Romans — Chapter 10

2. The iustice of God.) God's iustice, & the Iewes owne iustice. The iustice of God, is that which God giueth vs through Christ. The Iewes owne or proper iustice, is that which they had or chalenged to haue of themselues and by their owne strength, holpen only by the knowledge of the Law without the help or grace of Christ.

6. The iustice of faith.) Iustice of faith. The iustice which is of faith, reacheth to the life to come, making man assured of the truth of such Articles as concerne the same: as, of Christ's Ascension to heauen, of his Descending to Hel, of his comming downe to be Incarnate, and his Resurrection and returne againe to be glorified. By which his actions we be pardoned, iustified, and saued, as by the Law we could neuer be.

8. The word of faith.) Open confession & protestation of our faith is sometime necessarie. The word of faith is the whole Law of Christ, concerning both life and doctrine, grounded vpon this, that Christ is our Sauiour, & that he is risen againe. Which point (as al other) must both be beleeued in hart, and also be confessed by mouth. For though a man be iustified inwardly when he hath the vertues of faith, hope, and charitie from God; yet if occasion be giuen, he is also bound to confesse with his mouth, and by al his external actions, without shame or feare of the world, that which he inwardly beleeueth: or els he cannot be saued. Helchesetæ. Which is against certaine *old Heretikes, that taught a man might say or doe what he would, for feare or danger, so that he kept his faith in hart. *Euseb. li. 6. c. 31. histor. Eccles.

14. How shal they inuocate.) The place alleaged against inuocation of Saints answered. This maketh not (as Heretikes pretend) against inuocation of Saints; the Apostle saying nothing els, but that they can not inuocate Christ as their Lord and Maister, in whom they doe not beleeue, and whom they neuer heard of. For he speaketh of Gentils or Pagans, who could not inuocate him, vnlesse they did first beleeue in him. To the due inuocation Christ, we must know him and our duties to him. And so is it true also that we can not pray to our B. Ladie nor any Saint in Heauen, til we beleeue and know their persons, dignitie, and grace, and trust that they can help vs. But if our Aduersaries thinke that we can not inuocate them, because we can not beleeue in them; let them vnderstand that the Scripture vseth also this speach, to beleeue in men: and it is the very Hebrew phrase, which they should not be ignorant of that brag therof so much. Exod. 14,31. They beleeued in God and in Moyses. and 3. Paral. 20,20 in the Hebrew. Ep. ad Philem. v. 5. And the ancient Fathers did read in the Creed indifferently, I beleeue in the Catholike church; and, I beleeue the Catholike Church. Conc. Nicem. apud Epiphan. in fine Ancorat Hieron. contr. Lucif. Cyril. Hieros. Cathec. 17.

15. Vnlesse they be sent.) Preachers not lawfully called or sent. This place of the Apostle inuincibly condemneth al the preachings, writings, ordinances, inuocations, and vsurpations of Church, pulpit, & whatsoeuer our new Euangelists haue intruted themselues and entered into by the window: shewing that they be euery one from the highest to the lowest, false Prophets, running and vsurping, being neuer lawfully called. Which is so euident in the Heretikes of our daies, that the *Caluinists confesse it in themselues, & say that there is an exception to be made in them, because they found the state of the Church interrupted. *Confes. des Eglise de France.

20. That asked not.) The first iustification of more grace. That Christ was found of those that neuer asked after him, it proueth that the first grace and our first iustification is without merits. Free-wil. That God called so continually and earnestly by his Prophets and by other his signes, and wonders, vpon the Iewes, and they withstood it, free-wil is proued; and that God would haue men saued, and that they be cause of their owne damnation themselues.