament: See Pareus further, dub. 3. so that both these when they are vsed for any religious worship, are not communicable to any creatures, but onelyonly peculiar to God: as Augustine confesseth, qu. 34. in Exod. duliam deberi Deo tanquam Domino, latreiam tanquam Deo, that seruice, is due vntounto God, as our Lord and Master, and worship, as our God.
2. If the Greeke tongue should want a peculiar word to expresse the diuine worship, it were no more innonvenient, then that both in the Hebrewe and Latine tongue, the same defect is found: and yet there is a speciall word, foreign, Gods worship, which is vsed in Scripture, to signifie the diuine worship due vntounto God onelyonly, Ioh. 9.31. 1. Timoth. 2.10.
3. Indeede ciuill worship is to be giuen according to the difference of degrees, and excellencie of the persons: but religious worship is to be giuen onelyonly as the Lord hath appointed it: and yet there are more distinctions of excellencie then these three: for euen among the Angels, there are diuerse degrees, as of Arkeangels, Thrones, Dominions: and so by this rule, there should be not onelyonly three, but many kinds of worship.
4. Now touching the thing it selfe, this we affirme, that there are onelyonly two kind of worships, a religious, which sometime is called foreign, worship, sometime foreign, seruice, and this is peculiat onelyonly vntounto God: there is beside a ciuill adoration and seruice, which may be giuen to the creatures: some of our reasons are these.
1. Samuel saith vntounto the people, 1. Sam. 7.3. foreign, serue him onelyonly: where foreign, religious seruice, is commanded due onelyonly to God: so that here they can hauehave no euasion, by that distinction of these two words, worship and seruice.
2. All worship of Angels is forbidden: Coloss. 2.17. the word is foreign, which is not by our aduersaries owne confession, a worship peculiar vntounto God: so Reuel. 22. the Angel forbiddeth Iohn to worship him, because he was his fellowe seruant: where S. Iohns error was not, as Bellarmine suggesteth, because he gaue that kind of religious worship, vntounto an angel, which is proper to God onelyonly; but because he did worship him simply, for he doth not restraine him from foreign, the diuine worship, but from all foreign, all adoration, and humble prostrating of himselfe.
3. All idololatricall worship is forbidden, but all religious adoration giuen vntounto the creatures is such as tendeth to idolatrie, because it ascribeth vntounto the creature that which is peculiar to the Creator, as to knowe the heart, to be present euerie where, to hauehave power to helpe, and such like: for they which pray vntounto Angels and Saints, and prostrate them before their images, hauehave this opinion of them, that they are present to heare, and helpe them, which onelyonly God can doe: Ergo, such religious adoration is idolatrous: See further of this question, Synops.
Controv. 4. Of the comparison betweene virginitie and mariage.
The Rhemists in their annotation, 1. Cor. 7.31. doe extoll virginitie in such sort, that they doe much disgrace marriage: for these are their words, virginitie hath a gratefull puritie and sanctitie of bodie and soule, which mariage hath not, &c. and for this cause they say that Priests are forbidden marriage, That they may be cleane and pure from all fleshly acts of copulation, &c.
But this were to make mariage vncleane, whereas it is not the matrimoniall act, but the lasciuious and wanton minde, which abuseth mariage, that bringeth vncleanenesse with it: Origen is more equall, who vponupon these words, v. 1. giuegive vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice … ly, &c. thus writeth, quoniam videmus nonnullos sanctorum, aliquas etiam Apostol… … buisse coniugium, &c. because we see that certaine of the Saints, and some of the Apostles were married: we cannot vnderstand the Apostle here to meane virgintie onelyonly, &c. but that they which are in coniugijs positi, &c. placed in mariage, and by consent for a time doe giuegive themselues to prayer, corpora sua exhibere posse hostiam viuentem, &c. may exhibite their bodies a liuing sacrifice; if in other things sanctè agant & iustè, &c. they deale holily and iustly, &c. and concerning virgins he further saith, that if they be polluted with pride, or couetousnesse, or such like, they are not to be thought, ex sola virginitate corporis, &c. by the onelyonly virginitie of their bodies to offer vp a liuing sacrifice vntounto God, &c. Thus then there may be both puritie and sanctitie in mariage, and as the Apostle saith, an vndefiled bed, Heb. 13.4. which the Rhemists denie: and there may be pollution and vncleanesse in virginitie: See further, Synops. Papis. Centur. 3. er. 97.
Controv. 5. The minde it selfe, and not the sensuall part onelyonly hath neede of renovation.
v. 2. Be changed by the renewing of your mind: this is against the position of the Philosophers: as Aristotle affirmeth, Ethic. 1.13. that foreign, reason alway perswadeth and mooueth vntounto the best things: the Romanists doe iumpe with them herein; who thinke the sensuall part of the minde onelyonly to be corrupted.
But 1. the Apostle here sheweth that the verie minde, and spirituall part of the soule hath neede of renouation. 2. indeede in ciuill things and morall duties, the reason may be a guide, but in diuine and supernaturall, it is blind and erroneous. 3. and if it be here obiected, that the Philosophers, as Socrates, Plato, did many excellent things by the light of reason: I answear, that yet in those things they failed of the true ende: for they respected not the honour and glorie of God, but sought perfection by their owne endeauour: and herein they shewed the error and corruption of their mind. 4. yea the reason is so farre off, from beeing a perfect guide, that euen in the regenerate, it hath neede still to be renewed, as in the Romanes here, to whom S. Paul writeth: how much more in the vnregenerate.
Controv. 6. Of the perfection of the Scriptures against traditions.
v. 2. To prooue what the will of God is, acceptable, and perfect: this perfect will of God, is no where els reuealed but in the scriptures: if they containe a perfect reuelation of the will of God, then there neede no other additaments; what vse then of humane traditions, such as many the Church of Rome is pestered with, which hauehave no warrant out of the Scripture: which beeing able to make the man of God perfect to euerie good worke, 2. Tim. 3.17. all other helpes and supplyes, are superstitious and superfluous: See further hereof, Synops. Centur. 1. err. 11.13.
Controv. 7. Against freewill.
v. 2. And be not fashioned, &c. Tolet hence collecteth, because the vulgar Latine thus readeth, nolite configurari, &c. hauehave you no will to be conformed, &c. that it is positum in arbitrio hominis, placed in the will of man, whether thus to be fashioned, or not: whereas there is no such word in the originall, for foreign, signifieth be not fashioned, not be ye not willing to be fashioned: and beside the verie next words, be ye changed by the renewing of your mind, doe confute this opinion, and euidently shewe, that a man hath no freewill of himselfe vntounto that which is good: Indeede the Scriptures doe vse exhortations to the regenerate, to shewe, that it must be the worke of the spirit, to stirre them vp to doe those things whereunto they are exhorted: See further Synops. Papis. Centur. 4. err. 46.
Controv. 8. Against the arrogancie of the Pope.
v. 3. According as God hath dealt to euerie man, &c. Then euerie man hath his certime measure and stint of gifts: one hath not receiued all: as the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 7.7. Euerie man hath his proper gift of God, &c. Then that man of pride here sheweth himselfe in his colors, who arrogateth to himselfe authoritie ouer the whole Church: and boasteth to hauehave all knowledge locked vp in his breast: wherein he sheweth not himselfe to be a seruant of Christs: for all his seruants hauehave receiued a portion and measure of gifts; one alone hath not all, Pareus.
Controv. 9. Against the superstitious orders of the Popish Clergie.
v. 7. Or he that teacheth, on teaching, &c. Pet. Martyr and Gualter vponupon this place do shew, what was the oeconomie, ecclesiasticall policie and discipline of the Primitiue Church: how first they had praesides doctrinae, the presidents of doctrine, then they had assistants, the Seniors and Elders, qui disciplinam publicam conservabant, which did preserue the publike discipline: the next were the deacons, which dispensed the treasure of the Church, vntounto whom were ioyned, such as attended the sicke: as in this place, the Apostle setteth downe fiue offices of the Church, pastors and teachers, that attended the spirituall edifying of the Church: then distributors, rulers, shewers of merciemercy, whose care was for the externall discipline: but now ne nominā quidem extant, &c. not so much as the names remaine of these functions, Martyr: or as Gualter, praeter inauia nomina, &c. beside vaine names and titles, nothing is left in the Popish Church: but they substituted other orders, as Acoluthists, exorcistes, doorekeepers, candlebearers, and such like: See more hereof, Synops. Centur. 1. err. 69.
Controv. 10. The Pope not the head of the Church.
v. 5. We are one bodie in Christ: Beside that in this place the Church is said to be the bodie of Christ, and so he consequently the head thereof: as S. Paul calleth directly, Ephes. 1.22. Coloss. 1.18. and so this beeing a title peculiar to Christ, to be head of the Church, no mortall man can arrogate it to himselfe: it may be thus further shewed. 1. the Apostles did not take vponupon them to be heads of the Church: for S. Paul both here, and 1. Cor. 12. doth reckon himselfe in the number of the members. 2. the Church hath not two heads, Christ is one, the Pope cannot be another. 3. the head giueth direction and influence to the bodie, none of these offices can the Pope doe vntounto the Church. 4. the Church is not the spouse or bodie of the Pope, therefore he is not the head thereof. 5. from Peter to Clemens 8. 200. Popes hauehave died, but the head of the Church dieth not, for then the Church should die with it, 6. from Euaristus to Pius 5. the Papall sea was vacant at times, 38. yeares, 8. moneths, and 29. dayes, as Mercator casteth it in his cronologie, then so long was the Church without an head, if the Pope were the head. 7. there hauehave beene at one time 2. and sometime three Popes, then should the Church hauehave had so many heads, ex Pareo.
Controv. 11. That to louelove our enemies is a precept, and commanded, not counselled as indifferent.
v. 14. Blesse them which persecute you, &c. The Romanists doe hold, that a man is not bound extra casum necessitatis, but in case of necessitie to succour his enemie, and to apply any particular prayer vntounto him, but onelyonly in generall: in case of necessitie to doe it, it is a precept, but otherwise, and in other cases it is a counsell onelyonly: to this purpose Thomas 22. qu. 25. whom Pererius followeth, 2. disput. numer. 8. Tolet addeth further, for a man to be readie in minde, not onelyonly not to reuenge himselfe, but to suffer more wrong, as to hold his other cheeke when he is smitten vponupon the one, is a precept, but in fact to doe it, is but a counsell onelyonly, annot. 30. in fine: and a precept and counsell (they say) doe thus differ: the first belongeth to all Christians, and to leaue it vndone is sinne, the other is onelyonly for such as are perfect, which though to leaue vndone be no sinne, yet to do it, is of great merit.
Cont. 1. S. Pauls precept is here generall, to blesse our persecutors, there is no case or time excepted: Christian charitie must not be restrained nor limited: who then seeth not, but that this minsing and cutting of the Apostolicall precept, is against the rule of charitie. 2. to be alwaies readie in mind, and in fact when occasion requireth to keepe patience toward our enemie, is a precept and commanded: but according to the strict letter, to turne the cheeke to the enemie, when one is striken, is neither precept nor counsell: for our Blessed Sauiour beeing smitten on the one cheeke did not turne the other, who was most perfect in all his actions. 3. a difference betweene precepts and counsels we graunt, in respect of the matter and subiect: the one is of things necessarie, the other of matters in their owne nature indifferent: such as that is, 1. Cor. 7.15. of bestowing ones virgine, but otherwise they are both generall and not to be omitted, and neither are meritorious: See further Synops. Centur. 2. err. 84.