Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 15 · Section 3 · Subsection 11 – Subsection 13
11. Quest. Of the Apostles praier, v. 5. The God of patience and consolation, &c.
1. Origen thinketh, that he calleth the Lord the God of patience, &c. quia Deus cum his est, &c. because God is with them, that hauehave the vertue of patience, as he is called the God of iustice, because he is with them, that keepe iustice: but Haymo better, he is so called, quia ipse tribuit patientiam, & in illorum cordibus habitat, because he both giueth patience, and dwelleth also in their hearts, &c. for if Origens sense onelyonly should be receiued, it would be presupposed, that first there must be patience, and then God is induced by their patience to dwell with them.
2. Here the Apostle doth attribute the same effects vntounto God, patience and consolation, which before he gaue vntounto the Scriptures, but in a diuers manner: for God is in deede the author of them, sed verbo, vt instrumento vtitur, but he vseth the word, as his instrument to worke them: as Theophylact saith, Deum cum sacris Scripturis vna largiri, &c. that God together with, and by the Scriptures doth giuegive patience and consolation, &c. But God is the author and giuer of patience: Philip. 1.29. To you it is giuen, for Christ, not onelyonly to beleeue, &c. but also to suffer: and of consolation, 2. Cor. 4. which comforteth vsus in all our tribulations.
3. And S. Paul hauing shewed before the vse of the Scripture, now thereunto ioyneth praier, thereby signifying, cum Scripturis, nobis opus esse precibus, that together with the Scriptures, we had neede of praier, that God would assist vsus, Oecumen. for if in other things a man can doe nothing without Gods assistante, much lesse can he profit by the reading of Scripture without Gods direction: Origen, whom Haymo followeth, observeth, that this was more then ordinarie prayer: Paul after the maner of the Prophets and Patriarks, whose blessings vponupon their children are repeated in the Scripture, benedictiones tribuit Romanis, doth giuegive this benediction to the Romanes.
4. S. Paul wisheth that they be of one minde among themselues: where he toucheth all the causes of this concord: the author and efficient cause, God, the materiall, to be like minded, the formall, according to Christ, the finall cause, in the next verse, that they may withone voice praise God.
foreign, idem sapere, to thinke the same thing. 1. which some referre onelyonly to the affection, that euerie one idipsum de altero sentiat, doe thinke the same thing of an other, Theoph. vt sit idem sensus, quod est charitatis, that there be the same sense and opinion, which is the part of charitie, Pellican: so also Beza, that ye be mutually affected with one minde: and Tolet giueth this reason, because it is added, one toward an other, which sheweth it must be referred rather to the affection then vnderstanding. 2. Chrysostome applyeth it to the care, which one should hauehave of an others good, vt quod pro se quis que curat, &c. that what euerie one is carefull of for himselfe, he should therein take care for an other. 3. Lyranus giueth this sense, mecum desiderantes, &c. that yee should be like minded vntounto me in wishing one an others profit. 4. Pareus vnderstandeth, consensum in fide, a mutuall consent in faith, that they be of one iudgement and opinion concerning the vse of indifferent things, and other matters in question. 5. But I rather with Haymo referre it both to the consenting in iudgement, and concord in affection, vt vnum sentiatis de fide, spe, & charitate, that they be of one sense and iudgement concerning faith, hope, and charitie.
5. But the Apostle seemeth to wish a thing impossible, that there should be such a generall consent in iudgement, seeing that all men hauehave not the same gifts, and S. Paul saith, there must be heresies, 1. Cor. 11.19. Ans. 1. Though God suffer heresies to be, which are raised by Satans malice against the truth; yet among the true members of the Church, there may and ought to be, one iudgement in the truth. 2. and though some difference in matters indifferent may be found in the true Church of Christ; yet this letteth not, but that in the chiefe articles of faith, and in fundamentall points, there should be an agreement, and consent.
6. The Apostle adding, according to Iesus Christ, sheweth a difference of concord: alia quaedam dilectio est, there is an other kind of louelove, then in Christ: and Origen well saith, posset fieri, vt in malitia aliqui vnanimiter consentirent, & vnum saperent in peius: it may be, that some in malice may consent with one mind, and be of one iudgement to the worse, &c.
12. Quest. Of the end of concord, which is to glorifie God the father of our Lord Iesus.
1. The ende of our concord is to glorifie God: and this concord consisteth both of the consent in heart and minde, and in the agreement in outward profession, which the Apostle here ioyneth together; that with one minde, and one mouth ye may glorifie God: as S. Paul putteth them together, Rom. 10.10. with the heart man beleeueth vntounto righteousnes, and with the mouth he confesseth to saluation.
2. He saith not, vt cantu & boatu in templis glorificetis Deum, that you glorifie God with roaring and singing in Churches, as they doe in Poperie, for there is a consent onelyonly of voice without any agreement in heart: Pellican.
3. And seeing God is onelyonly glorified, where there is concord; it sheweth that by discord Gods glorie is hindred, both in themselues, because their praiers vntounto God want their due effect, and in others, which by their dissentions take occasion to blaspheme, and speake euill of God.
4. The Apostle addeth, God, and the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, &c. 1. He is the father of Christ both as he is God, in his eternall generation, and as man in his generation in time, as he was borne of the virgin Marie, but he is Christs God, onelyonly as he is man: Haymo. 2. this clause is added by way of limitation, to distinguish the true God from the false gods of the heathen, and by way of explanation, that they must worship one God, not as in the old Testament, when as the doctrine of the Trinitie was not yet manifested, but now as the father of Christ: so they must glorifie one God, not according to the prescript rule of the law, but after the rule of the Gospel: Tolet. 3. and hereby we are giuen to vnderstand, that God can not otherwise be glorified, then as the father of Iesus Christ, for without him nothing is acceptable vntounto God.
13. Quest. Of the meaning of the 7. v. Receiue ye one an other, as Christ receiued vsus, &c.
1. By receiuing, the Apostle vnderstandeth bearing, helping one an other, iudging charitably one of an other, both the strong not to despise the weake, nor the weake to iudge or thinke hardly of the strong.
2. As Christ, &c. This note of similitude as, sheweth not an equalitie in like degree, but the qualitie of the thing, that it be done in truth and sinceritie: as Ioh. 17. Christ saith, that they may be one, as we are one, &c. there may be a likenes in the qualitie and manner, though a difference remaine in the proportion and degree: and therefore Socinus cavill is soone answered, that Christ did not satisfie for vsus by his death, because we are here willed to receiue one an other, as he receiued vsus: but we in receiuing one an other doe not satisfie one for an other: for Christ hath receiued vsus, in a farre more excellent manner, then we can one receiue an other.
3. As Christ receiued vsus: not onelyonly in taking our nature vponupon him, Lyran. but in bearing our sinnes, and in offering himselfe vntounto death for vsus: Origen restraineth it to this particular point in question, concerning meates, that we should iudge none to be vncleane, and therefore to be refused; as Christ refused not vsus for the vncleannes of sinne: but the sense is more generall: and the Apostle hath speciall reference to the vnitie betweene Gentiles and Iewes, that one should receiue an other, seeing Christ made no difference betweene them, but died for both.
4. To the glorie of God. 1. Chrysostome and Theophylact doe ioyne this with the former clause, that we should one receiue an other to the glorie of God: but Origen better coupleth it with the latter part, as Christ receiued vsus, &c. Calvin, Tolet, ioyne it vntounto both clauses, but it agreeth better with the latter, Beza. 2. Martyr vnderstandeth it of the glorie of God, which Christ propounded to himselfe in receiuing vsus: Origen of the effect which followeth, that we beeing receiued by Christ, should by our life glorifie God: but it is better, vnderstood of the glorie of God, cuius nos facit participes, whereof he maketh vsus partakers, Pareus: he hath receiued vsus, vt nos faceret immortales, to make vsus likewise immortall: gloss. interlin. 3. and herein the Apostle sheweth the excellencie of that benefit, which we receiue by Christ: he receiued vsus beeing enemies, much more should we receiue our brethren: he receiued vsus to euerlasting glorie, much more should we receiue our brethren vntounto concord and peace: so this our receiuing one of an other, is nothing to the greatnes of this benefit in Christ, who hath receiued vsus to a farre more excellent state, then we can one receiue an other.