yet I would have you wise unto that which is
good, and simple concerning evil.sapientes esse ad bonum, simplices verb ad
malum.- Deus autem pacis conteret brevi Satanam
sub pedibus vestris. Gratia Domini nostri Iesu
Christi sit vobiscum. Amen. - And the God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. - And I beseech you, etc. He now adds an exhortation, by which all Churches have often need
of being stirred up; for the ministers of Satan are ever ready to take occasion to disturb the kingdom
of Christ: and they attempt to make disturbances in two ways; for they either sow discord, by which
the minds of men are drawn away from the unity of truth, or they occasion offenses, by which men
are alienated from the love of the gospel.^480 The former evil is done when the truth of God is mixed
with new dogmas devised by men; and the latter takes place, when by various arts it is made odious
and contemptible. He therefore bids all, who did either of these two things, to be observed, lest
they should deceive and catch the unwary; and also to be shunned, for they were injurious. Nor
was it without reason that he required this attention from the faithful; for it often happens through
our neglect or want of care, that such wicked men do great harm to the Church, before they are
opposed; and they also creep in, with astonishing subtlety, for the purpose of doing mischief, except
they be carefully watched.
But observe, that he speaks of those who had been taught the pure truth of God. It is indeed an
impious and sacrilegious attempt to divide those who agree in the truth of Christ: but yet it is a
shameful sophistry to defend, under the pretext of peace and unity, a union in lies and impious
doctrines. There is therefore no ground for the Papists to seek countenance from this passage, in
order to raise ill-will against us; for we do not impugn and tear asunder the gospel of Christ, but
the falsehoods of the devil, by which it has been hitherto obscured: nay, Paul clearly shows, that
he did not condemn all kinds of discords, but those which destroyed consent in the orthodox faith;
for the force of the passage is in the words, which ye have learnt; for it was the duty of the Romans,
before they were rightly taught, to depart from the habits of their fathers and the institutions of their
ancestors.
18.For they who are such, etc. He mentions an unvarying mark, by which false prophets are
to be distinguished from the servants of Christ; for they have no care for the glory of Christ, but
seek the benefit of their stomach. As, however, they deceitfully crept in, and by assuming another
character, concealed their own wickedness, he at the same time pointed out, in order that no one
might be deceived, the arts which they adopted — that they ingratiated themselves by a bland
address. The preachers of the gospel have also their courtesy and their pleasing manner, but joined
with honesty, so that they neither soothe men with vain praises, nor flatter their vices: but impostors
(^480) The two words are and , divisions and offenses, or hindrances. He had, no doubt, in view, what he noticed in
chapter 14, about eating and observing of days; and according to his usual manner he mentions first the effect — “divisions,”
and then the cause — “offenses.” The Gentile Christians, by eating, gave offense to the believing Jews, and this offense led to
a division or separation. The evils which he had previously attempted to correct were doubtless those referred to here. “Serving
their own belly,” in the next verse, has in this respect an emphatic meaning. Instead of denying themselves in the use of meats
for the sake of Christ, and for the peace of his Church, they preferred to gratify their own appetites. And being led away by their
lust, they covered their real motive by kindly or plausibly addressing ( ) and eulogizing ( ) those who joined them,
imitating in this respect the arts of all false professors and zealots, whatever be the false principle by which they may be guided.
— Ed.