John Trapp on Romans 11

CHAP. XI. Verſe 1. I ſay then, Hath God, &c.]

AS I may ſeem to have ſaid, Chap. 10. Miniſters muſt doe their utmoſt to prevent miſtakes. Zuinglius, when in his Sermons he had terrified the wicked, was wont to ſhut up with Bone vi[illegible: 1 letter], hoc nihil ad te, Thou good man, I mean not thee.

Verſe 2. Saith of Elias] A man of ſuch tranſcendent zeal, that to heighten the expreſſion thereof, ſome have legended of him, that when he drew his mothers breſts, he was ſeen to ſuck in fire.

Verſe 3. And I am left alone] To withſtand and reform the common corruptions. Some have commended it to our conſideration, that from the firſt ſervice in the Temple, when it was built, and the time of Eliah's Reformation, was about an hundred years: And from the Reformation in K. Edward the ſixth's daies untill now, is about the ſame proportion of time.

Verſe 4. The image of Baal] [non-Latin text not transcribed], to that Lady, as our modern Idolaters alſo call the virgin Mary, whom they deſpite with ſeeming honours. Sal[illegible: 1 letter]zar. Ieſuita in Prov. 8.19. Ibid ad ver. 23. Ibid. ad ver. 29. They would perſwade the world, that Chriſt by dying obeyed not his Father only, but his mother too, that ſhe is the complement of the Trinity, that ſhe intreateth not, but commandeth her Sonne, is the moſt imperious Mother of our Judge, with many like horrid blaſphemies, which I tremble to relate.

Verſe 5. According to the election of grace] St Paul was Constantiſſimus gratiae praedicator, as Auſtin calleth him, a moſt conſtant preacher of Gods free grace.

Verſe 6. Then is it no more of works] Whatſoever conferrumination of grace and works Papiſts dream of. They think, that as he that ſtandeth on two firm branches of a tree, is ſurer then he that ſtandeth upon one only: So he that truſteth to Chriſt and works too, is in the ſafeſt condition. But, 1. They are fallen from Chriſt that truſt to works, Gal. 5.4. 2. He that hath one foot on a firm branch, and another on a rotten one, ſtands not ſo ſure as if he ſtood wholly on that which is ſound. But let them be Moſes's Diſciples, let us be Chriſts: Set not up a candle to this Sun of righteouſneſſe: mix not thy puddle with his purple bloud, thy rags with his raiment, thy Pigeons plumes with his Eagles-feathers. He can and will ſave his to the utmoſt, Heb. 7.25. Deteſt all mock-ſtaies.

Verſe 7. Iſrael] i. e. The carnall Iſraelite.

He ſeeketh for] viz. Righteouſnes and ſalvation by works.

Hardened] By a judiciary hardnes.

Verſe 8. The Spirit of ſlumber] So that with thoſe Bears in Pliny they cannot be awakened with the ſharpeſt prickles: and with thoſe Aſſes in Hetruria, that feeding upon hen-bane, Mathiol in Dioſcorid. they he for dead, and awake not till half-hileded. Such a dead Lethargy is now befallen Papiſts.

Verſe 9. Be made a ſnare] As the bait is to the birds.

Verſe 10. Bow down] i. e. Bring them into bondage and miſery. Compare Lev. 26.13.

Verſe 11. Have they ſtumbled] He that ſtumbleth and comes not down, gets ground.

Verſe 12. How much more their fulneſſe] O dieculam illam! dexter mihi prae laetitia ſalit oculus. How long, Lord, holy and true?

Verſe 13. I magnifie mine office] I make the utmoſt of it by gaining ſouls to Chriſt.

Verſe 14. And might ſave ſome] Miniſters muſt turn themſelves as it were into all ſhapes and faſhions both of ſpirit and ſpeech to win people to God.

Verſe 15. Be the reconciling] Not as a cauſe, but as an occaſion.

Life from the dead] That is, Res ſummè bona, ſaith Phocius, a ſpeciall good thing.

Verſe 16. If the first fruit be holy] Not with a naturall, but federall holines, as 1 Cor. 7.14.

Verſe 17. Wert graffed in] Gr. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Pricked into the middle, the center of the Olive.

Verſe 18. Boast not] Gr. Throw not up thy neck, in a ſcornfull inſulting way, but rather pity and pray for them.

Verſe 19.Iſidor. ſo[illegible: 1 letter]il. Greg Moral. Thou wilt ſay] Carnall reaſon will have ever ſomewhat to ſay, and is not eaſily ſet down.

Verſe 20. Be not high-minded, but fear] Alterius perditio tua ſit cautio, ſaith one. Ruina majorum ſit cantela minorum, ſaith another, Seeſt thou thy brother ſhipwrackt? look well to thy tackling.

Verſe 21. Take heed leſt] Cavebis autèm ſi pavehis.

Verſe 22. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Severity] Gr. Reſection or cutting off, as a Chyrurgian cutteth off proud and dead fleſh.

Verſe 23. God is able] He can fetch heart of oak out of an hollow tree, and of carnall make a people created again, Pſal. 102.18. Eph. 2.10.

Verſe 24. Contrary] Therefore nature contributes nothing toward the work of converſion.

Verſe 25. That blindeneſſe in part] It is neither totall nor perpetuall. Lyra was a famous Engliſh Jew. Tremellius was alſo a Jew born; they are but Methe mispar, a very few that are yet converted.Spec. Europ. They pretend (but maliciouſly) that thoſe few that turn Chriſtians in [illegible: 1 letter]taly, are none other then poor Chriſtians hired from other cities to perſonate their part. But when God ſhall have united thoſe two ſticks, Ezek. 37.19. and made way for thoſe Kings of the Eaſt, Rev. 16.12. then it ſhall be ſaid of Jacob and Iſrael, What hath God wrought! Numb. 23.23.

Verſe 26. Shall turn away ungodlineſſe] That is, He ſhall pardon their ſin. The Prophet Iſaiah hath it, Ʋnto them that turn from tranſgreſſion in Jacob, &c. They whoſe perſons are juſtified, have their luſts mortified.

Verſe 27. When I ſhall take] By the ſpirit of judgement and of burning, Iſa. 4.4. with 27.9.

Verſe 28. They are enemies] i. e. Hated of God, as appears by the oppoſition; and baniſhed, as it were, by a common conſent of Nations, out of humane ſociety. See 1 Theſſ. 2.15, 16.

Verſe 29. Are without repentance] When God is ſaid to repent, it is Mutatiorei non Dei, effectus non affectus, facti non conſilij, a change not of his will, but of his work. Repentance with man, is the change of his will: Repentance with God, is the willing of a change.

Verſe 30. Through their] By occaſion of their unbelief. Pungit Judaeos & humiliat Gentes, ſaith one.

Verſe 31. That they alſo] It noteth not the cauſe, but the event, as 1 Cor. 11.19.

Verſe 32. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. For God hath concluded] Or lockt them all up in the laws dark dungeon, Gal. 3.22. Unbelief breaks all the law at an inſtant by rejecting Chriſt, as the firſt act of faith obeys all the law at an inſtant in Chriſt.

That he might have mercy upon all] Luther in a very great conflict was relieved and comforted by the often repeating of this ſweet ſentence.

Verſe 33. O the depth of the riches] The Romans dedicated a certain lake, the depth whereof they knew not, to victory, ſo ſhould we the unſearchable counſels of God, being ſubdued to that, which we cannot ſubdue to our underſtandings.

Verſe 34. Who hath been his Counſellour] Alphonſo the wiſe (the fool rather) was heard blaſphemouſly to ſay, Roderic, Santij Hiſt. Hiſpan. p. 4, [illegible: 1 letter]. 5. That if he had been of Gods counſell at the Creation, he could have adviſed and ordered many things much better then they now are.

Verſe 35 Who hath firſt given to him] Doe we not owe him all that we have and are? And can a man merit by paying his debts?

Verſe 36. For of him] As the efficient cauſe, and (through him) as the adminiſtring cauſe, and (to him) as the finall cauſe are all things. A wiſe Philoſopher could ſay, That man is the end of all in a ſemicircle; that is, All things in the world are made for him, and he is made for God.

To whom be glory for ever] God (ſaith one) counts the works and fruits that come from us to be ours: becauſe the judgement and reſolution of will, whereby we do them is ours: This he doth to encourage us. But becauſe the grace whereby we judge and will aright, comes from God, aſcribe we all to him: So ſhall he looſe no praiſe, we no encouragement.