Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 14 · Section 3 · Subsection 30 – Subsection 36
30. Quest. Whether any in deede can perish for whome Christ died.
This doubt ariseth by reason of the Apostles words, Destroy not him with thy meate, for whome Christ died, as though any could perish that Christ died for.
1. Some doe thinke that one may perish in deede for whome Christ died, dum fidem amittat, qua cum vulnerata conscientia stare non potest, &c. while he looseth his faith, which can not stand with a wounded conscience, and so perish: Osiander therein consenting with other of the Lutherans: Chrysostome seemeth in this place to incline to the same opinion, Christus, tamet si non esset omnes luchraturus, nihilominus pro omnibus mortuus est, quod suum erat adimplens, &c. Christ, though he was not to gaine all vntounto him, yet he died for all, fulfilling that which was his part to doe, &c.
Contra. But the contrarie is euident, that they for whome Christ died in the counsell of God, can not possibly perish. 1. For of all that is giuen to Christ, he looseth nothing, Ioh. 6.39. but they are giuen to Christ, for whome he dieth: and they are of Christs sheepe, whom none can take out of his hands, Ioh. 10.28. 2. neither can their faith, which doe truly beleeue in Christ perish, because they are sustained by Christ, as he saith of Peter, I hauehave praied for thee, that thy faith faile not: neither can the conscience of the faithfull be so wounded or wasted, totally and finally, but that faith, though during that time obscured, as in Dauid, when he sinned against Vriah, be not wholly extinguished. 3. Chrysostome may be vnderstood to speake of the sufficiencie of Christs death, that he died sufficiently for all, which we acknowledge, not of the efficacie, that he died effectually for all, for he saith, he was not to gaine all: and Augustine consenteth, Electorum si quisquam perit, fallitur Deus, &c. if any of the Elect perish, God is deceiued, but none of them doth perish, quia non fallitur Deus, because God is not deceiued: lib. de corrupt. & grat. c. 7.
2. Some by perishing, here vnderstand nothing, but to be offended, and scandalized, and take this to be an argument from a comparison, that one should not pluris facere escam, quam fratris salutem, set more by meate then his brothers saluation, which is hindred by the offence giuen vntounto him: and this argument is enforced by shewing the price and value of our brother, for whome Christ died: if Christ gaue his life to redeeme him, much more should we giuegive a piece of flesh to helpe to saue him, Beza annot. to the same purpose Ambrose, ex cuius morte, quantum valeat fratris salus, cognoscitur, by whose death it appeareth, how much the saluation of our brother is set by: So Haymo by perishing, vnderstandeth offending, and scandalizing: but to destroy is more, then to offend: and to perish or be destroied, (as the Apostle vseth this word in the passive, foreign, 1. Cor. 8.11.) is more then to be offended: the Greeke Scholiast interpreteth, ne à fide eijcias, least thou cast him out from the faith: and then he which leaueth the faith, must needes perish. And like as to offend or cause our brother to stumble, is more then to griue him; so to destroy him, is more then to offend, or cause him to stumble: for thus the Apostle proceedeth by degrees.
3. An other sense is, that he is occasio ruinae, the occasion of the ruine of his brother, Lyranus, Tolet: he doth destroy him dando occasionem, by giuing occasion that he be scandalized, Haymo: so Hugo, doe not destroy, ne sis occasio perditionis, be not an occasion of his perdition: so simply he doth not cause him to perish, but as much as in him lieth: this sense is not to be misliked.
4. But yet to make it more full, this may be added further, that the Apostle speaketh not exactly and precisely of those, whome in deede Christ died for, but of such, as in our charitable opinion, are held to be of that number: omnes fidem Christi profitentes pro redemptis habet charitas Christiana, all that professe the faith of Christ, Christian charitie holdeth to be in the number of those which are redeemed, Pareus: who ioyneth both these last solutions together; so likewise Piscator: so also is that other place of the Apostle to be vnderstood, 1. Cor. 8.11. And thorough thy knowledge, shall the weake brother perish for whome Christ died: which in the same place the Apostle calleth sinning against Christ: and they which offend their brethren doe two waies sinne against Christ; directly, in making frustrate, as much as in them lieth the death of Christ, opus, quod morte eius absolvit, destruunt, they ouerthrow the worke, which Christ finished by his death; and indirectly, quia corpus eius & membra percutiunt, they wound and smite the bodie and members of Christ, which redoundeth vntounto Christ himselfe, Chrysost.
5. Let this further be noted, that Ambrose taketh this to be spoken vntounto the weake, that he should not scrupulum inijcere, cast a scruple in the minde of him, that eateth all things, and cause him to doubt. But Chrysostome and Theodoret doe better vnderstand it as spoken to the strong, that he by his eating should not cause the weake to stumble, and so fall and perish: and this is more agreeable to the Apostles words, destroy not by thy meate: now he which eateth, destroieth with his meate, not he, which eateth not: and againe, the weake were more in daunger to be offended, and so to fall away from the faith, then the strong.
31. Quest. What is meant by the good, or commoditie, which they must not cause to be blasphemed, vers. 16.
1. Cause not your commoditie, your good, &c. This is diuersly skanned. 1. Chrysostome vnderstandeth either the Christian faith, and hope of eternall reward, or charitas bonum vestrum dilectio, &c. this good of yours is louelove, brotherly charitie, &c.
2. Origen interpreteth, bonum nomen, your good name, or fame; so also Lyranus: and Origen hath beside an other exposition, bonum est spiritualiter legem intelligere, it is a good thing to vnderstand the law spiritually: to decline the wicked opinions of heretikes, as vncleane meates.
3. Ambrose vnderstandeth opera bona, good works, quae obfuscantur, &c. which are obscured by one small slippe or error.
4. Anselme taketh this good or commoditie, to be ipsam manducationem, the eating it selfe, which is good and lawfull; so Gorrhan, Hugo.
5. Some vnderstand the doctrine of the Gospel in generall: and God himselfe, who is called the good of his people; as Hosh. 8.3. Israel hath forsaken the good, that is, God himselfe, Pare. so Osiander doth interpret this good to be the Gospel.
6. But it is better vnderstood of Christian libertie, which they hauehave receiued by Christ from the bondage and ceremonies of the law, whereby they know it to be lawfull to eate any kind of meate: thus the Greeke Scholiast, Haymo, Thomas, Martyr, Vatablus, Calvin, Tolet, Gualter, Piscator, Faius, and most of our new writers: and this is so expounded by S. Paul himselfe, 1. Cor. 10.29. Why should my libertie be condemned for an other mans conscience? and this Euangelicall libertie is called our good for these two reasons, both because it is peculiar to Christians, and thereby the dignitie and excellencie of their calling appeareth, that are freed from the ceremonies of the law.
2. To be blasphemed. 1. Chrysostome vnderstandeth this onelyonly of those, which are without: when thou contendest about meates, and makest a schisme in the Church, facis, vt qui foris sunt, blasphement, thou causest them which are without to blaspheme: P. Martyr specially vnderstandeth, maledicta infirmorum, the rayling of those which are weake: so also Beza: but it is better referred to them both, the weake are occasioned to condemne this libertie, as contumelious to God himselfe, and they which are without, speake euill of the Christian faith, as beeing the occasion of contentions. 2. Now for the manner of this blasphemie, 1. Origen vnderstandeth it of the doctrine it selfe, for they which are offended will thinke, that Christians are of this faith and beleefe, that they thinke none can be saued, nisi qui suillis vescitur carnibus, but him that eateth swines flesh. 2. the Greeke Sholiast referreth it to their persons, the weake will thinke, eos ventri inservire, that they doe eate of things to serue the bellie. 3. Haymo thinketh that the weake blaspheme, cum rogamus eos comedere, &c. when we compell them to eate that which they abhorre. 4. But this rather is the blasphemie, the weake hold such to be transgressores, transgressors of the law, Lyran. and crie out by the Gospel, rescindi voluntatem Dei, that Gods will and law is violated, Beza: augent licentiā vulgi, and they make the common sort more licentious: Melanct.
32. 32. Quest. How the kingdome of God is not said to be meate and drinke, v. 17.
1. Origen by this kingdome vnderstandeth the life to come, haec aliena sunt ab illa conversatione futura, these things, meate and drinke, shall be of no vse in our conversation in heauen: so also Anselme: so he thinketh, that the Apostle speaketh both of the kingdome of glorie to come, and of those things whereof that kingdome shall consist: righteousnes and peace, ipse erunt nobis cibus, they shall be our meate there: so also Haymo, it is a follie to contend or dispute about those things, quae in regno coelorum non erunt necessaria, which shall not be necessarie in the kingdome of heauen.
2. Chrysostome by the kingdome, vnderstandeth also regnum coelorum, the kingdome of heauen: but the other he referreth to this life, meate and drinke non sunt in regnum caelorum introducentia, are not the things, that must bring vsus to heauen: they are not causa regnandi, the cause of our raigning, Hugo, Gorrhan. But Peter Martyr saith, this is aliena interpretatio, an interpretation not agreeable to the Apostles minde: for he maketh not those things which follow, righteousnes, peace, ioy, the causes of saluation: for Christ onelyonly is the cause.
3. Some by the kingdome, vnderstand the Christians themselues, in whome the spirit of God raigneth not by the vse of meates and drinks, but in that they follow righteousnes and peace: Vatablus.
4. But here better we vnderstand, regnum gratiae, the kingdome of grace, whereby Christ ruleth in our hearts by his spirit: Par. via ad regnum, the way vntounto the kingdome, Sa: this kingdome of God, is gratia qua Deo reconciliamur, the grace whereby we are reconciled vntounto God, Tolet: the meaning then is, that this kingdome of grace consisteth not in these externall things, as in meates and drinks, God is not thereby worshipped: neither doth the observation of such things make vsus acceptable vntounto God, 1. Cor. 8.8.
5. Augustine epist. 86. maketh mention of one Vibicus, who by this text would prooue, that Christians were to fast vponupon the saturday, which was the Iewes Sabbath; because the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke: but Augustine there answeareth, then at other times, as vponupon the Lords day, and when els, we fast not, non pertineamus ad regnum Dei, belike we should not belong vntounto the kingdome of God: the Apostle then excludeth not the vse of meates and drinkes simply, but the placing of religion in them.
6. But it will be obiected; is not a man bound to eate and drinke, to sustaine nature, for otherwise, he should be guiltie of his owne death? and is it not acceptable vntounto God, to fast from meates for the subiugation of the flesh? how then doe not these things belong to the kingdome and seruice of God? Answ. Meates and drinkes of themselues belong not to the kingdome of God, which is spirituall; but as they are referred, and doe helpe toward the spirituall good: as they may be an obiect of our patience in the want of them, and of our temperance, in vsing them soberly, when they abound: but then not the vse of the things themselues, but our obedience to the ordinance of God, in vsing them for our necessitie, and refraining as occasion serueth, doth commend vsus vntounto God.
33. Quest. Of righteousnes, peace, and ioy in the holy Ghost.
1. But righteousnes: now the Apostle sheweth, wherein the kingdom of God consisteth; he reckoneth not vp all those spirituall things, wherein the kingdome of God standeth, but giueth instance in some for the rest, Hyper. Here, 1. Chrysostome by iustice, or righteousnes vnderstandeth, vita virtutis studio commendata, a life studious of vertue. 2. Haymo, the iustice of the next life, where one shall not hurt an other. 3. some that particular iustice, which is to giuegive eueryevery man his owne, Gorrh. Perer. 4. some the iustice obtained by the death of Christ, and giuen vntounto those which beleeue, Piscator. 5. but it both comprehendeth the iustice of faith, and the fruits thereof in our regeneration, Martyr, Pare. so Lyranus, iustitiam per fidem formatam, iustice formed by faith.
2. Peace. 1. Haymo vnderstandeth the perfect peace, which the Elect shall hauehave with God, and his Angels in the next world. 2. Chrysostome, pacificus convictus cum fratre, peaceable liuing with our brethren. 3. but beside the externall peace, it signifieth the inward peace of conscience betweene God and vsus, which is a speciall fruit of iustification by faith: Rom. 5.1. beeing iustified by faith, we are at peace with God.
3. And ioy. 1. Haymo expoundeth it to be ineffabile gaudium ex visione Dei, the vnspeakable ioy by the sight of God in the next life. 2. some, gaudium de fraterna pace, the ioy that springeth of brotherly peace, gloss. ordinar. 3. gaudium de bonis spiritus sancti, ioy arising of the gifts of the spirit in receiuing them thankfully, Hugo. 4. some referre it to the manner how the workes of iustice should be done, that is, prompte, chearefully, readily, Perer. numer. 17. 5. But this ioy is taken generally for the spirituall ioy, which the faithfull hauehave in God, which ariseth partly of the expectation and hope of the reward to come, and of the present feeling of Gods fauour in Christ in the remission of sinnes, Mart. and this ioy maketh the faithfull to be ioyous in tribulation; as the Apostle saith, Iam. 1. Count at exceeding ioy, when ye fall into diuers tentations: this ioy proceedeth partly ex spe futuri praemiij, out of the hope of the reward to come, partly ex dilectione Dei, out of the louelove of God: for that which one loueth, he reioyceth and delighteth in, Tolet.
4. The Apostle addeth, in the holy Ghost. 1. to shew the author and efficient cause of those graces, which is the spirit of God: as S. Paul saith, Galat. 5.22. The fruit of the spirit is louelove, ioy, peace: Pareus. 2. as also to shew a difference betweene ciuill and worldly ioy, and spirituall: for concerning worldly ioy, our blessed Sauiour faith, Woe vntounto you that now laugh, for ye shall waile and lament, Luk. 6.25. but of the other ioy he saith, Your ioy shall no man take from you. 3. he sheweth also the forme and manner of these good things, that they are spirituall, not carnall, as consisting in meate, and drinke, and such outward things.
Quest. 34. Of these words, he which in these things serueth Christ, is acceptable to God, &c. v. 18.
1. The vulgar Latine readeth, he which serueth in this, that is, in the spirit, as Origen and Ambrose interpret: but in the originall, it is foreign, in these things, and so translateth the Syrian interpreter: and so also the sense is better: to shew that the kingdome of God consisteth in righteousnesse, peace, and ioy, because they which are exercised in these things, are pleasing vntounto God, and they which please God shall enter into his kingdome: the like saying the Apostle hath, 1. Tim. 4.8. bodily exercise profiteth little, but godlines is profitable to all things, &c.
2. In these things: that is, in righteousnesse, peace, and ioy, better then by these things, as Beza, Martyr, Erasmus: for he sheweth the manner how we serue Christ, not the cause, Pareus.
3. Serveth: the word is foreign, seruing, so that we see that distinction betweene foreign, worship, and foreign, service, not to be perpetuall, the first whereof the Papists take for that adoration which is peculiar to God, the other to be that, which may be yeelded vntounto Saints.
4. Here is no place for merite, for the Apostle speaketh not here of externall workes, but of internall wrought in vsus by the spirit: and so Lyranus well interpreteth, he that serveth interius in mente, inwardly in his mind: therefore that is but a corrupt glosse of Gorrhā, he that pleaseth God, meretur regnum aeternum, meriteth eternall life: for he pleaseth God, not by his owne merite, but because he serueth Christ; as Origen well saith, qui servit Christo, in quo complacuit Deus, placet Deo, he which serueth Christ, in whom God is well pleased, pleaseth God.
5. Is accepted of men. 1. That is but a curious distinction, which the ordinarie glosse hath: he pleaseth God, secundum gaudium, in respect of his ioy, for God loueth a cherefull giuer: and is accepted of men, in respect of iustice and peace: but in all these rather he that serueth Christ, is approoued both of God and men. 2. de syncero iudicio loquitur, he speaketh of the syncere iudgement of the godly, that will approoue the faithfull seruants of Christ in these things, though the world hate them, Calvin: yea euen the wicked and profane, testimonium fecerit, shall sometime giuegive testimonie of the godly. 3. marke the order, first he pleaseth God, and then is approoued of men, for he that is approoued of men, is not alwaies pleasing vntounto God. 4. so then as the seruants of Christ are not to seeke the approbation of men, so neither must they contemne it: as the Apostle said before, Rom. 12.17. pronouncing things honest in the sight of all men.
Quest. 35. How we ought to follow peace and those things, which concerne edifying, v. 19.
1. These two, seeking of peace and edifying, ought to be the two cheefe orders of eueryevery action: charitie seeketh peace, and edifying is by faith: Gryneus.
2. As before he spake principally of the inward and spirituall peace, so now he mooueth vntounto ecclesiasticall and externall peace, which yssueth out of the other: and to vse those meanes whereby this peace may be furthered, as patience, forbearance, charitie, the contratie whereof breed dissentions and discord.
3. We must follow this peace, that is, seeke it earnestly, and with ardent desire: Origen noteth here, that where as peace by mens contentions, is chased away, fugitans consectanda est, she must be followed fleeing away, and as it were be called backe againe.
4. But it sufficeth not to followe peace, but edifying also: for there is a peace which edifieth not: as to hauehave peace with the wicked and superstitious, is not to edifie but destroy the faith: therefore truth and peace must be ioyned together, as the Prophet saith, Zachar. 8.19. LoueLove truth and peace.
5. This phrase of edifying is familiar with S. Paul: the Church of God is as a spirituall house, and the Temple of God, consisting of living stones, 1. Pet. 2.5. euerie one then must bring somewhat toward the building and repairing of this house: and though the Pastors and teachers are the principall and chiefe builders, yet euerie one must by his good example seeke to edifie an other.
6. Peace and louelove must goe before, whereby these liuely stones must be ioyned, and as it were cemented together, before they can be put to the building of this spirituall house.
36. Quest. What the Apostle meaneth, by the worke of God, v. 21.
1. Destroy not the worke of God. Chrysostome interpreteth this to be salutem fratris, the saluation of our brother: Origen, adificium charitatis, the building of charitie: Haymo, man himselfe, as he consisteth of a soule and bodie: Hugo, the grace of God: the interlin. glosse, which Gorrhan followeth, faith and other vertues: but this worke of God in our brother is faith, as our Sauiour saith, Ioh. 6.29. This is the worke of God, that ye beleeue: Par. Mart. Tolet: this faith in our weake brother, though it be imperfect, is Gods worke, which we must nourish, and not seeke to extinguish: as it is saide of our blessed Sauiour, that he should not quench the smoking flaxe.
2. But this must be vnderstood de inconsulto conatu, of their vnaduised endeauour, who as much as in them lieth seeke to destroy Gods worke, not de effectu, of the effect, for the worke of God can not be destroied, Gryn.
3. And whereas he saith, destroy not Gods worke for meates sake, it followeth not but that meate is also Gods worke and creature: but yet mans saluation is a greater worke, man was not made for meate, but meate for man, as Ambrose saith: or he opposeth Gods worke, and mans worke, which is to eate or not to eate flesh, Gorrhan: or he speaketh not of the nature of meate, sed de scandoloso vsu, but of the scandalous vse: Pareus.