Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 3 · Verse 30-33
VERSE 30. Now I beſeech you brethren, for the Lord Ieſus Chriſt his ſake, and for the louelove of the Spirit; that you ſtriue together with me, in your prayers to God for me. 31. That I may be deliuered from them which doe not beleeue in Iudea, and that my ſeruice which I hauehave for Hieruſalem may be accepted of the Saints. 32. That I may come to you with ioy by the will of God, and may with you be refreſhed. 33. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
THeſe words containe the third amplification of Pauls excuſe that he comes not now to the Romanes, which is a requeſt he makes to them.
We may conſider here two things. Firſt, Pauls manner of requeſting: ſecondly, the requeſt it ſelfe.
In the manner, there is firſt a compellation, Brethen. Secondly, an obteſtation, I beſeech you for the Lord Ieſus Chriſts ſake, and for the louelove of the Spirit.
Brethren. This title come in ſeaſons, for it becomes brethren whether by Nature or Grace, to helpe and further one another.
I beſeech you, &c. In this obteſtation, are the forme, and the matter of it to be conſidered.
The forme, I beſeech you, exhort you, call you to my help.
The matter containes two arguments, whereby hee adiureth them to helpe him by their prayers: By our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and by the louelove of the Spirit.
To beſeech one for a thing: is ſo to beſeech, as if you obtaine, he may hauehave comfort by it, if not, the contrary.
For our Lord Ieſus Chriſts ſake, is as if he ſhould hauehave ſaid: as you deſire to hauehave any benefit by our Sauiour, if his louelove may preuaile any thing with you, ſee you pray for me.
For the louelove of the Spirit: Hypallage Martyr.either by a figure as ſome, the Spirit of louelove: or as you deſire the Holy Spirit ſhould louelove you, or for that louelove which he hath ſhed abroad in your hearts, or as you deſire that the Holy Spirit ſhould worke in you a louelove to God, and your brethren.
This manner of ſpeaking is after a ſort proper to Paul; and indeed nothing can bee deuiſed to be ſpoken, more graue, See more hereof Rom. 12.1.more excellent, more powerfull, more diuine.
Some great matter it muſt needs be which Paul craues vnderunder theſe termes, euen this, that the Romanes would pray for him, and yet Paul farre excelled the beſt of the Romanes in all grace.
The prayers of the meaneſt may bee profitable, Obſ. and Paul ſhewes very great modeſty and humilty, in requiring them.
In this requeſt that the Romanes ſhould pray for him, are two things: 1. That which they ſhould pray for in his behalfe: 2. The amplification.
That which they ſhould pray for is twofold. Firſt, that he may bee deliuered from them which doe not beleeue in Iudea. Secondly, That his preſent ſeruice may bee accepted of the Saints.
The firſt was neceſſary, 2 Theſſ. 3.2.becauſe in all places they chiefly withſtood Paul. Theſe are called vnreaſonable and wicked men.
The ſecond alſo, becauſe euen the beleeuing Iewes were not ſo well affected to Paul and to the Gentiles among whom Paul preached, as they ought to hauehave beene, as may appeare in that vprore by them occaſioned, Acts 21.20. and ſo forward, which was the beginning of Pauls greateſt and laſt troubles.
Paul knew the Almes hee ſhould bring might well bee accepted becauſe of their neceſſity, but deſires they might receiue it with as much louelove as hee and the Greeke Church offered it to them. For this hee deſires them to pray; For he doubted that either they would not receiue it at all, or not ſo kindly as hee wiſhed: For much is detracted from a gift, which comes either from one, or by one, of whom we thinke not well: and a trifle from a friend, and by a meſſenger whom we affect is welcome.
The Amplification is threefold; Firſt, from the manner in which they ſhould pray for him, that is, they must ſtriue, foreign, a military word, noting ſuch feruency, as if for life and death. Hee prayes for himſelfe, and deſires them to helpe him, as Aaron and Hur helped Moſes. Hee deſires not the Emperours letters to bee procured for him, nor their ſharp ſwords, but their earneſt prayers.
The ſecond, is from the fruit of ſuch deliuerance, and acceptation; which is double, in the 32. verſe: 1. That he may come to them with ioy, ſet forth by a correction, by the wil of God. That hee might be deliuered, that hee might come to them, that his ſeruice might be acceptable, that hee might come with ioy. By the will of God, well put in, becauſe the euent of all things is in the hands of God: and hee was not deliuered, and that was (by the will of God) an helping cauſe of his comming.
The third, from an Apoſtolicall benediction, verſe 33. The God of peace be with you. Now three times in this Chapter doth Saint Paul pray for them: and this compriſeth all: If God be with vsus, then hauehave wee the inexhauſt fountaine of all goodneſſe, whether we vnderſtand the collation of things good, or a protection from things ill.
The God of peace: that hee may bee appeaſed and peaceable towards them, that they may hauehave peace of conſcience. And that they may be peaceable among themſelues, that they iar not about things indifferent.
The Seale of this benediction; Amen. Of which ſee. Rom. 11.36.26.
Beleeuers ſtand in need of the Prayers of their Brethren, Doctr. and ought one to pray for another. Almoſt in eueryevery Epiſtle Paul requires the prayers of the Churches, and alwaies prayes for them. And we reade: Iames 5.16. Pray one for another that yee may be healed: and our bleſſed Sauiour taught eueryevery one to ſay, Our Father, &c. GiueGive vsus, forgiue vsus, lead vsus not, but deliuer vsus, &c.
It is the lot of good men many times, Obſer. 1 to bee ill intreated by them, of whom they deſerue well. This was the lot of Miltiades and Themiſtocles among the Athenians; of Camillus, and Scipio Africanus among the Romanes; of Moſes and Samuel among the Prophets in the Old Teſtament: in the New Teſtament, of our bleſſed Sauiour, who came into his owne, and his owne receiued him not, but preferred a murderer before him, and deliuered him to bee crucified. Alſo of our Holy Apoſtle, who gathered no ſmall ſumme of money to relieue his Nation, and yet they perſecute him; Thus is many a good Magiſtrate, Miniſter, Citizen, vnkindly rewarded by them who ought to hauehave honoured them.
If it ſo fall out to thee. Thou art not better then Saint Paul, then Chriſt himſelfe: Be not diſcouraged, neither let the vnworthineſſe of others make thee to bee any whit the more negligent, or to deale the leſſe worthily in thy place, by the example of Saint Paul, who omitted no opportunity or care to doe the Saints at Hieruſalem good, though hee knew not whether they would accept it or no.
The ſingular courage and conſtancy of Paul is to bee obſerued; Obſer. 2 who though he had ſome intelligence of troubles that ſhould certainly befall him at Hieruſalem, yet hee ſhrinks not, but with great reſolution goes thither. In eueryevery City as hee paſſed, the Holy Ghoſt witneſſed that bonds and afflictions abode him: But ſaith hee, Act. 20.23, 24.None of theſe things mou…me, neither count I my life deare vntounto my ſelfe, that Imay finiſh my courſe and miniſtration with ioy. And being at Caeſarea, he was warned by a Prophet of his bonds, and that hee ſhould by the Iewes be deliuered into the hands of the Gentiles; whereupon the brethren with teares beſought him not to goe vp to Hieruſalem: But he anſwered: Act. 21.11, 12, 13.What meane you to weepe and to breake mine heart? For I am ready not to bee bound onelyonly, but to dye at Heruſalem for the Name of the Lord Ieſus: O worthy ſpeech of an Apoſtle! O Diuine Paul!
Let vsus labour to bee prepared with ſuch reſolution: wee know not what hangs ouer our heads: We hauehave cauſe to feare the worſt, for our barren and fruitleſſe profeſſion: and, — Iam proxim us ardet Ʋcalegon—our neighbours and brethren in Germany and France are vnderunder the fiery tryall: Prepare thy ſelfe: Happy are they which endure: See that there remaine no ſinne vnrepented of; for, if any thing, this will make vsus cowards, and ſhame vsus.
The prayers of the Church are moſt excellent and neceſſary, Obſer. 3 or elſe Paul would not in ſuch termes hauehave begged them.
Thinke thou reuerently of them: as of meanes which God hath appointed and bleſſed for the great good of ſuch as are in diſtreſſe.
The Prayer of one righteous man auayleth: much more of a whole Congregation, Tertull. Apolog.City, Kingdome. If many, quaſi manu facta Deum ambiunt orantes, as Tertullian ſpeaketh, Act. 12.5. et ſeq.banding themſelues together ſue vntounto God, praying for things agreeable to his will, they muſt needs obtaine.
When the Church prayes for Peter, hee is miraculouſly deliuered.
When a legion of Chriſtian ſouldiers vponupon their bare knees make ſupplication to God, when the Army of Aurelius the Emperour was ready to ioyne battell with the Germanes and Sarmatians; Euſeb. Eccl. Hiſt. lib. 5. ca. 5.Theſe their enemies were diſcomfited by thundring and lightning, and the whole army ready to periſh for thirſt, is refreſhed with water.
In the time of the Holy Emperour Theodoſius the Younger, Socra Scholaſt. Eccl. hiſt. l. 7. c. 22.at the prayers of the whole City, being come together vponupon another occaſion, a grieuous tempeſt was ſodainly turned into calmneſſe, and the former dearth and ſcarſity, into abundance and plenty of all things.
Abſent not thy ſelfe from the Common prayers of the Church in the times appointed. Beware thou diſparage them not, nor thinke baſely of them in compariſon of preaching, or when they are alone: wiſe and conſcionable Chriſtians, and ſuch as are truly religious, will euen for prayer alone reſort to the houſe of prayer: and if all would ſo doe reuerently, how might we preuaile with God?
Ʋſe. 1 By Pauls example beginne all thy lawfull affaires with prayer: he that doth not, begins without Gods good ſpeed.
But ſtriue in prayer, for God delights to hauehave his bleſſings and the kingdome of heauen, to be wrung out of his hands by the violence of our prayers.
Cold and drowſie praying getteth nothing at the hands of God; thou muſt wreſtle with the Lord, as Iacob did, Ignauis precibus fortuna repugnat.when he obtained to be called Iſrael: He will not let goe his hold, till the Lord bleſſe him, though hee receiue a blow which lameth him: he will ſtriue for a bleſſing, Gen. 32.24, 25, 26.though it coſt him a limbe.
Such an Orator was Moſes in the behalfe of the Iſraelites: when the Iſraelites had ſinned in the golden Calfe, God is ready to deſtroy them, and Moſes is ready to pray for them: which when the Lord ſeeth, he ſaith to Moſes, Let me alone Moſes; Exod. 32.10.as if Moſes prayers ſo bound his hands that he could not ſtrike. O infinite goodneſſe of the inuincible God, to ſuffer himſelfe to be as conquered, by the feruent prayers of his ſeruants.
In this manner alſo prayed the Syropheniſſian, and obtained to her great commendation.Marke 7.25. & ſeq.
Three things amongſt others ſhould mooue vsus thus to pray.
1 The excellencie of bleſſings wee ſtand in need of: as Remiſſion of ſinnes, Faith, Repentance, &c. in which is our happineſſe.
2 The ſtrength of corrupt nature, and of our luſts, as Couetouſneſſe, Pride, &c. which are to be ſubdued by pr…
3 The ſubtiltie, malice, and vnwearied violence of the Diuell, ſeeking to deſtroy vsus, who is not made to flye, without faithfull and feruent prayer.
Paul not only diſchargeth his conſcience in gathering and bringing the Almes of the Greeke Church, Ʋſe 2 but deſireth it may be accepted of the Saints: So Miniſters and others, muſt endeuour ſo to performe their duties, that their ſeruice may not onelyonly bee done quali, quali modo, but acceptably to the Church.
To be popular, may be a iuſt imputation, neither may wee ſeeke to pleaſe and ſatisfie curious humours, or wicked men; and yet we muſt not be careleſſe how our labours are accepted, but account it a bleſſing, if ſober and wiſe Chriſtians eſteeme of our paines.
The God of peace be with you: Ʋſe 3 Paul requeſteth the prayers of the Romanes for him, and hee will not be in their debt, but thus he prayeth for them.
It is a comely thing when Miniſters and people mutually pray one for another.
Art thou a Miniſter? Say with Samuel, that it ſhould be thy ſinne, 1. Sam. 12.23.to ceaſe to pray for thy people.
Art thou a Hearer? Leo Mag. ſer. 2. de Paſſ. Dom. in initio.pray for thy Teacher, and great reaſon: Ad commune lucrum pertinet, ſaith one, quia veſtrae impenditur aedificationi, quicquid noſtrae tribuitur facultati. It is the common gaine, for if by thy prayers, thy Teacher be the more endued with deuotion, gifts of vtterance, and holy life, he is the better able to edifie thee thereby.
If thou wilt ſay, Endue, O Lord, our Minister with righteouſneſſe: Thy Miniſter will ſay, And make my people ioyfull with thy ſaluation: If thou wilt ſay, Bleſſed be he that commeth and ſpeaketh to vsus in the name of the Lord: Wee will ſay with Paul, The God of peace be with you all. Amen.