Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 14 · Section 3 · Subsection 27 – Subsection 29
27. Quest. Of the manner how meates are sanctified and made cleane.
Because the Apostle here speaketh of meates how they are cleane, how vncleane, Origen doth parallel this place with that, 1. Tim. 4.5. It is sanctified by the word of God, and prayer.
1. The Rhemists thinke, that this is not vnderstood of the vulgar and common benediction of meates and drinkes, but of sanctifying and applying them to an higher vse, euen for spirituall benefits: annot. 11. as they hauehave their hallowed bread, water, salt, and such things, which they vse in the seruice of God. But 1. it is euident that the Apostle speaketh there of the sanctifying of meates for our ordinarie vse, and receiuing of them. 2. and seeing the word of God is requisite vntounto sanctification, such hallowing of creatures, hauing no warrant in the word, is but a superstitious inuention.
2. Neither is it to be thought, that the meates thus sanctified, hauehave a kind of inherent holines infused into them, which seemeth to hauehave beene the opinion of Origen, who compareth the sanctifying of them, vntounto the napkins and partlets, which were taken from Saint Pauls bodie, tantum sanctificationis acceperunt, &c. they receiued such sanctification, as that beeing applied to the sicke, they healed their diseases. But 1. there is great difference to be made betweene an ordinarie sanctifying of a thing to a continuall and perpetuall vse, as of meates and drinkes, and of an extraordinarie sanctifying by miracle, as was in these partlets: it was an extraordinarie worke at that time for the confirmation of their faith. 2. neither was this vertue in these napkins, but in S. Paul, who had that gift to worke miracles both present, and absent: as when Elisha smote and diuided the waters with Elias mantle, the vertue was not in the garment, for then he needed not to hauehave smitten but once, but he calleth for the God of Elias: so it is said there, Act. 19. that God wrought no small miracles by the hands of Paul: it was Paul then that wrought them, not the napkins.
3. Nor yet is this sanctification vnderstood of the reading of certaine lessons out of the Scriptures in the time of eating, as some thinke, Perer. numer. 5. which indeede is a commendable vse: see August. epist. 109. and Basil. epist. 9. ad Gregor. much lesse is this to sanctifie meates, conceptis ex verbo det sententijs, &c. to pronounce and conceiue a certaine forme of words and sentences out of Scripture, euen the bread and meate: Bulling. as the Papists hold that with speaking fiue words ouer the bread and wine in the Eucharist, they can make the bodie of Christ: for it is not the sound or syllables of the word pronounced, that sanctifie, but faith which is grounded vponupon the word: non quod dicitur, sed quod creditur, not that which is saide, but that which is beleeued, sanctifieth: and so Origen well obserueth here, per orationem non cuiuscun que sanctificantur, &c. they are not sanctified by the praier of eueryevery one, but of them which lift vp pure hands without wrath and doubting, which praied in faith.
4. Some by sanctifying vnderstand the preseruing of the meate from the power of the deuill, qui solebat se cibis, odoribus, saporibus, immiscere, which was wont to insinuate himselfe, and creepe as it were into the meates, smells, and tasts: as Augustine sheweth, lib. 4. de civit. dei. c. 15. and Gregor. lib. 1. dialog. c. 4. telleth of a certaine Nunne, which was possessed with a deuill, by eating of Iettice not blessed: thus Pererius numer. 6. and Gorrhan following the interlin. glosse, ne diabolus per eum noceat, least the deuill hurt by the meates: and hereupon the Papists vse to signe their meates with the signe of the crosse, to chase away the deuill from their meates: for other kind of giuing thanks among them is but sieldome and slenderly vsed. But as I denie not, but that some times the deuil may hauehave that power, where it pleaseth God so to permit, to enter into mens bodies by meates as without, which was more vsually seene in those first ages of the Church, while the gift of miracles yet continued: yet this is not vsuall, for then the greater part of the world, which receiue their meate without such thanksgiuing, should be possessed of the deuill: the Apostle then meaneth not any such sanctifying: much lesse by the signe of the crosse, which is but a toy to chase away the deuill: who is no otherwise ouercome, then by resisting him by faith. In deede thus the deuill may worke by meates, to tempt men by the abuse thereof to drunkennes, and lust, which his tentations are preuented, by the sober and godly vse of the creatures receiued with thanksgiuing.
5. And by the word with Lyranus to vnderstand Christ, the word of God incarnate, who sanctifieth efficiendo, by effecting, and working, as prayer doth impetrando, by obtaining, it is somewhat hard: for Christ himselfe, when he brake bread, gaue thanks, himselfe beeing this word: the word here then signifieth not Christ: but it must be vnderstood in that sense, as our Sauiour saith, Man liueth not by bread, but by eueryevery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, Matth. 4.4. that is, by the power & blessing of God giuing strength vntounto the creature to nourish.
6. Neither by this sanctifying word, doe we vnderstand sermonem, qui est in gratiarum actione, the speach which is vsed in giuing of thanks, as the Greeke scholia interpreter: for giuing of thanks is a kind of praier: but the word and praier are here two distinct things: and praier goeth before meate, and giuing of thanks after, it should not therefore be set before praier, as here the Apostle saith, by the word and praier.
7. By the word of God then we vnderstand, consilium & institutum Dei, the counsell, will, and institution of God, Bulling. which comprehendeth these foure things: 1. knowledge, that in the beginning God created all things for mans vse, and that nothing is of it selfe vncleane. 2. faith to beleeue, that we are of the number of the faithfull, to whome the libertie of vsing the creatures of God with a good conscience is restoared in Christ once lost in Adam: Beza, annot. 1. Timoth. 4.5. 3. iudgement, that although sometime in the law there was a difference betweene cleane and vncleane meates, yet now vnderunder the Gospel it is pronounced, omnia pura puris, all things to be pure to the pure: Bulling. 4. the commandement of Christ, ex cuius mandato panem quotidianum petimus, by whose appointment we doe aske our daily bread, as we are taught in the Lords praier: and thus much by the way of this question.
28. Quest. Why ones opinion and iudgement maketh that vncleane, which is not: and whether an erroneous custome bindeth.
v. 14. To him that iudgeth any thing vncleane, to him it is vncleane. 1. The reason hereof is, because the goodnes or badnes of an action, is esteemed by the will and affection of the doer: now he which thinketh a thing to be euill, and yet doth it, it sheweth, that such an one, hath deliberatam peccandi voluntatem, a deliberate minde and purpose to sinne.
2. But here certaine considerations are to be admitted, how and in what things the iudgement of the conscience polluteth the action. 1. the minde and opinion doth not simply change and alter the nature of the thing, as though that should in deede be euill and vncleane, which one thinketh so to be: but it is onelyonly vncleane to him that so thinketh, not vntounto an other, that so thinketh not. 2. an erroneous conscience doth not binde, ad faciendum secundum eam, sed non contra eam, to doe according vntounto it, but not to doe any thing against it. 3. the will must be esteemed, non ex iudicio sequenti, sed praecedenti, not by the iudgement subsequent, but precedent: as if a man thinke it sinne to eate flesh, and yet eateth it, and afterward his iudgement is better informed, that it is not sinne so to eate; yet for all this, he sinned before in that action, because he was not then so resolued.
4. Thus the case standeth in things indifferent, that he sinneth against his conscience who vseth that as lawfull and indifferent, which he for the time taketh to be vnlawfull: but it is otherwise in things that are simply in themselues vnlawfull, as the breach of any morall law: as if a man should be so blinded, as to thinke it lawfull to steale, here his conscience is ouerruled by the word of God, vnlesse he be ignorant of the law of God, as few or none are, for the law of nature teacheth the same things: in this case, vnlesse there be palpable ignorance, a mans conscience beeing contrarie to the reuealed will and law of God bindeth not.
3. But thus it will be obiected on the contrarie: error and falsitie is not to take place and preuaile before the truth, therefore an erroneous conscience should not bind. Ans. 1. It simply bindeth not, but for a time, vntill the truth be fully knowne. 2. and error and falsitie bindeth not, sed quia creditur veritas, because it is apprehended and beleeued as a truth. Further it will be obiected; If it be sinne for a man to goe against his conscience in a thing indifferent, then he will be driuen into this perplexitie, that whether he doe against his conscience or not, he sinneth: for if one should be perswaded, that it is not lawfull to eate flesh, he sinneth because he is in error, though it be of infirmitie, and if he should eate, beeing otherwise perswaded in his minde, he should sinne likewise in going against his conscience. Ans. 1. Here is no absolute necessitie of any such perplexitie, but onelyonly an hypotheticall necessitie, this error of the conscience beeing presupposed: but it is not simply necessarie, that he should sinne the one way, or the other, because he may cast off and leaue his error. 2. and though there be an error committed both waies, yet it is lesse to sinne of infirmitie, and error of iudgement, then wittingly offend, as he doth, which violateth his conscience.
29. Quest. How our brother is said to be grieued, and to be lost, and destroied, v. 15.
v. 15. If thy brother be grieued, &c. 1. The Apostle in this verse vseth two effectuall reasons, to mooue the stronger not to offend the weake: the first is taken from the dutie of charitie, which will not hurt, or grieue an other, as one member doth foster and cherish, not hurt an other. 2. he saith grieued, which is lesse, then to be scandalized: if the lesse be against charitie, then that which is greater, much more. 3. the brother is grieued diuers waies. 1. Oecumenius thinketh he is grieued for the sharpe admonition and reprehension of the strong. 2. or because seeing others to cate, he by their example, least he should be blamed, is induced to doe the like, and afterward grieueth at it, Pareus. 3. or he is grieued, beeing by this meanes made to stagger, and to doubt of the truth of the Catholike faith. 4. or he is grieued, thinking him to be a transgressor of the law, that eateth: Lyranus.
4. And whereas he saith, he walketh not according to charitie, minus dicit, plus significat, he expresseth the lesse, but in deede meaneth more, for he walketh against charitie.
2. Why doest thou destroy him with thy meate, &c. Here is an other reason, taken from the daunger which is incurred by our weake brother, as much as in vsus lieth, we cause him to perish, for whome Christ died, that he should not perish: this reason is thus amplified by Chrysostome; Christ refused not death for him, thou, ne cibos contemnis, wilt not for thy brothers cause, neglect thy meate: Christ died for his enemie, thou wilt not doe this for thy brother: Christ died for all, non luchraturus omnes, though he should not gaine all, quod suum est adimplevit, yet he did that, which belonged vntounto him: thou maist with thy meate, winne thy brother, and yet wilt not forbeare: atque hoc cum sit ipse Dominus, and Christ did this beeing Lord of all, thou doest not this small matter beeing but his brother and fellowseruant.