Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 2 · Verse 10
VERSE 10. But why doeſt thou iudge thy brother? or why doeſt thou ſet at nought thy brother? we ſhall all ſtand before the iudgement ſeat of Chriſt.
HEre is a new Argument from the laſt Iudgement. In which we hauehave the Admonition repeated, which we had in the third verſe, and the Reaſon it ſelfe.
The Repetition is with aduantage, hauing two things which we had not in the third verſe. The firſt a Reproofe: The ſecond a Reaſon.
The Reproofe is in the manner of deliuering it, by a chiding Apoſtrophe in an Interrogation: But why doeſt thou iudge thy brother? or why, &c. which is a ſharpe manner of reproouing, pointing out particulars, and ſpeaking as it were face to face. Why doeſt thou?
The Reaſon is from the condition of both, they are brethren: not by blood, nor by nation, but by faith and profeſſion; not by naturall generation, but by ſupernaturall regeneration: for, for the moſt part, they were Iewes and Gentiles that ſo diſſented.
From the Repetition we may obſerue, Obſ. 1 that it is a generall corruption of our natures, and hardly to be remoued, to cenſure and to contemne one another. If wee hauehave a little more knowledge then other men, wee are ready to deſpiſe them; and if we hauehave a conceit of our owne hatching, wee cenſure eueryevery man, that doth not approoue it and daunce in our ring.
From the Obiurgation, Obſer. 2 note that it is no ſmall fault to cenſure our brethren, becauſe Paul chides ſo angerly them which are faulty.
From the Reaſon obſerue, that we are to be charitable, Obſer. 3 and ſtudious of vnity, becauſe we are brethren.
It is of very ill report for brethren to quarrell about trifles: it was Abrahams reaſon to Lot for peace.Gen. 13.8.
Art thou ſtrong, deſpiſe not him that is weake; for though he be weake, yet he is thy brother.
Art thou weake? iudge not him that is ſtrong: for hee is ſtrong, and alſo thy brother.
We would be loath that other men ſhould iudge or deſpiſe vsus, let not vsus doe ſo to others.
The new Argument to enforce this Admonition, is taken, as I ſaid, from the conſideration of the iudgement day: thus,
They which ſhal ſtand before the iudgement ſeat of Chriſt to be iudged themſelues, ought not to iudge others.
But all, both ſtrong and weake, muſt ſtand before Chriſt to be iudged themſelues.
Therefore, &c.
Some apply this Argument onelyonly againſt the weake; Chryſoſt. Muſculas.but in as much as S. Paul ſpake to both in the admonition, therefore I think it concernes both; but principally the weake.
In this Reaſon are two things: The thing it ſelfe ſpoken of, ſtanding before the iudgement ſeat; and the Amplification.
Standing before the iudgement ſeat; put, for being iudged; by a figure, the ſigne put for the thing ſignified: a tribunall or iudgement ſeat being attributed to Chriſt, by a ſimilitude, of the ſitting of earthly Iudges: The throne is for the King; the chaire for the Doctor; the tribunall foreign, for the Iudge, which vſually is a ſeat erected on high, whither the Iudge aſcendeth, both for the more reuerence of his perſon, and alſo that hee may the better beholde the malefactours, the witneſſes, &c.
The Amplification is from the perſons, iudging, to bee iudged.
The perſon iudging, is Chriſt; which is the name of our Mediator, God and man: Chriſt is our iudge, and hee ſhall execute this iudgement in his humane nature, He hath appointed a day in which he will iudge the world by that Man, whom he hath ordained, Acts 17.31.
The authority to iudge, which is in Chriſt as hee is God, by nature; is in Chriſt as he is man, by grace, But yet he ſhal not iudge as a Delegate, but as the Principall, from whom there is no appeale. And though the pronouncing of ſentence ſhall be by his humane nature, yet the validity and force of it is from the Diuine.
The perſons to be iudged, are ſet downe two waies; by their generality, all: and by their manner of appearing, ſhall ſtand before. All, Angels and men, good and bad, ſtrong and weake, great and ſmall. Shall ſtand: The Iudge ſitteth, the malefactors to be arraigned muſt ſtand. The word is, foreign, and might bee rendered, ſhall be preſented; though we be vnwilling and hang backe, or would hide our ſelues, yet ſiſtemur, we ſhall be ſet or preſented before the Iudge.
The conſideration of the laſt iudgement, Doctr. ſhould perſwade vsus to our duties, and to refraine from that which is euill, Act. 17.30.31. God commandeth all men eueryevery where to repent, becauſe hee hath appointed a day, wherein he will iudge the world, &c. 2 Cor. 5.10.11. We muſt all appear before the iudgement ſeat of Chriſt, that eueryevery one may receiue, &c. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we perſwade men.
Iudge not thy brother, Vſe 1 for thou thy ſelfe ſhalt bee iudged. Shall the priſoner that ſtands at the barre for his life, leap vp into the ſeate of the Iudge? Anſelmus.Qui iudicat fratrem, tantum crimen elationis in currit, vt Chriſti tribunal fibi videatur aſſumere, & eius iudicium praeuenire. Hee which iudgeth his brother, ſhewes ſo great pride, as if hee ſhould aduance into Chriſts tribunall, and preuent his iudgement.
Iudge nothing before the time, vntill the Lord come, ſaith Paul elſewhere: 1 Cor. 4.5.Let vsus not meddle with iudging, wee ſhall hauehave iudging enough at that day; let vsus rather be carefull, that wee may ſtand with boldneſſe and confidence before the Iudge.
Saint Paul giueth vsus here to vnderſtand, that one of the bils of enditement that ſhall be put in againſt vsus, and to bee enquired of, is for Iudging our Brethren, for which he cueth the Romanes, to anſwer it before the great Iudge at that day.
There ſhall be a day of generall Iudgement, Ʋſe 2 though many ſcoffers beleeue it not, of whom Saint Peter ſpeaketh: 2. Pet. 3.3, 4.and though thouſands wiſh it might neuer be: Oh how much would the Drunkard and other abominable ſinners giuegive, to buy off that day! But we muſt all ſtand before the Iudgement ſeate of Chriſt.
It is moſt true, that eueryevery particular mans ſoule in death vndergoeth a particular iudgement, and in the ſame moment is eleuated intellectually to heare the Sentence of the Iudge, by an illumination or locution intellectuall, and ſo knoweth it ſelfe to be ſaued or damned by the authority of Chriſt, by the law appointed by God, and accordingly at that inſtant goeth vntounto, or is in ioy or torment. But this is but Particular, and there muſt bee a Generall Iudgement, as the Scripture ſignifieth, which may alſo appeare by reaſon.
1 Many iuſt perſons are here afflicted, and wicked proſpered; there ſhall be therefore a time wherein exact Iuſtice ſhall be manifeſted.
2 Many wicked men are puniſhed here, and many are not: there muſt be therefore a time of generall iudgement, or elſe there may ſeeme to be ſome inequalitie.
3 Many iuſt perſons are condemned here to death, as if they were wicked, and many wicked dye with an opinion left of their ſanctine.
4 Alſo in the particular iudgement onelyonly the ſoule is iudged, but the body muſt alſo: therefore there muſt in iuſtice be a generall Iudgement.
5 Some affirme, Bellarm. in Explicatione, Symb-Apoſtol. art. 7.that our good and ill deeds are not finiſhed in death; but our ſinne, or worthineſſe encreaſeth to the day of Iudgement, as any are bettered or corrupted by our example, ſpeeches, writings, &c. and therefore becauſe eueryevery one ſhall receiue according to his workes, that there muſt be a generall Iudgement, euen for this.
It is a great conſolation to true Beleeuers, Vſe 3 that there ſhall be a day of Iudgement, and that Chriſt ſhall be their Iudge, who dyed for them, who yet maketh interceſſion for them, who is their Aduocate, their Friend, their Brother, whoſe members they are.
Surely this day will be the happieſt day that euer dawned vponupon vsus: It ſhall neuer repent vsus, that we hauehave ſerued God, mortified our corruptions, denyed our ſelues, refuſed the pleaſures of ſinne, which are but for a ſeaſon, that we hauehave faſted, prayed, wept for our ſinnes, endured the Croſſe, &c. for we ſhall then receiue a thouſand fold by the ſentence of the Iudge.
This day is not ſo comfortable to the good, as it will bee terrible, euen a day of blackneſſe and confuſion to the wicked, when their greateſt Enemy ſhall ſit vponupon his greateſt Enemies.
Oh, how ſhall Iudas and Pilate tremble and be confounded at that day! Thinke of it thou Drunkard, thou blaſphemer, &c. He whom thou haſt condemned ſhall be thy Iudge: How dareſt thou expect pardon and mercy? Now indeed is the time of mercy, but then only of Iudgement.
The remembrance of the day of Iudgement ſhould perſwade vsus to repentance; Vſe 4 for this end, Chriſt commanded his Apoſtles eſpecially to teſtifie this to all men, Act. 10.42.that he is ordained Iudge of quicke and dead. So Saint Paul vſeth this as the laſt Argument to draw men from their ſinnes. 2. Cor. 5.11.
And truely who can hauehave any deſire or delight in ſinne, when he ſhall thinke of that Iudge, of that Iudgement, of that Sentence, of that neuer dying worme, of thoſe vnquenchable flames?
Magna eſt peccati poena, Aug. ſer. 120. de Temp.metum & memoriam futuri perdidiſſe Iudicij: It is a great puniſhment of ſinne, to loſe the feare and remembrance of the Iudgement to come, ſaid Saint Auguſtine. But if thou doſt remember it, and heare of it, and yet not feare, it is a ſigne of the infinite Anger of God vponupon thee.
The found of the laſt Trumpet was alwayes in the eares of Saint Hierome, who whereſoeuer he was, thought he heard the voyce of the Arch-angell, Ariſe yee dead, and come to Iudgement. Act. 24.25.Yea Foelix himſelfe trembled to heare Paul preach of the Iudgement to come.
Alwayes thinke of this day, and repell the temptations vntounto ſinne with the remembrance thereof. Conſider what it will coſt thee. Now the Drunkard, the vncleane perſon, the proud, the couetous, &c. ſee not the foulneſſe of their faults, but then thou ſhalt ſee, and wonder that thou wert ſo mad to runne into ſuch danger for ſuch ſmall and idle ſatisfactions.
When thou ſhalt appeare before that Iudge, when Satan, and thine owne conſcience ſhall accuſe thee, when thou ſhalt behold the frowning and irefull countenance of the Iudge, and thoſe fires prepared for thee: What wilt thou doe? whither wilt thou goe? nor friends, nor riches, nor promiſes, nor prayers, nor teares can auaile. What ſhall we doe, if that day ſhall finde vsus, often forewarned, but vnprepared? How ſhall wee endure that fire, that cannot endure the tooth-ake, the ſtone, a fit of an Ague?
Let vsus vſe all care, while wee liue here, ſo to behaue and diſcharge our ſelues, that that day may be happy and comfortable vntounto vsus. Amen.