Fathers who had obteined righteousnes before this death For they had that benefite from his death that was to come 7 For the iuste Reason forced me to sett downe this particle gar id est For rather affirmatiuely or by the waye of declaration then causatiuely This is the meaning of the sentence it is a very rare thing amongst men that any shoulde die for a iust man although that may nowe and then happen But let vs grannt that No such example of loue any where to bee found as was in Christ who died for the vngodly and his enemies yet can no man bee founde that will die for a wicked man That did Christ So it is an amplification taken from a comparison because no suche example of loue is extant amongst men as Christ shewed towardes vs. 8 And God confirmeth Seeing this verbe sunist esi is of a doubtfull signification it is more fitte in this place to bee taken for to confirme For the purpose of the Apostle is not to incitate vs vnto thankefulnesse but to establish the confidence and affiance of consciences Hee confirmeth That is he declareth his sure most constant loue towards vs in that for the vngodly sake he spared not Christ his sonne For herein his loue appeared that not being prouoked by loue of his owne free will he first loued vs as Iohn saith They are here called sinners as in many other places who are altogether corrupted and addicted to sinne as Iohn saith Iohn 3.16 God heareth not sinners That is such as are desperately Iohn 9.31 and wholly giuen to wickednes A woman that was a sinner that is of an vnhonest life And that appeareth better by the Antithesis whiche straightwayes followeth beyng iustified by his blood For seeyng hee opposeth these two betweene themselues Luke 7.37 and faythe they are iustified who are deliuered from the guiltinesse of sinne it is a consequent they are sinners who for their euill wookes are condemned The summe is if Christe by his death hath purchased righteousnesse vnto sinners Christ is no lesse able nor willing to defēd then he was to redeeme much more shall hee defend them beyng now iustified from destruction And in this last member hee applyeth the comparison of the lesse and greater vnto this doctrine For it were not enough that saluation was once purchased for vs except Christe did conserue the same safe and firme vnto the ende And that is it the Apostle goeth about nowe namely that it is not to be feared least Christ should breake of the course of his grace in the middle rase For since he hath reconciled vs to the father such is our condition that hee will shewe foorth his fauour more effectually towardes vs and dayly increase the same 10 For if when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled shall wee be saued by his life This is an exposition of the former sentence with an amplification taken frome the comparison of life and death Wee were enemies quoth hee when Christe tooke vpon him the mediation to reconcile the father Nowe we are friendes through his reconciliation if that coulde bee brought to passe by his death his life shall be of greater power and more effectuall So then we haue notable testimonies which may cōfirme the confidence of saluation in our heartes His meaning is wee were reconciled to GOD by the death of Christe because it was the sacrifice of reconciliation whereby GOD was reconciled to the worlde as I haue declared in the fourth Chapter But here the Apostle seemeth to be contrary vnto himselfe For if the death of Christ were the pledge of the loue of God towards vs Obiection It followeth that euen then we were acceptable to him Answeare but now he saith we were enimies I aunsweare because God hateth sinne we also are odious vnto him as we are sinners but as in his secret counsayle he electeth vs into the body of Christ he ceaseth to hate vs. But the restoring into fauour is vnknowne vnto vs vntill we perceiue it by faith Therefore in respect of our selues we are alway enimies vntil the death of Christ come betweene to reconcile God And this difference of a twofold respect is to be noted For otherwise we know not the free mercy of God then if we be perswaded that he spared not his onely begotten sonne because he loued vs at suche time as there was enmitie betweene him and vs Againe wee doe not sufficiently feele the benefite brought vnto vs by the death of Christe except this be vnto vs the beginning of our reconciliation with God that wee being perswaded the satisfaction being perfourmed hee is nowe fauourable to vs who before was iustly angrie with vs. So when acceptation into grace is ascribed to the death of Christe the meaning is that then the guiltinesse is taken away whereunto wee are otherwise subiect 11 And not this onely but also wee reioyce in God through our Lorde Iesus Christe by whome we are nowe reconciled 11 And not this onely Nowe he scaleth vnto the highest steppe of reioycing For whiles wee glory that God is ours what so euer good thinge may eyther bee imagined or wished doeth followe and flowe out of this fountayne For God is not onely the chiefest of all good thinges but he conteineth the summe and euery part in him selfe God in whom all good things are included is made ours by faith and hee is made ours by Christ Hither then doe wee come by the benefite of fayth that nothing bee wanting vnto vs touching felicitie And it is not without cause hee so often repeateth reconciliation First that wee might learne to fixe our eyes vpon the death of Christ as often as wee speake of our saluation Secondly that we may knowe that our confidence is no where t is to be reposed then in the forgiuenesse of sinnes 12 Wherefore as by one man sinne entered into the world and by sinne death and so death went ouer all men in as much as all haue sinned 13 For vnto the lawe sinne was in the world but sinne is not imputed while there is no lawe 14 But death raigned from Adam vnto Moses euen ouer them that sinned not after the like maner of the transgression of Adam which was the figure of him that was to come 12 Wherefore as Now hee beginneth to exaggerate the same doctrine by a comparison taken from contraryes For if Christ came therefore that he might deliuer vs from that calamitie into the which Adam fell and did precipitate all his posteritie with him we can no way better see what we haue in Christ then when it is shewed vnto vs what wee lost in Adam although all thinges are not a like on both partes Therefore Paul addeth a correction which shall be seene in his place and wee also if there be any diuersitie shall note it It is a vice in writing when that
is not put down which might answere the former The inconsequent doth somewhat darken the speech because the seconde member in the comparison is not expressed which might answere to the former But wee will doe our diligence to make both playne when wee come vnto the place Sinne entered into the worlde c. Marke here what order hee vseth For hee saith sinne was first and of that death followed For there are some that goe about to prooue vs to bee so cast away by the sinne of Adam as though we perished through no fault of our owne but therefore onely as though hee sinned for vs. Yet Paule affirmeth plainely that sinne hath entered into all which suffer the punishment of sinne And that hee vrgeth more strickly when a litle after he setteth downe the reason why all the posteritie of Adam is subiect to the power of deathe namely quoth he because we haue all sinned Furthermore this fame to sinne is to be corrupte and faultie Sinne taken for corruption of nature For that naturall prauitie which we bringe out of our mothers wombe althoughe it doe not so sone shewe fourth his fruites yet neuerthelesse it is sinne before the Lorde and deserueth his vengeance And this is that sinne they call originall For as Adam by his firste creation as well receyued for him selfe as for his posteritie the gifts of Gods grace so hee falling from the Lorde corrupted viciated defiled and destroyed our nature in him selfe For hee being put away from the similitude of God could begette no seede but like vnto himselfe Howe all are said to haue sinned Wee haue all therefore sinned because wee are all indued with naturall corruption and so are become sinnefull and frowarde For that imagination was friuelous whereby in olde tyme the Pelagians went aboute to shift of the wordes of Paule saying that sinne hath descended from Adam to all mankinde by imitation for so Christ shoulde bee onely an example of righteousnesse and not the cause Here also it may easely be gathered that the question is not of actuall sinne for if euery one shoulde woorke giltinesse to him selfe to what ende should Paul compare Adam with Christ it followeth therefore that ingraffed and naturall corruption is noted 13 Vntill the lawe This parenthesis contayneth a preoccupation For because it seemeth not there is any transgression without the lawe it might bee doubted whither there were any sinne before the Lawe That there was after the lawe there is no doubt onely the question was of the time went before the lawe Therefore he answereth that albeit God had not as yet denounced sentence by the written lawe yet was mankinde vnder the curse yea and that from his mothers wombe and therefore much lesse were they absolued from the condemnation of sinne who liued wickedly before the publishing of the lawe For there was alway a God to whom worshippe was due If al men be sinners as they come out of their mothers wombe much more are they which liue wickedly and there was alway some rule of righteousnesse This interpretation is so playne and cleare that it doth sufficiently of it selfe refell all contrary interpretations But sinne is not imputed Without the reprehēsion of the law we are in a maner a sleep in our sins And although we are not ignorant that we do euil yet as much as in vs is we ouerwhelme the knowlege of euill offering it self at the least we put it out throgh suddain forgetfulnes but whiles the law reproueth checketh vs as it were pulling vs by the eare it doth awaken vs so that now then we returne to thinke vpō the iudgement of God Therefore the Apostle noteth how peruerse men are when they are not stirred vp by the law namely the difference of good and euill for the most part being driuen away securely and sweetely to pamper thēselues as though there were no iudgement of God Otherwise that iniquities haue bin imputed vnto men of God the punishēnt of Cain the flood where in all the world was destroyed the destruction of Sodom the plages fell vpon Pharao and Abimelech for Abraham lastly the euils came vpō Egipt do proue that men also amongst thēselues haue charged one another with sin it is manifest by so many cōplaints expostulations wherin one accuseth another of iniquitie againe by their apologies wherin they studiously go about to clere their deeds Finally that euery mā was gilty of euill good in his owne conscience there be many examples with proue But for the most part they did so wincke at their euil facts that they would impute nothing vnto thēselues for sinne but that they were constrayned Therefore when he denieth sin to be imputed wtout the lawe How sin is said not to be imputed without the lawe hee speaketh by the way of cōparison namely because whē they are not pricked by the sting of the law they bury thēselues in slothfulnes Furthermore Paul hath inserted this sentēce very wisely that the iewes might therby the better learn how great blame they shuld sustein whō the law did opēly condēne For if they were not free frō punishmēt whō God neuer sōmoned gilty before his tribunal seat what shal come vnto the Iewes to whō the lawe like a cryer sheweth their giltines yea denoūceth iudgement another reasō also may be brought why he may plainly say that sin rained before the law yet was not imputed namely Another reason why sin is saide to haue raigned but not to haue bin imputed before the lawe that we might know the cause of death not to come of the law but to be shewed by the law Hee saith therfore that all men were forthw t frō the fal of Adā miserably cast away albeit the destruction was long after reueiled by the lawe If you translate the particle aduersatiue de although albeit the text shal run better for the meaning shal be albeit men flatter thē selues yet they cānot escape the iudgement of God yea whiles the law doth not reproue thē Death raigned frō Adā He openeth more clearly how it profited men nothing that frō Adam vntil the publishing of the law they liued licenciously securely the choise or difference of good euil being reiected so wtout the admonition of the law the remēbrance of sin was buried because neuerthelesse sin was of force vnto condemnation Wherefore then also death rained because the cecitie hardnes of mē cold not oppresse the iudgement of God 14 Yea euen ouer them Although this place bee commonly vnderstood of infantes who not being giltie of any actuall sinne dye through originall corruption yet had I rather expound it generally of all those sinned without lawe This sentence muste be annexed vnto the wordes wente before where it was said that they which wanted the lawe did not impute sinne vnto themselues They therefore sinned not after the similitude of the transgression of Adam How they who sinned without law are
be smitten with the terrour of Gods iudgement Therefore hee doth not onely conuince them of their iniquitie but also being cōuicted doth rouse them from their drowsinesse First of all hee condemneth all mankinde since the worlde began of ingratitude that in so excellent a workemanship they did not acknowledge the workemaster yea when they were constrained to acknowledge him they did not worthily honour his maiestie but prophaned violated the same with their vanitie So all men are proued giltie of impietie then the which there is no more detestable wickednesse And to the ende it might more plainely appeare that all men are fallen from the Lorde hee rehearseth the fylthie and abhominable woorkes whereunto euery where men are subiecte Which is a manifest argument that they haue degenerate frō God for as much as they are tokens of Gods wrath which appeare not but in the godlesse And because certaine of the Iewes and also of the Gentiles hauing couered theyr inward wickednesse with the cloake of outward holinesse did seeme vnreproueable of these impious workes And therefore were thought to bee exempted from the common condemnation the Apostle directeth his stile against that fained holinesse And because that visarde before men coulde not bee drawen from those pettie saints he reuoketh them vnto the iudgement of God whose eyes beholde the verie hidden thoughts Afterward hauing made a distribution he citeth the Iewes by themselues and the Gentiles also by themselues before the tribunall seate of God Hee taketh from the Gentiles that excuse of ignorance which they pretended For their conscience whereby they were sufficiently conuicted was vnto them in steede of a lawe Hee vrgeth the Iewes with that chiefly which they tooke for their defence namely with the written law wherof in as much they were proued to be transgressours they could not cleare themselues of iniquitie seeing the mouth of God had alreadie pronounced sentence against them Hee preuenteth also that obiection which might seeme to make for them videliz that the couenant of God which was vnto thē the marke of sanctification was violated vnlesse there were difference put betweene them and others Here first he teacheth that the title of the couenant made them nothing better then others seeing through their vnfaithfulnesse they were fallen from it Secondly least the constancie of gods promise should be in any part diminished he graunteth vnto them some prerogatiue by the couenant but such as consisteth in the mercy of God and not in their merite Then finally by the authoritie of the scripture he proueth al both Iewes and Gentiles to bee sinners where also he speaketh somwhat of the vse of the law Thus when he hath depriued all mankind both of the trust of their own vertue and also of the glory of righteousnes and throwen them downe with the seueritie of gods iudgement he commeth vnto that which he purposed namely that wee are iustified by faith shewing what faith that is and howe wee obteine thereby the righteousnesse of Christe Heerevnto hee addeth in the ende of the third Chapter a singuler sentence to beate downe the fiercenes of mans pride least he should aduaunce himself against the grace of God And also least the Iewes should hemme in the grace of God within the compasse of their nation he proueth by the way that it appertaineth to the Gentiles also In the 4. chap. he argueth frō an example which because it was cleere and therefore free from cauillations he putteth it downe to wit in Abraham who in as muche as hee is the father of the faithfull ought too bee in steede of a rule generall example Hauing therfore proued him to be iustified by faith he teacheth that the same way is to be holden of vs And heereupon hee inferreth by the comparing of contraries to followe that the righteousnesse of workes must vanish where place is giuen to the iustification of faith Which thing he proueth by the testimonie of Dauid who reposing all the blessednes of man in the mercy of God doth take this from works that they should make a man blessed After this hee handeleth that more at large whiche hee had briefly touched before namely that there is no cause why the Iewes shold aduance themselues aboue the gentiles who are partakers of the same felicitie with them seeyng the Scripture declareth righteousnesse to haue happened vnto Abraham when hee was vncircumcised In which place hee taketh occasion to intreate of the vse of circumcision After this he addeth that the promised saluation doth depend vpon the onely goodnes of God for if it depended vpon the law then could it neither bring peace vnto our consciences wherein it ought to be firmely rooted neyther were it like euer to come vnto his perfection Wherefore that it may be firme and sure in imbracing of it we are to consider the onely truth of God and not our selues and that after the example of Abraham who not considering himselfe did wholly set before him the power of God In the ende of the Chapter to the intent hee might more aptlye applye the alleadged example vnto the generall cause hee conferreth those thinges which on both sides are like In the fift Chapter after he hath touched the fruite effect of the righteousnes of faith he is almost wholly occupied in amplifications whiche serue to make the matter more cleere For by an argument taken from the greater he sheweth how great things we now being redeemed reconciled vnto God are to expect looke for at his hands through his loue which was so bountiful towards vs being sinners vtterly vndone cast away that he gaue vnto vs his onely begotten only beloued sonne After this he compareth sinne with righteousnes which commeth by free grace Christ with Adā death with life the law with grace Wherby he declareth that the infinite goodnes of God doth ouermatch our sins how great so euer they are In the sixte Chapter hee commeth vnto sanctification which we haue in Christ For our fleshe is prone assoone as it hath tasted a little of this grace to cocker wantonly his sins concupiscences as though it had now dispatched al. Therfore Paule on the contrary declareth here that we cannot bee partakers of righteousnes in Christ vnlesse also wee lay holde on sanctification Hee fetcheth his argument from Baptisme wherby we are admitted in the felowship of Christ therin we are buried together with Christ that being dead in our selues by his life wee might be raised vnto newnes of life Whereupon it ensueth that no man without regeneratiō can put on his righteousnes From hence he draweth exhortations vnto puritie and holines of life which necessarily ought to appeare in those who are translated from the power of sinne into the kingdome of righteousnes hauing cast away the wicked cockering of the flesh which seeketh a more licentious libertie of sinning in Christ Finally he doth briefly make mention of the abrogation of the law in abrogating wherof the new
thinke an example to bee propounded which prooueth that it appertaineth vnto the ceremonies onely But wee haue alreadie declared why Paule hath named circumcision For neither doe any other swell with the confidence of workes then hypocrites And wee know howe they glorye onely in eternall shewes Secondely circumcision in their iudgement was a certayne entraunce vnto the righteousnesse of the lawe therefore it seemed also to bee a woorke of great dignitie And whereas they fight out of the Epistle to the Galathians where when Paule handleth the same cause yet hee directeth his stile vnto ceremonies onely that also is not firme inough to obtaine that they woulde Sure it is Paul had to doe with such as did insence the people with a false beleeue or confidence of ceremonies That he might remoue or take this away hee doeth not conteine him selfe within the compasse of ceremonies neither disputeth hee specially of what valewe they are but he comprehendeth the whole lawe as may appeare by the places whiche are all of them deriued from that fountaine Paul speaketh here of workes without exception Suche also was the state of that disputation which was holden at Hierusalem amongst the disciples And it is not without cause we laboure to prooue Paul in this place without exception to speake of the whole lawe For the verye stile and maner of disputation which hee hath hither to followed and doeth still prosecute doeth sufficiently fauour vs and many places doe not suffer vs to thinke otherwise It is therefore a sentence notable amongst the chiefest that no man shall bee iustified by the keeping of the lawe Hee hath shewed the reason before and repeateth it againe straightwayes because all men together being conuicted of transgression are reprooued of vnrighteousnesse by the lawe Flesh without some speciall restraint signifieth man These two are contrary one to the other as wee shall see more at large in the processe to bee thought righteous by workes and to be guiltie of transgression This worde fleshe without any speciall consideration betokeneth men but that it seemeth after a sort to pretende a more generall signification After which maner more is expressed when one sayth all mortall men or all mortall creatures then if hee shoulde name all men as you may see with or at Gellius For by the Lawe Hee reasoneth from the contrarie that we haue not righteousnesse by the Lawe because it conuinceth vs of sinne and damnation seeing life and death proceede not foorth of the same fountaine And whereas he reasoneth from the contrary effect of the lawe that wee can not be iustified by it wee muste vnderstande his argument proceedeth or holdeth not except wee keepe this as an inseparable Though the law be the rule of righteousnes yet it profiteth nothing by reason of our corrupcion perpetuall accident that the lawe reuealing to man his sinne taketh from him the hope of saluation that way The Lawe truely by it selfe because it instructeth vnto righteousnesse is the way to saluation but our prauitie and corruption letteth that this way it profiteth nothing Nowe this must needes bee added in the seconde place whosoeuer is founde to bee a sinner hee is spoyled of righteousnesse For it is friuelous to faigne with Sophisters an halfe righteousnesse that workes shoulde partly iustifie But nothing is gotten on this behalfe for the corruption of man 21 But nowe is the righteousnesse of God made manifest without the lawe hauing witnes of the lawe and the prophetes 22 To witte the righteousnesse of GOD by the faith of Iesus Christe vnto all and vpon all that doe beeleeue 21 But nowe is the righteousnesse c. It is doubted in what sence hee calleth that the righteousnesse of God whiche wee obteine by fayth whither therefore because it onely consisteth or standeth in the sight of GOD or for that the Lorde doeth giue the same vnto vs of his mercie Because both interpretations agree well wee will contende on neither part What righteousnes is called the righteousnes of God and howe the same is reueiled with out the lawe id est workes He saith therfore that that righteousnes which God both communicateth vnto man and also embraceth only and acknowledgeth for righteousnesse is reueiled without the lawe that is without the ayde helpe or supportation of the lawe so that by the lawe is meant woorkes For it may not bee referred vnto doctrine which straightwayes hee citeth for the witnesse of free righteousnesse by faith Where as some restraine it vnto ceremonies shortly after I shall shewe that to bee vayne and colde It remayneth therefore that we knowe the merite of workes to be excluded Where also wee see howe hee mixeth not woorkes with the mercie of God But all opinion of workes being remooued and abolished he establisheth the onely mercie of God Neither am I ignorant that Augustine doth expounde it otherwise for he taketh the righteousnes of God for the grace of regeneration and hee confesseth this grace to bee free because the Lorde reneweth vs being vnworthie with his spirite And from this hee excludeth the workes of the lawe that is whereby men goe about without renouation of them selues in deserue God And I knowe well inough that certaine newe beholders and vewers of matters doe arrogantly pronounce this doctrine as though it were at this day reueiled vnto them But it shall appeare plainely by the text howe the Apostle without exception comprehendeth all woorkes All workes excluded from iustification yea euen those god worketh in vs. yea those which the Lorde woorketh in his For surely Abraham was regenerate and was led by the spirite of God at such tyme as hee denieth him to bee iustified by workes Therefore he excludeth from the iustification of man not onely those workes which are morrally good as commonly they terme them and which are done by the instinct of nature but also what woorkes so euer the faithfull can haue Secondly if that bee the definition of the righteousnesse of faith blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen the question is not of this or that kinde of woorkes but the merite of workes being done away onely remission of sinnes is put downe for the cause of righteousnesse They thinke these two agree well man to bee iustified by faith by the grace of Christ and yet notwithstanding to bee iustified by woorkes which doe proceede from spirtuall regeneration because both God doeth freely renewe and by faith wee receiue his gift But Paule taketh a farre other principle namely that the consciences of men are neuer quiet till they leane or reste vppon the onely mercie of God â— Cor. 5.19 Therefore in another place after he hath taught GOD to haue been in Christ that hee might iustifie men hee doeth also shewe the maner saying in not imputing to them their sinnes Gal. 3.12 Likewise to the Gallathians hee therefore maketh the lawe contrary to faith in respect of the effect of iustifiing because the lawe
A Propitiatory or reconciliation through his blood So I had rather worde for worde to keepe that Paule hath When the blood of Christ is only named the other partes of our redemption be not excluded but vnderstood by the figure Synecdoche which is when by a parte the whole is vnderstood for verily he seemeth vnto me by a continuall stile without interruption to say God is reconciled vnto vs so soone as we haue our confidence reposed in the blood of Christ because through faith we come into the possession of his benefite Whiles he nameth blood only he excludeth not the other partes of our redemption But rather vnder a parte hee comprehendeth the whole summe And named the blood wherein we haue our washing So by the figure Synecdoche the whole cleansing is noted For whereas he said of late that God was pleased with vs in Christ nowe hee addeth that the same is brought to passe by fayth and also what our faith ought chiefly respect in Christ For the forgiuenesse of sinnes The preposition causall is as much in value as if he had saide for forgiuenesse sake or to this ende that he might doe away sinnes And this definition or exposition doth confirme agayne that which I haue nowe already sundrie tymes warned namely that men are not iustified because they are suche indeede but by imputation Onely he vseth he vseth diuers woordes that he might more euidently declare there is no merite of ours in this righteousnesse For if we obteyne it by the remission of sinnes we gather it is out of our selues Secondly if the remission of sinnes bee of the meere liberalitye of God all merite falleth to the grounde Yet heere aryseth a question why he restrayneth pardon or forgiuenesse to the sinnes are passed Although this place be diuersly expounded It seemeth probable to me that Paule had regarde vnto the cleansinges or washinges of the lawe Whiche were onelye testimonies of the satisfaction to come For they coulde not please God There is the like place to the Hebrewes Heb. 9.15 that through Christe came the redemption of sinnes that were in the former Testament And yet thou mayst not vnderstande it that no transgressions but those of the former tyme are done awaye by the death of Christe Whiche dotage or folly some certayne mad men haue drawen from this place being vndecently wrested There neuer was is nor shal be any other satisfaction for sinne then the blood of Christ For Paule onely sheweth that vntill the death of Christ there was no price to please God and that the same was not accomplished or fulfilled by the figures of the lawe Wherefore the veritye vntill the fulnesse of time was in suspence Moreouer the same reason is of those sinnes doe daily make vs guyltye for there is one onely satisfaction for all Some that they might auoyde that inconuenience haue sayde the former sinnes were forgiuen least a liberty of sinning afterward should seeme to be graunted And true it is there is no remission giuen but to sinnes committed Not that the fruite of redemption doth fall away or perish if afterwarde we sinne as Nouatus with his sect did dreame Christes death not onely auayleable for sins past but also if hereafter we fal but because this is the dispensation of the Gospell to set before him is about to sinne the iudgement and wrath of GOD and before him hath sinned mercie Howe 〈…〉 that is the proâ—â—â— sence which I brought Whereas he addeth this remission to haue byn in patience or long sufferance They simply vnderstand it for meeknes myldnes or gentlenes which stayed the iudgement of God neither suffered it to burst foorth to our destruction vntill at the length he receiued vs into fauour But rather it seemeth to be a secret Preoccupation or preuenting of an obiection Least any shoulde obiect that it was long ere this mercy appeared Paule sheweth it was an argument of patience 26 To shewe c. The repetition of this member is not without an Emphasis or force which repetition Paule did purposely seeke after because it was very necessary seeyng man is perswaded vnto nothing more hardly then that hee disabling him selfe in all thinges should acknowledge them to be receiued of God How the righteousnes of God which was at al tymes had effect in al ages is said to be reuealed at this time although this new demonstration be mentioned of purpose that the Iewes might open their eyes to beholde At this time he referreth that vnto the day or time when Christ was exhibited which hath been at all times And not vnworthily for the which in olde time was knowen obscurely vnder shadowes God hath manifested openly in his sonne So the comming of Christ was the time of his good pleasure and the day of saluation God verily in all ages gaue some testimony of his righteousnes But when the sonne of righteousnesse shyned it appeared farre more bright The comparing therefore of the olde and new TestameÌ„t is to be noted because then at the last was the righteousnesse of God manifestly reuealed when Christ was exhibited That he might be iust It is a definition of that righteousnes which hee said was then reuealed when Christ was giuen as in the firste Chapter he taught to be declared in the Gospel And he affirmeth it to consist of two members The righteousnes of God reuealed in the Gospel conteyneth two branches One that he is absolutely righteous in himselfe another that he communicateth the sinne vnto men The first is that God is iust not as one amongest many but as one who onely conteyneth in himselfe all the fulnesse of righteousnesse For otherwise perfect and true prayse such as is due vnto him canne not be giuen vnto him then whiles he onely obteyneth the name and honour of iust all mankynd beyng condemned of vnrighteousnes He setteth the secoÌ„d meÌ„ber in the communication of righteousnes namely whiles God doth not keepe his riches hid vp in himselfe but powreth them out vpon men Therefore the righteousnes of God appeareth in vs so farre foorth as he iustifieth vs by the faith of Christ For in vayne were Christ giuen vnto righteousnes except there followed a fruitioÌ„ of him by faith Wherby it foloweth that al men were vniust damned in themselues til a remedy was offered from heauen 27 Where then is the glorying It is excluded By what law Of workes Nay But by the law of faith 28 VVee determine therefore that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe 27 VVhere then is the glorying After that the Apostle hath sufficiently by firme reasons beaten men downe from the confidence of workes he nowe taunteth their vanity This exclamation or acclamation to the thing alreadye declared and proued was necessary for in this cause it did not suffice to teache except by greater vehemency of the holy Ghost he should lighten and thunder against our pride to ouerthrow it And
power to raigne in vs for the vertue of sanctification ought to haue the superioritie ouer it that our life might testifie we are indeed the members of Christ Of late I admonished that this worde bodie is not to be taken for the flesh skinne and bones By body is meant the whole corrupted masse of man but if I may say so for the whole masse of man And that may be gathered more certainly out of this present place because another member which hee will adde straight wayes concerning the partes of the bodie is also extended vnto the soule And so Paule meaneth euen grosely the earthly man For the corruption of our nature causeth that we shew forth nothing worthy of our originall So God also whiles he complaineth that man is become fleshe or carnall as the bruite beastes leaueth nothing vnto him but that is earthly Gen. 6.3 Hereunto apperteineth that saying of Christ That which is borne of flesh is flesh Ioh. 3.6 For if any obiect that there is another consideration of the soule the aunsweare is at hande namely as wee are nowe degenerate our soules are so fastened to the earth and so addicted to our bodies that they are fallen from their dignitye or excellencie Furthermore the nature of man is called corporall because he being depriued of celestiall grace is onely a certayne deceiueable shadow or image And adde that this bodie is called mortall of Paule by contempt that he might teache howe the whole nature of man inclineth vnto death and destruction Nowe verily he calleth sinne that firste corruption abyding in our soules which draweth vs to sinne whence properly all euill deedes and abhominations flowe Betweene that and vs he putteth concupiscences in the middest that that might be in steed of a king concupiscences as statutes and commaundements 13 Giue not your members When sinne hath once gotten the dominion in our soule all our members are straight wayes giuen ouer into his obsequie or obedience Wherefore he describeth here the kingdome of sinne by the sequeles that hee might declare the better what we must doe if we will shake off his yoke And he borroweth his similitude from warfare whiles he calleth our members weapons like as if he saide as a souldier hath alwayes weapons in a readinesse to vse them as often as he shal be commaunded by his captaine and neuer vseth them but at his appointment so Christians ought to esteeme all their members to be weapons of the spirituall warfare We are the souldiers of Christ ought to haue nothing to doe with the campes of sinne If therefore they abuse any member of theirs vnto wickednesse they are woorthy to be blamed But by the othe of warfare they haue bound themselues to God and Christ by which othe they are tyed They ought therefore to haue nothing to doe with the campes of sinne They may see here by what right they can pretend the name of Christian whose whole members beeing as it were the brothell houses of Sathan are ready to commit all filthinesse On the contrarie nowe he biddeth vs giue our selues wholly to God namely that we restrayning our minde and heart from all wandering whereunto the lustes of the fleshe drawe vs might intende vppon the will of God onelie might be ready to receiue his commaundementes and prepared to obey his precepts that our members also might be destinated and consecrated to his pleasure that al the powers of our soule and body might fauour nothing but his glorie And the reason is added because it is not in vayne that the former life being done away the Lord hath created vs to a new after which actions deeds ought to follow 14 For sinne shal not haue dominion ouer you For you are not vnder the law but vnder grace 15 What then Shal we sinne because we are not vnder the law but vnder grace God forbid 16 Know ye not that to whom ye haue giuen your selues seruauntes to obey his seruantes yee are whom yee doe obey whether it be of sinne vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousnesse 17 But thankes be to God that yee were the seruantes of sinne but ye haue obeyed from the heart the type of doctrine whereinto ye haue beene brought 18 And being freed from sinne ye are made the seruants of righteousnesse 14 For sinne shall not haue dominion It is not necessary to abide long in reciting and refuting those expositions which haue none or but litle shew of truth There is one which may more probably be suffered then the rest namely whiche taketh this worde vnder the lawe For to be subiect vnto the letter of the lawe which doth not renewe the mynde as againe to be vnder grace is as much as by the spirite of grace to bee freed frō euill concupiscēces But that exposition is not simply allowed of mee For if we take that sence whereunto shall that interogation tende which followeth straight wayes Shall wee sinne because wee are not vnder the lawe The Apostle woulde neuer haue subiected suche a question excepte bee had meant that we are freed from the rigour of the lawe that God might no more deale with vs according to extreeme iustice wherefore there is no doubt but his meaning is to shewe heere some deliueraunce from the bondage of the lawe of the Lorde But all contention layde aparte I will briefly declare what I thinke And first heere seemeth vnto mee to bee a consolation wherewith the faithfull are confirmed that they faynte not in the studie of holines through the feeling of their weakenesse Hee did exhort them that they shoulde apply all their powers vnto the obedience of righteousnesse But so long as they carrie about the relikes of the flesh they muste needes halte somewhat Therefore least they being ouercome with the knowledge of their infirmitie shoulde dispayre he preuenteth this in time comforting them in this that their workes are not to be examined according to the seuere rule of the law but their impuritie being remitted God doth fauourably mercifully accept of them The yoke of the law cannot be borne but it breaketh or crusheth those that beare it it remayneth therefore that the faithful flee vnto Christ and desire him to be their deliuerer And so he offereth himself For to this end tooke he vpon him the seruitude of the law wherunto otherwise he was not a debter that he might deliuer those were vnder the lawe as the Apostle saith vnto the Galathians Gal. 4.5 What is the meaning when it is said we are not vnder the law Therfore not to be vnder the law signifieth not only that by the dead letter is prescribed vnto vs that which maketh vs guilty because we are vnable to performe it but also that we are not subiect vnto the lawe as it requireth perfect righteousnes pronouncing death against all those transgresse it in anie part Vnder the name of grace we vnderstand likewise both partes of redemption that is the remission of
sinnes wherby God imputeth righteousnes vnto vs and the sanctification of the spirite by the which he frameth vs a new vnto good works I take the particle aduersatiue to bee put for a causall whiche hapneth often as though it were said because we are vnder grace therefore we are not vnder the law Now the sence shal be plaine For the Apostles minde is to cōfort vs that we faint not in the study of wel doing for that we feele as yet in our selues many imperfections For howsoeuer we be vexed with the sting of sinne yet it cannot subdue vs because we get the vpper hande through the spirite of God Moreouer being vnder grace we are free from the seuere exaction of the law Here furthermore the Apostle is to be vnderstood to take it for a thing graunted that all they who are destitute of the grace of God being bound vnto the yoke of the law are holden vnder condemnation And so on the contrary a man may argue that so long as mē are vnder the law they are subiect to the power of sinne 15 What then Because the wisedome of the flesh alway cryeth out against the mysteries of God he necessarily addeth this Preoccupation For seeing the law is the rule of righteousnes and was giuen to gouerne men we thinke that it beyng broken straightwayes all discipline falleth to the ground the barres are broken and finally there remayneth no choyse or difference of good and euill But herein we are deceiued that by the abrogation of the law we think that righteousnes is abolished which God commendeth vnto vs in the law We are not deliuered from the obedience of the commandemēts but from the curse of the law For this is not to bee drawen vnto the preceptes teaching a right forme of life whiche Christ confirmeth and establisheth rather then abrogateth And this verily is the proper solution that nothing els is taken away but the curse of the lawe whereunto all menne that are out of grace be subiect But Paule albeeit hee doeth not expressely shewe that yet indirectlye hee declareth it 16 God forbidde Knowe yee not It is not a bare reiection as some haue thought as though he had rather detest such a question then refute it For straight after followeth a confutation taken from the nature of contraries almost to this sence betweene the yoke of Christ and sinne there is more cōtrariety then that any can together beare them both If we sinn we deliuer our selues into the seruitude of sinne but on the cōtrary the faithfull are redeemed from the tyranny of sinne that they might serue Christ therefore it is impossible they should abyde bound vnto sinne But it shal be profitable more neerely to discusse the order of this argument as it is digested of Paule To whom you obey This relatiue hath the force of a Particle causall as it doth often come to passe Like as if one sayd there is no kynd of wickednes a paricide wil not doe who doubted not to commit the greatest mischiefe of al such a cruelty as in it selfe is almost abhorred of the very beastes And the reason of Paule is taken partly from the effects partly from the nature of Correlatiues For first if they obey he gathereth they are seruants because their obediēce testifieth that he hath power to command who bringeth them so into his obsequie This reason is taken from the effect of seruitude out of the which aryseth that other if yee be seruauntes Then agayne is the power of dominating in him Or of obedience Hee speaketh improperly For if he woulde haue made one part aunsweare another he should haue saide or of righteousnesse vnto life But seeyng the inuersion of the woordes did hinder nothing the sence of the matter hee choose rather by the name of obedience to expresse what righteousnesse is Wherin yet there is the figure Metonymia because obedience is taken for the commaundementes of GOD which are to bee obeyed Obedience put for the commandements are to be obeyed And whereas hee hath put downe this woorde obedience without anie addition thereby he declareth it is God onelie vnto whose authoritie consciences ought to be subiecte And therefore obedience yea though that name of God be not expressed neuerthelesse is referred vnto God for it cannot be manifold 17 But thankes bee vnto God This is the application of the similitude vnto the present cause wherein although they were onelie to haue beene admonished that they are not the seruants of sin he addeth a thankesgiuing first that he might teach how it is not of their owne merite but of the singuler mercie of God and also that by the thankesgiuing they might learne how great a benefite of God it is and so much the more might bee incouraged to detest sinne And he giueth thankes not in respect of that time wherein they were the seruauntes of sinne but for that deliueraunce followed Wherfore Paul giueth thankes whiles they ceassed to bee that they were before And this secrete comparison of the former estate with the present hath an Emphasis For the Apostle taketh vp the slaunderers of the grace of Christe whiles hee sheweth the that ceasing all mankinde is holden captiue vnder sinne but so soone as that sheweth it selfe the kingdome of sinne ceaseth Hereuppon we may gather that we are not therefore freed from the seruitude of the law that we should sinne because the lawe doeth not loose his dominion or power before the grace of God haue taken vs to it selfe that it might restore righteousnes in vs and therfore it is impossible we should be vnder sinne when the grace of God raigneth in vs. For we shewed before that vnder this woorde is conteyned the spirite of regeneration you haue obeyed from the hearte Here also Paule compareth by the way of contrarietie the secrete vertue of the spirite with the externall letter as though he saide Christ inwardly frameth our heartes better then if the lawe shoulde force them by threatning and terrifiyng And so is that obloquie done away namely if Christ deliuer vs from the subiection of the lawe he bringeth libertie of sinne To what end we are deliuered frō sinne in Christ Seeing he doth not deliuer his that they shoulde liue as they list or that they should triumph without modestie as loose horses through the fields but leadeth them vnto the best kinde of life Although Erasmus following the old interpreter chooseth rather to translate it forme I am constrained to leaue this word type which word Paul vseth except some peraduenture had rather turne it example For he seemeth vnto me to note the expresse image of that righteousnes which Christ graueth in our harts And that answereth to the prescript or determinate rule of the law wherunto all our actions ought to be formed that they leane not to the right or left hand 18 But beeing freed from sinne The meaning is it is absurde that any after he is deliuered out of
of the fleshe is not brideled but rather it increaseth Whereby it followeth that the kingdome of righteousnesse is not established till Christe haue freed vs from the lawe And withall Paule admonisheth what workes doe become vs beeyng loosed from the lawe So long therefore as a man is holden vnder the yoke of the lawe by sinning continually he can bring nothing vnto himselfe but death If the seruice of the lawe begetteth sinne onely then deliuerance which is contrary must tende vnto righteousnesse if that lead vnto death then this vnto life But let vs consider the very wordes of Paul Whiles he goeth about to describe that time wherein wee were vnder the dominion of the lawe hee saith we were in the fleshe Whereby we vnderstand that all they which are vnder the law reape nothing els thereby then that without fruite and efficacie their eares are beaten with the externall breath thereof seeing they are inwardly destitute of the spirite of God Therefore they must needes abide altogether corrupt peruerse vntill a better remedie come to heale their disease And note the vsuall phrase of the Scripture to bee in the flesh for What it is to be in the flesh to be indued onely with the gifts of nature without that speciall grace wherew t God vouchsafeth his elect Furthermore if this whole state of life be corrupt it is apparant that naturally there is no part of our soule sound neither is there any other power of free wil but that it may send foorth euyll affections as dartes into euery part Affections of sinnes which are by the lawe That is the lawe did stir vp euill affections in vs which did declare their efficacie in all our members For there is no parte which did not serue the euill affections This is the worke of the lawe namely to inflame our heartes the more that they shoulde burst foorth into such lustes if that inwarde master of the spirite bee not present But obserue here that the lawe is matched with the corrupt nature of man whose peruersitie and lust the more it is restrained by the barres of the lawe the more furiously it bursteth foorth He addeth againe so long as the affections of the fleshe were ruled vnder the law they brought foorth fruite vnto death that they might shew how the lawe by it selfe killeth whereby it followeth that they are foolish who so greatly couet after that seruice bringeth death 6 But now wee are freed from the lawe Hee pursueth his argument from contraries if the bande of the lawe did so little preuaile to bridle the fleshe that it was rather an increment of sinne then of necessitie must we be loosed that we may cease to sinne If then wee bee freed from the bondage of the lawe that we might serue God they doe wickedly whiche take from hence libertie of sinning And they speake wickedly which say by this meanes the raines are loosed to concupiscence Note therefore wee are then loosed from the lawe when God doth indue vs being freed from the seuere exaction and curse thereof with his spirite that wee might walke in his wayes Beeing dead to it This parte conteyneth a reason or rather sheweth the maner whereby we are deliuered namely whiles the law is so farre foorth abrogated from vs that we be not oppressed with the burden thereof or least that the seuere rigour thereof ouerwhelme vs in the Curse In the newnesse of the spirite Hee opposeth the spirite against the letter because before that our will by the holy Ghoste be formed vnto the will of God we haue nothing in the lawe but the outward letter Why newnesse is ascribed vnto the spirite which in deede brideleth our externall actions but it restraineth not the furie of our concupiscence at all Hee attributeth newenesse vnto the spirite because it succeedeth in the steede of the olde man as the Letter is called old which perisheth by the regeneration of the spirite 7 What shall we say then is the lawe sinne God forbid But I knewe not sinne but by the lawe For I had not knowen concupiscence except the lawe had saide thou shalte not lust 8 But sinne tooke an occasion by the commandement wrought in me al maner of concupiscence 7 What shall wee say then Because it was saide wee must be deliuered from the lawe that we might serue God in the newnesse of spirit this fault did seeme to be in the law as though it did driue vs vnto sinne But seeing that is very absurd the Apostle did very well to take in hand to refute it When hee demaundeth therfore whether the law be sin his meaning is whether it beget sin so that the fault thereof ought to bee imputed to the law Sinne remaineth in vs not in the lawe But I knew not sin Then doth sinne abide in vs and not in the law because the cause of sin is the wicked cōcupiscence of our flesh we come into the knowledge therof by the knowledge of the righteousnes of God which is declared vnto vs in the law But you are not to vnderstād it as though there were no difference at al betweene righte wrong without the law But the either we are too blinde in seeing our corruption or els whiles wee flatter our selues wee are altogether secure as also it followeth For I had not knowen concupiscence This is therefore a declaration of the former sentence wherein he sheweth that that ignoraunce of sinne whereof hee spake did stande in this that men marked not their concupiscence And purposely he persisteth in one kynde wherein chiefly Hypocrisie raygneth whereunto retchlesse pampering and securitie is alway annexed For men are neuer so depriued of iudgement but externall woorkes keepe with them their difference Yea they are forced also to condemne wicked counsels and such like deuises which they cannot doe but they must needes giue vnto a right will that prayse is due vnto it But the faulte of concupiscence is more hidden and more deepely layde vppe whereby it commeth to passe that it neuer commeth into question so long as men iudge according to their sence For he doth not boast himselfe to haue beene voyde of it but hee did so flatter himselfe that hee made no account of that sinne lurking in his heart For seeyng he was deceiued for a tyme when hee thought that righteousnesse coulde not be hindered by concupiscence then at length he perceyued he was a sinner when he saw concupiscence of the which no man is voyde to be forbidden by the Lawe Augustine sayeth that Paule vnder this worde conteyneth the whole lawe whiche so that we vnderstande it well is true For when Moses sheweth of what things we are to take heede least wee offend or hurt our neighbour he addeth thou shalt not lust which is to bee referred vnto all those preceptes went before There is doubt but in the former commaundementes he had condemned whatsoeuer wicked affections our hearts conceiue Concupiscence without
gather that the doctrine of the lawe is so agreeable vnto right iudgement that the faithfull refuse the transgression thereof as a brutishe thing And beecause Paul seemeth to confesse that hee taught otherwise then the lawe commaunded many interpreters haue been deceyued which haue thought that hee tooke vpon him the person of another hence came that common errour that some haue supposed the nature of an vnregenerate man to haue been described in this whole chapter But Paule vnder the transgression of the law includeth all the offences of the godly What is ment by transgressioÌ„ who neither shake off the feare of God nor studie of well doing Therefore denieth hee him selfe to doe that which the lawe commaundeth because hee doeth it not absolutely but in a maner fainteth in his indeuoure For what I woulde doe You maye not vnderstand this to haue bin alway in him as though he coulde neuer do any good but onely he complayneth that he could not doe that he coueted namely that he coulde not prosecute that was good with such alacritie as was meete because hee was holden in a maner bond againe that he fainted in that wherein he would not because hee was feeble through the infirmitie of the fleshe The godly minde therefore doeth not that good it woulde Howe the godly do not that they woulde because it standeth not with courage as were meete and it doth the euill it would not because it desireth to stande and falleth or at the least shaketh Howebeit this will and nill must bee referred vnto the spirite which ought to haue the principalitie in the faithfull Yea the fleshe hath his will but Paule calleth that will whiche hee coueted with the speciall affection of his heart and hee calleth that contrary to his will which did gaynestande the same Here verily we may gather that we said namely that Paul here intreateth of the faithful in whom that grace of the spirite florisheth which doth illustrate the consent of a sounde mind with the righteousnes of the law because the flesh can not hate sinne 15 And if I doe that I woulde not I consent to the lawe That is to say whiles my heart doeth recreate it selfe in the law and is delighted with the righteousnes thereof whiche thynge vndoubtedly commeth to passe when it hath the transgressing thereof therein it feeleth and acknowledgeth the goodnesse of the lawe so that wee are sufficiently conuicted yea euen by experience that no euill is to be imputed to the lawe Yea it woulde bee holesome vnto men if it happened vppon right and pure heartes And here wee are not to take consent for such as wee heare to bee in the wicked whose wordes are What kinde of consent to the lawe of God there is in the godly godles I see better thinges and I allowe of them I followe after woorse Item I will followe those thinges which are hurtfull and flee those thinges I thinke may profit For they doe it by compulsion because they subscribe to the righteousnesse of God from the which otherwise their will â—â—l together aduersant but the godly consenteth in deede with a most cheerefull desire of heart for that hee coueteth nothing more then to mount vp into heauen 17 Nowe it is no more I that worketh it This is not the speeche of one excusing him selfe as though he were without faulte as many triflers thinke they haue a good defence whereby they may couer their sinnes whiles they cast them vpon the flesh but it is a declaration howe far he dissenteth from his flesh in his spirituall affection For the faithfull are caried with such feruencie of spirit to obey God that they denie their fleshe Furthermore this place proueth that Paul disputeth not here of any other then of the godly whiche bee already regenerate For so long as man abideth like himselfe whatsoeuer hee bee hee is worthily counted corrupt But Paule heere denieth himselfe to bee altogether possessed of sinne yea hee exempteth him selfe frome the bondage thereof as if hee said that sinne remayned onely in some parte of his soule seeing hee doeth earnestly from his heart labour and striue vnto the righteousnes of God and in deede declareth himselfe to beare the lawe of God grauen within him 18 For I know that in mee that is in my fleshe there dwelleth no good thing For truely to will is present with me but I finde no meanes to perfourme that is good 19 For the good that I woulde that do I not but the euill that I woulde not that I doe 20 And if I doe that I would not now then I do it not but sinne that dwelleth in mee 18 For I knowe Hee sayth that ther dwelleth no good thing in him in respecte of nature Therefore it is as muche as if it were sayde in mee so farre forth as of my selfe For euen by the first woordes he condemneth him selfe wholly of corruption when hee confesseth there dwelleth no good thing in him then in the seconde place hee addeth a correction least he shoulde bee contumelious agaynst the grace of God whiche did also dwell in him but was no part of the fleshe And here againe hee confirmeth that he speaketh not of euery man but onely of the faythfull man who through the reliques of the fleshe and grace of the spirite is diuided in him selfe For to what purpose were this correction excepte some parte were free from faulte and therefore not carnall Vnder the name of fleshe hee alwayes comprehendeth all the gyftes of mans nature and also what so euer is in man besides the sanctification of the spirite As vnder the name spirite which hee is wont to oppose agaynst the fleshe he signifieth that part of the soule with being purged from corruption the spirite of God hath so fashioned it that the image of God doeth appeare in it Both these names therefore as wel of the flesh as the spirit agree vnto the soule The word fleshe agreeth vnto the soule but the one vnto that part of the soule which is regenerate the other vnto that which reteyneth stil his naturall affection To will is present with mee His meaning is not that he had nothing but an vneffectuall desire but he denyeth that the efficacie of the woorke aunsweared his will because the flesh hindered him that he could not exactly doe that he did And so also vnderstand that which followeth namely to do the euil he would not because the flesh of the godly doth not onely let them that they cannot runne speedily but also putteth many impedimentes in their way whereat they stumble They doe it not therefore We are said not to doe that whiche we doe not as we should because they performe it not with suche alacritye as were meete Wherefore this will he speaketh of is the readinesse of faith whyles the holy spirite doth so frame the godly that they are redie and studie to giue theyr members to obey the Lorde And because
testamēt is made manifest where besides the forgetting of sin the holy spirite is promised In the 7. Chapter he entreth into a most necessary disputatiō of the vse of the lawe whiche hee had lightly by the waye touched before giuing a reason why wee are loosed from the law because that by it self it had no power but vnto condemnation And least this should turne to the reproch of the law he doth mightily cleare the lawe from all reproches For he sheweth that through our fault it came to passe that the lawe which was giuen for life was made the matter of death Declaring also howe sinne is encreased by it From hence hee passeth to the description of the fight between the spirite and the flesh which fight the children of God feele in themselues so long as they are shut within the prison of this mortall body for they beare the reliques of concupiscence wherby they are continually drawen partly from the obedience of the law The eight chapter is full of consolations least the consciences of the faythfull being feared with that disobedience which he reprooued before or rather imperfect obedience should be ouerthrowne But least that the wicked should take occasiō herby to flatter thēselues first he sheweth that this benefit doth not appertein vnto any but vnto the regenerate in whō the spirit of God liueth is of force Therefore he vnfoldeth two things the first that all those which are graffed into the Lord Christ by his spirit are freed frō the danger feare of condemnation howsoeuer they are yet laden with sinnes Secondly that they which yet remain in the flesh without the spirit of sanctification are not partakers of this so great a benefit thē afterward he declareth howe great the certainetie of our trust is seeing the spirit of God by his testimony doth driue away all douting and wauering Moreouer by an anticipation or preuenting he sheweth that the assurance of eternall life cānot be interrupted or disturbed through the presēt miseries whereunto for the time of this mortall life we are subiect but rather by such exercises our saluation is furthered vnto the excellencie whereof if all the present miseries bee compared they are nothing This thing he confirmeth by the example of Christ Who as he is the first begotten obteining the principalitie in the house of God so he is the first paterne whereunto we ought all of vs to be conformed And therfore as vnto a thing most safe and sure hee addeth a notable triumphe wherein he triumpheth couragiously against the power and engines of Satan And for as much as many were greatly mooued when they sawe the Iewes which were the principall keepers and heires of the couenat to dispise Christ for thereby they gathered that eyther the couenant was translated from the posteritie of Abraham whiche contemned the keeping of the couenant or els this was not the promised Sauiour whiche prouided not better for the people of the Iewes he beginneth to meet with this obiection in the entrāce into the nienth chapter Hauing therefore first of all testified his goodwill towardes his countreymen the Iewes that they might not think hee spake any thing of malice and also hauing mentioned those ornaments whereby they excelled others he descendeth easily to the taking away of that offence which did arise of their cecitie or blindnes And deuideth the sonnes of Abraham into two sortes that he might declare how that all those which are borne of him according to the fleshe are not to bee reckoned in his seed to participate the grace of the couenant And on the contrary those which are not borne of his seed to be counted for sonnes if they be ingraffed by faith Wherof he proposeth an example in Iacob and Esau Therefore he calleth vs here vnto the election of God vpon the which this whole matter must necessarily consist and depend Againe seeing this election leaneth only vpon the mercie of God in vayne is the cause thereof sought for in the worthines of men Reprobation is contrary which notwithstanding it is most iust yet is there no cause aboue the will of God About the end of the chapter hee declareth by the testimonies of the Prophetes both the calling of the Gentiles and also the reprobation of the Iewes In the tenth chapter hauing begunne agayne with the testification of his good will towards the Iewes he sheweth that the vaine trust of workes was the cause of their ruine And least they shoulde pretende excuse by the lawe hee preuenteth that declaring howe by the lawe wee are also led as it were by the hande vnto the righteousnesse of faith Adding that this righteousnesse through the bountifulnesse of God is indifferently offered vnto all nations but yet to be apprehended of those onely whom God hath lightened with his speciall grace And whereas moe Gentiles then Iewes are partakers of that blessing he sheweth that that also was forespoken of by Moses and Esai The one whereof prophesied playnely of the calling of the Gentiles and the other of the hardening of the Iewes Here yet remayned a questiō whither the couenant of god put not some difference between the seede of Abraham other nations Whiles he goeth about to satisfie this question first he admonisheth that the worke of God is not to be boūd vnto the sight of the eye seeing many times the elect passe our vnderstanding Euen as in olde tyme Elias was deceiued who thought that religion was vtterly perished among the Israelites when as yet there were seuen thousande aliue Secondly that we are not to be troubled with the multitude of vnbeleeuers whiche wee see abhorre the Gospel At the length hee affirmeth that the couenant of God abideth yea euen in the posteritie of Abraham according to the fleshe but yet in those whom God according to his free election hath predestinated Then he conuerteth his talk vnto the Gentiles least they growing too proude through their adoption shoulde lift vp themselues against the Iewes as reprobates when in the meane time they excell thē in nothing but in the fauourable acceptation of the Lorde which ought rather to bee vnto them a cause of humilitie And the same also is not vtterly departed from the seede of Abraham for the Iewes at the length by the fayth of the Gentiles shall bee prouoked vnto emulation that so GOD may gather vnto him all his Israel The three Chapters following conteyne preceptes or instructions touching manners but they are diuersly distinguished The twelfth Chapter conteyneth generall preceptes concerning a christian life The thirteenth chapter for the most part is spent in establishing the authoritie of Magistrats Whereby wee may make a most certayn collection that there were then some vnquiet persons which thought christian libertie coulde not stande vnlesse the ciuill power were ouerthrowne But least Paul shoulde seeme to impose any thing vpon the Church besides the dueties of charitie hee sheweth that this obedience is also conteyned vnder charitie After this hee
separated from the goates and 〈◊〉 â—ll the corne bee purged from the tares 6 Who shal giue to euery man c. Because he hath to doe with blynd saints who thinke the wickednes of the heart to be well couered so that it be spread ouer with certayne I know not what shewes of vayne workes he setteth downe true righteousnesse of woorkes which shall haue place before God least they shoulde thinke it were sufficient to please him if they brought words trifles only or leaues God in coÌ„demning the reprobate payeth them that they haue deserued Moreouer there is no such difficultie in this sentence as commonly there is thought to be For if God by iust reuengement shall punishe the wickednesse of the reprobate he shall recompence them that they haue deserued Agayne because he sanctifieth them whom in time to come he purposeth to glorifie in them also he will crowne good workes but not according to merite Good woorkes crowned but not according to merite For merite is not proued by the reward For that cannot be prooued by this sentence which sentence although it shew what rewarde good workes shall haue yet notwithstanding it sheweth not what they merite are woorth or deserue nor yet what rewarde is due vnto them It is a foolishe sequele to prooue merite by the rewarde 7 To them truely whiche according to perseueraunce worde for word it is patience by whiche worde there is somewhat more expressed For perseuerance is when one constantly abydeth in well doyng without wearinesse pacience also is required in the Sayntes whereby although they are oppressed with diuers tentations yet they faynt not SataÌ„ interrupteth the course of godlinesse For Sathan suffereth them not with free passage to come vnto the Lorde but laboureth by innumerable offences to hynder them and turne them out of the right way And whereas hee sayeth that the faithfull by persisting in good woorkes doe seeke glory and honour his meaning is not that they aspire any whither then vnto the Lorde or to seeke any thing aboue him or more excellent then he but they can not seeke him but also they must contende to come vnto the blessednesse of his kingdome The Lord giueth eternall life vnto them who by well doing meditate vppon immortalitie a description whereof is conteyned vnder the circumlocution of these woordes The meaning therefore is that the Lorde will giue vnto those eternall life who studying to doe good workes meditate vpon immortalitie 8 But to those are contentious The speech is somewhat confused First because the tenor forme or fashion of the talke is broken For the course of speeche required that the second part of comparison shoulde cleaue vnto the first after this sort the Lorde will giue eternall life to those which by perseuerance in good workes seeke glory honour and immortalitie but to the contentious and disobedient eternall death Then should bee added the illation or conclusion namely that there is prepared for those glory honour and incorruption but for these there is laide vppe wrath and affliction Secondly because these woordes indignation wrath tribulation and anguishe are applied vnto two diuers members In the scriptures we must seeke for spirituall wisedome and not for eloqueÌ„ce yet this troubleth not the sense of the speache which ought to suffise vs in the writinges of the Apostles For out of others wee must seeke for eloquence heere is spirituall wisedome to be sought for vnder a base and simple stile of wordes Contention heere is put for rebellion and stiffeneckednesse because Paul hath to doe with hypocrites who through grosse and rechlesse cockering make a mockerie of God Vnder the name of trueth is simply vnderstoode the rule of Gods will which is the onely lanterne of trueth For this is a common thing to al the wicked that they had rather subiect theÌ„ selues in seruice to iniquitie then take vpon theÌ„ the yoke of God And what obedieÌ„ce so euer they pretende yet they cease not stubburnely to murmure and striue against the woorde of God For as they which are openly wicked Betweene the seruice of God and sinne there is no meane so that if we serue not God then do we serue sinne scoffe at this trueth so the hypocrites doubt not to oppose their counterfeite seruinges and worshippinges against it Moreouer the Apostle heereby putteth in minde that such stubburne people doe serue iniquitie For there is no meane whereby they shoulde not presently fall into the seruitude of sinne who will not be ruled by the lawe of the Lorde And this also is a iust rewarde of franticke licenciousnesse that they are made the bondslaues of sinne who thought it much to obey God Indignation and wrath The property of the wordes hath caused mee to turne it thus For Thumos with the Grecians signifieth that which Cicero teacheth Excandescentiam to note with the latines â—usc 4. namely a sudden inflammation of wrath In the others I followe Erasmus And note that of the foure which are reconed the two latter are as it were effectes of the former For they which perceiue or feele God to bee against them and angrie with them forthwith are confounded Neuerthelesse when hee might briefly in two woordes haue shewed as well the blessednesse of the godly as the destruction of the reprobate he amplyfieth them both in many woordes To the ende hee might better and more effectually mooue men with the feare of Gods wrath and stirre vp the desire of obtayning grace by Christ For we neuer feare the iudgement of God sufficiently vnlesse it bee by a liuely description as it were set before our eyes Neyther do wee seriously burne with the desire of the life to come except wee be stirred vp by manie prouokements 9 To the Iewe first I doubt not but he simplie opposeth the Gentile to the Iewe. For whom he nowe calleth Grecians straight wayes hee calleth the same Gentiles And the Iewes are first in the action of this cause for that they specially had the promises and threatnings of the lawe as if hee shoulde say this is the vniuersall lawe of Gods iudgement which shall begin at the Iewes and comprehend the whole worlde 11 For there is no respect of persons with God 12 Whosoeuer haue sinned without lawe shall also perishe without lawe and who so haue sinned in the lawe shall be iudged by the lawe 13 For not the hearers of the lawe are righteous before God but the doers of the lawe shal be iustified 11 For there is no respect of persons Hitherto hee hath drawen all men generally giltie vnto iudgement nowe he beginneth here to reproue the Iewes by themselues and the Gentiles by themselues And withall he teacheth that that diuersitie or difference which separateth the one from the other letteth not but both of them without difference may bee subiect to eternall death The Gentiles pretended excuse by ignoraunce the Iewes gloried in the title of the Lawe from the Gentiles hee
taketh all excuse and hafting and the Iewes hee spoyleth of their false and vaine boasting It is therefore a certaine diuision or distribution of all mankinde into two members For God had seuered the Iewes from other nations and as for all other nations they were in one and the like case Nowe hee sheweth that that diuersitie hindereth nothing whereby they should not both bee intangled wrapped in the same giltinesse But the woorde person is vsed in the Scripture By person is meant whatsoeuer externall thing the world esteemeth for all external thinges which are wont to bee had in any price or estimation When thou readest therfore that God is no accepter of persons vnderstande that hee respecteth the puritie and inwarde innocencie of the heart and regardeth not those thinges Deut. 10.17 which men make great reckoning of Namely kinred countrie dignitie riches and such like so that acception is here taken for an election or separation of one nation from another or betweene nation and nation And if any herevpon do cauill that the election of God therefore is not free It may be answered that there is a two folde acception of man before God The first A twofoulde acception of man before God whereby of his mere goodnes hee chuseth vs being called from nothing seeing there is nothing in our nature that might be liked of him The seconde whereby when he hath regenerate vs hee also embraceth vs with his gifts that are in vs and loueth that image of his sonne which he doeth acknowledge in vs. 12 Whosoeuer haue sinned without lawe In the former part of his diuision hee setteth vpon the Gentiles to whom albeit there was no Moses giuen which might publish vnto thē the Lawe from the Lorde yet hee denieth that to hinder any whitte whereby they might not by sinning bring vppon them selues the iust iudgement of death as if hee shoulde say the knowledge of the written lawe is not necessarie to the iust condemnation of a sinner The knowledge of the written lawe is not necessarie to the iust condemnation of a sinner See therefore what kinde of supportation maintenaunce or bearing out they haue taken vpon them who through preposterous pitie vnder the pretence of ignoraunce goe about to exempt the Gentiles depriued of the light of the Gospel from the iudgement of God Who so haue sinned in the Lawe As the Gentiles whiles they are carried with the errours of their owne sence runne headlong in perdition so the Iewes haue the lawe at hande whereby they are iudged For the sentence was pronounced long agoe Deut. 27.26 cursed are all those which abide not in all the preceptes thereof Therefore the sinfull Iewes are in worse case whose damnation is alreadie in their lawe 13 For not the hearers of the lawe This is a preoccupation whereby hee preuenteth that exception whiche the Iewes might alleadge Because they hearde that the lawe was the rule of righteousnes they were proud of the bare knowledge thereof Which fallacie or deception that hee might refell hee denieth that the hearing or knowledge of the lawe hath any such waight that any shoulde pretende righteousnesse thereby but the workes must bee brought foorth according to that saying Hee that doeth these thinges shall liue in them Deut. 4.1 Therefore this present sentence auayleth thus muche if righteousnesse bee sought for by the lawe then must needes the lawe bee fulfilled because the righteousnesse of the lawe consisteth in the perfection of the works They with abuse this place to build or maintain the iustification of workes are worthie to be laughed to scorne of children They onely are iustified by the lawe which fulfill the lawe but none c. therefore none are iustified by the lawe therefore it were to no purpose also besides the matter here to thrust in a long discourse of iustification for the vnfoulding of so friuelous a cauillation For the Apostle onely vrgeth that vpon the Iewes which hee had mentioned before namely the iugdement of the lawe that they coulde not be iustified by the lawe except they fulfilled the lawe If they transgressed it then was the curse alreadie prepared for them We denie not but perfect righteousnesse is prescribed in the lawe but because all men are conuicted of transgression wee say that righteousnesse must be sought els where rather wee argue out of this place that no man is iustified by workes For if they onely which fulfill the lawe bee iustified by the lawe it followeth that none is iustified because that none is founde that can boast of the fulfilling of the lawe 14 For when the Gentiles which haue not the lawe doe by nature the thinges contayned in the lawe they hauing not the lawe are a lawe vnto themselues 15 Which shewe the effect of the lawe written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witnes their thoughts accusing one another or excusing 16 At the day when God shall iudge the secretes of men by Iesus Christ according to my Gospel 14 For when the Gentiles Nowe hee repeateth the proofe of the former member For he thought it not sufficient to condemne vs by woorde and to pronounce the iust iudgement of God against vs but hee goeth about by reasons to conuince the same vnto vs to the ende he might the more stirre vs vnto the desire and loue of Christ For hee prooueth that ignorance is in vayne pretended of the Gentiles seeing by their deedes they declared them selues to haue no small rule of righteousnesse There is ingraffed naturally in the minds of all men a certaine conception of iustice For no people did euer at any tyme so abhorre from humanitie that they kept not them selues within some lawes In as muche therefore as all the Gentiles voluntarily and of them selues are inclined to make lawes vnto themselues it is out of all question that there are naturally graffed in the mindes of all men certaine conceptions of iustice and vprightnes which the Grecians Prolepseis Cogitations or deuises They haue therefore a lawe without the lawe because howesoeuer they haue not the written lawe of Moses yet they are not altogether voyde of the knowledge of ryght and equitie For otherwise they coulde not discerne betweene vice and vertue the one whereof they restrained by punishmentes the other they commended and being approued of them they honoured with rewardes Hee hath opposed nature to the written Lawe Meaning that there appeared in the Gentiles a naturall light of iustice which did supplie the place of the law whereby the Iewes were taught so that they were a Lawe vnto themselues 15 Which shewe the effect of the lawe c. That is to say they testifie that there is grauen in their heartes a certaine discretion and iudgement whereby they discerne betweene right and wrong honest and vnhonest For hee meaneth not that it was printed in their will that they shoulde couette and studiously seeke after it but because they were so
required here that the faithfull are not disstinguished by temporall or externall notes so it mattereth not whether they be Gentiles or Iewes 23 For there is no difference All haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God 24 And are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption is in Christ Iesus 25 Whom God hath set foorth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnes by the forgiuenes of the sinnes that are passed through the patience of God 26 To shewe at this time his righteousnesse that he might be iust and a iustifier of him whiche is of the faith of Iesus 23 For there is no difference Hee inioyneth vnto all without exception the necessitye of seeking righteousnesse in Christe as if he shoulde saye there is no other way to obteyne righteousnesse by neither are some iustified this way and other some that way But all together by faith because all are sinners and therefore they haue not whereon to glorie with God And he taketh it for a thing graunted that when menne are come vnto the tribunall of God whosoeuer is guiltye of sinne in his owne conscience hee lyeth confounded and so ouerthrowen vnder his owne ignominie that no sinner can abyde the face of God as we see in the example of Adam Agayne he fighteth with an argument taken from the contrarye where wee must marke what followeth Because all menne are sinners Paule inferreth that they want or are depriued of the prayse of righteousnesse All glory of righteousnes taken from men because they are sinners Therefore according to his doctrine there is no righteousnesse but that is perfect and absolute For if there were any halfe righteousnesse then shoulde not he is a sinner be altogether spoyled of all glorye Whereby that fable of righteousnesse in parte as they call it is sufficiently refelled For if it were true that wee are partly iustified by woorkes and partly by the grace of God This argument of Paule shoulde be of no force Where sinne is there is no righteousnes vntil Christ haue taken away the curse Gal. 3.10 namely that all are therfore depriued of the glory of God because they are sinners It is therefore out of all controuersie there is no righteousnesse there where sinne is till Christ haue put away the curse And that is it is sayde to the Galathians As many as are vnder the lawe are subiect to the curse but we are deliuered from this by the benefite of Christ By the glorie of God he vnderstandeth that glory which hath place before God Ioh. 12.43 as it is said with Iohn they haue loued more the glory of men then the glorye of God And so he calleth vs from the delight of humane iudgement vnto the celestiall iudgement seate And are iustified freely The Participle after the manner of the Grecians is put in steede of the verbe The meaning is because there remayneth nothing els vnto men in themselues but that they beeyng smitten thorow by the iuste iudgement of God shoulde perishe therefore they are iustified freelye by his mercie For Christ helpeth this misery and doeth communicate himselfe to the faithfull that in him onely they maye finde all thinges whiche are wanting vnto them As it falleth out there is no place in all the Scripture more notable to set foorth the power of this righteousnesse The efficient materiall formall and finall cause of our iustification For it sheweth the mercy of God to be the efficient cause Christ with his blood to be the matter or materiall cause Faith conceyued by the woorde to be the formall or instrumentall cause Lastly the glory both of the iustice goodnes of God to be the final cause Concerning the efficient cause hee sayeth wee are iustified freely and that verely by his grace Therefore by this he sheweth howe all is of God and nothing of our selues It might haue beene sufficient to haue opposed grace vnto merites but least wee shoulde imagine an halfe righteousnesse hauing added a repetition hee doeth more clearelye shewe foorth his mynde and hath ascribed the true effect of righteousnesse to the onelye mercy of God which righteousnesse the Sophisters rent in peeces and mayme least they should be constrayned to confesse their owne pouerty By the redemption The matter of our righteousnesse or iustification is that Christe by his obedyence hath satisfied the iudgement of the Father and by taking our person vppon him hath deliuered vs from the tyrannye of death wherewith we were holden captiue For by the satisfaction of that sacrifice which he offered our guiltines is taken away Wherby also the imagination of those is notably refelled Righteousnes is not a quality in vs. which will haue righteousnesse to be a quality in vs. For if we be therfore reputed righteous before God because we are bought or redeemed by a price then surely wee borowe that else where which is not in our selues And straight wayes Paule declareth of what power this redemption is and whereunto it serueth namely that we might be reconciled to God For he calleth Christ the propitiation or rather which liketh vs better that we might allude vnto the olde figure the propitiatory And what els signifieth that but that we are iuste so farre foorth as Christe reconcileth the father to vs But now it behoueth to consider the words Whom God foreappoynted c. Because the Greeke worde Protithenai sometime signifieth to determine or appoynt afore sometime to bring foorth into light if the first signification be taken Paule referreth it vnto the free mercy of God that Christ was foreordayned a mediatour whiche should reconcile the father to vs by the sacrifice of his death And this is an excellent commendation of grace that God did willingly of him selfe seeke out a meane whereby he might take away our curse And certaynly this place seemeth to agree with that of Iohn God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne Howbeit if we imbrace the other sence the same reason shall stād that God in his tyme made him manifest whom he had decreed with himselfe to be the mediatour In the worde propitiatory I think there is an allusion as I said vnto the old propiciatory For he teacheth how that is exhibited in Christ indeede which was figured there Yet because the other opinion cannot be disproued if any had rather vnderstand it more simply I will leaue it to their election The meaning of Paule in this place may surely be gathered out of his wordes Without Christ God is alway angry with vs. namely that God without Christ is alway angry with vs and that we are reconciled by him whiles by his righteousnesse we are accepted For God doth not detest in vs his owne workemanship but our vncleannesse which hath extinguished the light of his image which vncleannes when the washing or rinsing of Christ hath done away he loueth and imbraceth vs as his owne pure workmanship
vndoubtedly he saith that glorying is excluded because wee can bring nothing of our owne which is worthy to be approued or commended of God If merite be the matter of glorying whether you terme it de congruo which is apt fitte or conuenient That is called merite de congruo when a man of his own good motioÌ„ proceeding naturally from him meriteth the firste grace which they call grace preuenting Merite de condigno when man being holpen by the firste grace doth make himselfe worthy of eternall life or whether you call it de condigno that is worthie whereby man recoÌ„cileth God vnto himself here thou seest they are both ouerthrowen For here he speaketh of no diminishing or moderating but Paule verily leaueth no droppe of merite Moreouer if the glorying of workes be so taken away by faith the faith cannot purely be preached but in giuing all vnto the mercie of God man must needes bee spoyled of all prayse it followeth then that wee are not holpen by any woorkes to the obteyning of righteousnesse Of woorkes How doth the Apostle here deny our merits to be excluded by the lawe seeyng before he proued our damnation out of the lawe For if the lawe make vs subiecte to death what glorie shall wee gette out of it Or rather doeth it not couer vs beeyng depriued of all glorye with shame or reproche But then hee shewed howe our sinne is layd open by the detection of the Lawe because wee are all fallen from the obseruation of it And heere hee meaneth if righteousnesse were in the lawe of woorkes our glorying were not excluded but because it is of fayth onely therefore we cannâ— chalenge nothinge to our selues for fayth receyueth all from God it bringeth nothing but a humble confession of neede or want And the Antithesis or contrarietye of fayth and woorkes is to bee noted wherein without addition woorkes are put vniuersally Therefore he neyther intreateth of ceremonies onelye nor yet of the externall shew of woorkes but comprehendeth all the merites of woorkes which can be imagined The name Lawe is giuen vnto fayth improperly but yet this darkeneth not the sence of the Apostle For his meaning is that when wee are once come vnto the rule of faith then all the glorie of woorkes is ouerthrowen as if hee shoulde saye the righteousnesse of woorkes veryly is commended in the lawe but faith hath a lawe of his owne which leaueth no righteousnesse in workes whatsoeuer they be 28 We haue determined therefore Now he gathereth the principall proposition as though it were now out of all controuersie adding also an explication For iustification by faith is made very cleere whiles woorkes are excluded by name Therefore our aduersaries at this day labour nothing more then that faith might be intangled with the merite of workes They confesse a man is iustified by faith but not by sole faith Yea in verie deede they place the power of iustification in charity howsoeuer in wordes they giue it vnto fayth But Paule in this place doeth make iustification so free that he maketh it euident howe in no sort it can stand with any merite of workes I haue shewed before why he nameth the workes of the lawe and also I haue declared those to be ridiculous whiche restrayne it vnto ceremonies Their imagination also is childish which take the works of the lawe for externall or literal workes which are done without the spirite of Christ But rather the Epitheton is as much of value as if he had called them meritorious How S. Iames saith a man is not iustified by faith onely because he hath regard vnto the roward promised in the law Whereas Iames sayeth a man is not iustified by faith onely but by works it is nothing coÌ„trary to the former sentence The reconciliation depeÌ„deth chiefly vpon the state of that argument of the which Iames intreateth in that place For in that place the question is not howe menne get vnto them righteousnesse before God but how they approue themselues to be iust For hee refuteth Hypocrites who glorie vainely in the title of faith It is therefore a grosse fallacie not to obserue how the word iustifie or iustifying is otherwise taken with Iames then with Paule as they intreate of diuers things And also the word faith most certainly appeareth to be equiuocal id est of ambiguous and doubtfull signification This twofolde ambiguity or doubtfulnesse ought is haue byn noted It may be gathered out of the text that Iames would nothing els then that a man is not made or approued iust by a dead faith excepte hee confirme his righteousnesse by woorkes Of which matter see our institutions 29 Is God the God of the Iewes only and not of the Gentiles also Yea euen of the Gentiles also 30 Seing there is but one God who shall iustifie the circumcision by faith and the vncircumcision by faith 29 Is God the God of the c. The second proposition sheweth how that righteousnesse doth no more appertayne vnto the Iewes then vnto the Gentiles And it was very necessary that should be vrged to the end place might be made for the kingdom of Christ through the whole world He doeth not therefore aske simply or precisely whither God bee the maker of the Gentiles which was knowen to be out of all controuersie but whether he would shew himselfe a Sauiour to them also or no. For after he hath matched all mankynde together and hath brought them all vnder the same condition if there be any difference amongst them it is of God and not of themselues The righteousnes of God in Christ is not tyed to one nation which haue all things like or equall amongst them So that if it be true God woulde haue all the people of the earth to be partakers of his mercy theÌ„ saluation and righteousnes which is necessary to saluation is extended vnto all Wherefore â—nder the name of God heere is an insinuation of that mutuall relation which often commeth to our sight in Scripture Iere. 30.22 I wil be your God you shal be my people For that God for a time did choose vnto himself a peculiar people that taketh not away the beginning of nature namely that all meÌ„ were made according to the image of God brought vp in this world vnto the hope of blessed eternity 30 Who iustifieth When hee saith some are iustified by faith other some of faith he seemeth to be delighted with the variety of speech in declaring the same matter that he might by the way gyrde the folly of the Iewes who imagine a difference betweene them and the Gentiles In the cause of iustification there is no difference between the Iewes and Gentiles when as in the cause of iustification there is no difference at al. For if men be made partakers of this grace by faith onely and there is one faith in them both it is childishnesse to make a variance or diuersitie where there is so great
that minor or second proposition in the former argument where hee denyed Abraham to haue any matter of glorying For if Abraham were therefore iustified because he imbraced the goodnesse of God by fayth it followeth he had nothing to glorie of because he brought nothing of his owne but an acknowledging of his misery which sought for mercy For he taketh it as a thing confessed that the righteousnesse of faith is the refuge and as it were the priuiledge place for a sinner that is distitute of woorkes For if there were any righteousnesse of the lawe or woorkes it shoulde remayne really in men them selues but fayth borroweth that els where which it hath not in it selfe therfore the righteousnesse of faith is fitly called Imputatiua That is such as is by imputation Furthermore the place which is cited Gen. 15.6 The faith of Abraham had respect vnto the whole couenant of grace not only vnto the particular promise of posteritie is taken foorth of Genesis where the worde beleeue or the word beleeuing Ought not to be restrained vnto any one particular thing there spoken of but vnto the whole couenaunt of saluation grace of adoption which Abraham is said to haue apprehended by faith The promise indeede of seede or posterity to come is there rehearsed but yet which was grounded vpon the free adoption And we are to note that neither saluation is promised without the grace of God nor yet the grace of God without saluation Agayne we are neither called into the grace of God nor into the hope of saluation but righteousnes is also offered This being set downe we may see they holde not the principles of diuinity which think the testimony of Moses to bee violently wrested of Paule For because there is there a particular promise they vnderstand Abraham to haue done right and well in that he beleeued it and that he was so farre foorth approued of God But therein they are deceiued first in that they marke not how that word beleeue is extended vnto the whole content wherefore it ought not to be restrayned vnto one member And the chiefest errour is that they beginne not at the testimony of the grace of God But this doth God that he might assure Abraham both of his adoption fatherly fauour vnder which eternall saluation by Christ is conteyned Wherefore Abraham in beleeuing imbraceth nothing but grace offered vnto him that his faith shoulde not bee voyde If this be imputed vnto him for righteousnesse it followeth he was iustified no otherwise but because hee trusting in the goodnesse of God durst hope for all thinges from him Neither doth Moses say what men thought of him but how he was accounted before the iudgement seate of God Abraham therefore apprehended the grace of God offered vnto him in the promise wherein he felt righteousnesse to bee communicated to him It is necessary for the establishing of righteousnesse to know this relation betweene the promise and faith for there is here the same reason betweene God and vs There is a mutuall respect betweene faith the promise such as is betweene the giuer and receiuer that is with the Lawers betweene the giuer and him to whom the thing is giuen For we doe not otherwise obteyne righteousnesse but because as it is offered vnto vs in the promise of the Gospel so we do by faith as it were see the possession of it How the place of Iames whiche seemeth to bee muche contrary vnto this is to be reconciled I haue already shewed And there meaning the Epistle of Iames I shall by the leaue of God declare it more at large They only are iustified to whō righteousnes is imputed Onely let vs note that they to whom righteousnes is imputed are iustified Seeyng these two are put of Paule as woordes of one signification Whereby we gather the question is not what menne are in themselues but what God doth account of them not that puritie of conscience and integritie of life is separated from the free feuour of God but for that when the cause is demaunded why God doth loue vs acknowledge vs for iust Christ muste needes come foorth who may cloth vs with his righteousnesse 4 For to him verily that woorketh reward is imputed not of grace or fauour but of debt 5 But to him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse 4 For to him that worketh He calleth him a worker not euery one that is addicted vnto good woorkes whiche studie ought to floorish in all the sonnes of God Who is called a worker who a non worker but him that deserueth some thing by his merites likewise he counteth him a non worker or one that woorketh not to whom nothing is due by the merite of workes Neither is his meaning that he woulde haue the faithfull vprofitable or idle Loyterers but hee forbiddeth them onely to be hirelinges who whatsoeuer they aske of God they craue it as of right due vnto them And we haue already admonished how the question is not here after what sorte we should frame our life but the question is of the cause of saluation And he reasoneth from the contrary that God doth not pay vnto vs righteousnesse as of debt but doth frankly giue it vnto vs that we might ascribe it to him And I truely am of Bucers mynde who sheweth the forme of reasoning not to be drawen from one worde but from an whole sentence after this manner if there be any that meriteth any thing by his work the thing merited is not imputed vnto him of grace but is payde vnto him as of debt or duetie Faith is counted vnto righteousnesse not as though it brought anye merite from vs How faith is counted for righteousnes but because it apprehendeth the goodnesse of God Therefore is righteousnesse no debt vnto vs but giuen vs freely For because Christ at our prayer or suit doth iustifie vs by fayth Paule doeth alwayes therein consider our euacuation or emptinesse For what doe we beleeue but Christ to be the satisfaction for our sins that he might reconcile vs to God The same though in other words Galat. 3.11 is in the Epistle to the Galath that no manne is iustified by the law it is euident for the iust by faith shall liue But the law is not of faith but he that shall doe these shall liue in them For because the lawe promiseth wages vnto workes therupon he concludeth the righteousnes of faith which is free not to agree with the of works Which cannot hold if faith doe iustifie in respect of works These comparisons are diligently to be obserued wherin al merite is vtterly done away 5 But beleeueth in him This is a circumlocution verye significant wherein hee expresseth the substance and nature of faith and righteousnesse for he concludeth plainely that faith doeth iustifie vs not as though it were a meritorious vertue but so
farre forth as it obteineth for vs the grace of God Neither doeth he onely pronounce God the giuer of righteousnesse but also condemneth vs of vnrighteousnes that the liberality of God might helpe our necessity To be briefe Faith adorneth vs with the righteousnes of Christ which it beggeth of God none shall come vnto the righteousnesse of faith but he that is a sinner in himselfe For this circumlocution is to be applied vnto the circumstaunce of the place that faith doth adorne vs with the righteousnesse of another which righteousnes it beggeth of God And here agayne God is saide to iustifie vs whiles he doth freely pardon vs being sinners and doth loue vs with whom he might iustly be angrye namely whiles by his mercy he doth away our vnrighteousnes 6 Euen as Dauid declareth the blessednesse of man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnes without works saying 7 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen whose sinnes are couered 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lorde imputeth not sinne 6 As Dauid c. Here wee may see they doe but cauil which woulde hemme in the woorkes of the lawe with in the compasse of ceremonies Seing he now calleth them simply and without any additiō works As works are here taken indefinitely for all workes so in the whole disputation which he called before the works of the law If no man can deny but a simple vnlimited speeche suche as we haue now in hand is indifferently to be vnderstood of euery woorke the same must alway hold in the whole disputation For there is nothinge lesse reasonable then to take the power or force of iustification away from ceremonies onely seeing Paule doeth indefinitely exclude workes Heereunto apperteyneth the contrary member that God doeth iustifie men by not imputing their sinne In whiche woordes also wee are taught that righteousnesse with Paule is nothing els then the remission of sinnes Lastly that this remission is free because it is imputed without woorkes which the verie name of remission sheweth For that creditoure or lendour whiche is paide doeth not remitte but hee which willingly of meere liberalitie doeth cancell or rase out the debte Away nowe with those teach vs to redeeme pardon of our sinnes by satisfactions from which remission of sinnes Paule fetcheth an argument to establishe the free gift of righteousnes For howe is it possible they shoulde agree with Paule they say by woorkes wee must satisfie the iustice of God that wee may obtayne pardon of our sinnes On the contrary Paule reasoneth that the righteousnesse of fayth is free and without workes because it dependeth vpon the remission of sinnes This were vndoubtedly a false argument if in the remission of sinnes there were any regarde or respect vnto woorkes at all In like sort by the same wordes of the prophete the follie of the Schole men is refuted touching halfe remission They babble that the fault being remitted the punishment is reteined of God but the Prophete he crieth that our sinnes are not onely couered that is taken awaye in the sight of God but also hee addeth they are not imputed How shall God take punishment of those sinnes hee doth not impute therefore there remaineth sound vnto vs God forgiueth not onely the fault but also the punishment this most excellēt sentence he is iustified by faith who is purged or clensed before God by the free remission of his sinnes Moreouer hence may be gathered the perpetuall continuance of free righteousnes or iustification through the whole life For when Dauid being weried with the continuall sting of his conscience burst foorth into this saying he spake surely by his owne experience And now also he had serued God many yeeres Therfore after great proceedings or goings forward at the lēgth he proued it by experience true that all they are miserable which are cited before the iudgement state of God crying out there is none other way to obteine blessednes then if the Lorde receiue vs into fauour by not imputing our sinnes Whereby the imagination of those is verye well refuted which dreame that the righteousnesse of faith is but the entrance so that the faithfull by woorkes retayne the possession of righteousnes Righteousnes not only begun but also continued by faith which righteousnes they did not obteyne by any merites Where as some times workes are saide to be imputed vnto righteousnes and also other beatitudes are reckoned that doth nothing preiudice the sentence of Paul The psal .. 106.30 Psa 106.30 saith it was imputed for righteousnes vnto Phinees the priest of the Lorde that in taking punishment vpon the adulterer and the harlot hee tooke away the reproche of Israell In deede we heare in this place howe a man did a good woorke but wee knowe a man is not iustified for one deede For there is required a perfect and most absolute obedience as the promise saith He that shall doe these shall liue in them Leuit. 18.5 Howe then is this punishment of Phinees imputed vnto him for rigteousnesse surely it must needes bee he was iustified before by the grace of God For they which haue put on the righteousnes of Christ haue God not onely fauourable to them selues How righteousnes is sometime giuen vnto workes but also to their woorkes whose spots moles are couered with the puritie of Christ that they come not into iudgement whereby workes being infected with no corruptions are counted iust and that no woorke of man can any otherwise then by this fauour please God it is euident And if the righteousnes of faith be the onely cause why our works are counted iust see then how sottishly they reason because righteousnes is giuen to workes it is not of faith onely But I oppose an inuincible argument against them namely that all works are condemned for vnrighteous except a man be iustified by sole faith The like is to be vnderstood of blessednes they are denounced blessed which feare the Lord Psal 128.1 Psal 1.2 and walke in his wayes Which meditate in his law day and night but because no man doth that in such perfection as were meete that the commaundement of God might be fully satisfied al such blessednes is voide of none effect vntill that we being purified and clensed by the remission of sinnes be made blessed and so are made capable of that blessednes which the Lord promiseth for his seruants for the studie of the Lawe and good workes Therefore both righteousnesse of workes is an effect of the righteousnesse of fayth and the blessednesse commeth of workes an effect of the blessednes with cōsisteth in the remission of sinnes If the cause neither ought neither can be destroyed of his effect they goe ill fauouredly to woorke if any goe about to ouerthrowe the righteousnesse of fayth by workes But why may not a man will some say by those testimonies contend to proue a man to bee iustified and also made blessed through woorkes
no lawe is there is no transgression 14 For if they whiche are of the lawe By an argument taken from that is impossible or absurde hee proueth that that grace which Abraham obteined of God was not promised vnto him in regarde of the Legall part or in respect of workes for if this condition had beene interposed that God woulde vouchsafe to adopt those onely whiche deserue it or which keepe the lawe no man shoulde haue durst to beleeue that it apperteineth vnto him For what man findeth suche perfection in himselfe that hee dare resolue himselfe the inheritaunce is due vnto him by righteousnesse of the lawe Then were faith made voide because an impossible condition doeth not onely holde the mindes of men in suspence and maketh them doubtfull but also doth smite them with feare and trembling So the effect of the promises shoulde vanishe away because they profite nothing except they be receiued by faith If our aduersaries had eares to hearken to this one reason If saluation were grounded vpon the keeping of the law then neither should mens consciences bee at peace neither the promise haue effect then shoulde the controuersie betweene them and vs easely come to an ende The Apostle taketh it for a thing out of all question that the promises of God can not be effectuall except we receiue them with sure affiaunce of minde And what should come to passe if the saluation of man were grounded vpon the keeping of the lawe the consciences shoulde haue no certaynetie but beeing vexed with a perpetuall vnquietnesse at length shal fall to desperation The promise also whose performance dependeth vppon an impossible thing shoulde vanishe away without fruite Let them goe now whiche teache the wretched people to saue themselues by works seeing Paule doth plainly pronounce that the promise is made of none effect if it depend vpon workes But that is very necessary to be knowen faith is made voyde if it stand vpon workes For therby we both learne what faith is and what kynde of righteousnesse that righteousnesse of workes ought to be whereunto men may boldly trust The Apostle teacheth that faith doth perishe vnlesse the soule rest securely in the goodnesse of God faith then is not either a naked knowledge of God or of his truth What faith is neither a simple perswasion that God is that his worde is trueth it selfe but a sure knowledge of the mercie of God conceiued by the Gospell which sure knowledge bringeth the peace and rest of conscience towardes God The summe therefore is that if saluation rested in the obseruation of the law the mynde of man coulde haue no certainty thereof yea what promises soeuer were offered vs of God they should be voyde and of none effect So miserable wretched are we if we be turned ouer vnto workes whiles the cause and certainty of saluation is to be sought for 15 For the law c. This is a confirmation of the former sentence taken from the contrary effect of the lawe For seeing the law begetteth nothing but vengeance it cannot bring grace To those were good and perfect it would shew the way of righteousnesse The law by reason of our corruption begetteth nothing but vengeance but in as much as it commaundeth those are sinfull corrupt what they ought to doe and ministreth not strength to performe the same it proueth them guilty before the iudgement seate of God For such is the corruption of our nature that the more we are taught what is iust and right the more plainely is our iniquity discouered Wrath for iudgement and chiefly our disobedience and so the greater iudgement of God is procured By wrath vnderstand the iudgement of God in whiche significatiō it is often vsed They whiche vnderstande it that the wrath of the sinner is inflamed by the lawe because he hateth and curseth the Lawgiuer whom he seeth to be aduersant to his lustes They say that wittily but yet vnfitly in respect of the present place For that Paule woulde not any thing els but shewe howe nothing except condemnation commeth vnto vs all by the lawe both the common vse of the woorde and also the reason which hee addeth straightwayes doth declare Where there is no lawe The second proofe wherby he confirmeth that whiche hee said For otherwise it would haue beene obscure how the wrath of God should be kindled against vs by the lawe vnlesse the reason were more apparant And that is because we hauing tasted the knowlege of the iustice of God by the lawe The more knowledge men haue the more heinous is their transgression offende so much the more greeuously against God as there remaineth lesse excuse vnto vs. For they are worthie to susteine more greeuous punishment whiche despise the knowen will of God then they sinne of ignoraunce The Apostle speaketh not of the simple transgression of righteousnesse from the which no man is exempted but hee calleth that transgression when a mans minde beyng taught what doth please or displease God doth wittingly and willingly burst the boundes prescribed vnto him by the worde of God And that I may speake in a worde transgression heere doeth not signifie a simple offence but a purposed stubbornes in violating iustice I take this particle ou aduerbially to wit for where Others turn it whereof as though it were a pronowne relatiue but the first reading agreeth best whiche is also most receiued Whether reading soeuer you followe the same sense abydeth namely that hee who is not instructed by the written Law if hee offende is not guiltie of so greate transgression as hee who stubbornely infringeth and breaketh the Lawe of God 16 Therefore it is by faith that it might come by grace and the promise might bee sure to all the seede not to that onely whiche is of the Lawe but also to that whiche is of the faith of Abraham who is the father of vs all as it is written 17 I haue made thee a father of many nations euen before God Whome hee beleeued Gee 17. 4. who quickeneth the dead and calleth those thinges which bee not as though they were 16 Therefore it is of faith This is the windyng vppe of the argument so that you may gather the whole into this summe If the inheritance of saluation come vnto vs by workes then shall the faith thereof fall the promise of it shall be of none effect but both these must be sure Therfore it commeth vnto vs by faith that the firmenesse thereof beeing founded vpon the only goodnesse of God it might haue a sure effect See howe the Apostle esteeming faith by firme True faith excludeth wauering doubting and stable certaintie doth counct doubting and wauering for incredulitie whereby both faith is abolished and the promise abrogated And yet this is that doubting which the Schoole men terme Moral coniecture and if it please God they put it in steed of faith That it might come by grace Here first
perfecte in som one part or other but which is euery way perfect For if the iust man fall all his former righteousnesse is not remembred Here also wee are to learne that they are peruersly ledd in pleasing God who of themselues deuise what they may thrust vpon him For then wee worship him best when wee followe that which he hath commaunded vs and giue obedience to his worde Let them goe now who boldly claime vnto themselues the righteousnes of works which is not otherwise then when the law is fully and perfectly kept Likewise wee gather that they are deceiued who brag before god those works they haue inuented thēselues which he esteemeth no better then dounge For obedience is better then sacrifices 20 Moreouer the lawe entred that the offence shoulde abound for where sinne abounded grace super abounded 21 That as sinne raigned by death so might grace also raigne by righteousnes vnto eternal life through Iesus Christ our Lord. 20 Moreouer the law entred This question dependeth of that he said before namely that sin was before the law were published for that being once heard this followed straightwaies to what end then was the law needfull Wherfore of necessitie this difficultie was to be vnfolden but because then it was not meet to make any longer digression hee differred it vnto this place And now also by the way he doth dispatch it The law was partly giuen that men might the better see their own destruction saying the law entred that sin might abound He doth not here shew the whole office vse of the law but toucheth one onely parte which serued for the present purpose For he teacheth that to the end the grace of God might haue place it was expedient men should better see their owne destruction They were verily before the lawe castawaies yet because they did seeme vnto thēselues to swim in their owne destruction they are thrust downe into the deepe that their deliuerance might be the more excellent whiles beyond all mans iudgement they escape thence Neither was it absurd that the law should partly be giuen for this cause that men alreadie once condemned it might twise condemne for there is nothing more iust then that men by all meanes might be brought yea being conuicted might be drawen to feele their euils That sinne might abound It is knowen howe some after Augustine are wont to expoūd this place namely that cōcupiscence is so much the more prouoked whiles it is restrained by the barres of the law because it is naturall vnto man to striue after that is forbidden But I vnderstand no other augmētatiō to be noted here then of knowledge and obstinacie For by the lawe sinne is laide open before the eyes of man that he might be compelled to see condēnation prepared for him So sin occupieth the conscience which otherwise being cast behinde them men made no account of Moreouer he which before did simply passe the bounds of iustice now a law being giuen is a despiser of the authoritie of GOD since the time that the will of God was knowen vnto him which he according to his lust hath shamefully contēned How sinne is increased by the lawe Whereupon it followeth that sin is increased by the law because then the autority maiestie of the lawmaker is despised Grace also hath superabounded After that sin had holden men being ouerwhelmed therewith then grace did helpe For this he teacheth that the greatnes of grace was by so much the more apparant as that when sin aboundede it did powre out it selfe so aboundantly Why condemnation is set before vs in the lawe that it did not onely ouermatch that deluge of sinne but also swallow it vp And here we are to learne that cōdemnation is not therfore set before vs in the law that we should abide in it but that our own miserie being sufficiently acknowledged Esa 61.1 we might be lift vp vnto Christ who is sent to be a Phisition to the sicke a deliuerer of the captiue a cōforter of the afflicted a sauiour of the oppressed 20 That as sin raigned in death As sin is called the sting of death because death hath no power against man Death hath no autoritie at all ouer mā but by sin therfore sin executeth his autoritie by death but for the cause of sin so sin executeth his power by death Therefore is it said to exercise his authority by death In the latter parte of this verse there is the figure Synchesis that is when the order is euerye way confused and yet it is not superfluous The antithesis had been simple if he had said thus that righteousnes might raigne by Christ But Paule not being content to haue opposed cōtraries to contraries addeth grace to the end he might print more deepely in memory that it is not of our merite but wholy of the bountifulnesse of God Before hee saide that death raigned Now he ascribeth the kingdome vnto sin but whose end and effect is death And he saith in the pretertence it raigned not that it hath nowe ceased to raigne in those that are borne onely of flesh and blood but he distinguisheth so betweene Christ Adam that he assigneth to either of them his time As sone therefore as the grace of Christ beginneth to florish in euery one the kingdome of sinne and death ceaseth CHAP. 6. 1 VVHat shall wee say then shall we abide in sinne that grace may abound 2 God forbid for howe shall wee which are dead to sin liue any longer therein WHat shall wee say then In this whole Chapter the Apostle declareth that they doe wickedly rente Christe asunder who imagine free righteousnes to bee giuen of him vnto vs without newnes of life Although he goeth further obiecting that then it seemeth there is place giuen vnto grace if men bee plunged in sinne For wee knowe there is nothing more readie then that fleshe shoulde euery way flatter it selfe and that Satan shoulde deuise reproches wherewith he might slaunder the docrine of grace which thing to doe is no harde matter for him The dotrine of grace must not therefore be suppressed because many take occasion of licentiousnes at it For seeing that is most strange vnto mans reason whatsoeuer is preached of Christe it ought to bee no maruaile if the flesh after it hath hard the iustificatiō of faith doe so often as it were dash vpon diuers rockes Howbeit wee must goe on for Christ is not therefore to be suppressed because he is vnto many a stone of offence and rocke of stumbling For looke by what way he shal be vnto the ruine of the wicked the same way againe hee shal bee to the rising of the godly And yet notwithstanding we are alway to occurre vnreasonable questions least the docrine of Christ shoulde seeme to drawe with it any absurditie Moreouer the Apostle now pursueth that obiection whiche commonly is obiected against the doctrine of the grace of God namely
bondage should abide in the condition of seruitude for he ought to defende that state of libertie which he hath receiued It is not meete then that you should be brought agayne vnder the power of sinne frō the which you were deliuered by the manumising of Christe This argument is taken from the efficient cause There followeth also another taken from the finall cause namely to this ende are yee exempted from the seruitude of sinne that yee might passe into the kingdome of righteousnesse therefore ye ought to be altogether vnmindefull of sinne and to turne your whole minde vnto righteousnesse into the obedience whereof ye are brought And it is to bee noted that no man canne serue righteousnesse except by the power and benefite of God They onely can serue righteousnes whō Christ hath deliuered from the tyranny of sinne Ioh. 8.36 he be first deliuered from the power and tyrannie of sinne As Christ himselfe testifieth If the sonne shall make you free yee shall bee free in deede What then shall our preparations by the vertue of our free will be if the beginning of goodnesse depend vppon this manumission which the onely grace of God accomplisheth 19 I speake after the manner of manne because of the infirmitie of your fleshe as ye haue giuen your members seruaunts of vncleannesse and to iniquity into iniquity euen so now also giue your members seruaunts of righteousnes vnto sanctification 19 I speake c. He saith that he speaketh after the manner of man not in respect of the substance but in respect of the forme as Christ in the 3. of Iohn faith that hee offereth earthlye things Iohn 3.12 How Paule speaketh after the manner of man whiles notwithstanding he intreateth of heauenly mysteries but yet not so honourably as the dignity of thinges required because he would humble himselfe vnto the capacitie of the rude simple people And thus the Apostle speketh by the way of Preface that he might the better shewe that calumniation to be too grosse and wicked when the fredome gotte by Christe is thought to giue liberty of sinning And withall hee aduerticeth the faithful that nothing can be more absurde or rather filthie and shamefull then that the spirituall grace of Christ should be of lesse force with them then an earthly manumission or freedom As though he said by the comparing of righteousnesse and sin I can shew how much more feruently yee ought to bee drawen into the obsequie of that then euer yee obeyed this but yet that I might something pardon your weakenesse I omit that comparison Howbeit that I may deale with you very fauourably this I may by right require of you that at the least yee doe not imbrace righteousnes more coldly or negligently then yee haue serued sinne And therein is included a certayne kinde of silence or concealing when we wil haue more vnderstood then we expresse by words For he doth neuertheles exhort thē to obey righteousnesse so much the more studiously as it is more worthy thē sin to be serued although he seemeth not to require so much in words As yee haue giuen That is seeing before this al your mēbers were so ready to obey sin therby it easily appeared how miserably the prauity of your flesh did hold you captiue and bound Now therfore in like sort be prone and readye to be ruled of God and let not your courage be lesse nowe in doing of good then it was before in doyng of euill Hee doeth not obserue the order of the Antithesis to apply the partes on both sides as to the Thessalonians hee opposeth vncleannesse agaynst holinesse Yet his meaning is apparaunt First he setteth downe two kindes vncleannes 1. Thes 4.7 and iniquitie the first whereof is opposed to chastitie and sanctimonie the other hath respecte vnto iniuries whereby our neighbours are hurte Moreouer hee repeateth this woorde iniquitie twise in a diuers sense For in the first place it signifieth rapines deceiptes periuries and all kinde of iniuries Iniquity hath a twofold acception in the second place it signifieth the vniuersall corruption of life as if it were put thus yee haue giuen ouer your members to commit wicked woorkes that the kingdome of sinne might florishe in you I vnderstand righteousnesse to be put for the lawe and rule of a right life whose end is sanctification namely that the faithfull consecrate themselues in puritie to the worshippe of God 20 For when yee were the seruants of sinne yee were free from righteousnes 21 What fruite had yee then in those things wherof yee are now ashamed For their end is death 22 But nowe being freed from sinne and made the seruantes of God yee haue your fruite in holinesse and the end euerlasting life 23 For the wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternall life in Christ Iesus our Lord. 20 For when yee were Yet he repeateth that contrariety betweene the yoke of sinne and righteousnesse whereof hee made mention before For sinne and righteousnesse are things so contrary that he which voweth himselfe to one must needes depart from the other And that he doth to the ende that whiles they are looked vppon eyther of them by them selues it might more easily appeare what a man is to looke for of them both For separation or distinction helpeth in the consideration of the nature of euery thing Therefore hee setteth sinne on one hande and righteousnesse on the other then hauing put a difference hee sheweth what doeth followe on both sides Let vs therefore remember that the Apostle doeth yet argue from contraries after this manner so long as yee were the seruaunts of sinne yee were free from righteousnesse nowe on the contrary yee must serue righteousnesse because yee are free from the yoke of sinne He calleth those free from righteousnes who are holden by no reyne of obedience to the studie of righteousnes Who are called free from righteousnesse This is the liberty or licentiousnes of the flesh which freeth vs so from God that it maketh vs the bondslaues of the diuel Miserable cursed then is that liberty which by an vnbrideled or rather by a mad fury triumpheth to destruction 21 What fruite therefore c. He could not anie way more substantially expresse his mynd then by appealing to their conscience and as it were in their person to be ashamed For the godly assoone as they beginne to be illuminated by the spirite of Christ and the preaching of the Gospell all the former parte of their life which they haue led out of Christ they doe willingly acknowledge to haue beene damnable and they are so farre from goyng about to excuse themselues that rather they are ashamed of them selues And also they doe alway call to mynde the remembraunce of their ignominy to the ende they being so ashamed might more truely and more readily bee humbled before the Lord. Neyther is it in vayne he saith Now yee are ashamed For he insinuateth
could not be ignorāt who were brought vp frō their infancie in the doctrine of the law 2 For the woman which is in subiection to the man He bringeth a similitude whereby hee proueth that we are so freed from the lawe that it hath properly by right no power ouer vs any more And albeit he coulde haue proued it by other reasons yet because the example of matrimonie serued very well to set out the matter in steed of a confirmation he hath inserted a similitude taken from thence Howbeit least it shoulde trouble any man that the members compared one with another do not agree at all we are to be admonished that the minde of the Apostle was purposely by a little inuersion to auoide the spite of a more rigorous or seuere worde Hee should haue sayde that he might haue framed his similitude in order the woman after the death of her husbande is loosed from the bonde of matrimonie the lawe which is in steede of an husband to vs is dead vnto vs. Therefore wee are free from the power thereof But least he shoulde offend the Iewes with the asperitie of the word if hee had said that the lawe was dead hee vsed a digression or deflection saying we are dead to the law He seemeth vnto many to argue from the lesser to the greater yet because I feare least that bee more wrested I rather allowe the former interpretation which is more simple The whole argument therefore is to be directed into this order The woman is bound vnto her husband by the lawe so long as hee liueth so that shee cannot take another but after the death of her husband shee is loosed from the bonde of that lawe so that she may marry whom shee will Then followeth the application The lawe was as it were our husbande vnder whose yooke we were holden till it was dead vnto vs. After the death of the lawe Christe took vs that is ioyned vs being freed from the law vnto himselfe Therefore wee beeing ioyned vnto Christ risen from the dead ought to cleaue vnto him only and as the life of Christ after his resurrection is eternall so after this there shall be no diuorcement Moreouer the word law is not alway here put in one and the same sence The word lawe diuersly taken but somtimes it signifieth the mutual right of wedlocke sometimes the authoritie of the husband to whom the wife is subiect sometimes the doctrine of Moses And we are to remember that Paule doth here touch that part only which is proper vnto the ministerie of Moses For as concerning the tenne commandements wherein God hath deliuered what is right hath ordered our life wee are not to dreame of any abrogation of the lawe because the will of God ought to stand for euer Therefore we are diligently to remember that this deliuerance is not from that righteousnes is taught in the law but from the seuere exaction of the law and that curse proceedeth thence Thē the rule of life which the law prescribeth is not abrogated but that qualitie which is opposed to the liberty purchased by Christ namely whiles it requireth absolute perfection because we perfourme it not it holdeth vs bounde vnder the gilt of eternal death But because his meaning was not heere to decide what the right of matrimonie is he was not greatly carefull to reckō vp the causes which make a woman free from her husband Vnaptly therefore should sure doctrine in that respect be sought for here 4 By the body of Christ First of all Christ hauing erected the banner of his crosse did triumph ouer sin which could not be vnlesse the hand writing were canceled wherin we were boūd That hand writing is the law which whiles it standeth in force maketh vs debters vnto sin therefore is called the strength of sin From the power therfore of this hand writing we are deliuered in the body of Christ whiles it is fastened to his crosse How the law is the strength of sinne But the Apostle goeth further namely saying that the bond of the law was loosed Not that we shold liue according to our minds as a widow woman is left to her own mind whiles she is a widdow but we are now bound to another husband yea from hande to hand as they say we are passed from the law vnto Christ In the meane while he mitigateth the austeritie of the sentence whē he saith that Christ deliuered vs from the yoke of the law that he might graft vs into his own body For although Christe did voluntarily subiect himself vnto the law for a time yet is it not meete the law should haue dominion ouer him Furthermore that libertie which is proper to him he cōmunicateth also to his members Therefore it is no maruel if he deliuer those from the yooke of the law whom he coupleth vnto himself by a sacred connexion that they might be one body with him His who was raised frō the dead We haue alredy said that Christ is put in the place of the law least any libertie shold be imagined wtout him or least any should dare to make a diuorcement from the law The life purchased by Christ is eternall not being yet dead to himself Now he vseth this circumlocutiō to note the eterniti of that life which christ hath purchased by his resurrectiō that Christians might know this copulatiō is perpetual Finally hee speaketh more cleerely of the spirituall matrimonie of Christe with his church to the Ephe. That we might bring forth fruit to god Ephe. 6. Hee alway addeth the finall cause least any vnder this pretence that Christe hath deliuered vs from the seruitude of the lawe shoulde cocker the flesh and the lustes thereof For hee offered vs with himselfe in sacrifice to the father and to this ende he regenerateth vs What fruites we should bring foorth in Christ that wee might fructifie to God in newenesse of life And wee knowe what fruites our heauenly father requireth of vs namely holinesse and righteousnesse Neither is it preiudiciall to our libertie if we serue God Yea if wee wil inioy so excellent a benefite of Christ afterward we are not but to studie howe the glory of God may be aduanced for whiche cause Christ hath taken vs otherwise we abide stil not only the seruants of the lawe but of sinne and death 5 For when we were in the fleshe the affections of sinnes which are by the lawe wroughte in our members to bring foorth fruite vnto death 6 But now we are deliuered from the law being dead vnto it wherein we were holden that we should serue in newnes of the spirite and not in oldnesse of the letter 5 For when we were By the contrarie hee sheweth yet more plainely howe ill those that are zealous of the law deale to deteine the faithfull yet vnder the power thereof For so long as the litterall doctrine of the lawe ruleth and beareth swaye the lasciuiousnesse
consent is sinne but there is great difference between a set will and affections whereby we are tickled Therefore by this last precept God requireth such integrity of vs that no corrupt lust should moue vs vnto euil howsoeuer it be that we cōsent not vnto it And for this cause it was I saide Paule did mount higher then the common capacity of man is able to reache For politike lawes cry that they punishe the counselles and not the euentes and the Philosophers more subtilly place both vices and vertues in the mynde but God by this precept pearceth vnto the concupiscence which is more secrete then the will And therefore men did not count it for sinne Neyther was it onelye pardoned of the Philosophers but at this day the Papistes contend mightely that it is not sinne in the regenerate But Paule saith he found out his guiltinesse by this lurking disease whereupon it followeth that they are not excusable who so are sicke of it but so farre foorth as GOD doeth pardon the faulte A twofolde concupiscence In the meane while wee are to holde that distinction betweene euill lustes which come vnto consent and concupiscence which only so tickleth and mooueth the heartes that it stayeth in the middle way 8 But sin tooke an occasion So then whatsoeuer is euil it ariseth of sinne the corruption of the flesh the occasion only is in the law And although he may be supposed to speake of that prouocation only whereby through the law our lust is so stirred vp that it bursteth forth into greater madnes yet I refer it chiefly vnto knowledge as though it were saide it discouered in me all concupiscence which whiles it lay hidden seemed in a manner to be none And yet I denie not but the flesh is more vehemētly prouoked vnto cōcupiscēce by the law so this way it cōmeth into light which thing might also happen vnto Paule But that which I sayd of manifestation agreeth rather vnto the text For straightwaies he addeth For without the law sinne is dead 9 And I liued sometime without law But when the commandement came sinne reuiued 10 But I died and that commandement which was ordeyned vnto life was found vnto me to be vnto death 11 For sinne taking an occasion by the commandemēt led me out of the way and by that killed me 12 Wherefore the law is holye the commaundement holy and iust and good For without the law Here he doth plainely expresse the meaning of the former words For it is as much as if he said that knowledge of sinne without the law is buried And it is the generall sentence wherunto he doth by and by apply his example Wherfore I maruell what the interpreters meant to translate it in the preterimperfectence as though Paule spake of himselfe seeing it is apparant that his mind was to begin at an vniuersal proposition and afterward to open the matter by his example 9 And I liued sometime wthout lawe His meaning is to insinuate that there was a time wherin to him or with him sinne was dead For it is not to be vnderstood that he was at any time lawlesse but this word I liued is very significant because the absēce of the lawe made that he liued that is being puffed vp with the cōfidence of his owne righteousnes he chalenged life vnto himselfe when neuerthelesse he was dead That the sentence may be more cleare resolue it thus when somtime I was without law I liued And I said that this word was significant because in faining himselfe righteous hee claymed vnto himselfe life also This then is the meaning when I sinned without knowledge of the lawe sinne was so drowned that I did not obserue it and that it seemed almost to be dead On the other side I because I did not see that I was a sinner did please my selfe in my selfe thinking that I had life at home with my selfe For the death of sinne is the life of man againe the life of sinne is the death of man But the question is what time that was 2. Cor. 3.14 how paul being brought vp of a childe in the doctrine of the law is saide to haue liued sometime without law wherein by the ignorance of the lawe or as hee sayth by the absence of the lawe hee did confidently claime life vnto him selfe For sure it is hee was brought vp of a childe in the doctrine of the lawe But that was a litterall Diuinitie which doth not humble his Disciples For as he saith in another place the vaile was interposed that the Iewes coulde not see the light of life in the lawe So he also so long as he beyng voyd of the spirite of Christe had his eyes couered did please himself in the externall shew of righteousnesse Hee therefore counteth the lawe absent which though it were present before his eyes yet did not smite him with a perfecte sence of the iudgement of the Lorde Thus are the eyes of hypocrites couered with a vayle that they see not howe much this precept requireth wherein wee are forbidden of concupiscence But when the commaundement came So nowe on the contrary hee counteth the lawe then to come when it began truely to be vnderstoode The lawe therefore did as a man woulde say rayse sinne from the dead because it discouered vnto Paule with howe muche corruption the inwarde partes of his heart abounded and also did flea him And let vs alway remember that he speaketh of a secure confidence wherein hypocrites rest whiles they flatter themselues because they wincke at their sinnes 10 Was found vnto me c. Two thinges are said here 1. namely that the commaundement sheweth vnto vs the way of life in the righteousnesse of God therfore was giuen that we obseruing the law of the Lord The law in it selfe is the way of life But that none are saued by the law the cause is for that none doth keepe it might obteyne eternall life if the prauity of vs all did not hinder it 2. But because there is none of vs that keepeth the law but rather we are altogether carried headlong into that kinde of life from the which it doth call vs it can bring nothing els but death Thus we are to distinguish betweene the nature of the lawe and our corruption Whereby it followeth that wheras the law doth wound vs vnto death that is accidentical as if an incurable disease should be stirred vp the more by an wholesome medicine Indeed I confesse it is an insepararable accident and therefore the lawe in another place in respect of the Gospell is called the minister of death but yet this abideth firme 1. Cor. 3.7 that it is not hurtfull vnto vs of his own nature but because our corruption doth prouoke and cause his curse 11 hath lead mee out of the way Verily true it is although the will of God bee hidden from vs and no doctrine doth shine vnto vs the whole life of men
is wandering and full of errours yea vntill the lawe doeth shewe vnto vs the way of a right life wee can doe nothing but wander Yet because then wee beginne to feele our errour when the Lorde doeth reproue vs a loude Worthily saith Paule that when sin is discouered then wee are ledde foorth of the way So then the woorde Ex apatan that is to leade out of the way is not to bee vnderstood of the thing it selfe but of knowledge namely How we are said by occasion of the law to be led forth of the way for that by the lawe it is apparnt howe much wee haue declined from the right course therefore of necessitie it was to bee translated hath ledde out of the way because hereby sinners who went on securely before began to haue a loathing and disliking of them selues whiles after the filthinesse of sinne was reueiled by the lawe they vnderstoode howe they made hast vnto death Finally hee inferreth agayne the name of occasion that wee might knowe howe the lawe by it selfe is not deadly but that commeth otherwise and is as a man woulde say forraine or such as commeth by some other meanes 12 Wherefore the lawe is holy Some thinke there is a repetition doubling in woordes lawe and commandement to whom I doe so consent that I iudge there is included a great Emphasis or force To say the lawe it selfe and what so euer is commaunded in the lawe that is all holy and therefore is greatly to be reuerenced it is iuste and therefore not to be charged with any vnrighteousnes it is good and therefore pure and cleane from all corruption So hee cleareth the lawe of all accusations least any shoulde ascribe that to the lawe whiche were not good iust and holy 13 Was that then which is good made death vnto mee God forbid Yea sinne that it might appeare sinne wrought death in me by that which is good that sinne might bee out of measure sinnefull by the commandement 13 Was that then which is good Hitherto hee hath so cleared the lawe from all calumniations that yet notwithstanding it remained doubtfull whither it were the cause of death or no. Yea here are mens mindes wonderfully plonged how it may be that we shold reape nothing but death of so singular a benefit of god Now therfore he answereth that obiection denying that death is of the lawe although through occasion thereof it is brought vpon vs by sinne And albeit this answere seemeth to be contrary vnto that which hee sayde before namely that the commaundement which was ordeined vnto life was founde death vnto him yet in deede there is no contrarietie For before he meant that by our wickednesse it commeth to passe that wee abuse the lawe to our destruction otherwise then the nature of it doeth beare The law is not the materiall cause of deah 2. Cor. 3.7 and heere he denieth it to bee the matter of death that death shoulde bee imputed to it In the seconde to the Corinthians hee speaketh more freely of the lawe where hee calleth it the administration of death Howe be it that hee doeth as it is wont to bee in the heate of disputation not respecting the nature of the lawe but the opinion of the aduersaries Yea sinne vnder the correction of others I thinke it is to bee reade as I haue put it downe and therefore I suppose this to be the sence sinne in a maner is iustified before it be detected by the law but when by occasion of the law it is reueiled then truely it taketh the name of sinne and so much the more mischieuous and that I may saye so sinnefull it appeareth then because it conuerteth the goodnesse of the law being peruerted to our destruction For that must needes bee a very poysonable thing which causeth that which otherwise by his owne nature is holesome to be hurtfull The meaning is that it was meete the outragiousnesse of sinne shoulde be discouered by the lawe for except sinne did as they say burst forth by an outragious and enormious excesse it shoulde not bee acknowledged for sinne This excesse doeth powre out it selfe more violently whiles it conuerteth life into death Therefore then is all excuse taken away 14 For we know that the lawe is spirituall but I am carnall solde vnder sinne 15 For I knowe not that which I doe For what I would that do I not but what I woulde not that do I. 16 If I doe then that I woulde not I consent to the lawe of God that it is good 17 Nowe then it is no more I that doth it but the sinne that dwelleth in me 14 For we knowe Nowe hee beginneth more neerely to campare the lawe with the nature of man that it might more clearely appeare whence the fault of death proceedeth Secondly hee propoundeth an example of a regenerate man in whom the reliques of the fleshe doe so dissent from the law of the Lord that yet the spirite doeth willingly obey the same lawe But first of all as wee saide hee setteth downe a bare comparison of mans nature and the lawe Seeing there is no greater variance in the worlde then of the spirite and the fleshe the lawe is spirituall man is carnall What concorde then hath the nature of man with the lawe namely suche as the light hath with darkenesse How the lawe is called spirituall Furthermore whereas he calleth the lawe spirituall thereby hee doeth not onely signifie that it requireth the inwarde affections of the heart as many expounde it but according to the nature of an antithesis it hath a signification contrary to the worde carnall The former interpreters wee spake of expounde it thus the lawe is spirituall that is it doth not onely binde our handes and feete in respect of externall actions but also is imposed vpon the affections of the heart and requireth the sincere feare of God But heere is expressed an antithesis or contrarietie betweene the fleshe and the spirite Finally by the text it may sufficiently appeare and partly it hath been alreadie declared that vnder the name of fleshe is comprehended what so euer men bring with them out of their mothers wombe And men being taken for such as they are borne and for such as they be so long as they reteyne their owne witte are called fleshe for as they are corrupt so they neither sauoure nor breathe any thing but that is grosse and earthly Spirite put for the renewing of our corrupt nature On the contrary the spirite is called the renewing of our corrupt nature whiles God reformeth vs to his image And hence commeth that kind of speech because that newnes which is wrought in vs is the gift of the spirite Wherefore the integritie of the doctrine of the lawe is set against the corruption of mans nature The meaning therefore is the lawe requireth a certaine celestiall and angelicall righteousnes wherein there shoulde appeare no blot to whose cleannesse nothing ought to be
their strength is not sufficient Paule saith hee founde not that were to bee wished namely the effecte of a good desire Heereunto apperteineth the confession that next followeth namely that hee did not the good hee woulde but rather the euyll which hee woulde not namely because the faithfull howsoeuer they bee right minded yet beeing priuie to theyr owne infirmitie they esteeme no worke to proceede from them without faulte For seeing Paule intreateth not heere of a fewe faultes of the Godly but in generall noteth the whole course of their life wee gather that their best woorkes are alwaye stayned with some blot of sinne so that no reward is to be hoped for but so farre forth as God doeth pardon them Finally hee repeateth that sentence namely that so farre forth as hee is indued with celestiall light hee is a faithfull witnesse and subscriber to the righteousnesse of the lawe Whereby it followeth that if wee had the pure integritie of nature the lawe shoulde not bee deadly vnto vs for the lawe is not aduersante to that man who being of a sounde minde abhorreth from sinne Howebeit health is of the celestiall Phisition 21 I finde then by the lawe that when I woulde doe good euil is present with me 22 For I consent to the law of God concerning the inner man 23 But I see another lawe in my members rebelling agaynst the lawe of my mynde and leadinge mee captiue vnto the Lawe of sinne whiche is in my members 21 I finde then Here Paule imagineth a fourefolde lawe Namely 1. the law of God which onely is properly so called because it is the rule of righteousnesse whereby our life is fashioned aright A fourefold law 2. Hereunto he addeth the law of the minde so learning the readinesse of a faithfull minde to obey the law of the Lorde because it is a certaine confirming of vs to the lawe of God 3. On the contrary side he opposeth the lawe of vnrighteousnesse and by a certaine allusion he so calleth the dominion whiche iniquitie hath as well in a man not yet regenerate as in the fleshe of a regenerate man For the lawes of Tyraunts how wicked soeuer they bee yet abusiuely are called lawes 4. Vnto this law of sinne hee maketh the lawe of members answere that is the concupiscence resting in our members For that consent it hath with iniquitie Concerning the first member because many interpreters take the name lawe in his proper sense they vnderstande Cata or Dia and so doth Erasmus translate it by the lawe As thoug Paul had saide by the instruction and direction of the lawe he founde out that corruption was graffed in him But that thou mayest vnderstande or adde nothing the sentence shall runne well thus the faythfull whiles they goe about to doe good they find a certayne tyrannicall lawe in them selues because there â—s graffed in their marrowe and bones a corruption contrarye and rebelling the lawe of God 22 For I consent to the lawe of God Heere then thou seest what manner of diuision there is in godly myndes whence ariseth that battayle of the fleshe and the spirite whiche Augustine in a certaine place doeth notablie call the Christian warfare The lawe of God calleth man vnto the rule of righteousnes iniquitie which is as it were a tyrannicall lawe of Sathan pricketh forwarde vnto wickednesse The spirite carieth vnto the obedience of the lawe of GOD the fleshe draweth backe vnto the contrary part Man thus distracted with diuers desires is now in a maner diuided of one made two men but because the spirite ought to holde the principalitie hee iudgeth and estimateth himselfe chiefly by that part Therfore Paul saith hee was bounde captiue of his flesh because whereas hee is yet tickled and moued with euill concupiscences that is a coaction in respect of the spirituall desire which altogether resisteth But the acception of the inner man and members is diligently to bee noted which whiles many did mistake they haue fallen vpon this rocke Therefore the inner man is not simply taken for the soule but for that spirituall parte of the soule whiche is regenerate of God the worde members signifieth the other part that remayneth What is ment by members howe the spirit hath the name of inner man For as the soule is the more excellent parte of man and the bodie the inferiour so is the spirite more excellent then the fleshe By this reason therefore because the spirite occupieth the place of soule in man and the fleshe that is the corrupt and contaminated soule the place of bodie spirite hath the name of inner man and fleshe the name of members The outward man is taken in another sense the seconde to the Corinth But the circumstaunce of the present place necessarily requireth that interpretation I haue put downe and it is called inner by the way of excellencie because it possesseth the heart and hidden affections seeing the appetites of the fleshe are wandering and as it were out of man Or surely it is like as if a man shoulde compare heauen with earth For Paule by the way of contempte vnder the name of members noteth what so euer appeareth in man that he might the better declare howe the secrete renouation is hidden and couered from our sences saue so farre forth as it is apprehended by fayth Nowe then seeing the lawe of the minde without question signifieth an affection rightly composed and set in order it appeareth that this place is wickedly wrested vnto men not regenerate For Paul teacheth that suche are without minde because their minde or soule degenerateth from reason 24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from this body of death 25 I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lorde Then I my selfe in my minde serue the Lawe of God but in my fleshe the law of sinne 24 O wretched man Hee windeth vp the disputation with a vehement exclamation whereby hee teacheth that wee are not onely to striue with our fleshe but with continuall sighing to bewayle both with our selues and before God our vnhappinesse And hee demaundeth not by whom hee might be deliuered as though hee doubted as vnbeleeuers doe who holde not that there is one onely deliuered But it is the voyce of one panting and almost fanting because hee doeth not sufficiently see present helpe And therefore hath he vsed the word take or deliuer that hee might shewe howe there is required vnto this deliueraunce a speciall power of God By the body of death Hee meaneth the masse of sinne What is ment by the body of death or heape whereon man is compacted sauing that in him there remained onely certayne reliques with whose bondes hee was holden captiue The pronowne this or of this which I with Erasmus haue referred vnto bodie may also fitly bee applied vnto death but almost in the same sence because the minde of Paule is to shewe that the eyes of the sonnes of God are opened that they
might prudently discerne from the lawe of God the corruption of their nature and death which proceedeth thence Howe bee it the name body is all one with the name externall man and members for Paul noteth this to bee the originall of sinne that man is fallen from the lawe of his creation and so is become carnall and earthly For although hee doe yet excell bruite beastes yet his true dignitie is taken from him and that which remayneth is filled with innumerable corruptions so that his soule as it is degenerate Gen. 6.3 may be said to be chāged into a body So god saith with Moses my spirit shall striue no more with mā because he is but flesh where by the way of reproch he compareth man being spoyled of his spirituall dignitie vnto brute beastes And this place of Paul serueth notably to beate downe all the glory of fleshe For it teacheth that the most perfect men of all so long as the dwell in their fleshe are addicted vnto miserie because they are subiect vnto death yea whiles they doe diligently examine them selues they finde nothing in their nature but miserie Furthermore least they shoulde cocker their dulnesse by his example Paule prouoketh them vnto carefull morninges and commaundeth them so long as they wander in earth to desire death as the onely remedie of their euill And this is the right ende of coueting or desiring death Why and howe the godly may wish for death For oftentimes desperation driueth prophane men vnto the same desire but rather for the lothsomnesse of this present life then for the wearinesse of their sinne they doe wickedly wishe for death Adde also that the faithfull albeit they leuell at the true marke yet they are not caried with an vnbridled or outragious passion to wishe for death but submitte themselues to the will of God to whom we ought to liue and die Wherefore they doe not rage with indignation agaynst God but they do humbly lay their griefes in his bosome for they doe not so stay or rest in the cogitations of their miseries but being mindefull of the grace receiued they temper their sorrowe with mirth as it followeth 25 I thanke God Hee therefore addeth this thankesgiuing straightwayes least any shoulde thinke hee murmured stubbornely against God in his complaint For wee know how easie it is yea euen in iust dolour or sorrowe to fall vnto murmouring or impatiencie Notwithstanding therefore Paule bewayling his estate did feruently couet death yet he confesseth him selfe to rest in the grace of God For it is not meete that the Saintes whiles they examine their owne imperfections shoulde forgette what they haue receyued of God Finally this cogitation sufficeth to bridle impatiēcie and nourish peace namely that they are receiued into the custodie of God to the ende they shoulde neuer perish and euen nowe feele them selues indued with the first fruites of the spirite which assureth them of the eternal inheritaunce And albeit they do not yet inioy the promised glory of heauen yet they being content with that measure which they haue obtayned neuer want matter of ioy Then I my selfe A briefe conclusion wherein hee teacheth that the faythfull neuer come vnto the marke of righteousnesse We neuer come vnto the marke of righteousnes so long as wee liue in the flesh so long as they dwell in their fleshe but they are in the way vntill they haue put off the bodie By minde hee vnderstandeth not that reasonable part of the soule whiche the Philosophers make so muche on but whiche is illuminated with the spirite of God to vnderstande and will aright For there is not onely mention made of the vnderstanding but also the serious desire of heart is ioyned To conclude by this exception hee confesseth that he is in such sort addicted vnto God that yet creeping vpon the earth hee is defiled with many corruptions This is a notable place to conuince These professed themselues to bee pure that pernicious doctrine of the Catharites or Nouatian heritikes which some tumultuous spirites goe about to renewe againe at this day CHAPTER 8. 1 NOwe then there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the fleshe but after the spirite 2 For the lawe of the spirite of life in Christ Iesus hath made mee free from the lawe of sinne and death 3 For that which was impossible to the lawe because it was weake through the fleshe God by sending his sonne in the similitude of sinnefull fleshe yea hee hath condemned sin of sinne in the fleshe 4 That the rigeteousnesse of the lawe myght bee fulfilled in vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirite NOwe then there is no. Hauing set downe that conflict which the godly haue with their flesh hee returneth vnto a very necessary cōsolation for them whereof he made mention before namely that although they are yet beset on euerie side with sinne neuerthelesse they are exempted from the power of death and from all curse so bee it they walke not in the fleshe but in the spirite For hee ioyneth three thinges together imperfection which is alway in the faithfull the mercy of God in pardoning and forgiuing the same regeneration of the spirite and this last verily is added least any vpon a vaine opinion should boast himselfe as though hee were freed from the curse whiles in the meane time he doth securely cocker his fleshe As the carnall man therefore doth in vaine flatter himselfe if hee being retchlesse to refourme his life vnder the pretence of this grace promise to himselfe impunitie so the trembling consciences of the godly haue an inuincible safegarde that whiles they abide in Christe they knowe they are without all danger of condemnation Nowe it behoueth vs to examine the wordes Who walke according to the spirite hee counteth those to walke according to the spirite not which haue altogether put off all the senses of flesh so that in their whole life there appeareth nothing besides a celestiall perfection but which doe so diligently labour in taming the fleshe that the studie of pietie may appeare to raigne in them hee denieth such to walke according to the fleshe because wheresoeuer the sincere feare of God florisheth it taketh the dominion away from the fleshe albeit it doth not abolishe all the corruptions thereof 2 For the lawe of the spirite of life This is a confirmation of the former sentence for the vnderstanding wherof the signification of the wordes is to be obserued What is meant by the law of the spirit He calleth the lawe of the spirite improperly the spirite of God which sprinckleth our soules with the blood of Christ not only that it might cleanse them from the blot of sinne in respect of giltinesse but also sanctifie them vnto true puritie He addeth that it quickeneth for the Genetiue case after the maner of the Hebrewes is taken for an Epitheton whereupon it followeth that who so
deteineth a man in the letter of the law maketh him subiect vnto death On the contrary he calleth the law of sin death What is meant by the law of sin the dominion of the flesh and tyrannie of death which proceedeth thence The law of God is as it were placed in the midst which law teacheth righteousnes but giueth it not yea rather it bindeth vs in stronger bonds vnto the seruitude of sin death Therefore the meaning is where as the law of God condemneth men that commeth to passe because so long as they abide vnder the bonde of the lawe they are pressed with the bondage of sin and so are gilty of death But the spirit of Christ whiles by correcting the inordinat lusts of the flesh Obiection he abolisheth the law of sin in vs doth also deliuer vs from the giltines of death If any should obiect that then the forgiuenesse wherby our offences are buried Answeare doth depend vpon regeneration the answere is easie namely that the cause is not here set downe of Paule but the maner only is deliuered wherby we are loosed from giltinesse And Paule denieth vs to obteine that by the doctrine of the lawe but whiles we are renewed by the spirite of God wee are also iustified by free forgiuenes that the curse of sinne might no more lie vpon vs. This sentence therfore is as much as if Paul had said the grace of regeneration is neuer separated trom the imputation of righteousnesse I dare not take the law of sin death with some for the loue of god because it seemeth to bee a hard speech For although by increasing sinne it beget death yet Paule did purposely aboue withdrawe from this despite or roughnesse of speeche Although nothing the more I consent to their opinion who vnderstand the law of sin for the concupiscence of the flesh as though Paul said he had cōquered it For shortly after it shal as I hope sufficiētly appeare that he speaketh of free forgiuenesse which doth bring vnto vs a perfect peace with God I had rather keepe the name of law then with Erasmus to translate it right or power because Paule did not without cause allude vnto the lawe of God 3 For that which was impossible to the law Nowe followeth the polishing and setting foorth of the confirmation namely that the Lorde hath by his free mercy iustified vs in Christe which thing was impossible for the law But because this is a very notable sentence let vs examine euery part thereof That hee intreateth here of free iustification or of remission wherby god reconcileth vs to himselfe The doctrine of remission free mercy is restrained vnto those who ioyne repentance vnto faith it may be gathered by that last clause where hee addeth who walke according to the spirite and not according to the fleshe For if Paule went about to teach how by the spirite of regeneration we are instructed or furnished to conquere sinne to what end were this addition But it was very expedient that after he had promised free remission vnto the faithful then this doctrine should be restrayned vnto those who ioyne repentance vnto faith and abuse not the mercy of God vnto the licenciousnes of the flesh Secondarily heere is to be noted the rendring of the cause For the Apostle sheweth how the grace of Christ doth absolue vs from giltines Now concerning the wordes impossible to the lawe out of questiō is takē for a defect or impotencie as though it were said there was a remedie founde of God whereby the impossibilitie of the lawe was taken away As for the particle en O which Erasmus hath turned that part wherein because I thinke it to be causall I choose rather to translate it because And albeit perhaps you shall not finde such a phrase of speech with good authours of the Greeke tongue yet because the Apostles do euery where vse Hebrewe phrases this interpretation ought not to seeme hard Certainly the sound Readers will graunt that the cause of defect was expressed here as we shal declare again a little after Now whiles Erasmus putteth down of himself the principall verbe in my iudgement the text doth runne verye well o-otherwise The Coniunction Kai and hath deceiued Erasmus that he should insert or thrust in the verbe Praestitit that is hee hath perfourmed But I think it was put for amplification sake except any perhaps like the coniecture of the Greeke gloser better who ioyneth this member and of sinne to that goeth before namely God sent his sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh for sinne Howebeit I haue followed that which I haue thought to bee the naturall sense of Paule Nowe I come vnto the thing it selfe Paule affirmeth plainely that our sinnes were therefore done away by the death of Christ because it was impossible for the lawe to make vs righteous Whereupon it followeth there is more commaunded in the lawe then we are able to perfourme because if wee were able to perfourme the lawe it were in vaine to seeke for remedie els where Wherefore it is absurde that mans strength shoulde bee measured by the precepts of the lawe as though God in requiring that is iuste had regarded what and howe greate our strengthe were Because it was weake least any shoulde thinke the law were charged vnreuerently with weakenesse or should restraine this vnto ceremonies Why the lawe cannot iustifie Paule hath precisely expressed that that defect is not through the fault of the lawe but through the corruptiō of our flesh For we must cōfesse if any did absolutely satisfie the lawe of God he were righteous before God So then hee denieth not the law to be able to iustifie vs in respect of doctrine as which conteineth the perfect rule of righteousnesse but because our fleshe doeth not compasse that righteousnesse the whole strength of the lawe falleth or vanisheth away So their errour or rather dotage is refuted who thinke the power of iustifiyng is taken away onely from ceremonies when Paul plainely putting the fault in vs declareth that hee doth finde no faulte in the doctrine Furthermore vnderstand the infirmitie or weakenesse of the lawe as the Apostle is wont to vse the woorde astheneias not onely for a little weakenesse but for impotencie that hee might signifie howe the law hath no force at all to iustifie Thou seest then we are vtterly excluded from the righteousnes of workes and therefore must flee vnto the righteousnesse of Christ because there can be none in our selues Which thing is chiefly necessarie to be knowen for we shall neuer be cloathed with the righteousnes of Christ except first we know assuredly that we haue no righteousnes of our owne The name flesh is put alway in the same signification namely for our selues Therefore the corruption of our nature maketh the lawe of God vnprofitable to vs because whiles it sheweth the way of life it doth not reduce vs backe Howe God hath
restored vs to righteousnes by his sonne who are running headlong vnto death God by sending his sonne Nowe he sheweth the maner how the celestiall father hath restored vs to righteousnesse by his sonne namely because he hath condemned sinne in the flesh of Christ that is the handwriting being as it were cancelled he hath done away the giltines which did hold vs bound before the Lord. For the condemnation of sin hath brought vs into righteousnes because the giltines being put away we are absolued that God might repute vs iust But first he saith that Christ was sent that he might admonish vs how righteousnes is not resident in vs seeing it is to be sought for in another and in vaine doe men trust to theyr merites who are not otherwise iustified then by prayer or intreatie or els because the borrowe righteousnes of that satisfaction which Christ fulfilled in his flesh and he saith that Christ came in the similitude of sinfull flesh because albeit the flesh of Christ was stained with no blots yet to the sighte it seemed sinneful so far foorth as he susteined that punishment was due to our sinnes And certainly vpon the same flesh as subiect vnto him death did shew all the partes of his power And because it behooued our high priest by his own experience to learn what it is to succour the weak Christ would vndertake our infirmities that he might be the redier vnto mutual passion in whiche part also there appeared a certain image of sinfull nature Yea of sin I haue said a while agoe that this was expounded by some of the cause or end why God did send his sonne namely that he might make satisfaction for sin Chrysostome diuers after him vnderstande it somwhat more hardly namely that sin was condemned of sin because it slewe Christ vniustly vnworthily Indeed I confesse because he being iust and innocent vndertooke punishment for sinners by this meanes was the price of redemption paid Sinne taken for the sacrifice of sinne yet I cannot be brought to thinke the word sinne to be put heere in any other sense then for a sacrifice of satisfaction whiche of the Hebrews is called Asham as the Grecians cal Catharma a Sacrifice whereunto malediction or curse is annexed So the same Paul saith Christ who knew not sin became sin for vs that wee might be made the righteousnes of God in him And the preposition Peri of or for is taken here causally as though Paul had said vpon that sacrifice or els for the burden of sin whiche was laid vpon Christ sin was cast downe from his power that now it might not haue vs in subiection For he saith that sin was condēned metaphorically as they who are cast in a matter loose their processe because God dealeth no more against those giltie persons who are cleered by the sacrifice of Christe If wee say the kingdome of sinne wherewithall wee were oppressed was abrogated it is all one Therefore Christ tooke vnto him that was ours that hee might power vpon vs that was his For hauing taken vpon him our curse hee hath indued vs with his blessing Here Paul addeth in the flesh that our confidence might bee more sure whiles we see sinne was conquered abolished euen in our owne nature for so it cōmeth to passe that our nature is truely made partaker of that victorie which thing hee also declareth straightwayes 4 That the righteousnes of the lawe might bee fulfilled They who gather out of this place that those are renued by the spirite of Chrste doe fulfill the lawe they bring in a fayned matter altogether wide from the meaning of Paule for the faithfull so long as they wander in this worlde neuer come vnto that perfection that the righteousnesse of the lawe shoulde bee full and perfect in them Therefore this must needes be referred vnto grace because whiles the obediēce of Christ is imputed to vs the lawe is satisfied that wee might bee accounted for iuste For the perfection which the lawe required was therefore exhibited in the fleshe that the rigour thereof should no more be of force to condemne vs But because Christe doth communicate his righteousnes to none but whom he hath coupled to himselfe by the bond of his spirite Regeneration is added againe leaste Christe shoulde bee thought to bee the minister of sinne Righteousnes by faith in Christe is coupled with sanctification as many are ready to drawe that vnto the lasciuiousnesse of the flesh whatsoeuer is saide of the fatherly mercy of God and some do wickedly slaunder this doctrine as though it extinguished the studie of a right life 5 For they who are after the fleshe studie or cogitate those thinges which are of the fleshe and they which are after the spirite the thinges which are of the spirit 6 The wisedome or cogitation verily of the fleshe is death but the wisedome or cogitation of the spirite is life and peace 7 Seeing the wisedome or cogitation of the flesh is enmitie against God For it is not subiect to the law of God neyther can it be 8 They therefore whiche are in the fleshe can not please God 5 For they who are after the fleshe Hee bringeth in this difference of the fleshe and the spirite not onely by an argument taken from the contrarie to prooue that he sayde before namely that the grace of Christ doth not appertaine vnto any but those who beyng renewed by the spirite doe giue them selues vnto innocencie but also that with due consolation hee might cheere vp the faithful least whiles they are priuie in them selues vnto many infirmities they should dispaire For seeing none are deliuered from the curse but they who lead a spiritual life it might seeme that hope of saluation were cut off from all menne For what man shal be found in the worlde furnished with an Angelicall puritie so that he hath nothing to doe with the flesh It was necessarie to adde this definition what it is to be in the fleshe and to walke according to the fleshe At the first Paule doth not distinguishe so precisely but yet as wee shall see in the processe his purpose is to put the faithfull in good hope albeit they are yet tyed to their flesh so be that they loose not the reynes to the lustes thereof but suffer them selues to bee ruled by the holie spirite When he saith that the carnall doe care for or meditate the thinges of the fleshe hee testifieth that he counteth not those for carnall Who are carnall who aspire vnto heauenlye righteousnesse but who are altogether addicted to the world Therefore I haue put downe the word cogitate which comprehendeth more in steed of to be wise or vnderstand that the reader might know that they are excluded from the sonnes of God who beeyng giuen to the inticementes of the fleshe applye their mindes and studies to wicked lustes Nowe in the seconde member he exhorteth the faithfull to hope well if they feele
pretendeth he meant no harme And this pretence at this day holdeth a great many that they apply not their studie to search out the truth of God because they thinke that to bee excusable whatsoeuer they transgresse of ignorance without set malice yea with a good intention But there is none of vs can excuse the Iewes that they crucified Christe that they cruelly raged against the Apostles that they went about to destroy and extinguish the Gospel and yet they had the same defence wherin wee glory securely Therefore let those vaine hastings or wranglings of good intention goe If wee seeke the Lord from our heart let vs follow the way by the which there is accesse vnto him For it is better As Augustine saith yea euen to halt in the way then to runne stoutly out of the way If we would be religious let vs remember that is true which Lactantius teacheth namely that is true religion which is ioined with the word of God And againe when we see them to perish who through good intention wander in darknes let vs think we are worthie of a thousand deaths if we being illuminated of God do wittingly willingly wander from his way 3 For they being ignorant of the righteousnes of God Behold how through rash zeale they erred namely that they went about to erect their own righteousnes which foolish trust came of the ignorance of Gods righteousnes Mark the antithesin or contrarietie of the righteousnes of God and men first we see they are opposed one against the other as things contrary which cannot stand together whereby it foloweth that the righteousnes of God is ouerthrowne so soone as men establish their owne righteousnes Secondly to the ende the Antitheta or contrarieties might answer one the other What righteousnes is called the righteousnes of God and what the righteousnes of men out of question that is called the righteousnes of God which is the gift of God as againe that is called the righteousnesse of men which they seeke in or of themselues or which they trust that they bring vnto god Therefore he is not subiect to the righteousnes of God who wil bee iustified in himselfe because the first steppe to obteine the righteousnes of God is to resigne or forsake his own righteousnes for to what end is it to seeke for righteousnes elswhere but because necessitie doth constraine vs and we haue declared in another place how men put on the righteousnes of God by faith namely because the righteousnes of Christe is imputed vnto thē Finally Paul doth greatly disgrace that pride wherwith hypocrites are puffed vp howsoeuer it be couered with a faire face of zeale whiles he saith the yoke of god beeing as it were shaken off they are all aduersaries and rebels against the righteousnes of God 4 For Christe is the ende of the law The worde fulfilling seemeth vnto me not to serue amisse in this place as Erasmus also hath translated it perfection but because the other reading is receiued by the consent almost of all men and the same also agreeth well the readers for my part shal be at libertie to reteine it By this reason the Apostle meeteth with an obiection which might bee moued against him For the Iewes might seeme to haue kept the right way because they applyed or gaue themselues to the righteousnesse of the lawe It stoode him in hande to refute this false opinion whiche thing hee doth heere For hee sheweth that hee is a preposterous interpreter of the lawe who seeketh to bee iustified by the works thereof because the law was giuen to this end that it might lead vs by the hand to another righteousnesse Yea whatsoeuer the lawe teacheth whatsoeuer it commandeth whatsoeuer it promiseth it hath Christe alway for his marke so then all the partes thereof are to bee directed vnto him And that cannot bee vnlesse we being spoyled of all righteousnes confounded with the knowlege of sinne doe seeke for free righteousnesse of him onely Whereby it foloweth that the corrupt abuse of the law is iustly reprehended in the Iewes who lewdly of their helpe made their hinderance yea it appeareth they did shamefully lame the lawe of God who hauing reiected the life or soule thereof did take to them the dead body of the letter For albeit the lawe of righteousnesse doth promise a rewarde to his obseruers yet after it hath brought all vnder giltinesse it substituteth a new righteousnesse in Christe which is not gotten by the merite of woorkes but beeing freely giuen is receiued by faith So the righteousnesse of faith as wee sawe in the first Chapter hath testimonie of the lawe And wee haue heere a notable place that the lawe in all his partes respecteth Christe and therefore no man can haue the true vnderstanding thereof who doth not still seeke to come vnto this marke 5 For Moses describeth the righteousnesse whiche is of the lawe that the man which doth these thinges shall liue in them 6 But the righteousnesse which is of faith speaketh on this wise say not in thyne hearte who shall ascende into heauen That is to bringe Christe from aboue 7 Or who shall descende into the deepe that is to bring Christe againe from the dead 8 But what saith it The woorde is neere thee in thy mouth and in thy hearte this is the worde of faith whiche we preach 9 For if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lorde Iesus and shalt beleeue in thine heart that God raised him vp from the dead thou shalt be saued 10 For with the hearte man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth to saluation 6 For Moses describeth c. That it might appeare how greatly the righteousnesse of faith and the rigteousnes of works are contrary one to the other he compareth them together For by comparison the repugnancie which is betweene thinges contrary appeareth better And hee dealeth Why paul rather alleageth the testimony of Moses then the Prophetes not with the oracles of the Prophetes but with the testimonie of Moses for this onely cause that the Iewes might vnderstand there was not a law giuen by Moses which should hold them in the confidence of works but which should rather lead thē vnto Christ For although hee shoulde haue alleadged the Prophets for witnesses of his sentence yet this doubt had remained why the lawe did prescribe another forme of righteousnesse Hee therefore notably remoueth this scruple whiles he confirmeth the righteousnes of faith euen by the doctrine of the lawe Furthermore whereas Paule maketh the lawe consent with faith and yet opposeth the righteousnesse of that The law hath a twofold acception against the righteousnesse of this the reason thereof must be knowen The lawe hath a twofolde acception For sometime it signifieth all that doctrine was deliuered by Moses sometimes but that part which was proper to his ministerie namely which is conteined in precepts rewardes and punishments For Moses generally had
this office that he might instruct the people in the true rule of godlinesse Which thing if it be true it behoued him to preach repentance and faith but faith is not taught vnlesse the promises of Gods mercy and the same free promises be propounded or set before the people therefore it behoued him to bee a Preacher of the gospell which thing hee did faithfully as appeareth by diuers places And to the ende he might informe the people vnto repentance it was his part to teach what maner of life were acceptable to God that he hath comprised in the precepts of the lawe Now to the ende hee might put into the mindes of the people a loue of righteousnes and againe inserte a hatred of sinne promises and threatnings were to bee added whiche might declare how there are rewardes laid vp for the iust and horrible punishments for the wicked Now also it was the dutie of the people to coÌ„sider by how many wayes they were accursed and howe farre they were from that that they could merite God by their workes so they being in dispaire of their owne righteousnes might flee vnto the hauen of Gods goodnesse and that is vnto Christe himselfe This was the ende of Moses ministerie And now because the promises of the gospell are onely read heere and there in Moses and the same also verie obscurely but the precepts and rewardes appointed for the keepers of the lawe appeare eftsoones worthily is this office properly and peculiarly giuen vnto Moses to teach what true righteousnes of workes is secondarily to shewe what reward remaineth for the obseruation and what punishment for the transgression thereof In this respect Moses himselfe is compared with Christe in Iohn where it is saide The lawe was giuen by Moses grace and truth is fulfilled by Christe And so often as the lawe is taken so stricktly Iohn 1.17 Moses is couertly opposed vnto Christe and therefore wee are then to consider what the lawe conteineth in it selfe beyng separate from the gospell That therfore which is saide heere of the righteousnesse of the lawe must be referred not vnto the whole office of Moses but vnto this part which peculiarly in a maner was committed vnto him Nowe I come vnto the wordes For Moses describeth Paule hath Graphei in latine scribit in english he writeth Apheresis is yâ— taking away of a letter or sillable from the beginning of a word Leuit. 18.5 but it is the figure Aphaeresis for the word describit id est hee describeth And the place is taken out of Leuiticus where the Lorde promiseth eternall life to them shal keepe his lawe For thou seest that Paule also hath so taken it not of a temporall or transitory life onely which pleaseth a manie And Paule reasoneth thus from that place seeyng no man can obteyne righteousnesse prescribed in the lawe but he that fulfilleth exactly euery part thereof and all men haue alway beene farre from that perfection in vayne doth any seeke for saluation this way Israel therefore did amisse which thought he coulde obtayne the righteousnesse of the lawe from the which we are all excluded See howe he argueth from the promise it selfe that it profiteth vs nothing namely because of the impossible condition What a foolish toy is it then to alleadge legal promises to establishe the righteousnesse of woorkes For a sure curse abydeth for vs and theÌ„ so farre is it off that saluation should come thence vnto vs. The more abhominable is the sottishnes of Papistes who thinke it sufficient to proue merits by bare promises It is not in vayne quoth they that God hath promised life to his worshippers but in the meane while they see not that it is therefore promised that the sence of their transgressions might put into al men the feare of death so they being forced by their owne want might learne to flee vnto Christ 6 But the righteousnes whiche is of faith This place is suche as maye greatelye trouble the Reader and that for two causes For both it seemeth to bee improperly wrested of Paule and also the wordes seeme to be chaunged into another sence But concerning the words we shall see what is to be said of them First let vs consider the application For it is a place of Deuteronomie where as in the former place Moses speaketh of the doctrine of the lawe Deut. 30.12 and Paule draweth it vnto the promises of the Gospell This knotte maye bee well vntied thus Moses in that place sheweth the facilitye or easinesse of comminge vnto life because the wil of God was not nowe hidde nor sette a farre off from the Iewes but was layd before their eyes If he spake of the law onely it had beene a friuolous argument seeing the law of God being put before our eyes is nothing more easie to be done then if it were set a farre off Therefore he noteth not the lawe onely but in generall all the doctrine of God which comprehendeth vnder it the Gospell For the worde of the law by it selfe is neuer in our heart no not the least sillable thereof vntil it be put in by the faith of the Gospel Secondly yea euen after regeneration the worde of the lawe shall not properly bee saide to be in our heart because it requireth perfection from the which the faithfull themselues are farre off But the worde of the Gospel hath his seate in the heart although it filleth not the heart for it offereth pardon for the imperfection and want And Moses altogether in that Chapter as also in the fourth studieth to commende vnto the people the singuler loue of God because he had receiued them into his tuition and gouernment whiche commendation could not be taken from the bare lawe Neither letteth it that Moses preacheth there of reforming the life vnto the rule of the lawe for the spirit of regeneration is coupled with the righteousnesse of faith Therefore he collecteth the one out of the other because the obseruation of the lawe is of the faith of Christ Neither is it to be doubted but this sentence dependeth vpoÌ„ that principle the Lord shal circumcise thine heart which he had put downe a little before in the same Chapter Wherefore they are easily refuted who say that Moses intreateth there of good workes Indeede I confesse that to be true but I deny it to be absurd that the obseruation of the law should be drawen from this fountaine that is â—â—om the righteousnes of faith Nowe the opening of the words is to be sought for Say not in thy heart who shal ascende c. Moses nameth heauen the Sea as places furthest off hard for a man to come vnto But Paule as though there were some spirituall mystery hidden vnder these wordes draweth them vnto the death and resurrection of Christ If any alleadge that this interpretation is too muche wrested and too subtile let him know the minde of the Apostle was not curiously or exactly to
handle the place of Moses but onely to apply it vnto the treatise of the present cause He doeth not therefore recite sillable by sillable what is in Moses but he vseth a polishing whereby hee applyeth the testimonie of Moses more neerely to his purpose Hee spake of pâ—aces are not to bee come vnto Paule hath expressed those places whiche are most of all hidden from our eyes and yet are to bee â—eeâ—e of our faith Wherefore if you take these to be spoken by the way of amplification or polishing thou canst not say that Paule hath violently and vnaptly wrested the woodes of Moses but rather thou wilt confesse that without any damage to the sense hee hath notably alluded vnto the wordes heauen and Sea Now let vs expound the wordes of Paule simply Because the assurance of our saluation dependeth vpon two principles namely whiles wee vnderstande that life is purchased for vs and death conquered to vs. With both which he teacheth our faith is supported by the word of the Gospell For Christe by dying hath swallowed vp death by rysing againe he hath gotten life in his power Nowe in the gospell the benefite of Christes death and resurrection is communicated vnto vs then there is no cause that wee shoulde seeke further for any thing Therefore that it myght appeare the righteousnesse of faith is aboundantly sufficient vnto saluation hee teacheth that those two members which onely are necessary vnto saluation are conteined in it Who then shall ascend into heauen Is as much as if he said who knoweth whether that inheritance of eternall and celestiall life abideth for vs Who shall descend into the deepe As if thou said who knoweth whether eternall death of the soule also follow the death of the bodie Both which doubtes hee teacheth to bee taken away by the righteousnesse of faith For the one should bring Christ downe from heauen Christ in his humane nature hath taken possesion of the heauens for the faithfull the other froÌ„ death should bring him backe againe For the ascention of Christe into heauen ought so to establish our faith of eternall life that hee in a maner draweth Christe himselfe out of the possession of the heauens that doubteth whether the inheritance of heauen bee prepared for the faithfull in whose name and cause hee is entred in thyther Likewise seeing hee tooke vpon hym the great horrours of Hell that hee myghte deliuer vs thence to call it into question whether the faythfull be still subiect to this miserie is to make his death voide and in a maner to denie it 8 But what saith it That negatiue speech which the Apostle hath hitherto vsed did serue to take away the impediments of faith it remaineth therefore that he declare the maner of obteining righteousnesse vnto the which ende this affirmation is added And whereas there is an interrogation interposed when they might all haue beene spoken together in on course of speeche that is done to procure attention And also his meaning is to shewe what a great difference there is betweene the righteousnes of the law and the Gospel seeing that sheweth it selfe a farre off it doth driue away all men from comming vnto it but this offering it selfe at hand doth familiarly inuite vs vnto the fruition of it The word is neere thee First of all this is to bee noted that least the mindes of men beeing carried away by vaine circumstances shoulde erre from saluation the boundes of the worde are prescribed vnto them within the whiche they ought to keepe themselues For it is as if hee shoulde commaund them to bee contente with the worde onely and admonish them that in this glasse the secretes of heauen are to bee seene which would both dasill theyr eyes with their brightnes astonishe their eares and also make the mynd it self amased Therefore the godly receiue an excellent consolation out of this place touchyng the certaynetie of the worde namely that they may as safely rest therein as in the most present beholdyng of things or as in any thyng is present and in hande Secondly it is to bee noted that suche a worde is propounded by Moses wherein wee haue firme and sure trust of saluation This is the worde of faith Iustly doth Paule take that for the doctrine of the lawe doth not pacyfie and quiet the conscience neyther doeth it minister vnto the conscience those thinges wherewith it ought to bee content Yet in the meane whyle hee excludeth not the other partes of the worde no not the precepts of the lawe but his mynde is to put downe remission of sinnes for righteousnesse and that without suche exact obedyence as the lawe requireth Therefore the worde of the gospell wherein wee are not commaunded to merite righteousnesse by workes but to imbrace it by faith being freely offered sufficeth to pacifie mens consciences and establish their saluation And the worde of faith by the figure Metonymia is put for the worde of promise that is for the gospel because it hath a relation with faith For the contrarietie whereby the law is discerned from the gospell muste bee vnderstood And out of this note of distinction we gather as the lawe requireth workes so the gospell requireth nothing els but that men bring faith to receiue the grace of God This parcell whiche wee preache is therefore added least any shoulde suspect Paule to dissent from Moses For hee testifieth that in the ministerie of the Gospell hee agreeth with Moses seeing he also did not place our felicitie any other where then in the free promise of Gods grace 9 So that if thou confesse This also is rather an allusion then a proper and naturall interpretation For it is like that Moses by the figure Synecdoche did vse the worde mouth Synecdoche is when by one thing another is vnderstood for face or countenance But it was not vnseemely for the Apostle to allude vnto the worde mouth to this sense when the Lorde publisheth his worde before our face assuredly hee calleth vs vnto the confession thereof For wheresoeuer the woorde of the Lorde is there it ought to fructifie and the fruite is the confession of the mouth Whereas hee putteth confession before faith it is the figure Anastrophe very vsuall in the Scriptures For the order had beene better Anastrophe is an inuersion of wordes when that is first should be last c. if faith of the hearte being put in the first place confessioÌ„ of the mouth which proceedeth thence had beene added And he doth confesse the Lorde Iesus aright who adorneth him with his vertue acknowledging him to bee such one as hee is giuen of the father and described in the Gospell And whereas resurrection onely is named wee must not so take it as though his death were in no place but because Christ by rysing again made vp our saluation For albeit our redemption and satisfaction was accomplished by his death by the which we are reconciled vnto God yet the victorie
Gods will is to be respected in all thinges cha 1. 10. Gods wil is the marke of the life of the faithful cha 14. 7. Good workes how they are crowned of God cha 2. 6. Good men mixt with euill cha 16. 11. Good thinges how they are to be prouided before men cha 12. 17. The Gospel what it is cha 1. 2. The Gospel contemptible in the eyes of the worlde cha 1. 16. The whole Gospel conteyned in Christ cha 1. 3. The Gospel for whom it is ordeined cha 1. 14. The Gospel the doctrine of saluation cha 1. 16. The Gospel was exhibited when Christ was incarnate cha 1. 2. Why the Gospel is called the Gospel of the sonne of God cha 1. 9. The Gospel is the ministery of reconciliation cha 5. 2. The Gospel is no new thing cha 16. 21. The Gospel subiect to false slaunders chap. 3. 8. The Gospel why it is called the Gospel of Paule cha 2. 16. The Gospel came not by chance cha 10. 15. The end of the Gospel cha 15. 16. The Gospel and the law compared cha 8. 15. To be vnder grace what it is cha 6. 14. Graffing threefold cha 11. 22. H HEart put for serious and sincere affection cha 10. 10. Heart put for vnderstanding cha 2. 15. Hardening how it is taken in the scripture cha 9. 18. Haters of God who they be cha 1. 28. The heauens preach the power of God cha 10. 18. Health of the faithful by what degrees it is promoted cha 8. 30. Hypocrites flatter themselues with a vayne trust cha 7. 9. Hypocrites waxe proude with prosperity cha 2. 4. Hypocrites doubt not to set their feigned worshippings against the truth cha 2. 8. Hypocrites must be drawen to the iudgement seate of GOD chap. 2. 29. Hypocrites in vaine cal vpon God cha 10. 14. Hypocrites secure cha 2. 1. Hypocrites haue a colour of zeale cha 10. 3. Hystory the mistres of life cha 4. 23. Honour put for al kind of duety cha 12. 10. Hope alwayes bringeth with it patience cha 8. 25. Hope is necessary for al the godly cha 12. 12. Hope how it is attributed to dead creatures cha 8. 19. Hospitality commended cha 12 13. Humilitie to be imbraced cha 12. 16. I IAcob why preferred before Esau cha 9. 3. Whence a true Iew is to be esteemed cha 2. 28. Iewes how they are the sonnes of promise cha 9. 6. Iewes are borne the heires of grace cha 3. 30. Iewes the first borne in the house of God cha 9. 4. cha 11. 26. Iewes why they were reiected cha 9. 30. Iewes how they are holy cha 11. 16. The cause of the Iewes their excecation cha 10. 19. The excellencie of the Iewes cha 9. 5. Iewes their vaine glorying cha 2. 17. Iewes their prerogatiues cha 9. 4. 5. Iewes their reiection whence it was cha 9. 30. Iewes and gentiles compared cha 3. 32. Iewes and gentiles made equal cha 11. 32. Impatiency must be brideled cha 7. 25. Impudency cha 1. 28. Inner man what it is cha 7. 22. Incredulity the greatest fault of the Iewes cha 11. 28. Ingratitude of men vnexcusable cha 1. 24. Ingratitude condemned cha 1. 18. Inheritaunce of the faithful cha 8. 17. Inhumanity for the most part followeth the ignorance of God cha 3. 10. Who are insociable cha 1. 18. Good intentions whither they carry men cha 10. 2. Infirmity of the law what it is cha 8. 3. Ioy of the faithful what it is cha 12. 12. At what time the Israelites began to bee called Iewes and of whom cha 2. 17. Iudas Machabeus the Author of the name Iew as it is supposed cha 2. 17. The iust iudgement of God cha 9. 2. Iudgement for euery reuengement of God cha 13. 3. Lightnes in iudgement condemned cha â—1 4. cha 14. 14. To iustifie what it meaneth with Paule cha 13. 33. Iustification for Absolution cha 5. 18. Of iustification three causes cha 3. 21. 24. K KIssing of the Paxe whence it came cha 16. 16. The vse of kissing in old time cha 16. 16. Knowledge of God graffed in the mindes of al men cha 11. 21. Gods truth for the true knowledge of God cha 1. 18. L LIberty gotten by Christ giueth not licence to sinne cha 6. 19. Liberty of the faithful what it is cha 6. 18. cha 7. 14. Lycurgus why he is called Sacrilegus of Ouid cha 2. 22. Life of the faithful what it ought to be cha 12. 11. Lightnes in iudgement condemned cha 11. 4. cha 14. 14. To liue vnto God what it is cha 6. 16. Life must be sought in the gospel cha 1. 17. Loue how it is the fulfilling of the law cha 13. 8. 10. Lactantius plane cha 10. 2. Law taken two wayes cha 10. 5. Law taken for the reuelation of Gods truth cha 13. 11. Law taken for the whole old Testament cha 3. 19. Law to what end it was giuen cha 3. 31. Law with al his partes respected Christ cha 10. 4. Law is the rule of a right life cha 6. 15. Law in what sence it is called spiritual cha 7. 10. 14. Law how it is abolished cha 6. 15. cha 7. 1. 2. Law how it is established by faith in Christ cha 3. 31. Law how it is fulfilled by loue cha 13. 8. Law how it giueth a deadly wound cha 7. 10. Law how it is deadly cha 7. 11. Law of faith what it is cha 3. 27. Law of righteousnes for the righteousnes of the law cha 9. 3. Law of workes what it is cha 3. 27. Law of sinne and death what it is cha 8. 2. Infirmity of the law what it is cha 8. 3. The name of the Law diuersly taken cha 7. 2. Law and marriage compared cha 7. 2. Law and Gospel compared cha 8. 15. Letter for external obseruation without inward deuotion cha 2. 28. Contrariety of the letter and the spirite cha 7. 6. Lust preposterous how execrable cha 1. 26. Loue of God is not to be sought out of Christ cha 8. 35. Loue of God towards vs bringeth victory cha 8. 37. M MAn why made of God cha 1. 19. Man twofold cha 7. 22. Man how he is called a liar cha 3. 4. Inner man what it is cha 7. 22. Old man what it is cha 6. 6. Mans wil euery way contrary to the wil of God cha 8. 7. cha 12. 2. That is sometime giuen vnto man which is Gods onely cha 11. 14. Magistrate to what end ordeined of the Lord cha 13. 3. An euil Magistrate is the scourge of God ibid. Magistrate a natural office cha 13. 3. Magistrates calling what it is cha 13. 4. Magistrates are debters to their subiects ibid. The principall Maxime of all Christian Philosophie cha 3. 4. Good men mixt with euil cha 16. 11. All men formed to the image of God cha 3. 29. Men know not how to pray vnto God cha 8. 26. Men as they are the sonnes of AdaÌ„ so the captiues of sinne cha 6. 6. Merite how it is mainteined of
our faith concerning free righteousnesse for it is a sealing of the righteousnesse of faith that to vs also whiche doe beleeue righteousnesse might bee imputed And so verie artificially Paule returneth those thinges vpon the aduersaries which might bee obiected of them For if the trueth and vertue of circumcision bee founde in vncircumcision there is no cause why the Iewes shoulde so greately aduaunce them selues aboue the Gentiles But seeing a doubt might arise whether wee also after the example of Abraham are not to confirme the same righteousnesse by the seale of circumcision Obiection why did the Apostle omitte it Answere Namely because hee thought the question to haue beene sufficiently answered by his woordes For seeing this sentence is admitted that circumcision serueth onely to seale the grace of GOD it followeth that at this day it were superfluous for vs who haue another Sacramente ordayned of the Lorde in place thereof Because therefore where baptisme is there is no vse nowe of circumcision hee woulde not to no purpose dispute of that whereof was no question at all to witte why the righteousnesse of faith shoulde not be sealed in the Gentiles by circumcision if they shoulde bee like vnto Abraham To beleeue by vncircumcision Is that the Gentiles beeing content with their estate are not to interpose the seale of circumcision And so this preposition dia by is put in steade of en in 12 Not to them which are c. This woorde are or bee in this place is taken for to bee reckoned or counted For hee checketh the carnall sonnes of Abraham who hauing nothinge but externall circumcision did boldelye glorye in it As for the other which is the principall they neglected it namely that they shoulde imitate the fayth of Abraham by whiche onely he obteyned health The circumcised Iewes were not otherwise iustified then as they beleeued the promise of grace Hereby may appeare how seriously he discerneth faith from the Sacrament not onely least anye should content him selfe with this without the other meaning with the Sacrament without fayth as though it were sufficient to iustification but also that the same fayth onely might fulfill all partes For whiles hee confesseth the Iewes whiche are circumcised to be iustified he doth precisely except so that they after the example of Abraham abyde in fayth onely For what shoulde be the meaning of faith in vncircumcision but that hee might shewe faith onely without any helpe elsewhere to be sufficient It is therefore to bee taken heede of least any man by deuiding or parting in halfes mixte together two causes of iustification By the same argument the schoole diuinitie is conuicted touching the difference of the Sacraments of the old and new testament for frō those they take away the power of iustifiyng to these they giue it But if Paule reason orderly whiles he proueth that circumcision iustifieth not because Abraham was iustified by faith the same reason is also of strength with vs that we may denie men to be iustified by baptisme seeing they are iustified by the same faith by the whiche Abraham was iustified 13 For the promise that hee should bee the heire of the world was not giuen to Abraham and his seede by the law but by the righteousnesse of faith 13 For the promise c. Nowe hee doeth more clearely repeate that antithesin or contrarietie of the lawe and faith with he touched before with also is diligently to bee noted because if faith borrow nothing of the Lawe that it might iustifie thence we vnderstande it hath rsepect vnto nothing but the mercie of God Furthermore the imagination of those which would haue this to bee spoken of ceremonies is easely refuted because if workes brought any thing vnto iustification then hee shoulde rather haue sayde not by the written lawe but by the lawe of nature But Paule doth not oppose spiritual holinesse of life against ceremonies but faith and his righteousnesse The summe therefore is the inheritaunce was promised to Abraham not because he had deserued it by keeping the law but because by fayth he had obteined righteousnesse And surely as Paule straightwayes declareth then doe the consciences of men inioye perfect peace when they feele that to be freely giuen them which is not due vnto thē by right Saluation in Christ apperteyneth no lesse vnto the Gentiles then vnto the Iewes Hereuppon also it followeth that the benefite is no lesse common to the Gentiles then to the Iewes the cause of which benefit doth equally appertayne vnto both For if mens saluation be founded vpon the onely goodnesse of God they restrayne and hynder the course thereof as much as in them lyeth who exclude the Gentiles from it That hee might bee the heyre of the worlde Seeyng eternall saluation is nowe in hand the Apostle seemeth out of season to carry the readers vnto the world But generally vnder this worde he comprehendeth the instauration or restoring which was looked for in Christ What is meant by the worde world Indeede restitution of life was the principall yet it behooued that the decayed state of the whole worlde shoulde be repayred Therfore the Apostle calleth Christ the heyre of all the goodes of God Heb. 1.2 Because the adoption which we obtayne through his grace hath restored vnto vs the possession of that inheritaunce from the which we fell in Adam And because vnder the type of the land of Chanaan not onlye the hope of eternall life was proposed vnto Abraham but also the full and perfect blessing of God the Apostle very aptly teacheth that the dominion of the worlde was promised vnto him The godly in this present life haue a certaine taste hereof because howsoeuer they are at diuers times pynched with pouertye yet for that with a quiet conscience they participate those thinges which God hath created to their vse Pouertie letteth not but the faithfull may be called the heyres of the world and with his fauour and will inioye the earthly blessinges as pledges and earnest pennyes of eternall life pouerty is no let vnto them wherefore they shoulde not acknowledge heauen earth and the Sea to belong vnto them The wicked albeit they heape vppe the riches of the worlde they canne call nothing theirs but rather they get them by stealth because they vse them with the curse of God And it is great comforte to the godlye in their pouerty that though they liue poorely yet they steale nothing from any but they receyue theyr lawfull commons or allowaunce at the hande of their heauenlye father vntil they see the full possession of their inheritaunce when all creatures shall serue for their glorye For to this ende both earth and heauen shal be renewed that according to theyr measure they might partly serue to illustrate the kingdome of God 14 For if they whiche are of the lawe bee heyres fayth is made voyde and the promise is made of none effect 15 For the Lawe causeth wrath for where
said not to haue sinned after the similitude of Adam because they had not as he had the will of God reueiled by a certan oracle For God had forbidden Adam to touch the fruite of knowledge of good and euill but to these he gaue no cōmandement besydes the witnes of their conscience The meaninge then of the Apostle is secretly to insinuate that through this diuersitie betwene Adam and his posteritie it commeth not to passe that they are exempted frome condemnation In the meane while vnder the vniuersall catalogue infantes also are comprehended Who is the figure of him that was to come This sentence is put instead of the other member For wee see one onely parte of the comparison expressed the other being by that vice in writing called anacoluthon that is a non sequele or consequent omitted A man may therefore take it as though it were written thus as by one man sinne entered into the whole worlde and by sinne death so by one man cōmeth righteousnes by righteousnes life And where as he saith Adā was a figure of Christ Howe Adam is a figure of Christ it is no marueile for euen in things most contrary there appereth alway some similitud because therfore as throgh the sin of Adā we are al lost so by the righteousnes of christ we are restored very aptly hath he called Adā a tipe of christ And note the Adā is not called a figure of sinne nor Christ of righteousnes as though they went only before vs by their example but that one is compared with the other least thou fall fouly with Origen and that into a pernicious errour For he disputeth Philosophically and prophanely of the corruptions of mankinde and doth not onely extenuate the grace of Christ but in a maner doth wholly destroy it Whereby Erasmus is by so much the lesse excusable who taketh so great paynes to excuse so grosse a dotage 15 But not as the offence so also the gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God gift of God in grace which is by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many 15 But not as the offence Nowe followe corrections of the late comparison wherein notwithstanding the Apostle doeth not curiously discusse whatsoeuer dissimilitude there is betweene Christ and Adam but hee doeth occurre those errours whereinto men might otherwise easily fall And that is wanting to the exposition wee will adde For albeit hee oftentimes maketh mention of the difference yet maketh hee mention thereof no where but there is a defecte or at the least some eclipse whiche verily are faultes in speeche yet such as are not preiudiciall to the maiestie of the celestiall wisedome is deliuered vnto vs by the Apostle But rather it is brought to passe by the singuler prouidence of God that vnder a base stile these high mysteries should be deliuered vnto vs that our fayth might not depende vppon the power of humane eloquence but vppon the onely efficacie of the spirite And hee doeth not heere as yet precisely vnfoulde that maner of correction but simply hee teacheth there is a greater measure of grace purchased by Christ then of condemnation contracted by the first man Whereas some thinke the Apostle disputeth or frameth an argument here I know not whither all will approue of it or no. In deed it might that not vnaptly be inferred if the fall of Adam were of such force to the destructiō of many much more effectuall is the grace of God to the benefit of many seeing it is graunted that Christ is of far greater power to saue then Adam to destroy But because they can not be refuted if any will take it wtout an illation or conclusion for me they shall chuse whither sentence they wil. Albeit that which next foloweth cānot be coūted an illation or conclusion yet is it of the same nature Whereby it is like that Paul doth simply correct or by exceptiō moderate the which he said of the similitud of Christ Adā And note that here mo are not compared with many for the questiō is not of the multitud of men but he resoneth thus seeing the sin of Adā did destroy many the righteousnes of Christ hath no lesse power to saue many Where as he saith we perished by the offēce of one vnderstād it thus because corruptiō is descēded frō him to vs. For we do not so perish thorowe his fault as though we were wtout fault our selues Howe wee are said to perishe through the fall of Adam but because his sin is the cause of our sin Paul ascribeth our destructiō to him I cal that our sin is graffed in vs wherewith we are borne The grace of God and the gift of God in grace Trace properly is opposed against offence What is ment by grace what by the gift of grace the gift which proceedeth frō grace against death Therfore grace signifieth the mere goodnes of God or his free loue whereof he gaue a testimony in Christ that he might helpe our miserie And the gift is the fruit of mercie which hath come vnto vs namely reconciliation whereby we haue obteined life health righteousnes newnes of life whatsoeuer is like Whereby we see how sottishly the scholemen define grace whiles they wil haue it to be nothing els thē a quality infused into the harts of mē For grace properly is in God the effect of grace is in vs. And he saith the same grace was of one man Christ because the father hath made him the fountaine of whose fulnes all men must draw And so he teacheth there can not one droppe be found out of Christ neither is there any other remedy of our pouertie then that he powre into vs of his abundance 16 And not as by one which had sinned so the gift For iudgement came of one offence to condemnation but the gift is of many offences to iustification 16 This is a speciall reason of the correction that by one offence the guiltines was of force to the condemnation of vs al but grace or rather the free gift is effectual to iustification from many offences For it is a declaration of the last sentence because as yet he had not expressed howe or in what part Christ excelled Adam This difference being put downe it is apparant that they haue thought wickedly who haue taught that we recouer nothing els in Christ but that we should be deliuered from originall sin or corruption drawen from Adam What bee those many offences are done away by the benefit of Christ Adde that those same many offences from the which he testifieth wee are purged through the benefite of Christ are not onely to be vnderstood of those which euery one hath committed before baptisme but also of those by the which the godly do dayly draw guiltines vpon them and to the condemnation whereof they shoulde worthily be subiect except this grace did