24. Quest. Of the meaning of these words, v. 12. As many as haue sinned without the law, shall perish without the law.

1. Ambrose exposition here seemeth somewhat strange, who vnderstandeth this not of the law of nature, but of the law of Moses, to the which the Gentiles were bound to giue assent: and therefore duplici nomine sunt rei, they are guiltie two waies, because they did not giue assent vnto the law giuen by Moses, nor receiued Christ, &c. Pererius refelleth this interpretation, because the law of Moses did onely bind the Hebrewes, neither were any of the Prophets commanded to publish the law of Moses to the Gentiles, as afterward the A∣postles were commanded to preach it to the Gentiles. But Tolet somewhat qualifieth and excuseth Ambrose, making this his meaning, that he speaketh onely of the Gentiles, who liued after the publishing and preaching of the Gospel, who then were bound to beleeue and to receiue the writings of Moses, and the Prophets, which prophesied of Christ: yet in this sense, he thinketh, that Ambrose expresseth not the Apostles full meaning, who spea∣keth generally of the Gentiles, both before, and at the comming of Christ.

2. Chrysostome, whome Anselme followeth, doth interpret, this to be iudged without a law, levius puniri, to be more easily punished: for the Gentile hauing not the law as the Iew had, is thereby somewhat excused: But the Apostles purpose is not to shew any inequalitie of punishment betweene the Iew and Gentile, but onely howsoeuer they are vnequall in knowledge, yet because they are equall in sinne, they shall both indifferently be punished.

3. Some contrariwise, doe make the case of the Gentiles more grieuous: they shall pe∣rish without the law, meaning the written law, but the Iewes shall be iudged onely, that is, not punished eternally, but for a time, who afterward shall be saued: this opinion is imputed to Origen, hom. 3. in Levit. and he insinuateth as much in his commentarie vpon this place. Augustine reselleth this opinion, concion. 25. in Psal. 118. And it is euidently confuted by the saying of our Sauiour, Matth. 11. that it shall be more easie for the Sodomites in the day of iudgement, then for the vnbeleeuing Iewes: Perer, and they that haue done euill (whe∣ther Iew or Gentile) shall goe into euerlasting fire, Matth. 25.46. Here then iudgement is taken for condemnation, as it is vsuall in the Scripture: as Ioh. 5.29. They that haue done e∣uill shall come forth to the resurrection 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, of iudgement, that is, condemnation. Tolet.

4. Pererius here maketh mention of the like opinion of certaine of their Catholikes, who by iudging, here vnderstand certaine transitorie paines in purgatorie, which such shall endure, but they shall not finally perish, because they hold the foundation, namely, faith in Christ: But Pererius confuseth them, because the Apostle speaketh of such Iewes, as beleeued not in Christ, and therefore did not hold the foundation.

5. Gregorie hath this obseruation vpon those words: he maketh two degrees of those Page  114 which shall be saued in the day of iudgement, and two likewise of them which shall be con∣demned: first, alij iudicantur & regnant, some shall be examined first for their life, and af∣terwards enter into Gods kingdome, such as repented them of their former sinnes, and did good workes: such Christ shall say vnto, for I was hungrie, and ye gaue me meate, &c. alij e∣lectorum non iudicantur & reginant, others of the elect, should not be iudged at all, but pre∣sently reigne with Christ: such are they that are perfect, as namely the Apostles, who are promised to fit vpon twelue feares, and iudge the twelue tribes of Israel. So likewise for them, that shall be condemned, some sine iudicij examine condemnabuntur, shall be iudged without any examination or iudgement, such are the infidels, which shall rise againe, non ad iudicium, sed ad tormentum, not vnto iudgement, but vnto torment: as it is saide in Psal. 1. The wicked shall not stand vp in iudgement: and here the Apostle saith of such, they shall pe∣rish without the law. But they which professed the faith, and yet liued not thereafter, redar∣guentur vt pereant, shall first be iudged and reprooued, and then perish: like as in a com∣monwealth, the Prince aliter punit civem delinquentem, aliter hostem rebellantem, punisheth a citizen offending one way, examining his offence according to the law, and an enemie re∣belling an other way, he vseth martiall law against such, giuing sentence presently to con∣demne them. But this obseruation of Gregorie seemeth somewhat curious: the Apostle in∣tendeth not here any such thing, to shew any difference in the processe of iudgement be∣tweene the Iewes and Gentiles, but that they both beeing in the same cause of transgressi∣on, shall be partakers of the same punishment: And that there shall be but one manner of proceeding in iudgement, both in rewarding the righteous, and in condemning the wic∣ked, it is euident by that description of Christs comming to iudgement, Matth. 25.31.

6. Augustine here propoundeth this doubt, that whereas the Apostle saith, Rom. 4.15. Where there is no law, there is no transgression: how then can the Gentiles be found to be transgressors without the law? for answer hereunto, he maketh three kind of lawes: one is the written law, which is giuen vnto the Iewes, not to the Gentiles: and of this law spea∣keth the Apostle here, that they sinned without the law, and so shall perish without the law, that is, the written law of Moses: there is beside the law of nature, whereof the Apostle spea∣keth afterward, v. 14. They hauing not the law, are a law vnto themselues: against this law the Gentiles sinned, and by this law they shall be iudged: the third law is that which was giuen vnto Adam in Paradise, by which not onely he, but all his posteritie are found to be transgressors: and in respect of this law, euen infants are found trespassers, because of origi∣nall sinne: to this purpose Augustine in the place before cited.