Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 2 · Verse 4
VERSE 4.—To his owne Maſter he ſtandeth or falleth: yea, hee ſhall be holden vp, For God is able to make him ſtand.
IN theſe words is the ſecond Amplification of the ſecond Argument: and it is the preuenting of an Obiection, which weake Chriſtians might or did make in defence of their iudging their Brethren.
For this is our corruption, that though we be weake, yet we are loth to be ſo accounted, thinking it a diſcredit to acknowledge that wee hauehave erred, though by our errours the whole Church bee troubled; when as the moſt glorious victory in this kinde is, to ſuffer our ſelues to bee ouercome of the Truth.
In this occupation, are, the Obiection, the Anſwer.
The Obiection not ſet downe, but vnderſtood, and eaſiſily gathered.
The weake Chriſtian would iuſtifie his Cenſuring of the ſtrong, from the benefit of his brother, thus:
It is profitable for my brother that his fault ſhould be corrected, and taken away; and it is for his aduantage to ſtand, and not to fall: Therefore &c.
To this Paul anſwereth: of which anſwer there are two parts; a Conceſſion, and a Correction.
The Conceſſion gathered, as if he ſhould ſay; I confeſſe it is a great bleſſing for a ſeruant to ſtand, and not to fall.
The Correction plainly ſet downe; but he ſtandeth or falleth, not to thee, but to his owne Maſter: Thou haſt nothing to doe with it; looke thou to thine owne ſtanding: Art thou more carefull of his ſtanding then his Maſter.
Seruus eſt veluti pars domini ſui, ſed à corpore ſecuncta: The ſeruant is a part of his maſter…: it is his part to ouerſee him, and to iudge as he pleaſeth.
To ſtand or fall: is to doe well, or otherwiſe: to ſtand or fall to his maſter, is to pleaſe or diſpleaſe: To the maſter belongeth eyther the aduantage or the damage of that which the ſeruant doth.
To his ownemaſter: foreign, to his proper maſter, not onelyonly as oppoſed to one who is not his maſter, but to note alſo that God is properly our Maſter, by creation, preſeruation, redemption.
Now this Anſwer is amplified in the words following:
Yea he ſhall be hold… vp, For God is able to make him ſtand.
Theſe words are a Correction of the falling mentioned; He falleth to his owne Maſter.
As if he ſhould ſay; Did I ſay he falleth? Nay, hee ſhall be holden vp, for God is able, &c.
In which words is an Affirmation; He ſhall be holden vp, and a Confirmation from the power of God: God is able to make him ſtand.
The Iew ſeeing the Gentile vſe his Chriſtian libertie, in meats and dayes, iudged him prophane, and began to feare his Apoſtaſie: Now the Apoſtle ſaith, he ſhall be eſtabliſhed euen herein: For God is able to doe it.
Yea, Able; but àpoſſe ad eſſe, is no ſound Collection: yes, if we be certaine of Gods will withall; which here appeareth, for God hath receiued him.
In all promiſes and threatnings the will of God is to bee ſuppoſed: as if I ſay to a Penitent ſinner: Thou ſhalt bee forgiuen, for God is able to forgiue thee; or if I ſay to a Drunkard, if thou repent not, thou ſhalt be damned, for God is able to damne thee, the Conſequence holdeth, becauſe God hath reuealed his will in theſe things.
But if, I ſay, God can make many worlds, therefore there are many, or God can tranſubſtantiate the bread in the Lords Supper, and turne it into the very fleſh of Chriſt, really and corporally, therefore it is ſo turned, this holdeth not, becauſe God hath no where reuealed that ſo he will doe.
He ſhall be ſtabliſhed, for God is able, &c. not that eueryevery one which is called, and vnderſtandeth the Doctrine of Chriſtian libertie ſhall be ſaued, but it is ſpoken, either in regard of the Gentiles in generall, or only of the predeſtinate, or, Aquinas.not of that which God will doe, but of that which wee are to hope and pray for in eueryevery ſingular, whom wee ſee to hauehave receiued the beginnings of grace: Pareus.or not of finall perſeuerance, but of ſtanding in ſome particular thing.
The cenſure and iudgement of mens deeds and behauiour pertaineth to God: Doctr. This is proued by the two parables, Matth. 18.23. and Matth. 25.14.19. where the King or Lord is brought in, taking account of his ſeruants; for as it appeareth in that of the Talents, the diligence or negligence of the ſeruants, is to the Maſters either benefit or loſſe.
This Doctrine taketh not away charitable reproofe of my brother, if he offend, doing that which is euidently contrary to Gods word; but it taketh away raſh iudgement concerning things indifferent, which are not commanded or forbidden in Gods word.
Condemne no man for the lawfull vſe of things indifferent, Vſe 1 for ſuch ſhall be ſtabliſhed: but rather iudge charitably: If thou ſeeſt thy brother ſtanding, wiſh his eſtabliſhing; if falling, pray for him, and deſpaire not of his riſing againe; conſidering not his Humane condition, but the Diuine vertue.
It was an excellent ſpeech of M. Caluin. in locum.Caluin: Semper benè ſperemus de eo in quo cernimus aliquid Dei: Let vsus alwayes hope well of him, in whom we ſee any grace of God, though the leaſt tokens of adoption: It is our fault to require that eueryevery man by and by ſhould be as Paul, or Abraham; but God accepteth of the leaſt grace, if it be in truth: Let vsus therefore be charitable.
Our deeds belong to God; Ʋſe 2 not that hee receiueth either profit or damage by them, but our ſelues.
Not as we are benefited or hindered by our ſeruants, Plato in Euthyphrone. foreign. Aug. de Gen. ad lit. lib. 8. cap 11. Jrenaeus aduerſ. Haereſes, l. 4. c. 31.ſo is God by vsus; godlineſſe is gratefull to him, but not profitable; as on the contrary, ſinne is hatefull, but not hurtfull to him.
Ille ſeruitute noſtra non indiget, nos vero dominatione illius indigemus, ſaith Saint Augustine, wee need ſuch a Maſter, he needeth not ſuch ſeruants. To this purpoſe alſo Irenaeus in a certaine chapter, ſhewing that God commandeth that wee ſhould louelove him, not that he wanteth our louelove, ſed homini deeſt gloria Dei, &c. but wee want his glory, which wee by no meanes can be partakers of, but by louing and obeying him; Ibid. ap. 32.and a little after, that God commanded ſacrifices, not for his gaine, but to honour vsus, and to hauehave occaſion to beſtow his benefits vponupon vsus.
So Eliphaz to Iob: Can a man be profitable to God, Iob 22.2, 3.as he that is wiſe may be profitable to himſelfe? Is it any pleaſure to the Almightie that thou art righteous? or gaine to him, that thou makeſt thy wayes perfect?
And thus Elihu alſo to him: If thou ſinneſt, Iob 35 6, 7, 8.what doeſt thou againſt him? &c. If thou be righteous, what giueſt thou him? &c. Thy wickedneſſe may hurt a man as thou art, &c. but not God.
If thou doeſt well, God will bleſſe thee: if ill, he will ſlay thee, not as a King doth a traytor, becauſe he feareth him, but to manifeſt his iuſtice.
Doe well, becauſe God acknowledgeth it: Doe not ill, becauſe thou falleſt to God.
Remember thou wretch, when thou art drunke, blaſphemeſt, &c. to whom thou falleſt; euen to thine owne Maſter, to whom thou art bound a thouſand wayes; to ſuch a Maſter, as is able to kill bodie and ſoule, and throw them into hell; to ſuch an one, as hath and is readie to offer grace, if thou repenteſt, ſeeking thy good thereby, not his owne.
O how this wounded Dauids heart, when he fell, hee fell to God: Againſt thee, thee onelyonly, hauehave I ſinned, &c. Pſal. 51.4.So this broke the Prodigals heart, it was his Father, whom hee had offended.
We hauehave a Lord, who ſtandeth not for a Cyphar, but who will call vsus to account.
Let vsus ſo liue, as remembring wee muſt giuegive vp an account, and that to God.
Here is comfort; he that ſtandeth ſhall be ſtabliſhed: Ʋſe 3 To him that hath ſhall be giuen.
We hauehave a louing and bountifull Maſter, who is able and willing to promote vsus in the grace he hath beſtowed.
Hee is not ſo able, but wee ſtand in as much need: wee are weake, wee cannot beare a croſſe word; euerie little temptation foyleth vsus; pray to him who is able, and hath promiſed: 2. Tim. 1.12.Hee is able to keepe that which thou haſt committed vntounto him vntounto that day.
God is only able to make vsus ſtand, Vſe 4 without whom we hauehave no more power, then an infant of a day old.
Man falleth by his owne will and weakneſſe, but hee ſtandeth by the will and power of God.
If God forſake, they which ſtand muſt fall, and they which fall muſt periſh for euer.
If Chriſt had not held Peter, hee had ſunke to the bottome; and if God had not raiſed Dauid, he had layne in his ſinne to this day.
Let him that thinketh he ſtandeth, 1 Cor. 10.12.take heed leſt he fall.
It is fearefull to be without grace, but to fall from grace much more.
What is then to be done? Pray, heare the Word, come to the Lords Table, and receiue his holy Supper: for this eſpecially was inſtituted, for our eſtabliſhing and confirmation.
If thou commeſt to the holy Communion with faith and repentance, This was preached a few daies before a Communion.thou ſhalt receiue ſtrength againſt Satan, againſt ſinne, againſt thy corruptions.
Feeleſt thou thy ſelfe weake? come that thou mayeſt bee ſtrengthened: Cypr. l. 4. Epiſt. epiſt. 6.Art thou afraid of perſecution? conſider, Te calicem ſanguinis Chriſti bibere, vt poſſis et ipſe propter Chriſtum ſanguinem fundere, That thou drinkeſt of the Chalice of Chriſts blood, that thou thy ſelfe mighteſt bee able to ſhed thy blood for Chriſt, ſaith Cyprian.
Wouldeſt thou that the Diuell ſhould be more afraid of thee, then thou of him? Come to that holy Sacrament in faith and repentance, and it ſhall ſo come to paſſe: For Quaſi leones ignem ſpirantes ab illa menſa recedimus Daemonibus terribiles: Chryſoſt. hom. 61 ad pop. Antioch.As lyons breathing fire, we goe from that Table, terrible euen to the Diuels themſelues, ſaith Chryſoſtome.
If the woman which touched the Hemme of Chriſts garment, Matth. 9.21.was made whole of her infirmitie; much more they which touch, and eate the very body of Chriſt by faith, ſhall be confirmed in ſpirituall health.