Notwithstanding this law of sin opposing the law of the spirit, and endeavouring to captivate us to sin, we can, by the succour of the grace of Jesus Christ, preserve ourselves from sin and damnation, by resisting sin, and attaching ourselves strongly to Jesus Christ, by faith and charity. Concupisc... [ Continue Reading ]
_The law of the spirit of life, in Christ Jesus. That is, the new law, by which the Holy Ghost, or the spirit of life is given, hath delivered me from the law of sin and of death: that is, from the slavery of sin, that causeth death: though some think that the law of Moses may be here called the law... [ Continue Reading ]
_For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in sinful flesh, (because the Son of God could not sin) hath now done; even of sin hath condemned sin in the flesh. That is, in or by his flesh, which was offered on th... [ Continue Reading ]
_That the justification of the law. That is, that was aimed at, but never attained to, by the written law, might now be fulfilled in us; that is, that we, by the grace of Christ, may be enabled to fulfil and comply with the law, and its moral precepts, by walking according to the spirit of Christ. ... [ Continue Reading ]
For the who are according to the flesh. That is, who live according to the false, vain, and deceitful maxims and customs of carnal men, which he also calls the prudence of the flesh: and this prudence he calls death, as leading men to eternal death. Such carnal men relish nothing else but such pleas... [ Continue Reading ]
They are the sons of God, by this new grace of adoption, by which also they call God, Abba; that is to say, Father, whereas under the former law of Moses, God rather governed his people by fear; there were his servants, we are his sons; and if sons, also the heirs of God, with the promise of an eter... [ Continue Reading ]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY] Abba (Pater) St. John Chrysostom, hom. xiv. p. 115. _Greek: oude euchomenous outos, &c._... [ Continue Reading ]
The expectation [2] of the creature. He speaks of the corporal creation, made for the use and service of man; and, by occasion of his sin made subject to vanity, that is, to a perpetual instability, tending to corruption and other defects; so that by a figure of speech, it is here said to groan and... [ Continue Reading ]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY] Redemptionem corporis, i.e. complete happiness, says St. John Chrysostom, p. 119. _Greek: toutesti ten apertismenen doxan._... [ Continue Reading ]
_For we are saved by hope, as it is the will of God we should be, waiting and hoping with patience for the things which we have not seen, which neither the eye hath seen, nor the ear hath heard, &c. (1 Corinthians ii. 9.) --- And the spirit also helpeth our infirmity...asketh for us with unspeakable... [ Continue Reading ]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY] Postulat pro nobis, i.e. says St. Augustine, interpellare nos facit...nobisque interpellandi et gemendi inspirat affectum.... [ Continue Reading ]
_To them that love God, all things work together unto good. All trials, temptations, afflictions, must be taken as coming from the hand of God, who ordains or permits them for the greater good of his elect. --- For the good of those, who, according to his purpose [5] are called the saints. Literally... [ Continue Reading ]
For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his Son, in suffering with Christ, in following his doctrine, in imitating his life. This foreknowledge of God, according to St. Augustine,[6] is not merely a foreseeing of what men will do by the assistance and grace... [ Continue Reading ]
_And whom he predestinated, them he also called to the true faith and to his service, without any deserts in them, nay, when all mankind were guilty of eternal death, by original sin. --- And whom he called, them he also justified, by faith, by hope, by a love of him, and a true penance. --- And who... [ Continue Reading ]
_What shall we then say to these things? That is, though we live amidst temptations and afflictions in this life, we need not fear as long as we are faithful in the service of God, under his protection. --- If God be for us, who is against us, or who shall hinder us from being saved. (Witham)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_He that spared not, &c. This is another argument for us to hope in the goodness of God, who hath so loved the world, that he hath delivered, and given his true and only Son for us all, to redeem all and every one, and has by his death obtained helps and graces by which we may all be saved. --- How... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who shall lay any thing to the charge of the elect of God? God who justifieth. Others read without an interrogation, it is God who justified us: the sense will scarce be different; for it is the same as to say, we need not fear that God will accuse us, since by his mercy he hath been pleased to die... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who then, or what shall separate us from the love of Christ? Neither devils, nor men, nor any thing in nature, unless it be by our own fault, and unless we wilfully and sinfully leave God. --- I am sure. In the Greek, I am [7] fully persuaded, that nothing can separate us, &c. In fine, another argu... [ Continue Reading ]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY] Certus sum, _Greek: pepeismai, persuasus sum. No one has an absolute certainty that they shall be saved._... [ Continue Reading ]
So powerful and efficacious, so certain and unchangeable is the love of God, which conducts us to the kingdom of bliss, that no creature can separate us from it, either by making us cease to love him, or by frustrating our love of its effect, viz. life everlasting. (Estius)... [ Continue Reading ]