The Church readeth S. Paul's Epistles at Matins from Sunday in Christmas:
vnto Septuagesme.
The foundation of his Apostleship being laid, 8. he heighly commendeth the Romanes, and
and protesteth his affection towards them. And so comming to the matter, faith, our
Christian Catholike doctrine (that teacheth al to beleeue) to be the way to saluation: 18. because the
Gentils (first of al) could not be saued by their Philosophie, whereby they knew God, forsomuch as
they did not serue him, but Idols; he therfore iustly permitting them to fall into al kind of
most damnable sinne.
1. ⋮
The Epistle vpon Christmas eue.
PAVL the seruant of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ, called to be an Apostle,
*
Act. 13,2.
separated into the
Ghospel of God,
2. which before he had promised by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures.
3. of his Sonne, (who was made to him of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh,
4. who was predestinate the Sonne of God in power, according to the spirit of
sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ from the dead,
5. by whom we receiued grace and Apostleship
✟
εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως
Faith must not be subiect to sense, reason, arguing or vnderstanding, but must command & be
obeied in humilitie and simplicitie.
for obedience to the faith
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S. Augustine vseth this place and the like against Heretikes, which would draw the common
Catholike faith of al nations, to some certaine countries or corners of the world.
Aug. ep. 161.
in al Nations for the name of him,
6. among whom are you also the called of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ:)
7. to al that are at Rome the beloued of God, called to be Saints.
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ.
8. First I giue thanks to my God through Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ for al you, because
your faith is renowmed in the whole world.
9. For God is my witnes,
✟
ᾧ λατϱεύω
whom I serue in my spirit in the Ghospel of his Sonne, that
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He praieth without intermission that omitteth no day certaine times times of praier.
Aug. heres. 17.
without intermission I make
a memorie of you
10. alwaies in my praiers, beseeching, if by any meanes I may sometime at the length
haue a prosperous iourney by the wil of God, to come vnto you.
11. For I desire to see you, that I may impart vnto you some spiritual grace, to
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The Romanes were conuerted and taught by S. Peter before. Therefore he vseth that speach, to
confirme them in their faith. Authour Com. apud Hier. Theodoret in 16. Rom. & Chrys.
confirme you:
12. that is to say, to be comforted together in you by that which is common to vs both,
your faith & mine.
13. And I wil not haue you ignorant (Brethren) that I haue often purposed to come
vnto you (and haue been staied hitherto) that I may haue some fruit in you, as also in the other
Gentils.
14. To the Greeks & the Barbarous, to the wise and the vnwise I am debter.
15. So (as much as is in me) I am ready
to euangelize to you also that are at Rome.
16. For I am not ashamed of the Ghospel. For it is the power of God, vnto saluation
to euery one that beleeueth, to the Iewes first and to the Greeke.
17. For
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He meaneth not Gods owne iustice in him self, but that iustice wherwith God indoweth man
when he iustifieth him. Aug. de Sp. & lit. c. 9. Whereby you may gather the vanitie of
the Heretical imputative iustice.
the iustice of God is reuealed therein by faith into faith; as it is written:
*
Habac. 2,4.
And the iust
liueth by faith.
18. For the wrath of God from Heauen is reuealed, vpon al impietie and iniustice of
those men that deteine the veritie of God in iniustice:
19. because, that of God which is knowen, is manifest in them. For God hath manifested
it vnto them.
20. For his inuisible things, from the creation of the world are seen, being vnderstood
by those things that are made; his eternal power also and Diuinitie: so that they are inexcusable.
21. Because whereas they knew God, they haue not glorified him as God, or giuen
thanks: but are become vaine in their cogitations, and their foolish hart hath been darkned.
22. For, saying themselues to be wise, they became fooles.
23. And they changed the glorie of the incorruptible God, into a
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Loe these and the like are the Images or Idols so often condemned in the scriptures, & not
the holy Images of Christ and his Saints.
similitude of the image of a corruptible man, and of soules and foure-footed
beasts and of them that creep.
24. (For the which cause God
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Eph. 4,19. he saith, They haue deliuered or giuen vp themselues to al vncleannesse.
By which conference of scriptures we learne that themselues are the cause of their owne sinne
and damnation, God of his iustice permitting & leauing them to their owne wil, and so giuing
them vp into passions &c.
hath deliuered them vp vnto the desires of their hart,
into vncleannesse, for to abuse their owne bodies among themselues ignominiously.)
25. Who haue changed the veritie of God into lying: and haue worshipped &
✟
ἐλάτϱευσαν
serued the creature rather then the Creatour, who is blessed for euer. Amen.
26. Therfore God hath deliuered them into passions of ignominie. For their women haue
changed the natural vse, into that vse that is contrarie to nature.
27. And in like manner the men also, leauing the natural vse of the woman, haue burned
in their desires one toward another, men vpon men working turpitude, & the reward of their errour
(which they should) receauing in themselues.
28. And as they liked not to haue God in knowledge; God deliuered them vp into a
reprobate sense, to doe those things that are not conuenient:
29. replenished with al iniquitie, malice, fornication, auarice, wickednes, ful of
enuie, murder, contention, guile, malignitie, whisperers,
30. detractours, odible to God, contumelious, proud, hawtie, inuentours of euil things,
disobedient to parents,
31. foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelitie, without mercie.
32. Who whereas they knew the iustice of God, did not vnderstand that they which doe
such things, are worthie of death: not only they that doe them, by they also that consent to
the doers.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. I.
7. Grace to you & peace.)
Apostolical salutation or blessing. The same vsed of Heretikes.
It is a kind of blessing rather then a prophane salutation, proper to the Apostles, of greater
vertue then the benediction of the Father in the old Testament. The holy Fathers of the Church
seemed to absteine from it for their reuerence to the Apostles. *The Manichees (August. cont.
ep. funda c. 5. 6.) and other Heretikes (as also these of our time) because they would be
counted Apostles, often vse it.
*Epiph. hares. 66.
8. Your faith renowmed.)
The Romane faith highly commended
The holy Doctours vpon these words of the Apostle, and specially by our Maisters promise*
made to Peter, that his faith should not faile, giue great testimonie for the prouidence of
God in the preseruation of the Romane faith. S. Cyprian this : ep. 55. nu. 6. They are so
bold to cary letters from the prophane Schismatikes to the chaire of Peter and the principal
Church whence Priestly vnitie rose: not considering the Romanes to them whose whose faith
(the Apostle being the commander) was praised, to whom misbeleefe can not haue accesse.
*Luke 22.
It can not faile nor be corrupted.
So S. Hierom Apolog. adu. Ruff. li. 3. c. 4. to 2. Know you, that the Romane faith commanded by the
Apostles mouth, we receiue no such deceites, nor can be possibly changed, though an Angel taught
otherwise, being sensed by S. Pauls authoritie. Againe ep. 63 ad Pammach. & Oceanum. c. 4. to 2.
Whatsoeuer thou be that auouched new sectes, I pray thee haue respect to the Romane eares, spare
the faith which was praised by the Apostles voice.
The Romane stations, a token or greater faith and deuotion.
And in another place: Wil ye know, o Paula, and Eustochium, how the Apostle hath noted euery prouince with their proprieties? the faith of the
people of Rome is praised. Where is there so great concourse to Churches and Martyrs sepulchres? Where
soundeth, Amen, like thunder from heauen, or where are the temples (void of Idols) so shaken as there?
Not that the Romanes haue another faith then the rest of the Christian Churches, but that there is in them
more deuotion and simplicitie of faith.
Proæm. li. 2. Com. in ep. ad. Gal.
The Catholike and Romane faith al one.
In another place the same Holy Doctour signifieth that it is
al one to say, the Romane faith, and the Catholike. Apolog. 1. adu. Ruff. c. 1. So S. Cyprien.
ep. 12. num. 1. ad. Antonianum: and S. Ambrose de obitu fratis, in med. Whereupon, this word,
Romane, is added to Catholike, in many countries where Sectes doe abound, for the better
distinction of true beleeuers from Heretikes: which in al Ages did hate and abhorre the Romane faith and
Church, as al malefactours doe their Iudges and correctours.
9. Serue in spirit.)
How God is serued in spirit.
Diuerse Heretikes when they heare that God is a spirit, and must be serued and adored in
spirit, imagine that he must be honoured only inwardly, without ceremonies & external workes:
which you see if otherwise, for that the Apostle serued God in spirit, by preaching the
Ghospel. To serue God then in spirit, is to serue him with faith, hope, and charitie, and
with al workes proceeding of them as to serue him carnally, is, with workes external, without
the said internal vertues.
9. A memorie of you.)
Praier for conuersion of soules.
A great example of charitie for al men, specially for Prelates & Pastours, not only to
preach, but to pray continually for the conuersion of people to Christs faith: Which the
Apostles dud for them whom he neuer knew, in respect of God's honour only and the zeale
of soules.
15. To euangelize.)
The Ghospel is not only the written word.
The Ghospel is not only the life of our Sauiour written by the foure Euangelists, not only
that which is written in the new Testament: but their whole course of preaching & teaching
the faith. Which faith commeth ordinarily of preaching & hearing, and not of writing or
reading. And therfore S. Paul thought not himself discharged by writing to the Romanes, but
his desire was to preach vnto them for that was the proper commission giuen to the Apostles,
*to preach to al Nations.
*Mat. 28.
The Apostles writing, and preaching, whether more necessarie, and how.
The writing of the bookes of the Testament, is another part of God's prouidence, necessarie
for the Church in general, but not necessarie for euery man in particular: as to be taught
and preached vnto, is for euery one of age and vnderstanding. And therfore S. Peter (who was
the cheefe of the Commission) wrote litle; many of them wrote nothing as al: and S. Paul that
wrote most, wrote but litle in comparison of his preaching; not to any but such as were
conuerted to the faith by preaching before.
17. Liueth by faith.)
In the 10. to the Hebrews, he sheweth by this place of the Prophet (Abacuc 2.) that the iust
though he liue there in peregination, and seeth not presently nor enioyeth the life euerlasting
promised to him, yet holdeth fast the hope therof by faith.
The Catholike or Christian faith with good workes iustifieth; & without this faith, no workes
whatsoeuer.
In this place he applieth the Prophets wordes further to this sense, That it is our faith, that is
to say, the Catholike beleefe (saith S. Augustine li. 3. cont. 2. ep. Pelag.) which
maketh a iust man, and distinguisheth between the iust and vniust; and that by the law of
faith, and not be the law of workes. Whereof it riseth, that the Iew, the Heathen
Philosopher, and the Heretikes, though they excelled in al workes of moral vertues, could
not yet be iust: and a Catholike Christian man liuing but an ordinarie honest life, either
not sinning greatly, or supplying his faults by penance is iust. And this difference riseth
by faith. Not that faith can saue any man without worke, For it is not a reprobate
faith that we speake of, (as the holy Doctour saith) but that which worketh
by charitie, and therfore remitteth sinnes and maketh one iust. See S. Augustines
place.
18. Is reuealed.)
Not only faith.
By al the passage following you may see, that the Ghospel and Christ's law consisteth not
only in preaching faith (though that be the ground, & is first alwaies to be done:) but to
teach vertuous life and good workes, and to denounce damnation to al them that commit deadly
sinnes & repent not. And againe we see that not only lacke of faith is a sinne, but al other
actes done against God's commandements.
26. Hath deliuered them vp.)
God is not the authour of sinne.
As he saith here, God deliuered them vp, so to the Ephesians (c. 4,19.) he saith of the same
persons and things: They deliuered themselues vp to al vncleannesse. So that it is not meant
here that God daoth driue, force, or cause any man to sinne, as diuers blasphemous Heretikes
doe hold: but only that by his iust iudgement, for their owne deseruing, and for due
punishment of their former grieuous offenses, he withholdeth his grace from them, and so
suffreth them to fal further into other sinnes.
God punisheth sinne by permitting men to fal further and further.
As, for their crime of Idolatrie, to suffer them to fal into vnnatural
abominations: as now for heresie, he taketh his grace and
mercie from many, and so they fal into heresie. And for Christ's sake let euery one that is
entangled with the Idolatrie of this time, that is to say, with these new Sectes, looke wel into
his owne conscience, whether his forsaking the true God, may not come vnto him for a punishment
of his former or present il life which he liueth.
32. Worthie of death.)
Sinnes mortal and venial.
Here you see why the Church taketh some sinnes to be deadly, and calleth them mortal, to wit,
because al that doe them, are worthy of damnation: others be venial, that is to say, pardonable
of their owne nature and not worthie of eternal damnation.