Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 1 · Verse 12
VERSE 12. The night is farre ſpent, the day is at hand: Let vsus therefore caſt off the workes of darkeneſſe, and let vsus put on the armour of light.
IN the eleuenth verſe was the Preface, containing an Exhortation, to the diligent and ſtudious performing our dutie, (as in things going before, ſo) in things following.
The thing it ſelfe Paul exhorts vntounto, is a temperate and ſober walking; and this, in this verſe generally, with a Reaſon: and in the two next verſes repeated, with a ſpeciall and particular Expoſition.
In this verſe, are an Exhortation, and a Reaſon.
The Reaſon ſet before the Exhortation, and is laid downe as a foundation; and the Exhortation raiſed out of it, and built vponupon the ſame.
The Night is farre ſpent, the Day is at hand: In theſe words is the Reaſon, which is taken from a compariſon of diuers eſtates, to a diuers kind of life: The ſame things doe not alwayes become Old and Yong, Noble and Ignoble perſons: Otherwiſe is the behauiour of them which liue in darkeneſſe, then is theirs who dwell in the light.
In the day ought to be done the workes of light:
But the night is farre ſpeat, and the day at hand: Therefore, caſt off the workes of darkneſſe, and put on the Armour of light.
The Maior is grounded vponupon a Rule, which is, that our life muſt bee anſwerable to our condition and ſtate; our workes to the time.
The Minor is in the words of Paul.
The Night, the Day: Theſe are taken either properly, or figuratiuely. Properly, the Day, is either Naturall or Artificiall: Here ſuch a day is conſidered, which hath a Night oppoſed to it; which the Artificiall hath; not the Naturall, being the ſpace of foure and twentie houres, comprehending in it Night and Day.
The Hebrewes began the Naturall day at Euen; the Grecians at Sun-riſe; the Romans as we, at Midnight; the Arabians at Noone: All begin the Artificiall day at the Riſing, and end it at the Setting of the Sunne.
The Day is in Greeke foreign of foreign, gentle or came, becauſe it is appointed for tame creatures: or of foreign, I deſire, becauſe it is to be deſired; or as foreign, the daughter of the Sunne.
In Latine, it is Dies, à Deo, of God, as a diuine thing, as ſome alſo hauehave deriued the Hebrew word, it being the meaſure which God hath giuen for the world.
Night, is the abſence of the Sunne, when there is nothing but darkneſſe, which is the priuation of light.
It is called foreign of foreign, to ſtrike, as in Latine, Nox, à nocendo, of Hurting, becauſe, though there bee ſingular vſe of it, yet in compariſon of the day, it is not ſo comfortable.
Day and Night are not here taken properly, but Metaphorically: and ſo 1. Day is taken for Prosperitie, Night for Aduerſitie, Eſay 9.1.and not vnfitly; for as in the Night, a man meeting with his friend, Coloſ. 1.12.neither knowes nor ſalutes him; ſo is it in Aduerſitie. Thus Heauens bliſſe is called Light; and the Paines of Hell Darkeneſſe.Matth. 25.30.
2 Day alſo is taken for Life, Iohn 9.4.and Night for Death, as the Poet:
Soles occidere & redire poſſunt,
Nobis cum ſemel occidat lux breuis,
Nox eſt perpetua vna dormienda.
3 Night, is taken ſometimes for this life, and Day for the life to come, as Pſal. 49.14. though wicked men proſper here, yet, illo manè, in that morning, the vpright ſhall hauehave the vpper hand of them: In that morning, that is, in the day of the Reſurrection, which ſhall neuer hauehave a Night.
4 Sometimes alſo Night is taken for the time of the law, Malachy. 4.2.and Day for the time of the Goſpell; ſo is the law called the time of ſhadowes, Heb. 10.1. Ambr. tom. 1. l. exhor. ad virg. non procul ab initio.and the time of the Goſpell the day of ſaluation, 2 Cor. 6.2. as Chriſt is ſome where called the Sunne of righteouſneſſe: and Saint Ambroſe expounds that of the Pſalme, Day vntounto day vttereth ſpeech, and night vntounto night ſheweth knowledge, thus; Day, that is, one Chriſtian teacheth another Chriſtian: and night, that is, one Iew teacheth another Iew.
5 And ſometimes theſe termes, are thus taken, namely, the night for the time of our vnregenerate eſtate, when wee were without faith, repentance, &c. and Day for the time of our regeneration, and conuerſion to God: as is manifeſt in theſe places: 2 Cor. 4.6. 1 Theſſ. 5.5. 2 Pet. 1.19. Ouid. 6. Metam.Ignorance and rebellion are called night by the Poet.
Proh ſuperi, quantum mortalia pectora caecae
Noctis habent! —
The queſtion is, how Day and Night are taken here by our Apoſtles, for interpreters iudge diuerſly:
But not the firſt way, though to be without grace, be the greateſt aduerſity can be fall vsus: and on the contrary.
Nor the ſecond, though indeed onelyonly beleeuers liue, and vnbeleeuers are dead in ſinne.
Nor the third, becauſe the Reſurrection is not our morning, our morning is in this life: for here we hauehave ſome light of Grace.
Nor the fourth, which interpreters ancient and later hauehave much ſtood vponupon; For firſt, the night of Iewiſh ceremonies, is not onelyonly farre paſſed, but cleane gone and ended. Secondly, Paul wrote principally to the Gentiles, who had no night of ceremonies: Thirdly, Paul ſets downe, verſe 13. what be the works of the night hee meanes, viz. Chambering and wontonneſſe, gluttony and drunkenneſſe, &c.
We therfore take the fifth and laſt to be the true meaning of this place.
The Night is farre ſpent, the Day is at hand: The Apoſtles ſo ſpeakes to note the goodneſſe, and yet the imperfection of our eſtate.
It is not ſo Day with vsus, but that we hauehave much darkneſſe, nor ſo Night but that, bleſſed be God, wee hauehave ſome light, ſome knowledge, ſome Faith, ſome power againſt ſinne, &c.
Our eſtate is excellently called by the Fathers, Crepuſculum, which is a middle time betweene darkneſſe and light: it is as the grey morning with vsus, betweene the darknes of ſin and the light of the viſion and glory of God.
Infidelity is midnight. Faith is the morning. The viſion of God is as High noone. If we looke vponupon Infidelity, it is day with vsus: If to the bleſſed viſion of God, it is as night. The Angels hauehave a day, which we hauehave not yet; and we hauehave a day, which Turkes and Infidels hauehave not yet. Infidels ſee nothing: We ſee in part: The bleſſed in heauen, ſee all things.
The time of Infidelity, Doctr. is darke night: and the time of grace, as the comfortable day. Act. 26.18. Paul is ſent to the Gentiles, that they may turne from darkneſſe to light. Eph. 5 8. Yet were ſometime darkneſſe, but now are yee light in the Lord.
As the euening was before the morning; Ʋſe 1 ſo firſt it is night with vsus through our corruption, before it be day with vsus by grace. No man is borne in this day: but as, when darkneſſe was vponupon the face of the deepe, God made the light by his word: ſo by the preaching of his Word, hath he turned our ſpirituall darkneſſe into light, according to that comfortable ſaying: God, 2 Cor. 4.6.who commanded the light to ſhine out of darkneſſe, hath ſhined in our hearts, to giuegive the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Ieſus Chriſt.
The Creation of light, no greater worke then thy conuerſion; Be thankfull to him who by his word, hath brought thee which ſateſt in darkneſſe and in the ſhadow of death, into the comfortable light of ſauing grace.
Happy are beleeuers, Vſe 2 vnbeleeuers and wicked men are moſt miſerable: when theſe with the Aegyptians are vnderunder darkneſſe which may be felt; then are the children of God with the Iſraelites, in the bleſſed light of Goſhen.
Truely the light is ſweet, Eccle. 11.7.and a pleaſant thing is it for the eyes to behold the Sunne: but darkneſſe is hideous.
How tedious to a ſick man is the night! how deſires hee and longs for the Day; for light of it ſelfe cheareth, and mitigates griefe; ſo is the time of grace moſt comfortable.
As is he who lyeth in the bottome of a dark ſtinking dungeon; ſo is the man who hath a conſcience without the light of grace.
There is nothing more pure, more pretious, more delightfull, more powerfull then the light: Damaſc. Ort. fid. l. 2. c. 7.it is pulchritudo et ornamentum omnis viſibilis creaturae, the beauty and ornament of eueryevery viſible creature, ſaid Damaſcene.
The beſt things are called light: God dwells in the light; Chriſt is the light of the world: The good Angels are Angels of light, the Word is light, Saints are light, Baptiſme is light, &c. and the night or darkneſſe is contrary.
To bee bodily blind, is a great miſery, but to bee ſpirituall blind, is an exceſſe of miſery. As it is eaſie to make the blind fall into the ditch, ſo, if our eyes ſpirituall be darkned, how great is the darkneſſe, how eaſily can Satan lead ſuch men into the very pit of hell!
If thou haſt receiued grace, ſhew forth his prayſes who hath called thee out of darkneſſe in to his maruellous light.1 Pet. 2.9.
Night and Day are two contrary ſtates: Ʋſe 3 It is not poſſible to bring mid-night and mid-day together: ſo impoſſible, that a man being in the ſtate of ſinne and infidelity, ſhould bee a good Chriſtian.
Examine thy eſtate, whether it be night with thee or day, thou ſhalt know this, by thy inward affections, and by thy outward actions.
1 Thou readeſt in the Pſalmes; that God makes darkneſſe, and it is night, and then all the beaſts of the foreſt creepe forth; the Lyons ſeeke after their prey, &c. But when the Sunne ariſeth, they lay them downe in their dennes, and then man goeth forth to his worke, and to his labour till the euening.
Looke now to thy heart; is pride there, malice, couetouſneſſe, &c. Surely if theſe beaſts be abroad, it is night with thee; theſe are not to be ſeene in the light of grace, but are hunted out, to Hell (the Diuels den) from whence they came.
2 Thou readeſt in S. 1 Theſſ. 5.6, 7.Paul, Let vsus watch and be ſober, for they that ſleepe ſleepe in the night, they that are drunken, are drunken in the night.
Looke now to thy life; Ioh. 3.20.EueryEvery one that doth euill hateth the light, Iob. 24.14, 15.16.17.ſaith our Sauiour, and the theefe, the murderer, the Adulterer wait for the twilight, ſaith Iob, and the morning is to them as the ſhadow of death: If therefore, whoredome, drunkenneſſe, theft, &c. be thy practices, then certainly it it midnight with thee: ſtand vp from theſe dead workes, that Chriſt may giuegive thee light.
The Night is farre ſpent, Ʋſe 4 the Day is at hand. Though wee hauehave ſome light, yet wee hauehave ſome darkeneſſe, which the Regenerate ſee and bitterly complaine of. O the dulneſſe, ignorance, rebellious corruptions that yet remaine, wee are not perfectly renewed in eueryevery degree: let it admoniſh vsus to proceed in faith, and the daily practice of repentance, that the Day-Starre, may more and more dawne in our hearts. Heare the Word, and pray that thy light may increaſe.
Democritus the Philoſopher, put out the eyes of his body, A. Gellius Noct. Attic. l. 10.17.perſwading himſelfe, that the cogitations, and commentations of his minde, in the contemplation of nature, would bee the more liuely, and exact thereby: ſo, one way doubtleſſe to further the light of the ſoule, is to pluck off the ſcales of worldlineſſe, and voluptuouſneſſe, and to put out the carnall eye, wherewith with ſo much doting we behold the things of this world.
EueryEvery day dreſſe thine eyes, that thou maiſt ſee more and more. Pre. 4.18.He that is righteous let him be more righteous, that he may be like the morning light which ſhineth more and more, vntounto perfect day.