John Trapp on Romans 8

CHAP. VIII. Verſe 1. There is therefore now]

NOw, after ſuch bloudy wounds and gaſhes, chronicled Chap. 7. Though carried captive, and ſold under ſin, yet not condemned, as might well have been expected. This the Apoſtle doth here worthily admire.

Verſe 2. For the Law of the Spirit] That is, Chriſt revived and riſen hath juſtified me. See the Note on Chap. 4.25.

Verſe 3. It was weak through the fleſh] Which was irritated by the law, and took occaſion thereby.

Verſe 4. Might be fulfilled] In us applicativè, in Chriſt inhaeſivè.

Verſe 5. Doe minde the things] For want of a better principle. The ſtream riſeth not above the ſpring.

Verſe 6. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. To be carnally] The quinteſſence of the fleſhes witineſſe, or rather wickedneſſe.

Verſe 7. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Becauſe the carnall minde] The beſt of a bad man, is not only averſe, but utterly adverſe to all goodneſſe. Homo eſt inverſus decalogus, Job 11.12. an aſſes ſoal for rudenes, a wilde aſſes for unrulines.

Verſe 8. Cannot pleaſe God] Their beſt works are but dead works, ſaith the Authour to the Hebrews; but ſilken ſins, ſaith Auguſtine. Lombard citeth that Father,De ver inrocent. cap. 56. ſaying thus, Omnis vitae infid lium peccatum eſt: & nihil bonum ſine ſummo bono. The whole life of unbelievers is ſin; neither is there any thing good without the chiefeſt good. Ambroſe Spiera a Popiſh Poſtiller, cenſureth this for a bloudy ſentence, Crudelis eſt illa ſententia, ſaith he.

Verſe 9. He is none of his] As the Merchant ſets his ſeal upon his goods: So doth God his Spirit upon all his people, Epheſ. 1.13.

Verſe 10. The body is dead] Death to the Saints is neither totall, but of the body only, nor perpetuall, but for a ſeaſon only, verſ. 11.

Verſe 11. Your mortall bodies] As he hath already quickned your ſouls.

Verſe 12. Not to the fleſh] We owe the fleſh nothing but ſtripes, nothing but the blew eye that St Paul gave it. It muſt be maſtered and mortified. Drive this Hagar out of doors, when once it grows haunty.

Verſe 13. If ye live after the fleſh] We muſt not think to paſſe è coeno ad Coelum, to dance with the devil all day, and ſup with Chriſt at night, to fly to heaven with pleaſant wings. Beetles love dunghils better then ointments: and ſwine love mud better then a garden, ſo do ſwiniſh people their luſts, better then the lives of their ſouls.Horat ep. 2. At Paris ut vivat regnet que beatus, Cogi poſſe negat. That carnall Cardinall ſaid, That he would not part with his part in Paris for Paradiſe.

But if ye mortifie the deeds, &c.] Either a man muſt kill here, or be killed,Camdens Eliſ. Aut for, aut feri, as Q. Elizabeth often ſighed and ſaid to her ſelf concerning the Queen of Scots. Valentinian the Emperour dying, gloried of one victory above the reſt, and that was his victory over the fleſh. Inimicorum nequiſſimum devici, carnem meam, ſaid he. Be alwaies an enemy to the devil,In vita Valentin. and the world, but ſpecially to your own fleſh, ſaid Rob. Smith, Martyr, in a letter to his wife.Act. and Mon. fol. 1545.

Verſe 14. For as many as are led] As great men ſuffer their ſons to go along with them, but ſet tutours to overlook and order them: So dealeth God by his; the Spirit leadeth them into all goodneſſe, righteouſneſſe and truth, Epheſ. 5.9, and fetcheth them again in their cu[illegible: 1 letter]ſtraies.

Verſe 15. The spirit of bondage] [non-Latin text not transcribed], as 2 Tim. 1.7. [non-Latin text not transcribed] The law will convince the judgement: but 'tis the Goſpel that convinceth the luſt and the affection, and ſo ſendeth us to treat with God as a Father, by fervent praier.

Verſe 16. Beareth witneſſe] What an honour is this to the Saints, that the holy Ghoſt ſhould bear witnes at the bar of their conſciences.

Verſe 17. And if ſonnes, then heirs] All Gods ſons are heirs; not ſo the ſons of earthly Princes. Jehoſhaphat gave his younger ſons great gifts of ſilver, of gold, and of precious things, with fenced Cities in Jud[illegible: 1 letter]h; but the Kingdom gave he to Jehoram, becauſe he was the firſt-born, 2 Chron. 21.3. Gods children are all higher then the Kings of the earth, Pſ. 89 27.

Verſe 18. Are not worthy to be, &c.] Heaven will pay for all: hold out therefore faith and patience. When Saul had the Kingdom, ſome deſpiſed him, but he held his peace, though a man afterwards froward enough. What is a drop of vinegar put into an ocean of wine? What is it for one to have a rainy day, who is going to take poſſeſſion of a kingdom. Pericula non resp[illegible: 1 letter]cit. Martyr, coronas respicit, ſaith Baſil. A Dutch martyr ſeeing the flame to come to his beard, Ah, ſaid he, what a ſmall pain is this to be compared to the glory to come?Act. and Mon. 813.

Verſe 19. For the earneſt expectation] Gr. The intent expectation of the creature expecteth; an hebrew pleonaſme, and withall, a metaphor either from birds that thruſt a long neck out of a Cage, as labouring for liberty; or elſe from thoſe that earneſtly look and long for ſome ſpeciall friends coming, as Siſera's mother, who looked out at a window, and cried thorow the latteſſe, Why is his charet ſo long in coming? Judg. 5.28.

Verſe 20. Subject to vanity] The creature is defiled by mans ſin, and muſt therefore be purged by the fire of the laſt day; as the veſſels that held the ſin-offering were purged by the fire of the Sanctuary.

Verſe 21. Becauſe the creature it ſelf] See Mr Wilcox his Diſcourſe upon theſe words, printed together with his Expoſition of the Pſalms, Proverbs, &c. in Folio.

Verſe 22. The whole creature groneth] Even the very heavens are not without their feebleneſſe, and the manifeſt effects of fainting old-age. It is obſerved that ſince the daies of Ptolomy the Sun runs nearer the earth by 9976. Germane miles; and therefore the heavens have not kept their firſt perfection.

Verſe 23. The firſt fruits] Which the creatures have not, and yet they grone, how much more we?

The redemption] Our full and finall deliverance.

Verſe 24 For we are ſaved by hope] Hope is the daughter of faith, but ſuch as is a ſtaff to her aged mother.

Verſe 25. Then do we with patience] Religious men finde it more eaſie to bear evil, then to wait till the promiſed good be enjoyed, Heb. 10 36. The ſpoiling of their goods required patience; but this, more then ordinary.

Verſe 26. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Beza. Pareus. Helpeth our infirmities] Lifts with us, and be fore us in our praiers: Or helpeth us, as the Nurſe helpeth her little childe, upholding it by the ſleeve.

For we know not what, &c.] The fleſh with her murmurings maketh ſuch a din,Da. Dike. that we can hardly hear the voice of the ſpirit, mixing with the fl[illegible: 1 letter]ſhes roarings and repinings, his praying, ſighes and ſobbings.

But the Spirit it ſelf] Praier is the breath of the Spirit, who doth ſuperexpoſtulate for us, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. enditing our praiers. We cannot ſo much as ſuspirare, unleſſe he do firſt inspirare, breathe out a ſigh for ſin, if he breathe it not into us.

With groanings that cannot be uttered] He that would have unſpeakable joy, 1 Pet. 1.8. muſt by the Spirit ſtirre up unutterable groanings.

Verſe 27.Aug. Knoweth the minde, &c.] Quomodo enim non exauditur ſpiritus à patre, qui exaudit cum patre?

Verſe 28. All things work together] Not affliction only (as ſome would here reſtrain it) but ſin,De benef. lib. 2. c. 18. Satan, all. Venenum aliquando pro remedio ſuit, ſaith Seneca. Medici pedes & alas Cantharidis, cum ſit ipſa mortifera, prodeſſe dicunt. Plut. The drinking of that wine wherein a viper hath been drowned, cureth the leproſie. The Scorpion healeth his own wounds: and the viper (the head and tail being cut off) beaten and applied, cureth her own biting. God changeth our griſly wounds into ſpangles of beauty: and maketh the horrible ſting of Satan to be like a pearl-pin, to pin upon us the long white robe of Chriſt, and to dreſſe us with the garment of gladnes.

Verſe 29. Conformed to the image] In holines, ſay ſome; in glory, ſay others, in affliction is the Apoſtles meaning. Pluſ. in Apophtheg. Art not thou glad to fare as Phocion? ſaid he to one that was to die with him. May not Chriſt better ſay ſo to his co-ſufferers?

Verſe 30. Them alſo he called, &c.] If ye feel not faith (ſaid that holy Martyr) then know that predeſtination is too high a matter for you to be diſputers of, untill you have been better ſcholars in the School-houſe of repentance and juſtification,Bradſord. Ac[illegible: 1 letter] and Mon. fol. 1505. which is the Grammer-ſchool wherein we muſt be converſant and learned, before we goe to the univerſity of Gods moſt holy predeſtination and providence.

Them he alſo justified] Vocation precedeth Juſtification. Deus juſtificat fide jam donatos, ſicut damnat priùs induratos. Cameron,

Them he alſo glorified] That is, He keepeth them glorious by his glorious Spirit, even in this life, from impenitent ſin, and maketh them ſtable and conſtant in godlines.

Verſe 31. What ſhall we ſay then?] q. d. Predeſtination, Vocation, Juſtification, Glorification? What things be theſe? We cannot tell what to ſay to theſe things, ſo much we are amazed at the greatnes of Gods love in them. A brave concluſion of the whole diſputation concerning juſtification by faith alone.

If God be for us &c.] Maximilian the Emperour ſo admired this ſentence,Chytr[illegible: 1 letter]us in [illegible: 3 letters]uer. that he cauſed it to be ſet in Checker-work upon a Table, at which he uſed to dine and ſup: that having it ſo often in his eye, he might alway have it in minde alſo.

Verſe 32. He that ſpared not] Qui miſit unigenitum, immiſit spiritum, promiſit vultum, quid tandem tibi negaturus eſt? ſaith Bernard. Nihil unquam ei negaſſe credendum eſt, quem ad vituli hortatur eſum, ſaith Hierom. Bern de temp.

Verſe 33. Who ſhall lay any thing] This is that confident interrogatory of a good conſcience, 1 Pet. 3.21. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

It is God that juſtifieth] Some reade it queſtionwiſe thus, Shall God that juſtifieth? No ſuch matter. And if the Judge acquit a priſoner, he cares not though the Jailer or fellow-priſoners condemn him: So here.

Verſe 34. Who is he that condemneth?] To the ſentence of death he oppoſeth Chriſt his death.

Who is even at the right hand] And as Chriſt is at the right hand of his Father: ſo is the Church at the right hand of Chriſt, Pſ. 45.10 a place of dignity and ſafety.

Verſe 35. Who ſhall ſeparate us] Who ſhall ſeparate me? ſaith the Syriack.

Verſe 36. We are killed all the day] In Diocleſians daies 17000 Chriſtians are ſaid to have been ſlain in the ſpace of a moneth: In the Pariſian Maſſacre 30000 in as little ſpace, and within the year 300000.

As ſheep to the ſlaughter] That lamentable ſtory of the Chriſtians of Calabria that ſuffered perſecution, anno 1560. comes home to this text. For being all thruſt up in one houſe together, as in a ſheep-fold,Act. and Mon. fol 859. the executioner comes in, and among them takes one and blinde-folds him with a muffler about his eyes, and ſo leadeth him forth to a larger place, where he commandeth him to kneel down. Which being done, he cutteth his throat, and ſo leaveth him half dead: and taking his butchers knife, and muffler all of gore bloud, he cometh again to the reſt; and ſo leading them one after another, he diſpatcheth them to the number of eighty eight, no otherwiſe then doth a butcher kill his calves and ſheep.

Verſe 37. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. We are more then Conquerours] What is that? Triumphers, 2 Cor. 2.14. We doe over-overcome: becauſe through faith in Chriſt we overcome before we fight, and are ſecure of victory.

Verſe 38. [non-Latin text not transcribed], ſcil. Ex verbi praedicatione eſſicaci ut ind[illegible: 1 letter]at tacitè hoc verbo. Beza. For I am perſwaded] Or, I am ſure by what I have heard out of Gods Word. He that hath this full aſſurance of faith goes gallantly to heaven. What (ſaith the world) ſhould a rich man ail? The Iriſh ask ſuch, What they mean to die? But I wonder more at ſuch as have the riches of full aſſurance, yea, that have but the aſſurance of adherence, though not of evidence, what they mean to walk heavily. Mr Latimer ſaies, That the aſſurance of heaven is the ſweet-meats of the feaſt of a good conſcience: There are other dainty diſhes in this feaſt, but this is the banquet.

Verſe 39. From the love of God] viz. Wherewith he loved us. For he loveth his own to the end, and in the end, Joh. 13.1. See the Note there.Joh. Manlij, loc. com. The wife of Camerarius heard Sarcerius interpreting this text, and verſ. 35. thus, and was much comforted after a ſore conflict.