Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 14 · Section 3 · Subsection 37 – Subsection 40
37. Quest. In what sense the Apostle saith, It is good neither to eate flesh, nor drinke wine, &c. v. 21.
1. It is good: he speaketh not of that kind of abstinence which is from surfeting and drunkennes, or whereby the bodie is tamed, and the minde made apter vntounto good things, for this is simply good: but this abstinence, is onelyonly from meates, to auoid offence, and so it is good onelyonly not to eate, with this condition, if thy brother be offended, Mart. and the Apostle speaketh comparatiuely, it is good, that is better, not to eate in this case, Bucer.
2. He giueth instance of meates and wine, which are not simply necessarie vntounto mans life: for it is possible to liue without them: but à necessarijs & non suspectis, from necessarie food, and not suspected, we must not abstaine, though our brother should be offended: as if one should take offence at our eating of bread; without it a man can not liue. But there are some things, though not necessarie simply to maintaine life, yet for the preseruation of health, as some must needes drinke wine, as S. Paul counselled Timothie to drinke a little wine for his healths sake: in this case a man ought to forbeare for a time, with a little detriment of his health, for our brothers saluation is to be preferred before the health of the bodie: but if he that is offended will not be perswaded, then he is no longer to be counted weake, but obstinate, and in this case we are not bound to forbeare.
3. But it will be further obiected, what if our weake brother will not be perswaded, but continueth still in the same minde, is a man bound to abstaine from those things for euer? No, he is not: for now his infirmitio is turned to obstinacie: for in this case our blessed Sauiour regarded not the scandall of the Pharisies, which were offended at him, because they were wilfully blind. And whereas S. Paul saith, he would not eate flesh as long as the world standeth, rather then he would offend his brother, 1. Cor. 8.3. he must be vnderstood to speake with a condition, si opus erat, if it were needefull for him so to doe, and if his brothers infirmitie did still occasion it: and he speaketh of the preparation of his minde, that he is readie, if there be no other let, to abstaine for euer.
4. Hierome in diuers places, epist. ad Furi. ad Salv. ad Eustach. vrgeth this place to prooue the abstinence of professed virgins, and other into Monasticall life, because the Apostle here saith, it is good, not to eate flesh, &c. as though it were euill to eate: but the Apostle simply forbiddeth not to eate flesh, or drinke wine, but with this condition, if it be done with offence. And Origens iudgement here is to be prefered, who maketh eating or not eating, to be a thing of it selfe neither good nor euill, but indifferent: and his reason is, potest non manducare carnem malus homo, an euill man may not eate flesh, nor drinke wine, which he sheweth to hauehave beene the vse of certaine heretikes. But in two cases, meates which are by nature cleane, become vncleane in vse: one is, si quis per offensionem manducat, if one eate with the offence of his brother; the other is, si quis existimat, &c. if any think the meate which he eateth to be vncleane: these two cases excepted, it is neither good nor euil to eate, but a thing indifferent: and as the Apostle saith, it is good not to eat, if the brother be offended: so also it is good to eate and drinke, si in hoc aedif…tur frater, if thy brother be edified hereby.
5. Whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or made weake, &c. 1. the Greek scholiast noteth, that the Apostle vsing this varietie of words, doth secretly taxe those that are weake: for it is incident to them that are blind to stumble, and to the careles to trippe and fall, and to the sicke to be weake.
2. Some take these three to signifie the same thing, Martyr, Pareus, and so the Syriake interpreter doth render them all by one word offenditur, is offended: others doe distinguish them thus, Lyranus, he stumbleth, which eateth against his conscience, he is offended or scandalized, that seeth an other to eate, taking him therein to be a transgressor, he is made weake, dubitando de veritate catholicae fidei, doubting of the veritie of the catholike faith: the interlinear. glosse, maketh these three to differ in degree one from an other, to stumble, is when there is cause or danger of damnation: to be scandalized, is to be grieued: to be made weake, is quando dubitet et si non offenditur, when he doubteth though he be not offended: so M. Calvin also distinguisheth them, to be weake, is, cum trepidatio aliqua conscientiae inijcitur, when some doubtfulnesse is cast into the minde: to be offended, when the conscience grauiori perturbatione concutitur, is smitten with a greater perturbation: and he is said to stumble, qui alienatur à studio religionis, who is alienated from the care of religion: to the same purpose also Gualter: But it hath beene shewed before, that to be scandalized and offended, is more then to trippe and stumble, and therefore I rather approoue this difference, which maketh the first of these the lesser, and the second the greater: as the ordinar. gloss. saith, he stumbleth, who is troubled and knoweth not what to hold: or he which falleth not away, but breaketh out into blasphemies, Tolet. he is scandalized, qui à certa side discedit, which departeth from the right faith. gloss. ordin. Tolet, so also Gorrhan, and Hugo out of Guillebertus, he stumbleth, qui tardus credit, that hereby is more slowe to beleeue, he is scandalized that perisheth: Faius likewise maketh this difference, to stumble is when some hurt followeth, to be scandalized, is when one is staied in the way tanquam remora interiecta, as if some thing were cast in the way; as when one doth not onelyonly trippe or stumble, but falleth flat downe: to be made weake, is haesitare in fide, to wauer and be doubtfull in matters of faith.
3. So the Apostle sheweth diuerse degrees of offence, the first is to be made weake, which before he called to be grieued, v. 15. then he stumbleth and is offended, which Saint Paul calleth the wounding of the weake conscience, 1. Cor. 8.9. and the third degree is to be scandalized, that is, to fall away quite, which the Apostle called before, to be destroyed, v. 15. and to perish, 1. Cor. 8.11. by these steppes and degrees men are admonished, when they see the weake brother to beginne to be grieued, to leaue off before his conscience come to be wounded, and he altogether to fall away.
Quest. 38. Whether it be sufficient for one to hauehave his faith before God, v. 22.
1. Hast thou faith? or without an interrogation, thou hast faith. 1. for the coherence, this is answear to the third obiection that might be made: the first is, v. 20. all things are pure, why then may not one eate that which is pure: the Apostle answeareth, that though in themselues all meates are pure, yet it is euill to eate with offence: the second obiection, how can it be euill to eate that which is cleane; the Apostle maketh the same answear, it is euill to eate with offence: Pareus maketh these two obiections the same, but Tolet doth make them two, the one arising out of the answear to the former: and now the third obiection might be thus framed by the stronger, I hauehave faith and knowledge, that it is lawfull to vse any meates, why then should I not exercise and make knowne my faith by my practise; the Apostle answeareth, that in this case it shall suffice to approoue his faith vntounto God, and not to make open ostentation thereof.
2. HaueHave it with thy selfe before God. 1. iactantiam resecat, ne magis in ostentatione sit quod credimus, quam in virtute, he cutteth off boasting, least that which we beleeue, should seeme more to consist in ostentation, then in power: Origen to the same purpose: Chysost. he seemeth vanae gloria arguere, &c. to accuse the more perfect of vaine glorie. 2. and here an other secret obiection is met withall, shall my faith then lie hid? no, it is knowne vntounto God, Par. 3. or thus it might be obiected, shall I then change or leaue my faith and conscience in this thing? no, I wish thee not so to do, but comfort thy selfe therein before God, Tolet. 4. or thus, what doe I gaine then by my faith, if I may not shewe it? yes, nihil deerit fidei tuae, thou loosest by this meanes nothing of thy faith, for God seeth thy heart, and knoweth thy faith, Gorrh. 5. and thus againe, I hauehave faith, why then may I not vse it? yes, vse it, but according to his will that gaue it, vse it as before God without offence vntounto thy brother, so will God hauehave it vsed, gloss. ordin.
3. But will some say, then by this rule of the Apostle, a man may conceale his faith in time of persecution, and it may be lawfull to be present at Masse, and other idolatrous service, so that a man hauehave faith in his heart toward God. Answ. 1. No, this followeth not, for this were contrarie to the saying of the Apostle, Rom. 10.10. with the heart man beleeveth vntounto righteousnesse, &c. and with the mouth he confesseth vntounto salvation. 2. Chrysostome saith, that the Apostle speaketh not of that faith, quae ad dogmata pertinet, which belongeth vntounto doctrine: that is as Haymo explaineth, not of the faith of the Trinitie, and other things necessarie to saluation, but de rebus medijs, of things indifferent: and this faith that is, knowledge and perswasion of vsing indifferent things, is not alwayes, and in vnseasonable time to be vttered, but to be shewed, as it may tend to the edifying, not the offending of our brother, Martyr.
Quest. 39. How many things are to be avoided in the vse and eating of meats.
Because the Apostle in one case, namely of offence, sheweth how it is euill to eate meats, it shall not be amisse to shewe in other cases what is to be obserued, and how diuersly men may offend in the eating of meates: and this is done three wayes in generall. 1. in respect of the persons that eate. 2. of the meates themselues. 3. in regard of others.
1. The persons that eate may thus offend. 1. if they be too curious in preparing meats to please the tast; and therefore our Sauiour saith, Matth. 6. be not carefull what you should eate. 2. if they eate not the labours of their owne hands, but that which is gotten by oppression and other euill meanes: therefore it is said, Psal. 128. 2. When thou eatest the labour of thine hands, thou shalt be blessed. 3. in feeding vnsatiably and greedily, Iud. 12. without all feare feeding themselues. 4. in distempering themselues with meates and drinks, Isay 5.11. woe vntounto them, that continue vntill night, till the wine enflame them. 5. in the vnthankefull receiuing, giuing themselues to carnall ioy and pleasure, 1. Cor. 10. they eate and dranke and rose vp to play, &c. 6. in vntimely eating and drinking, Isay, 5.11. they rise vp early to followe drunkennes.
2. About the meates these faults may be committed. 1. concerning the qualitie, if they couet such meates, which may prouoke and stirre them vp to lust: therefore the three wise children are commended that did feede of pulse, Dan. 1. 2. in the quantitie and superfluitie of meates and drinkes, Ephes. 5.18. be not drunke with wine, wherein is excesse.
3. In respect of others there may be error. 1. either in keeping companie with the riotous, whereby one may be enticed: Prou. 1.15. my Sonne walke not thou in the way with them. 2. and in giuing offence vntounto others by our eating, which thing the Apostle toucheth here.
Quest. 40. What it is for one not to condemne himselfe in that which he alloweth.
The Apostle setteth downe three aphorismes and rules concerning the vse of things indifferent, the first is set downe, v. 22. Blessed is he, that condemneth not himselfe in that which he alloweth, which is diuersly interpreted.
1. Origen expoundeth it of those, which do purpose with themselues to doe some good thing, as to liue chastly, yet processu temporis, in processe of time, they are ouercome, and doe otherwise: but the Apostle speaketh of one and the same instant, wherein one in his iudgement condemneth, and in his practise alloweth the same thing.
2. Cyprian lib. de singular. Clemen. vnderstandeth the Apostle to speake of diuerse, he which alloweth and prayseth in an other, that which he reprooueth in himselfe: but it is euident, that the Apostle speaketh of condemning and allowing in the same person.
3. Theodoret expoundeth it by the verse following, he that doubteth is condemned, he that discerneth not or iudgeth the meat, which he alloweth in eating: But the Apostle speaketh of iudging or condemning himselfe, not the meate, and this is a diuerse aphorisme from that which followeth, as shall appeare.
4. Augustine giueth this sense, qui non facit se damnabilem, &c. which maketh not himselfe to be condemned of others, or of God, for eating with offence: so also Gorrhan: qui condemnabilem se non reddit nocendo alijs, which condemneth not himselfe in hurting others, this sense also followeth Pareus, but the Apostle speaketh of ones condemning himselfe, not of beeing condemned by others.
5. Some take this word to iudge, in a contrarie sense, qui non iudicat se recto facere, which iudgeth not himselfe to doe well in eating with offence, Tolet. but this word, foreign, to iudge, is taken to condemne thoroughout this chapter, as verse 3.4.10.
6. Wherefore Ambrose exposition is best, qui quod facit, non iudicat apud se non esse faciendum, who iudgeth not in himselfe that not to be done which he doth: so Chrysostome; si conscientia te non reprehenderet, if thy conscience reprehend thee not… so Pet. Martyr, when any, dum examinat non condemnat, when he examineth that, which he alloweth in doing, doth not in iudgement condemne it, as when one eating with offence of his brother, should therein iudge himselfe that he doth not well: And here it must be obserued, that S. Paul speaketh not of all: for as Chrysostome saith, there are many that doe not iudge themselues, tamet si vehementer dilinquant, although they doe much offend: it must then be vnderstood of the faithfull and beleeuers, and such as examine their conscience.
7. And further, this should seeme strange, that a man should in one and the same act, both iudge himselfe and allowe also the thing he doth: how can a contrarie disposition be at the same time in a man? yes, in respect of diuerse places: the approbation is not in the iudgement, but in respect of the externall act, and the inward iudgement of the conscience, is against it.