Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 2 · Verse 5
VERSE. 5. One man eſteemeth one day aboue another; another eſteemeth eueryevery day alike. Let eueryevery man be fully perſwaded in his owne minde.
HEre is the ſecond inſtance of Dayes; where we hauehave the Caſe, and the Remedy or Direction.
In the caſe wee hauehave two things: Firſt, what daies are meant. Second, what was the opinion of each part, concerning ſuch dayes.
Concerning the firſt; neither is here meant an obſeruation of faſting dayes appoynted by the Church.
Nor the Ciuill difference of daies, when ſome are ſet apart, for trading, proceeding in law, &c.
Nor naturall, obſerued by the husbandman, for plowing and ſowing his corne, planting, grafting.
Nor Medicall, for opening a veine, purging, &c.
Nor Aſtrologicall, whereby ſome are fained to be good and fortunate, ſome to be euill and vnfortunate.
But ſuch an Obſeruation is here meant, whoſe end is reputed to be the worſhip of God; yea where the very obſeruation of the Day is ſo eſteemed.
For the ſecond, ſome hauehave applied the firſt point of the caſe to the ſtrong, vnderſtanding it of our Sabbath, the proper feaſt of Chriſtians; One man, that is, ſay they, the ſtrong, eſteemeth the Lords day to be preciſely kept aboue others. Others apply the ſame to the weake, concluding therefrom the abrogation of the Sabbath.
But the firſt, to eſteeme one day aboue another, is the opinion of the weake one, and to eſteeme eueryevery day alike, the opinion of the ſtrong. And the dayes here ſpoken of are the Iewiſh ceremoniall holy dayes, appointed to be kept ouer and aboue the Sabbath preſcribed in the 4. Commandement.
Now the Iewes, being trained vp in the obſeruation of ſuch ſolemne feaſts, ordained of God, thought reuerently and holily of them: not vnderſtanding that they were as ſhadowes now abrogated; and therefore they cenſured all them which did not obſerue them.
But on the other ſide, the ſtrong Chriſtian knowing that ſuch differences had an end in Chriſt for obſeruation of them deſpiſed the Iewes.
The Ebionites both obſerued the Iewiſh holy daies and our Sunday, Euſeb. hiſt. ccel. l. 3. c. 24.ſo alſo doe the Aethiopians at this day.
The ſame Doctrine ariſeth from hence, which wee had, verſe 2.
The direction followes, which is double; Firſt, how each of them ſhould carry themſelues toward themſelues in particular. Secondly, how each to other.
The firſt is in theſe words: Let eueryevery man be fully perſwaded in his owne minde: which is a caution to each ſeuerally, wherein we hauehave the Thing, full perſwaſion; amplified, by the ſubiect, in his owne mind. The Perſons, eueryevery one.
Bee fully perſwaded in his owne minde: The vulgar reade it, abound in his owne ſenſe; which a libertine might lay hold on, to be of any, or no religion. But neither are the words ſo rendred, nor the ſenſe: To abound in ones owne ſenſe, is the part of one addicted to his own conceipt, or much affected to an vnlimited liberty. We may not abound in a falſe ſenſe: it is not to be permitted in points of doctrine; though in things indifferent ſome ſuch thing be implied in the next verſe.
To be fully perſwaded, is by good arguments out of the word to be aſſured, that that which we doe, is neither diſpleaſing to God nor contrary to his Word: It is not enough, if the conſcience doe not checke vsus, but the conſcience muſt be certainely grounded and informed by the Word, that a man may be able to ſay, as verſe 14. I know and am perſwaded by the Lord Ieſus. This is the plerophory or full perſwaſion hee ſpeaketh of; not I thinke, but I know, vponupon certaine and infallible arguments.
In his owne minde: not to walke by another mans conceit, but himſelfe to vnderſtand what he doth.
Let eueryevery man be fully perſwaded: the ſtrong, and the weake.
But how can there bee a warrantable perſwaſion in both, that they pleaſe God, when their opinions are contrary?
In things commanded and forbidden, both cannot hauehave ſuch perſwaſion; but in things indifferent they may.
And yet the Apoſtle ſaith not thus, as though the weake had a warrantable perſwaſion of his courſes, but that hee might hauehave it. Doctr.
A Chriſtian ought to be able to warrant his opinion and particular actions by the word. Eſay 8.20. To the Law and to the Teſtimony; if they ſpeake not according to this word, it is becauſe there is no light in them. Rom. 14.23. Whatſoeuer is not of faith is ſinne. Ʋſe 1
Bee fully perſwaded in his owne minde. Then good meanings, if groundleſſe, will not ſerue the turne; nor the implicit, and colliarike faith of the Papiſts, which beleeueth as the Church beleeueth, not knowing what the Church beleeues.
In things indifferent a man muſt hauehave full perſwaſion, much more in the point of his iuſtification before God.
To the welfare of a good conſcience, Vſe 2 a full perſwaſion is neceſſary from the word, about our doing or leauing vndone things indifferent.
In deed herein differ things neceſſary from thoſe of a middle nature; thoſe are mentioned in the word, by precept or prohibition: theſe are not.
For theſe, it is enough to faith, if they be not forbidden, for then they are not reproued.
For the vnderſtanding of the ſimple; A thing is lawfull: where the word hath not determined the manner and the circumſtances, there it is lawfull for a Chriſtian man to doe, and for the Magiſtrate to command that, which agrees with nature and reaſon, ſo that it contrary not the generall rules of that thing in the word: But where the word hath determined, there onelyonly ſuch determinations are lawfull.
For inſtance: It is lawfull to weare apparell: now for the ſtuffe, the colour, the faſhion, becauſe they are not determined in the word, a man hath liberty to vſe any he likes, ſo be, they agree with the generall rules of apparell in the word: Alſo the Magiſtrate hath power to preſcribe lawes for apparell, and then the vſe of our liberty is reſtrained and limited thereby.
So prayer is lawfull, nay commanded: but inaſmuch, as the Scriptures determine not whether on a booke, or preſently conceiued: a Chriſtian hath liberty, & the magiſtrate authority.
So in geſtures: we are commanded by our Sauior to receiue the Holy Sacrament: now becauſe our Sauiour hath not determined the geſture, ſitting, or kneeling, the Chriſtian hath liberty, and the Magiſtrate authority; who if hee determine the geſture, the vſe of a mans liberty is alſo thereby determined.
So in all other indifferent things, Ciuill or Eccleſiaſtical; and then are ſuch our actions according to the Scriptures, when they are not determined by the Scriptures, as aforeſaid.
Whereas therefore many will ſay, where doe you read kneeling at the Communion, or the Surpliſſe, &c. commanded in the Bible; it is no good reaſoning.
In matters of faith and of the ſubstance of Gods worſhip, it is true which Tertullian ſaith, Tertul lib. de monogamia.Negat Scriptura quod non notat. The Scripture denies that which it noteth not, and it followes well, to ſay: The Scripture mentioneth it not, therefore it is not a matter of faith. But in matters of fact not ſo. It is not mentioned, therefore it was not done; it followes not. Or, from a deniall of fact, to a deniall of right; As, Paul lead not about a ſiſter a wife as did other Apoſtles: therefore it was vnlawfull for him ſo to hauehave done, it followes not: He tooke no maintenance of the Corinthians, therefore hee had no right ſo to hauehave done: It is no good conſequence.
Wiſely apply this to all other things Eccleſiaſticall and ciuill of this kinde, the ignorance whereof hath much troubled the minds of many people.
Know alſo that the ſcope of the word, isnot to ſet downe all particulars, in things Ciuill or Eccleſiaſticall: but onelyonly the generall rules of ſuch things: The principall office of the Goſpell, being to declare the way of iuſtification in the ſight of God, by Ieſus Chriſt.
It is moſt ſound which Tertullian affirmes about things of this nature: Tertull. de Corona militis.Conſuetudo in ciuilibus rebus, pro lege ſuſcipitur, cum deſicit lex… nec differt, Scripturâ an ratione conſiſtat, quando et legem ratio commendet. Porrò ſi lex ratione conſtat, lex erit emne iam quod ratione conſtiterit. That is, Cuſtome in ciuill things, is taken for law, where law failes: neither skils it whether a thing (of ſuch nature, viz. indifferent, for he ſpeaks of ſuch things) conſiſt by Scripture or by reaſon, in as much as the Law is grounded vponupon reaſon: If the law conſiſt of reaſon, then whatſoeuer ſo doth, is Law.
He that denies theſe things can neuer hauehave a quiet conſcience in that which he doth, becauſe the Scripture mentioneth not infinite particulars of our life, and many profitable things hauehave beene ſince inuented, and therefore could not be mentioned in the Bible.
See that thou be able to iuſtifie thy actions, thy opinions: Ʋſe 3 It ſhewes but ſmall reuerence to the word, when wee are ſo ready to holde eueryevery thing that comes into our head, and to ſtriue with others, and preſently to condemne them.
What warrant hath the vncleane perſon for his vncleanneſſe? the drunkard for his drunkenneſſe? No warrant to doe them, but proofe enough that they which doe ſuch things ſhall be damned, if they repent not.
Let eueryevery man be fully perſwaded in his owne minde. Ʋſe 4 Be carefull for thy ſelfe, looke to thine owne conſcience, let other men alone. Let it not trouble thee, that another man doth thus or thus, but looke thou that thy conſcience bee well grounded vponupon the Word: Other mens opinions or doings are not to be the rule of thy walking.
Be certaine, if thou deſireſt a quiet conſcience: to doubt of a thing and yet to doe it, is a great ſinne againſt the firſt commandement: for it takes away Feare and Faith.
Feare: for, if thou thinkeſt it may bee, to doe this will pleaſe God, it may bee, it will diſpleaſe him; doe it not: If thou doeſt, thou art an open contemner of God; whom if thou hadſt feared, thou wouldeſt hauehave abſtained.
Faith: He that doubteth whether hee pleaſe God, beleeueth not that God heares him; therfore he hateth God, and by little and little falles into deſpaire.
Who ſhall excuſe them whom their owne conſciences doe accuſe? Saue thy conſcience: To die in the peace of a good conſcience, an vnſpeakable happineſſe.