Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 2 · Verse 20
VERSE 20. For meat deſtroy not the worke of God: —
HEre is a new argument againſt ſcandall; I call it new, not in regard of the ſubſtance of it; for wee hauehave had the ſame before in the latter end of the 15. verſe: but in regard of the termes, which are all diuers from the former, as we ſhall ſee in the opening of them.
The argument is taken either from the pernicious effect of ſcandall, which is destruction; or from the dignity of our brother, who is here called the worke of God: thus,
That which deſtroyeth the worke of God, is to bee auoyded.
But ſcandall deſtroyeth the worke of God.
Therefore.
This Argument is brought in by way of oppoſition to ſomething in the verſe going before: there he wiſhed vsus to follow thoſe things which make for edification: hence hee infers, for meat deſtroy not the worke of God.
It is ſet downe in the manner of a prohibition; where we hauehave the thing prohibited; and the amplification.
In the firſt, is the action prohibited, deſtroy not: and the obiect not to be deſtroyed, the worke of God.
The amplification is from the mouing cauſe, For meat.
Deſtroy not. The word thus rendred, was before foreign, or foreign, I kill, or make to periſh: here it is foreign, of foreign, I vndoe or looſen; and is as much as if hee had ſaid, breake not downe, pull not downe, ouerthrow not the worke of God, which he hath edified: the word being tranſlated from the demoliſhing of buildings.
The worke of God. Before he ſaid, Him for whom Chriſt died: here, the worke of God; which ſome expound faith, ſo called, Pet. Martyr. Pareus & alii.Iohn 6.29. This is the worke of God that ye beleeue. Some, the weake brothers ſaluation. Some the worke of grace, Chriſoſt. Aquinat.which is wrought in vsus. And the Chaldee paraphraſt, in the plurall, opera, the workes of God. Some the Church, out of Eph. Rollo…us.4.12. If ſo, then the whole is vſed for a part; for eueryevery beleeuer is a part, a liuing ſtone of that edifice: this comes neare vntounto the point.
All theſe expoſitions are good, but I preferre that of Saint Ambroſe, whoſe comprehends them all: the worke of God, that is, ſaith he, Man, who is two wayes the worke of God; firſt, by Creation; and yet not ſo onelyonly the worke of God, as a ſtone, or a beaſt, but foreign, an excellent worke, brought forth with the conſultation of the Trinity.
Secondly, by Regeneration, and here, faith, redemption, charity, grace, &c. are concluded; according to that of Paul, We are his workemanſhip, &c. Eph. 2.10.and the beleeuers are the temple of God in particular, 1 Cor. 6.19.
For meat: not as though meat were not the worke of God; but to note that there is a great diſtance, as Ambroſe ſaith, betweene meat and Man, eſpecially a beleeuer, the very child of God. Among all the viſible workes of God. Man hath the preheminence, as the Sunne aboue the leſſer Starres.
The life, ſaith our Sauiour, is more then meat, and our body then rayment. No wiſedome therefore to deſtroy a brother for the ſake of any indifferent thing.
Man is Gods worke, not mans, it is therefore a kind of impiety to deſtroy it for meats ſake.
Man is a little world, as Philoſophers hauehave affirmed; to deſtroy a man for meat ſake, is to deſtroy a whole world, which were madneſſe, for betweene theſe there is no compariſon.
Scandall giuen and taken for things indifferent, Doctr. deſtroieth the worke of God: this was proued before, v. 18. & 1 Cor. 8.11.12.
Hence a learned man reproues the practice of mercenary Souldiers, Ʋſe 1 Gualter. in loc.becauſe, for money they deſtroy the worke of God. But whatſoeuer becomes of theſe, ſure I am, the caſe is deſperate of thoſe that deſtroy the worke of God by furious duels vponupon priuate and petty brabbles.
In the 19. Vſe 2 verſe we were admoniſhed to edifie one another, here we are commanded, not to deſtroy one another: Some build with one hand, and pull downe with another; and ſome build with the tongue, & pluck downe with the hands: theſe are good Preachers, and wicked liuers: the former ſuch which doe teach and doe ſome things well, but in other things they walke amiſſe: but we muſt eueryevery way build and no way deſtroy.
Here ſome Miniſters are to blame, who in regard of preaching the foundation of faith and good life in the generall, do famouſly and build much; but when they breed conceits in the hearers minds againſt orders eſtabliſhed in the Church, and perſwade them to a miſlike of the preſent gouernment, they doe pull downe faſter then they built vp.
For the people being forward to liſten vntounto nouelties, and hauing receiued ſuch accuſations, and calumniations of the ſtate, foreign. Tertul. lib. aduerſ Valentinianos.doe bend themſelues more eagerly againſt the comely orders inioyned, then againſt the capitall crimes which are forbidden in the Decalogue.
Here alſo many hearers, being the paſſiue diſciples of ſuch affectate leaders, as Tertullian cals them; are iuſtly to be reproued, and that with ſeuerity, who in all their conferences onelyonly inueigh againſt the preſent diſcipline of the Church; for this is not to build, but to deſtroy the Church, the faith, themſelues and all.
Here is a threefold Admonition.
1 To the ſtrong, Vſe 3 that they ſhould ſo pretiouſly eſteeme of their weake brethren, becauſe they are the worke of God, as no way iuſtly to offend them by their Apparell, Recreations, or other indifferent things: but how farre the weake are in ſuch things to bee reſpected, wee ſhall conſider in the reſt of the words of this verſe, and in the one and twentieth, which we will handle together.
2 To the weake: That they ſhould be more temperate and diſcreet; and not to obiect themſelues to perdition for things indifferent: To be offended at the commanding of things indifferent, or at the vſe of them, not being commanded or forbidden, is to be guiltie of their owne deſtruction.
My weake brother, thou art the worke of God, deſtroy not thy ſelfe for a garment or a geſture.
The holy Sacrament is the worke of God; ſitting or kneeling the conceit of man; deſtroy not, nor renounce the worke of God, for ſuch conceits.
The Ministery is the worke of God; a Garment the worke of man; destroy not, nor forſake the worke of God, for a garment.
When a King ſhal command many workmen to build him an houſe; and ſome worke ſtanding, ſome ſitting, ſome kneeling; ſome clad in blacke, ſome in white, &c. If ſome of the workmen ſhould forſake the Kings worke, becauſe this man vſeth ſuch a geſture, and is ſo apparelled, were they not worthy of cenſure? Or if the King ſhould command all his builders to be clothed in one liuery, wouldeſt thou refuſe to build in the Kings worke therefore?
The Church, I meane the Communion of faithfull people in the Word and Sacraments, is Gods worke; wilt thou deſtroy it by faction, or ſeparation, for a Garment, &c. Suppoſe ſome outward circumſtance might (in thy conceit) be amended; is not peace better, then to moue contention thereabout? Will a wiſe man pull downe a faire building, becauſe ſome one tyle is laid awry? Indeed the Browniſts would ouerthrow our Materiall Temples, the places of our Aſſemblies; but doe thou ſpare the Church of God.
But thou wouldeſt bring in ſome better Diſcipline: So hauehave I ſeene ſome vnwiſe men, who not content with the ſtrong and ſubſtantiall buildings, wherein their Anceſtours kept good hoſpitalitie, hauehave plucked them downe, to build others more faire, curious, and more finely ſet forth; but with what ſucceſſe? Euen with this, That they hauehave beene neuer able to doe the good their Anceſtours did, and that within a few yeares, themſelues hauehave been vtterly vndone, and their gay houſe become a nettle-buſh.
Remember alwayes this of Paul, For meate deſtroy not the worke of God: there is no compariſon betweene them.
3 To all: That we deſtroy not the worke of God, that is, the ſoules of others, and our owne, by euill counſell, example, by an euill conuerſation.
If it be a hainous thing to deſtroy the worke of God for meat; much more hainous is it to deſtroy it, for whoredome, drunkenneſſe, and the beaſtly ſatisfying of our lewd luſts.
He that ſhall breake open thy houſe to ſteale, ſhall be guiltie of Burglary; much more guilty ſhall he be that deſtroyeth his owne or his neighbours ſoule.
No Painter can endure to hauehave his pictures defaced; euen a childe will bee angry, if you put downe his childiſh building; much more will God be angrie, if you deſtroy his worke.
Herod exceedingly ſinned, in deſtroying Iohn Baptist for Herodias daughters ſake: Iudas more, for betraying our Ieſus for thirtie peeces of ſiluer: So alſo thou moſt grieuouſly ſinneſt, which for riches, or pleaſure, or the accompliſhing of thy vile minde in the committing of any ſinne, deſtroyeſt thine owne ſoule, or entiſeth others to ſinne, that together with thee, and with the Diuell they might be deſtroyed.
Sinne is the Diuels engine, whereby he deſtroyeth the work of God. And for this purpoſe the Sonne of God was manifeſted, 1. Iohn 3.8.that he might deſtroy the workes of the Diuell.
Build thou the worke of God, in thy ſelfe and others, by faith and repentance; and deſtroy the workes of the Diuell.