Sidenote: Rom. viii. 22.
Sidenote: Ib. 20.
Sidenote: Ib. 21.
Sidenote: Ib. 22.
1. MY former Letter was a reply to your inquiry; this is a part of my
answer, supplemental not contradictory to the former. In reviewing the
latter part of the passage I was struck, I confess, with his adding,
_we know that every creature groaneth_, seeing that previously he had
said without any addition, _The creature was made subject to vanity_.
For he said not every creature, but, _the creature was made subject_.
And again he says, _Because the creature itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption_. But in the third place he adds that
_every creature groaneth together_.
2. Now what does this addition mean? It means haply that every creature
is not _subject to vanity_, and therefore every creature will not be
_delivered from the bondage of corruption_. For why should that be
delivered which is free and secure from the subjection of vanity and
the bondage of that corruption? But they all groan together not in
their own but in our pangs, and haply are in travail together of the
Spirit of Salvation, the Spirit of sweetness, waiting for the adoption
of the sons of God, that in the redemption of the human race they may
attain to a common joy and gladness. So then either because of their
charity they all groan for our labour, or for us as a member of their
body, whose head is Christ. But you may understand this as you please,
either as we have said, or simply that every creature groans and
travails together.
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 23.
3. And now let us consider what follows. _And not only they, but
ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit the
redemption of the body._ We are taught in the previous passage what
the adoption of sons is; therefore, in order to explain its meaning,
to that passage we must recur.
Sidenote: Ib. 13.
Sidenote: Ib. 16.
Sidenote: Gal. iv. 6.
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 17.
4. _He who through the Spirit_, says S. Paul, _mortifies the deeds of
the body shall live_. Nor is it surprising that he should live, since
he who has the Spirit of God, becomes the son of God. Wherefore he is
the son of God that he may receive not the spirit of bondage, but the
spirit of adoption of sons; to the intent that the Holy _Spirit may
bear witness with our spirit that we are the children of God_. But this
is the testimony of the Holy Spirit, that He it is Who cries in our
hearts, _Abba Father_, as it is written to the Galatians. There is also
the great testimony that we are the sons of God; namely that we are
_heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ_. Now he is joint heir with
Him, who is glorified together with Him, and he is glorified together
with Him who by suffering for Him suffers together with Him.
5. And in order to encourage us to suffer, he adds that all things
which we suffer fall far below and are not worthy to be compared with
the recompense of our labours, the reward of future good, which shall
be revealed in us, when we shall be formed anew after the Image of God,
and shall be worthy to behold His Glory face to face.
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 21.
6. And to exalt the greatness of this future revelation, he adds that
the creation also waits for this revelation of the sons of God, which
now is made subject to vanity, not willingly, but in hope, because it
hopes for the reward of its ministry from Christ, or else because it
also will be _delivered from the bondage of corruption_, and received
into _the glorious liberty of the sons of God_, that there may be one
liberty of the creation and of the sons of God, when their glory shall
have been revealed. But now, so long as this revelation is delayed, the
whole creation groans together, looking for the glory of our adoption
and redemption, already travailing with that Spirit of salvation, and
willing to be delivered from the servitude of vanity.
7. And to this the Apostle has conjoined the groans of the saints, who
have the first-fruits of the Spirit, for they groan also. Of their own
merits they are indeed secure, but since the redemption of the whole
body of the Church is still future, they suffer together with it. For
seeing that the members of this our body still suffer, shall not the
other members, although higher, sympathize with the suffering members
of one and the same body?
Sidenote: 1 Cor. xv. 28.
Sidenote: Ib.
8. And this, I suppose, is why the Apostle has said that the _Son
Himself shall be subject unto Him that put all things under Him_, for
they who still labour are not yet subject, and in these perhaps Christ
still thirsts, in these is still hungry, in these is still naked, in
that they do not fulfil the word of God, nor put on Christ, Who is the
Garment of believers, and the Robe of the faithful. They also in whom
He is sick still need medicine, and therefore are not yet subdued, for
this subjection is of strength not of weakness: again, in those who
are strong and obey the commands of God, the Son of God is subject.
But now His travail is greater in those who do not succour those who
are toiling, than in those who still require aid themselves. And this
is the pious and true meaning of the subjection of the Lord Jesus, Who
will subject Himself, to the intent _that God might be all in all_.
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 23.
Sidenote: Exod. xxii. 29.
Sidenote: Ib. xxxiv. 26.
Sidenote: Gen. iv. 4.
9. We have received the Apostle’s meaning, let us now consider who
are they that _have the first-fruits of the Spirit_. With this view
let us inquire what is intended under the name of first-fruits or of
beginning, _Thou shalt not delay_, it is said, _to offer the first of
thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors_; further on, _The first of the
first-fruits of thy lands thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord
thy God_. First-fruits and tenths are different, first-fruits are of
greater merit, an act of pious consecration. And on this account Abel
pleased God, for he delayed not to offer his gift, but offered of
the first-fruits of his flock. Although some suppose that there is a
difference between first-fruits[180] and first-born[181], in that on
gathering in the crops, the beginning, so to speak, of all kinds in the
threshing floor are offered, while the first reaping of the harvest is
offered to the Lord; but of this we will speak in another place. But
by the offering of the first-fruits, the whole harvest appears to be
sanctified, but the first-fruits themselves are the most holy.
Sidenote: 1 Cor. xii. 28.
Sidenote: S. Luke ii. 28.
Sidenote: S. John i. 47.
Sidenote: S. Luke xxiii. 53.
Sidenote: S. Matt. iii. 9.
10. In like manner the saints are the first-fruits of the Lord, and the
chief are the Apostles, _for God hath set in the Church first Apostles_,
who have prophesied many things and preached the Lord Jesus, for they
first received Him. Simeon too received Him, and the prophet Zacharias,
John his son, Nathanael, _in whom there was no guile_, who rested under
the fig tree, Joseph also who was called just, who buried Him. These
are the first-fruits of our faith, nevertheless the nature of other
seeds is the same as that of the first-fruits, although in some there
is less grace, for _God is able of these stones to raise up children to
Abraham_.
Sidenote: Col. i. 18.
Sidenote: 1 Cor. xv. 23. Vulg.
Sidenote: Col. i. 15.
Sidenote: Heb. i. 3.
11. You have an example in the Lord Jesus Himself. In the resurrection
of the dead He is called _the first-born from the dead_. The Apostle
also has called Him the first-fruits; _In Christ shall all be made
alive, but every man in his own order, Christ the first-fruits,
afterward they that are Christ’s, who have believed in His coming_.
His body is as truly a body as our own, nevertheless He is called
the first-born from the dead, because He rose first; and He is called
the first-fruits because He is holier than all the other fruits, and
they by union with Him are hallowed also. He also as _the Image of
the invisible God_ is the Head of those found after that Image; in
Him according to His Divinity there is nothing corporeal, nothing
temporary; for _He is the brightness of His Father’s glory, and the
express Image of His Person_. But in our desire to explain the meaning
of first-fruits we have greatly extended the length of our letter.
Sidenote: S. John xiv. 12.
Sidenote: 2 Cor. xi. 29.
12. Now the Apostles are our first-fruits, chosen from all the
first-fruits of that time; to them it is said, _And greater things
than these shall ye do_, for the Grace of God hath poured itself into
them. These, I say, groaned, waiting for the redemption of the whole
body, and they still groan, because many are still toiling, who are
yet tossing on the sea. Just as, if a man is reaching the higher shore,
but the waves still dash up to his middle, he groans and is in travail
until he be wholly out of danger. Verily he groans, who still says to
us, _Who is weak, and I am not weak?_
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 23.
Sidenote: Gal. iv. 6.
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 24.
Sidenote: S. Luke xviii. 42.
13. We need not then to be perplexed by the words, _We, which have
the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, waiting
for the adoption, to wit the redemption of our body_, for the sense
is plain, forasmuch as they, having the first-fruits of the Spirit,
groan, waiting for the adoption of sons. This adoption of sons is the
redemption of the whole body, when he who is to be the son of God by
adoption shall see face to face that Divine and Eternal Good; for there
is the adoption of sons in the Church of God, when the Spirit cries,
_Abba, Father_, as it is written to the Galatians. But this will be
perfected when all shall rise again in incorruption power and glory who
are counted worthy to see the Face of God, for then the human race will
judge itself to be truly redeemed. And so the Apostle boasts, saying,
_For we are saved by hope_. For hope saves, as also faith, whereof it
is said, _Thy faith hath saved thee_.
Sidenote: Phil. i. 24.
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 24.
Sidenote: 1 Cor. ii. 9.
14. Therefore the creature which _is made subject to vanity not
willingly but in hope_, is saved by hope; just as Paul too, knowing
that _to die was gain_ to him, that he might be freed from the body and
be with Christ, remained in the flesh for their sakes whom he wished to
win to Christ. Now what is hope but the expectation of things future?
Wherefore he says, _But the hope that is seen is not hope_. For it is
not what is seen but what is unseen that is eternal, _for what a man
seeth, why doth he yet hope for?_ The things that we see we seem to
possess, how then can we hope for that which we already possess? Thus
none of those things which we hope for can we see; _eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, the things that God hath prepared for them that love
Him_.
Sidenote: Ps. xl. 1.
Sidenote: Lament. iii. 25.
15. Wherefore, if that which is seen cannot be hoped for, it is not
well to read as some do, ‘for[182] because any one sees a thing he also
hopes for it;’ unless it may be understood thus, ‘for that which any
one sees, why does he also hope for or expect it?’ For most true it
is that we hope for that which we see not, and therefore, although it
seem to be absent from us, we still look for it in patience; _I waited
patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me_. And we wait patiently,
because _the Lord is good unto them that wait for Him_. And it seems to
agree with this, that through patience He has given it back to us. We
wait for the things which we hope for, but see not. For he does much
who hopes and looks for those things which are not seen, and endures
because he directs his mind to that which is.
Sidenote: Rom. viii. 24.
Sidenote: S. John i. 26.
Sidenote: 1 Cor. ii. 9.
16. Now it is well said that _hope that is seen is not hope_, referring
to the power and honour and riches of this world. You may see a man
distinguished by his retinue and equipages, but he has not hope in his
equipages which are seen. Nor is hope in the firmament of heaven, but
in the Lord of heaven. The Chaldæan has not hope in the stars which he
watches; nor the rich man in his possessions or the avaricious man in
usury; but he hath hope who places his hope in Him Whom he sees not,
that is, in the Lord Jesus, Who stands in the midst of us, yet is not
seen. Finally, _eye hath not seen, nor ear heard the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Him_.