Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 1 · Part 13
The Epistle
Rom. 4.8.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne, &c.
OVr Apostle yM…larct. …il man. P….… in loc.con…mes in this Chapter that do… which hee deliuered in the former, namely, … of the Law, but freely … : and this he prooues in our text by … …pecially,
1. From zPsalm. 32.1.… monie, … is the man, &c.
2. From … example, Wee say that faith was imputed vntounto Abraham for righteousnesse, &c.
Now Paul mentioneth Abraham and Dauid in this controuersie, aPartus, Pes… can, Grymus … D…ctor Wilet …n loc.because their workes were most glorious among the Iewes, in somuch as they called Abraham bIoh… 8.53.father, and Dauid is stiled a man cAct… 13.22.according to Gods owne heart. The paterne then of Abraham accounted righteous before God by faith, and the precept of Dauid, affirming that our blessednesse consists in the remission of our sinnes, and not in the perfection of our vertues; are both exceeding fit, and well accommodated vntounto the present purpose.
Blessed is the man] By blessed in the Psalme, Paul vnderstands heere iustified: dMartyr, … loc.for iustification is blessednes begun, glorification blessednesse perfited. In this life blessednesse is but begun; and therefore Dauid faith in the cited Psalme, For this shall eueryevery one that is godly make his prayer vntounto thee in a time when thou mayest bee found. And Christinioyneth vsus daily to pray, for giuegive vsus our trespasses: in the world to come blessednesse is consummated, for when we shall hauehave no more sinne, then we shall hauehave no more sorrow.
Whose vnrighteousnesse is forgiuen] Some eApud Prim as. & O…cumen is loc. id…m Hieron & Genebra…us recitant in Psal. 31.distinguish thus; iniquities are forgiuen in Baptisme, couered in repentance, not imputed in martyrdome fA…selm. in loc.Other thus, foreign, are transgressions against the word written, according to that, 1 Iohn 3.4. and so the Iewes hauing Gods Law did offend: foreign, are trespasses against the rule of nature, not ingrauen in stone, nor written with inke; but imprinted in the conscience: and so the gRom. 2.14.Gentiles hauing not the law were sinners. hG…an in loc.Other thus, originall iniquities are forgiuen in Baptisme quoad Culpam and actuall transgressions are couered in louelove, quoad p…nam: or iniquit…t…t, are faults of infidelitie, called in holy Scripture sinne Catex…chen, Iohn 16.8. He will repro…: the world of sinne, that …, as Christ expounds himselfe of vnbeliefe, peccata, are faults in manners. iCaitla….as other, our sins are forgiuen, in respect of the wrong done to God, and couered in respect of the shame due to vsus; kHieron. in Psal 31.vt sic velentur, n… in indicio reuclentur. For in sinne three things are to be considered especially:
1. An iniurie done to God,lAquin. in loc. and that is for giuen.
2. An inordinate act, the which once being done, cannot be vndone, but is a blot or staine whereby the soule is defiled, and that is laid here to be couered, and elsewhere to be m1 Iohn. 17.washed away.
3. The guilt of eternall death, and that is not imputed.
Whosoeuer then is in Christ, hath all his sinne and eueryevery thing in all his sinne for giuen. couered, not imputed: for these three signifie the nAmbro… & Lombar. in loc.same, because that which is couered, is not seene; and that which is not seene, is not imputed; and that which is not imputed, is forgiuen. All his sin is put out of Gods oIer. 31.34.remembrance, cast as it were behinde his pEsa. 38.17.backe, so couered with Christs grace, so buried in Christs graue, that not so much as the print of one little fault appeares in the words of qIn Psal. 31.Augustine; Sitexit peccat a Deus, noluit aduertire: si noluit aduertere, noluit animaduertere: sinoluit animaduertere, noluit punire, neli…t agnoscere, malutt ignoscere: so that the saying of the Prophet (Blessed is the man whose vnrighteousnesse is forgiuen, and whose sinne is couered) containeth a rM…lanct.definition of iustification It is Gods free pardon in remitting our iniquities; sMarl…rat. & Piscater. in locfor the Publican is said expresly to be instified, in that God was mercifull to him a sinner, Luke 18.13.14.
t…m…n. & M… …ct in loc.This makes against Osianders deified righteousnesse, as also the Popi…h inherent iustice; for God is our nPsal. 4.1.righteousnesse, and Christ our holinesse, 1. Cor. 1.30. Being iustified xRom. 3.24.freely by grace, through yRom. 4.5.faith in him who iustifieth the vngodly. zO… m…n. in loc.Imputat 'D…us homini iustiti…m vt compati…ns. vt dissensans, vt beneu…lens: Dimissio etenim ad compassion …, obiectio ad dispersion…m, non imputar… ad bene…lentt…m pertinet. See Epistle 25 Sund. after Trinitie.
Whereas it is obiected that the blessed man is iustised by workes in part, because in his spirit there is no guile, as the text runnes in Dauid, how soeuer omitted here by Paul; aVtis…pra. Idem Martyr. in loc.Augustine answereth aptly, that the blessed man hath in his heart no guile, for that he doth not disse…nble his sinne, but humbly confesse his faults. I said I will acknowledge my sinnes vntounto the Lord, and so thou for gauest the wickednesse of my sinnes. EueryEvery Christian may …y with our b1. Cor. 11.10.Apostle, When I am weake, then am I strong. And God also saith vntounto such as feele their infirmities, as hee did vntounto Paul, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made perfect through weaknesse, 2 Cor. 12.9. And therefore the true penitent bragges not or his vertue… as the Pharisie, but of his infirmities as Paul, acknowledging ingeniously that his happinesse consists in the remission of his sinnes. cHieron. epist. ad …res…phen.He… omnibus sol… perfectio, si se mueriur imperfectos. And whereas some further obiect how Dauid saith elsewhere, dPsal. 1.1.Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsell of the ungodly, &c. And blessed is he that ePsal. 41.1.considereth the poore, &c. And blessed are they that are fPsal. 119.1.vndefiled, &c. gMelinct. Caluin. Martyr.Our Diuines answer, that those place; and the like presuppose faith a waies, according to that Apostolicall axio…e, hRom. 14.23.Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne. Faith is the iHo…. of god workes, part. 1.ne…t of …: albeit our birds be neuer so faire, yet they will bee lost, except they bee brought forth in true b…l…efe. The sparrow hath … an house, and t…e swallow a rest where …he may lay her young, euen thine Altar, O Lord, &c. Psalm. 84.3. Such as are faithfull, hauing their … for giuen, and their sinne couered, are blessed men, and all their worker as being laid vponupon Christs Altar, are most acceptable to God. But faith kIn P…. 83 & I…mbard, …. … 41Augustine, Heretickes and …dels in doing glorious acts and honourable deeds, hauehave not where to lay their young; and therefore they must of necessitie come to nought, as the Fathers of our Common Law speake, Meritur act… cum person…, their a lions are damnable with their persons. See Gospell on all Saints day.
Came this blessednesse then vponupon the Circumcision? It is fit in vrging Abrahams example, to reconcile S. Iames, affirming in his Epistle, cap. 2. vers. 21. that Abraham was instified through workes: and S. Paul auowing heere that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousnesse. lCaluin. Beza Mar…rat in 2. Iacob.Our Diuines answer, that S. Paul speakes of the causes of his iustifying before God: but S. Iames of the signes of his iustifying before men. S. Paul of Abrahams iustification, exprior…: S. Iames of Abrahams iustification, ex mAr… in 2. l…c ….posteriori. S. Paul of the iustifying of Abrahams n… …d D. W… in loc.person: Saint Iames of the iustifying of a particular act in offering Isaac be sonne.
Now Paul proues Abraham to be iustified by faith, oM…a…ct. Martyr. Ar…t.ex ordine can…arum, in the 9.10.11.12. verses. And then ex causa promissionis, in the 13.14. The cause preceeds, or at the least is alway conioined with his effect; but Abraham was iustified when he was yet vncircumcised, Ergo, Circumcision was not the meritorious cause of his iustification. Abraham (as Melan…thon obserues out of the Scriptures euidence) was called out of Haran, and iustified when he was seuentie fiue yeeres old, Gen 12.4. But circumcised in the ninetie ninth yeere of his age, Genesis 17.24. Abraham then was iustified 24. yeere before Circumcision was instituted, and (as our Apostle pGalat. 3.17.theweth elsewhere) foure hundred and thirtie yeeres afore the Law was giuen: Ergo, father Abraham had the pardon of his sinne not by Circumcision, or any other worke of the Law; but only by faith, apprehending and applying Gods holy promise concerning the blessed seed. See Epistle 13. Sunday after Trinitie.
Wherefore then serued Circumcision? It was vntounto him a signe and a seale of the righteousnesse of faith, verse 11.
qPere…. Idem …re L…mb…rd…n I… & Hem…g …r de C…em. D. m.Signum,
Memoratiuum, a signe of commemoration of the Couenant betweene God and Abraham, and of the promise which he receiued: to wit, 1. Of the multiplying of his seed. 2. Of inheriting the land of Canaan. 3. of the Messias which should be borne of his seed. And for this cause the signe was placed in the rTh…mas par…. 3. q…est 70. art. 3.generatiue part.
Representatinum, a signe representing Abrahams excellent faith, as it is afterward called a seale of the righteousnesse of faith.
Distinctinum, a signe whereby the Iewes were distinguished from all other people.
Demonstratinum, a signe shewing the naturall disease of man, euen originall …inne, and the cure thereof by Christ.
Prafiguratinum, a signe prefiguring Baptisme, and the spirituall circumci…ion of the heart.
A Seale:
For that it is a sChry … The…hyl…ct.witnesse of faith receiued.
As being an tAq….expresse signe of the thing signified: Abraham beleeued his seed should be multiplied, & ideo congrueuter accep it signum in membro generationis.
As uGer…an, Lombard, Aquin.sealing vp secretly this mysterie, that the Sauiour of the world should be borne of the seed of Abraham.
Because it was a xCaluin, …eza, Piscat…r.confirmation of Gods promise to father Abraham, as the Letters Patent of Kings are sealed for better assurance. Vt obsignaret iustitiam fidei, to seale the righteousness of faith in his heart.
And yMelanct. in loc.here we may learne the true doctrine of the Sacraments against Anabaptists, ascribing too little to them, and Papists attributing too much. Anabaptists affirme that Sacraments are bare badges of Christianity, distinguishing a Christian from an Infidell, as a gowne did a Romane from a Grecian. But zAnglican. Co…sess. art. 25. signa n…n m…re significati…: sed exhibitius Musculus in Matth. 26.we teach out of our Apostle, that the Sacraments are not onelyonly signa, but also signacula, certaine sure witnesses and seales of grace, whereby God inuisibly worketh in vsus, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen our faith in him. And against our aduersaries of Rome wee conclude from hence, that the Sacraments iustifie not, ex opere operato; for if they bee the seales of the righteousnesse of faith, how can they saue by the bare worke done without faith? aHugo cited by Hooker, Eccles. pol. lib. 5. § 60.Ista non tribuunt quod per ista tribuitur, in the wordes of reuerend bV…i supra. § 57.Hooker, they bee not physicall instruments of our saluation as hauing in themselues any vitall efficacy: but onelyonly morall instruments of Gods grace, the vse whereof is in our hands, the effect in his; according to that of cTract. 27. in Ioan.Augustine, Multi nobiscum manducant & bibunt temporaliter sacramenta, qui bababunt in fine aeterna tormenta. Touching Circumcision see further in the Gospell ensuing, and concerning the second argument vsed here, taken from Gods promise made to father Abraham. Epistle 13. Sund. after Trinity.