Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 14 · Section 3 · Subsection 11 – Subsection 14
Quest. 11. Of the meaning of those words: Let euerie one be fully perswaded in his mind, v. 5.
1. The vulgar Latine readeth, Let eueryevery one abound in his owne sense, which the Libertines so vnderstand, as that euerie man should be left vntounto himselfe for the choice of his religion: and Hierome is somewhat bold defending by this place the superstition of some women, which did offer waxe candles at the graves of the Martyrs: quicun que accendunt ceras, &c. whosoeuer light waxe candles, they shall receiue a reward according to their faith, as the Apostle saith, Let eueryevery one abound in their owne sense: But Chrysostome directly affirmeth, non erit ad quaevis rapiendum, that this saying of the Apostle must not be wrested to euerie thing: quando enim de dogmatis illi sermo est, &c. for when he speaketh of points of doctrine, he saith, If any preach vntounto you otherwise then ye hauehave receiued, though he be an Angel, let him be accursed: and beside, the word which the Apostle vseth foreign, signifieth not to abound, but to be fully perswaded.
2. Others following the same reading, will hauehave it vnderstood of things indifferent, that euerie one should be left to himselfe, Gorrhan: and Ambrose to the same purpose readeth, consilio suo remittatur, let him be left to his owne counsell. But no not in indifferent things should a man be left to himselfe: for that is directly forbidden, For euerie man to doe that, which seemeth good in his owne eyes, Deut. 12.8. Beza: and all will-worship, and voluntarie seruice is forbidden by the Apostle, Coloss. 2.23. Gualter: and this would bring in an horrible confusion, for euerie man euen in things indifferent to followe his owne minde, not respecting the scandall and offence of others, nor publike order and decencie.
3. Haymo giueth this sense: those things which one vnderstandeth, adimpleat abundando bonis operibus, let him fulfill by abounding in good workes: as Cyprian though he had some seuerall opinions, yet abounded in charitie: and to this purpose Hugo explaneth this similitude: like as water when it aboundeth, exit extra alveum suum, doth runne out of the chanel: so the vnderstanding and inward sense aboundeth, quando egreditur ad dirigendum operationes, when it goeth forth to direct the workes: But as is shewed before, that the originall word, signifieth not to abound.
4. Augustine thus interpreteth, let euerie one iudge, quantum humano intellectui concessum est, so farre as humane iudgement can reach, and not exceede further: But here the question is not, how men should behaue themselues toward God, but toward their brethren.
5. Hugo referreth it to the intention, no man knoweth with what intention his brother doth this or that: euerie man aboundeth in his owne sense, quando bona intentione facit, &c. when he doth that which he doth with a good intention: But it is not a good intention that maketh a good action.
6. Not much vnlike is Lyranus sense, dimittatur propriae conscientiae, let him be left to his owne conscience: and so Chrysostome, vnicui que sua mens satisfaciat, let euerie one satisfie his owne minde: that no man doe any thing with a doubtfull conscience: as Beza well obserueth, it is not enough for a man, not to do against his conscience, but his conscience must be informed by the word of God.
7. Wherefore the meaning is, that euerie one should be fully perswaded in his owne mind, that that which he doth, non pugnet cum verbo Dei, be not against the word of God, Pareus: & per obedientiam fidei in solius Dei verbum respiciant, and by the obedience of faith let them onelyonly looke vntounto the word of God, Gualter: so also Calvin, Beza.
1. Ob. But how can contrarie acts be pleasing vntounto God: that both he which obserueth the day, and he which obserueth it not, should be certainely perswaded.
Answ. In things which are directly forbidden to doe, or not to do a thing, cannot both please God: yet in things indifferent, both the doing and the omitting of a thing, may both be acceptable to God: so it be with a full perswasion.
2. Obiect. But how can one hauehave a full perswasion of his act in things indifferent, which are neither forbidden nor yet commanded in the word. Ans. It sufficeth in generall, that he be perswaded and assured both of his person, that thorough Christ he is accepted of God, and of the act it selfe, that it is not displeasing vntounto God, while he followeth the generall rules, seeking the edifying of his brethren, & hauing respect vntounto order and decencie.
3. Obiect. But it seemeth vnfit, that the Apostle should require a firme resolution, and perswasion of those which were weake. Answ. The Apostle saying, Let euerie one be fully perswaded in his mind, both speaketh to the strong, that thereby they should be further stirred vp to proceede in their firme resolution, and to the weake, that they should growe vntounto such a firme perswasion, and so of weake become strong, Pareus: so also Gorrhan verie well, in melius continuo proficiendo, by profiting daily and growing toward perfection.
8. Tolet hath an other interpretation: let euerie one abound in his owne sense, persuasinis suae terminos non transgrediatur, let him not exceede the bounds of his owne perswasion: let eueryevery one be contented with own his perswasion, and not prie into an others doings: but the Apostle as is before shewed, rather giueth a rule how a man should informe his owne conscience: as the Syrian interpreter well giueth the sense, in cognitione animae suae certus esto, let him be certaine in the knowledge of his owne mind.
Quest. 12. What it is to obserue, or to take care of the day vntounto the Lord: first of the words and order.
1. The vulgar Latine, readeth onelyonly the affirmatiue part of the sentence, qui sapit diem, he which is wise for the day, is wise to the Lord: but omitteth the negatiue part, qui non sapit, vel curat diem, he which sauoureth not, or careth not for the day, careth not for it to the Lord: which clause though it be omitted by Origens interpreter, and Ambrose likewise, and Augustine hath it not, yet the auncient Greeke copies, which Chrysostome, Theod. Oecum. followe, hauehave both the clauses, and so the Syrian interpreter readeth: Erasmus would excuse the omission of this part, and helpe it thus, that he may be said, sapere diem, to be wise for the day, that maketh euerie day alike, and he also, which maketh difference betweene day and day: and so both are comprehended in one clause: but seeing in the next sentence he maketh mention of eating or not eating, it seemeth better, that here also both should be touched by the Apostle, the obseruing and not obseruing of the day: and Pet. Martyr giueth another reason, that if the Apostle should not hauehave spoken also of the not obseruing of the day, that it is done also to the Lord: plus videretur infirmis tribuere, he should seeme to give more vntounto the weake, which obserued the day, then vntounto the strong, which did not.
2. Erasmus here obserueth, how the Apostle sometime speaketh of the strong in the first place, sometime of the weake: as v. 3. let him that eateth, he first mentioneth the strong, but v. 5. one esteemeth a day, &c. he beginneth first with the weake: but againe, v. 6. he that eateth, &c. he doth giuegive the first place to the strong: hereof two reasons may be giuen, either from the manner of the Apostles speach, wherein he would obserue an order and decorum: he still beginneth with the affirmatiue part, as v. 3. he that eateth, and v. 6. he that obserueth, and then setteth downe the negatiue part, as opposite thereunto: the other reason is from the matter: he would not still giuegive the prioritie to the strong, that the weake should not take themselues too much abased.
Quest. 13. Of the sense and meaning of the former words, He that observeth, &c. obserueth it to the Lord.
1. Augustine whom Anselme followeth retaining the former sense, he which obserueth the day, that is, is content onelyonly, to iudge present things, doth vsurpe nothing that belongeth vntounto God, as to take vponupon him to iudge of the time to come: see this interpretation refused before, quest. 10.4.
2. Haymo thus interpreteth, he that iudgeth no day, that is, limiteth not vntounto a sinner any time, but thinketh he may returne and hauehave forgiuenesse vponupon any day, cum Deo concordat, agreeth or consenteth herein with God, who repelleth not a sinner at what time soeuer he returne vntounto him: but this is not the Apostles meaning, who speaketh of the legall obseruation of dayes, as is shewed before, qu. 10.
3. Some will hauehave this to be the meaning: Domini est iudicium, &c. it belongeth vntounto God to iudge, both him that obserueth, and him that obserueth not: as he said before, he standeth or falleth to his owne master, v. 4. Beza, Faius: to the same purpose also Tolet: but the other part of the verse, he that eateth, eateth to the Lord, and giueth God thanks, sheweth that in the same sense it is taken here, to seeke to please God: and so Origen ioyneth gratias agit, he giueth thankes, to both these clauses, of obseruing the day, and of eating.
4. Some giuegive this sense, he observeth it to the Lord, that is, pleaseth God, and therein sinneth not, Osiander: approbatur Deo, it is approoued of God, Calvin: But this is rather the Apostles conclusion, that both of them are acceptable to God in obseruing or not obseruing: which he proueth here from their end & intention: they do it for the Lords honour.
5. So then, this phrase, to the Lord, sheweth rather their minde and intention, and the ende, which they propose to themselues: they doe it, propter Dominum, for the Lord: Chrysostom. ad honorem divinum, for Gods honour: Lyranus, Pareus: à Deo pendet, he dependeth of God, Mart. so that both the strong obserued not the day to the Lord, because they were perswaded by the libertie of the Gospell all dayes to be alike: and they which obserued the day thought therein they pleased God, because such obseruation of dayes was commanded by the lawe, which to obserue, they thought to be pleasing and acceptable vntounto God; wherein notwithstanding they erred, but of ignorance and not of malice, as likewise in for bearing some meates.
Quest. 14. How he that eateth not, is said to giuegive thankes.
1. I omit Origens allegoricall sense, he that eateth all things, that is, vniversorum intelligentiam capiat, hath the vnderstanding of all; giueth God thankes: and he which eateth not all things, non habet omnem scientiam, hath not the knowledge of all, yet giueth thanks for that knowledge which he hath: But it is euident, that the Apostle speaketh of the eating of meates, as v. 2.3.
2. Chrysostome thinketh that the Apostle doth secretly taxe the Iudaizing Christian, who as long as he is addicted to the lawe, cannot render grace or thankes vntounto God: for the Apostle saith, Ye which are iustified by the Lawe, are fallen from grace, Gal. 5. But I cannot see, how this should be vnderstood to the disgrace of the beleeuing Iewe, seeing he saith as well the eating Gentile, as the not eating Iewe doe both giuegive thanks: and the Apostle in the other place, speaketh of grace in an other sense, of that which we receiue of God, here of grace or thankes giuen vntounto God.
3. Calvin thinketh that all this must be pronounced in the imperatiue moode, as let him obserue the day to the Lord, let him eate, or not eate to the Lord, let him giuegive thanks: and so he doth not so much shew, quid faciant, what they doe, as quid facere debeant, what they ought to do: But the Apostle rather prooueth by this reason, taken from the end, that we ought not to iudge an other in these things, seeing both do propound to thēselues, the glorie of God.
4. Ambrose thinketh that the Apostle speaketh of fasting and perpetuall abstinence: and so he that eateth not, giueth thankes, as Origen interpreteth, pro fructu continentiae, for his continencie, that he can refraine: but the Apostle hath relation onelyonly to the meats which were counted vncleane by the lawe, from the which some for conscience of the lawe abstained: therefore it is not that which they giuegive thankes for.
5. Haymo thinketh, that as he which eateth giueth thanks, pro libertate vescendi, for his libertie giuen him to eate all things: so the Iewe giueth thankes for his abstinence, & pro notitia per legem, and for his knowledge by the lawe from what meates he should refraine: but the giuing of thankes is referred rather to the benefit of eating.
6. Wherefore as he which eateth all things, without any scruple of conscience, giueth God thankes, pro pastu largiore, for his more plentifull feeding: so he which eateth onelyonly of some things, yea of herbes, giueth thankes also, pro victu …enuiore, for his food, though but slender: as the wiseman preferreth a dinner of greene herbs with louelove, and eaten in the feare of God, before a stalled oxe with hatred, Prou. 15.17.
7. But it will be obiected, that this seemeth not to be a good argument, he that eateth giueth God thankes, therefore he eateth to the Lord: for one may giuegive God thankes, even when he eateth and drinketh to gluttonie and drunkennes: the answear is, that he which eateth doth well, ex parte cibi, on the behalfe of the meate: which is sanctified by giuing of thanks, as the Apostle saith, 1. Tim. 4.8. that euerie creature is sanctified by the word of God, and prayer: But if any doe exceede in eating and drinking, the fault is not in the meate, as though he did eate any vncleane thing, but in the person that eateth.