Quest. 29. Of the Apostles let, and of his purpose to visite the Romans.
As hetherto Saint Paul in his peroration beginning in the 14. v. excuseth his boldnes in writing: so here he excuseth his not comming, shewing his great desire thereunto.
v. 22. I haue beene oft letted. 1. The Apostle had diuerse lettes and impediments to hinder him from preaching, where he intended: sometimes he was forbidden by the Spirit, as Act. 16.17. sometime he was letted by Sathan and his ministers, as by the adversaries the Iewes. 2. Thess. 2.16.17. Ambrose addeth a third reason, he staied sometime, vt ex∣cluderet falsa commenta pseudapostolorum, to exclude and remooue the vaine fictions of the false Apostles: but here the Apostle sheweth an other cause beside all these, fundandi eccle∣sias occupatione detentus, he was deteined by the imploiment in founding of Churches, Ori∣gen: and so as Chrysostome noteth, he expresseth the cause of his stay, which he concealed before, in the beginning of the epistle, Rom. 1.13. 2. the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, some vnderstand as well of the many impediments, as of the many times, wherein he was hindred, Faius: but the latter is more agreeable, as Chrysostome expoundeth, and so he said c. 1.13. that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, oftentimes he had beene purposed to come, but was letted hetherto.
v. 23. But now seeing I haue no more place: he by these two reasons putteth them in mind of his speedie comming: 1. because he had now no occasion to stay in those partes, to plant new Churches: for though all were not conuerted, yet he had ordained Pastors in euery Citie to build further vpon his foundation: Lyran. 2. where he saith in those quar∣ters, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, climates, it is not taken strictly, according to the Astronomical account, which maketh a climate, to be a space of the earth betweene two parellels extended from the ae∣quator to the pole, in which space the day is lengthened by halfe an houre, which climates Ptolome numbreth to be 15. the new Astronomers make 24. for in this sense the Apostle had gone ouer onely two climates preaching the Gospel: but it is here taken in a larger sense, for these regions: Origen restraineth it to Achaia, where Corinthus was, from whence he thinketh this epistle was dated. 3. The other reason is his auncient and long desire ma∣ny yeares of comming vnto them: which desire, it seemeth the Apostle had at the least 10. yeares before: for he wrote this epistle about the 20. yeare of his conuersion, and the 55. of Christ: and long before that the Romans had receiued the faith, about the 3. yeare of Claudius, when the second persecution was begunne by Herod, at such time, as Iames was killed, and Peter imprisoned, which was in the 10. yeare of the Apostles conuersion, and the 45. of Christ: Pareus: But long before this the Romans had receiued the faith, for An∣dronicus and Iunia, whom S. Paul saluteth Rom. 16.7. were in Christ before Paul was conuerted, which was in the 2. yeare after the passion of Christ, and the 10. of Tiborius raigne, about tenne yeares before the 3. of Claudius: so that if Paul had this desire, to go to Rome so soone, as he heard of their faith, he had it aboue tenne yeares, nearer twentie: see qu. 29. vpon the 1. Chapter.
