Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 12 · Section 6
6. Morall obseruations.
Observ. 1. Of the necessitie of good works and a godly life.
v. 1. I beseech you brethren, &c. S. Paul hauing hitherto in this epistle laid downe th… doctrine of iustification, and of other principall points of Christian religion, now beginneth to exhort vntounto holines, and to the shewing forth of the fruits of our regeneration: as here in this place he entreateth them to giuegive vp themselues and their bodies to the seruice of God: for this is the end of our redemption and deliuerance to serue the Lord, Luk. 1.74. A. Fulvius, when he had taken away his sonne from following Cataline, he killed him, saying, non Catalina te genui sed patriae, I did not beget thee for Cataline, but for the countrie: but it may be better said of vsus, that God hath not created vsus to serue the Deuill, the world, or the flesh, but to serue him: When Phillip King of Macedon, beeing somewhat pleasant, did daunce and leape among the poore captiues, insulting ouer them, and vpbrayding their miserie, Demades said vntounto him in this manner, cum fortuna tibi Agamemnonis personam imposuerit, uonne te pudet Thersitem agere, seing fortune hath put vponupon thee the person of Agamemnon (that is of a King) art not thou ashamed to play Thersites (who was a base, contemptible, and odious, rayling companion:) so when God hath called vsus to this high dignitie to be called his sonnes, and hath made vsus heires of his kingdome, yea Kings in Christ, it is a shame for vsus, to abase our selues to the vile condition of beeing seruants vntounto sinne.
Observ. 2. We must not conforme our selues to the fashion of this world
v. 2. And be ye not fashioned, &c. Chrysostome obserueth well, that the figure and fashion of this world is but a transitorie thing: it is tanquam persona scenica non consistens rerum substantia, as a person counterfetted vponupon the stage, not a thing of any substance: and therefore it were a vaine thing to conforme our selues to it: therefore the Apostle saith, We should vse this world as if we vsed it not, for the fashion of this world goeth away, 1. Cor. 7.31.
Observ. 3. Against curiositie.
v. 3. That no man vnderstand aboue that, which is meete, &c. This maketh against those which are curious searchers and priers into Gods secrets, neglecting those things, which are for their necessarie knowledge and vse: Sirach giueth good counsell, Ecclesiastic. 3.22. Seeke not out the things that are too hard for thee, &c. but what God hath commanded, thinke vponupon that with reuerence, &c. Augustine saith well, melius est dubitare de occultis, quam litigare de incertis, &c. it is better to doubt of hid matters, then to contend about vncertaine. The Philosopher was worthely reprooued of his maid, who while he was vewing the starres fell into a pit, that was before him: such are they, which seeke after things to high aboue their reach, and let goe things more profitable.
Observ. 4. Against pride and vaine glorie.
v. 3. That eueryevery one vnderstand according to sobrietie. Chrysostome hath here an excellent morall against arrogancie, when men doe attribute more to themselues then there is cause, and are puffed vp with pride. 1. he compareth the arrogant man to a verie foole: for their speaches are alike vaine, and foolish: the proud man saith, I will set my throne aboue the starres, Isay. 14. I hauehave gathered all the earth as one doth gather egges, Isai. 10.1…. what could a verie idiot and foole say more: sauing that herein they differe, that fooles are pitied, because they are such by nature, not by their owne fault, but a proud man none hath pitie of: periter desipiunt cum illis, veniam tamen vt illi, non merentur, they are vnwise like the other, but they deserue not pardon, as the other.
2. He that exceedeth the measure of prudence, and is pust vp in pride becommeth foolish: he is timorous, and rash, and subiect to all infirmities whatsoeuer: as Nabal of a proud man, became foolish, and afterward so faint hearted, and timorous, that through feare he died: for like as corpus intemperatum factum quibusvis est passionibus obnoxium, a bodie being intemperate, and hauing lost the complexion, is subiect to eueryevery passion; so the minde hauing lost humilitie and prudence, is apt to eueryevery infirmitie: and like as the eye beeing blind, maketh all the members blind, so is it with arrogancie, that blindeth the mind.
3. An arrogant man maketh himselfe a monster: forsan tibi pennas innascioptares, it may be thou wouldest wish thou hadst feathers and wings: for a proud man omnino volare conatur, endeauoureth as it were to flie in his mind, and so becommeth a verie monster, a man with wings.
4. In the last passage, he compareth a proud man not to ashes or dust, or durt, for they are to good; but they seeme to me stupae accensae similes, to be like vntounto tow set on fire: which is soone kindled, and soone extinct, and it leaueth nothing behind it: so is the mind of an arrogant man quickly inflamed, and as soone quenched, and come to nothing: more casuall then a spiders web, and more light and vaine then smoake.
5. Observ. Of hospitalitie.
v. 13. Giuing your selues to hospitalitie. Chrysostome here hath an other worthie treatise concerning hospitalitie, against those which onelyonly doe not giuegive, but afflict and grieue the poore, with reuiling words. 1. he speaketh against their curiositie, which sift and examine the poore narrowly, before they will giuegive him any thing: if Abraham had done so, he had missed of entertaining the Angels, & so if thou curiosa scruteris pauperem, doe curiously sift a poore man, thou maist sometime let slip a man approoued of God: but what if he be a leud man of life, doth not God suffer the sunne to shine vponupon such, and dost not thou thinke him worthie of a morsell of bread: it is extreame insolencie, pro vno pane totam hominis miseri vitam curiose inquirere, for a peece of bread to sift the whole life of a poore miserable man: but what if he be thine enemie, yet remember, quod famulus illius es, qui percutientem se curavit, &c. that thou art his seruant, which cured him, that smote him: yea Christ, os illud, quod mortem operatum erat, exosculatus est, kissed that mouth, which wrought his death.
2. In the next passage Chrysostome sheweth how monstrous a thing it is, not onelyonly to withdraw beneuolence from the poore, but to persecute them with euill language. 1. thou addest affliction to affliction, velut tempestatem tempestati, as one tempest to an other: and him that fleeth vntounto the hauen, thou dost driue backe vponupon the rocks. 2. quomodo peccatorum tuorum veniam petis, qui eum convitiaris, qui tibi nihil peccavit, &c. how canst thou aske pardon of thy sinnes, who railest on him, that hath not sinned against thee? 3. thou art herein more cruell then the saluage beast: for they onelyonly ravin, when their hunger compelleth them, tu nemine cogente fratrem tuum devoras, mordes, laceras, thou, no man compelling thee, dost deuoure thy brother, bite him, teare him, &c. 4. how dost thou thinke to receiue the holy oblation, qui linguam humano sanguine rubefecisti, which hast died thy tongue redde with mans blood. 5. they which feede not the poore are condemned, Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire, prepared for the deuill and his angels: and what punishment, thinkest thou, shall they hauehave, qui non solum non pasceunt, sed & convitiantur, &c. which doe not onelyonly not feede, but raile also and reuile, &c.
6. Observ. That no man should stand vponupon his owne wit, but vse the counsell and aduice of others.
v. 16. Be not wise in your selues: because eueryevery one seeth not all, and the most prudent may be sometime deceiued, it is very expedient, that we should giuegive eare vntounto the counsell of others: we see that Rebeccahs aduise vntounto Iacob, corrected the ouersight of Isaac, who partially would hauehave giuen the blessing vntounto Esau, refusing Iacob: Moses that wise lawgiuer hearkned to the counsell of Hobab his father in law: and Naaman refused not the counsell of his poore seruant, who aduised him to doe as the Prophet had prescribed.
7. Observ. How to ouercome our enemies with patience and lenitie.
v. 20. Thou shalt heape coales of fire, &c. that is, either thou shalt winne him with thy benefits, as some interpret it, or, heape vp a greater iudgement against him: And true it is, that oftentimes the malice of the enemie, which is by violence and resisting more inflamed, is by lenitie asswaged: as Sauls furie toward Dauid, was for the time much abated, when Dauid spared him in the cave, hauing cut off the lappe of his garment, and an other time when he tooke from him his speare, and pot of water, 1. Sam. 24.26. In forren stories, euen among the heathen, memorable mention is made of Phocion that noble Athenian, who beeing vnworthily condemned to die, when he was about to drinke the deadly cuppe, beeing asked of his friends, what message he would send to his sonne; answered, mando ei hoc, vt oblrviscatur potus huius, this I command him, that he forget this drinke, which the Athenians hauehave appointed for me. Aelian. lib. 12.
The like Valerius Maximus lib. 4. c. 2. writeth of Cicero, who defended Gabinius in open iudgement, who in his Consulship had expelled him the citie: likewise twice he pleaded for Vatinius, that shewed himselfe a professed enemie alwaies to Cicero. Not vnlike vntounto these is the example of Balduinus king of Ierusalem, who hauing put the Arabian Saracens to flight, and taken great spoiles, in his returne found vponupon the way a woman readie to trauell of child, wife vntounto a chiefe Prince of the Arabians, whom he had left behind, beeing pursued, whom he couered with his owne mantle, and appointed a woman to attend vponupon her, and left with her two milch camels: This his kindnes was not lost: for afterward he beeing besieged by the Arabians, and put to a great straight, was deliuered by the meanes of that Captaine, whose wife he had succoured in her extremitie.