Rolloaus About the coherence most Interpreters iudge thus that here is a proofe that God is with vs because he hath giuen vp his owne Sonne for vs and then the argument is taken from the signe not probable but necessary and infallible This is very true Yet is may be very fitly conceiued thus viz. That the Apostle doth answere an Obiection which might bee made from the Verse going before If God bee for vs saith the Flesh What meane then the want and pouerty whereby wee are pressed Pietie is hotly praised but coldly rewarded To this Paul answereth as if he should say Let not such diffidence distract you God will freely giue you all things you neede and this he proueth by an argument from the greater to the lesse Hee which giueth his owne Sonne will deny nothing and therefore the Syrian Translator reades it And if God hath not spared c. which Beza most approues and his Maiesties Translation Hee hath not spared Not as before Who hath not implying that it should be still addrest to answere to the question Verse 31. We are poore saith the weake Christian I but if God hath giuen vs his owne Sonne hee will deny vs nothing which is good for vs. This Argument is amplified two wayes 1. From a description of Christ who is here called Gods owne Sonne that is Ioh. 5.18 his naturall onely begotten We are sonnes but adopted and thus Christ also cals God his owne Father Which terme notes equalitie as the Iewes there vnderstood Ibid. 2. From an opposition of actions Hee spared not but deliuered or gaue vp It is more then if hee had said he gaue though freely For a man may giue of his abundance but God hath not spared his owne and onely Sonne But hath deliuered him vp that is to death Iudas deliuered him So did God Iudas as the Instrumentall God as the Principall cause gouerning the Tradition of Iudas and yet neither is God to bee brought into the fellowship of the fault with Iudas nor yet Iudas to be excused for the co-operation of God Because neither did God command or compell Iudas to doe it neither did Iudas in the doing of it ayme at the pleasing of God This action of GOD is amplified from the Persons for whom For vs all that is not for all Men but Beleeuers In these words then wee may consider two things 1. A Supposition that GOD hath not spared his owne Sonne 2. The Collection deduced and inferred Hee will not deny vs any thing doctrine The Doctrine Out of the Supposition God hath giuen to death his owne Sonne for vs Rom. 5.8 Vse 1. O the greatnesse of Gods loue towards vs So God loued the world saith our Sauiour Ioh. 3.16 that hee gaue his onely begotten Sonne 1. Ioh. 4.9,20 When Abraham was ready to offer his Sonne Isaak Gen. 22.12 The Lord saeid Now I know that thou fearest and louest me because for my sake thou hast not spared thine onely Sonne If Abraham loue God because he spares not Isaak much more doth God loue vs because he spared not Christ For it is more for God to offer vp His Sonne then for Abraham to offer vp his For first God loued Christ better then Abraham could loue Isaak Secondly God was not bound by the commandement of a Superiour to doe it as was Abraham Thirdly God voluntarily did it which Abraham would neuer haue done without a commandement Fourthly Isaak was to be offered after the manner of holy sacrifices Christ suffered an Ignominious death after the manner of Theeues Fiftly Isaak was in the hands of a tender Father Christ in the hands of barbarous Enemies Sixtly Isaack was offered but in shew Christ in deed This is an Excesse yea a Miracle of loue Hyperbole amoris Chrysost Portentū amoris Pareus Paul calls it a loue passing knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 3.19 There is no Argument to this to draw a man to God This Paul often celebrates And hee 's a very blocke that is not moued herewith to shew himselfe sensible of it in his godly walking God hath not spared his owne Sonne for vs as if hee loued vs more dearely then Christ For we vse not to expend things deare but for such as are more deare Who then which vnderstands this can finde in his heart to offend such a God He spared not his owne Sonne for thy sake Spare thou thy drunkennesse vncleannesse c. but not thy bloud for his sake who was so prodigall as I may say of his owne and only Sonnes to doe thee good Now to the Argument He that spared not his owne Sonne for vs will spare no other thing for vs. But God spared not Christ for vs. Therefore For it is lesse to giue vs all things with him then to giue Him to death for vs. doctrine To whomsoeuer God giues Christ he giues all good things For all things are in Christ 1. Cor. 3.21,22,23 Col. 1.17,19 Vse 1. Aboue all things seeke for Christ who is the Fountaine of all good In ipso filio Dei omnia existunt tanquam in primordiali praeparatiua causa Aquinas If thou hast him thou hast all for as the shadow followes the body so all good things temporall and eternall follow him He neuer comes empty or alone but his reward is with him Reuel 22.12 The world sings the old Poets note First for money then for Christ And if they haue any spare time that is for Christ and eternall life Vngratefull wretch which hast bestowed many houres and dayes on thy pleasures and vanities scarce a day or houre on the knowledge of God and Christ Hee that hath Christ hath all things yet who seeketh Christ so earnestly as he seeketh all other things This was preached in the time of the great drought Anno 1615. Examine your selues on this present occasion Who amongst you euer so longed for Christ as now for raine Who hath so bewailed his sinnes as this present want Seeke yee Christ and with him you shall finde comfortable seasons yea all good things First seeke the Kingdome of God and his Christ then all such things shall bee giuen vs into the bargaine Mat. 6.33 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 velut additamentum Metaphora ab ijs qui emunt fructus vt pyra poma c. Piscat in loc Mat. These shall be as an c. in the end of a sentence Consider how most men hastily goe to worke one seekes raine in the new Moone another in the change of the winde a third in this or that figure None almost seeke him in Christ and therefore God hath confounded all our Signes and Obseruations Seeke therefore such things in Christ for without Christ eyther we shall not haue them or we shall haue no comfort in hauing them they turning from being benefits to be very snares vnto vs. We may haue temporall good things without
the accursing of them who should conuert it to their owne vse and so by a translated sense it signifieth a perpetuall separation from Christ As therefore such things were separated from men for honour sake so applyed to men it signifies to be separate from Christ for horror sake This is Chrysostomes exposition approued of the best Interpreters And as the Greeke word is thus vsed so Sacer properly signifying Holy is vsed amongst the Latines by good Authors g Auri sacra fames Virg. Sacer intestabilis esto Hor. in a contrary sense For my brethren not spirituall but kinsmen according to the flesh that is the Iewes as if he had said I would bee damned in their stead that they might be wonne to Christ and saued in mine As Dauid wished he might haue dyed for Absolon and Christ dyed for vs. The Argument to iustifie Pauls griefe is from an effect of his loue which is a contestation that for their sakes he would with all his heart be accursed from Christ Therefore he must needs be grieued for their separation This loue of Paul is here amplified by three circumstances 1. The Person wishing Paul 2. The matter of his wish to be accursed from Christ 3. For whose sake for the Iewes Who Paul who was so zealous for Christ To be accursed from Christ his onely Ioy and Desire and for the Iewes his enemies who layd continuall wayt for him about a fortie of them vowing neither to eate nor drinke till they had his bloud Euen thus it was Euen Paul wisheth to be accursed from Christ for these Chrysostome calls it a flame a sea of loue No sea so deepe no flame so bright as Pauls loue Q. But is it lawfull for Paul thus to wish For it is to bee holden as a truth in Diuinitie that euery man is first to haue a care of his owne soule yea the Papists affirme that though the soule of the Virgin Marie whom they too much adore were in perill yet for her saluation wee ought not to hazard our owne A. There are many farre-fetcht answeres For Interpreters haue exceedingly laboured herein Wee hardly vnderstand how this should be because we are farre from the measure of Pauls loue Among all the Answers there are 3. principall The first is that Paul vseth an Hyperbolicall speech or that hee spake hastily not well considering the matter but hee spake vpon his oath as we haue heard and therefore no Hyperbole or ouersight to be admitted The second that he did not indeed so wish but was ready so to doe if it were lawfull but the words and his oath take away this also he did actually so wish and without supposition The third is Chrysostomes which also Aquinas hath who make a double separation from Christ 1. To be separated from his loue which Paul by no meanes wisheth neither is it lawfull to desire either not to loue Christ or not to bee beloued of him 2. To be separated from him onely by punishment in regard of the fruition of heauenly ioyes and so Paul wishes here not so much hauing an eye to the destruction of the Iewes as to the glory of Christ The vnbeleeuing Iewes did daily by vile speeches blaspheme Christ the hearing hereof was so grieuous to Paul that out of a great zeale he wished verily to haue beene accursed from Christ rather then that he should be so reuiled yet so accursed as that he would still loue Christ and be beloued of him He will for no cause be depriued of Christs loue but he is content to lose his part in Heauen for Christs glory doctrine We ought to redeeme the saluation of our very enemies with the losse of heauenly Ioyes to our selues rather then Christ should lose his glorie So Moses wisheth Exod. 32.12.32 For Gods glory ought to be more deare to vs then any ioy or good of our owne Vse 1. If we consider Paul as a kinseman wee are taught what great loue we owe to our kinred We are to loue our Nature in all but where there are most bands there should our loue be most Nature teacheth this and Grace perfiteth Nature Christ beginning to preach first preached at Nazareth to recompence the place of his education Luk. 4.16 And Paul saith 1. Tim. 5.8 That hee that prouideth not for his owne is worse then an Infidell Husbands ought specially to take care for the saluation of wife and children brethren for brethren c. Vse 2. Consider Paul as an Apostle 2. Pet. 5.2 and then it teacheth Ministers specially to feed their owne flockes to pray for them to be affected with their stubbornenesse So Samnel Ieremie c. Must Ministers take paines grieue and burne out the Candles of their liues to doe their people good Then is it not fit that their people should despise and despite their Teachers vexing them with their vngodly stomackes and profane carriage This is to encrease their sorrow which is so great that it is compared to the sorrow of a woman in trauaile Gal. 4 19. Vse 3. Consider Paul as a Christian He feeketh the saluation of his enemies so doe thou Remember it was Cains speech Am I my Brothers keeper Thou must haue care of thy brothers yea of thine enemies It will not serue the turne to say Euery Fat shall stand on his owne bottome This is harsh to nature but Grace must ouereome corruption Vse 4. Reioyce not at the fall of thine enemy whether it bee by the immediate hand of GOD or by the hand of the Magistrate say not It is no matter If thou feelest thy heart to hammer such thoughts striue and pray against it Consider Pauls example here and Dauids in the Psalmes Psal 35.13 To reioyce at other mens harmes is the way to haue such things cast vpon our selues Prou. 24.17 Vse 5. The cause of Pauls wish is the glory of Christ which ought to be more deare vnto vs then our owne saluation Though we cannot attaine to the measure of Pauls zeale yet we must aime at it and endeuour our vttermost Though Parents are loth to part with their Children yet for their good they are content to put them to schoole and to binde them to Trades farre off So we can be contented to enioy life liberty c. yet if the parting from these be to Gods glory we must be ready so to doe How few then be there which loue Christ as they ought how few which would be content to part with Heauen for his honour for many will not for the glory of God and the obtaining of Heauen leaue their pride whoredome drunkennesse c. VERSE 4. Who are Israelites to whome pertaineth the Adoption and the Glorie and the b Or Testaments Couenants and the giuing of the Law and the seruice of God and the promises 5. Whose are the Fathers and of whome as concerning the Flesh Christ came who is ouer all God blessed for euer Amen