fBS2465 ^> lia ^ 5:=^ 5^ ,^:^ i:^. "=^2- OF TllK AT PRINCETON, N. J. - r» t» >l -^ T I c> >r o 1.- SAMUEL AaNEW, ' OFPHII. ADELPHIA, PA. |j Casef Division il '' ^Ix'f- Sect:. I ....:. <^^^^''^&2:t^33^5;;fefe2r ii5^^^?r m .mM^ •>i^v V ^v^^^i ^■n* '^■♦•r./>r::/'r« •-♦**• V-J>v.:„- -.v NOTES (MdM sM^^am ^® 'wwm m®siA»si tNTENDED TO ASSIST STUDENTS OF THEOLOGY, AJ^D OTHERS, WHO B£AD THE SCRIPTURES IN THE ORIGINALS. BY SAMUEL H. TURNER, Prof, of Bib. Leai'n. and Interp. of Scrip, in the General Theological Seminaty of the Prot. Epis. Church. JVEW-YORK: PRINTED BY T. AND J. SWORDS, No. 99 Pearl-street. 1824. • a .o ^ •• TO THE RIGHT REV. WILLIAM WHITE, D. D. BISHOP OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, AND PRESIDENT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY : TO WHOSE EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE, SOUND AND DISCRIMINATING JUDGMENT, AND WISE COUNSELS, OUR CHURCH, IN THIS COUNTRY, OWES A DEBT OF GRATITUDE, WHICH CAN NEVER BE REPAID ; WHOSE UNAFFECTED PIETY, BENEVOLENCE OF CHARACTER, AND URBANITY OF MANNERS, HAVE SECURED TO HIM THE PROFOUND RESPECT ^ OF ALL GOOD MEN ; WHOSE DEVOTION TO THE CAUSE OF OUR ZION, HAS BEEN PROVED BY A LONG AND CONSTANT ATTENTION TO HER UNITY AND PROSPERITY ; AND, FOR WHOSE UNIFORM KINDNESS, THE AUTMOUR IS UNDER OBLIGATIONS, WHICH CAN NEVER BE FORGOTTEN ; THE FOLLOfVIJVG PAGES, IN THE BELIEF, THAT HOWEVER SMALL THE OFFERING, IT WILL BE FAVOURABLY RECEIVED, IN CONSIDERATION OF THE MOTIVE, ARE VERY RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, BY HIS MOST AFFECTIONATE SERVANT, AND SON IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, SAMUEL H. TURNER. THE FOLLOWING EXPLJU^ATIOJ^ OF JLBBUEVIATIO^S OF THE NAMES OF AUTHOURS AND WORKS OCCURRING IN THE NOTES, MAY BE OF USE TO THE YOUNG STUDENT. Breit. Sept. Breitinger's edition of the Septuagint. Cast. Castalio. Chal. Paraph. Chaldee Paraphrase. Chrys. Chrysostom. Crit. Sac. Critici Sacri. Eras. Erasmus. Eus. Eusebius. Gries. Griesbach. Grot. Grotius. Herm. N. T. Hermeneutica Novi Testamenti, by Morus. Jac. Cap. Jacobus Capellus. Kop. Koppe. Mid. Middleton, on the Greek Article. Oecum. Oecumenius. Orig. Origen. Park. Parkhurst. Phil. Sac. Philologia Sacra, written by Solomon Glass, and newly edited by Dathe and Bauer. Rosen. Rosenmiiller. Schleus. Schleusner. Schoet. Schoettgen. Theod. Theodoret. Theopfi. Theophylact, PREFACE. In making publick the following notes on the epistle to the Romans, it is proper to state, that they were not compiled, originally, with a view to publication* They were intended, merely to assist the authour in his private lectures to his classes, and to afford some facility to the student, in his endeavours, to ascertain the true meaning of an important part of Scripture. It is proper also to guard the reader, against the ex- pectation of finding, in these pages, a complete com- mentary. Neither the abilities of the writer, nor the avocations, in which he is engaged, by the necessary duties of his situation, allow him to attempt such a work. He hopes, however, that the student will not be disap- pointed, who looks for nothing more than the titlepage promises : notes, intended to assist him, in his examina- tion of the original epistle. As this is the sole object of the publication, I have not thought it necessary, to enter into any discussions on the various points of Theology, which have been supposed, by their advocates, to derive support from this work of St. Paul, or, by their op- ponents, to be satisfactorily refuted in it. Exegetical inquiry, rather than polemick disquisition, is contem- plated; and such inquiry certainly constitutes the best preparation, for forming a true, and well supported sys- tem of Christian Theolog}'. VI PREFACE. It is hardly necessary for me to remark, that these notes are not offered to the student, with the view of superseding the use of able expositors. On the con- trary, I cannot but hope, that they may be instrumental, in leading him to investigate this, and other parts of Scripture, by the aid of all those sources of information, to which he may have access. Some of the most satis- factory will be referred to, in the course of the following observations. Yet it can hardly be too forcibly impressed on the mind of the biblical student, that the most import- ant of all the principles, which have been laid down for the study of the Scriptures, is that, which makes them, as often as possible, their own interpreter. The judici- ous and well informed will not consider this remark, as tending to sanction habits of indolence ; as if it implied, that the study of the Bible could be successfully prose- cuted, by the assistance of the marginal references, which, large indeed, in number, but, in many instances, ex- tremely deficient in real value, from the want of true parallelism in the marked texts, adorn various editions of our version. By making the Scriptures their own in- teq^reter, I mean, that the student should examine, un- der the guidance of the best principles of exposition, all the truly parallel texts, in the originals, and arrive at the sense, by a critical study of each, in connexion with its context, and the general scope of the work, which con- tains it. In the use of these notes, it is therefore parti- cularly requested, that the passages referred to, be thus examined, and that the Hebrew of those in the Old Testament, be, in general, compared with the same pas- sages, in the Alexandrine version. If, by such a process, the progress is slow, it ought to be recollected, that it is PREFACE. Vll also sure ; and it will be found, that such a study of one portion of Scripture, will reward the learner with no in- considerable stock of information, on many others : for, as the same general system is maintained, or kept in view, in all, and subsequent writers constantly quote, or refer, or allude to the preceding, there subsists a neces- sary connexion, which makes it impossible, to be tho- roughly acquainted with one such book, as the epistle to the Romans, without acquiring some acquaintance also with various, and interesting passages, elsewhere occur- ring, in the volume of revelation. Although I have made considerable use of the labours of some learned criticks, particularly of the work of Koppe, a free translation of whose prolegomena is sub- joined ; yet I am not aware, either of having followed any one, with implicit servility^ or of making use of assistance without suitable acknowledgments. As the authour did not intend to write a commentary, it will be found, that many passages, not particularly requiring illustration, are passed over, unnoticed. Some- times the meaning is expressed in a paraphrastick trans- lation ; and, in the notes, brevity has been particularly consulted. It would have been easy, to swell the pam- phlet into a volume of considerable size, by giving, in each instance, the passage referred to. But this would have increased its price and bulk, without a correspon- dent advantage. For the same reason, the Greek passages commented on, are not printed in full ; the first and last words, or parts of them, only are given, a dash being substituted for the intermediate terms. In the introduction, the notes which are included in brackets, are written by the translator. I have also occa- VUl PREFACE. sionally availed myself of the same mark in the notes on the text, to distinguish between the sentiment of the writer quoted or referred to, and any additional remarks. The reader's indulgence is requested, to any inaccura- cies of expression, which may be found ; as the manu- script was prepared very hastily for tlie press, the first sheet being in the compositor's hands when the notes on the fifth chapter were preparing. The references will, I trust, be found to be accurate. The editbn of Schleus- ner's Lexicon on the New Testament, which is referred to, is the fifth, Glasgow, 1817. Wahl's is a new work, printed at Leipsic, 1822, with the following title : " Cla- vis Novi Testamenti Philologica, usibus scholarum et juvenum Theologize studiosorum accommodata, auctore M. Christ. Abraliamo Wahl, verb. div. apud Schneeber- genses ministro primo." The reviewers speak very favourably of this work, and a translation of it into English, is now preparing, at Andover. INTRODUCTION TO THE TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN OP JOHN BENJAMIN KOPPE. Respecting the origin of the church of Rome, and its condition, at the time when Paul wrote this epistle, much information cannot be collected, either from the epistle itself, or from foreign sources. It is certain, from the universally prevalent method of propagating Christianity, first among the Jews, and then by their means among the Gentiles, that the Ro- man Church consisted originally of Jews, to whom others of different extraction were gradually added ; new branches, as it were, engrafted on the parent stock. The probability of this statement is evident, from the vast number of Jews residing at Rome, and enjoying the favour of the emperours, and partici- pating in the society and friendship of the people. See Joseph. Ant. xviii. 12; Dio Cass, xxxvi. ; Phil. Leg. ad Caium, p. 568, ed. Mang. It is impossible to say with certainty, who were the first propagators of Christianity, among the Jews of Rome, and by whose exertions it was disse- minated there.* We know from Acts ii. 10. that of those who, on the first and solemn feast of Pente- [* Compare Macknighl's Preface, Sect. I.] 1 2 Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans, cost, saw and heard the Apostles under the influence of the Divine Spirit, some were Romans ; and it is evident, that if any of these, influenced by the miraculous nature of the transaction which they had witnessed, received the Apostles' doctrine, and suffered themselves to be initiated into the new religion, by the rite of baptism, they might have introduced it, upon their return to Rome, among the Jews who were dwelling in that city The ancient writers, as Irenteus,* Eusebius,t and others, have generally stated, that Peter himself laid the foundation of the Roman Church ; yet their account is not very probable ; as Luke does not mention Peter's going to Rome, and in Paul's Epistle no * Adv. Haer. III. i. p. 199, ed Grabe. " Matthew committed his Gospel to writing, while Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel, and laying the foundation of the Church at Rome." [Also in p. 201, the Church of Rome is spoken of, as having been founded and constituted by Peter and Paul. Grabe, in his note on this passage, thinks, that the difficulty, arising from the internal evidence of the Epistle, may be removed, by supposing the Church of Rome to have been founded by St. Peter, whom he considers as having preached the Gospel at Rome, long before St. Paul wrote the Epistle, and refers to several ancient authours in support of this opinion. Certainly the argument of Koppe, drawn from St. Luke's silence, respecting St. Peter's going to Rome, is not of much weight ; and St. Peter's absence, at the time of writ- ing the Epistle, may account for the want of any traces of inter- course between him and the Romans, being discoverable in it. However, if the statement of Irenseus be correct, it seems difficult to account for the necessity of St. Paul's writing such a letter; although it must be allov/ed, that peculiar circumstances^, beyond St. Peter's controul, may have made it highly proper. N. B. The student, who refers to the prolegomena of Koppe, is requested to correct an errour of ra avm for t« IlauXa, which occurs in the passage of Irenaeus, as there quoted, p. 14, note *.] t In Chron. p. 204, ed. Scalig. ad annum prim, [not secund. as in Kop. note **] Claydii. Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans, 3 traces of intercourse between Peter and the Romans whom he mentions, are to be discovered : to which it may be added, that it is easy to explain the source of the tradition, by the vain desire, existing among ancient Churches, to maintain the dignity of Apos- tolick origin * In the 48th year of the vulgar era, when the Jews were banished from Rome, by the edict of tiie em- perour Claudius,t a part at least of the Roman Church must, by means of Aquila and Priscilla and others, their companions in exile, have become known to Paul Their acquaintance with him must have become more intimate every day, since Aquila remained for a considerable time with him, at Co- rinth and Ephesus, and since many Chrisiians in Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia, becoming familiar with Paul, informed the Romans, to whom they were going, of the Apostle's extraordinary efforts for the advancement of Christianity. By these dis- ciples, therefore, Paul was made acquainted with the affairs of the Christians ;t and, perhaps a request on their part to write, in order to suppress the rising [• Comp. Mosh. de rebus Christ, ante Const. Magn. Sac. prim. ^ xvii. note (xxx.) p. 84.J [f Macknight, sect. iv. 1, places this edict in the year 51; Heinrichs, (on Acts, p. 63, Chron. Tab.) 52. In Eus. ubi sup. the 1 1th of Claudius corresponds with A. D. 53.] Suetonius, in his Life of Claudius (cap. xxv.), states, as the cause of the edict, that the Jews had been busily engaged in a tumult, im/acisore Chresto ; whence it appears not improbable, that either a real attempt of some Jewish converts to Christianity, to raise an insur- rection, or a calumnious charge of this nature, had given occasion to the decree of Caesar. [Kuinoel, on Acts xviii. 2, agrees with Koppe, in supposing that Suetonius meant Christ. See his note there ] SX Comp. Macknight, Sect. III.] 4 Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans. flames of dissention among the new converts, gave rise to this epistle, addressed to a Church, which, although not founded by him, was still, from many causes, closely connected with him. The information which may be drawn from the epistle itself, respecting the magnitude, celebrity, and character of the Church, is comprised in the following observations. That the Church of Rome was then of a con- siderable extent, cannot, I think, be accurately in- ferred ; either from the multitude of the assemblies into which it is thought to have been divided, since the texts which refer to this point, (xvi. 5. 14. 15.) admit of a different interpretation ; or from its cele- brity in other parts of the world, which might be the case with a small body, if well regulated ; or even from the abundance of its teachers mentioned in the 16th chapter, many of whom seem not to belong to the Roman Church, but to be temporary residents merely. (See on chap. xvi. and Exc II.) Yet the fact itself appears to be by no means im- probable, both from the extent of the city, and the multitudes of Jews which it contained, and from the disputes and contentions, by which, as the epistle itself teaches us, the Church had begun to be corrupted ; for the very nature of the thing, and invariable experience, concur to prove, that this is not to be expected in bodies of an obscure and contracted character. And if the Christian com- munity were considerable, it would be a necessary inference, even if the epistle itself were silent on the subject, that it was regulated, after the example of the Jewish synagogue, with its Presbyters and Deacons, in order that all things might be con- Introduciion to the Epistle to the Romans* 5 ducted, in their publick assemblies, with proper regularity. That the Jews were the larger body is plain, from the subject of the epistle, and from the mode of treating it, which is particularly accommodated to men accustomed to the Jewish religion and Scriptures. Comp. ii. 17. iii. 1. 9. iv. 1. 12. v. 20. vii. 1. 9. 10. But it is no less evident, (hat Gentiles were mingled with these Jews, and this also is proved from the subject of the epistle, which re- commends mutual love to both ; and, particularly, from the 14th chaptpr, where the Apostle expressly names the Geiiiiles, Some commentators have doubted, whether in the Church of Rome there were any, who were endowed with what are called the extraordinary and miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit ; both be- cause no one of the Apostles, by whose ministry only they suppose theso gifts to have been com- municated to Christians, had as yet lived among the Romans; and also, because Paul himself de- clares his anxiety, to " impart unto them some spiritual gift," i. 12. But neither of these remarks is well founded : for this passage ought not to be understood of those miraculous gifts, certainly not of them exclusively, much less of the first grant of them to the Romans; nor can it be satisfactorily proved, that apostolick ministration was necessary, in order that any one should be honoured with these extraordinary benefits ; nor, in fine, can it at all be doubted, that in the Church of Rome, there were at least some, who might have received these gifts while absent, either at Jerusalem, from Peter and the other Apostles, or from Paul, with whom, 6 Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans, from his itinerant life, they had frequent opportuni- ties of temporary intercourse, in various places. The epistle is generally divided, and with con- venience, into ttoo parts, the one doctritial^ and the other hortatory. The former, running through the first eleven chapters, exhibits the nature of Chris- tianity to be such, that every one, whether he be Jew or Gentile, may embrace it; it shews, that the felicity which results to him from it, and which will result for ever, is not, if received, to be referred to any merit, either of person, or of ancestry, or of nation, but solely to ihc divine benevolence and favour through Jesus Christ, declared lo mankind in a conspicuous manner, and demanding their faith. To accomplish his object in a popular man- ner, the Apostle begins his discussion, by describ- ing the iniquity of mankind, as they then were, both Gentiles and Jews. The state of the former is shewn in i. 18 — 32; arid that of the latter in ii, 1 — 24; and again in iii. 9 — 20, after the intro- duction (ii. 25 — iii. 8.) of some observations on the uselessness of circumcision, and other laws and privileges of the Jewish nation, where true piety is wanting. And since they were principally Jews, who boasted of their Mosaick system of laws, and of their tenacious adherence to it, and supposed that on this ground alone they must become ac- ceptable to God, he takes the more pains, fully to illustrate their condition, and to refute the vanity of their opinions. He therefore lays down this posi- tion: since human iniquity, the same nearly among Jews and Gentiles, cannot be removed, and immu- nity from divine punishment secured, by the old Mosaick system of religion, God has exhibited in Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans, 7 the religion of Jesus Christ, a new way and me- thod,* by which, the certain hope of deliverance from punishment, and of salvation, is to be obtained hy all, Jews and Gentiles, solely through faith in the gracious promises of God, to the utter exclu- sion of any merit of one's own, (iii 9 21 — 80.) To prove this position to the Jews, and to shew that it was not at variance with their sacred books, he appeals fchap. iv.) to passages of the Old Testa- ment, and especially to the example of Abraham, whose history was particularly adapted to illustrate and confirm the doctrine, since his justification is ascribed to h\s faith, and is said to have taken place anPrior to the time of his circumcision. Hence (chap. V.) the mind of the Apostle bursts out in the praise of that justification, which the religion of Jesus Christ proposes, (1 — 11); and he shews (12 —21) by conducting a comparison between Adam and Christ, that it is to be attributed, not to the law, not to circumcision, not to any human merit, but solely to Jesus Christ.f [* Doubtless this is a new method, inasmuch as it is totally different from the method of salvation which was almost univer- sally adopted, both by Jews and Gentiles, that of depending on their own efforts, and is by the Gospel more clearly revealed than ever it was before. But it must not be supposed, that it is abso- lutely new, that is to say, that it is different from the method of justification, by which, before the publication of the Gospel, sal- vation had been attainable. Yet this seems to be the authour's meaning. See note on x. 5 — 11. Obedience to any law, either iritual or moral, has never been the ground of justification, but '.•always faith in a Saviour, either expected, or come.] [t The design of the doctrinal part of the epistle is twofold; to shew, ^r«/, that justification, and by consequence, reconciliation to God, is to be attained solely by faith in Jesus Christ ; and se- condly^ that these blessings of the Gospel are intended to be co- extensive with the whole family of Adam, and to embrace Gen- 8 Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans. But what had been said of faith in opposition to obedience to the Mosaick law, is not to be under- stood so as to sanction the inference, that Christians are permitted to indulge themselves in unrestrained licentiousness. The authour proceeds therefore to assert, in various ways, this principle : that, although Christians are, indeed, released from the yoke of the Mosaick law, yet the religion of Jesus Christ affords other motives, of the weightiest kind, to the cultivation of piety and virtue, (vi. vii. — 6.) He shews, that although the law of Moses could not restrain the Jews from the practice of iniquity,* yet tiles as well as Jews. The Apostle connects these two objects; and, agreeably to his usual manner, intersperses his reasoning with practical digressions, and with observations illustrative of the blessed nature of the Gospel. Such observations are introduced in the beginning of the fifth chapter; after which the authour ar- gues, I think, in favour of the second part of his object. His reasoning seems to be dlrerted against the limited degree of be- nefit, to which the pitifal system of the Jcwa of his day would restrict the effects of the Messiah's coming ; and from the univer- sality of the consequences of Adam's fall, he reasons in favour of the universality of the consequences of Christ's atonement : plainly shewing, that the benefit resulting from the one was, to say the least, not inferior to the injury sustahied through the other, and that the Gentiles as well as the Jews, were to be " fellow-heirs" and partakers of the hope of the Gospel, (v. 12 — 19.) Nor is this doctrine inconsistent with the law of Moses, for to afford the means of justification to a sinner, was no part of its design. It was introduced, to illustrate the character of sin to the conscience of the offender, and to lead him to the Gospel, (20. 21. Comp. vii. 5. 8 — 22 ; Gal. iii. 24.] [* The inability of the law to restrain from iniquity, is not, I think, the only sentiment which St. Paul means to convey. He seems to have in view the former part of his design, to shew that to the Gospel only, and not to the Law, is to be attributed the power of justification. To bring him to this conclusion, he traces the state of a man living without the influence of either Law or Gospel ; views the same man as the nature of the Law opens before Introduction to Hie Epistle to the Romans. 9 this did not arise from the nature of this law, which was excellent and divine,* but from the depravity of human character, and its proneness to evil, (vii. 7 — 25.) and that Christianity contained much more distinguished and efficacious means to excite to, and strengthen in the practice of virtue, all of which were offered to the Christian, to assist him in his progress in piety and happiness, among the various and distressing evils by which human life is beset, (viii.) t But since this extraordinary elevation of the faith of Christ above the religion of Moses, might readily excite a suspicion among the Jewish Christians, that Paul was governed by human considerations, and that through odium, and a desire to avenge the injuries which the Jews had at any time done him, he was unjustifiably attacking them and their law ; he now meets these unfounded insinuations. He testifies (chaps, ix. x. xi.) the great afi'ection which even then he felt for the Jewish nation ; the ex- treme sorrow which he experienced, on account of their unhappiness, arising from their unbelief, and vain confidence in their own merits ; and the cer- his mind, displaying the character of sin, but presenting no means of deliverance, and no sufficient motive to deter from it; and at last exhibits to him the Gospel as fully competent to both these objects, (vii. and viii. 1 — 9. J] [* The Law was indeed excellent and divine, but, with respect to the benefits referred to, it was incompetent, because it was not intended to impart these benefits. See viii. 3, and Heb. vii. 18.] [t The former part of this chapter exhibits the most important motives of the Gospel, in connexion with the argument of the pre- ceding chapter; but from the 19th verse, the Apostle evidently has in view the second part of his design, and illustrates the cha- racter of the Gospel, as embracing mankind in general within the scope of its influence. See 20. 22. 32.] 2 10 Introduction to ike Epistle to the Romans. tain and undoubted hope, which he entertained, of their future conversion to the faith of Christ.* He begins a new subject, entirely unconnected with those of the preceding chapters,t and continues it to the end of the eleventh chapter; so that it is easily seen, that these three are intimately united. They exhibit the unhappy state of the Jewish people, the causes which gave rise to it, and the end, which will eventually result. The occasion of the whole discussion seems to have been : that the uncon- verted Jews calumniated Paul, as an enemy to their nation, and a traitor to his country's rites and reli- gion, (see Acts xxi. 28.) and those of them who had embraced Christianity, found it impossible to re- concile, either the unbelief of their countrymen, and their consequent rejection from the kingdom of the Messiah, or the conversion of the Gentile race, with the promise made in the Old Testament, of establishing a new covenant with the Israelites through the Messiah, or with their notions of the extraordinary dignity of the Jewish people above all others, and of the regard in which they were held by the Supreme Being. The Apostle, there- fore, in the first place, endeavours, with all possible earnestness, to satisfy these men, of his sincere re- gard for the Jews, of his regret for their miserable state, of his earnest wish to promote their salva- tion, (ix. 1 — 5. X. 1 et seq. xi. 1 et seq.). Then he [* For a more complete account of the subject of these three chapters, the authour refers to his remarks introductory to chap. ix. which I have here introduced.] [t I cannot but think this language to be much too strong, as it is evident, that St. Paul has the one great subject of his epistle in view in each of these chapters, and that they are very closely con- nected with the previous discussion.] lntro(hiction to the Epistle to the Romans. \ 1 gives his own opinion of their condition, shewing them first, that neither external dignity of rank, nor the more scrupulous observance of outward Mosa- ick ceremonies, in both which respects the Jews were accustomed to boast, as being descendants of Abraham, and particularly tenacious of the law of Moses, (ix. 32, x 3.) was of any importance to se- cure the felicity of the Messiah's kingdom ; but that all depended entirely on the free nud benignant will of God. This he illustrates in a manner adapted to the Jewish character, by suitable examples from the Old Testament, (ix. 6 — 18.) which he then ap- plies to the unbelieving Jews, vindicating the divine justice and equity from the cavils which might be raised against this doctrine, and fully proving, that the pride and wickedness and unbelief of the Jews, we>e the causes of their unhappy situation, (19 — x. 21.) At last he animates the minds of Christians, partly by this consideration ; that, even at that time, there existed a distinguished multilude of Jews, who, although in a great degree unobserved, ho- noured and worshipped the Messiah, (xi. I — 5.) and partly by this joyous expectation, that the time would come, when the rest, though at present un- believing, would receive the religion of Jesus, and the whole nation regard him as the Christ, (G — 32.) These discussions he applies to the Gentile con- verts, shewing them with great seriousness, how absurd and iniquitous, and ungrateful to God it was, to boast, as they were accustomed to do, of their own election in preference to the Jews, and to treat them with contempt on that account, (17 — 22.) He concludes, by exhorting all Christians to ad mire the unsearchable depths of the divine wisdom and benignity, (33 — 36.) 12 Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans, In the HORTATORY part of the epistle, the authour inculcates general Christian piety, particularly so- briety of character, shewn by fidelity, in the dis- charge of official duty, and by mildness, in bearing the injuries of enemies, (xii.) He requires obedi- ence to magistrates, together with kindness towards all men, and purity of manners, (xiii.) He urges mutual affection among the belter instructed and the weaker Christians, and also patience and for- bearance towards the infirmities of each other, (xiv. XV. 13.) The epistle closes, with various cir- cumstances relating to the Apostle himself, (13 — S3.) and with salutations, (xvi.) I have thus given an abstract of the sentiments contained in the whole epistle. It is to be consi- dered, however, that both in reference to their mutual connexion, and to the particular explana- tion, illustration, and support of them, we are to be extremely cautious, nor to look for that nicety which distinguishes our own dogmatick or philosophical works, wherein all things are discussed in proper order, and with the most suitable selection of ar- guments. Such an expectation is not consistent, either with the time when our sacred books were written ; or with the character of the writer of this epistle ; or, which is principally important, with the epistolary style of composition, which does not admit of such discussion. But on the other hand, the more accustomed we are to the familiar style of writing, and the more carefully we keep this in re- collection, the more readily shall we be able to solve a multiplicity of serious difficulties, which, in this epistle, and in all the rest of the same authour, will, otherwise, frequently produce perplexity. Two things are particularly worthy of notice : first, that Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans. 13 in strengthening opinions laid down, the mind of the reader is influenced by arguments, rather of a popular character, than of a philosophical subtilty ; and secondly, that in connecting ihern, very con- siderable freedom is allowed, sometimes a more restrained, and sometimes a looser medium being adopted, as each suddenly presented itself to the mind of the writer, more intent on the subject than on the manner of presenting it. As to the TIME and place in which this epistle was written, there are several passages, which afford ground for no improbable conjecture. When he wrote the letter, the Apostle was on his way to Jerusalem, with a collection, made in Macedonia and Achaia, for the poor Christians in that city, and was staying in the place in which Caius dwelt, (xvi. 23.) now, as it is certain that he was a Co- rinthian, and belonged to that Church, (1 Cor. i. 14.) it plainly follows, that this epistle was written at Corinth, during the Apostle's second visit to that city, (comp. Acts xx. 3. and 2 ('or, xiii. 1. 2.) i. e. in the year of the vulgar era 52, according to some, but according to others 58* [* 57 or 58 is the most generally received date. See Mac- knight, Sect. IV.; and Lardner, Vol. II. p. 297, 4to. Lond. ed. 1815.] ♦ EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. CHAPTER I. 1.] Ai?iwf*T|W,Evoi- synonymous with the Heb. ^♦I^'^' ^'^^ "^' plying distinction. 2.] U^o(p, (N. B. In many instances the Greek will be thus contracted, as the reader is presunned to have his Greek Testa- ment constantly open before him) ; the inspired writers of the Old Testament, in which extensive sense the word is used. See Schleus. 4.] '0^i9., i. e. says Chrys. (Hom.VI. on Rom. Tom. IV. of Com- ment, in N.T. p. 63, ed. Paris, 1636), htx^Evrog^ aTro^av-^EVTo?, ^c^tSsvro,-, ojwoXoynSsvToc, 8cc. Comp. Heb. IV. 7, Acts XVII. 31. Marked out, declared, by his resurrection, to be the Son of God ; not becoming so merely in consequence of that event. Ev ^w' a Hebraism for ^vvoiTuq, like n'Tl^JlS.' Koppe. — Kara tcv. uy. Four principal interpretations of this passage have been offered. 1. That which refers it to Christ's more exalted nature, is adopted by Heuman and Morus. Locke also contends for it, and observes, that as jcara ttv. «y. " is manifestly opposed to xaT» o-ajxa, V. 3. it must mean that more pure and spiritual part, which, by divine extrac- tion, he had immediately from God, and that otherwise the anti- thesis is lost." But, as Koppe remarks, it can only be inferred from the antithesis, that tth. «y. means Ssiov t», something divine, not to be seen in men generally. — 2. That which supposes xara TTv. «y. to be equivalent to x«9wi to Trvcu/xa 'ro ci^yiov "Tr^oei^nKEy and that the phrase only means, ' according to the predictions of the Holy Spirit,' kktx y^Mipx;' as in 1 Cor. XV. 13. Thus AmmoD. See his Excui'sus A. in Kop. p. 345. But this exposition is at variance with the antithesis. — 3. That which understands it of the Spirit, which sanctified Jesus. Thus Noesselt, who refers to Luke I. 35. and John X. 26. and Koppe, who considers it as equi- 16 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. I. valent to TrvEu/xa «y»oK or Sew by a hebraism, meaning Godhead. For the meaning of tvei//** «iy»ov, see his Excursus V. on Gal. p. 117. et seq., and particularly his sixth meaning, pp. 119. 120. 121. The sense of the phrase here given being that which ia usually understood by the terms Holy Spirit, is probably the meaning of 7r». «y. here. Compare Heb. IX. 14. John III. 34. The first, or last of these explanations, is not liable to Ammon's objection, that they connect Christ's Sonship with his resurrection; they only assert that the resurrection was one illubtralion of it. — 4, Rosen., in his Scholia, and more fully in a Dissertation, pub- lished in the Commentationes Theologicae, (a very valuable col- lection of dissertations, in 6 vols, edited by Velthusen, Kuinoel, and Ruperti. See Home's Introduction, vol. II. p. 889. third edition), vol. I. p. 315 et seq., gives a different explanation of this passage. By w. iy. he understands the Holy Spirit ; >c«t« is equivalent to 5't«, and means Ay, comp. 1 Cor. XII. 8.j f| «»ae. after his resurrection, comp. John XIII. 4. [it does not appear certain that ejc has here the sense of a/ier], 2 Pet. II. 8. [See also Xop., who observes, that ejc may mean after; and Wahl in ex. 1. 2. g. who refers also to Apoc. XVII. 1 1. and to Classick Au- thours; also Schleus. 11.] He thus deduces the following expo- sition : 'who was declared in the strongest and clearest manner to be the Son of God, by the Holy Spirit in his miraculous opera- tions, after his resurrection from the dead.* With this exposition compare John XVI. 14. and Acts III. 13. Among the ancients, Theodoret and Chrysostom support this meaning. The disserta- tion of Rosen, is well vj^rthy of perusal. Various other meanings may be seen in Eras, in loc. Grit. Sac. Tom. VII. and in Wolf.— In the sense above given by Rosen., Luther seems to have under- stood the passage. He renders if «var. ' since the time of his re- surrec 11071* Seiler also thinks, that the effusion of the Holy Spirit is meant, and refers to Acts II. See his note. 5.] X«fiv »cj uv. a hendyadis. So Aesch. cont. Ctes., § 28, a (comp. VI. 21.) and the sentiment suits the modesty of St. Paul's character. See also the next note. 14.] Koppe gives this exposition ; which he says is supported by the context, and required by usage : " For how much delight and consolation am I indebted to the various classes of mankind !** This is the sense of Luther's version, and also of our own. But although St. Paul speaks, v. 13. of his being about to receive be- nefit from the Romans, yet no doubt he intended to intimate, that they would be benefitted by his labours; and this reflection arising in his mind seems to me to have occasioned the observation in this verse. Strictly speaking, he was indebted to God, and his grati- tude leads him to benefit God's creatures. 15.] Koppe seems to prefer to x«t' £jm,£ t^o^u/aov, understand- ing £r)y," P. 213. note 68. This is a very usual 3 18 Noles on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. I. exposition. Macknight gives it, and it cannot be denied that pas- sages may be produced, where the order of the words is very si- milar. See Storr's note. — Kop. thinks that ejc ms-iu; £»,- 7r»s-iy is analogous, not to Ps. LXXXIV. 8. Jer. IX. 2. 2 Cor. III. 18. with which it is often compared, which will be found in some re- spects dissimilar ; but to Rom. VI. 19. m avo/xia »? tjiv avo/x*ay, and John I. 16. This is his exposition; " this blessedness is to be ascribed to nothing else than faith ;" to translate his own terms literally, " to faith, to faith alone." Thus also Locke, " wholly by faith ;" and Seller. I have long thought that S'tic. B-ea means here and in some other places, not the righteousness or rather justification itself which the epistle speaks of, but the mode of justification which God hath exhibited in (the Gospel. And this, I find, is the view given hj Ammon ; " de modo et ratione explicandum esse videtur, quibus venia impetrari queat." So also Wahl in his Clavis N. T. in verb. 5, ^^ ratio Jav oris divini consequendi permetonym. Rom. X. 3.5." 'o h S'lKxioi ix. iTKr. I^f,. See Habb. II. 4. and eomp. Heb. X. 38. Macknight translates thus: " the just by faith, shall live." I cannot think that there is much force in his reasoning, note 3., not to say, that to speak of the just by faith, seems to imply the possi- bility of becoming just by some other means, which the whole scope of the epistle opposes. See also Mid.'s note on Gal. III. II. 18.J Tm r>)v «Ajj5. tv uh kcct. ' Who unrighteously sufifiress the truth,' meaning Christianity, (Ammon), whose influence they endeavour to suppress ; or rather, from the next verse, religious truth generally, (Rosen.), whose influence on the mind and heart is weakened by their iniquitous conduct. Schleus. in verb. 4. and Rosen, in loc. both adopt this sense of nxrext*. Kop. seems to prefer that which is given in the English translation, " who /lotd the truth," are acquainted with religious truth, and may become so in a still greater degree, but it does not benefit them. They may be said to retain this truth, as in v. 2 1 . they are said to knoisr God, meaning, to have the opportunity of knowing, him. 19.] To yva^-ov for 'v yvuTif. See Kop., who gives as parallel forms II. 4. VIII. 3. 1 Cor. I. 25. Heb. VII. 18.— In v. 18. the authour embraces Jews and Gentiles ; here he seems to refer par- ticularly to the Gentiles. 20.] Ato KTiTsui xoo-f^n' « a mundo condito." Kop., who refers to Matt. XIII. 35. XXIII. 35. John XV. 27. to which add Matt. XXIV. 21. This sense, which is probably the true one, will not destroy an inference, which is often drawn from this text, in favour ©f the general principles of natural religion being deducible from lyhap. I.] Notes on the Epistle 1o the Romans.. 1 9 the works of creation ; which, it may still be argued, is taught ia the words rut 5reo)^«c-< )iony.evx. Two things however ought to be considered in reference to this subject ; that the Apostle does not speak of a full degree of religious knowledge, and that the influence of original revelations on the human mind must be al- lowed its due weight. 21.] rvavres" acknowledging and having the means of know- ing God. — Ket^Six- mind. This is a comjnon hebraistick sense of •this word in the New Testament, as of the corresponding term ]37 in the Old. See Vorsiius de Hebraismis, p. 436. and comp. Eph. IV. 18. ; also I. 18., where nx^S'tcti is probably the true read- ing, hctvoixi having perhaps been introduced by some transcriber through ignorance of the Hebrew idiom. 24.] Here is one of the consequences of idolatry. It is to be observed, that this description of the heathens is intended to apply to them as a body, not to every individual, for to many It would not be appropriate. The same observation applies to the subsequent description of the state of the Jews, (chap. II. HI.), and the argu- ment is illustrated by it. 25.] T»v «A. rs ^m for the-tfye God. Comp. tsjv J<)|. th ^es in v. 23. — £v TCfi ■^. into Vain and deceitful idols. 28.J OvK iS'oK. they would not. Schleus. in verb. 6. Wahl is better, I think, — they disdained the knowledge [and service] of God. E%£/v ev iTFiy. for tTrtytvuo'y^ii'i. See Schleus. in ex"^' 22. 29.] KetKoiiS^sixi' cunning malevolence. 30.] ©e«roy£j5-er. Comp. •TpHn Si") in Ps.V. 8. Ayy»iwy not considering. See Schleus. in verb. 3. — Ay« leadsj for should load. 5.] Kop. refers %xrx — $-vTxv^i^tis to xyvotivy thus; " and on the other hand, dost thou not consider, now whilst thou retainest thy mind hard and impenitent, that thou art increasing thy con- demnation ?" The common version is, I think, as good at least. The use of t'.e word .'^tjc-xv^t^itf here illustrates the errour of de- ducing the meaning of a word from etymology, (comp. Ernesti, Chap. II.J Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. 21 § 105. 156.) as in the progress of its application, the original idea o^ treasure is totally lost, and it means nothing more than heafi ufi or firefiare. See Kop. — Ev 'yiiAt^x — ^£S' in the day of wrath, when God will manifest his righteous judgment, rtj ktto. S'ik. th ^m being exegetical. 7.] Kx^' uTFci*., cgy. ay, by perseverance in good works. Comp. Gal. VI. 4. where t^yov is thus used. 8.] Tots £| t§i. Comp. IV. 12. 16. Gal. III. 7.— t>) u>,>,3: Either the Gospel ; or rather that portion of religious truth, which is offered to them, in whatever situation they are. Comp. I. la. Kop. explains it thus ; '' omnU recte de Deo cogitandi honeste- que et pie agendi ratio; religio vera quocunque tandem modo homini innotescat." 9,] nec«5- Gomp. Matt. V. 14. and Schoett. 20.] Exovrcc — vofiuf having in your law an accurate delinea- tion of correct doctrine.- 21.] Kop. quotes from Jewish writers, some very apposite passages, similar to this. 22,] 'h^oa-vXtii' viz. by robbing God of his legal rights^ and appropriating them to their own purposes. Comp. Mai. I. 7. &. 12. HI. 8. et seq. This appears to me more probable, than Le Clerc's ophiion, that the plundering of heathen temples is the crime referred to. Kop. adopts this, while he acknowledges, that he can find no clear example, of sacrilege of this kind being practised by the Jews, although he. thinks it probable, that this was the case, from their views and feelings towards the Gentiles. Deut. VII. 25. prohibits the use of such vessels, 'le^or. refers to the reservation for private purposes, of what was appropriated to divine uses. Comp. Wahl in verb. 24.] The sentiment occurs in various places of the Old Testa- ment. See Isa. LIL 5. Ezek. XXXVI. 2G. 25. 26,] rx§ may be illative, or it may be a particle of transi- tion. lle^irofAT) is put by a synedoche for Judaism, and ccK^ofivTiec for Gentilism. The following has been given as the meaning of these verses : ' Since this is the case, and you Jews are notori- ously guilty, you must expect no justification by obedience to the law ; for Judaism would indeed benefit you in this respect, had you kept the law ; but as the contrary is true, it ia no more ad- vantageous for this purpose than Heathenism,' This suits the scope of the epistle, but I doubt whether the context will admit such an exposition. In v. 26. 27. the Heathen are spoken of hypothetically as keeping the law ; but undoubtedly not as keep- ing it in perfection, so as to secure justification thereby, but only in a general sense as illustrated in v, 14, and therefore it must be in this sense that vof/.ov ir^as-o-jj? is used in v. 25. and consequently justification cannot be attached to it. I should therefore prefer considering these verses as parallel with 12, 13. 14. and para- phrase them thus : ' Since this is the case, (viz, as exhibited in the statement above made in 17 — 24,) and you Jews are notoriously guilty, you are not to expect the divine favour because you have the advantages of the Jewish religion, for this favour depends en- tirely upon the character and conduct of men, adapted to whatever 24 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. IX. degree of religious light they mav enjoy, (although great benefits are connected with Judaism, connp. III. 2.); so that if the Gerr- tiles were to live conformably to the general rules of revelation, their situation would be better, and their character more agreeable to God than yours.* — It is well known how much dependence the Jews placed on their connexion with Abraham, on circumcision, and other outward observances ; the design of this passage i» to repress this overweening pride, although with a view to the great object of the epistle, the method of justification. 27.] Macknighl connects fx (pvT. with wait*, ttx. so also Kop^ thus : " And the Gentiles, who although they are not impelled by the terrours of divine laws, nevertheless do many thingsiwhich the Jewish law commands." He refers to v. 14. where inrtt occurs in this signification. He allows that, in this sense, theVollocation is not sufficiently accurate, but says, that such phraseology, al- though not sanctioned by the Grecian elegance, is often to bef found in the New Testament, and especially in St. Paul's writings. I think that Ammon's view is to be preferred. He translates the whole verse thus : " The heathen by birth who observes the law, will hereafter overwhelm you with shame, who violate the lawj although circumcised and instructed in the sacred Scriptures."— Macknight renders hot y^xf*.. xat ^t^ir. " by the literal circum- cision," prefixing the words, " though a Jew." It seems prefer- able to consider the phrase as antithetick to ix. ) yev. of the 4th. is simply this : ' the impiety and unbelief of some Jews can by no means alter or make void the divine promises.* This sentiment is expressed in the Apostle's strong interrogative man- ner. 4.3 Kop. doubts whether usage will allow "/ivtrat B^eti u^tj- he thinks it requires eft, and therefore alters the punctuation thus : yi¥. S'e' e S-ia &c. " rather be it thus :" kxS-. yty. Ps. LI, 6, Sept. 5. 6.] Kop. takes ^<>6. here in the sense of w/s-ij, v. 3. integrity in fulfilling firomises., and thinks that St. Paul was induced to use it from the previous use of etS'iKtet. I see no objection to under- standing it here in the sense given I. 17. The objection probably begins here, but, as Locke supposes, is suddenly stopped by the Apostle with the interruption, rt £^«,m,£», which is equivalent to rt 8». The meaning seems to be this: ' If, notwithstanding the im- piety of some Jews, God remains faithful to his promises ; if their impiety illustrates and confirms that method of justification, which God hath established in the Gospel, and his fidelity becomes the more conspicuous by their impiety, ' Thus far the objector, when the Apostle interposes with — n e^nf^ev -, {An uS^. — Koirf^ov i ' what then is the conclusion that you will draw ? that God cannot justly punish them ? (with i7ricev»t being pleonastick, as it fre- quently is. See Schleus. 11. This agrees very well with the state of Jewish feeling and pride, (comp. Matt. III. 9.) and also with the usage of kix.tx a-x^xx. (Comp. I. 3.) The meaning will then be, ' shall we make our lineal descent from the patriarch Abraham a foundation for boasting?' But the Greek will hardly bear this sense without being forced. See Kop. He makes av a mere particle of transition, and gives this explanation : ' Shall we say that Abraham derived any benefit by external dignity of birth and family ?' x«t« c-x^kx is used for outward circumstances relating to a person. It may be taken here however in its com- mon meaning, as in I. 3. if an ellipsis be admitted. ' What then ? Shall we say that Abraham our ancestor (rev ttxtb^x vi^a* xxtx Tx^Kx) hath found ?' viz. justification in the manner in which the Jews expected it. But it appears to me to be more agreeable to the style of the epistle, to put the interrogation after e^nf^er (comp. III. 5. VI. 1. VII. 7. VIII. 31. IX. 30.), thus: ' What shall we say then ? What conclusion shall we come to ? You Jews build your hopes on your connexion with Abraham ? Shall we say that he found the benefit now under consideration, by external ob- servances ?' 8-96^1 is often used in this sense, and is thus explained by Storr, ubi sup. p. 227. " quatenus circumcisus erat." Comp. Whitby. 2.] Here Kop. supplies tt^o? t»? xvB-^uTrui after Kxvx>if*ot to make an antithesis with «-f«i to» S'fov, and gives to hxxieva-B-xi the sense of being righteous and good before men, thus ; " if Abra- ham were a good man, he had indeed whereof to glory (before menj, but by no means before God, whose laws he was bound to 32 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. IV. obey, and in a degree of perfection even beyond his ability." Thus also Seller, whose note is this; " in the sight of man, Abraham has the honour of being righteous, but not in the sight of God, in whose judgment he, as well as all other men, is a sinner." I have long thought that the passage is elliptical, and that the Apostle's argument required a different punctuation. The ques- tion in the first verse being considered as a negation, the argument proceeds thus : ' For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath a ground of boasting, (£%«' Kxv^tjfM,- then ix^' being understood after ev, — «aa' tuc tx,ti t^«s rov ©fov, T/ y*^, 8cc.) ; but he hath none before God, (however honourable and righteous he ought to bf esteemed by men, which St. Paul does not express, knowing that to every Jew the idea would suggest itself;) for what saith the Scripture ? (it places his justification on a very different foot- ing;) Abraham believed, &c.' Comp. Wetstein, who observes, that it is much more simple to understand jt^o? rev ©tav. " Si enim ex operibus justificatus fuisset, habuisset utique, quod gloria- retur apud Deum." — The exposition which Semler gives of ^f«? T01 ©£«» IS improbable, and I may say disgusting. He considers it as equivalent to Cicero's " per Deum immortalem !" or the Greek vj> Atcc. — Ammon prefers the first exposition, because of James II. 21. which has repeatedly been reconciled with the doc- trine of this epistle, and because such was the opinion of the Jew- ish teachers. But it ought to be considered, that one design of the epistle was to correct their errours. 5.] As-cQvi refers probably to the state of a Gentile, as well as to that of Abraham. 6.] Aey. h>t. literally, reckoneth righteousness, i. e. considers as righc JUS, and promises the consequent felicity of such a state. It is plain, that St. Paul does not speak of imfiuting Christ'* righteousness to a man, but simply of considering and treating a man as if he were righteous, and that in consequence of his faith. On this subject, see Whitby's discourse subjoined to his Com- mentary on 1 Cor. p. 217 et seq. of vol. II. ed. 5th. Lond. 1727. tblio; and comp. Macknight on v. 3. note 2, 7. 8,] See Ps. XXXII. 2. 3. Sins and iniquities are here sup- posed to exist, consequently justification is obtained by their not being reckoned to the sinner, (comp. Storr as above on I. 17.); and it is therefore %6>^ti c§ym, for such works as would afford in justice a claim to the reward of obedience, imply perfect obe- dience, which no man in his present state can pay. From these verses (5 — 8.) it is evident, that pardon of sins and justification are equivalent terms. Comp. Acts XIII. 38. 39. Cihap. tV.] Notes ofi the Epistle to the Romans. SS 11. J S^^f/av TTs^iT. The exegetical genetive. Comp. 2 Cor. V. 5. ocppetQuvot 7r)/evft.ccToi;. 12.3 Kop. puts a colon after »-e§iTdiu.iii' He considers tois fotxao-i — AQ^ctctiA as referring to the Gentiles, as in v. 11. He is led to tJiis view by v. 16. and it is certainly not improbable; but it does not appear to me to be necessarily the true one. See the note on that verse. The genetive ■xe^iroi^vn followed immediately by the dative tok;, is an instance of that looseness of construction which is not uncommon in Hebrew-Greek; comp. Luke I. 55. TT^oi rag TFxrs^ecii 'jj.ttiyv followed by rta AQ^ecxft. >^ riayia:%vcX:i^ovoy.o\i — noe-/^y The same sentiment is expressed in some of the Jewish writers. See Kop. in loc. and Kuinoel on Matt. XXVHL 18. who cites from Tanchuma, (see Schoettgen, de Messia, Lib. I. Cap. HL § V. VHL) " Abraham patri meo Deus possidendum dedit coelum et terram, i. e." says he, " orbem terrarum, rav xoiri^ov" referring to this text. Kop. considers the language as an amplification of Gen. XIL 7. XHL 15. XV. 7. and relating to that universal empire, which was promised by the prophets to Abraham's posterity, through the Messiah. Comp. Isa. LIV. 3. In whatever light this empire was regarded by the Jews, (see Koppe's Excursus I. on Thessalonians), it was no doubt spiritual in its nature, and is nothing but the extension of the true Church of God.— Some consider the language as expressive merely of the vast number of Abraham's offspring ; Locke and others, of the extent of true religion, all believers being regarded as Abraham's children. But, as Macknight observes, (note 3.) " the inheritance was promised to Abraham's seed*' as well as tp himself; i( then by the world here is meant the whole body of believers, they will be identified with the seed, and this seed will be heir (lord) of itself.— Storr considers tx, m vtf^a is certainly meant a part of the rTre^f^u. just before mentioned, and the t&» tx. virtue aQ. is the other part ; therefore /it«»ov cannot have the same sense as is given to it in v. 12. But this is no objection to the sense of merely there given, as it is very usual with St. Paul to employ the same words in different senses, and even in the same connexion. The use of vaftoj has already supplied us with some instances.— necyrwv '^jm,»v Gentiles as well as Jews. 17.j See Gen. XVII. 5. — Keextv. V Some consider this as synonymous with et^^ 'a or S'lort, in consequence of, because. Thus Schleus. in verb. 2. " propterea quod fidem habuit Deo ;" which Kop. says is not sanctioned by usage. He considers it as equivalent to ^tx m Bm, by God's power, like the Heb. ?|*JsD7 in 2 Sam. VII. 16. The common version, be/ore, in the firesence of, (which seems also to be the meaning of ^♦Jf) 7 • o \ • • I V T : m Sam.) is quite clear and intelligible, and generally adopted by the writers in the Crit. Sac. It is preferred also by Wahl, in verb. 2. and is the usual translation of ^}^ and ♦.Jfl? in the Septuagint. See Schleus. Thes. Vet. Test, in verb, and Trom. Concord. 5. 13. — T» ^ae. — »»t<« refers probably to the extra- ordinary birth of Isaac, (comp. v. 19. and Heb. IX. 19. which perhaps relates to the same subject, although this is somewhat • " Per earn ;" whether the authour means " fides" or •' soboles," is uncertain. The ambiguity I have endeavoured to express in the transla- tion. Chap. IV.] Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. 35 uncertain), and also to the state of the Gentiles before they re- ceived the Gospel. See Whitby and comp. etTi^tj v. 5. and 1 Cor. I. 28. — Kop. considers this phraseology as a description of God's majesty, drawn from the divine determination of the state of men before their existence, and from the resurrection. This may be, and it is certain that similar language is used of the creation of the world ; yet the Apostle may have adopted this language, in the sense above suggested, as well as in this. — This verse is connected with the preceding, thus ; ' however Abraham may be considered by the ivortd in general, or by Jews, he is in (he sight of God, in whom he believed, &c. the spiritual father of all believers, Gentiles as well as Jews.' 18.] E?r' eXTTiSt. confidently, a hebraism. Comp. I. 4. E/« Tfl ya. Not in order that he might become, but, s-o as to become.— The citation from Gen. XV. 5. is imperfect. This was a very usual method of quoting, the deficiency being supposed to be supplied with ease by the reader. Comp. on VII. 7. 20,] Ot; htK TV) xTT. literally, — he did not hesitate through unbelief, meaning, he had not the least distrust of God's promise. 25.] AiK, although used in each clause on account of the parallelism, must be understood, as Kop. observes, in different senses, according to the nature of the subject. CHAPTER V. The Apostle has shewn that mankind being all sinners, must not expect justification by obedience, but only through faith, which secures this blessing to Gentiles as well as to Jews, (chaps. I. II. III.) ; that the Jews had no reason to be surprised at this doctrine, which was by no means a novel one, as it is recognized in the language of David, and in the history of Abraham, so far was the account of that patriarch from giving any sanction to the erroneous views of his posterity, (chap. IV-)* ^^ "°^ proceeds to trace the effects flowing from justification by faith (V. 1 — II.), and adapts his phraseology more particularly to the Gentile con- verts, though certainly his declarations are equally applicable to all true believers. 1.] " He is to be considered (says Storr, ubi sup. p. 245.) as justified by faith, (Gal. III. 8. ?A. Rom. V. I. Gal. II. 15. Rom. 3S Hlotes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. V. III. 30. 28.), whom, although guilty and destitute of the praise of righteousness, (Rom. IV. 5. III. 28. Gal. II. 16.), God considers as innocent and righteous, on account of his trust in Christ, (Gal. II. 16. Acts XIII. 39. Rom. III. 26.), and his death, (Rom. III. 25. V. 9.), and in God (IV. 5. 24. VIII. 33.) for Christ's sake, and to whom, on this condition, he ascribes freedom from punish- ment, and also blessedness."* 2] Tjjv x*^- '■*«'• this favourable situation, this state of ac- ceptance, in which we are placed by the Gospel. 3.] Of — neivX' nay, we even boast. Comp. v. 11. — usra/it.. is taken in the sense of constancy, perseverance, by Kop. Patience is quite as agreeable to the context. 4.] AoK. is usually translated by proofs ex}ierie.nce^ Sec, for the illustration of which see the Commentators. Kop. Ammon, Schleus. in verb. 2. and Wahl 2. give it this meaning, " firmness of mind, well tried and proved by afflictions." See 2 Cor. IX. 13. where S'oKtf^T) TJJ5 S'txicovixg occurs for S'tccx.ovtx ^OKtfMi(rS-etc-x. 5] Ov KccroiiF. deceives not. A raeiosis. Comp. I. 16.— 'Ot<— 'j}/A t»?» xA«5r>jv ti^yxo-u^ k»i fi^iva>i^(¥, XIV. 13. o-cc^Sa.Tt(r/^ei in Heb. IV. 9. With the view above given of 'tjiax^tov, comp. ^riNCDfl in Gen. T T XLIII. 8. which is correctly rendered by the Vulgate, " ero pec- cati reus," and in the English translation, v. 9. " let me bear the blame;" and 1 Kings I. 21. D^J^tDH occurs in the same sense, which is expressed in the Targum thus, rejected with detestation, or extirfiated, and in the Arabic, as the Latin version gives the meaning, a disgrace among the children of Israel. It is not ex- traordinary therefore, that St. Paul should use the word 'fif^x^royy when he means to express the effects of sin in producing death. See ?, the language of which is adapted to the last form of the protasis. The meaning will then appear thus : ' A-s 4(3 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. V. by one man sin entered into the world, and death on all as its con- sequence ; so by one S'tx-ctiu^.u, righteousness, (referring to what- ever, in the Saviour's life and death, may be considered as consti- tuting his atonement), all are restored to a state of life. See a sin ilar p-.renthesis in VII. 2. 3. 13.] Kop. explains ax^' ^"/^^ thus: 'during the continuance of the Mosairk dispensation,' appealing to Origen and Erasmus; arid, uTre A^xn n^x?' Maxreui^ v. 14. by ' during the periods of Adam and Moses, from the beginning of the world to the present tin): ;' and gives this meaning, ' it is by Christ only, and not by the law of Moses, that mankind are blessed with immortality.' However true this is, it by no means follows from the declaration, that men were all mortal till the abrogation of the law, since they are equally so under the Gospel. It is much better to take ct^^t voy.H in its usual sense, meaning, during the period which elapsed from Adam to Moses. 14.] Ato — Mareui explains enxi' va,M.». — Evi—AS'ttf*.' i.e. who had not sinned in the same manner as Adam had sinned. What is meant by this same manner of sinning, is differently understood. Mac knight supposes " actual sin" to be meant, and considers '' infants and idiots" as referred to, who " are not capable of sin- ning actually like Adam." But if these only are meant, the Apostle's position will apply as well under the law of Moses as during any other period, and therefore need not have been thus restricted. Besides, the comparison being intended to shew, that as all men are brought into a state of death by the sin of Adam, so are they also brought into a state of life by the atonement of Christ, it seems to lose much of its force, if the terms be taken in so limited a sense. Perhaps the idea intended to be conveyed by ijnoiufAcc TTx^otQctiT-tcaq, is that of sinning in a state of original righte- ousness against a positive law, threatening death as the punish- ment of disobedience, as Adam did, in which sense no man since the fall has sinned. If this be the meaning, then xxt i'7ri-~-AS'oifL refers to all mankind who lived before the law, and is explanatory of the former clause of the verse. I shall give what appears to be the sense of vv. 12. 13 14. in a paraphrase, from 'aru^ to aJi*^, inclusive, thus: ' Death hath invaded all mankind in consequence of this one man's sin, (comp. Schoett. on this text), aince^ or, in thaty or, by reason of whom, all mankind are so subjected to the consequences of sin as to be mortal.* This is the proposition, the force of which is contained in the words '«t«{ and E^' 'u and 'jjjtc;efT«v. To prove it, the argument proceeds thus, v. 13. ' M- though 9in existed antecedent to the laWf yet men did not die on Chap, v.] Notes on ike Epistle to the Romans^ 41 account of their own sins ; for it is evident, that when there is no law denouncing- death as the fiunishment of sin, (this emphatick sense of ya/tt*? is required by the argument or scope of the authour, Connip. II, 12. where 'ttf*,cc^rei is also emphatically used, for sinning so as to merit condemnation), and at the same time death is in- fiicted, that death cannot be in consecjuence of the sin of the fierson dying. But there was no such law all the time from ^dam to Moses, (v, 14), yet during that p.eriod death ruled without con- trout, all men died, although they had not broken a fiositive law denouncing death as the penalty of transgression, as Adam had, because no such law existed* The conclusion therefore is, that death is the effect, not of our own si7is, but of the sin of Adam ^ This leads the Apostle to institute a comparison between Adam and Christ, wherein he declares (vv. 15 — 17.), that the blessings which mankind derive from the latter, counterbalance the evils which are entailed on them by the former ; and that this is a rea- sonable consideration. 15.] 'Oi vohXot is equivalent to TraiTf? and ^ravr*? in vv. 12. 18. Comp. v. 19. — UoX, iA,xx. much rather, it is much rather to be expected. So in v. 17. — ^'H x>*i"^ — >J*?""') the umnerited fa- vour of God extended by the Gospel. 16.] The Apostle proceeds to state, that in the subjects com- pared, there is a difference in favour of the benefits obtained through Christ. A*' tvaj «;M,«e^T«(r(«vT«?« by Adam, who transgressed the command; x^j/m.*, the sentence, Gen. III. 17 — 19.; xctrxxfif^ct^ the condemnation of all men to death ; t^ Ivoi, in consequence of one sin. This meaning is required by the antithesis in etc -roX. TFx^xT. but it is by no means necessary to give the same meaning, to h* «y«« above, and to adopt the Alexandrian reading, as Locke does.— Xajje-jttds expresses the general nature of the benefits of the Gospel, hKMtaiAa the particular character of the blessing here referred to, viz. freedom from the judicial effects of sin, justifica- tion. 17.] For variety in the readings, see Kop. and Gries. Us ivei and ^ttt T» £v«s refer to Adam, and should be rendered, of the one — through or by the one. Comp. ^<« t» f»ej I. X. at the end of the verse. There is no necessity to suppose with Locke, that Tjjv TTt^iforeix* means " surplusage," i. e. some particular benefit derived from Christ, which is counterbalanced by no particular evil sustained through Adam, and that this is also included in the meaning of frefura-eva-e v. 15. (comp. on this point Whitby's note on V. 15. Locke's on v. 17. and Taylor's on v. 15. pp. 286. 287. with Comparative Views, vol. I. pp. 66—69.); r*iv Tce^. Tm y,<^^. 6 41 Notes on the Epistte to the Romans. [Chap. V, is, in all probability, put for tijv x*?'* '''J" tej jo-iraTtfay, and is ex- pressive of the greatness and excellency of the blessings of the Gospel. Comp. 2 Cor. VIII. 2. Thus Kop. understands it. 18.] At* h»i TTcc^. and h* ivoi hie. are rendered in our tranS' lation, " by the offence of one," and " by the righteousness of one ;" and Kop. observes, that this is required by the antithesis £/« vxvrai. But surely one offence may be spoken of as bringing condemnation upon all men ; there is no necessity to suppose an antithesis here. Besides, if ^voj referred to ccv^^uttu understood, it is highly probable, that the Apostle would have written 5ra»T«5 without «v3-fw7ra?, and would have prefixed the article, as in vv. 15. 17. It seems preferable therefore to connect it with v»^*v. and hK. thus : ^ by one offence* — ' by one righteous actf ov procedure^ or course,' including whatever constitutes the atone- ment. Before the former en vm. oi,-*^. supply xg//twt «» or £A5»«, and x'^?"^/^'* before the latter. Comp^ v. 1 6. and see a similar ellipsis of hx.xioo-vvt} if I, or some such expression in IV. 16. — The terms of the apodosis correspond with those of the protasis as here expressed, but not as in v. 12. See the note there. 19.] 'O* TTftAAat corresponds with iratvTff See vv. 12. 15. 18, j consequently it means mankind collectively, thus including Gen- tiles as well as Jews, in the benefits of Christ's death, as well as in the effects of Adam's fall. Thus the digression suits th« design of the epistle. 20.] Macknight takes ve/tte« here for law as " the rule of man's conduct," — " the law of nature,"-—" the law written on his heart," which (says he) " entered into the world when Adam was fallowed to live." By entering, he means " its taking place," or " taking place anew," i. e. if I understand his meaning, the con- tinuance of its obligation. How this can be called a " taking place anew," or an " entering silently," I am at a loss to conceive. Ilcc^ettr. cannot be thus explained. The continuance of an existing law, is altogether different from the vx^ua-tXivtrKi of a law. He objects to explaining veytM? by the law of Moses, from the absence of the sirticle ; but it will be difficult to prove an undoubted dis- tinction between v«jM.e« and o vofjui in this epistle. See v. 1 3. where v«lAOi certainly means the law of Moses, and eomp. Mid. on I. 17, and II. 13. n«f . " entered a little," says Locke, meaning, « it applied t» a small part of mankind." I am not aware that the word is ever used in this sense, and should prefer taking it in its usual meaning, (comp. Gal. II. 4.), for it seems to be represented as making its Way in by stealth ; not in opposition to " the pompous and publick Chap, v.] Notes on tlie Epistle to the Romans. 43 Bttanner** in which the law of Moses was promulgated, which Macknight states as a proof that this law cannot be meant, but because the effects of it, here called the abounding of sin, was such as would naturally excite opposition in the human breast. Therefore ?r«f. it entered cautiously or firivily, illustrates its character in this respect. Comp. IV. 15. VII. 5 — 13. 2 Cor. III. 6. 'Iv« !ta, to ttx^. i. e. says Kop. " that it may the more clearly appear, that men are sinners." He considers Trxfu?. however as synonymous with mnjX^iv or yr^ea-crcS^, Gal. III. 19. and excludes all idea of privy or clandestine entrance, as totally at variance with the context. Certainly the preposition does not necessarily add to the meaning of the simple verb, (comp. Er- nesti, § 168,); and whether it be proper or not, to give it a defi- nite meaning in the present instance, the reader must judge. Although it does appear to me, that the Apostle by v»f*,ef here refers principally to the law of Moses, (comp. III. 20. and the places there referred to) ; yet if any one be disposed to take it in a more extensive sense, so as to include the original moral law of God, vet^eti. may be used to express the obligation of this law as brought home to the conscience, and as displaying to it the nature and consequences of sin. Perhaps this may be what Macknight zneans, in his paraphrase and note on this text. CHAPTER VI. Lest from the doctrine advanced, it should be inferred, that the cultivation of practical religion was unnecessary, this chapter is designed to prove the contrary. 1.] 'H ;i;«f. 5rA. Comp. V. 20. 2.] Macknight translates otTivn — etvrvi ,' thus : " We who have died by sin, how shall we still live by it i" But continuing in sin, which is what the Apostle here objects to, is very different from living by it, which the advocates for sinning that grace might abound, never thought of, as they admitted that they were to live by Christ through grace in opposition to the law. See his note, and comp. below under v. 10. The meaning is, — ' dead to sin by our Christian profession.' Comp. the Address to Sponsors, which concludes our service for the publick baptism of infants. Kop. fjuotes from Plautus, " nihil meum tibi ; mortuus tibi suum." 44 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. VI. And, " niilu quidem tu jam mortuus eras, quia te non visitavi." He refers also to Luke XV. 24. 32. 3.] That we are " by baptism united to Christ as our federal head," as Macknight says, is in a certain sense true, but the sen- timent is very susceptible of abusp, and should be cautiously guarded. The phraseology, to be bafitized into any one, does not necessarily involve this meaning, for it is used in reference to Moses and to John. Comp. 1 Cor. X. 2. Acts XIX. 3. It means simply, by the rece/ition of bafitism to /irofess oneself Ihe discifile of any one. Into Christ's death, is said in reference to ecTif. tij uf*. V. 2., and signifies to die with him, his dying being understood literally, and ours figuratively, as the context and nature of the subject require. 4.] This is illustrated by the original method of baptizing by immersion. See Bing. Ant. book XI. chap. XI. sect. IV. vol. I. p. 522. fol. ed. Lond. 1726. and Suicer. Thes. Ecc. Tom. I. pp. 259 et seq. Ed. sec. Amst. 1728. — ^lu — ^ocvxror ' by baptism, in which we die as it were.' Kop. I rather think, that en t«» ^. is the same as ett tov $-. uvth, v, 3. by baptism, in which we die (figuratively) as he did (literally). 5.J 1,vfi.(p. is not necessarily expressive of filantinff, but only of intimate union, although " planted together" may have been its primitive sense. Comp. the meaning o{ ^va-xv^t^u in II. 5. and see Kop. or Schleus. 2. or Wahl. AXXx — fc-oji*. is elliptical for ccXXa Kxi a-vf*.(p. 701 Of*.. T}]i etvxr. eirof^., and the context shews, that it refers to our obligation " to rise again unto righteousness." The whole verse may therefore be expressed thus: ' If we have been intimately connected with Christ in his death, we should also be intimately connected with him in his resurrection.' Still, from V. 8. it is probable, that the future resurrection of our bodies to a new state of existence in glory with Christ, is also intended to be expressed. Comp. VIII. II. Eph. II. 5. 6. Col. III. 1—4. 6.] " Our old man," i. e. our former sinful character, what- ever tendencies to immorality exist in our fallen state. All the terms here employed were thus used by Jewish writers. See Schoettgen in loc. and Park. Gr. Lex. under -ruXaiei and xxivoi. — St/yff. is used in reference to the manner of Christ's death ; he connects with the following verse, considering y«f as a particle of transition, meaning truly, thus : * Truly you are not under the law, a system of terrour, but under the more gracious system of the Gospel.' 15.] ' What then ? Does this give you a license to sin ? Not at all.' Thus the objection is repeated, (comp. v. 1.), and the answer further illustrated in the subsequent verse. — The opposi- tion between no^s? and %«?<« plainly proves, that the law of Moses is meant. Comp. John I. 17. Acts XIII. 43. Macknight how- ever understands it in " the more general sense of law." See hi^s note 2. -46 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. {Chap. VI. 16.] Eli vir. with the view of obeying; 'tu vt. is redundant. E<5 •&*». to wretchedness and misery. See v. 21, Then (says Rosen.) according to the antithesis oik. must be rendered * felicity.' Wahl gives it this sense, 5. b. and Schleus. 6. — Kop. is inclined to reject tti ^av. (see the var. read.) and to explain S'uXoi iir. eif S'iK. as if it were ^aA. o^wKSftiv t»i htcaioa-vvri, thus; ' whether you are the servants of sin, or those who yield to the claims of virtue and piety.' If £/5 -^av. be genuine, the sense may be given thus : * either, of sin, which produces misery and death ; or of obedience, which produces piety and virtue, with all their attendant blessings. Comp. (li ctyiATfjitit in v. 22.' 17.] For the construction, on jjrr ^»Ao/, see Matt. XI. 25. Macknight understands tvjrtti in the sense of a mouldy (and this meaning, although not common, is given by Hesych. See Suicer. torn. II. p. 1340. under rvTrog III.), and translates £<« <>» to^. " into which ye were delivered," viz. " at your baptism." So also Doddridge, but the texts he refers to in his note f. on V. 14. do not illustrate this sense of rvTrtg^ but only that of model, or figure., or examfile. He does not indeed translate it mould, but it is evident that such is his meaning; for his paraphrase — " the model of doctrine into which ye were delivered as into a model," is otherwise no illustration of the text. Comp. Park, under rwt^ VII. — Most probably the word is synonymous with (*.o^

6f « sig- nifies ineffectual^ meaning, either to produce death or to display sin. Comp. ny.^» in James II. 17. 20. 26. 9. 10. 11.] Here the sentiment before expressed is repeated in fuller terms. Xw^/? voiah' « before the law of Moses came." Thus Chrys., Oecum. and Theoph. in Whitby, who agrees with thetn. So also Locke, note (1.) But if x.' »• ^^efer to time, the 7 50 Notes on the Epistle to the Romcuts. [Chap. VII. Apostle's supposition will be highly incongruous, for the man personated will be described as living before the law, during the whole time of the law, and at the opening of the Gospel. It is more probable therefore, that it relates to the obligation, extent and penalty of the law, not being properly understood and felt. This I see is tlie sense given by Macknight, Kop. and Rosen., and illustrated in Comp. Views, vol. I. pp. 76 et seq. But then, (although I would wish to dissent from the venerable authour of this work with great caution, and deference to his opinions), this phrase does not appear to me to prove that St. Paul " personates another, because he had never been without the law himself" (see p. 80.); for although in point of time this is true, yet even St. Paul may be said to have " lived without the law," before he was fully aware of its nature and object. E^uv cannot mean simply, / maa living' ; it must be considered figuratively, as expressive of self-complacency arising from ignorance of one's real slate. Thus the antithesis between it and «5re5«y«y, v. 10. is preserved. Z«a» often implies the idea of enjoyment. See Wahl 5. — EAfl. — «v£^. Gomp. v«ft. — -TFotqetTT. in v. 20. and the note there.— 'H ctr. '»» et% C Comp. V. 12. 13. 13.] Gries. and Rosen, place the stop after «AAa '?? «/k.. Thus the nex-t «a«" must become nominative to ^«v»), as Macknight makes it, (which Mid. in loc. objects to), or the last 'n «/*., and the construction be thus, > »ia. kxt. 9-. /«,«< x^. Thus each clause will express the same general idea. The usual punctuation is probably correct, and the meaning as given in our translation, ©nly «y being understood, or ftccrt^. being taken as if it were a verb in the past sense, thus : ' Was the law, which is good in the highest sense, the cause of my ruin ? Certainly not. But by means of this good law, sin produced ray ruin ; thus shewing through the law, its really detestable character.' After writing ^ / this, I see that Schleus. has given the same sense to ui^x^raxoi -, in J6 / verB-7. / 14 et seq.] The Apostle novr proceeds to give a lively descrip- tion of the personified character. Sot^x. weak, infirm, prone to sin, yielding to fleshly motions. Comp. 1 Cor. III. 3. Its mean- ing here is explained by the next clause, for the sense of which see 1 Kings XXI. 20. 25. and Ernesti, ^ 106. or (which is better) Morus, Herm. Sac. Part I. Sect. II. cap. II. § xxi. p. 180. 15.] Macknight takes yt^Mo-xM in the sense of approve. So Rosen, like the Heb. V"T» referring to Hos. VIII. 4. (where sec -T Dathe's version, « non probantur," and the Chal. Paraph., which Chap. VII J Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. 51 expresses the same sense ; see also Rosen, on Ps. I. 6. ed. Lip. 1821, or the notes in Heb. Bib. ed. Jo. H. Michaelis); Schleus. in verb. 16. gives it the same sense, referring to this place and Apoc. II. 24.; also Wahl, 8., though some of his references arc not satisfactory, and Park. VII. It seems to be thus used in 1 Cor. VIII. 3. 2 Tim. II. 19. Kop. says however, that this meaning of the word is " admodum incerta," and as for some other places vv^hich have been adduced, among which is Hos. VIII. 4., he calls them " prorsus ineptissima." He translates it, " inscius et invitus facio," and his editor Ammon thinks it de- notes a careful and accurate knowledge. The above authorities render the sense of apfirove in the highest degree probable, to say the least ; and the context is much in favour of it. 17.] No judicious reader will infer from this verse, or the 20th, which is synonymous, that the character personified is not the responsible agent ; both this and the following verses are de- signed to illustrate the utter inadequacy of human nature, to struggle efTectually with its sinful propensities, without some ad- ditional aid. See Macknight. 18.] Sfl6fv.r the natural, unrenewed character, in opposition to the spiritual mind, which is of divine origin. SeeVIII. 4. 5, John III. 6. 19.] Comp. 15., and see the passages of a similar kind in Kop. here and on 14 sqq. — N. B. Although this is descriptive of the state of a man just awakened to a sense of his sinfulness, for thus the connexion, argument, and terms used, require it to be understood ; yet it may be accommodated to the state of an advanced Christian. For such a mixture of imperfection will ever cleave to human nature in its present condition, as to make the best of men acknowledge, that they often do what the enlightened mind disapproves of. There are other parts however of this dis- cussion, which cannot fairly be applied to an advanced Christian ; and even this passage can only be thus used by way of accommo- dation. 21.] Koppe's version of this verse is, I think, unauthorized and incorrect. He takes rev v. in the sense of divine laws in general^ and explains the text thus : " It is evident therefore, that the law itself frequently affords occasion and excitement to sin, even to a good man, who is anxious to do \yhat is right." Ammon very cor- rectly considers T«y v. as referring to the law or tendency of nature, drawing to evil when the will is disposed to good. Comp. 23., also the use of vofte$ in VIII. 2. 22.] Tev tifti mB; I. e. the mind, so far enlightened as to dis- 52 Notes on the Epistle to tlie Romans. [Chap.VII. cern the nature and obligation of the law. See vv. 23. 25. Some- times this phraseology is used for the whole spiritual part of man, in opposition to the corporeal. See 2 Cor. IV. 16. and comp. Kop. on Eph.III. 16. — 'Zvv. expresses the idea of approbation, but not of conformity. 23.] MiMo-r the same as o-cc^ki, v. 18. Comp. Col. III. 5. 24. In the construction, rara should probably be connected with truf^xTo^' this frail^ or miserable, or rather sinful body, un- derstanding )t«, weak, miserable, corrupt, mortal^ must consequently become vcK^tt, dead. See Whiiby, particularly on v. 11., whose exposition seems to mc to agree with the context. Rosen, takes o-w/m.* literally, and »£xf<« as expressive of that debility which is produced by the indulgence of vicious passions, and 7rv£v^« of Christian doctrine. But this destroys the antithesis between c-«. and tt*. — Kop. understands o-m. hck. of the body, prone to sin, miserable and mortal, perhaps also, frail and weak ; 5ry. ^wj}. cither of the Holy Spirit, as the aulhour of life, or, the ioul, as restored to strength and happiness by the Gospel. He does not determine, whether the resurrection mentioned in the 1 1th verse is a moral one, or that future resurrection to happiness, which the bodies of the saints are to experience ; although he in- clines to the latter, which, he shews, was sometimes attributed by Jewish writers to the Holy Spirit. The following appears to me to give the sense of the passage : ' If Christ be in you, (v. 10.), that is, united to you by living faith, producing the temper and disposition of Christ, (comp- John XV. 4. 5. XVII. 23. expressive of intimate union; also Col. I. 27. Gal. IV. 19.) ; although the body is dead because of sin, (V. 12. 13. 14.), although it is confessedly miserable and mor- tal, even in believers ; (for the propriety of the addition of althoughy aee VI. 17. Matt. XI. 25.) ; yet the spirit is life, because of righte- Chap. VIII.'] Notes on the Efiistle to the Romans. 57 ousness, the soul is already alive to God and eternal things, be- cause of that piety and holiness which animate it,' or, * because of that justification which the Gospel imparts.' Thus, if n-v. in this verse, mean the spiritual part of man, which is most probable, I think, on account of the antithesis. If it signify the Holy Spirit, the meaning will be this : * the Holy Spirit will give life, because of righteousness ;' expressing the sentiment, that he is the agent in effecting our resurrection. This is affirmed in v 11. 'If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, (comp. on V. 9.), God (o ey. t«v X. ex vsk. being a periphrasis for God) will restore to life even your moi'tal bodies, by this same Spirit, who resides ill you. So then, (v. 12), such being our pre- sent state, and such our hope of future happiness at the general resurrection, we are under strong obligation, &c.' 15.] IIv. Ja. and stk. it. eiiher, ' such characters and feelings of mind as belong to servants, actuated by fear,' or ' to children, by affection,' as Schleus. in wv. 6., Rosen., Kop., and Macknight, (comp. m. in Luke IX. 55.) ; or, ' the spirit, which produces a servile mind,' or, ' which renders you children,' (agreeably to the Jewish manner of speaking), as Wahl in ttv. 6. c. a. — Comp. 2 Tim. I. 7. The state of Jews subjected to the law, is no doubt here meant by -JW. ■5r«>. ?« /paS. (see Gal. TV. 1. 2. 3. 24. 25. V. 1.); but not to the exclusion of Gentiles, who were also in a state of bondage to corruption and lust. Comp. Heb. II. 15. which appears to be equally comprehensive in meaning, and Gal. IV. 8. also below, V. 21. For the general sentiment, see Gal. III. 26. IV. 5. latter clause, 7. 26, 31. — aSQx is the Chaldee term ioT father, expressive of affection. Some have ridiculously hunted for a mystery in this word, " pie magis quam vere," says Wolf in loc, whom see. 16.] Av. TO jTv. This may mean, that tv. «<. just before men- tioned, and it is so understood by Rosen. Kop. explains xv. to «•*. of the Spirit himself, the Holy Ghost, and this I think is more probable. Comp. Gal. lY. 6. — Si'jtt^af . is sometimes synonymous with ft«j. (comp. II. 15.), and the preposition does not necessarily add to the force of the primitive word. See Acts II. 1. and Ernesti, <§ 168. Hence some have thought proper to explain ctvTo — 'iifM)v, thus, * the Holy Spirit bears testimony to our minds.' On the other hand, although an accession of meaning is not a necessary consequence of the compounded use of the preposition, yet it must not be concluded, that the force of the word is never thereby increased. For instance, it is highly probable, that «v«- fctv^ana in Heb. VI. 6. signifies " crucifying afresh," the ana- 8 58 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. VII!. logy of the language, the real crucifixion of Christ, and the figu- rative crucifixion expressed in the passage, giving sufficient sanc- tion to such a meaning. So also in this place, ) ktio-k;. See John XI I. 19. This is agreeable to the use of language. See Mark XVI. 15. Col. I. 23. 1 Tim. III. 16,, and comp. Mid. on 60 Notes on the Epistle to the Romans. [Chap. VIII. V, 22. This is the view given by Doederlein, in the dissertation before referred to. See also Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. in loc. This sense suits, I think, the scope of the place. If we admit now, that the sense last given is the true meaning of icTKrii here, the /iteA. Jo|. «5r. ti( 'tifc. v. 18., or, the uvok. t«» vt. rn ^t. V. 19., is, what mankind in general were anxiously expecting, (Kop. allows, that u^okx^xS'okix in this filace^ may be emphatick, because joined with etTrtKhx^fott^ and followed by a-vs-tfce^fi and o-vvaS'tvei, and therefore he renders it, " magno cum desiderio expectat;" comp. Ernesti, § 172.), i. e. an amelioration of their condition, expected in different degrees of excellency, and with different degrees of certainty, according to circumstances. For such an expectation existing among the Gentiles, see Scholar Armed, Vol. I. pp. 196—199. and II. pp. 345—350. second edit. Lond. 1800, — Perhaps t«» — '}}fMis aiid rvi^-^m may refer to the present blessings of Christianity. Comp. 1 Cor. II. 7. 9. 10. and the passage as quoted from Isa. LXIV. 4. (Heb. 3.), although Bishop Lowth is not satisfied that it is a quotation, (see his note on the Prophet). This agrees with v. 19. here. Comp. also ^<>|« and h\x^