i 
 
 i 
 Shelf 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Division X^T^.Cf. i^PO 
 
 Section .'..R.^S.i... 
 
 ■ Number 
 
^^'Ml^ 
 
THE EPISTLE 
 
 APOSTLE PAUL TO THE ROMANS 
 
 WITH NOTES, 
 
 CHIEFLY EXPLANATORY. 
 
 DESIGNED A8 
 
 AN ACCOMPANBIENT TO THE AUTHOR'S NOTES ON THE 
 GOSPELS AND THE ACTS. 
 
 • BY 
 
 HENRY J. RIPLEY, 
 
 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 aOIJLD AND LINCOLN 
 
 S 9 W A S H I X (i T \ STREET. 
 
 NEW YORK: SHELDON. BLAKEM AN & CO. 
 CINCINNATI : GEORGE S. BLANCHARD. 
 
 1859. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by 
 
 GOULD AND LINCOLN, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the Disti'ict Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 Stereotyped by 
 
 W. F. DRAPER, ANDOVER, MASS. 
 
 Printed by 
 
 GEO. C. RAND & AVEHY, BOSTON. 
 
P R ETA C E 
 
 The present volume has for its purpose the elucidation of the 
 phraseology and reasoning of the Epistle to the Komans. My 
 aim has been, to aid readers in correctly apprehending the 
 Apostle's thoughts, not stopping short of a full exhibition of his 
 meaning and not going beyond his meaning. I have sought 
 definitely to express my own views, the result of a long-continued 
 and earnest study of the epistle, during which I have, of course, 
 welcomed help from others, but have endeavored to keep myself 
 from subjection to them. My plan did not require me to detail 
 the grammatical and exegetical processes which conducted to the 
 results ; nor to introduce the opinions of others for the purpose 
 of refuting them, or of sustaining my own. I regard it a better 
 service, simply and definitely to present what I consider the 
 Apostle's ideas. 
 
 Though the Notes are adapted to our common English version, 
 yet in reality the original epistle is their basis ; and I trust they 
 will be found useful to theological students and ministers of the 
 gospel, as well as to others. 
 
 As the epistle is mostly a connected course of thought, it ought 
 to be studied, not in detached and widely distant portions, but 
 
 (iU) 
 
rV PREFACE. 
 
 continuously from the beginning onward, so that the attitude of 
 the writer's mind may be discovered and the reader may place 
 himself in the same position ; and thus the early portions may 
 make the subsequent ones more intelligible. Passages separated 
 from their connection and examined without reference to points 
 which have been previously established, or without reference to 
 the author's design and circumstances, are easily misunderstood 
 and may even appear inexplicable ; while difficulties may be sur- 
 mounted, with a good degree of satisfaction, by one who reads in 
 connection, and who discerns the relation of one part, or topic, to 
 another. 
 
 To aid the reader in observing the continuity of thought in the 
 epistle, and the transitions to related thoughts, I have advised its 
 being printed here, not according to the customary and arbitrary 
 division into verses, but by paragraphs. For the convenience, 
 however, of notes and of reference, the figures, which in ordi- 
 nary editions designate the verses, are retained on the side of the 
 page. I have also placed at the head of each chapter, a mention, 
 in the form of an analysis, of the topics occupying its several 
 paragraphs. 
 
 Those who are acquainted with my Notes on the Gospels, and 
 on the Acts of the Apostles, will discover a general conformity in 
 the present work to the design and principles of those volumes. 
 
 H. J. R. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Origin of the Roman Church. 
 
 The origin of the church in Rome is hid in obscurity. In the ab- 
 sence of all reliable historical information, we can readily believe that, 
 soon after the events of the day of Pentecost, as related in the second 
 chapter of the Acts, Christians would be found in the great capital of 
 the Roman empire, which had so active a connection, both political 
 and commercial, with all parts of the known world. Many of its cit- 
 izens could not fail, in their journeys for business, to become acquainted 
 with the gospel ; and some, doubtless, both Gentiles and Jews, became 
 true converts, who would, on their return, seek to promote in their 
 own city the religion of Christ. Various occasions would, also, lead 
 to Rome, both for temporary and for stated residence, persons who 
 had become Christians. Preachers of the gospel, too, doubtless found 
 their way to the imperial city. Through these and similar concurring 
 circumstances, a church was soon formed, consisting, like the other 
 early churches, of converted Gentiles and Jews. 
 
 The Apostle's Acquaintance with the Christians at Eome. 
 
 At the time of writing this epistle, Paul had not been at Rome, 
 though he had for many years cherished the desire to visit the church 
 there and to strengthen its interests. Seel: 10-13. 15: 22-24, 
 28, 29. The importance of this church, as situated in the capital of 
 the world, and thus having a wide influence on Christian affairs, suffi- 
 • ■- (v) 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ciently accounts for this desire : but, besides, he was personally 
 acquainted with not a few of its members, as appears from the 16th 
 chapter, having met with them in his various journeys ; some of them 
 were his own relatives, 16 : 7, 11 ; some of them had shared with him 
 in labors and privations for the gospel's sake, 16 : 7, 9 ; and from some 
 he had received many attentions, 16: 6, 13. Having been thus far 
 prevented from visiting them by the demand for his services in regions 
 where the gospel had not yet been made known, 1 : 13. 15 : 22, he 
 availed himself of a favorable opportunity for writing to them. He 
 knew sufficiently the affairs of the church ; by current report, doubt- 
 less, as to some things ; as to others, we may well believe, by informa- 
 tion from members with whom he had met in various places, and from 
 preachers who were personally acquainted with its condition. 
 
 Main Purpose of the Epistle. 
 The epistle is a connected discourse. It presents and establishes 
 the distinguishing doctrine of the gospel in reference to the salvation 
 of men, particularly in view of the objections and difficulties which 
 Jews would be likely to feel. The distinctive feature of the gospel is 
 stated in 1 : 17; namely, it discloses the righteousness which avails for 
 men's acceptance with God, the righteousness which comes from faith. 
 The statement there made is, so to speak, the main theme of discourse, 
 in reference both to men's present acceptance with God and their be- 
 coming prepared, through personal holiness, for heaven. The first 
 eight chapters are devoted to this subject. 
 
 Analysis of the first eight Chapters. 
 The apostle shows, in the first place, the need of salvation, in 
 respect both to Gentiles and Jews, in consequence of the exposure of 
 all alike to divine wrath on account of sin, 1 : 18 to 3 : 20 ; and then, 
 as all are sinners and none can be saved by virtue of their own deeds, 
 he presents faith in the propitiatory death of Christ as required alike 
 from all, and as that which will be accepted as righteousness and will 
 avail for justification in the sight of God, 3 : 21-30. As meeting the 
 queries of a Jewish mind at this point, he affirms that this mode of jus- 
 tifying men does not invalidate the law as exhibited by Moses ; that, 
 on the contrary, it establishes the law ; and that the 014 Testament 
 
INTRODUCTION. VH 
 
 presents essentially the same principle of acceptance with God, 3 : 31 
 to 4: 25. 
 
 The happy cousequences of this justifying faith are next presented, 
 5 : 1-1 1 ; and a contrast is drawn between Adam, through whom sin 
 and death came, and Christ, through whom come righteousness and 
 life, 5: 12-21. 
 
 The principle, that faith is put to a person's account as righteous- 
 ness, illustrative as it is of the grace, or loving favor, of God, is next 
 viewed in its relation to the holiness of a beUever. 
 
 Faith in Christ, so far from allowing sin, makes its possessor dead to 
 sin through his participation in the death of Christ, or through his 
 union with Christ in respect to his death, 6 : 1-14. The believer is 
 no longer under the law, the requisitions of which prove an occasion 
 of excitement to sin : he now serves God, having a new spirit towards 
 him and standing in a new relation to him, 6 : 15 to 7 : 1-6. 
 
 The apostle then portrays the influence of the divine law on the 
 human soul, when a man is viewed aside from the gracious provision 
 which faith in Christ secures. The law of God, though in itself holy 
 and good, yet when brought into contact with the human soul, awakens 
 a distressing sense of sinfulness and of criminal inability to obey it. In- 
 stead of securing obedience, the law, though it commends itself to the 
 reason and conscience, as just and good, awakens and stimulates in 
 the human soul sinful desires, and can produce only a sense of sinful- 
 ness and danger, 7 : 7-24. Deliverance from this misery can come only 
 through Christ, 7 : 25. Faith in Christ delivers from this bondage to sin ; 
 because to the believer in Christ the Spirit of God imparts life ; the 
 believer is a child of God, enjoying his paternal treatment and the 
 hope of partaking in the glory of Christ ; a hope which is sure, having 
 its foundation in the eternal purpose and unchanging love of God, 
 8: 1-39. 
 
 Rejection of the Jews. 
 
 Since it is by faith in Christ, and not through the Mosaic law, that 
 men can be accounted as righteous in the sight of God, the Jews, re- 
 fusing to believe in him, are rejected. This inevitable result could not 
 but be painful to the Christian Jews ; and it needed explanation, as 
 being apparently inconsistent with the promises of God. To relieve 
 
Vm INTRODUCTION. 
 
 this difficulty and vindicate the divine conduct towards the nation, the 
 apostle next takes up the subject of the Jews' rejection and devotes to 
 it the 9th, 10th and 11th chapters. 
 
 Analysis op Chapters 9, 10, 11. 
 
 After avowing his grief at the sad condition of the Jews, 9 . 1-5, the 
 apostle repels the supposition that God had failed to fulfil his promise. 
 God's promise remains true : in its fulfilment, however, he acts, not 
 on the principle that any men have, or can acquire, a ground for 
 claiming blessings from him, as though deserving them, but according 
 to his own free designs and grace, 9 : 6-29. The fault lay in the 
 unbelief of the Jews themselves, 9 : 30. 10 : 1-21. 
 
 Grounds for consolation are next presented : namely, it is only a 
 part of the Jews that are rejected ; their rejection has proved favora- 
 ble, and will yet prove favorable to the Gentiles ; their recovery is, 
 also, to be expected, 11 : 1-32. 
 
 Hortatory Skction, and Conclusion ob- the Epistle. 
 
 Then follows the hortatory part of the epistle, 12: ltol5: 13, con- 
 taining exhortations adapted, in part, to all Christians, and specially 
 appropriate, in part, to the Christians in Rome. 
 
 The remainder of the epistle, from 15 : 14, Is occupied with expres- 
 sions of the apostle's kind feelings towards the Roman church, with 
 salutations to numerous individuals, and with other kindred matter. 
 The whole ends with an ascription of glory to God. 
 
 Time and Place ob* Writing the Epistle. 
 
 The epistle was written, probably, in the year 58 or 59, while the 
 apostle was on his way to Jerusalem, 15 : 25, with a contribution from 
 the Gentile Christians in Macedonia and Achaia for the indigent 
 among the Christians in Jerusalem. 
 
 From the commendation which it contains, 16: 1, of Phebe of 
 Cenehrea, since this place was a sea-port of Corinth, and from the 
 mention of Gains, a member of the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:4), 
 as the apostle's host, 16 : 23, it Is sufficiently clear that the epistle was 
 sent from Corinth, and conveyed by Phebe, 
 
THE 
 
 EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Opening salutation, 1-7. Gratitude to God for the steadfastness of the Roman Christians, 
 and desire to visit them, together with a statement of the essential principle of the gospel, 
 8-17. Sinfulness and condemnation of the Gentiles, 18-33. 
 
 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to he an apostle, sep- 
 
 2 arated unto the gospel of God, (which he had promised afore 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 After an opening salutation, vs. 1- 
 7, and the exi^ression of desir-e to be- 
 come personally acquainted with the 
 Christians at Rome, 8-15, the apos- 
 tle avows his sense of the glory of 
 the gospel, and states its essential 
 and distinctive principle, 16, 17, thus 
 proposing the main subject of the 
 epistle. As the first step in the 
 ti-eatment of his subject, he exposes 
 the sinfulness and consequent con- 
 demnation of the Gentiles, 18-32. 
 
 1-7. The first seven verses are an 
 introductory paragraph, containing 
 the apostle's opening salutation to the 
 Roman Christians collectively, an 
 assertion of his call to the apostleship 
 among the Gentiles, and an avowal 
 of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. 
 
 1. A servant of Jesus Christ. 
 This expression might designate a 
 person either as a follower of Christ, 
 a Christian, as in Eph. 6 : 6, or as 
 sustaining some official relation to 
 Christ, in the same manner as the 
 ancient prophets were called servants 
 of Jehovah. The latter is the mean- 
 ing here intended. The expression 
 is a general one, not indicating the 
 
 particular kind of service to which 
 the writer had been called : the kind 
 of service is indicated in the next 
 clause. II Called to be an apostle: or, 
 a called apostle; that is, an apostle 
 called to oflice by Christ ; 1 Cor. 1 : 
 1 . It was important to mention the 
 fact of his having been called to the 
 apostleship, since that placed him on 
 an equality Avith the other acknowl- 
 edged apostles who had been speci- 
 ally called by Christ to their office. 
 Like them, he Avas a called apostle, 
 appointed, not by any human author- 
 ity, but by Christ ; not impelled sim- 
 ply by his own desires, but by divine 
 influence. Compare 1 Cor. 1:1. 2 
 Cor. 1:1. Gal. 1:1. ll Separated 
 unto the gospel of God; set apart to 
 the work of making known the gos- 
 pel. Reference is had either to the 
 historical date of his conversion, 
 when he was instructed by Christ to 
 become an apostle, as in Acts 26 : 
 15-18, compare Acts 13: 2, or to 
 the original purpose of God concern- 
 ing him, as in Gal. 1: 15. — The 
 etymological signification of the 
 word gospel is here retained : it not 
 only signifies a particular system of 
 (9) 
 
10 
 
 ROMANS, 
 
 3 bj his prophets in the holy scriptures,) concerning his Son 
 Jesus Christ our Lord, — which was made of the seed of David 
 
 4 according to the iiesh ; and declared to he the Son of God with 
 power according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection 
 
 genealogy of Jesus, Matt. 1 : 1-16. 
 Luke 3 : 23-38, show him to have 
 descended from the royal house of 
 David. In reference to this view of 
 Christ as a man, descended from 
 David, see Matt. 2:5. 22 : 41-46. 
 Kom. 9:5. Gal. 4 : 4. 
 
 4. And declared to he the Son of 
 God. The word declare formerly 
 meant to make clear. Tliis suffi- 
 ciently well corresponds to the orig- 
 inal term, which signifies marked out, 
 designated. In addition to the view 
 of Christ presented in the preceding 
 verse, he is the Son of God, partak- 
 ing of the divine natui-e. 1| With 
 power; powerfully, with convincing 
 evidence. He is, in a powerful man- 
 ner, with convincing evidence, set 
 forth as the Son of God. || Accord- 
 ing to the spirit of lioliness. It is not 
 the Holy Spirit, personally, that is 
 here meant ; but, in contrast with the 
 flesh, mentioned in the preceding 
 verse, that spiritual holy nature by 
 which Christ was distinguished from 
 men and was so worthy of venera- 
 tion. Compare 1 Pet. 3 : 18. — Thus 
 a twofold view of Christ is here pre- 
 sented : one, in reference to his 
 human descent, as the son of David : 
 the other, in reference to his pre-ex- 
 isting spiritual and holy nature which 
 distinguished him as the Son of God. 
 Compare John 1 : 1-3. 17:5. 2 
 Cor. 4 : 4. Phil. 2 : 6, 7. Col. 1 : 
 15, 16. Heb. 1 : 3. This spiritual 
 nature is here characterized as holy, 
 probably in conti'ast with the sinful- 
 ness of men, whose nature Christ 
 assumed, and as a ground for ador- 
 ing veneration. || By the resurrection 
 from the dead. Our Lord's resun-ec- 
 tion from the dead was the specially 
 powerful, convincing, evidence that 
 he was what he claimed to be, the 
 Son of God. His prediction that he 
 should be delivered up to death and 
 be raised fix)m the dead, Luke 18 : 
 
 religion, but also denominates this 
 as the joyful announcement, the glad 
 tidings, which God has communi- 
 cated concerning his Son our Saviour. 
 Paul here represents himself as 
 divinely set apart to the special work 
 of widely making known this jo}"ful 
 message from God, of explaining 
 and inculcating the doctrines of the 
 gospel, particularly the doctrine of 
 faith in Christ as the appointed 
 medium of our salvation. 
 
 2. Which he had jJromised afore 
 by his prophets, etc. Reference is 
 here made to the ancient prophecies 
 concerning the Alessiah which are 
 scattered throughout the scriptures 
 of the Old Testament. — Thus, in 
 his introductory paragraph, Paul 
 brings distinctly to view one of the 
 chief arguments for the truth and 
 divinity of the gospel : God's own 
 prophets, specially instructed by him, 
 had uttered, in great variety, predic- 
 tions concerning a Saviour and the 
 new order of things which he would 
 introduce for the salvation of men ; 
 and these predictions had received 
 their fulfilment in Christ and his 
 religion. — As specimens of the man- 
 ner in which this argument was per- 
 petually employed ^by the apostles, 
 see Acts 2: 22-36. 10: 43. 13: 
 29-41. 
 
 3. Concerning his Son ; more cor- 
 rectly, his own Son; his Son in a 
 peculiar sense. The joyful message 
 in the gospel, promised by God in 
 former ages, had respect to his own 
 Son, by whose advent, life and death, 
 the promised scheme of redemption 
 was consummated. || Which was 
 made of the seed of David according 
 to the flesh; who, according to his 
 fleshly, or human nature, Avas born 
 from the posterity of David : as to 
 his human nature, he Avas a descend- 
 ant of David. So the evangelists, 
 Matthew and Xuke, in giving the 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 H 
 
 5 from the dead : by whom we have received grace and apostle- 
 
 6 ship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his 
 
 7 name : among whom are ye also, the called of Jesus Christ : — 
 to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to he saints : 
 Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 33, was exactly fulfilled. This argu- 
 ment was repeatedly employed by 
 the apostles, as satisfactory and com- 
 plete confiniiation of his being the 
 Son of God and the Messiah. See 
 Acts 2 : 30-32. 13 : 29-38. 1 Cor. 
 15: 4, 14, 17. The resurrection of 
 Christ from the dead was so mani- 
 festly a work of God, that its attesta- 
 tion to the truth of our Lordr's claims 
 was irresistible. 
 
 5. By whom ice have received. 
 Paul, though using the plural num- 
 ber, is here speaking of himself, since 
 he is making grateful acknowledg- 
 ment of the high service to which he 
 had been called. || Grace: not so 
 much the grace, or favor, of God, by 
 which he liad received pardon and all 
 personal spiritual good, as that favor, 
 or kindness, by which he had been 
 selected and qualified for the public 
 service of Christ. Compare 12:3. 
 15: 15. Eph. 3: 2, 8. || Apostle- 
 ship. The special design of this 
 grace is now exhibited, as selecting 
 and qualifying him to be an apostle 
 of Christ,' to publish and vindicate 
 the principles of his religion. || For 
 obedience to the faith; or, for obedi- 
 ence to faith. The purpose for 
 which the apostle was called to his 
 office was, that he might bring men 
 to obey the religion of the gospel, in 
 which faith is a cardinal principle, in 
 distinction fi-om works, or the per- 
 formance of religious deeds, as a 
 medium of salvation. In truly re- 
 ceiving the gospel, men render obe- 
 dience to faith, since faith is the in- 
 dispensable requisite to its blessings. 
 II Among all nations ; among all the 
 Gentiles as well as among the Jews. 
 Obedience to faith, or to the requisi- 
 tion of faith in Christ fo : salvation, 
 was to be accomplished among all 
 
 nations. || For his name; in behalf 
 of his name : that he might be uni- 
 versally known and acknoAvledged, 
 and that due honor might be every- 
 where rendered to him. 
 
 6. The called of Jesus Christ; 
 those who have been called to be dis- 
 ciples of Christ and to partake of the 
 blessings which he bestows. As this 
 calling to the blessings of the gospel 
 is usually ascribed to God the Father, 
 the Eoman Christians may here be 
 spoken of as those who have been 
 called of God to a participation in 
 the blessings which Jesus Christ be- 
 stows. The calling, frequently men- 
 tioned in the New Testament, in- 
 volves also, generally, the idea of an 
 acceptance of the invitation, so that 
 the invited are also actually the par- 
 takers of the ofrered blessings, the 
 called are the chosen. Sometimes a 
 distinction is made between the called 
 and ^Ae chosen; as in Matt. 20 : 16; 
 usually, however, as in Rom. 8 : 30, 
 the calling is of that effectual charac- 
 ter wliich includes the idea of being 
 chosen and of being actually admitted 
 to the possession of the blessings pro- 
 posed. — A large number of the 
 Roman Christians were converted 
 Gentiles. 
 
 7. To all that be in Rome, beloved, 
 etc. ; more exactly according to the 
 original. To all the beloved ones of 
 God that are in Rome, his called 
 saints, jj Beloved of God; regarded 
 with love by him as disciples of his 
 Son; hence, regarded as Christians 
 in a state of reconciliation with God. 
 II Called to be saints. The word 
 saints is a designation of Christians : 
 Christians are God's called saints, 
 those whom he has called to holi- 
 ness. Compare Eph. 1 : 4. The de- 
 sign for wliich the religion of Christ 
 
12 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that 
 
 was established and for which his 
 followers Avere called of God is here 
 expressed : namely, that they might 
 be holy and devoted to God. The 
 term saints is not a mere appellation 
 transfeiTcd from the Jews to the 
 Christians ; for not external and cer- 
 emonial holiness is here signified, but 
 real purity of character, such as the 
 gospel enjoins and cultivates. The 
 Jews anciently, as being the chosen 
 people of God, were called a holy 
 people. Nam. 16: 3. Deut. 7:6; 
 they were distinct from other nations 
 as to idolatry and various moral cor- 
 ruptions and were required, as being 
 the professed people of God, to be 
 truly holy. Lev. 11 : 44. 19: 2. 20: 
 7, 8. This word, holy or saints, was 
 particularly applicable to the people 
 of Christ, as the gospel is eminently 
 a religion of the heai-t. Since the 
 gospel thus primarily and eminently 
 required holiness as the chief dis- 
 criminating element between those 
 who embraced it and others, all who 
 professed to adopt it might be appro- 
 priately addressed as saints, or holy 
 persons, since it might be assumed 
 in writing to a company of avowed 
 Christians that they were what they 
 professed to be. || Grace to you and 
 peace: the Christian form of saluta- 
 tion, frequently occumng in the epis- 
 tles of Paul, both at the opening and 
 at the close. It acknowledges the 
 grace, or favor, of God as the source 
 of all spiritual good ; peace here be- 
 ing that blessed state of well-being 
 which is designed for the followers 
 of Christ and which results from 
 God's gracious disposition towards 
 them. — A usual form of salutation 
 among the ancient Hebrews was, 
 Peace be with you. In the apostle's 
 use and genei-ally among Christians, 
 it had of course a deeper signification 
 than when employed in ordinary life, 
 as it related to spiritual well-being 
 and acknowledged the divine source 
 of such a blessing. Compare John 
 20: 19, 21, 26.— A customary form 
 
 of salutation among the Greeks in 
 their epistles was a word correspond- 
 ing to the term, greeting, or, joy he to 
 you. This occurs but twice in the 
 New Testament; namely. Acts 15: 
 23, and James 11. It Avas not 
 universally employed among the 
 Greeks; and seems to have been 
 generally laid aside among the Chris- 
 tians, since they preferred a form of 
 expression Avhich distinctly acknowl- 
 edged the true God and Jesus Christ, 
 divine grace as the source of good, 
 and the blessed condition in which 
 the Lord Jesus places his followers. 
 II From God our Father; as the giver 
 of all good. II The Lord Jesus 
 Christ; as the Mediator, through 
 whom the kindness of God bestows 
 all spiritual good. 
 
 8-17. Before entering on the main 
 subject of the epistle, Paul expresses 
 his gratitude to God for the well- 
 knoAvn steadfastness of the Roman 
 Christians, his interest in their spir- 
 itual Avelfare, his desire to visit Rome 
 in order that he might be useful to 
 them by his personal ministry, his 
 disappointment in not haAang yet 
 been able to gratify this desire, and 
 his sense of obligation to make 
 known the gospel as Avidely as possi- 
 ble, since it discloses the righteous- 
 ness which God has prescribed for 
 men's being justified in his sight. 
 He is thus led to intimate the great 
 topic of the epistle. This may be 
 stated as a reply to the question, 
 HoAv shall man be just with God? by 
 works of his OAvn, or by faith ? Not 
 by his OAvn AA'orks, but by faith. — 
 This paragraph Avas avcU fitted to 
 attract attention, to excite and 
 strengthen the Romans' fraternal 
 feelings toAvards the Avriter, to aAvak- 
 en interest in the subsequent discus- 
 sion, and to promote their readiness 
 to receive his views. 
 
 8. First; that is, as the first thing: 
 as if the writer had said, Before en- 
 tering on the main design of my epis- 
 tle, let me express my gratitude to 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 IB 
 
 9 your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God 
 is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of 
 his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always 
 
 10 in my prayers ; making request, if by any means now at 
 
 God, etc. A coiTesponding word in 
 subsequent verses, such as secondly, 
 or next, is not, therefore, requisite. 
 The apostle here writes in the free 
 epistolaiy style which does not re- 
 quire the formality of elaborate and 
 exact composition. || My God : 
 Him to whom eminently I belong, 
 whose servant in proclaiming the 
 gospel which you liave received I 
 avow myself. || Through Jesus 
 Christ; the Mediator, in whose 
 name I give thanks to God and 
 through whom the great blessing, for 
 which I give thanks, namely, faith in 
 the gospel, has been confeiTed on 
 you. II For you all; in behalf of 
 you all. II 2'' hat your faith is spoken 
 of, etc. ; that your faith in Clunst and 
 your steadfast discipleship to him 
 are everywhere spoken of. Not only 
 the personal Christian character of 
 the Roman believers was a ground 
 of gratitude to the apostle, but also 
 the wide-spread influence of their 
 example, as decided followers of 
 Christ. — Rome was, at that time, 
 the great central city, or capital, of 
 the known Avorld. What took place 
 at Rome was soon known through- 
 out the empire which comprised al- 
 most the entire known world. The 
 religion of Christ, which could not 
 but create a sensation in an idola- 
 trous city, would become, when 
 planted in this great capital, very 
 widely known hy the connection, 
 political, commercial, literary and 
 religious, of this city with all parts 
 of the empire. It was indeed a 
 ground for gratitude that the Chiis- 
 tians at Rome were univcrsally 
 known as steadfast belicvei's in 
 Christ. II Throughout the ichole world, 
 a hyperbolical expression, equivalent 
 to everywhere in our ordinary conver- 
 oation ; not, of course, to bo under- 
 stood with literal exactness, but sig- 
 
 nifying very extensively, or all over the 
 Roman empire. 
 
 9. The gratitude which the apos- 
 tle expressed was necessarily asso- 
 ciated with an interest in the spirit- 
 ual welfare of the Roman Christians. 
 This interest seems to be the ground 
 of the present verse. Fur God is my 
 witness, whom I serve, etc. ; for the 
 sincerity of my interest in you I 
 appeal to the all-knowing God who 
 has called me to serve him. — The 
 original word here rendered serve 
 shows that the service referred to is 
 not a general obedience to God in all 
 cii-cumstances, but the service of God 
 in religious matters specifically. The 
 apostle conceives of himself here as 
 set apart to the public duties of re- 
 ligion; and his official servdce he 
 renders in laboring for the extension 
 of the gospel. To him who brought 
 him into this official relation he ap- 
 peals for the truth of his professed 
 interest in the spiritual well-being of 
 the Roman Christians. || With my 
 spirit. The sincerity of the apostle's 
 service of God is here intimated ; it 
 was not an external heartless routine 
 of observances, but a service in which 
 his soul was truly engaged; not a 
 blind, but an intelligent service ; not 
 of constraint, but willingly. || In the 
 gospel of his Son. The particular 
 service rendered was the publishing 
 and vindicating of the gospel. || That 
 without ceasing I make mention of you; 
 that I bear you in mind unceasingly, 
 as objects of prayer to God. See 
 Phil. 1:3. 1 Thess. I : 2. Com- 
 pare Phil. 1 : 7, 8. || Always in my 
 prayers. This clause would be bet- 
 ter placed at the commencement of 
 the following verse, so that we might 
 read thus — Always in my prayers 
 making request, etc. 
 
 10. If by any means, etc. ; if by 
 any means I may succeed, by th« 
 
u 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God 
 
 11 to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart 
 unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be estab- 
 
 12 lished: that is, that I may be comforted together with you, 
 
 13 by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not 
 have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to 
 come unto you (but was let hitherto) that I might have some 
 
 14 fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am 
 debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians, both to the 
 
 will of God, in my purpose to come 
 to you. 
 
 11. For I long to see you. His 
 constant remembrance of them and 
 prayers for them proceeded from an 
 earnest desire to see them and con- 
 tribute to their spiritual good. 
 II Some spiritual gift ; some gift of a 
 spiritual character, adapted to benefit 
 your souls, and corresponding to the 
 new temper whicli the Holy Spirit 
 has imparted. Tlie apostle wished 
 to increase their Christian knowl- 
 edge, and strengthen their purposes 
 and hopes. — It is not necessary to 
 suppose that he meant by spiritual 
 gift any miraculous endowment, but, 
 as would appear from the next verse, 
 the gift of knowledge and of confir- 
 mation in Christian faith and hope. 
 II To the end ye may he established ; in 
 order that ye may be confirmed in 
 your Christian character. Such was 
 the result which he would anticipate 
 from a visit to them. 
 
 12. That is. As the thought of 
 their becoming established might 
 seem to imply a deficiency of Chris- 
 tian strength on their part and a sup- 
 position that they needed the pres- 
 ence of an apostle to render them 
 stable, and so might possibly make 
 the impression that he felt liimself 
 superior to them, the apostle at once, 
 in the very considerate and conde- 
 scending spirit which he habitually 
 cherished, modifies the language and 
 urbanely gives such a direction to 
 the thought as to make himself a 
 participator in the good result of a 
 visit, since he needed, like all Chris- 
 tians, encouragement and strength- 
 
 ening. II That I may be comforted 
 together with you ; that while among 
 you, not only you, but myself also, 
 may receive encouragement and 
 strength from my visit, by our mu- 
 tual faith. 
 
 13. In accordance with his desire 
 to see the Roman bretln-en, he as- 
 sures them that he had long since 
 purposed to visit them but liad been 
 hitherto prevented. — I would not have 
 you ignorant ; I wish you to know : a 
 form of expression frequent with the 
 apostle. See 11: 25. 1 Cor. 10: 1. 
 1 Thess. 4 : 13. || Some fruit; some 
 result of my apostolical labors. 
 
 14. The apostle's desire and pur- 
 pose to visit Rome sprang from his 
 sense of obligation to pi'each the gos- 
 pel as extensively as possible, among 
 people of all nations and of whatever 
 degree of culture. / am debtor; I 
 am under obligation. He had re- 
 ceived a charge from the Saviour to 
 publisli the gospel among the Gen- 
 tiles, and thus was under obligation 
 to Christ in reference to them. || To 
 the Greeks and to the Barbarians ; bar- 
 bai-ians, not necessarily in the sense 
 of wild, savage men, but simply as 
 not being Greeks, but being foreign- 
 ers in respect to the Greeks : com- 
 pare Acts 28: 2,4. 1 Cor. 14: 11. 
 The twofold expression, Greeks and 
 barbarians, includes all Gentile na- 
 tions. Among the Greeks, however, 
 the apostle doubtless included the 
 Romans, since he could address them 
 in the Greek language and the Ro- 
 man empire had, at that time, ab- 
 sorbed the Grecian states. ll To tJie 
 wn3e and to the unwise; the educated 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 15 
 
 15 wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am 
 ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 
 
 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is 
 the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ; 
 
 and the untaught, the refined and the 
 rude. He felt under obligation, hav- 
 ing been separated to this work, to 
 preach the gospel to all. 
 
 16. The gospel had encountered 
 opposition and reproach : in view of 
 this and of the probability that in 
 Rome especially it would meet Avith 
 hostility and contempt, self-denial 
 and elevation above the world wei-e 
 required in one who would appear 
 in Rome as the champion of the 
 gospel. Compare Acts 17 : 18, 32, 
 
 I Cor. 1 : 22, etc. But such a view 
 could not shake the apostle's pur- 
 pose; for he had an exalted esti- 
 mate of the gospel. — 1 am not 
 ashamed of the gospel. By this nega- 
 tive expression he avows his lofty 
 idea of the excellence of the gospel : 
 as if he had said. It is not a matter to 
 be ashamed of, but one to glory in. 
 
 II For it is the power of God unto salva- 
 tion, God employs the gospel as the 
 medium of his power in saving men. 
 The method of salvation made known 
 in the gospel enables him to save sin- 
 ners consistently with his perfections 
 and righteous government ; or, more 
 strictly in accordance with the apos- 
 tle's following words, it is the me- 
 dium through wliich the power of 
 God acts on the spirit of man, reno- 
 vating and transforming it, making 
 it holy, and thus saving it from the 
 condemnation and ntin which sin, if 
 not thus counteracted, would inevita- 
 bly produce. As in complicated 
 machinery, when we ask, where is 
 the power that regulates it and effects 
 the result, we are directed to some 
 wheel, or shaft, and are told. That is 
 the power ; so in the work of human 
 salvation, the gospel is the poirer : it 
 is God's power, as being that through 
 which he accompUshes the result; 
 and in an important sense we might 
 say, divine power resides in it. A 
 
 similar view of the gospel, particu- 
 larly of its central doctrine concern- 
 ing Christ, is presented in 1 Cor. 1 : 
 18. — Salvation, agreeably to the 
 thoughts in the two following verses, 
 included both the idea of deliverance 
 from the wrath of God against sin 
 and that of a person's actual accept- 
 ance to his favor as justified, that is, 
 treated as if righteous. The tei-m is 
 equivalent to eternal life. || To every 
 one; not to persons of a particular 
 nation : thus the exclusiveness of 
 God's favor to Jews, as the Jews 
 were disposed to restrict it to them- 
 selves, is guarded against. Xot 
 merely for Jews is salvation pro- 
 vided, but for Gentiles also. || T'hat 
 believeth : that reposes faith in Christ 
 as the Saviour : thus the Jewish idea 
 of salvation through a legal right- 
 eousness, or through obedience to 
 the Mosaic law, is also counteracted. 
 A genuine personal faith in Christ, 
 or becoming his disciple, is indispen- 
 sable to the gospel's being to any 
 person a divine power effecting his 
 sah'ation : and such faith in Christ, 
 exclusive of a meritorious obedience 
 to the law, secures the salvation of 
 him who has it. — The apostle is evi- 
 dently preparing the way to intro- 
 duce the main subject of the epistle. 
 II To the Jew frst and also to the Greek. 
 As Greek is here the contrast of Jew, 
 it consequently means Gentile, or, 
 rather, the Greek is here employed as 
 the representative of all who are not 
 Jeics. Whether the believer is a Jew 
 or a Gentile is immaterial : whoever, 
 of any nation, reposes faith in Christ 
 partakes of salvation. In the gospel, 
 so far as concerns the relation to 
 God and the principle of acceptance 
 with him, the distinction between 
 Jew and Gentile fades away. — To 
 the Jew frst; not through a special 
 preference of the Jew to others on 
 
16 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 17 to the Jew first, and also to the Greek, for therein is 
 
 THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD REVEALED FROM FAITH TO 
 
 any moral {ground ; nor that there is 
 any inherent recommendation of a 
 Jew above a Grentile in the sight of 
 God, or that faith in the gospel on 
 the part of a Jew will more surely be 
 acceptable to God : but the Jew is 
 regarded as the first candidate for tlie 
 blessings of the gospel, because the 
 Jews first received the revelation of 
 God's design to save men, and his 
 promises oif salvation. As a histor- 
 ical fact, salvation proceeded from the 
 Jews. Compare John 4 : 22. Rom. 
 9 : 5. 11 : 24. It was, also, the case, 
 almost of course, as circumstances 
 were, that the gospel Avas first 
 preached to Jews, and in the cities 
 which the apostles visited they first 
 sought the Jewish s>niagogues in 
 order to make known the Lord Jesus 
 to their countrymen, and through 
 them, and after making eff"orts in 
 their behalf, to the Gentile popula- 
 tion. 
 
 1 7 That the gospel is the power 
 of God unto salvation appears from 
 the fact, that it discloses God's pecu- 
 liar method of justifjang men ; that 
 is, of acquitting them from the 
 charge of guilt and accepting them, 
 or treating them as if they had not 
 sinned, but were righteous. For 
 therein is revealed, etc. ; for in the gos- 
 pel is disclosed, etc. A clear revela- 
 tion of the way by which men could 
 be pardoned and accepted of God, 
 had not been previously made; it 
 was reserved for the gospel. i| The 
 righteousness of God ; not the personal 
 righteousness of God, or that which 
 belongs to him as one of his perfec- 
 tions ; but that wliich he has ap- 
 pointed for men in order to their 
 justification in his sight. This is 
 called the righteousness of God in dis- 
 tinction from the idea of a righteous- 
 ness consisting in obedience to the 
 law of God and which is denominated 
 by the apostle, in 10 : 3, one's own 
 
 righteousness, also, in Phil. 3 : 9, right- 
 eousness of [from] the law. Could 
 this latter be justly claimed by any 
 man, it would be the ground of hid 
 acceptance with God ; since, in that 
 case, sin could not be charged on 
 him : but as no man has such a 
 righteousness of his o-wn, or a right- 
 eousness springing from the divine 
 law, 3: 20. iSal. 2 : 16, God has 
 adopted a different method, by which 
 he may treat men as if they were 
 righteous. This method is called 
 God's righteousness, since it has been 
 prescribed by him and since by 
 virtue of it he bestows the result of 
 righteousness, namely, justification. 
 The method and the result proceed 
 from God : the righteousness, there- 
 fore, is called, in contrast with a per- 
 sonal righteousness and claim to jus- 
 tification, God's righteousness, that 
 which he has appointed and that 
 which he puts to our account, though 
 we are destitute of a legal righteous- 
 ness. This method of pronouncing 
 men acquitted and of admitting them 
 into favor with God is eminently his, 
 and the disclosure of it is the chief 
 distinctive feature of the gospel. It 
 is a reckoning of righteousness to the 
 account of a person who is himself 
 destitute of righteousness, and liable 
 to condemnation by the divine law, as 
 a sinner ; or, a putting it gratuitously 
 to his account so that he may be 
 accepted as if he were righteous. 
 II From faith to faith. These words 
 are not, in meaning, to be connected 
 with the word revealed, but with the 
 words righteousness of God. This 
 sort of righteousness which God is 
 pleased to put to our account, viewed 
 particularly in its result of justifica- 
 tion, proceeds from faith, or is an 
 effect of fiiith : compare 3: 30. 10: 
 6. Phil. 3 : 9. Faith is itself spoken 
 of elsewhere as being this righteous- 
 ness. See 4 : 3, 5, 9, 22. The precise 
 
CHAPTER I. 17 
 
 FAITH : as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 
 
 difference between the two modes of 
 representation is, probably, that in 
 the latter tlie righteous quaVdij as- 
 cribed to foith is had in view, and 
 in the foniier the result of that as- 
 cribed quality, namely, justification, 
 is had in view. — To faith. In this 
 part of the clause the word faith is 
 used probably in the way of person- 
 ification, as equivalent to the expres- 
 sion those icho have faith, believers: to 
 such persons this righteousness will 
 be ascribed, or reckoned ; the benefits 
 flowing from this method of regard- 
 ing a person as righteous will be ex- 
 tended to them. The form of speech 
 is kindred with that in 3 : 22, unto oil 
 and upon all them that believe. — The 
 whole expression, fivm faith to faith, 
 seems to be a twofold fonn of stating 
 the same thought : this lighteousness 
 proceeds from faith and belongs to 
 faith. It is thus a comprehensive and 
 intensive mode of stating the princi- 
 ple on which God will ascribe, or 
 impute, a justifpng righteousness to 
 man. Faith is that principle ; and it 
 is a pen-ading principle, the begin- 
 ning and the end of man's justifica- 
 tion in the sight of God. ]| As it is 
 ivritten ; in Hab. 2:4. As harmo- 
 nious with his statement relative to 
 the principle involved in this right- 
 eousness, the apostle quotes from the 
 Old Testament a passage which cor- 
 responds with his own language. 
 II The just. The apostle's purpose, 
 in quoting this passage, would have 
 been more obvious, had the translation 
 here used the words righteous man, 
 and thus preserved resemblance be- 
 tween the expression righteousness of 
 God from fait] L and this quotation by 
 which Paul illustrated and confii-med 
 his statement. The clau?e would 
 tlien have been, the righteous man shall 
 live hy faith ; in other words, faith is 
 the vital element to a righteous man ; 
 from faith springs all his blessedness. 
 A still closer connection of thought is 
 believed, bv some editors of the Greek 
 
 2* 
 
 Testament, to exist between the apos- 
 tle's words, righteousness of God from 
 faith, and the quoted language, which 
 connection they sliow by so aiTanging 
 the punctuation as to obtain the sig- 
 nification. He who is righteous from 
 feiith, or by faith, shall live. The word 
 faith being thus brought into close 
 grammatical connection with the Avord 
 i-ighteous, the dependence of a right- 
 eous, or justified, state on faith as its 
 principle, becomes more obvious. 
 This mode of punctuation, however, 
 though advantageous, is not firee 
 from grammatical objection ; and ne- 
 cessity does not require it, in order 
 to show the quotation to be available 
 to the apostle's purpose, since in the 
 ordinary mode of punctuation the 
 quoted clause expresses his essential 
 thought, namely, the vital dependence 
 of a righteous man on faith. — The 
 apostle quotes tlie passage, probably, 
 not as containing an argument, but 
 merely as illustrating, or as involving, 
 the principle which is essential to the 
 gospel. The prophet's language in 
 the original Hebrew is variously ex- 
 plained : some regard the Hebrew 
 word rendered faith as signifying 
 fidelity to one's duties. But* the 
 apostle here quoted from the Greek 
 translation ; and the cunent interpre- 
 tation of the passage, •which was also 
 the apostle's, and its A-erbal appro- 
 priateness to the apostle's thought, 
 would give it just weight among his 
 readers as confirming his declaration. 
 By other writers, the prophet is under- 
 stood as originally conveying the idea 
 that while the wicked Avould indulge 
 in pride, good men Avould put faith 
 in his prophecy and thus secure a 
 true life, a blessed state of peace. — 
 Some commentators have regarded 
 the words righteousness of God as 
 meaping the goodness, or clnnency, of 
 God; but the passage from the Old 
 Testament, produced by th.e apostle 
 for illustrating and confirming his 
 thought, makes it evident that right- 
 
18 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all 
 
 eousness is the only proper rendering ; 
 also, that righteousness in this verse 
 does not designate a quality of God, 
 but something wliich he regards in 
 the liglit of a righteousness put to 
 man's account. || Faith. In the 
 apostle's sense, fiiith is not mainly an 
 intellectual belief in certain historical 
 facts, or certain moral principles, but 
 a con-esponding feeling of the heart, 
 deeply seated, permanent, and affect- 
 ing the entire character. As he who 
 believes a declaration in wlrich his 
 interests are deeply involved, places 
 confidence in it and acts accordingly, 
 so faith, in the apostle's sense, is a 
 trusting to, or confiding in, certain 
 declarations and an-angements of 
 God relative to our salvation, and 
 acting accordingly. It may be re- 
 garded both as a state of soul harmo- 
 nious with God's declarations and 
 an-angements, and as a specific act 
 of acceding to those declarations and 
 arrangements : regarded as a state of 
 soul, the specific act of trusting will 
 exist and will be, more or less dis- 
 tinctly, a matter of consciousness to 
 the subject of it ; regarded as a speci- 
 fic act, it presupposes the state of soul 
 which is harmonious with. it. Trust- 
 ing in another, whose qualities and 
 acts warrant this trust, and whose 
 authority is also thereby acknowl- 
 edged, is the main element in genuine 
 faith; that is, tnisting in Christ as 
 the atoning Saviour, through whom 
 God bestows pardon and eternal life. 
 Faith in Christ is conjoined with a 
 consciousness of personal sinfulness 
 and ill desert, and with penitence ; it 
 acknowledges Christ as a Redeemer 
 from the condemnation and power of 
 sin, and trusts in him as such. A 
 man \vho thus believes in Christ is a 
 disciple of Christ, relying on liim for 
 religious doctrine, for deliverance 
 from condemnation and for spiritual 
 influences to comjjlete the moral reno- 
 vation of the soul and make him 
 right in the sight of God. Thus 
 faith, or trust, is the pervading spirit 
 
 of discipleship to Christ. The gos- 
 pel presupposes the sinfulness of 
 men and the impossibility of their 
 being accepted of God through a per- 
 sonal obedience to the divine law ; it 
 is, consequently, an arrangement for 
 the benefit of men as sinners, by 
 which God can treat them as if i-ight- 
 eous, and place them under the disci- 
 pline of his Spirit for their complete, 
 though gradual, recoveiy from sin. 
 He will thus treat them, if with a 
 state of soul in harmony Avith his ar- 
 rangement, they accept his an'ange- 
 ment and subject themselves to it. 
 This state of soul is that of disciple- 
 ship to Christ, or of trust in him ; 
 and tills is signified by the word faith. 
 The point of difference between this 
 mode of acceptance with God and 
 that which the apostle denominates 
 one's own righteousness, or righteousness 
 from the law, that is, righteousness 
 consisting in one's deeds and procur- 
 ing justification by his own works, is 
 obA'ious : in the foimer, the person is 
 conscious of being a sinner, con- 
 demned by the laAV and having in 
 himself no ground for acceptance 
 with God ; he is penitent and humble 
 in view of his sins and, with self-re- 
 nunciation, relies on the mercy of God 
 in Christ for acceptance and for all 
 spiritual blessings ; and thus he heart- 
 ily assents to God's view of his char- 
 acter and ill desert, and confides in 
 God's mode of deliverance from con- 
 demnation : in the latter, the person, 
 Avhile he may have a vague sense of 
 sinfulness, does not feel himself to be 
 utterly illdeserving and destitute of 
 ability to acquire a claim on God for 
 acceptance, and therefoi'e he relies on 
 deeds of his own for pardon and the 
 favor of God. The two cases may 
 be illustrated by our Lord's parabfc 
 of the Pharisee and the Publican, in 
 Luke 18: 9-14. 
 
 18, etc. This peculiarity of the 
 gospel, that faith, not legal obedience, 
 is the essential element in the right- 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 19 
 
 ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth 
 
 eousness by which men can be justi- 
 fied in the sight of God, the apostle 
 now proceeds to establish. 
 
 In order to establish it, he brings 
 distinctly to view tlie fact that men 
 are under the displeasure, or wrath, 
 of God on account of their sins : they 
 are tlius in a state of condemnation 
 by the law of God and, of course, 
 cannot be justified in his siglit on the 
 ground of obedience to that laAv, or 
 by a personal righteousness of their 
 own. Such a righteousness they have 
 not ; but are sinners, under condem- 
 nation. Of necessity, "then, they 
 must be justified on a different 
 ground ; and hence God has dis- 
 closed, in the gospel, his own method 
 of justifying men ; namely, through 
 faith in Christ which is, by the divine 
 appointment, as really available for 
 tlieir acceptance with God, as a com- 
 plete personal obedience to his law 
 would have been, especially since it 
 places the believer in union with 
 Christ who has perfectly obeyed that 
 law and died the just for the unjust. 
 1 Pet. 3: 18. 
 
 The sinfulness of all men is, then, 
 the first thing to be proved. The 
 apostle commences with the case of 
 the Gentiles, and then passes to that 
 of the Jews. The former he easily 
 disposes of, in 1 : 18-32, as it was so 
 plain and was, of course, admitted by 
 the Jews, for whose conviction mainly 
 he was writing : the case of the Jews 
 he argues more at length, taking up 
 the various objections which, he 
 knew, Avould arise in a Jew's mind, 
 particularly as to the consequence 
 which results from the 'tnith that 
 Jews, too, are sinners, in chapters 2-4. 
 This is the chief point with the apos- 
 tle ; namely, to show that Jews, 
 though specially favored of God with 
 knowledge of his will, cannot reason- 
 ably hope for justification on the 
 ground of obedience to the divine 
 law. It is important to keep this 
 thought in mind as being really the 
 principal point, since it will help to 
 
 elucidate some items in the argument 
 which would not othenvise appear so 
 necessary, or so convincing. Besides, 
 if this point be established, a princi- 
 ple is evidently involved, which would 
 be applicable to all men ; namely, if 
 Jews, even, to whom the law of God, 
 both moral and ritual, has been given, 
 cannot be justified on the ground of 
 that law, of course those Avho have 
 not had the advantage of a religious 
 code from heaven cannot be justified 
 on the ground of personal obedience. 
 Moreover, the Jews indulged the 
 thought, that the only way for Gen- 
 tiles to find acceptance with God 
 was, to embrace Judaism and live 
 according to its presciiptions : but, if 
 even Jews themselves must be saved 
 on a different ground, of coui-se the 
 estimate of Judaism must be lowered, 
 and God's method of justification, 
 through faith in Christ, be regarded 
 as the all-sufficient and the only 
 ground of salvation for both Jews 
 and Gentiles. i^ 
 
 18. For the urath of God ; his dis- 
 pleasure, including the judgments 
 which that displeasure leads him to 
 inflict. II Is revealed from heaven ; has 
 been made manifest from heaven, 
 where God is conceived of as dwell- 
 ing ; the manifestation, then, has 
 been made by God himself. || Against 
 all ungodliness and unrighteousness of 
 men. Ungodliness relates particularly 
 to men's spirit and conduct towards 
 God ; unrighteousness has respect to 
 all the moral relations of men gen- 
 erally and expresses their lack of 
 confonnity to Avhat is just and right. 
 The two terms are here combined in 
 order to present more fully and inten- 
 sively the ground of God's displeas- 
 ure against men. || Who hold the 
 truth in unrighteousness ; who possess 
 the truth wliich would naturally lead 
 to righteousness, but live, notwith- 
 standing, in unrighteousness. They 
 know the right, but pursue the Avrong : 
 they possess the tnith, but do not 
 iillow it to govern them. — A prefer- 
 
20 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 19 in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of 
 God is manifest in them ; for God hath showed it unto them ; 
 
 20 for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world 
 are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are 
 made, even his eternal power and Godhead ; so that they 
 are without excuse : because that when they knew God, they 
 
 able version of this clause, in the judg- 
 ment of eminent interpi-eters, is, icho 
 hinder the truth by unrighteousness ; hin- 
 der it, br their unrighteous propensi- 
 ties, from producing its appropriate 
 effects, repress its legitimate influ- 
 ences. Their -wickedness prompts 
 them to disobey the truth and to make 
 it powerless. — Many of the erroneous 
 opinions of men concerning God and 
 their moral relations spring from a 
 sinful inclination. — How is tliis reve- 
 lation of God's Avrath against men's 
 umighteousness made ? The apostle 
 does not probably allude to any de- 
 clarations of God' to men in the"^ Old 
 Testament, since he is speaking of 
 the heathen. He may have reference 
 to the testimony of God in men's 
 consciences ; but more probably, to 
 the actual manifestation of his wrath 
 in giving up men to their pers-erse 
 inclinations and allowing them to in- 
 volve themselves in all the pollution 
 and misery to which idolatiy, in a 
 particular manner, leads. The illus- 
 tration of the apostle's remark by the 
 judgments with which God visited 
 idolatrous nations commences at the 
 24th verse. — The 18th verse seems 
 to be a statement applicable to all 
 men, though made with special refer- 
 ence to the heathen world who had so 
 widely departed from the truth Avhich 
 God had made accessible to all. The 
 verse contains two distinct thoughts 
 concerning men : first, that they pos- 
 sess a knowledge of religious truth ; 
 next, that they disregard it, or hinder 
 its proper influence by their wicked- 
 ness. The first of these he confirms 
 in verses 1 9 and 20 ; and the second, 
 in verses 21-23 ; the result of their 
 disregarding the tmth, namely, the 
 wrath of God, his punitive judgments, 
 he begins to unfold in the 24th verse. 
 
 19. Knowledge respecting God 
 has been given to men. — That which 
 may he known of God ; not all which 
 is capable of being known, or which 
 men are capable of receiving. The 
 expression is equiA^alent to knowledge 
 of God, concerning his existence, liis 
 relation to men as their Creator, and 
 his consequent claims on them. || Is 
 manifest in them ; in their souls. The 
 apostle speaks not of philosophers 
 merely, but of the people in general ; 
 and indicates the conviction, which 
 arises in the human soul, of the ex- 
 istence of God and of men's obliga- 
 tion to him. ]| God hath showed it unto 
 them ; by his Avorks which evince a 
 Creator, as the apostle immediately 
 explains. 
 
 20. The invisible things of him ; his 
 perfections and supremacy. These 
 are things not to be perceived l)y the 
 eye, brft to be apprehended by the 
 mind. || Fi-om the creation of the 
 world ; from the date of the creation, 
 ever since the work of creation. 
 II Are clearly seen, etc., though invisi- 
 ble, and not of a nature to come under 
 the observation of tlie eye, yet they 
 are clearly manifested to the mind, 
 being apprehended by means of God's 
 works. Compare Ps. 19 : 1. || Even 
 his etei'nal power and Godhead. Tliese 
 are the invisible things of him. His 
 eternal power is here specified as 
 manifested in creation and in the up- 
 holding of all things. Godhead, or 
 Deity, comprehends the qualities of 
 God generally wJiich are im])ressed 
 on the human mind by the work of 
 creation and providence. || So that 
 they are loithout excuse. This mnni- 
 festation of eternal power and Deity 
 leaves men without excuse for their 
 ignorance of God, and their sinful 
 indulgences. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 21 
 
 21 glorified Mm not as God, neither were thankful, but became 
 vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was dark- 
 
 22 ened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
 
 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image 
 made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed 
 beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them 
 
 24 up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts, to 
 dishonor their own bodies between themselves : who changed 
 
 25 the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the 
 creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever! 
 Amen. 
 
 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections. For 
 even their women did chancre the natural use into that which 
 
 21. The apostle next shows that 
 the unrighteousness of men led them 
 to disregard the knowledge which 
 they had of God. — Theii c/lorijied him 
 not as God, etc. ; they did not honor 
 him as the true God, nor thankfully 
 acknowledge him as the giver of 
 all good. They framed vain and silly 
 conceptions of God, refusing to admit 
 into their minds the light of truth. 
 
 22, 23. Professing themselves to he 
 unse, etc. Eeference is here had, not 
 only to the philosophers, but to the 
 educated generally among the hea- 
 then. With all their mental cultiva- 
 tion and their pretensions to wisdom, 
 they were foolish as to rehgious mat- 
 ters. The Avisdom of the world 
 proved itself folly. Compare 1 Cor. 
 1 : 21. The professedly wise, instead 
 of admiring and adoring the glory of 
 God to whose nature nothing cor- 
 ruptible, or perishable, belongs, paid 
 honors to images resembling perish- 
 able men, birds, fourfooted beasts and 
 serpents. So deeply debased had the 
 human mind at length become as to 
 rank mortal creatures among objects 
 of adoration. || Changed the glorrj, 
 etc. ; exchanged the glory of the im- 
 mortal God for an image like to 
 mortal man. — The fourfold division, 
 here given, may liave been a current 
 division of living creatures ; or, it may 
 have denoted various objects of idola- 
 try among various nations. The 
 Greeks and Romans employed images 
 
 in human form for idolatrous pur- 
 poses ; other nations, the Egyptians 
 for example, paid divine honors to 
 the other objects here mentioned. 
 
 24. The foolish views of God, 
 which the heathen had adopted, and 
 the practice of idolatry had led to 
 their appropriate results in still fur- 
 ther debasing men and making them 
 victims of shameless lewdness and 
 pollution. To this they were aban- 
 doned by the judgment of God. — 
 Idolatiy is generally connected -svith 
 gross licentiousness. 
 
 25. The debasement, to which the 
 Gentiles had been left, led the apostle 
 again to advert to the cause of their 
 having been judicially given up. — 
 Who changed the truth, etc. ; Avho ex- 
 changed the trtith concerning God 
 for a lie ; or, exchanged the true God 
 for lying vanities, for idols, paying 
 liomage to created things in prefei-- 
 ence to the Creator. || Who is 
 blessed forever ; rather, who is worthy 
 to be praised and spoken gloriously 
 of forever. — With a holy indignation 
 at the perversion which men had 
 made of God's revelation of himself 
 in the work of creation, and at the 
 pollution to which idolatry had de- 
 based them, the apostle utters an 
 ascription of praise to the living God 
 of truth and holiness. 
 
 26 — 32. A more detailed view now 
 follows of the debasement and misery 
 to Avhich the Gentiles were given up 
 
22 
 
 ROMANS, 
 
 27 is against nature : and likewise also the men, leaving the 
 natural use of the women, burned in their lust one toward 
 another ; men with men working that which is unseemly, 
 and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error 
 
 28 which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain 
 God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate 
 
 29 mind to do those things which are not convenient : being 
 filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covet- 
 ousness, maliciousness ; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, 
 
 30 malignity ; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, 
 proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to 
 
 31 parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without 
 natural affection, implacable, unmerciful : who knowing the 
 
 32 judgment of God, that they which commit such things are 
 worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in 
 them that do them. 
 
 in consequence of their forsaking the 
 true God and practising idolatry. All 
 kinds of vice sprung from the repro- 
 bate mind to which God gave them 
 up. 
 
 27. Their error; their moral error, 
 their wickedness. 
 
 28. As theij did not liliB to retain 
 God, etc. They disliked his charac- 
 ter and rejected him : he consequently 
 gave them over to a mind whieh he 
 must dislike, and left that reprobate 
 mind to the consequences of its own 
 foolish choices. || Not convenient; not 
 suitable : a delicate mode of saying 
 abominable. 
 
 29. Whisperers ; slanderers in se- 
 cret ; or, those who merely ivhisper 
 their malice. 
 
 32. Have pleasure in them that do 
 them : an additional mark of moral 
 debasement. Besides indulging in 
 practices which they know God ab- 
 
 hors, they also approve of persons 
 who indulge in the same px-actices. 
 However sinful a man may be, he 
 disapproves commonly of those who 
 indulge in the same excesses as him- 
 self. 
 
 Such was the picture of the Gen- 
 tile world. The description was not 
 intended, however, to be applicable 
 in every particular to every individual ; 
 but it was generally applicable : some 
 were chargeable with some of these 
 sins and some Avith others, while yet 
 all these sins were abundantly prac- 
 tised. Exceptions, doubtless, there 
 were ; and the apostle seems to allow, 
 in 2 : 14, 15, that some of the Gen- 
 tiles strove to obey the moral law of 
 their being. These very persons, 
 however, would be among the first to 
 acknowledge the prevailing sinfulness 
 and would be painfully conscious of 
 something wrong in tliemselves. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 Righteousness of God in his retributions to men, 1-16. Sinfulness of the' Jews, 17-24. 
 The heart, the seat of genuine piety, 25-29. 
 
 1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, man, whosoever thou 
 art, that judgest : for wherein thou judgest another, thou con- 
 deninest thyself; for thou that judgest, doest the same things. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Gentiles, it would be granted by 
 the Jews, are under condemnation, as 
 sinners. But how stands the case 
 with Jews ? If the Jews, too, not- 
 withstanding their superior advan- 
 tages, are transgressors and are guilty 
 of sins similar to those of the Gen- 
 tiles, their hope of being accepted in 
 the sight of God by virtue of their 
 being Jews and their punctilious ob- 
 servance of religious requisitions, must 
 be abandoned ; and for them, as well 
 as for Gentiles, the ground of justifi- 
 cation must be the special method 
 made known in the gospel. The 
 apostle, tlierefore, next proceeds to 
 consider the case of Jews as to the 
 question of their sinfulness and the 
 ground on which they were hoping 
 for justification. 
 
 Every Jew Avould at once pro- 
 nounce condemnation on the Gentiles 
 for the sins which had just been men- 
 tioned. The apostle, then, takes ad- 
 vantage of the judgment, which every 
 Jew would thus pass, to bring a 
 charge of inexcusable guilt on the 
 Jews themselves ; for they were guilty 
 of the same sins. He makes a direct 
 assertion of this fact ; and on the 
 strength of it prepares the way for 
 the conclusion that Jews, as well as 
 Gentiles, are under condemnation. — 
 His purpose requires him to establish 
 tlie righteousness of God in his retri- 
 butive treatment of men, whether 
 Gentiles or Jews, vs. 1-16. He then 
 exposes the i-esemblance, in point, of 
 moral conduct, of the Jews to the 
 Gentiles, 17-24; and insists on the 
 spiritual character of genuine piety, 
 25-29. 
 
 The apostle has, evidently, before 
 his mind a Jew whom he considers as 
 passing judgment on the Gentiles : 
 for he now leaves the case of the 
 Gentiles and turns to those who 
 would unite with him in condemning 
 them ; and such were the Jews, here 
 represented by an individual. He 
 does not attempt to conceal his pur- 
 pose to show that Jews, also, are in a 
 state of sin and condemnation ; for 
 he very soon distinctly mentions 
 them. He asserts at the outset that 
 the person, whom he introduces as 
 condemning the Gentiles, is doing 
 the same things. The case is not 
 stated as a hypothetical one : the posi- 
 tive assertion is made, as one which 
 cannot be questioned, that the person, 
 now in his eye, commits the same 
 deeds. He pronounces it absurd for 
 such a one to think of escaping the 
 righteous judgment of God. The 
 force of his statements consists veiy 
 much in the self-conviction which 
 would arise in the mind of such a 
 man, when he should look at the 
 naked facts and place them by the 
 side of the impartial moral principle 
 which must regulate 'the coming re- 
 tribution. 
 
 1 . Whosoever tJiou art that Judgest. 
 The original is very emphatic — 
 man, every one judging, that is, judg- 
 ing the Gentiles : thou condemnest 
 thyself; because while thou judg- 
 est those who do these things, thou 
 thyself doest the same. The apostle 
 does not say. If thou do the same 
 things, as though he were making a 
 supposition so as to gain assent to a 
 moral principle, before his purpose to 
 apply it was perceived, and then to 
 show that the Jews were actually 
 (23j 
 
24 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to 
 
 3 truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest 
 thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, 
 and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of 
 
 4 God ? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and for- 
 bearance, and long-suffering ; not knowing that the goodness 
 of God leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy hardness 
 
 5 and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against 
 the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment 
 
 chargeable with the same sins. He 
 makes the assertion as an indisputable 
 one, and applies it in proof that they 
 ■were under condemnation ; since, if 
 God did not regard them as under 
 condemnation, he would not be true 
 to his principles. — The charge here 
 made does not require for its support, 
 that precisely all and the same immo- 
 rahties and excesses should be found 
 among the Jews, as among the Gen- 
 tiles ; but that transgressions of the 
 same kind existed among them, and 
 that they were as really guilty, as the 
 Gentiles, of disregarding the will of 
 God and of doing things which Avere, 
 equally with the sinful practices of 
 Gentiles, violations of the divine law. 
 
 2. But loe are sure, etc. It is a 
 settled point with us, that the sentence 
 which God passes on those who do 
 such things accords with truth ; it is 
 a perfectly right sentence, such as a 
 true view of the case requires. In 
 this, God is faithful to his holy char- 
 acter and government. 
 
 3. And thinhest thou this, etc. 
 Thinkest thou that thou, who doest 
 the veiy things which thou condemn- 
 est in others, shalt escape the judg- 
 ment of a righteous God ? How ab- 
 sux'd ! how subversive of all justice ! 
 The Jews did virtually indulge such 
 a thought, cherishing a mistaken re- 
 liance on their descent from Abraham 
 and on the covenant of God with 
 him. Compare Matt. 3 : 7-9. Yet 
 by placing the matter on the ground 
 of common sense and conscience, the 
 apostle would show how futile was 
 such a tliought. 
 
 4. Or despisest thou, etc. Chang- 
 ing the ground from that of simple 
 justice to that of gratitude and a 
 proper use of advantages, he would 
 more fully expose the futility of the 
 Jewish view. — Thou hast, as a Jew, 
 been peculiarly favored of God, hav- 
 ing largely enjoyed his goodness and 
 foi'bearance : and dost thou overlook 
 all this goodness and the design of 
 God to lead thee, thereby, to repent- 
 ance ■? — The Jews had shown an in- 
 sensibility to their obligations and 
 slighted, so far as its real purpose 
 was concerned, the distinguishing 
 goodness of God towards them. 
 
 5. But after thy hardness, etc. 
 The apostle here urges on the Jews 
 the inevitable result of such insensi- 
 bility to the special goodness of God. 
 A day of righteous retribution will 
 come, when God will render to every 
 one according to his deeds, not accord- 
 ing to his nationality or parentage ; 
 according to his ob/if/ations, not his 
 baseless hopes. This result comes 
 from the very nature of things, and 
 from the rectitude of God's retribu- 
 tion. II Dai/ of ivrath ; the appointed 
 time when the wrath of God against 
 the wicked will be dis])layed. That 
 wrath is now threatened ; and though 
 doubts concerning it are often ex- 
 pressed, it will in due time be exe- 
 cuted. II Rei^elation of the righteous 
 judgment of God. The final judg- 
 ment is here meant, Avhich will fully 
 disclose the righteousness of God in 
 liis rejection, or his acceptance, of 
 men, respectively, according to their 
 cliaracters. 
 
CHAPTER II. 20- 
 
 6 of God, who will render to every man according to his 
 
 7 deeds : to them who by patient continuance in well doing, 
 seek for glory, and honor, and immortality : eternal life : but 
 
 8 unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, 
 
 9 but obey unrighteousness : indignation and wrath, tribulation 
 and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the 
 
 10 Jew first, and also of the Gentile : but glory, honor, and 
 peace, to every man that worketh good ; to the Jew first, and 
 
 1 1 also to the Gentile : for there is no respect of persons with 
 
 12 God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also 
 
 6-8. Who will render, etc. God 
 will, without distinction of nations 
 or regard to external circumstances, 
 render eternal life to those who 
 through persevering obedience to him 
 are seeking for future glory ; but his 
 indignation and wrath ^v-ill fall on 
 those, of whatever nation, who are 
 rebellious against him and disobey 
 the truth. || Eternal life. These 
 words are grammatically dependent 
 on the verb render. — The terms glory, 
 honor and immortality are here impres- 
 sively grouped together, as conveying 
 substantially the same idea in some- 
 what different aspects, namely, the 
 glory of heavenly perfection, the honor 
 of being approved and rewarded by 
 God, the immortal, deathless, state of 
 heaven. These are all combined in 
 eternal life. \\ Them that are conten- 
 tious ; rebellious against God. 
 
 9, 10. Tribulation, etc. A pecu- 
 liarly solemn repetition of the same 
 great truth, with the distinct declara- 
 tion that it is applicable both to Jews 
 and to Gentiles : utter misery on the 
 doers of evil, glory and bUss for the 
 doers of good, whether Jews or Gen- 
 tiles. Yet to the Jew first, because he 
 had pre-eminence above the Gentiles 
 in being favored with a revelation 
 from God. — The word first here sets 
 before the mind the Jews and the 
 Gentiles respectively, as two com- 
 munities : of these, the Jews had 
 been the more higlily favored as to 
 moral advantages and might there- 
 fore be regarded as first to be dealt 
 with, whether for reward or for pun- 
 3 
 
 ishment. Compare 1 : 16. In the 
 verse before us. as in 1 : 16, the origi- 
 nal has the word which means Greek; 
 but it is obviously equivalent to Gen- 
 tile. The xery extensive spread of 
 the Greek language and customs in 
 the apostle's time accounts for this 
 comprehensive use of the word. 
 
 1 1 . For there is no respect of per- 
 sons, etc. The ground of this disre- 
 gard of the outward distinction be- 
 tween Jew and Gentile in men's final 
 award, is the impartiality of God : 
 he does not respect persons in judg- 
 ment, but looks at the heart and the 
 deeds. 
 
 12. For as many as have sinned, 
 etc. In confirmation of the truth 
 that God has no respect of persons, 
 or is not partial, in judgment, and 
 that he treats men according to the 
 demands of right, Avithout favorit- 
 ism, the apostle afiirms that God, in 
 passing judgment on those who have 
 sinned, will treat them according to 
 the degree of light which they have 
 had : those who have sinned Avithout 
 the advantage of the revealed law, 
 or the revelation from heaven by 
 Moses, making known the will of 
 God, Avill not be condemned by that 
 law ; though they will perish, their 
 doom will not proceed from that law, 
 and will not have the aggravations 
 which Avill be felt by those wlio have 
 sinned, and Avho perish notwithstand- 
 ing their possession of the law : but 
 those who, possessing that law, have 
 lived in sin, will be condemned by it 
 Thus it is not as Gentiles that any 
 
26 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 perish without law: and as many as liave sinned in the law, 
 
 13 shall be judged by the law, (for not the hearers of the hiw 
 are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justi- 
 
 14 fied. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by 
 nature the things contained in the law, these having not the 
 law, are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the 
 
 15 law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing wit- 
 ness, and their thoughts the mean Avhile accusing, or else ex- 
 
 will be rejected, but as sinners, whe- 
 ther Jews or Gentiles, and their 
 doom, respectively, will accord with 
 the measure of light which they had. 
 As the apostle had the case of Jews 
 and Gentiles before his mind, it seems 
 most congruous to regard him as re- 
 feiTing particularly to the revelation 
 made to tlie Jews, that is, to the 
 Mosaic law, or the Mosaic religious 
 institute. A general principle is, 
 of course, involved Avhich will apply 
 in all parallel cases. 
 
 13. For not the hearers, etc. As 
 illustrating and sustaining the idea, 
 that the possession of the law, or the 
 religious institution, which God had 
 revealed, will not secure acceptance 
 with God, the apostle suggests the 
 thought that, in order to attain tlie 
 blessings wliich the law promised, it 
 was not sufficient to liave the law 
 and to know its directions ; but it 
 was necessary to obey it : not those 
 who merely hear the law are held as 
 righteous before God, but those who 
 obey it. The apostle is here stating 
 a universal principle as to the claims 
 of a law, or a i-eligious institution, 
 and the condition on which those 
 who have it may, by means of it, be 
 held and treated as i-ighteous ; name- 
 ly, obeying it. This holds true both 
 in respect to a legal institution and 
 in respect to the gospel. Each re- 
 quires obedience in order to salvation. 
 A law must be obeyed, if those who 
 have it would be saved by it; the 
 revelation in the Old Testament must 
 be obeved, if those who have it would 
 be saved by it ; the gospel must be 
 obeyed, if those who have it would 
 be saved by it. It was not, however, 
 
 in this connection, the apostle's pur- 
 pose to state the evangelical princi- 
 ple of salvation, in distinction from 
 the legal. 
 
 14, 15. For when the Gentiles, etc. 
 That not mere knowledge of the 
 written law is sufficient to secure its 
 blessings, but that compliance with 
 its demands is requisite, and that any 
 who obey the degree of moral light 
 which lias been given them will en- 
 joy the blessings of obedience to the 
 law, is obvious from the fact, that 
 even the Gentiles, who have not the 
 law, but, by the force of natural reason 
 and conscience, act in harmony with 
 the law, do yet possess a law as really 
 as the Jews, though not to the same 
 extent : they feel the influence and 
 enjoy tlie benefits of a law. They 
 are, through the divine constitution 
 of man's nature, a law to themselves ; 
 they have a law Avrittcn on their 
 hearts. This is manifest from their 
 having within them a consciousness 
 of self-approval, or of self-condem- 
 nation, according as they have obey- 
 ed, or violated, the inward law, the 
 law of their moral nature. It is evi- 
 dently, then, the duers of the law of 
 God who enjoy its blessings, and not 
 merely the hearers of it : so far as the 
 heathen do, by nature, the things 
 which it enjoins, they enjoy its bless- 
 ings as well as do those Jews who 
 obey. Thus it is not the Jews alone, 
 who have a law ; the Gentiles also 
 have the same law essentially, and 
 are a law to themselves, though tliey 
 know not Moses as a lawgiver. — The 
 impartiality of God is thus manifest 
 in judging men either by the written 
 law, or by the inward unwi-itten law, 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 n 
 
 16 cusing one another;) in the day when God shall judge the 
 secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. 
 
 17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and 
 makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and appro vest 
 
 according as they have had the one, 
 or only the other. That the requisi- 
 tions of the divine law are inscribed 
 on the Gentiles' hearts, and thus that 
 they liave a law, is evident ; since 
 their conscience bears a joint testi- 
 mony with that law, and their reflec- 
 tions on their deeds cither accuse 
 them of guilt, or defend them against 
 the suspicion of guilt : their thoughts 
 incline this way and that, accusing 
 and excusing, according as con- 
 science disapproves, or allows. — The 
 idea of a contest among the thoughts 
 of the heathen may also be conveyed 
 by the apostle ; their thoughts, or 
 reasonings, alternately accusing, or 
 defending, according as conscience, 
 or as inclination, prevails. || By 
 nature ; that is, by the light of natural 
 reason and the impulse of conscience, 
 the higher principles of our nature. 
 It may not be amiss to remark, that 
 while, in the case here stated by the 
 apostle, nature, that is, natural reason 
 and conscience, prompts to obedience, 
 in the case stated in Eph. 2 : 3 na- 
 ture, that is, natural inclination, 
 prompts to disobedience. || The loork 
 of the law ; that which the law re- 
 quires ; an expression of the same im- 
 port as the things contained in the law. 
 
 16. Li the day, etc. This verse 
 is to be connected, in sense, with the 
 12th, as an addition to the thought 
 there expressed. || Secrets ; the se- 
 cret acts, the purposes and affections 
 of men. These are all open and 
 naked to the sight of God : deeds 
 both open and concealed, purposes 
 and feelings, Avill be brought into 
 judgment. Thus the extent, tlie 
 strictness, and the exact justice of 
 the final sentence are indicated. 
 II According to my gospel ; the gospel 
 which I preacJi. In this clause, refer- 
 ence is particularly had to the state- 
 ment which precedes it, that the judg- 
 
 ment will be conducted by Christ. 
 Compare Matt. 25 : 31-4G. John 5 : 
 22. 2 Cor. 5: 10. 
 
 17-29. Having thus shown the 
 impartiality of God in his judgment 
 of men, whether Jews or Gentiles, 
 the apostle now returns to the asser- 
 tion which he had made concerning 
 the Jews, that they did the things 
 which they condemned in the Gen- 
 tiles. In order to give this the greater 
 effect, he reminds them of the emi- 
 nent moral position in which they re- 
 garded themselves as standing, and 
 of their superiority in point of reli- 
 gious knowledge. He then, by a 
 series of pertinent questions, appeals 
 to their own consciousness, and to 
 their lives, as bearing testimony to 
 that assertion and showing liow sin- 
 gularly inconsistent and inexcusable 
 were their sins. Without designing 
 to intimate that it was of no benefit to 
 be a Jew, he proceeds to ailirm that 
 their boasted privileges, having been 
 abused, are of no avail in securing 
 eternal life, and that only genuine up- 
 rightness of heart towards God will 
 be accepted by him. 
 
 17. Thou' art called a Jew; thou 
 bearest the name of Jew. To be a 
 Jew was to have the honor of belong- 
 ing to the descendants of Abraham, 
 the favored race, distinguished from 
 the corrupt Gentile Avorld, by privi- 
 leges which God had bestowed. 
 li Restest in the law ; coufidest in the 
 law, the religious system given by 
 God through Moses ; trustest in that, 
 as an assurance of the divine favor. 
 The Jews prided themselves on their 
 possessing tlie religion:? institution 
 which God had revealed, as well as 
 on their knowledge of God and their 
 relation to him as his people. || Mak- 
 est thy boast of God ; boastest of God 
 as specially pledged to bless and save 
 Jews. 
 
28 
 
 ROMANS, 
 
 18 the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of 
 
 19 the law, and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of 
 
 20 the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor 
 of the foolish, a teacher of babes, w^hich hast the form of 
 
 21 knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which 
 teachest another, teachest thou not thyself ? thou that preach- 
 
 22 est, a man should not steal, dost thou steal ? thou that sayest, 
 a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adul- 
 tery ? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege ? 
 
 18. Knoivest his loill ; the will of 
 God as communicated in the Old 
 Testament. || Approvest the things 
 that are more excellent; or, as some 
 translate, triest things that differ, or 
 distinguishest between things that differ; 
 that is, makest moral distinctions 
 more exactly than other people, dis- 
 criminating between what it is proper 
 and what it is not proper to do, be- 
 tween what is pleasing and what is 
 displeasing to God. The ground of 
 the ability to discriminate is, that a 
 Jew is instructed out of the law of God. 
 Great care was taken to instruct Jew- 
 ish children in all the peculiarities of 
 the nation, as to history and religion; 
 and provision was made by the occur- 
 rence of festivals and the religious 
 exercises connected with them, as 
 well as by more private methods, and 
 by frequent religious acts, personal, 
 domestic and public, to keep the peo- 
 ple acquainted with the divine deal- 
 ings and requisitions. 
 
 19, 20. And art confident, etc. 
 The Jews took not a little pride in 
 comparing themselves with Gentiles, 
 in respect to religion. They regarded 
 the Gentiles, in comparison with 
 themselves, as blind, in darkness, 
 mere children, and fools : but they 
 had, in their law, knowledge and 
 tnith respecting God brought into 
 form and system ; their law was the 
 embodiment of religious knowledge 
 and truth. 
 
 21, 22. Thus faA^orably siUiated, 
 according to their own acknowledg- 
 ment, and in their own esteem, what, 
 notwithstanding, was the fact in re- 
 gard to their conduct ? — Teachest 
 
 thou not thyself'? They failed rightly 
 to apprehend and to learn for them- 
 selves the instructions of which they 
 boasted. Enjoining on others the 
 prohibition to steal, they were them- 
 selves guilty of stealing. So in the 
 case of adultery and kindred sins. 
 II Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou 
 commit sacrilege ? The fundamental 
 idea in this inquiiy is not perfectly 
 obvious. As robbing from sacred 
 places of articles belonging to them 
 was a form of sacrilege, some sup- 
 pose the apostle here charges on the 
 Jews the commission of sacrilege by 
 robbing God of what belonged to 
 him, namely, requisite honor and 
 obedience. The worship of idols 
 detracted from the honor of the name 
 of God, and was therefore abhoiTcd 
 by the Jews ; yet they themselves 
 grossly detracted from that honor. 
 Others explain the question more 
 literally : they suppose that Jews 
 were in the habit of visiting idolatrous 
 temples and purloining valuable arti- 
 cles which had been left there in 
 honor of the gods of those temples : 
 thus, though they professed to abhor 
 idols, they would gladly visit idol 
 temples and commit sacrilege, turn- 
 ing idolatry to their personal account 
 and cherishing a secret pleasure in 
 idolatry. — This latter vicAv of the 
 passage seems most in harmony with 
 the connected passages ; since they 
 present actual contrasts. It would 
 be more satisfiictory, however, if his- 
 torical evidence could be found that 
 Jews did, sometimes, at least, visit 
 idolatrous temples for such a pur- 
 pose. In favor of this view, it is tc 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 29 
 
 23 thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the 
 law dishonorest thou God ? For the name of God is blas- 
 
 24 phemed among the Gentiles through you ; as it is written. 
 
 25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law ; 
 but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made 
 
 26 uncircumcision. Therefore, if the uncircumcision keep the 
 righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be 
 
 27 counted for circumcision ? And shall not uncircumcision 
 which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by 
 
 28 the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law ? For he 
 
 be said that the expression, robbers of 
 churches, more correctly, robbers of 
 temples, is given as the translation of 
 the kindred noun in the only passage 
 of the New Testament where it oc- 
 curs. Acts 19 : 37. It is also worthy 
 of notice that one of the laws of 
 Moses, Deut. 7 : 25, prohibits taking 
 off from idols the silver and gold 
 which might be found on them. 
 This implies that in the days of 
 Moses the Jews were exposed to the 
 temptation of appropriating to them- 
 selves such treasures ; and though 
 this prohibition may have had re- 
 spect to idols which had in some way 
 fallen into their possession, yet in 
 subsequent times purloining* from 
 idol-temples may have been pi*ac- 
 tised, Josephus in his Antiquities 
 of the Jews, iv. 8. 10. gives, as one 
 of the regulations of Moses, the fol- 
 lowing : — " Xor may any one steal 
 what belongs to strange temples ; 
 nor take away the gifts that are dedi- 
 cated to any god ; " a prohibition, 
 which whether rightly traced to Moses 
 or not, implies the existence of the 
 practice which it forbids. 
 
 23, 24. Thou that makest thy boast 
 of the law, etc. Though they made a 
 boast of possessing the revealed law 
 of God, yet they dishonored him by 
 their notorious transgressions of it, 
 and virtually exemplitied a declara- 
 tion in their own scriptures. Is. 52 : 5, 
 that by their vices the name of God 
 was reviled among the heathen. — 
 This quotation is taken from the 
 Greek translation of the Hebrew 
 3* 
 
 scriptures, so much in use among the 
 Jews in the apostle's days, and is 
 specially applicable to his purpose 
 by the verbal addition made in that 
 translation. 
 
 It was not necessary for the apostle 
 to enter with greater detail on the 
 evidence of his position, that the 
 Jews did the same things as the Gen- 
 tiles. By a few comprehensive ques- 
 tions, he could awaken attention and 
 give a right direction to the reflec- 
 tions of the considerate. Enough 
 was said to produce conviction that 
 the Jews were sinners, as well as the 
 Gentiles. 
 
 25-27. For circumcision verily 
 profiteth, etc. The Jews placed great 
 reliance on circumcision, as the sign 
 of their being in covenant with God. 
 The apostle now wished to forestall 
 an objection which Avould arise in the 
 mind of a Jew ; namely, that he 
 made no account of this ordinance 
 and that, according to his view, it 
 was of no advantage to be a Jew. 
 He affirms, that circumcision in itself 
 is of no avail ; it must, in order to 
 be of efficacy in securing the favor 
 of God, be connected with a spiritual 
 obedience to the religious institute 
 which enjoined it. The requisitions 
 of God have respect to the spirit of 
 man : his heart must be right, in 
 order that he may be accepted of 
 God. A JcAv who should live in 
 violation of the religious temper en- 
 joined in his scriptures might just as 
 well be a Gentile, so far as possession 
 of the divine favor is concerned. If 
 
ao 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 is not a Jew, which is one outwardly : neither is that circum- 
 29 cision, which is outward in the flesh ; but he is a Jew, which 
 is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the 
 spirit, and not in the letter : whose praise is not of men, but 
 of God. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Objections, or queries, in regard to the alleged sinfulness of the Jews, 1-8. Testimony of 
 the Jewish scriptures to the sinfulness of Jews and Gentiles, 9-18. The righteous prin- 
 ciple which God observes in his treatment of men, and the impossibility of any man's 
 being justified through a legal obedience, 19, 20. The righteousness which is available 
 to men's justification, 21-26. The boasting of the Jews inadmissible, 27-30; yet tho 
 law not invalidated by faith, 31. 
 
 a Gentile have an obedient spirit, 
 he will receive from God as favorable 
 treatment as if he were a Jew ; and 
 though uncircumcised and having 
 no outwai-d sign of a covenant-rela- 
 tion to God, his obedience would con- 
 demn the Jew who, favored with the 
 written law and being circumcised, 
 should live in transgression of the 
 law. In other words, circumcision 
 merely and the mere possession of 
 the law of God, or of the system of 
 religion revealed by him, are of no 
 account in his sight. He requires an 
 obedient spirit, inward piety. 
 
 28, 29. For he is not a Jeio, etc. 
 The ground of the view that God 
 accepts a pious Gentile and rejects a 
 disobedient Jew is, that a genuine 
 Jew, one whom God will acknowl- 
 edge as such, is a Jew in heart ; and 
 circumcision, to be acceptable, must 
 be inwai'd, that of the spirit. Compare 
 Deut. 10: 16. Jer. 4 : 4. The ex- 
 ternal obedience presupposes a con-e- 
 sponding temper of heart, conformed 
 to the divine will. God looks not on 
 the outward appearance, but on the 
 heart : not what man praises has true 
 worth, but what God approves. 
 II Circumcision is that of the heaii, in 
 the spirit, not in the letter ; spiritual 
 circumcision, the obedience of the 
 heart, not merely an outward com- 
 pliance with a written precept ; but 
 inward, as is the spirit of a man, not 
 a mere outward thing, as is the let- 
 
 ter of a law, or a wi'itten precept. 
 II Whose praise : the word ivhose re- 
 lates here, according to the original, 
 to the word Jeic, The thouglit of 
 the apostle, however, is equally ap- 
 plicable to circumcision, and, of 
 course, to any act of outward obedi- 
 ence. — These spiritual views of reli- 
 gion, though harmonious with those 
 presented in various parts of the Old 
 Testament, had been greatly over- 
 looked, and had nearly, or quite, 
 faded away from the Jewish mind. 
 Religion had become a matter of 
 form and ceremony : and yet the 
 Jews relied on this external religion 
 with an assurance that it would avail 
 to their salvation. The apostle di- 
 rectly and earnestly assailed the pride 
 of the Jews in their external fonnal 
 religion, and made prominent the 
 nature of true religion, as spiritual, 
 and quite independent of circumci- 
 sion, or any mere ritual observances. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The apostle had distinctly denied 
 to the Jew, as such, any moral pre- 
 eminence above the Gentile : the one 
 was a sinner as Avell as the other. 
 This view, placing both Gentiles and 
 Jews on a common level, as to the 
 fact of being sinners, and asserting 
 the uselessness, for acceptance with 
 God, of the external observance of 
 circumcision, would naturally raise 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 31 
 
 objections in the minds of Jews, since 
 it was so different from the view then 
 prevalent among them. Before he 
 closes up, therefore, his argument in 
 proof of the sinfulness of the Jews 
 and presents the inference resulting 
 from it in regard to justification, he 
 pauses in order to remove such ob- 
 jections. 
 
 We need not conceive of the apos- 
 tle as introducing an objector and 
 conducting a dialogue with him : he 
 rather, as he knew the Jewish mind, 
 states substantially what a Jew might 
 be expected to say. The queries 
 proposed are founded on external 
 views of religion, and on an abuse of 
 the covenant relation in which God 
 had stood to the Jewish people. The 
 chief question is, Of Avhat advan- 
 tage, then, is it to be a Jew rather 
 than a Gentile 1 The reply to this 
 suggested another queiy concerning 
 the faithfulness of God to his engage- 
 ments : and the reply to this latter 
 suggested, in its turn, another con- 
 cerning the justice of God, should he 
 inflict wrath on the Jews. The reply 
 to this is followed by another query 
 wliich calls in question the rightful- 
 ness of condemning an unfaithful 
 Jew, as if he were to be classed with 
 ordinary sinners, or with Gentile sin- 
 ners. Vs. 1-8. 
 
 Declai:ations of the Jewish scrip- 
 tures are next adduced to confirm the 
 charge that both Jews and Gentiles 
 are sinners, 9-18, and the righteous 
 principle which regulates the judicial 
 retributions of God is stated, as also 
 the conclusion, that no man can be 
 justified through the law, 19, 20. — 
 The righteousness Avhieh is available 
 with God for justification is then an- 
 nounced, and the ground of it ex- 
 hibited, 21-25. — The boasting in 
 which the Jews indulged is shown to 
 be baseless, 27-30 ; yet the law is not 
 invalidated by faith, 31. 
 
 In order to apprehend the import 
 of the objections, i-ather cavils, pre- 
 sented and disposed of in verses 1-8, 
 we must consider, that tlie Jews had 
 come to regard the promises of divine 
 i'avor and eternal life to the posterity 
 
 of Abraham as dependent on their 
 observance of circumcision, particu- 
 larly, and of the other prescriptions 
 of the Mosaic ritual ; but these prom- 
 ises they held to be otherwise uncon- 
 ditional, so that they would be, of 
 course, fulfilled to all Jews whether 
 faithful, or not, to the spiritual requi- 
 sitions of the Mosaic religion. It 
 was the privilege of a Jew, they 
 thought, to be one of the chosen peo- 
 ple of God and hence to be interested 
 in divine promises which would not 
 fail : Jews, therefore, were not to be 
 treated, in the divine administration, 
 like Gentiles, whom they branded 
 with the name of sinners. Compare 
 Matt. 3 : 9. John 8 : 33-40. Rom. 
 2: 17. 9:4. They could not rid 
 themselves of the thought that, if 
 they were circumcised, it would be 
 unjust in God to withhold from them 
 eternal life and to treat them as he 
 would uncircumcised sinners of the 
 Gentiles : though Jews should be 
 unfaithful, still ' God would in all 
 faithfulness fulfil his part of the 
 covenant engagements and bestow 
 eternal life ; the righteousness and 
 veracity of God would even become 
 more glorious by his being constant 
 to his covenant and blessing his cho- 
 sen people, though they should be 
 unrighteous and false. The profane 
 thought, even, was cherished that, 
 even though they should be unright- 
 eous and fiilse, God would not have 
 fair ground for proceeding against 
 them as sinners, since by adhering to 
 his engagements he would have the 
 benefit of more signally illustrating 
 his righteousness and veracity : he 
 would by this glorifying of himself 
 not only have an ample equivalent, 
 on his side, for their unfaithfulness, 
 but even be seen in a more advan- 
 tageous light. They flattered them- 
 selves that they had a regard for the 
 honor of God and seemed to cherish 
 a fear that, by refusing to them eter- 
 nal life, he Avould impair his own 
 gloiy. Thus even their acknowledged 
 ■wickedness furnished them an ad'U- 
 tional ground for presumption. 
 
ROMANS 
 
 1 What advantage then hath the Jew ? or what profit is 
 
 2 there of circumcision ? Much, every way : chiefly, because 
 
 3 that unto them were committed the oracles of God. 
 
 For what if some did not believe ? shall their unbelief 
 
 4 make the faith of God without effect? God forbid : yea, let 
 God be true, but every man a liar ; as it is written, That 
 thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest over- 
 come when thou art judged. 
 
 1. What advantage, then, hath the 
 Jew, etc. This is the language of 
 objection. — Wherein, then, is the 
 Jew more favorably situated than the 
 Gentile ? And what is the profit of 
 circumcision'? The former of the 
 two questions is the main one, and 
 that which receives an answer : the 
 second is subordinate, and did not 
 require immediate attention. The 
 apostle had, indeed, explicitly avow- 
 ed, 2 : 25-29, the utter inefficacy, for 
 acceptance with God, of outward 
 ch'cumcision. 
 
 2. Much, every way; much, in 
 every respect pertaining to religion. 
 In what pertained to religion, a Jew 
 was fai* more favorably situated than 
 a Gentile. || Chiefly, etc. The chief 
 point of advantage was, that the Jews 
 were entrusted with the oracles of 
 God; that is, his promises to Abra- 
 ham and the other patriarchs, and all 
 the revelations of the divine will 
 through Moses and the prophets. 
 
 3. For ichat if some did not believe? 
 Another objection to the apostle's 
 views is here introduced. — Some 
 editions of the Greek Testament 
 j)unctuate this verse diiferently from 
 the mode adopted in our version : 
 the Avords believe, unbelief, faith, also, 
 do not convey the original idea. The 
 verse may be thus rendered : — For 
 what? If some have been unfaithful, 
 will their unfaithfulness make void the 
 faithfulness of God? — Jews, gen- 
 erally, indulged the thought that God 
 was pledged, by his engagement with 
 Abraliam, to bless them. Hence the 
 query, Though some of the Jews 
 have proved faithless, will their faith- 
 lessness to their obligations destroy 
 the faithfulness of God to his proni- 
 
 ises 1 Though we are sinners, will 
 God be faithless to his engage- 
 ments ? 
 
 4. God forbid. These words are 
 not a literal rendering of the original ; 
 but seem to have been adopted by 
 the translators as expressive of the 
 pious decision with which the apostle 
 would repel the cavilling queiy. A 
 literal rendering Avould be. Let it not 
 be : an expression strongly indicative 
 of aversion and showing how abhor- 
 rent the apostle regarded the query 
 to every right feeling. In replying, 
 then, to the thought advanced in ob- 
 jection to his view, Paul repels with 
 abhorrence the insinuation, that God 
 would be faithless should he not save 
 the Jews ; and at the same time, by 
 a quotation from their own scrip- 
 tures, maintains that in condemning 
 the unfaithful, God would be ac- 
 knowledged to be just. II Yea, let 
 God be true, etc. So far from calling 
 in question the faithfulness of God, 
 let us hold it as a fixed principle, 
 never to be surrendered, that God is 
 true, of unimpeachable veracity, 
 though every man should prove false, 
 faithless to his engagements. || As 
 it is written, etc. The sentiment just 
 expressed is confirmed by a quota- 
 tion from Ps. 51 : 4, to the effect that 
 God will be proved- righteous in all 
 his declarations, that, were his deal- 
 ings brought under a judicial exam- 
 ination, he would gain the cause and 
 be pronounced just. — Tlie quotation 
 from the Greek translation of tlie 
 Hebrew scriptures is verbally diflei'- 
 ent from the original in the Old Tes- 
 tament, but is apposite to the pur- 
 pose of showing that God will inva- 
 riably be found just and true: i( 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 SB 
 
 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of 
 God, what shall we say ? Is God unrighteous who taketh 
 vengeance ? (I speak as a man.) God forbid : for then how 
 shall God judge the world ? 
 
 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my 
 lie unto his glory ; why yet am I also judged as a sinner ? 
 
 conveys, also, the thought that, in 
 such a trial, God would not only be 
 cleared, but that his righteous char- 
 acter would be triun^phantly dis- 
 played. 
 
 5. Another objection is brought 
 against the sentiment that Jews, as 
 well as Gentiles, might be objects of 
 divine wrath. It is grounded on a 
 professed regard for the glory of God 
 and on the assumption, that his right- 
 eousness would be impaired should 
 he inflict wrath on the Jews. The 
 pui*port of it is. If the unrighteous- 
 ness of the Jews occasion to God the 
 advantage of signally glorifying him- 
 self as righteous in adhering, not- 
 withstanding their unrighteousness, 
 to his covenant engagements and in 
 blessing them, will God be unright- 
 eous and, instead of bestowing on 
 them eternal life, inflict Avrath on 
 themi — If our unrighteousness com- 
 mend, etc. ; if our unrighteousness set 
 forth in a favorable light the right- 
 eousness, or justice, of God. — The 
 words righteousness of God, being 
 here contrasted with our unrighteous- 
 ness, mean the personal righteous- 
 ness of God, and correspond to the 
 expression in the preceding verse 
 that thou mightest he justified, or shown 
 to be just. II Is God unrighteous, etc. 
 Is God, or will God be, unrigliteous 
 and inflict wrath, instead of bestow- 
 ing on us eternal life and thus glori- 
 fying his righteousness in keeping his 
 covenant? || Taketh vengeance; lit- 
 erally, inficteth icrath. \\ I speak as 
 a man. Tlie query was not at all 
 expressive of the apostle's own mind : 
 he spoke as personating anotlier, or, 
 as some man miglit think and speak. 
 
 6. For then how shall God judqe 
 the world? The tliought, that God 
 is unrighteous, would be inconsistent 
 
 with the belief held among the Jews, 
 that God is to judge the world. The 
 Judge of the world must discriminate 
 in regard to the characters and de- 
 serts of men ; and thus the acknowl- 
 edged truth, that God is to judge the 
 world, involves the idea of his per- 
 sonal justice. 
 
 7. The cavilling objector propo- 
 ses another queiy, similar to the one 
 just disposed of, an illustration, in- 
 deed, of it, but carried to a greater 
 length : If the veracity of God in 
 adhex'ing to his engagements be, 
 through my falseness, more abun- 
 dantly glorified, why am I also, a 
 Jew whom God has engaged to bless 
 and by blessing whom, though I be 
 fiilse to my engagements, he may so 
 much the more glorify his veracity, 
 why am I also, like the sinful Gen- 
 tile world, brouglit to trial as a sin- 
 ner ? God would glorify his veracity 
 by bestowing eternal life on me, 
 though false to my engagements, and 
 even by occasion of my falseness : 
 why then, notwithstanding this ad- 
 vantage to himself, am I brought to 
 trial as a sinner ? — The truth of 
 God; the truthfulness, or veracity, 
 of God. II Ml/ lie; my falsehood to 
 God, my falseness, faithlessness. 
 II Why yet am I also judged, etc. The 
 word also seems to refer to other per- 
 sons who are expected to be brought 
 to judgment ; and it may have a 
 refei-ence to the thought, in the pre- 
 ceding verse, that God is to judge the 
 icoiid, since by tliis term tlie Jews 
 meant, more particularly, the Gentile 
 Avorld, and some of them seem to 
 have believed that the judgment was 
 designed solely for the Gentiles. 
 The query of the objector may be 
 thus presented : Why am even I, as 
 if a sinner of the Gentiles, or as a 
 
34 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 8 And not rather (as we be slanderously reported, and as some 
 affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? 
 whose damnation is just. 
 
 9 What then ? are we better than they ? No, in no wise : 
 for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they 
 
 1 are all under sin ; as it is written, There is none righteous, no 
 
 11 not one : there is none that understandeth, there is none that 
 
 12 seeketh after God, they are all gone out of the way, they are 
 together become unprofitable : there is none that doeth good, 
 
 sinner, like the Gentile world, still 
 held to trial ? 
 
 8. This verse contains the reply- 
 to the question in the seventh. The 
 apostle seems to interrupt the cavil- 
 ler, and bring him on a siidden to 
 consider the extreme to which he had 
 gone; as if the apostle had said, 
 'And not rather say (as ive are slan- 
 derously reported and as some affirm 
 that we say), Let us do evil that good 
 may come ! Shall we say that ? ' — 
 The original may be variously ren- 
 dered : thus, And shall we say (as 
 . . . some affirm that we say), that we 
 may do evil that good may come ? — 
 or thus, And, let us not do (as . . . some 
 affirm we say we may do) evil that 
 good may come. || We be slander- 
 oushj reported, etc. Doubtless some 
 of Paul's opponents had made such 
 an affirmation concerning him, abus- 
 ing perhaps some of his avowed sen- 
 timents, and drawing from them un- 
 authorized inferences. The senti- 
 ment which occurs in this epistle, 5 : 
 20, Where sin abounded grace did 
 much more abound, may exemplify 
 the class of thoughts which his ad- 
 versaries thus abused. || Whose 
 damnation is just. This is affinned 
 of those who act on the principle of 
 doing evil that good may come ; not 
 of those who reviled the apostle. 
 Those who act thus, he solemnly 
 affirms, will meet with a righteous 
 condemnation. 
 
 9-18. Having shown what ad- 
 vantage the Jew had over the Gen- 
 tile, and disposed of the questionings 
 which a Jew would suggest in oppo- 
 fiition to the sentiment that he, like 
 
 any sinner, was exposed to the 
 wrath of God, the apostle now puts 
 directly the question, whether Jews 
 were better than Gentiles, as to the 
 fact of being sinners. This was, in 
 truth, the point to which he had been 
 steadily looking. He denies that 
 Jews are, at all, better than Gentiles 
 in this respect : they arc both under 
 sin, as he had already, in 1 : 18-32. 
 2 : 1-29, charged on them. His 
 charge, he proceeds to show, is in 
 harmony with the Jewish scriptures 
 themselves. — This argument from 
 the Jewish sci-ipturcs, doubtless, had 
 special reference to the case of the 
 Jews, since no one had doubts wheth- 
 er the Gentiles were sinners, while 
 yet the passages speak in general 
 terms, and are evidently produced in 
 support of the charge that Jews and 
 Gentiles are all under sin. 
 
 9. What then, etc. What are we 
 to conclude respecting the Jews ? 
 Are we better than the Gentiles as to 
 the fact of being sinners 1 Not at 
 all : the Jews, as well as the Gen- 
 tiles, are sinners and exposed to the 
 penalty of sin. 1| For ice have before 
 proved ; more correctly, We have be- 
 fore brought the charge. 
 
 10-18. As it is written, etc. The 
 apostle now produces passages from 
 the Old Testament fortifying the 
 charge which he had made ; Ps. 14 : 
 1-3. Ps. 5: 9. Ps. 140: 3. Ps. 
 10: 7. Is. 59: 7, 8. Ps. 36: 1.— 
 II They are together beco)iie nnprof ta- 
 ble; a mild ifbrm of saying, They 
 are abominable, fit only to be re- 
 jected. II Their throat is an open 
 sepulchre. 'They send forth moraJ 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 35 
 
 13 no, not one : their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their 
 tongues the J have used deceit ; the poison of asps is under 
 
 14 their lips : whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. 
 
 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood ; destruction and miserj 
 
 17 are in their ways ; and the way of peace have they not 
 
 18 known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. 
 
 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it 
 saith to them who are under the law ; that every mouth may 
 be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 
 
 20 Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be 
 justified in his sight: for by the law u the knowledge of 
 sin. 
 
 defilement, as an opened tomb emits 
 noisomeness. — As in the case of the 
 Gentiles, so here, the apostle's lan- 
 guage docs not require, for its verifi- 
 cation, that every Jew should have 
 been guilty of each of these kinds of 
 sin. It is enough, that the JcAvish 
 world could be thus described ; that 
 some committed one class of sins and 
 others another, while no individual 
 was able to escape from the charge 
 of being a sinner : the more tender 
 any one's conscience and the clearer 
 his understanding of the law of God, 
 the more ready would he be to ac- 
 knowledge himself a sinner. 
 
 19. Having shown the sinfulness 
 of both Jews and Gentiles, the apos- 
 tle states anew the principle, which 
 he had already exhibited, in 2: 11- 
 16, conceiTiing the condemnation of 
 sinners and the award which will be 
 measured out to them ; namely, that 
 these will be regulated by their pos- 
 session, or their lack, of the written 
 law of God. — Now we know that 
 what tliimis soever, etc. It is a settled 
 point with us, that the law is of force 
 to those who are under it, those who 
 have it. Those who have the written 
 law of God will be judged by it; 
 those wlio have it not will not be 
 judged by it : it does not speak to 
 them. II That every mouth may he 
 stopped, etc. ; so that eveiy sinner 
 may feel the justice of his doom, and 
 the whole world, Jewish and Gentile, 
 being dinners, may be adjudged 
 
 guilty in the sight of God; guilty, 
 severally, according to a just esti- 
 mate of advantages, and of disad- 
 vantages, for knowing the will of 
 God. 
 
 20. Therefore by the deeds of the 
 lav), etc. Since all men, those under 
 the law as well as others, are sinners, 
 it follows that no man can be justi- 
 fied, or treated as righteous, by deeds 
 of the law : all hope, that any human 
 being ban be justified by deeds of the 
 law, is cut off ; for by the law is the 
 knowledge of sin; the law is effica- 
 cious only in awakening a sense of 
 sinfulness in those who possess the 
 law. The law of God making 
 known his will leads to the convic- 
 tion that we are transgressors. Thus 
 the possibility of being justified by 
 the law is absolutely negatived. — 
 As the apostle has Jews particularly 
 in his mind, the law is to be taken in 
 its whole extent, both ceremonial and 
 moral, for to a Jew the distinction 
 between the moral law and the cere- 
 monial was of no account. Judaism, 
 or the Mosaic religion, consisted of 
 the entire code of divine prescriptions 
 given through Moses, 'relative to 
 ritual services as well as to the affec- 
 tions of the heart; and t\\Q outward 
 was regarded by Jews in general as 
 equally important, at least, with the 
 inward, since the whole rested on 
 divine command. Every precept of 
 the law was a demand for pious obe- 
 dience, and every compliance with 
 
56^ 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is man- 
 ifested, being witnessed by tlie law and the prophets ; even 
 
 22 the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ 
 
 the law was held as an act of obedi- 
 ence to a divine command. The 
 performance of a required ceremony 
 was, in a Jew's esteem, a pious act, 
 an instance of obedience to God, as 
 well as any personal, or social, vir- 
 tue. Tlie apostle, then, covers the 
 whole ground ; he presents, also, a 
 conclusion, which is as wide spread- 
 ing as law itself, in reference to the 
 human family. 
 
 21-26. The apostle now asserts 
 that while justification cannot result 
 from the law, since the law produces 
 only the consciousness of sin, God 
 has, apart from the law, made known 
 a kind of righteousness which he ac- 
 cepts for men's justification. The 
 essential principle of this righteous- 
 ness is faith in Jesus Christ : this 
 righteousness is for those who be- 
 lieve in Christ, their faith in him be- 
 ing put to their account as righteous- 
 ness : this righteousness is for all 
 who believe, whether Jews or Gen- 
 tiles, since there is no difference as to 
 the ground of tlieir justification in 
 the sight of God ; for both Jews and 
 Gentiles are sinners and can be justi- 
 fied only in a gratuitous way, by the 
 grace, or favor, of God. Christ, in 
 whom the faith which God accepts as 
 righteousness is reposed, has by his 
 expiatory death made manifest the 
 righteousness of God's character, so 
 that he is seen to be righteous while 
 he accepts, and regards as righteous, 
 the believer in Christ. 
 
 21. But now. These words are 
 here not significant of time, but are 
 merely a formula of transition to the 
 contrast which the apostle is about to 
 present. || The ricjhteonsness of God ; 
 a righteousness which God has ap- 
 pointed and will accept for man's jus- 
 tification. It is called the righteous- 
 ness of God, also, as being distin- 
 guished from a man's own righteous- 
 ness, that is, such as would be liis. 
 
 had he obeyed the law. It also pro- 
 ceeds from God, both because by his 
 appointment, faith is put to the be- 
 liever's account and because faith 
 and the disposition connected with it 
 result from a divine inilucnce on 
 man's heart. i| Without tlie law; 
 aside from the law, on a different 
 ground from that which the law can 
 present, the law being set aside as a 
 ground for justification and contri- 
 buting nothing to that result. || Be- 
 ing witnessed, etc. ; being testified of in 
 the Old Testament. In 4: 1-8 the 
 apostle produces from that book in- 
 stances of a righteousness not consist- 
 ing in actual obedience to the law. 
 Compare the quotation in 1 : 17. — 
 When the apostle said in verse 20, By 
 the law is the knowledge of sin, he did 
 not express a sentiment in opposition 
 to that which he affirms in this verse, 
 since the word law is not there em- 
 ployed in the wide sense of the ex- 
 pression laiv and jji'ophets. He there 
 referred simply to the effect of the 
 law of God on the human conscience 
 and to the certainty that men cannot 
 obtain justification through it. In 
 the present passage, he afhrms that 
 even the Old Testament contains 
 proofs of a righteousness which does 
 not consist in obedience to the law, 
 but which, notwitlistanding, can be 
 put to a man's account for his justifi- 
 cation and secure for him acceptance 
 with God. 
 
 22. By faith of Jesus Christ. 
 Faith in Christ is the medium through 
 which a person is brought into this 
 state of justification, that faith being 
 put to his account, or reckoned to 
 him, as righteousness ; so that, 
 through it, he is as really accepted 
 of God as if he had not been a sin- 
 ner, il Ui^to all and upon all, etc. 
 There is but little, if any, difference 
 in meaning between these two prepo- 
 sitions, unto and upon, as here used. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 87 
 
 23 unto all, and upon all them that believe ; for there is no dif- 
 
 24 ference : for all have sinned, and come short of the glorj of 
 God ; beino; justified freely by his grace, through the re- 
 
 25 demption that is in Christ Jesus ; whom God hath set forth 
 to he a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his 
 righteousness for the remission of ^ins that are past, through 
 
 Paul occasionally employs a twofold 
 method of expression with, perhaps, 
 a shade of difference between the 
 words, but chiefly for the sake of 
 more fully and emphatically conveying 
 his idea. Compare 1 : 17. 3 : 30. 
 II For there is no difference : no differ- 
 ence between Jcav and Gentile, be- 
 tween one man and another, in regard 
 to the righteousness which is revealed 
 for men's justification. All are situ- 
 ated alike in this respect : all are to 
 be treated alike, as occupying com- 
 mon ground : one and the same mode 
 of justification is requii-ed for all. 
 
 23. For all have sinned. No dif- 
 ference exists betAveen Jew and Gen- 
 tile in regard to the mode of justifi- 
 cation, because all alike are sinners : 
 not that all are equally sinful, but all 
 are really sinners, and therefore all 
 must, if justified, or accepted, be jus- 
 tified on a different principle from 
 that of obedience to the law of God. 
 II And come short of the glory of God; 
 are destitute of that glory which 
 Cometh from God. However much 
 any may be esteemed, and have glory, 
 among their fellow men, yet they fall 
 short of, are destitute of, that glory 
 which God bestOAvs on beings who 
 have not violated his laws. The glory 
 here mentioned is the praise, or ap- 
 proval, which God ever gives to 
 those with whose characters he is 
 pleased : and the word, here used, in 
 the original, is the same as in John 
 5 : 44, How can ye believe who re- 
 ceive honor, gloiy, one of another, 
 and not the honor, glor}-, Avliich cometh 
 from God only; and in John 12 : 43, 
 For they loved the praise, glory, of 
 men more than tlie praise of God. 
 
 24. Being jnstified freely ; not on 
 the ground of their deservings, but 
 
 gratuitously ; receiving justification 
 as a gift, not as a recompense for 
 obedience to the law of God. jj By 
 his grace; by the tender mercy of 
 God, not through their own desert : 
 they cannot claim justification on 
 their own account ; it is gratuitously 
 bestOAved on them as a matter of favor, 
 or kindness. || Through the redemp- 
 tion that is in Christ Jesus. Christ 
 has procured redemption, deliver- 
 ance, from the condemnation due to 
 them as sinners, having given him- 
 self as a ransom, 1 Tim. 2 : 6. By 
 virtue of his death, as a consideration 
 meeting all the demands of the case, 
 those Avho believe in him are re- 
 deemed, rescued, from condemnation 
 and the penalty of sin. Compai-e 
 Matt. 20 : 28. Is. 53 : 10. 
 
 25. Whoin God hath set forth to be a 
 propitiation ; whom God hath set forth 
 as a propitiatory offering, an expia- 
 tory victim, by virtue of whose death 
 he might treat men propitiously, and 
 bestow on them pardoning mercy, 
 without impairing the claims of his 
 righteous law. It is in this view of 
 Christ, as an expiatory offering de- 
 signed to effect reconciliation between 
 God and men, that he is called the 
 Lamb of God, taking away the sin 
 of the world. John 1 : 29. Com- 
 pare also 1 John 2 : 2. Eph. 5 : 2. 
 Heb. 9: 15, 2G. 1 Pet. 1 : 18, 19. 
 II Through faith in his blood ; through 
 faith in his death ; that is, through 
 faith in him as having shed his blood, 
 or undergone a violent death. The 
 faith Avhich secures justification is 
 here represented as referring specially 
 to the death of Christ, or to him as 
 haA'ing suffered death in our behalf, 
 his death being necessary to the pro- 
 piation. — Some editions' of the ori*g- 
 
38 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 26 the forbearance of God : to declare, / say, at this time his 
 righteousness ; that he might be just, and the justifier of him 
 which believeth in Jesus. 
 
 inal give a different punctuation _and 
 connect the -words in his blood with 
 the word propitiation ; thus, a propi- 
 tiotion in, that is, by, his blood. No 
 material difference in the thought, 
 however, is produced by this alter- 
 ation : for in either mode of reading 
 the passage, the death of Christ is 
 represented as necessary and avail- 
 able for propitiation, and faith in 
 Christ is represented as the medium 
 for receiving the benefits of his pro- 
 pitiatoiy death. 1| To declare his 
 righteousness ; literally, for showing 
 forth his own righteousness, or, for 
 making it manifest. — Tlie Avord de- 
 clare is here used, as in 1 : 4, in the 
 old sense of making clear, or evident; 
 as it is used in Matt. 13 : 36 and 15 : 
 15. II For the remission of sins that 
 are past ; literally, on account of the 
 remission, that is, the passing by, 
 without merited punishment, of sins 
 committed in former ages, namely, 
 before the coming of Christ. — The 
 word here translated remission is not 
 the Avord Avhich signifies forgiveness 
 in the full sense ; it pi'operly means 
 passing by luithout deserved retribution, 
 declining to punish. The idea, here 
 conveyed by the apostle, is similar to 
 that in Acts 17 : 30, where God is 
 said to have icinked at sins committed 
 in the times of comparative ignorance, 
 and in Acts 14 : 16, where he is said 
 to have suffered all nations to walk in 
 their own Avays, without giving full 
 expression to his displeasure at their 
 sins. Tiie sins of former ages AA-ere 
 passed by Avithout merited punish- 
 ment through the divine forbearance, 
 not through indifference on the part 
 of God. Since, howeA^er, God had 
 shown such forbeai-ance in declining 
 to punish the sins of men, his for- 
 bearance might be misunderstood, 
 and the opinion be cherished that lie 
 was regardless of men's acts and 
 would not be found strictly just in 
 
 his moral administration. But the 
 death of Christ, as a means of pro- 
 pitiation, Avould effectually correct 
 this en-or : it AA'ould fully display the 
 justice of God and set all his former 
 forbearance in its true light. — In 
 order to present the apostle's thought, 
 the passage may be read in the fol- 
 loAving mfyiner : — For showing forth 
 his own righteousness on account of the 
 passing by, through the forbearance of 
 God, of sins formerly committed. The 
 apostle's remark is applicable to 
 modern times ; for the righteousness 
 of God might be called in question 
 by reason of his forbearing to inflict 
 merited punishment in his providen- 
 tial dealings ; but his righteousness 
 is fully A'indicated by the death of 
 Christ for man's redemption. 
 
 26. To declare, I say, at this time, 
 etc. ; a repetition of the thought that 
 the death of Christ manifested the 
 righteousness of God, AAith the addi- 
 tional thought that this is done 
 now, at the present time, that is, since 
 Christ lias come and submitted to 
 death, in contrast Avith the former 
 ages alluded to in the preceding vt rse. 
 A complete manifestation of the right- 
 eous character of God, as the su- 
 preme Ruler, Avas resened for the 
 Messiah's adA'ent and death. || 2'hat 
 he might be just, etc. The ultimate 
 purpose of the death of Christ is 
 noAV stated, at least so far as men's 
 justification is concerned ; namely, 
 that God might be seen to be per- 
 fectly righteous aa'IuIc even justifying 
 men, that is, accepting them as if 
 righteous, though sinners, on their 
 becoming believers in Jesus. 
 
 Tlie death of Christ should be re- 
 garded not so mucli in the light of an 
 external extent, as in the ideas it rep- 
 resents, or the A'iews Avhich it fur- 
 nishes of the character and go\'ern- 
 ment of God. We are not to sup- 
 pose that God takes pleasure iii <>uf- 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 27 Where is boasting then ? It is exckided. By what law ? 
 
 28 Of works ? Nay ; but by the law of faith. Therefore we 
 conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of 
 
 fering, or in tlie shedding of blood : 
 this would be abhorrent to the spirit- 
 uality of his nature and to his tender- 
 ness ; but tlie efficacy of Christ's 
 death consists, so far as the apostle 
 shows in this paragraph, in Its so man- 
 ifesting the righteous character of 
 God that, though he pardon and ac- 
 cept the sinner wlio believes in Jesus, 
 he cannot justly be suspected of any 
 dereliction of righteousness. But 
 how did his death thus show forth the 
 righteousness of God ? In reply : 
 His death was vicarious ; he died the 
 just for the unjust, 1 Pet. 3 : 18 ; that 
 is, tlie righteous one in behalf of the 
 unrighteous ; he bore their sins in his 
 own body on the cross, 1 Pet. 2 : 24, 
 in their stead, the Lord having laid on 
 him the iniquity of us all, Is. 53 : 6 ; 
 and thus, in liis unmeasurable, in- 
 conceivable sufferings endui'ed in con- 
 sequence of his taking on himself 
 our sins, we have a demonstration of 
 God's righteous hatred of sin and of 
 the ill desert of sinners ; namely, their 
 deserving to be abandoned of God to 
 an unutterable depth of miseiy. In 
 view then, of this dreadful and signi- 
 ficant death, undergone for us, God 
 can righteously avert from us our 
 merited doom if we come to possess 
 a temper of mind suitable to our case, 
 that is, a penitent temper, and with 
 all our heart accede to the view which 
 God takes of us and of himself, con- 
 fiding, with entire self-renunciation, 
 in Christ, and becoming his followers, 
 united in spirit with him. — The faith 
 in Chrijit to which so much impor- 
 tance is attached may be either the 
 specific conscious act of trusting in 
 Cln-ist from a deep sense of our per- 
 sonal siufulness and need of ))ardon, 
 or the state of moral feeling w'.iich is 
 involved in disciplcsliip to jesus : for, 
 the specitic act will be followed by 
 entire discipleship, and discipleship, 
 riewed as a moral state, involves the 
 personal trusting in Christ as the 
 
 Redeemer. Faith, viewed as a speci- 
 fic act, is also the germ of entire 
 Christian character and obedience. 
 
 27-30. In these verses the apostle 
 infers that the boasting, in which the 
 Jews indulged, of their superiority to 
 the Gentiles, in consequence of then* 
 possessing the Mosaic law, must now 
 be i-egarded as baseless. Since, also, 
 it was the design of God to abolish the 
 distinction between Jew and Gentile, 
 in regard to privileges, the fact, that 
 justification by faith for both Jews 
 and Gentiles does effectually remove 
 the Jewish ground of self-estimation, 
 may furnish in its turn confirmation 
 to the doctrine that justification stands 
 connected with faith, not with works 
 of the law. This doctrine is, more- 
 over, in harmony with the fact that 
 there is but one God, who is the God 
 of the Gentiles, as well as of the 
 Jews. 
 
 27. Where is boasting, then ? Lit- 
 erally, the boasting, the well-known 
 glorying of the Jews over the Gen- 
 tiles as being so highly distinguished 
 by God in the privilege of being his 
 people and having his law. — Through- 
 out his discussion, the apostle keeps 
 the Jews before his mind : the reason- 
 ing is conducted with special reference 
 to them, li Bi/ lohat law 1 By what 
 rule, or governing principle ? || Of 
 works ? By the principle that works 
 of obedience to the law will avail for 
 men's justification ? The Jews lield 
 to this principle, and hence boasted 
 in their outward distinction from the 
 Gentiles, as having the law, or the 
 religious institution by Moses. || Bat 
 bij the law of faith, by the i-ule, or 
 governing principle, that faith in 
 Christ avails for justification. This 
 leaves no room for personal glorying, 
 since it places justification on the 
 ground of a free gift, not of a de- 
 served payment, or of a reward. 
 
 28. Therefore we conclude, etc. 
 Since justification by faith in Christ 
 
40 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 29 
 30 
 
 31 
 
 the law. Is he the God of the Jews only ? is he not also 
 of the Gentiles ? Yes, of the Gentiles also : seeing it is 
 one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and 
 uncircumcision through faith. 
 
 Do we then make void the law through faith ? God for- 
 bid : yea, we establish the law. 
 
 excludes self-glorying:, and thus ef- 
 fects the purpose of God to place all 
 men on a common level, we deem 
 that a man is justified by faith aside 
 from the deeds of the law ; the ob- 
 servances of the law contribute noth- 
 ing to our justification. 
 
 29, Is he the God of the Jews only ? 
 That faith in Christ, and not the 
 observance of the Mosaic law, is re- 
 quired for justification, and conse- 
 quently that no difference exists be- 
 tween Jews and Gentiles in this 
 respect, is also in harmony with the 
 truth that there is but one God, and 
 he must be acknowledged the God of 
 the Gentiles as well as of the Jews ; 
 having a regard for the one as well as 
 for the other. But if justification 
 come from the Mosaic law, then God 
 would be exclusively the God of the 
 Jews, to the detriment of the Grentiles 
 who had not received that law : being, 
 however, the God of all men in com- 
 mon, he has established that principle 
 of justification wliich is equally ap- 
 plicable to all and available for all. 
 He justifies the circumcision, the Jews, 
 by faith, and the uncircumcision, the 
 Gentiles, by faith. — No essential dif- 
 ference in meaning is intended by 
 using the different prepositions by 
 and through. It is an instance of tlie 
 apostle's practice, which has already 
 been noticed, on verse 22 ; compare 
 too, in the original, verses 25 and 26. 
 If the prepositions, in this verse, 
 were rendered in a strictly literal 
 manner, the representation would be 
 that justification comes to believing 
 Jews from faith, as its source; and to 
 believing Gentiles I)y, or throwjh, faith, 
 as its medium. The apostle's mind 
 fastened on faith as the principal 
 word. 
 
 In the paragraph just considered, 
 
 vs. 27-30, the apostle proceeded on 
 what he held as an indisputable tnith, 
 which he inculcated, also, on all 
 proper occasions, that the distinction 
 between Jews and Gentiles was no 
 longer to be regarded : the gospel 
 placed them both on a common level. 
 Compare Eph. 2: 11-17. They 
 were, in common, men and sinners ; 
 and one common principle was to be 
 applied in their deliverance from a 
 common state of sin and exposure to 
 divine wrath. 
 
 31. Do ice then make void the law, 
 etc. The apostle here replies to a 
 query which would naturally arise, in 
 a Jew's mind, from the doctrine that 
 obedience to the Mosaic law is not the 
 ground of justification, but that justi- 
 fication depends on faith in Christ. 
 This doctrine involves the sentiment 
 that Gentiles, as Avell as Jews, are 
 graciously regarded by God, and that 
 Jews have no just ground for boast- 
 ing of superiority to Gentiles. It 
 might seem to a Jew, that this denial 
 to him of any ground of boasting was 
 a depreciation and a virtual renuncia- 
 tion of the law of Moses, that is, of the 
 religious system of Moses. Hence the 
 query. Do we, then, by this doctrine of 
 faith invalidate the law? With tlie ut- 
 most positiveness and Avith a solemnity 
 which shows how utterly abhorrent 
 was such a thought to all his religious 
 convictions and feelings, he replies, 
 that, so far from making void the law 
 by this principle of justification, he 
 does in fact confirm it. — From Acts 
 21 : 21, 28, it is clear that Paul was 
 believed by large numbers of the con- 
 verted Jews, as well as of the uncon- 
 verted, to be unfriendly to the law of 
 Moses. This supposed hostility on 
 his part to the Mosaic religion was 
 emplo}'ed by his adversaries to defeat 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 41 
 
 his efforts for promoting the gospel. 
 If the Mosaic religion must be re- 
 garded, as it doui)tless was by Jews 
 in general, as designed for the justi- 
 fication of men by obedience to the 
 works it enjoined, he wouhl indeed be 
 opposed to it ; but tliis he held to be 
 an eiToneous view of it. So far as 
 man's justification is concerned, he 
 held tliat the law could not accom- 
 plish it, but that it must come through 
 Clirist, Compare 10: 5. Gal. 2: 
 16. 3: 10-14. Viewing the religion 
 of Moses in its proper design an.d re- 
 lations, he ri>garded it with reverence 
 and gratitude. Acts 24: 14, 1.5. 
 He could with the utmost sincerity 
 aver, that he would by no means 
 weaken it, if it were apprehended ac- 
 cording to its real design ; and that 
 his Christian views went to confirm 
 it, as a revelation of the eternal and 
 immutable principles of piety. But 
 in wliat manner his views confirmed 
 the law, he does not here say. Per- 
 haps lie intended, by making a strong 
 asseveration, to show distinctly his 
 conviction, that the doctrine of justi- 
 fication by faith, though it utterly 
 removes the Jews' ground of boast- 
 ing, is not at variance with the reli- 
 gion of ]\Ioses, and thus to disabuse 
 his Jewish readers' minds of tlie hurt- 
 ful prejudice which had been indulged, 
 leaving his solemn aA'erment to the 
 considerate regard of his readers. 
 
 Opinions as to the manner in which 
 the apostle's doctrine confirms the 
 law are various. Three only need be 
 mentioned : 1. It confii-ms the law 
 viewed particularly in its moral as- 
 pects, since it acknowledges the law 
 as awakening a sense of sin ; it is 
 thus built on the law as an imnmtable 
 basis of moral right. If Ave were 
 not under condemnation by the law, 
 a gratuitous justification would not 
 be needed : hence, this doctrine in- 
 volves the binding and inevitable 
 authority of tlie hiw. — The distinc- 
 tion, here implied, between the moral 
 and the ritual in the Mosaic law, was 
 not made by Jews generally, (see on 
 verse 20) ; since they regarded the 
 
 entire law, in all its parts, as resting 
 equally on one and the same basis of 
 divine command, and considered all 
 acts of comi)liance with it as religious 
 obedience, entitling to recompense. 
 They did not discriminate between 
 the law as enjoined on tlieir nation 
 through Moses, and tlie eternal and un- 
 changeahle laic designed for all moral 
 created beings, which formed the basis 
 of their peculiar national code. An 
 enlightened Jew, however, could not 
 but feel that in spirit, at least, he had 
 not kept the whole law ; and there- 
 fore, however broadly he might use 
 tlie word law, the law would convict 
 him of sin and make him feel his 
 need of a different basis for accept- 
 ance -ttith God. The disclosure of 
 an adequate basis would confirm the 
 law, since the necessity of it was oc- 
 casioned by the inviolable force of 
 the law. — 2. This doctrine confirms 
 the law, because it is only by the effi- 
 cacy of the provision which this doc- 
 trine presents, that the real intent of 
 the law, as requiring a moral dispo- 
 sition conformed to the will of God, 
 can be fulfilled among men. See 8 T 
 4. This doctrine, tl'.en, maintains the 
 law as the authoritative expression of 
 what is right in the sight of God, and 
 aims to accomplish the results con- 
 templated by the law. — 3. The law, 
 viewed as the religion of Moses pre- 
 sented in the Old Testament, is con- 
 firmed by this doctrine, because this 
 doctrine is really contained in that 
 religion. So far, then, from giving" 
 up the law as developed in the Jew- 
 ish scrijitures themselves, we derive 
 proofs of this doctrine from those very 
 scriptures, and therefore by no means 
 invalidate the law. — The last of these 
 views is regarded by some writers as 
 being in harmony with the apostle's 
 employing, in the following chapter, 
 as proofs of his doctrine, instances 
 funiished by the Old Testament. 
 This view, however, is not satisfac- 
 toiy. — Perhaps the apostle's remark 
 should be classed among the very 
 comprehensive ones, which are capa- 
 ble of diverse replies, according W 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The ?ase of Abraham, as suggpsting an objection. 1-8. Ills acceptance with God not rest- 
 in ^ on obedience to the law of circumcision, but ou faith, 9-17. Commendation of Abra- 
 ham's faith in God, 18-22. The principle on which he was justified, applicable to all, 
 23-25. 
 
 the diverse points of view which a 
 reader takes. Each reply, in such a 
 case, may be worthy of acceptance; 
 thougli, doubtless, some one should 
 be considered the main I'eply, and 
 others coincident and subservient. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The conclusion to which the apos- 
 tle had conducted his readers, that 
 acceptance with God is dependent on 
 faith in Clnist, and the idea, that this 
 mode of justification effectually re- 
 moves all ground of boasting, would 
 naturally, since the Jews were veiy 
 prone to boast, lead a Jew to men- 
 tion the case of Abraham as opposing 
 a strong objection to the apostle's 
 doctrine. Abraham was a man of 
 singular obedience to the will of God, 
 Gen. 26 : 5 ; yet, according to the 
 apostle's view, he had no claim on 
 God. A Jew, then, would naturally 
 ask, 'According to this view, what 
 did Abraham obtain from his works 
 of obedience ? Did he have even the 
 slightest ground for self-gratulation 1 ' 
 The question, obviously, involves a 
 negative answer. The apostle takes 
 for granted the negative answer, 
 and proceeds to show its propriety. 
 Granting that Abraham had a ground 
 for self-gratulation if he were justified 
 by works, Paul asserts that he had no 
 such ground in the sight of God. 
 That he had no such ground for 
 glorying in tlie sight of God, the 
 apostle argues from the statement of 
 the scripture that faith, not a legal 
 obedience, was reckoned to Abraham 
 as righteousness. — That a righteous- 
 ness aside from works is reckoned to 
 the man whom God accepts, appears, 
 in like manner, from tlie language of 
 David, who describes a person as 
 (42) 
 
 blessed that had confessedly been 
 guilty of sin, but is, notwithstanding, 
 accepted of God, his sin not being 
 put to his account. Vs. 1-8. 
 
 Now, does this state of blessedness 
 depend on being circumcised ? No : 
 for Abraham was justified in the sight 
 of God before he was circumcised, 
 and circumcision was the seal., or the 
 confirmation, of the fiict that his faith 
 was set to his account as righteous- 
 ness. Thus it was that Abraham 
 became the father of all believers, both 
 uncircumcised and circumcised. Vs. 
 9-12. 
 
 As Abraham was to be the father 
 of all believers, a promise Avas vir- 
 tually made to him that he should 
 possess the entire world, Gentiles and 
 Jews. Now this promise to Abraham 
 was not made through the medium 
 of the law, but through the medium 
 of faith, or through the medium of 
 that righteousness Avhich was reck- 
 oned to faith. If tlie fulfilment of 
 this promise had been dependent on 
 the law, fiiith would then have been 
 invalidated, which yet is plainly the 
 ground of the promise, and the prom- 
 ise would inevitably have failed. For 
 if its fulfilment had been made de- 
 pendent on obedience to the law, the 
 condition would not have been com- 
 plied with : the law would have been 
 broken and divine- wrath, instead of 
 a fulfilment of the promise, would 
 have ensued. In order, therefore, 
 that the promise might be surely ful- 
 filled, it must rest on the ground of a 
 gratuity : hence, faith is the appointed 
 medium. Vs. 13-17. 
 
 As Abraham's faith was reckoned 
 to him for righteousness, so will our 
 faith be put to our accoun*". as right- 
 eousness, and secure to us justification 
 in the sight of God. Vs. 18-25, 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 48 
 
 1 What shall we then say that Abraham our father, as per- 
 
 2 taming to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were 
 justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before 
 
 3 God. For what saith the scripture ? Abraham believed 
 
 4 God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now 
 to him that worketli, is the reward not reckoned of grace, 
 
 5 but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on 
 
 1. What shall we say, then, that 
 Abraham, etc. The arrangement of 
 the woi-ds in tlie original does not 
 connect the clause, as pertaining to the 
 Jlesh, with Abraham our father, but 
 with hath found. The following ex- 
 presses the view of the original : 
 What shall we say, then, that Abraham 
 our father found as pertaining to the 
 flesh, or, according to the flesh ? — Ac- 
 cording to the flesh would seem, from 
 the immediate connection, to have 
 signified the performance oficorks, per- 
 haps as distinguished in the apostle's 
 mind from the inicard spirit of faith. 
 Among such works of obedience, cir- 
 cumcision was included. — The ques- 
 tion here proposed by the apostle, as 
 a thought that would naturally occur 
 to a Jew, involves a negative reply ; 
 as if a person should inquire, with 
 surprise, * "VSHiat then, according to 
 this view of justification, are we 
 to think that even Abi-aham received 
 as the reward of his deeds 1 What 
 one tiling does it allow him to have 
 obtained ? ' The apostle may be con- 
 ceived of as tacitly assenting to the 
 negative here involved, namely, that 
 Abraham did indeed obtain no* bless- 
 ing, as a deserved recompense of 
 deeds. 
 
 2. He now proceeds to sustain 
 this negative reply. — For. This word 
 connects the implied negative -with 
 the argument on Avliich the apostle 
 grounds it : as if he had said, Abra- 
 ham obtained nothing in respect to 
 justification, in consequence of his 
 works ; for, if he had, he would have 
 possessed some ground for glorying ; 
 but, in the sight of God, he had no 
 Buch ground. Whatever merits in 
 the sight of men, and when compared 
 
 with men, he may have, before God 
 he has no gi'ound for gloiying. 
 
 3. The reason for denying to 
 Abraham any title for glorying before 
 God, is now presented : namely, the 
 scripture rests his justification on his 
 faith, not on his works ; and faith, as 
 the medium of justification, implies, 
 on the part of the justified person, a 
 gratuitous reception of blessings. — 
 
 What saith the scripture 9 See Gen. 
 15:6. II Abraham believed God; re- 
 posed faith in God, who had made 
 him such a promise as could not be 
 fully admitted by him without a gen- 
 uine, unwavering confidence in God. 
 II And it ivas counted unto him for right- 
 eousness ; it was put to his account as 
 righteousness, so that he was thereby 
 justified, or treated as righteous. 
 
 4. The apostle now shows how 
 entirely adverse is this scripture-lan- 
 guage, concerning Abraham, to the 
 opinion that he was justified by Avorks. 
 To have faith put to a person's ac- 
 count as righteousness is applicable, 
 he says, only to the case of one who 
 is not regarded as righteous by virtue 
 of his own works. — To him that work- 
 eth, etc. ; to one who by his own 
 works is accounted righteous, the 
 recompense is not reckoned of grace, 
 that is, as a gratuity, a favor, bestowed 
 through kindness, but as a debt, as 
 something due to him on the ground 
 of justice. 
 
 5. To him that icorJceth not, etc. ; 
 to one who is not by virtue of h:s 
 own works accounted righteous, but 
 who is characterized as reposing trust 
 in liim that justifieth the ungodlg, that 
 is, justifieth a man that has been a 
 sinner and is therefore without claim, 
 to such a person his faith is reckoned^ 
 
44 
 
 ROMANS, 
 
 him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for right- 
 
 6 eousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of 
 the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without 
 
 7 works, saying^ Blessed are thej whose iniquities are for- 
 
 8 given, and whose sins are covered ; blessed is the man to 
 whom the Lord will not impute sin. 
 
 9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, 
 
 or counted, as righteousness. Now 
 Abraham is characterized as having 
 thus reposed faith in God, and hav- 
 ing been, in consequence, justified. 
 Righteousness was, therefoi-e, not 
 reckoned, or counted, to him as a 
 result of works, and consequently he 
 had not a ground of glorying in the 
 sight of God. — The apostle's idea in 
 the 4th and 5th verses may also be 
 thus expi'essed : To a person who 
 has peiformed required works, and 
 thus satisfied the conditions of the 
 law, the recompense is not a matter 
 of favor, or a gratuity (and therefore, 
 not dependent on faith; see verse 
 16), but a matter of debt. It is to a 
 pei'son who has not performed the 
 works of the law, but who trusts to 
 Him who can treat as righteous one 
 that is confessedly a sinner, it is only 
 to such a person that his faith is reck- 
 oned as righteousness. The reckon- 
 ing of faith as righteousness is incon- 
 sistent with the reckoning of ivorks as 
 righteousness. Abraham, therefore, 
 since faith was put to his account as 
 righteousness, had a righteousness 
 aside from works, a righteousness 
 resting on a diff"erent ground. 
 
 6. Even as David also describeth, 
 etc. In harmony with this representa- 
 tion concerning Abraham, is David's 
 language concerning the blessed state 
 of the man to wliom God i-eckous 
 righteousness witkout ivorks, that is, 
 aside from works, or on a different 
 ground from that of works ; to wliose 
 account God puts righteousness, and 
 whom he accepts as if rigliteous, 
 though he has not a righteousness 
 founded on his own works. — The 
 word imputtth, in this vei'se, represents 
 precisely the same word in the orig- 
 
 inal, as is, in the preceding verses, 
 translated count and reckon. These 
 three words are, in our version, used 
 in the same sense. 
 
 7, 8. Blessed, etc. See Ps. 32 : 
 1, 2. The force of this quotation con- 
 sists in the fact, that a blessed, or 
 happy, state in respect to God is here 
 represented as enjoyed by a man who 
 yet had been confessedly sinful, and 
 who could not, therefore, have been 
 accepted on the ground of personal 
 righteousness, but on the ground of 
 mere favoi', God not charging his sins 
 to his account. His blessed state was 
 to him not a matter of deU, which he 
 could claim, but of grace, coming to 
 him as a gratuity, a free gift. God 
 might have justly imputed sin to 
 him ; that is, might have put his sin 
 to his account, but he graciously fore- 
 bore to do so. 
 
 9-17. The apostle now more par- 
 ticularly shows that this blessed state 
 does not rest on the ground of the law, 
 but on that of grace ; that it proceeds 
 not from a legal obedience on the part 
 of the person who is thus blessed, but 
 from grace on the part of God. He 
 maintains that it did not, in the case 
 of Abraliarft, depend on circumcision, 
 nor on the law at all. 
 
 9. Cometh, then'? etc. Is this state 
 of blessedness affirmed of the cir- 
 cumcised only, as the Jews main- 
 tained, or of the uncircumcised also ? 
 The very form of this question shows 
 how the subject stood in the apostle's 
 mind, and indicates tlie proper reply; 
 namely, it is affirmed of the uncircum- 
 cised also. To establish this implied 
 affirmative answer to tlie second part 
 of the question, the apostle remarks, 
 For we say that faith was reckoned ta 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 45 
 
 or upon the uncir3umcision also ? For we say that faith was 
 
 10 reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then 
 reckoned ? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumci- 
 
 11 sion? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he 
 received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness 
 of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised : that he 
 might be the father of all them that believe, though they be 
 not circumcised, (that righteousness might be imputed unto 
 
 12 them also,) and the father of circumcision to them who are 
 not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps 
 
 ABRAHAM as rujhteousness. An 
 unreflecting Jew might hastily infer 
 that Abraham's justification was, of 
 course, connected with circumcision ; 
 but this very instance of Abraham 
 makes the contrary evident, as the 
 apostle proceeds to show. 
 
 10. How icas it then reckoned'? In 
 what circumstances was Abraham, 
 when his faith was put to his account 
 as righteousness 1 Was he circum- 
 cised, or uncircumcised 1 He was, at 
 that time, uncircumcised ; and, there- 
 fore, circumcision bore no pax't in his 
 justification before God. 
 
 11. And he received the sign, etc. 
 In addition to the historical fact that 
 Abraham was held rigliteous in the 
 sight of God, or was justified, pre- 
 viously to his circumcision, the very 
 design of circumcision, in respect to 
 Abraham, shows tliat his justification 
 was not dependent on it. It was 
 after he was justified through his 
 faith, that he received the sign, or 
 mark of circumcision as a seal, that 
 is, in confirmation, of the fact that 
 God accepted as righteousness the foith 
 which he had reposed in God, while 
 he was yet uncircumcised. || That 
 he might be the father, etc. ; so that he 
 miglit be the father, in a spiritual 
 sense, of all uncircumcised believers, 
 to wliom, as well as to himself, on 
 account of their being believers, or 
 on account of their having ftiith, 
 righteousness is reckoned ; in other 
 words, to whom their faith is reckoned 
 as rigliteousness, and who are thereby 
 justified. 
 
 12. And the father of circumcision ; 
 
 that is, the father of the circumcised, 
 the Jews : yet not of all who are cir- 
 cumcised, but of tliose only among 
 them who, like him, have faith. This 
 discrimination is immediately ex- 
 pressed. II To tliem who are not of the 
 circumcision only, etc. ; rather, for, in 
 respect to, those, who sliould be not 
 merely circumcised, but who should, 
 also, partake of Abraham's faith, the 
 faith which he reposed in the divine 
 declaration while he was yet uncir- 
 cumcised. — Abraham became a sph'- 
 itual father of believing Gentiles and 
 of believing Jews. The paternal re- 
 lation of Abraham to his lineal pos- 
 terity, or to those who merely by 
 circumcision avowed their connection 
 with him, was, to the apostle, of no 
 account in respect to justification. 
 He does not here allow to such this 
 kindredship with Abraham : only per- 
 sonal faith constituted one a descend- 
 ant, or child, with Abraham. So our 
 Lord, in John 8 : 39, etc. Compare 
 also Gal. 6: 15. Luke 3 : 8, 9. 
 
 From Gen. 17 : 1-14 it appears, 
 that God enjoined circumcision on 
 Abraham at a time subsequent to the 
 occasion on Avhicli his faith, Gen. 15 : 
 6, was so signally accepted. This 
 ordinance, however, appointed at a 
 later date as the seal of God's cove- 
 nant with Abi-aham, lind direct refer- 
 ence to his former belief, or faith, in 
 God's declarations ; so that without 
 this faitli, that covenant would not 
 have been made. Tlic apostle seems 
 to have conjoined this covenant and 
 the faitli of Abraham, and to have 
 regarded the confirmatoiy design of 
 
46 
 
 EOMANS. 
 
 of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet 
 
 13 uncircumcised. For the promise that he should be the heir 
 
 of the world was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the 
 
 circumcision as relating not only to 
 the promise itself of a numerous pos- 
 terity, but also to Abraham's faith in 
 God. This Avas the more natural, 
 since the promise, belief in which v/as 
 so acceptable to God, had reference 
 to Abraham's immediate and remote 
 posterity, and the covenant of cir- 
 cumcision had reference, in like man- 
 ner, to his succeeding and remote 
 posterity. The promises on the two 
 occasions were the same, so far as 
 numerousness of posterity Avas con- 
 cerned ; and the confirmation, or seal, 
 of the latter did really involve the 
 confirmation of the former, and Avas, 
 therefore, a confirmation of God's 
 haAung accepted, as righteousness, the 
 faith Avhich Abraham reposed in his 
 promise. 
 
 13-17. As still further shoAving 
 that faith is the medium of accept- 
 ance Avith God, the apostle maintains 
 that the promise to Abraham and his 
 spiritual posterity concerning their 
 possession of the Avorld, Avas depend- 
 ent on faith, and could have been ac- 
 complished through no other medium 
 than a gratuitous one, such as faith is. 
 
 13. For. The apostle proceeds 
 to state a reason for the preceding 
 vicAV, that Abraham Avas, by his faith, 
 to be the father of belicA'crs in all 
 nations. Gentiles and JeAvs. The 
 reason is, that the distinguished prom- 
 ise to Abraham Avas not made through 
 the medium of the laAV, but through 
 the medium of faith reckoned as rif/ht- 
 eousness. || The promise that he should 
 be the heir of the world. The original 
 AA'ord translated heir is not used AAith 
 so strict a meaning in the scriptures 
 as the word heir is Avith us ; it does 
 not necessarily involve the idea of 
 obtaining possession by descent, or by 
 bequest from a former owner ; but 
 signifies, likewise, possessor in the 
 generic sense, one Avho has acquired, 
 or obtained, something. It is so used 
 
 in this passage ; and the clause might 
 be rendered, that he should he the pos- 
 sessor of the ivorld. The ivorld here 
 means the earth and its inhabitants. 
 Abraham Avas to possess these. 
 HoAv 1 By there being multitudes 
 throughout the earth, in CA^eiy nation, 
 Avho should look up to him, as their 
 common spiritual father. From him 
 Avas to descend the Messiah, Avhose 
 blissful reign AA'ould extend over the 
 Avhole earth. In Gen. 15: 18-21. 
 17:8, the possession of the land of 
 Canaan and of extensive neighboring 
 countries Avas promised to Abraham ; 
 in Gen. 15: 5, 22: 17, (compare 
 also 17 : 4-6), it was promised that 
 his posterity should be innumerable ; 
 in Gen. 12: 3. 18: 18. 22: 18, that 
 all nations should be blessed through 
 him. The promises, vicAved con- 
 jointly, involved the idea, that the 
 Avhole Avorld Avas in reaUty embraced 
 in them. The Avorld Avas to belong 
 to Abraham and his posterity in a 
 sense substantially the same as we 
 intend Avhen aa'c say, the Avorld is to 
 be overspread A\'ith Christians and 
 they are to possess it. Thus the 
 Avhole Avorld Avas to be Abraham's, 
 the sphere throughout Avhich he Avould 
 be acknoAvledged as a father, and 
 throughout AA'hich the Messiah, the 
 distinguished One of his posterity, 
 Avould diffuse blessings. — This prom- 
 ise, according to the vicAV Avhich the 
 apostle here takes of it, had reference 
 to the spiritual posterity of Abraham, 
 as AA^ell as to Abraham himself; and 
 in reference to l)otli, it may have had 
 a twofold signification : firr-t, Abra- 
 ham Avas to possess the world, since 
 by the Avorld's coming under the 
 SAvay of the religion of whicli he Avas 
 to be SO eminent an instrument, he 
 AA'ould have a sort of spiritual posses- 
 sion, or dominion, in all nations : his 
 posterity, too, Avould possess the 
 world, inasmuch as his spiritual cl>U- 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 47 
 
 14 law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they 
 which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the 
 
 15 promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh 
 
 16 wrath : for where no law is there is no transgression. There- 
 fore it is of faith, that it might he by grace ; to the end the 
 promise might be sure to all the seed : not to that only which 
 
 dren, the followers of Christ, would 
 overspread the world, and the prin- 
 ciples of their religion supplant those 
 of every other. Secondly : The pos- 
 session of the world is indicative of 
 dignity and bliss ; and the eminence 
 and happiness, thus represented, era- 
 braced all the spiritual and immortal 
 blessings which God Avould bestow 
 on his favored ones. This view of 
 the promise is applicable both to 
 Abraham and to his spiritual pos- 
 terity ; and thus viewed, the promise 
 is of the same nature as that which 
 frequently occurs concerning the 
 righteous ; namely, they shall inherit 
 the earth ; in other words, they shall 
 possess the truly good things of 
 earth, tme happiness, a blessed state. 
 II Not throitf/h the law ; the law, or 
 legal obedience, was not the medium 
 through which this promise came, and 
 the fulfilment of this promise was 
 not, therefore, made to depend on 
 legal obedience. |i Bnt through the 
 righteousness of faith ; faith, accepted 
 as righteousness, was the medium 
 through which this promise came. 
 
 14. That the fulfilment of the 
 promise to Abraham and his spiritual 
 posterity is dependent on faith, arises 
 not merely from a view of historical 
 dates in reference to Abraham, and 
 from the design of circumcision, but 
 also from the very nature of the law, 
 or of a system of legal requirements. 
 This the apostle next presents, as sus- 
 taining the affirmation in the 13th 
 verse. — For, etc. : for, if they are to 
 inherit the promise who are of the law, 
 who possess the law, and seek the 
 promised blessings //wn the law as the 
 recompense of their obedience, then 
 faith is made void, has no efficacy as 
 to securing the fulfilment of the 
 promise ; faith as a condition of the 
 
 blessing, is done away with, as being 
 inconsistent with a legal obedience 
 and a consequent claim. Faith, as 
 the medium, is wholly opposite to 
 legal obedience, as the medium ; and 
 consequently, if legal obedience be 
 made the medium, faith is annulled : 
 and then, what will be the inevitable 
 result as to the promise 1 || The 
 promise made of none effect ; the prom- 
 ise is, then, virtually annulled, it has 
 become fruitless ; it must fail entu'ely 
 of accomplishment. 
 
 15. Because the law tvorketh wrath. 
 The promise, were its fulfilment con- 
 ditioned on legal obedience, Avould 
 inevitably fail ; because the law, as 
 acting on human beings, brings to 
 them, not the fulfilment of the prom- 
 ise, but the wrath of God ; since they 
 will break the law, and transgression 
 of it demands the penalty. Such is 
 the moral state of men, that, if we 
 seek for freedom from transgression, 
 we must search for it where the law 
 is not. The law must, therefore, be a 
 medium of divine wrath ; and the 
 pi'omise, if resting on that ground, 
 must fail ; for the law enjoins duty 
 alone, it provides not deliverance from 
 the penalty for disobedience. — The 
 inevitable result, that human beings 
 will transgress under law, is else- 
 where shown by the apostle. In 3 : 
 20 the law is said to occasion a con- 
 sciousness of transgression ; in 5: 13, 
 20, to inci-ease accountability and 
 occasions of sin ; and in 7 : 7, etc., 
 to awaken and even stimulate men's 
 sinful propensities, rather than to free 
 from them. 
 
 16. Thei-efore it is of faith, etc. 
 Hence the inheritance, or the posses- 
 sion of the promised blessings, is 
 made dependent on faith, in order 
 that it might be according to grace. 
 
48 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abra- 
 ham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, I have 
 made thee a father of many nations) before him whom he be- 
 lieved, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those 
 things which be not, as though they were : who against 
 hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of 
 many nations ; (according to that which was spoken ; So 
 
 Since the promised blessings could 
 not be secured through a legal medium, 
 God has appointed a gracious medium : 
 through faith the blessings are to be 
 received. Faith was appointed as the 
 medium of a gracious bestowal, in 
 order that the promise might prove 
 sure to the entire spiritual posterity 
 of Abraham ; not only to that part 
 which possessed the law, namely, the 
 Jews, but also to that whicli, not 
 having the law, yet had ftxith such as 
 Abraham's, who, by his faith, is the 
 spiritual fudier of us all Avho have 
 faith, Jews and Gentdes, trusting, as 
 he also did, to the declarations of 
 God. 
 
 17. As it is ivritten, etc. This 
 idea of Abraham's being the father 
 of all believers agrees Avith God's 
 declaration to him, in Gen. 17:5, 
 concerning his becoming a father of 
 many nations ; the numcrousness of 
 his natural posterity being a fore- 
 tokening of the innumerable multi- 
 tude, out of all nations, that should 
 follow him in .faith. \\ Before him, 
 etc. These words are to be connected 
 with the preceding verse : Abraham 
 is father of all believers, before God, 
 that is, in the view of God in whom 
 he trusted. God thus regards him. 
 II Who quickeneth the dead; who mak- 
 eth alive the dead : a recognition of 
 the almighty power of God, Allu- 
 sion is, probably, made to the thought 
 in the 19th verse, Avhich would natu- 
 rally have forbidden the expectation 
 of a posterity from Abraham : but 
 this thought connects itself with the 
 more general one of God's having 
 power even to make the dead alive, 
 and of Abraham's trusting to God as 
 an almighty Being. || And calleth, 
 
 etc. ; calleth forth, and disposeth of, 
 things which are not yet in being, as 
 though they were ; through his al- 
 mighty creative power, he gives order 
 concerning things not yet in existence, 
 just as if ^hey were in existence, for 
 his purposes concei-ning thetn will 
 stand. It is immaterial to him, whe- 
 ther they are now in existence, or are 
 to be ; he foresees every thing, and 
 has power to accomplish whatever he 
 pleases. The future lies before hira 
 as really as the present. Nothing is 
 beyond his power. He is able to 
 make promises concerning a remote 
 future, just as easily as concerning 
 time near at hand. Abraham trusted 
 in him as being thus ])Owerful and 
 faithful, and unhesitatingly believed 
 the divine promise. 
 
 18-22. The remai-kable strength 
 of Abraham's faith is now shown by 
 the apostle. The patriarch trusted 
 in the declarations of God, as the 
 Almighty and as, therefore, able to ac- 
 complish whatever He should please, 
 though in circumstances, to human 
 view, the most forbidding. 
 
 18. Who against hope, etc.; who 
 though all natural circumstances were 
 adverse to hope, yet in hope believed 
 the promise of God, that he should 
 become a father of many nations, of 
 an innumerable posterity. || Accord- 
 ing to that which ivas spoken, etc. ; in 
 accordance with God's declaration to 
 him, when bidding him look toward 
 heaven and number the stars, he said. 
 So shall thy seed be. Gen. 15 : 5. 
 A similar declaration is recorded in 
 Gen. 13 : 16. 22 : 17. Compare 
 also Heb. 11 : 12. 
 
 19. He considered not, etc.; he 
 paid no regai'd to the circumstance 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 49 
 
 19 shall thy seed be,) and being not weak in faith, he considered 
 not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred 
 
 20 years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb : he 
 staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but 
 
 21 was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully 
 persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to 
 
 22 perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for right- 
 eousness. 
 
 23 Now, it was not written for his sake alone, that it was im- 
 
 24 puted to him : but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, 
 
 of his advanced age. Though the 
 tliought of this entered Abraham's 
 mind, Gen. 17 : 17, yet he allowed it 
 no influence in opposition to God's 
 promise. 
 
 20. He stagcjered not, etc. ; wavered 
 not, did not indulge in doubts, but 
 was strong in his confidence that 
 God's promise would be fulfilled. 
 II Giving glory to God : honoring God, 
 as One that could not but prove faith- 
 ful to his word. — A full belief of 
 God's promises admits his real char- 
 acter and gives him the honor which 
 is his due. 
 
 22. And therefore it was imputed, 
 etc. His faith in God, that is, his 
 beheving, so readily and fully, the 
 declaration of God, was put to his 
 account as righteousness. His faith 
 was peculiarly strong ; it paid special 
 honor to God, as the Being who would 
 not fail to accomplish his word, how- 
 ever unlikely its fulfilment might 
 seem. By dius fully believing in 
 him, though all circumstances were 
 unfavorable to the fulfilment of the 
 promise, Abraham acknowledged and 
 honored the trae nature and character 
 of God ; and because he thus simply 
 and heartily relied on God, when, to 
 all human appearance, he had no 
 rational ground for hope, his faith 
 was regarded as nghteousness, and 
 by virtue of it he had favor with 
 God. — The apostle had in mind the 
 remarkable strength of Abraham's 
 faith, as well as its genuineness ; and 
 as this strong faith, resting simply 
 and without wavering on the veracity 
 of God while, according to the course 
 
 of nature, the promised event was 
 hopeless, paid honor to God as the 
 almighty fulfillcr of his word, it was 
 peculiarly acceptable to him and was 
 put to Abraham's account as right- 
 eousness, without any external works 
 of legal obedience. 
 
 23-25. The case of Abraham is 
 noAV applied to that of believers in 
 Jesus. 
 
 23. Now it teas not written, etc. 
 The fact, that Abraham's faith was 
 put to his account as righteousness, 
 was not recorded, Gen. 15:6, for his 
 own sake merely ; not merely that an 
 honorable and enduring testimony 
 might be borne to him. 
 
 24. But for us also ; it was recorded 
 for our sake also, in order to show us 
 the principle on Avhich we too may be 
 justified. Though the object of Abra- 
 ham's faith, in the instance produced 
 by the apostle, was not the same as 
 that of the Christian's faith, yet the 
 nature of faith, and its moral quality, 
 in the two cases are the same. It is 
 a confiding in God, in his declara- 
 tions and his aiTangeraents, and is 
 indicative of right feelings and pur- 
 poses towards him : as directed to 
 Christ, it is a tnisting in him as our 
 Eedeemer and Lord, and a virtual 
 uniting of ourselves to him for a per- 
 sonal participation in the spiritual 
 and eternal blessings which can come 
 to us only through him. || To whom 
 it shall be imputed: to whom faith, 
 similar to Abraham's, shall be reck- 
 oned as righteousness for our justifi- 
 cation. II If we believe on him, etc. 
 Abraham had faith in God respecting 
 
50 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 if we believe on liim that raised up Jesus our Lord from the 
 25 dead, who was delivered for our offences, and was raised 
 again for our justification. 
 
 a case which was like making alive 
 the dead ; so we are to have faith in 
 God as having raised up Jesus from 
 the dead. It is in God, as having 
 raised up Jesus, that we are here said 
 to believe, because the resurrection of 
 Jesus was the great fact which proved 
 him to be the Son of God, 1:4. 
 Luke 18 : 33. Acts 2 : 29—32, and 
 confirmed the acceptableness to God 
 of his life and death, John 10 : 17 ; 
 his resurrection was necessary, also, 
 to the consummation of his media- 
 torial work in heaven. — To believe in 
 God, thus viewed, is the same as to 
 believe in Christ ; the one involves the 
 other. The mode of speaking, here 
 adopted, originated from the apostle's 
 mention of Abraham's believing in 
 God, and from his desire to preserve 
 similarity in tlie cases of Abraham 
 and of believers in Christ. Compare, 
 for this mode of expression, 1 Pet. 
 1 : 21. 
 
 25. Who was delivered ; delivered 
 up to death. || For our offences; on 
 account of our transgressions; as a 
 sin-offering, a propitiatory sacrifice. 
 3 : 25. II Raised again ; from the 
 dead. || For our justification ; on 
 account of our justification ; so that 
 we miglit be justified. — The death 
 and resurrection of Christ, and, we 
 might add, liis ascension to heaven, 
 are parts of a great transaction, hav- 
 ing for its object our justification and 
 salvation. The apostle looks separ- 
 ately at the death and the resun-ection 
 of Christ, and at their propitiatory 
 and justifying efficacy, rather for the 
 sake of completeness and vivid im- 
 pression than for the purpose of mak- 
 ing minute doctrinal distinctions. In 
 other passages, the death of Christ is 
 represented as the ground of justifi- 
 cation through faith in him, 3 : 25. 
 5 : 6, 8, 10 ; but then it is a death 
 which was followed by a resurrection : 
 the resurrection of Christ is sometimes 
 regarded witli prominence, as con- 
 
 nected Avith our enjoyment of the 
 divine favor, 1 Pet. 3 : 21 ; but then 
 it is the resurrection, as preceded by 
 a peculiar death. — We are here 
 viewed in a twofold state ; first, as 
 sinners under condemnation, and 
 next, as justified. The former view 
 connects itself with the sorrowful 
 scene of the Saviour's death on ac- 
 count of our sins ; the latter con- 
 nects itself rather with the Saviour's 
 triumph over death, as having com- 
 pleted his propitiatory work and 
 delivered his followers from the just 
 desert of their sins, securing their jus- 
 tification and acceptance with God. — 
 As our justification results from be- 
 lieving in Christ, and we should not 
 have adequate reason for believing in 
 him, had he not risen from the dead 
 agreeably to his prediction, there is a 
 special appropi-iateness in connecting 
 our justification with his resurrection, 
 the signal event which proved that 
 his death was not that of a common 
 man, but of the Son of God, and 
 that it was accepted of God as the 
 ground of human salvation. 
 
 Additional Note on the expres- 
 sion. Faith was counted for righteous- 
 ness, or imputed, or reckoned for right- 
 eousness. — These three words, as has 
 been already stated under verse 6, 
 represent one and the same word in 
 the original. This expression does 
 not mean that faith is put to a per- 
 son's account instead of righteousness 
 in any such sense as to imply that a 
 justified person may be still an un- 
 righteous man ; but tliat faith is put 
 to his account as righteousness, so as 
 to be regarded by God in the light of 
 a rigliteousncss : that is, faith towards 
 God, or Christ, in other words, the 
 belixiving temper of mind wliich con- 
 fides in God's declarations, is gra- 
 ciously accepted by him as righteous- 
 ness, through which its possessor, 
 though sin might justly bo put to his 
 
CHAPTER y. 
 
 Consequeni^es of justification by faith, 1-11. Parallel and contrast between Adam and 
 Christ, 12-19. Purpose for which the Mosaic law was introduced, 20, 21. 
 
 1 Therefore being justified by faith, vre have peace with 
 
 2 God through our Lord Jesus Christ : by whom also we have 
 access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in 
 
 3 hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in 
 
 account, is justified in the sight of 
 God. This believinj^, or confiding, 
 temper is also an obedient temper; 
 but the obedience has its root in faitli 
 towards God, not in an originally 
 rigliteous spirit. The reckoning of 
 righteousness to a believer, then, is 
 not a mere show. The difference, 
 however, is easily perceived between 
 a law-righteousness, consisting in a 
 personal obedience to the divine law, 
 which obedience would be a ground 
 of justitication in the sight of God ; 
 and afaith-rifjtheoiisness, consisting in 
 a cordial trust in God, or Christ, 
 which tiiist, being a bond of union to 
 Christ, is, by the grace of God, ac- 
 cepted as available to the person's 
 justification, while, if judged on 
 strictly legal grounds, he would be 
 condemned. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The apostle has now completed 
 his reasoning on the question of jus- 
 tification in the sight of God ; and 
 proceeds to touch on the blissful re- 
 sults of justification to believers, or 
 the happy condition into which they 
 are brought as to their relation to 
 God, as to their hopes and their pres- 
 ent joys. He instances, as these 
 results, peace ^^^th God, hope of 
 future gloiy, exultation even in trou- 
 bles, exultation in reference to God. 
 Vs. 1-11. 
 
 Resemblances and contrasts be- 
 tween Adam and Christ are then 
 presented. Vs. 12-19. A reason is 
 next given for the introduction of 
 the Mosaic law. 20, 21. 
 
 1 . Bei)ig justified by faith ; being 
 
 treated as righteous, being accepted 
 of God, through faith in Christ. 
 II Peace ivith God; a peaceful mind 
 towards God, in contrast with the 
 dread formerly felt in view of his jus- 
 tice and deserved wrath. 
 
 2. Access — into this (/race; admis- 
 sion into this state of favor, or gra- 
 tuitous blessing, namely, justification 
 in the sight of God and reconciliation 
 with him. || Wherein ice stand; in 
 which we stand fast. — The careful- 
 ness of the apostle in keeping Christ 
 before tlie minds of his readers, as 
 the author of this justification, and 
 faith in him, as the medium of its 
 attainment, is very noticeable : both 
 are mentioned in the first verse and 
 both again in the second. — 1| Rejoice; 
 exult. The word in the original ex- 
 presses such feelings as are often con- 
 veyed by the term boast of, employed 
 in a commendable manner. || The 
 glonj of God ; the glory of heaven 
 which belongs to God and to which 
 he vdW admit the disciples of Christ. 
 
 3. Not only so, but we glory in 
 tribulations cdso ; not only do we exult 
 in the hope of lieavenly glory, but in 
 troubles also. Not dismayed by our 
 troubles, we even make our boast of 
 them. The idea of the sacred writer 
 is not exhausted by the thought that 
 we exult in the midst of troubles, or 
 afflictions : but the troubles them- 
 selves he seems to regard as a ground 
 of exultation. — The reasons of this 
 sentiment are next given. || Tribu- 
 lation icorkcth patience; trouble con- 
 duces to patient endurance, steculfast- 
 ness. In trials, the believing heart 
 remains constant, docs not admit tlie 
 
 (51) 
 
52 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 tribulations also ; knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; 
 
 4 and patience, experience ; and experience, hope : and hope 
 
 5 maketh not ashamed ; because the love of God is shed abroad 
 in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 
 
 thought of abandoning the Saviour ; 
 it adheres the more closely to him. 
 Troubles, as being a part of the ap- 
 pointed discipline, promote steadfast- 
 ness. 
 
 4. Patience worketh experience. Ex- 
 perience, here, means not the process 
 of subjection to trials, but the result, 
 namely, approved integrity, which the 
 patient endurance of troubles works 
 out. Patient endurance of afflictions, 
 or steadfastness in tlie midst of them, 
 results in tried integritij towards God. 
 II Experience worketh hope; experi- 
 ence of afflictions, issuing in the re- 
 sult of confirmed Christian integrity, 
 produces hope. — The hope, here in- 
 tended, is an advanced stage of hope 
 as mentioned in the second verse and 
 amounts to strong confidence in the 
 attainment of its objects. It is hope, 
 sti-engthened and matured by trials. 
 
 5. Hope maketh not ashamed. The 
 hope thus matured, Avarranted and en- 
 couraged by confirmed Christian in- 
 tegrity, does not disappoint its pos- 
 sessor. It will not fail to be realized, 
 and will not, through failure, make 
 him ashamed of his confident expecta- 
 tions : it will issue in the actual pos- 
 session of the unutterable gloiy which 
 it anticipates. — The ground of this 
 persuasion is next presented. || Be- 
 cause the love of God is shed abroad in 
 our hearts, etc. ; because God loves us, 
 and has given abundant expression 
 to his love by the Holy Spirit bestowed 
 on us. By the Holy Spirit he has 
 imparted an assured and felt convic- 
 tion of his love to us ; and has awak- 
 ened within us a corresponding aflfec- 
 tionate temper towards him, so that 
 we feel that he has loved us. As the 
 confiding child knows, and feels, that 
 his pai-ent loves him, and this filial 
 temper helps him rightly to estimate 
 his parent's acts, as emanating from 
 pareutal love, so the believer, under 
 
 the copious influence of the Holy 
 Spirit has such a temper of mind 
 towards God as makes him feel that 
 God has loved him. God has not 
 kept his love to us pent up, as it 
 were, in his own breast ; he has given 
 copious and full expression to it : he 
 has come to our hearts, and poured 
 it forth abundantly on them, so that 
 we feel he has loved us. An affec- 
 tionate friend makes known his love 
 by appropriate tokens and acts, and 
 these produce, in the object of his 
 regard, a sense of the love Avhich is 
 thus expressed ; so God makes us 
 sensible of his love to us. This is 
 done by the agency of the Holy 
 Spirit, whose access to our souls pro- 
 duces not so much a conviction as a 
 feeling, that God loves us, a sensibil- 
 ity to God's love. — The reciprocal 
 action of mind and heart must here 
 be acknowledged ; but the superior 
 action is that of the heart, cherishing 
 affection towards God through the 
 power of the Holy Spirit. — 1| By the 
 Holy Ghost, etc. By the agency of 
 the Holy Spirit, God's love to us 
 becomes a matter of conviction and 
 deep feeling. The Spirit renovates 
 our hearts and imparts to us a filial 
 temper, making us genuine disciples 
 of Christ, so that God can consist- 
 ently with his holy character abun- 
 dantly express Ins love to us. This 
 expression of God's love for us, as 
 believers on his Son, is a sufficient 
 assurance that the hope resting on 
 Christ will never fail. — While, by the 
 Holy Spuit, God makes manifesta- 
 tions, in our hearts, of his love and 
 acknowledges us as his children, the 
 gift of the Spirit is itself a fruit of his 
 love. The apostle's idea is substan- 
 tially the same liere as in the passages 
 where the Spirit is spoken of as the 
 earliest of the promised inheritance, 
 given before-hand to believers. See 2 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 53 
 
 10 
 
 For ^Yllen we were yet without strength, in due time Christ 
 died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will 
 one die ; yet peradventure for a good man some would even 
 dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in 
 that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much 
 more then, beino^ now justified by his blood, we shall be saved 
 For if when we were enemies, we 
 
 from wrath through him 
 
 Cor. 5 : 5, God, who also hath given 
 to us the earnest of the Spirit ; and 
 Eph. 1 : 13, 14, Ye were sealed with 
 that Holy Spirit of promise, or, the 
 promised Holy Spirit, which is the 
 earnest of our inheritance. It is the 
 earnest, since it makes us holy and fits 
 us for the heavenly inheritance, awak- 
 ens filial feeliufcs towards God and 
 draws us to an affectionate intercourse 
 with him. 
 
 6. The love of God had been 
 mentioned, v. 5, as the ground of 
 confidence that the hope enjoyed bv 
 believers would not be disappointed. 
 The apostle now proceeds to the evi- 
 dence of God's love, consisting in 
 what he has done in our behalf. — 
 When we were yet without strength ; 
 while we were weak, unal)le to help 
 ourselves ; while we were in sin and 
 wretcliedness, and unable to rescue 
 ourselves from condemnation. This 
 state is, indeed, a guilty one ; but the 
 precise point, Avhich the apostle has 
 in mind, is the helplessness to which 
 sin had reduced us, as to attaining 
 deliverance and the divine favor. 
 II In dm time ; at the api)ointed time, 
 according to the divine an'angement 
 of events : as the apostle says in Gal. 
 4 : 4, when the fuhiess of the time was 
 come. II Christ died for the unrjodljj ; 
 for the benefit, or in behalf, of the 
 ungodly. Those who had just been 
 spoken of as having no spiritual 
 strength to extricate themselves from 
 their wretched state, are here denom- 
 inated un'jodlii ; as, in the 8th verse, 
 they are in like manner called sin- 
 ners. It is here assumed, as well 
 known and remembered by readers, 
 that Christ is the Son of God : and 
 thus his dying for the ungodly attests 
 God's love to men. 
 
 5* 
 
 7. That Christ's dying in behalf 
 of men attests the greatness of God's 
 love, is shown by contrast. Scarcely 
 would any one die in behalf of even 
 a just man, fallen into calamity : but 
 Christ died for us sinners, meriting his 
 displeasure. — Scarcely for a righteous 
 man ; a just man, a man of integrity, 
 acknowledged to have committed no 
 offence. || Yet peradventure for a 
 good man, etc. The apostle concedes 
 the possibility, that one might offer 
 his life in behalf of another ; in be- 
 half of a generous, noble-hearted 
 man, always ready to do a favor, and 
 endearing himself to everybody by 
 his kind and noble deeds, perhaps 
 some one might offer to die. This 
 admission, however, docs not dimin- 
 ish the force of the contrast ; for such 
 a case cannot exist in reference to 
 Christ. Ko acts of aenerosity could 
 have been done by men towards him, 
 in requital for which he would offer 
 himself to death. 
 
 8. So far from having secured 
 regard by the bestowal of benefits, 
 men were not even simply /».s?, they 
 were not ivithout guilt, in the sight of 
 God. They Avere positively sinners, 
 justly condemned. God commendeth 
 his love towards us ; shows forth, gives 
 proof of, his deep love for us. 
 
 9. 3Iuch more then, etc. A strong 
 inference from the preceding verse : 
 If through the death of his Son, as 
 the proof of his love for us, we are 
 now justified, that is, treated as if 
 righteous, much more shall we, as 
 justified, be saved through his Son 
 from final wrath. 
 
 10. For if ivhen we were enemies, 
 etc. The same idea is more strongly 
 presented. If, having been enemies 
 to God, we have, through the death 
 
54 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 were reconciled to God by the death of his Son ; much more, 
 
 1 1 being reconciled, we shall be saved hj his life. And not 
 only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 
 
 12 Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, 
 
 of his Son, become his friends, much 
 more, noAv that we are his friends, we 
 shall be completely saved throwjh his 
 life, since he now ever liveth in heaven 
 to act as our patron. Compare 8 : 
 34 ; the idea of which verse is, since 
 Clirist has died for us, rather is risen, 
 and is at the right hand of God, 
 pleading our cause, no one can rise 
 up to condemn us. See, also, Heb. 
 7 : 25, He is able to save to the ut- 
 termost, that is, completely, them that 
 come unto God through him, seeing 
 he ever liveth to make intercession 
 for them; also, 1 John 2: 1. That 
 Christ should die for us, while we 
 were sinners, is more surprising tlian 
 that he Avill com])lcte our salvation 
 by acting in our behalf on high, now 
 that we have become justified and 
 reconciled to God through his death. 
 11. Not only so, but ice also joy in 
 God. Not only does the love of God 
 warrant this confidence of future sal- 
 vation, so that we can exult in the 
 troubles which assail us, but we also 
 exult in God, make our boast of him 
 as bearing to us, through Cluist, most 
 endearing relations. j| We have re- 
 ceived the atonement ; that is, the recon- 
 ciliation intimated in the preceding 
 verse. The word atonement bore this 
 signification, when our translation of 
 the scriptures was made, and the 
 original word is, as to its root, the 
 same as is translated reconciled in the 
 10th verse. The result of our Lord's 
 death, namely, reconciliation, is here 
 meant ; not the means, or process, by 
 which that result was reached. This 
 reconciliation is a matter of present 
 enjoyment; we have it 7ioiv. — Well 
 may we exult, since God, the al- 
 mighty and most merciful, is our 
 fi-iend. For this state of reconcili- 
 ation with God we are indebted to 
 Christ. 
 
 12-19. The apostle had been un- 
 folding the method of justification, 
 and had just shown its happy results 
 in those who avail themselves of its 
 benefits by believing in Christ. The 
 idea of reconciliation to God and its 
 consequent bliss, was now particu- 
 larly prominent in his mind : and the 
 conception of the unliappy state of 
 men, as sinners, and the glorious con- 
 trast as to the state of Chi-ist's fol- 
 lowers, seems to have suggested to 
 him a parallel between Adam, the 
 head of the human race, through 
 whom sin, condemnation and wo en- 
 tered into the world, and Christ, the 
 head of believers, through whom 
 come justification, recovery to lioli- 
 ness, and bliss. The advantage is 
 immensely on Christ's side of the 
 parallel, and strikingly confirms the 
 views given in the preceding part of 
 the chapter. 
 
 12. WIterefore. This word relates 
 to the preceding train of thought 
 Avhich had established the great ti-uth, 
 that justification and eternal life come 
 to us through Jesus Chi-ist. This 
 truth places Christ at the head of the 
 justified and reconciled company, a 
 position, con-esponding to that * of 
 Adam as the head of the human 
 race. || By one man ; Adam, as ap- 
 pears from the following verses. 
 II Sin entered into the ivorld ; into the 
 wox'ld of mankind, the human family: 
 mankind became sinful. || Death. 
 This word has various significations, 
 according to the connection in which 
 it occurs. It is, at least mainly, 
 in this paragraph, the contrast of 
 spiritual and eternal life, tlie blessed 
 state of favor with God, all spiritual 
 good for time and eternity. See 
 verses 17 and 21 ; compare Deut. 
 30: 15. Spiritual life consists in the 
 confoiTnity of our hearts to the divine 
 
CHAPTER Y 
 
 55 
 
 an I death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that, 
 13 all have sinned: (For until the law, sin was in the world ; 
 
 will, and in our harmony with God 
 as to affections, purposes and con- 
 duct : its po-^scssion secures to us the 
 exalted bliss, in time and eternity, 
 winch cannot but flow from our stand- 
 intr in ri;rht relations towards God. 
 Death is the opposite of this ; it is 
 tliat miserable condition in which a 
 moral and accountable being stands, 
 whose heai't is not right with God, 
 who has no delight in his will and no 
 v/ell-grounded peace of mind, who is 
 filled witli dread in respect to God, 
 and .who, when awakened to his spir- 
 itual state, can anticipate only con- 
 demnation. The death of the body 
 does not fui-nish an adequate contrast 
 to the life which is connected Avith 
 being justified in the sight of God ; 
 yet bodily death, as eminently a form 
 of human misery, is included in the 
 apostle's idea ; for, that he regarded 
 the death of the body as a conse- 
 quence of sin, and of our connection 
 with Adam, is evident from 8:10 
 and from! Cor. 15: 22. Compare 
 Gen. 3 : 19. — Death, as it now occurs 
 to man, would not have been endured 
 but on account of sin ; for though 
 the Creator may never have designed 
 that men should have an uninter- 
 rupted existence on this earth, and in 
 their present material bodies, yet the 
 transition to a different sphere of 
 being, and the laying aside of the 
 animal body, might have been ef- 
 fected in a way not suitable to be 
 called death, but only a change unac- 
 companied by pain or any disagree- 
 able circumstances, a desirable and 
 glorious change, like that which will 
 t ike place on those avIio, instead of 
 dying, will be changed at the resur- 
 rection. 1 Thess. 4: 1.5-17. 1 Cor. 
 15 : 51, 52. The dissolution of soul 
 and body, as it now takes place, must, 
 however, be put to the account of 
 sin ; and bodily death, as being the 
 most dire evil to unholy men, and 
 far from being void of terror even to 
 the righteous, may well be included 
 
 among the miserable results of sin. 
 II Death passed upon all men. Tlie 
 original is quite expressive, hath 
 passed through unto all men. \\ For 
 that all have sinned. Tlie reason is 
 here given, why the wretched state 
 of death, taken comprehensively, has 
 extended to all. The apostle seems 
 careful to prevent an abuse of his 
 statement that, in consequence of 
 one man's sin, all men are become 
 subject to death : all, he says, are 
 subject to the doom of sin, since all 
 have sinned. 
 
 13, 14. For until the law sin teas in 
 the loorld. The assertion that all had 
 sinned and incuiTed the doom of 
 sin, needed confirmation, particularly 
 among Jews. The apostle had al- 
 ready shown that Jews, as well as 
 Gentiles, were sinners ; and now he 
 finds it necessary to show that men 
 were all sinners, previously to the 
 introduction of the Mosaic law which 
 drew the distinction so broadly be- 
 tween Jews and other nations. In- 
 stead, therefore, of presenting at once 
 the contrasted thought concerning 
 Christ, namely, that righteousness 
 and eternal life come by Christ, he 
 intcrrapts his course in order to sus- 
 tain that assertion. He affirms that, 
 as a matter of fact, sin was commit- 
 ted previously to the introduction of 
 the law, from the time of Adam 
 doAvn to the time when the law was 
 introduced ; though he concedes that, 
 without so clear an announcement of 
 the divine vnW as the law made, sin 
 is not charged to men's account, that 
 is, comparatively : notwithstanding, 
 it was a fact, that sin was in the world 
 and that men were subjected to its 
 doom, from Adam to Moses, even 
 before the law was given, and there- 
 fore in the absence of a direct and 
 full revelation of the divine will. — 
 He here viewed sin as a violation of 
 that law which is involved in our very 
 being, as subjects of God : men dis- 
 regarded the inalienable, though un- 
 
56 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 14 but sin is not imputed when there is no law ; nevertheless, 
 death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had 
 not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is 
 
 15 the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, 
 so also IS the free gift. For if through the offence of one 
 many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by 
 grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto 
 
 written, claims of God as theu* Cre- 
 ator and Euler. Tlie Mosaic law 
 was not the beginning of divine legis- 
 lation ; it was a more direct and sys- 
 tematic declaration of moral princi- 
 ples which lie necessarily in man's 
 nature. || Sin is not imputed; sin is 
 not put to a person's account. ^ Com- 
 paratively speaking, the sins of men 
 were not held to be so aggravated as 
 to be put to their account with strict- 
 ness, while a clear revelation of the 
 divine will was not possessed ; in 
 such circumstances, sin is not charged 
 in all its fulness ; God makes mer- 
 ciful allowances. Compare John 15 : 
 22. Acts 14: 16. 17 : 30. 
 
 14. Death reigned; death bore 
 sway, as a domineering tyx-ant, sub- 
 jecting men, soul and body, to its 
 power. The misery consequent on 
 ein, is here personified : sin comes, 
 and death, the inflictor of all misery, 
 follows in its train. || Them, that had 
 not sinned after the similitude, etc.; 
 those who had not sinned in circum- 
 stances like Adam's : that is, against 
 clearly expressed commands. The 
 idea, in this clause, corresponds to 
 the expression in the preceding verse, 
 when there is no laiv. The assertion 
 of the apostle is, that the sway of 
 death was felt before the giving of 
 the law, during the Avhole time from 
 Adam to Moses : men were, there- 
 fore, sinners ; they were subjected to 
 miseiy, as being sinners, notwith- 
 etanding the merciful allowances, 
 which God makes in reference to 
 those who have not the means of a 
 clear knoAvledge of his will. All 
 men were in a state of condemnation, 
 and death had sway over them, as 
 sinners, though the law had not yet 
 
 been given. || Adam, who is the figure, 
 etc. ; who is a countei-part, a resem- 
 blance, of Christ, as to the relation in 
 Avhich he stood. The resemblance, 
 or correspondence, between Adam 
 and Christ, consists in the fact, that 
 both of them stood as heads of re- 
 spective companies ; Adam the sin- 
 ner, by means of Avhom sin and death 
 pen-aded the human family ; Christ 
 the righteous, by means of whom 
 come righteousness and life. — The 
 sentiment that Adam was a figure, or 
 resemblance of Christ, contained a 
 thought of great importance, as really 
 suggesting the corresponding part of 
 the comparison commenced in the 
 12th verse, but not there carried out, 
 namely, that righteousness, and eter- 
 nal life come by Christ. This part 
 of the comparison having thus been 
 really suggested, the apostle leaves it 
 for the present and proceeds, in verses 
 15-17, to indicate contrasts between 
 Adam and Christ, as to the results 
 which have floAved from them respect- 
 ively. These results are, immcasur- 
 ablv, to the advantage of the grace 
 of Christ. 
 
 15. The transgression and the 
 free gift are here contrasted as to 
 their results. — Jf through the offence of 
 one many he dead, etc.; more literally. 
 If through the offence of the one, that 
 is, Adam, the many, tliat is, the mass of 
 men, mankind, be dead. — On one side, 
 the many were, through the offence of 
 the one, in a state of death, for that they 
 all sinned : on the other side, the grace, 
 or favor, of God and the free gift of 
 righteousness and life bestowed in 
 consequence of that grace, through 
 the one man Jesus Christ, far more 
 abounded to the many, for that they 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 16 many. And not as it was bj one that sinned, so is the gift. 
 For the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free 
 gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one 
 
 17 man's offence, death reigned by one ; much more they which 
 receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteous- 
 
 18 ness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ). Therefore, as 
 
 believed in Christ. The many, in the 
 former case, are all who have sinned, 
 as appears from the 12th verse; the 
 many, in the latter case, are all who 
 have believed, as appears from the 
 doctrine established in the preceding 
 chapters of the epistle and from the 
 1 7th verse of the present chapter. — 
 Death is to all who sin ; the free gift 
 of life is to all who believe in Christ. 
 These conditions on which death and 
 life, respectively, are adjudged, mnst 
 not be overlooked ; since, if over- 
 looked, neither the condemned state 
 of men, nor the justified state of 
 Christ's disciples, would be properly- 
 estimated. — The point of contrast, 
 here, is, the great abundance of divine 
 favor by Jesus Christ, so far exceed- 
 ing the doom incurred through the 
 transgression of Adam. The inflic- 
 tion of misery, on the part of God, 
 is always kept within the limits of 
 justice, so that no one is ever unjustly 
 treated : the bestowal of happiness, 
 however, does not require so strict a 
 regai'd to measure, since God delights 
 in the exuberance of his love to those 
 who are prepared to enjoy it ; and he 
 need not repress it, for his goodness 
 can be indulged towards righteous 
 beings without injustice, or harm, to 
 any. — Tlie thought seems, also, in- 
 volved here, that life is a gift pro- 
 ceeding from divine favor, while death 
 is a just desert of men's sins. 
 
 16, 17. The persons, Adam and 
 Clirist, are next contrasted ; first, as 
 to the judicial sentence and the free 
 gift ; secondly, v. 17, as to the results, 
 both in kind and in magnitude. — For 
 the judgment was hi/ one to condemna- 
 tion, etc. The judicial sentence, oc- 
 casioned by Adam, and the gift, pro- 
 cured by Clirist, are here contrasted. 
 The sentence proceeded from one of- 
 
 fence to condemnation; but the free 
 gift, from many offences to justifi- 
 cation. Adam's one transgression was 
 a prolific source of condemnation, as 
 it was followed by the fact that all 
 have sinned, and come under con- 
 demnation ; but, through Christ, 
 many sins are followed by justifica- 
 tion as a free gift to beUevers, not- 
 withstanding the many sins. 
 
 17, The second point of contrast 
 between the persons, Adam and 
 Christ, is found in the natui'e and 
 magnitude of the respective results 
 produced by each. — If by one man's 
 offence, death reigned by one, etc. If 
 by the offence, or transgression, of 
 the one, Adam, death reigned, through 
 that one, over men, lorded it over 
 them, inflicting all miseries on them, 
 in body and soul ; on the other hand, 
 by the one, Jesus Christ, shall men 
 reign, become kings in the future 
 gloiy, be exalted to a royal state in 
 eternal life, exalted to spiritual glory 
 and bliss ; those men, namely, who 
 become partakers of the abundant 
 divine favor and the free gift of right 
 eousness, that is, righteousness by 
 faith, so as to be justified in the sight 
 of God, — The description here given 
 of those who should be blessed with 
 eternal life shows that, throughout 
 this paragraph, the idea of believing 
 in Christ, on the part of those who 
 are justified, is to be understood. 
 Death and life are here contrasted ; 
 also, the reign of death over sinners 
 and the gloi-ious reign of tliose who 
 arc justified through the rigliteousness 
 of faith ; so that, instead of being 
 reigned over by death, they them- 
 selves shall reign in life, shall be 
 elevated to signal glory and bliss. 
 As to degree, the contrast will emi- 
 nently honor the grace of God, since 
 
58 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to con- 
 demnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift 
 19 came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one 
 man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obe- 
 dience of one shall many be made righteous. 
 
 the abundance of glory and bliss, 
 enjoyed by those who receive the gift 
 of rigJiteousness, will so entirely out- 
 weigh the misery consequent on sin. 
 
 18. Having shown contrasts be- 
 tween Adam and Christ, who resem- 
 ble one another in regard to being at 
 the head of their respective compa- 
 nies, the apostle returns to the com- 
 parison which was partially stated in 
 the 12th verse, but was there inter- 
 mpted. This comparison is, how- 
 ever, rendered more complete and 
 impressive by the connection in Avhich 
 it is here resumed. — By the offence of 
 one ; more con-ectly rendered, hi/ one 
 offence, the first sin of Adam. This 
 was the commencement of human 
 transgressions, the first in a long se- 
 ries : it issued in the condemnation 
 of all, since all have followed in 
 transgi-ession. See verse 12. || So 
 by the righteousness of one; more cor- 
 rectly, hy one righteous act. Special 
 reference is here had to the crown- 
 ing act of Christ's righteousness, 
 namely, the laying down of his life. 
 Compare John 10 : 17. This view 
 of the passage is in harmony with the 
 prominence given, throughout this 
 epistle, to the death of Christ. || The 
 free gift. These words are supplied 
 by the translators, as also the word 
 judgment, from the 16th verse. The 
 subject was so completely and vividly 
 before the apostle's mind, and the 
 idea had, already, been so clearly ex- 
 pressed, that he naturally leaves the 
 reader to supply these terms. The 
 result of the transgression, on the 
 one hand, is contemplated, and of 
 the righteousness, or righteous deed, 
 on the other, in respect to the con- 
 trasted companies. || Came upon all 
 men. As the extent of the judgment 
 is regulated hj the fact that all have 
 sinmd, so the extent of the free gift 
 
 is regulated by the fact tliat all who 
 receive it have believed in Christ . the 
 word all is applicable in each case, 
 since the entire company, in each case, 
 is contemplated by the apostle. || Unto 
 justification of life ; justification which 
 secured eternal life. Tins was the 
 ultimate result in regard to the entire 
 company of believers in Christ. 
 
 19. The reason is now given for 
 the ultimate result in the two cases 
 respectively, mentioned in the preced- 
 ing verse ; condemnation, leading to 
 death, justification, leading to hfe. 
 This reason is, that in the one case 
 the many had become sinners, in the 
 other, tlie many had become right- 
 eous. By one man's disobedience, etc.; 
 througli the disobedience {v. 8, the 
 offence), specially the first act of dis- 
 obedience, of the one man, Adam, 
 the many (such is a literal expression 
 of the original), that is, the multitude 
 of whom he was the head, became 
 sinners. || So by the obedience of one 
 shall many, etc. The obedience here 
 mentioned is, in accordance witli the 
 righteousness, or righteous act, men- 
 tioned in verse 18, the special and 
 crowning act of obedience on the pait 
 of Christ ; namely, his giving him- 
 self up to death, thus fonning a corre 
 spondence and contrast to the first act 
 of disobedience on the part of Adam. 
 Compare Phil. 2 : 8, where death is 
 mentioned as tlie extent to wliich the 
 obedience of Christ was carried.— 
 Tlu'ough the obedience of the one, 
 namely Christ, particularly in submit- 
 ting to the death of the cross, shall 
 the many, the multitude of whom he 
 is the Head, become righteous. 
 II TFcre made sinners. According to 
 the original verb here used, the clause 
 may be properly rendered, were con- 
 stituted, came into the standing, or coji- 
 dition, of sinners ; that is, became sin- 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 59 
 
 ners. \\ Shall he made righteous; shall 
 he consfitnted, come into the standing, 
 or condition, of righteous ones ; that 
 is, shall become righteous in the siglit 
 of God, through faith in Christ. — The 
 precise nature of men's moral con- 
 nection with Adam, or the way in 
 which all become sinners through his 
 transgression, the apostle does not 
 explain : he asserts the fact, and that, 
 for the purpose of illustrating the 
 mercy of God in the rcdemi)tion of 
 believers in Christ. The question 
 belongs to the domain of speculative 
 religious philosophy and will always 
 be variously answered. Wliatever 
 account is to be given of human sin- 
 fulness, as to its origination, two 
 things are certain : first. As soon as 
 human beings reflect on their moral 
 state, they find themselves sinners 
 and under condemnation : second. 
 Every enlightened mind passes con- 
 demnation on itself, as personally 
 guilty for every one of its sinful 
 affections, purposes and acts. The 
 genuine religious philosopher cannot 
 be contented with a theory which 
 overlooks either of these facts. 
 
 Is the justification spoken of by the 
 apostle actual, or only possible, jus- 
 tification ? justification itself, or a 
 provision for it ? In reply, it must 
 be considered, that the language will 
 not admit of any other meaning than 
 that of actual justification. The 
 terms are such as occur in other 
 places where the meaning is not liable 
 to such a question. Again ; the con- 
 demnation which is the opposite £>f it 
 is a real condemnation : so too tlien, 
 is the justification. 
 
 The difticulty which prompts tliis 
 inquiry can be more satisfactorily ob- 
 viated than by resorting to the sup- 
 position, that merely a provision for 
 justification is here spoken of. The 
 difficulty is, that justification seems 
 here made co-extensive with condem- 
 nation, and consequently seems to 
 include all men. Now Ave must not 
 forget, that through all the preceding 
 part of the epistle the writer has been 
 
 exhibiting the medium of justifica- 
 tion, namely, faith in Jesus Clmst : 
 without this, he teaches, the hope of 
 justification is not to be cherished. 
 This is clearly his doctrine, and it 
 must be regarded as running through 
 this paragraph, though not here for- 
 mally mentioned. Compare the 17th 
 verse. Let this paragraph be ex- 
 plained in conformity with tlie apos- 
 tle's principles, so largely manifested 
 and so elaborately and carefully 
 A\TOught out in the preceding chap- 
 ters, and difficulty vanishes. — This is 
 also obvious from the need of there 
 being, in reference to those who are 
 justified, a thought corresponding to 
 that, distinctly stated, in reference to 
 those who are condcnrned ; namely, 
 for that all have sinmd. Now, keep- 
 ing in view the two companies, that 
 is, the condemned and the justified 
 under the two corresponding heads, 
 Adam and Christ, we may employ in 
 reference to the justified the corre- 
 sponding formula, fur that theg have 
 all believed; a formula not capable 
 indeed, from the facts in the case, of 
 application to men universally ; but 
 strictly applicable to all who are jus- 
 tified. Thus all the parts of this 
 paragraph are in harmony with one 
 another ; and the paragraph is, in- 
 deed, a virtual, though extended and 
 amplified, re-statement of the apos- 
 tle's leading doctrine. — The work of 
 Christ in reference to the human race 
 is, indeed, such that all hindrances to 
 God's reconciliation with men, and 
 their acceptance Avith him, are re- 
 moved, except only those which are 
 in men's own breasts ; so that God 
 may be said to occupy the attitude 
 of reconciliation to men, 2 Cor. 5 : 
 19. John 3: 16, 17. 1 John 2:2; 
 and he stands ready to accept them 
 as justified in his sig'ht. Justification 
 for the human family is procured, so 
 far as the relation of God to them is 
 concerned ; and it is only requisite 
 now that men, having a sense of 
 their guilt and their need of redemp- 
 tion, should by faith in Christ, as the 
 Redeemer, appropriate to themsclvo > 
 
60 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 20 Moreover, the law entered that the off"ence might abound. 
 
 21 But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound : that 
 as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign 
 through righteousness uneo eternal life, by Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. 
 
 this justification. The apostle, how- 
 ever, is evidently speaking, in this 
 paragraph, of those who, by believing 
 in Christ, have actually become par- 
 takei-s of justification, and, through 
 discipleship to him, are becoming 
 prepared for eternal life. 
 
 20. The apostle now returns to 
 the thought suggested in the 13th 
 verse, that sin is not reckoned to 
 men's account in the absence of the 
 law. This thouglit might appear to 
 some to furnish a reason for the per- 
 petual withholding of the law ; for, 
 if, while the law was withholden, sin 
 was not charged, why would it not 
 have been better to decline giving the 
 law, and thus prevent the accumula- 
 tion of sins ■? Why the law was in- 
 troduced, then, was an important 
 inquiry. This inquiry the apostle 
 answers. It might have been, in 
 part, appropriate to say, that the 
 withholding of the law would not 
 have so far prevented the commission 
 of sin as also to prevent the reign of 
 death, and secure eternal life to man- 
 kind. Men Avere sinners and would 
 have perished, even if the law had 
 not been introduced. No advantage, 
 then, would have been gained by 
 withholding the law, Avhile yet an in- 
 dispensable step to the felt necessity 
 for a mei'ciful redemption would not 
 have been taken. Tlie law must be 
 introduced as a necessary historical 
 step in the development of human 
 character and wants, and as the 
 means of awakening and deepening 
 men's consciousness of being under 
 sin, and of the helplessness and miseiy 
 to which it subjects its victims, and 
 thus as preliminary and preparatory 
 to the scheme of redemption. — The 
 law ; the Mosaic law viewed in all its 
 parts, though specially its moral prin- 
 ciples. The apostle is still to be con- 
 
 ceived of as reasoning with Jews ; 
 while yet his argument connects it- 
 self with all men, since the moral 
 principles of the Jewish code are but 
 a clearer and fuller exhibition of the 
 duties of all men, as grounded in 
 their relation to God and their ac- 
 countableness to him, and as ackr.owl- 
 edgcd in the moral consciousness of 
 all men. || That the offence might 
 abound; that transgressions might 
 abound in number and aggravation. 
 This was not the ultimate purpose 
 of the law, but an intermediate and 
 subordinate one for awakening a 
 more vivid and distressing conscious- 
 ness of personal guilt and of the 
 need of redemption, and an appre- 
 ciating sense of God's grace in pro- 
 viding the plan of salvation. — The 
 agency of the law when distinctly 
 applied to the souls of men in calling 
 forth to activity their latent si'.iful- 
 ness, producing greater guilt and a 
 deeper sense of the need of redemp- 
 tion, finds an illustration in the 
 agency of some medical prescriptions 
 which put the elements of disease 
 into activity and would seem for a 
 time to be only aggravating the dis- 
 order, while the intention and the re- 
 sult of the application may be to 
 eradicate and remove the elements of 
 disease. || Grace did much more 
 abound. The loving kindness of God 
 proved itself surpassingly great, how- 
 ever great became the sinfulness and 
 ill desert of men. 
 
 21. Here appears the ultimate 
 purpose of the introduction of the 
 law ; namely, that the reigning power 
 of sin might be overcome, evidently 
 and completely, by the immensely 
 superior power of divine grace in se- 
 curing righteousness and eternal life 
 for men. — Tliat as sin hath reigned unto 
 death, so, etc.; that as sin has exerted 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Believers in Christ -will not live in sin, since they are in union vrith him in respect to hia 
 death and his resurrection, and are not under the law, but under grace, 1-li. The 
 grace of God by which believers are justified is incompatible with their living in sin, 
 since those who live in sin are servants of sin, not servants of God, 15-22. The ser- 
 vice of sin -will be followed by its deserved recompense ; while to those who are in Christ 
 God gives eternal life, 23. 
 
 a kingly, despotic sway by reducing 
 men to death, so, and in outweighing 
 contrast, the grace of God should 
 bear sway, displa}dng a kingly, su- 
 preme power in believers, through 
 righteousness, issuing in eternal life. 
 This righteousness and eternal life 
 are by Jesus Christ : it is, conse- 
 quently, the righteousness by foith in 
 Christ, which thus magnifies the grace 
 of God. It is the thought o^ justifi- 
 cation, that is present to the apostle's 
 mind ; hence it is the fixitk-righteous- 
 ness, that is here intended. — The 
 mention of Jesus Christ as our Lord 
 shows that, throughout tliis part of 
 the chapter, believers in Christ are 
 had in view, and not 7nen universally, 
 so far as justification is the topic of 
 discourse. We should do violence to 
 the apostle's language, were we to 
 omit this thought, so perpetually 
 and sti'ongly stated in the preceding 
 part of the reasoning. Faith in him 
 is there re]n-esented as the cardinal 
 principle of our justification ; and 
 this is necessar}', in order that we 
 may belong to his company and 
 have liim really as our Lord. The 
 repetition of this in the summary 
 view, which this chapter presents, 
 was no more necessary, in the apos- 
 tle's judgment, in order that he might 
 not be misunderstood, than was the 
 repeated statement, that men's own 
 sins are the pi-ocuring cause of their 
 condemnation, after having distinctly 
 stated this in the 1 2th verse. 
 
 CHAPTERS VI — Vin. 
 In 5 : 20, the apostle had expressed 
 the sentiment, that the abounding of 
 transgression was to prove the occa- 
 
 6 
 
 sion of the abounding of divine grace 
 in forgiving sin and rescuing men 
 from its fatal sway. The thought 
 might naturally arise in some minds 
 that, according to this sentiment, 
 liberty might be taken to indulge in 
 sin in order to give opportunity for 
 the display of divine grace in forgiv- 
 ing it and preventing its legitimate 
 consequences. The apostle, there- 
 fore, takes up this thought and ex- 
 poses its absurdity; and from this 
 point proceeds to dilate on tlie sanc- 
 tifying power of the gospel, showing 
 that the faith in Chnst wliich avails 
 for justification also promotes holi- 
 ness of heart and life, inspires the 
 believer Avith filial love to God, im- 
 parts spiritual strength, and thus 
 secures obedience to God. — He was 
 thus led to a consideration of the gos- 
 pel, as designed and adapted to se- 
 cure holiness in beUevers, as well as 
 their justification in the sight of God. 
 This part of the epistle occupies the 
 sixth, seventh, and eighth chapters. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 The question now under consider- 
 ation is. Whether believers, towards 
 whom divine grace has abounded in 
 their justification, may continue in 
 sin, in order to give occasion for a 
 more ample display of that grace. 
 The question divides itself into two 
 parts : in the first place. May believ- 
 ers continue in sin ? In reply to this, 
 the apostle states it as a well known 
 and acknowledged sentiment, that 
 believers in Ciirist are united with 
 him in respect to his death for sin 
 and in respect to his resurrection to a 
 glorious life. Since, now, they are 
 (61) 
 
62 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 1 What shall we say then ? Shall we continue in sin, that 
 
 2 grace may abound ? God forbid : how shall we, that are dead 
 
 3 to sin, live any longer therein ? Know ye not that so many 
 of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into 
 
 dead in respect to sin, having fellow- 
 ship -with Christ in his death for sin, 
 its sway over them is to cease, just as 
 Christ, having once died for sin, is 
 henceforth no more held liable to 
 death, and they are henceforth to live 
 in righteousness to the glory of God, 
 as those who, in conformity to the 
 resurrection of their Lord, and in fel- 
 lowship with him as risen to a glorious 
 life, have become spiritually alive 
 through Jesus Christ. Since faith in 
 Christ has reference to his death and 
 his resurrection, that faith necessainly 
 involves a renunciation of sin and 
 an entering on a new life, a life of 
 righteousness. Vs. 1-14. 
 
 Having disposed of the first part 
 of tlie query, he proceeds to the 
 second, which is presented in a some- 
 what modified form ; namely. Wheth- 
 er the believer's being on the foot- 
 ing of grace, not of law, alloyvs of 
 his committing sin. To tins a nega- 
 tive answer is given, on the ground 
 that the obedience we render, whether 
 to sin or to righteousness, shows 
 whom we serve as our master, and 
 consequently that those wlio live in 
 sin are its servants, and not servants 
 of God, as believers have aA^owed 
 themselves to be. Believers, then, 
 being servants of God, should suiTcn- 
 der to him all tlieir powers : God will 
 bestow on them the gift of eternal 
 life ; while those who serve sin will 
 receive the Avages of sin. Vs. 15- 
 23. 
 
 1. SJiall ice continue in sin that 
 (pace maij abound ? Shall we still 
 live in sin, on the groimd that thereby 
 we may give an opportunity for the 
 grace of God to be more abundantly 
 exercised and honored ? 
 
 2. God forbid. See 3: 4. The 
 apostle strongly protests against tlie 
 thought presented in the preceding 
 verse. || How shall we, etc. With- 
 
 out affirming the obvious insincerity 
 of a person who should make such a 
 proposal, and without insisting that 
 continuance in sin could not arise 
 from a respect and love for God and 
 from a desire to glorify his grace, but 
 must be traced to a preference of sin 
 and a supreme regard to one's own 
 selfish gratification, the apostle con- 
 fines himself to the question. Whether 
 a believer in view of his character 
 and profession of union with Christ 
 can continue in sin ? This question 
 finds a prompt reply in the thought, 
 that believers in Christ are dead to 
 sin ; that is, to its dominion and to 
 the gratifications which it may prom- 
 ise. Continuance in sin would be 
 utterly inconsistent with death to sin | 
 and liife to God ; to such a death, and / 
 such a life, believers have pledged' 
 themselves. 1| Dead to sin : dead to 
 its power, so that it does not control 
 us ; dead to its attractions, so tliat Ave 
 are not draAvn tOAvards it; dead to 
 any claim Avhich it might assert to 
 our regard. 1| How shall we ... . live 
 any longer therein ? Death and life in 
 respect to the same tiling, do not co- 
 exist : it Avould be absurd for a per- 
 son Avho has renounced the claims of 
 sin still to subject himself to those 
 claims ; absurd for a per>:on whose 
 affections have been AvitlidraAvn from 
 sin, still to indulge in sinful desires 
 and be governed by sinful principles. 
 If Ave live in sin, Ave are not dead in 
 respect to it : now, genuine believers 
 are dead to sin and alive to righteous- 
 ness, and consequently cannot liA'e in 
 sin. Sin is at A^ariance Avitli their in- 
 most principles. 
 
 3. K7WW ye not, etc. The spiritual 
 import of baptism Avas Avell knoAvn. 
 By it a person professed to belong to 
 Christ, avoAving a participation in the 
 death of Christ, a fellowship AA'ith 
 him in respect to death, and an oh- 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 63 
 
 his death ? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism 
 into death : that like as Christ was raised up from the dead 
 
 ligation to be conformed to him in 
 respect to his death ; so that as he 
 died, his follower has also become 
 dead. As Christ died on account of 
 sin, his followers, in avowing their 
 union with him and pledging them- 
 selves to him, avow particularly their 
 sharing with him in his death, having 
 become dead to sin by virtue of their 
 union with him, he being their Lord 
 and they his people, he the Head and 
 they his members. || Baptized into 
 Jesus Christ. This phrase is indi- 
 cative of baptism as a profession of 
 discipleship to Christ ; baptism con- 
 tains aji avowal of our belonging to 
 him as our Master, of our union with 
 him as our Head : it is an acknowl- 
 edgment of our obhgation to. obey 
 him. — In the apostolic age, baptism 
 was restricted to professed believers, 
 and was the public act by which they 
 bound themselves to the obserA'ance 
 of his religion ; it was their public 
 avowal of being disciples of Christ, 
 and of belonging to his people. A 
 Vsimilar expression occurs in 1 Cor. 
 10:2, where the Israelites are spoken 
 of, figuratively, as having been bap- 
 tized unto [in the original, into] Moses; 
 that is, as having avowed themselves 
 the people of Moses, those who had 
 submitted themselves to his guidance 
 and acknowledged him as their leader. 
 II Were baptized into his death ; into 
 an avowed participation of his death. 
 Compare verse 8. As Christ died, so 
 his followers have died ; He, on ac- 
 count of sin, they, to sin, renouncing 
 its claims and dominion, declaring 
 and pledging themselves to be no 
 longer in subjection to it : as he died 
 in refei-ence to sin, so they avow 
 themselves dead in reference to sin : 
 they have fellowship with Christ in 
 his death for sin. Not that baptism 
 introduces a person into a participa- 
 tion of death with Christ, in such a 
 sense that it precedes the spiritual 
 participation, or is essential to it; but 
 baptism is the avowal of it, and by 
 
 tliis emblematic act the followers of 
 Christ pledged themselves to such a 
 death, and expressed their union with 
 Christ in respect to his death. — Com- 
 pare the similar phrase in Matt. 3 : 
 11, fo be baptized unto [more properly, 
 into] repentance,hj which, phrase bap- 
 tism is indicated as an avowal of re- 
 pentance, and as a pledge of entering 
 on a penitent and righteous life. — I^ 
 now, we have been baptized into the 
 death of Christ, this avowal of disci- 
 pleship to him, as having died for 
 sin, and of our having undergone a 
 corresponding death, namely, death 
 to sin, the moral state itself, In which 
 we have avowed ourselves to be is 
 utterly inconsistent with our living in 
 sin, since, if we live in sin, we are not 
 dead to it. 
 
 4. Therefore we are buried with 
 him by baptism into death. By our bap- 
 tism into Christ's death, and our thus 
 avowing a parlicijjation of death with 
 him, a fellowsliip with him in death, 
 and an obligation to die with him in 
 respect to sin, ice are buried ivith him, 
 we partake also of his burial, we have 
 fellowship with him also in burial. 
 The idea of d(ath is here extended, 
 so as to make it complete and lo pre- 
 pare the way for introducing the idea 
 of a resurrection. Burial follows 
 death, and is the last full and definite 
 expression of death and of the ending 
 of a person's connection with this 
 world. This thought it was requisite 
 for the apostle to present, in order to 
 extend the analogy betAvcen Christ 
 and the believer, so as to include the 
 idea of a resuneclion. As Christ 
 has died, been buried, and has arisen 
 from the dead to a glorious life, the 
 believer, in like manner, having par- 
 ticipated with Christ in death and 
 burial, as is emblematically shoAvn in 
 baptism, has fellowship also with him 
 in his resurrection, and rises from 
 the death of trespasses and sins to a 
 new life of righteousness. || By the 
 glory of the Father. Perhaps our 
 
64 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 by the gloiy of the Father, even so we also should walk in 
 newness of life. For if we have been planted together in 
 the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of 
 his resurrection : knowing this, that our old man is crucified 
 with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hence- 
 
 word majesty expresses the meaning 
 of the word glonj as here employed : 
 and in the majesty of God, power, so 
 strikingly manifested in the resurrec- 
 tion of Christ, is a distinguished ele- 
 ment. In the resurrection of Christ 
 from the dead, more than power, how- 
 ever, was displayed by the Father : 
 wisdom, mercy, faithfulness, indeed 
 all the divine perfections, were con- 
 nected with that event ; but the 
 power of God first strikes the mind 
 as producing it. Compare 1 Cor. 6 : 
 14. II Even so we also should walk in 
 newness of life ; should lead a new life ; 
 an obedient, righteous life, in contrast 
 with our life before we subjected our- 
 selves to Christ ; the new life differ- 
 ing from the old, somewhat as the 
 present glorious life of Christ in 
 heaven differs from his past life of 
 humiliation and suffering on earth. — 
 
 .This participation with Christ, in 
 death, burial and resurrection, would 
 naturally associate itself in the minds 
 of the earliest Christians with their 
 baptism, because, in their day, bap- 
 tism was, according to the literal 
 meaning of the term, an immersion 
 of the person. It was no empty 
 ceremony ; but a highly instructive 
 and impressive transaction. Com- 
 
 (.pare Col. 2 : 12. 
 
 5. For if etc. In this verse the 
 apostle presents the ground of the 
 view given in the preceding verse, as 
 to believers' leading a new life : this 
 participation with Christ in a life suc- 
 ceeding the death to sin, or their fel- 
 lowship with Christ as risen, no less 
 than as dead and buried, results from 
 the truth that believers are kindred 
 with him as to their affections and 
 purposes, have a similar moral nature, 
 having become most intimately united 
 to him, so that what he underwent, 
 and what he afterwards enjoyed, finds 
 
 a correspondence in them and may 
 be naturally expected from them. 
 II We have been planted together in the 
 likeness, etc. A different rendering 
 of the word here translated planted 
 together would more directly express 
 the apostle's thought : it is not, 
 strictly, the idea of planting that was 
 present to his mind, but thatofA:?'n- 
 drfdship in nature existing between 
 Christ and his disciples, manifesting 
 itself in respect to death and to resur- 
 i-ection, in regard to both of which 
 there is likeness to Christ on the part 
 of his followers. It is, then, similar- 
 ity in moral nature that is here con- 
 templated, as of persons growing up 
 together with feelings and purposes 
 harmonious. The apostle may be 
 considered as saying, If we have been 
 conjoined with Christ in respect to 
 death, so as to bear a likeness to him, 
 and thus are kindred with him as to 
 death, this will not be tlie end of the 
 kindredship and resemblance ; but we 
 shall also be kindred with him in 
 bearing a resemblance to his resuiTCC- 
 tion : as he arose, so we shall ai*ise ; 
 as he arose from the dead to enter on 
 the life in heaven, so we shall arise 
 from the death of sin to enter on the 
 new life of holiness. 
 
 6. Knowing this, etc. The same 
 idea, substantially, is here repeated 
 in another form, as a sentiment of 
 which no one, at all instructed in 
 Christianity, could be ignorant. — 
 II That our old man is crucified with 
 him ; our fonner temper of mind, the 
 sinful disposition winch we formex'ly 
 indulged, our former self, is crucified 
 with Christ, has participiited with 
 Christ in crucifixion, and undergone 
 a death as he did : we have feUow- 
 sliip Avith Christ in his crucifixion. 
 The propensity to sin is here personi- 
 fied and regarded as an internal agent 
 
CHAPTER Yl 
 
 65 
 
 7 forth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed 
 
 \ 
 
 influencing our pui-poscs and conduct, 
 and subjecting the entire man, soul 
 and body, to itself. Tliis sinful dis- 
 position has, in believers, been made 
 to participate with Christ in cruci- 
 fixion : as Christ was crucified, so 
 our sinful nature, our former sinful 
 self, has, in company with him, been 
 crucified, that its power might be 
 broken, and that it might no longer 
 subject our minds and bodies to its 
 control. — Or, as Christ was crucified, 
 so our coiTupt inclination is crucified, 
 is put to death, tliat we might no 
 longer be held under its sway. — How 
 interesting and impressive it is, to 
 regard the Christian as, in respect to 
 his former sinful inclination, under- 
 going a death ; a crucifixion, in com- 
 pany with his Lord ! This associat- 
 ing of himself with his Lord awakens 
 tender sensibilities, and adds strength 
 to resolution. The Avarmth of grati- 
 tude and love to Christ unites with a 
 sense of duty, and the believer feels 
 himself cheerfully constrained to give 
 no allowance to sin. || That the body 
 of sin might be destroyed. The design 
 contemplated in this crucifixion of 
 our foi-mer selves is, that we should 
 no longer render Service to sin in the 
 use of our bodily powers ; that the 
 power which sinful propensities, orig- 
 inating some of them in the bodily 
 nature and emplojang the body as the 
 means of their gratification, should 
 be broken and made void, and the 
 soul, under the power of a new life, 
 be devoted to God in its use of the 
 body. — The body of sin ; that is, the 
 body, which has been a minister of 
 sin, obeying its mandates ; the body, 
 which has been a source of tempta- 
 tion to sin, which has been the seat 
 of many sinful gratifications, and the 
 members of Avhicli have been the in- 
 struments of sin. Si7iful body would 
 be a suitable expression and in har- 
 mony with the idiom of the original, 
 provided we carefully guard against 
 the idea that sin is inherent in the 
 body, instead of being a quality of 
 6* 
 
 the soul. The body is a sinful body, 
 not as being in itself sinful, for it "is 
 not by itself a moral agent ; and if 
 the soul with which it is connected, 
 Avere completely holy, the body Avould, 
 as in the case of oiir Lord, ha a fit 
 instrument for performing the soul's 
 righteous desires and purposes : but 
 it is sinful, as being the associate and 
 instniment of a sinful soul, and as 
 being the seat of many desires which 
 a sinful soul penerts. — Might be de- 
 stroyed ; more strictly in accordance 
 with the original, might be made void, 
 might be divested of its power and 
 lose its sway. || That hencefoiih we 
 should not serve sin. The result is 
 here stated, which is to be expected 
 from the fact that the former dispo- 
 sition, or propensity, has been cruci- 
 fied, and that the bodily nature, 
 formerly abused and brought under 
 the sway of sin, has been deprived of 
 its power to control and gratify ; 
 namely, that we should no longer 
 serve sin, or be in subjection to it. 
 Compare Col. 3 : 1-3, 9, 10. 
 
 7. For he that is dead is freed from 
 sin. The ground of the sentirnent, 
 advanced in verse 6, is here stated ; 
 namely, whoever is dead in reference 
 to an authority that has been exer- 
 cised over him, is no longer held 
 bound by that authority, but is re- 
 leased from its sway. Compare 7 : 
 1,2. In conformity with this ground, 
 he that is dead, that is, in the sense 
 of Avhich the apostle is speaking, 
 dead to sin, having undergone a 
 death in respect to it, is al)Solvcd from 
 the sway of sin : sin, regarded as a 
 master, can no longer hold him as 
 its servant, or subject, to follow its 
 bidding. Freed from sin ; released, 
 or absolved from its dominion. The 
 expression in the original does not 
 relate directly to moral purity, or 
 personal holiness, butjs a legal "term, 
 x-egarding sin, by personificatToirp'HSTr- 
 master having held control and «is- " 
 serted dominion over a person, as its 
 slave ; that dominion has ceased. 
 
66 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 8 from sin. Now, if we be dead with Christ, we believe that 
 
 9 we shall also live with hira : knowing that Christ, being 
 raised from the dead, dieth no more ; death hath no more 
 
 10 dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin 
 
 11 once ; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise 
 reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but 
 
 Sin is no lon2:er his master ; he is 
 dead to its service. He that is dead 
 in respect to sin, havino- participated 
 with Christ in a crucifixion which 
 had reference to sin, is no longer 
 held as a hond slave to sin, but is 
 absoh'ed from its lordship. 
 
 8. Now, if, etc. Thus far the apos- 
 tle has ttiken a negative view, regard- 
 ing the disciple of Christ as dead to 
 sin, and not held by its sway. He 
 now passes to the positive view. 
 The disciple participates Avith Christ 
 in the fact of having a new life : he 
 has fellowship with Christ in respect 
 to life as well as to death. We have 
 died with Christ ; we resemble him, 
 and participate with hira, in regard 
 to death ; we shall, also, live with him ; 
 we shall resemble him, and participate 
 ■with him, in regard to life. || We 
 believe. The belief that we, who have 
 become dead to shi, and are in this 
 respect conjoined with Christ, shall 
 also be conjoined with him in respect 
 to life, and shall lead a new life, a 
 life of righteousness, is grounded on 
 the fact that Christians have a spirit- 
 ual union with Christ, and conse- 
 quently that between him and them 
 there is harmony in the chief points 
 of character and"^ condition. Thus in 
 respect to life as well as death, genu- 
 ine Cliristians will exemplify a fel- 
 lowship witli him. 
 
 9. Knowintj that Christ being raised, 
 etc. Christ, having been raised from 
 the dead, is no more liable to death : 
 henceforth, death has no power over 
 him, and he will liave no occasion to 
 subject liimself again to its power. His 
 disciples arc united to him, as their 
 Head ; and as they participated in a 
 death conesponding to his, have had 
 fellowship with him in his death, they 
 will-participate with him in freedom 
 
 from death, being delivered from the 
 death of trespasses and sins ; they 
 will participate with him, also, in a 
 life corresponding to his, a spmt- 
 ual life, a life of righteousness ; they 
 will have fellowship with him also in 
 his life. 
 
 10. For in that he died, he died unto 
 sin once, etc. That Christ is now 
 forever free from deatli, having once 
 submitted to it and having been raised 
 from the dead, follows from the fact 
 that the design which he came to 
 accomplish was ansAvered by dying 
 once ; but the hfe to whicJi he arose, 
 having reference to God and the ad- 
 vancement of God's dominion, must, 
 from tlie nature of the case, be an 
 ever-during life. To overthrow sin, 
 to destroy its dominion, could be 
 secured by his once for all dying and 
 thus stripping sin of its power. His 
 relation to sin was but temporary, 
 and a once for all dying secured his 
 object ; but his relation to God is an 
 ever-during one, and requires con- 
 tinued, endless, life : his state, hence- 
 forth, therefore, is to be a state of life. 
 
 11. Likewise reckon ye also your- 
 selves to be dead, etc. Since then 
 Christ has died on account of sin, 
 and is henceforth free from liability 
 to death, leading a glorious life with 
 reference to the consummation of 
 God's purposes, the followers of 
 Christ ought to regard tliemselves 
 as, in like manner, dead to sin, ac- 
 knowledging its sway no longer, and 
 as alive to the claims of God and the 
 advancement of his honor. || Through 
 Jesus Christ, etc. ; by virtue of spirit- 
 ual union with him, or of being in 
 him. If we are united to Christ and 
 belong to him, we should be like him, 
 as to the death he underwent, so far 
 as the design of it is concerned ; we 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 67 
 
 12 alive iinto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin 
 therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it 
 
 13 in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as in- 
 struments of unrighteousness unto sin : but yield yourselves 
 unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your 
 
 14 members as instruments of righteousness unto God : for sin 
 shall not have dominion over you ; for ye are not under the 
 law, but under grace. 
 
 should also be like him, as to the 
 life he is now leading, so far as re- 
 spects its desic/n of canying forward 
 the divine purpose of redemption. 
 
 12-14. An exhortation now fol- 
 lows, grounded on the view of Chris- 
 tians as being spiritually alive, alive 
 to the claims and the honor of God, 
 and as having renounced the domin- 
 ion of sin, having become dead to it, 
 so that it should no longer govern 
 them. — Let not sin reign ; bear sway, 
 like a king. || In your mortal hoihj. 
 The body being the histrument which 
 sin, in so many instances, employs, 
 and the soul conceived of as residing 
 in it, the expression is a very natural 
 one, that sin rules in the hotly. The 
 epithet mortal, here added, preserves 
 the idea of death as connected with 
 the body ; since not only is the body 
 soon to die, and therefore it ought 
 not to be allowed a goveniing influ- 
 ence, but withal it subjects to death, 
 in the higher sense, those who yield 
 to its demands in disregard of the 
 claims of God and of the spiritual 
 natui-e. || Tliat ye should obey it in 
 the lusts thei'eof; that ye should obey 
 sin which seeks to lord it over you, 
 as a ruling power, through the 
 inordinate desires of the body, de- 
 sires which originate in the body, 
 or are gratified in the body, or 
 pertain in various ways to our 
 present bodily state. — Tiie word it 
 relates to sin, and the word thereof to 
 the body. The verse may become 
 more intelligible by the folloAving 
 paraphrase — Let not sin, therefore, 
 reign in your mortal body, so that 
 vou shall obey sin by yielding to the 
 body's inordinate desires : — the body 
 
 being here considered as the seat of 
 many sinful indulgences, as the occa- 
 sion of many sins, or the instniment 
 which sin employs ; while yet all sin, 
 whether relating to the body and the 
 outward estate, or to the spirit of 
 man, is here cautioned against. 
 
 13. The same idea, substantially, 
 is again presented in an expanded 
 form. Two masters, as it Avere, are 
 here spoken of, to whose service 
 the powers of man will be yielded, 
 sin and God : Chiistians should not 
 be in subjection to sin, but should 
 yield themselves willing servants to 
 God. — Neither yield ye your mem- 
 bei's as instruments of unrighteousness to 
 sin, etc. ; yield not the members of 
 your body to sin. Our bodily powers 
 are not to be surrendered to sin, as its 
 instruments or tools, to do its bid- 
 ding : we are to yield ourselves to 
 God, to choose him for our Master, 
 as those who have died to sin, who 
 have become insensible to its de- 
 mands and are liberated from its 
 bondage, and who have arisen to a 
 new life, being no more dead in sin, 
 but alive to righteousness. || And 
 your members unto God; and yield 
 your members unto God, as instm- 
 ments of righteousness. 
 
 14 The ground of the exhortation 
 in verses 12, 13, or rather of encour- 
 agement to obey it, is now presented. 
 — For sin shall not have dominion over 
 you ; sin is not to lord it over you. 
 The control of sin over you is broken ; 
 you arc liberated from its power: 
 yield yourselves, therefore, to God. — 
 But how comes it to pass, that sin 
 has not dominion over the disciple 
 of Christ, that he is liberated from 
 
68 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 15 What then ? shall we sin, because we are not under the 
 
 its power and is no longer its bond- 
 slave 1 The reason immediately fol- 
 lows, II For ye are not under the law, 
 hut under grace. The apostle here 
 alludes to the moral principle which 
 he fully expands and illustrates in 
 chapter 7 : 7-25 ; namely, that the 
 influence of a law, prohibiting a sin- 
 ful desire, stimulates that desire, when 
 directly encountering it, rather than 
 deadens the desire ; it does not re- 
 strain the sinful heart from seeking 
 gratification ; so that if a sinner be 
 under the power of mere laAv, and 
 his heart be not in full concert with 
 the law, lie will break it and incur its 
 penalty. But genuine disciples of 
 Christ are not under law, not under 
 a legal system, since by their recep- 
 tion of Christ, as a Redeemer from 
 condemnation and sin, they are under 
 a diflferent dispensation, and stand on 
 a different footing, in relation to God, 
 from the legal one : thus the laAv, as 
 a governing system, is not then- lord, 
 they are dead to its claims for a jus- 
 tifying obedience on their part, and 
 to its doom of death for disobe- 
 dience. They do not stand in a legal 
 relation to God, and are not treated 
 by liim as if they were on that foot- 
 ing. Legal influences are not those 
 by which they are moved. Looked 
 at from a legal position, they are dead 
 to the law, 7 : 4 ; the laAV has ceased 
 to have a hold on them. On the 
 contrary, they are under grace ; under 
 a system of mercy and favor, in which 
 God acts towards them on the prin- 
 ciple o^ favor on his part, not of good 
 desert on theirs : the system is one of 
 gratuities, not of merited compensa- 
 tion for obedience to law. Being 
 placed on such a footing, and having 
 a new spirit in harmony with this 
 method of treatment, and with its 
 design of recovering them from sin, 
 they can, though ill-deserving, be 
 treated Avith positive favor, be ac- 
 cepted of God, and reclaimed from 
 sin ; they can be adopted as children 
 of God, and enjoy the benefits of 
 
 the filial relation, and the favorable 
 treatment and discipline wliich that 
 relation involves. Gratitude for 
 God's love to them, and all generous 
 emotions, are cherished, and the af- 
 fectionate purpose of obedience wliich 
 is characteristic of their new heart, is 
 confirmed. By virtue of this new 
 system, the Holy Spirit awakens and 
 strengthens in them love to God, as 
 their controlling principle. The spir- 
 itual influence bestowed, and the in- 
 genuous feelings excited, by this new 
 system, overcome sinful tendencies, 
 and affectionate filial obedience to 
 God is secured. By this system, pro- 
 vision is made for renewing power, 
 pardoning mercy, and influence to 
 strengthen the disciple in the course 
 of righteousness. For these things a 
 legal system makes no provision. 
 Hence proceeds the encouragement 
 to the disciples of Clirist, that sin 
 shall not have dominion over them ; 
 they are not under law, but under 
 grace. 
 
 15-23. Plaving shown the utter 
 incongruity of a sinful life with a 
 believer's relation to Christ, as united 
 to liim in deatli, and with his own 
 avowed character and obligations, 
 the apostle proceeds to the second 
 part of the query proposed in the 
 first verse, the query being sliglitly 
 modified. A person, who did not 
 properly apprehend tlie relation of 
 grace in which the disciple of Christ 
 stands, might naturally think that 
 if a believer be not under law, 
 but under grace, he would take en- 
 couragement to indulge in sin. — 
 Hence the question. If we are not 
 under the law, but are on a foot- 
 ing of grace, or favor, may we not 
 then sin with impunity 1 What hin- 
 drance is there to our sinning, if we 
 are not held by the law 1 The apos- 
 tle repels this suggestion by main- 
 taining, that if we commit sin we are 
 servants of sin, and consequently not 
 seiwants of God, and must, therefore, 
 receive the recompense of sin. The 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 69 
 
 16 law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to 
 whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye 
 are to whom ye obey ; whether of sin unto death, or of 
 obedience unto righteousness ? But God be thanked, that 
 ye were the servants of sin ; but ye have obeyed from 
 the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 
 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of 
 righteousness : (I sj^eak after the manner of men, because of 
 the infirmity of your flesh :) for as ye have yielded your 
 
 17 
 
 idea of two masters is again pre- 
 sented, or of two opposite principles 
 exercising control ; sin on the one 
 hand, obedience on the other : and 
 these two opposite principles, or 
 kinds of service, are to be followed 
 by their appropriate results. — The 
 word seii'ants throughout this para- 
 graph, vs. 15-23, whether in refer- 
 ence to sin or in reference to right- 
 eousness, is used as the opposite of 
 free, or freed, men ; and men are here 
 conceiAX'd of as being in subjection, 
 that is, in servitude, either to sin, or 
 to righteousness ; the servants of sin 
 being in subjection to their master 
 and not owning the sway of right- 
 eousness, but living as if free from its 
 sway and not bound by its claims ; 
 and on the otlier hand, the servants 
 of righteousness being in subjection 
 to their master^ not owning the sway 
 of sin, but being freed from it, eman- 
 cipated from it. In both cases, the 
 bondage is voluntaiy and involves 
 the idea of personal responsibility as 
 to the choice of masters. In the one 
 case, however, inclination governs the 
 person in disregard of the dictates of 
 his reason and conscience, so that he 
 is, emphatically, in a state of bond- 
 age : while in the other case, sub- 
 jection to righteousness is in perfect 
 hai-mony with the free action of all 
 the powers of man, the reason, the 
 will, the atfections. The latter is, in 
 brief, the only normal state of man, 
 as a moral being. 
 
 16. To whom ye obey. The word 
 to is here, in our modern style, super- 
 fluous. II Unto death ; unto utter 
 misery, spiritual and eternal death, 
 
 as the result of the senace of sin. 
 II Unto righteousness. The word right- 
 eousness here includes the idea of jus- 
 tif cation and its result, eternal life, 
 standing as the opposite of death, or 
 condemnation. 
 
 17. But God be thanked, etc. In 
 applying the universal principle, con- 
 tained in the 16th vei'se, to those 
 whom he was addressing, the apostle 
 renders thanks to God that, though 
 they were formerly in bondage to sin, 
 they had, from the heart, obeyed the 
 gospel and become interested in its 
 influences and blessings. || That ye 
 were, etc. The cause for gratitude 
 was the obedience which the Roman 
 Christians ha^ rendered to the gos- 
 pel. — In a sentence constructed like 
 this, the point aimed at by the writer, 
 or speaker, is contained in the latter 
 part. Compare Matt. 9 : 14. || That 
 form of doctrine, etc. ; the gospel of 
 Christ, conceived of as a religious 
 system, a form, or scheme, of relig- 
 ious doctrine, mentioned with partic- 
 ular reference to the doctrine of jus- 
 tification and deliverance from sin by 
 faith in Christ. 
 
 18. Being then made free, etc. ; be- 
 ing now emancipated, liberated, from 
 sin, ye have subjected yourselves, as 
 servants, to righteousness : being 
 freed from the yoke of sin, ye have 
 come under the yoke of rigliteous- 
 ness. 
 
 19. I speak after the manner of men, 
 etc. ; I address you in a manner 
 suggested by huuum affairs. — The 
 Komans were well acquainted with 
 slavery, as it was a condition com- 
 mon in their country ; and this sub- 
 
70 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto in- 
 iquity ; even so now yield your members servants to right- 
 
 20 eousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of 
 
 21 sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye 
 then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? for the 
 
 22 end of those things is death. But now being made free 
 from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit 
 
 23 unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages 
 of sin is death : but the gift of God is eternal Rfe, through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 ject furnished modes of expression 
 well suited to illustrate deliverance 
 from sin and subjection to God, and 
 to impress the minds of those who 
 were not accustomed to spiiitual and 
 elevated contemplations. Though 
 the service of God is not slavery, 
 but a willing obedience, yet submis- 
 sion to G od, and the surrender of all 
 our powei-s to his will, would be at 
 once apprehended, particularly by 
 weaker minds, through this manner 
 of speaking. The experience, also, 
 which Christian readers had had of 
 spiritual frailty, and of subjection to 
 bodily appetites and other modes 
 of sinful gratification, would help 
 them to ap]>reciate the apostle's lan- 
 guage. — This clause, though it 
 stands in our version, as a pai-t of 
 the 19th verse, is yet more properly 
 an appendage to the 18th, as it evi- 
 dently relates to the terms employed 
 in that verse. || For as ye have, etc. 
 Since they had become liberated from 
 sin, and had become subject to right- 
 eousness, they were expected to live 
 accordingly. || Your members: your 
 bodily members. 1| To uncleanness 
 and to iniquity unto iniquity, etc. ; to 
 unchastity Avith its kindi-ed defile- 
 ments, and to general disregard of 
 God's law, so as freely to practise 
 iniquity. Instead of continuing such 
 a course, employ your members, now, 
 in the service of righteousness, so as 
 to be truly holy. 
 
 20. For when ye were the servants 
 of sin, etc. ; while ye Avere slaves of 
 sin, ye were free in respect to right- 
 eousness ; that is, ye felt and acted. 
 
 as if exempted from the claims of 
 righteousness, ye rendered it no ser- 
 vice, ye abjured its claims, sin being 
 your acknowledged master. This 
 fact is here stated as an argument for 
 the preceding exhortation ; as if the 
 apostle had said. Do justice now to 
 the claims of righteousness which 
 you formerly diso\\aied. 
 
 21. 22. To strengthen the exhorta- 
 tion, he appeals to their own judg- 
 ment and feelings, as to the results 
 of these opposite courses, one of them 
 issuing in present shame and self- 
 reproach and terminating, hereafter, 
 in utter misery ; the other securing 
 the satisfactions of holiness in heart 
 and conduct, and terminating, here- 
 after, in endless bliss. — muit fruit, 
 etc. ; what profit did you gain from 
 the unworthy deeds Avhich you for- 
 merly practised ? 1| Death ; the utter 
 misery consequent on being excluded 
 from the favor of God. 
 
 22. He now presents the opposite 
 spiritual condition and its opposite 
 results. — Being made free, etc.; be- 
 ing emancipated from sin, and come 
 into subjection to God, having chosen 
 him for your Master. 1| Ye have your 
 fruit unto holiness, etc. ; you have 
 the profit, the advantage, of holi- 
 ness, which is accompanied with hap- 
 piness on earth and issues in eternal 
 life, in the endless bliss which springs 
 from the px'esence and favor of God 
 in heaven. 
 
 23. These opposite results aro 
 easily explained. For the wages of 
 sin is death. Sin pays its servants 
 their wages, namely, death. The mis- 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Believers in Christ, not under the legal system, 1-6. 
 under a legal system, 7-25. 
 
 Bondage of the human soul while 
 
 cry consequent on exclusion from the 
 presence and favor of God, is the 
 appropriate recompense of sin. But 
 wliile death is awarded to the servant 
 of sin as his due, life eternal is be- 
 stowed on the servants of God, not 
 as what they may claim, in the light 
 of a payment, but as a free gift from 
 him through Christ. Having re- 
 ceived Christ as their Redeemer and 
 Lord, they are regarded as united to 
 him, as belonging to him, and are, 
 therefore, admitted to the blessings 
 which he has secured, and for which 
 they have here become prepared. 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 Having disposed of the inquiiy 
 whether Chri*5tians may sin because 
 they arc not under law but under 
 grace, the apostle now returns to the 
 sentiment advanced in 6 : 14, which 
 had suggested this inquiiy ; namely, 
 sin shall not have dominion over you, 
 because ye are not under the law, but 
 under grace. That Christians are 
 not under the law, and in what man- 
 ner their removal from a legal posi- 
 tion has been effected, lie shows in 7 : 
 1-6 ; that they could not obtain deliv- 
 erance from the bondage of sin while 
 under the law, or while in a state of 
 legal relation to God, he illustrates in 
 7 : 7-25 ; and thus prepares the way 
 for showing that deliverance comes 
 to them through the state of grace 
 provided by the gospel, and that 
 those who are truly in Christ, united 
 to him by faitli, are freed from con- 
 demnation and from the servitude of 
 sin. This is brought to view in 7 : 
 25 and in chapter 8th. 
 
 In order to show that the disciples 
 of Christ are not under the law, but 
 are removed from a legal relation to 
 a relation of grace, he states and ap- 
 plies the principle, that a law is of 
 
 force over a person only so long as, 
 by the continuance of life, he is in a 
 condition to be bound by it ; it con- 
 templates a person as alive and in 
 such circumstances as the law recog- 
 nizes : death, however, intervening, 
 sets aside the action of the law in 
 reference to a person whose relations 
 are by that occurrence essentially 
 altered. In such a case the hold of 
 a law ceases. Thus, a mairicd woman 
 is bound by the law to her husband. 
 During his life-time, she cannot unite 
 herself to another without incurring 
 guilt : but should her husband die, 
 the law, in that particular, has no ap- 
 plication to her ; it has lost its hold, 
 and she is dead in regard to it. She 
 is now at liberty to marry another. 
 As the woman, in consequence of the 
 death of her husband, became dead 
 to that provision of the law and was 
 at liberty to enter into the mamage 
 relation with another, so by the death 
 of Christ, as illustrating and vindi- 
 cating the righteousness of God, 3 : 
 25, 26, the demands of the legal sys- 
 tem are met and fully satisfied, and 
 without any infraction of it, or disre- 
 gard of it, men are at liberty to enter 
 on a new an-angement, to transfer 
 their allegiance from the law to 
 Christ as the head of a new system, 
 thus coming from under the demands 
 and penalties of the law. Those Avho 
 accept Chi'ist, or become united to 
 him, are dead to the law, or the legal 
 system, by virtue of Christ's death 
 and then- participating in death with 
 him, 6 : 8, or their union with him as 
 one who has died. As the husband's 
 death makes the wife dead in respect 
 to a particular statute, so Chiist's 
 death makes believers in him dead to 
 the legal system. By virtue of their 
 connection with him, they occupy a 
 different ground from that of the law ; 
 from the domain of law they have 
 (71) 
 
72 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know 
 the law,) hoAV that the law hath dominion over a man as long 
 as he liveth ? For the woman which hath a husband, is 
 bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth ; but 
 if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her 
 husband. So then, if while her husband liveth, she be mar- 
 ried to another man, she shall be called an adulteress : but if 
 her husband be dead, she is free from that law ; so that she 
 is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 
 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law 
 by the body of Christ ; that ye should be married to 
 another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we 
 
 passed to that of grace, and are to be 
 dealt with, not according to the de- 
 mands of law, but according to the 
 provision of God's grace. While 
 under the law, in their sinful state, 
 they could live only in disobedience 
 to the law and become doomed to its 
 penalty, death ; but now, being united 
 to Christ and enjoying the provision 
 and influences of the system of grace, 
 they enter on a new life towards God, 
 render service to him and are accepted 
 by him. 
 
 1 . The law. It is immaterial for 
 the purpose of the illustration here 
 intended, Avhether the apostle meant 
 law in the abstract, or the Mosaic 
 code, as an actual system, in particu- 
 lar ; for in either case, law in respect 
 to human society contemplates men 
 as living ; it does not extend beyond 
 death ; death puts an end to its con- 
 trol. Thus viewed, the apostle's 
 reasoning may be considered as 
 grounded in the universal sentiments 
 of men. His readers, too, were suiR- 
 ciently acquainted with the nature of 
 law to appreciate his argument, whe- 
 ther they were Jews by birtli, or were 
 Jewish proselytes, or had become 
 Christians directly from a state of 
 heathenism. When, however, we 
 consider the apostle's habits of 
 thought in regard to law, and those 
 of the majority, at least, of his ear- 
 liest readers, it is most reasonable 
 to think that he had in mind the 
 Mosaic code. This would appear, 
 
 also, from the connection between the 
 present paragraph and the 14th verse 
 of the 6th chapter, where the Mosaic 
 legal system is mentioned in contrast 
 with the Christian system of grace. 
 II A man ; a human being, a person. 
 II So lonrj as he livdh ; that is, only so 
 long as he liveth. 
 
 2. An illustration of the state- 
 ment, just made by the apostle, now 
 follows. For the woman ichich hath 
 an husband. The form of expi-cssion 
 in the original is, the icoman who is in 
 subjection to a man ; and this view of 
 a mamed woman's relation, as being 
 in subjection to her husband, is spe- 
 cially adapted to the apostle's pui-pose 
 of instituting a parallel between a 
 married woman, in reference to her 
 husband, and human beings, in refer- 
 ence to the law of God to which they 
 ai-e, from their very nature, subject. 
 II She is loosed from the law of her hus' 
 band ; from the law which defines and 
 regulates her relation to her husband. 
 From this law she is i-eleased by the 
 death of her husband ; his death ter- 
 minates her subjection to him. 
 
 3. So then, etc. Though during 
 his life she could not rightfully take 
 a different husband, yet liis death puts 
 her at liberty to do so. Her hus- 
 band's death made her dead to that 
 law, so that there is no legal hin- 
 drance to her forming another con- 
 nection. 
 
 4. The parallel case is now stated. 
 It is not, however, stated with minute 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 73 
 
 5 should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in 
 the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law, did 
 
 accuracy, but substantially and witli 
 particular reference to the event of 
 aeatli, as opening the way for a 
 change of relation. In applying the 
 illustration, the apostle, since he 
 wished to present distinctly and 
 strongly the main thought, that Chris- 
 tians are dead to the law, and are not 
 under it, commences with the death 
 in reference to believers which the death 
 of Christ had effected. Ye also are 
 become dead to the law ; you are re- 
 leased from the law as to its demands 
 and penalties, you are to it as dead, 
 it has lost its dominion in respect to 
 you. II By the body of Christ; by the 
 body of Christ as having been put to 
 death ; by the death of Christ. — As 
 if the apostle had said, Christ has 
 died, and you as being united to 
 Christ, share in the results of his 
 death. By his death the demands of 
 the law were satisfied ; and on you, 
 consequently, as being united with 
 him, it has no further demands. A 
 husband's death terminates the wife's 
 subjection to a particular statute, in 
 consequence of her having been one 
 with him and of her sharing in what- 
 ever affected him : so Christ's death 
 has terminated the Christian's sub- 
 jection to the legal system in conse- 
 quence of his union with Christ and 
 sharing in whatever affects Him. — 
 The idea of union with Christ per- 
 vades the apostle's view ; to appre- 
 hend it full}^, Ave should have in mind 
 the figure of the vine and its branches, 
 John 15 : 1-7, the body and its 
 members, Eph. 5 : 23-32. Oneness 
 with Christ would not be too strong 
 an expression to show the bearing on 
 Christ's disciples of whatever per- 
 tains to him. Compare John 17 : 
 21-23. II That ye should be married 
 to another; that ye should become 
 another's, that ye might enter into 
 relation with anotlier. || Even to him 
 who is raised from the dead. Christ, 
 as raised from the dead, is the Lord 
 and Head with whom tiiis new con- 
 
 nection may be formed. He is the 
 head of the system of grace to which 
 we may become transferred from the 
 bondage of the law. || That we 
 should bring forth fruit unto God; that 
 we might be fruitful in works of 
 obedience to God, might render him 
 acceptable service in holy lives. The 
 resurrection of Christ was necessary 
 for this, because the bestowal of the 
 Holy Spirit for our renovation to a 
 holy life was to be consequent on his 
 resurrection. John 16 : 7. The 
 resurrection and ascension of Christ 
 were essential to the completeness 
 and the full operation of the system 
 of grace. 1 Pet. 3: 21, 22. *Matt. 
 28 : 18-20. The Holy Spirit's agency 
 in this system makes us new creatures 
 in our will and affections, gives us a 
 new spirit, delivers us from the domi- 
 nation of sin, so that we do not yield 
 our powers to its sway. 6 : 17, 18. 
 
 5. For ichen we were in the flesh. 
 The apostle now shows why we must 
 become connected with Christ as 
 raised from the dead, in order that 
 we may be fruitful in obedience to 
 God ; that is, Avhy we must become 
 released from the legal system and 
 come under the system of grace, in 
 order to lead holy lives. — In the flesh. 
 Our bodily nature gives occasion and 
 opportunity for many sinful indul- 
 gences : the bodily members are in- 
 struments which sin employs. 6 : 
 12, 13. To be in the flesh, then, is to 
 be in subjection to sinful appetites. 
 It is the opposite of being in the 
 Spirit, that is, in subjection to the 
 Spirit, or of being in a renewed, spir- 
 itual state. Flesh is the carnal nature, 
 taken comprehensively, as including 
 sins of the spirit, as Avell as of the 
 body. II The motions of sins, ivhich 
 were by the law ; the emotions of sins, 
 or sinful affections, Avhich were awak- 
 ened, excited, by the law ; sinful af- 
 fections which, through abuse of the 
 law, made it a provocative of sin, 
 instead of its being a director in holy 
 
74 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 6 work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death : but 
 now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein 
 we were held ; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and 
 not in the oldness of the letter. 
 
 obedience. || Wrought in our mem- 
 bers ; became vigorously active in 
 subjecting our bodily members to the 
 service of sin, so that, instead of 
 being fruitful in obedience to God, 
 we were fruitful in obedience to 
 Death : death being here personified, 
 as the power which executes the 
 doom of exclusion from the presence 
 and favor of God. 
 
 6. But now ; now that we are not 
 in the flesh, but in the Spirit, in sub- 
 jection to the Holy Spirit and enjoy- 
 ing his renewing influence, we are 
 no longer under the law, we are re- 
 leased from it as a system for procur- 
 ing the divine favor ; Ave are no 
 longer held bound by its demands 
 which we could not satisfy and which, 
 instead of being obeyed by us, would 
 rather awaken and stimulate sinful 
 affections in us and thus, instead of 
 procuring us salvation, would make 
 us work out our ruin. || That being 
 dead wherein ice were held. The gen- 
 uine reading here, according to cor- 
 rect editions of the original Greek, 
 is, being dead, or having become dead 
 to that in which, or by which, we were 
 held : not that the law is dead, but loe 
 are dead to the law. The apostle 
 describes those who have accepted 
 the system of grace, by uniting them- 
 selves to Christ who submitted to 
 death, verse 4, as having become dead 
 to the law, to the legal system, under 
 which they were previously held. 
 The idea is the same as is conveyed 
 in the 4th verse. Ye arc become dead 
 to the law. || That ive shoidd serve in 
 newness of spirit, etc. The result of 
 this death to the law, this transfer of 
 ourselves to the system -of grace, and 
 of this choice of Christ as our Ke- 
 deemer and Loi*d is, that we now ren- 
 der service to God with a new spirit, 
 a new temper of mind, a spirit which 
 prompts a cheerful and loving obedi- 
 
 ence, as commg spontaneously from 
 the heart which beats in unison with 
 that of Christ. This 7iew spirit is 
 contrasted Avith the oldness of the let- 
 ter, or, of the writing, that is, the old 
 ivritten law, the system of statutes 
 and penalties, the system Avhich could 
 only require obedience to authorita- 
 tive demands as the ground of ac- 
 ceptance Avith God, Avhile yet the 
 hearts of men Avere indisposed to 
 obedience. From subjection to this 
 system and from the fatal results 
 Avhich, since men have no heai't to 
 obey the laAv, are inevitable, Christ 
 delivei'S all who Avelcome him as their 
 Lord. — The apostle does not here in- 
 timate that, in point of fact, there 
 ever Avere tAvo Avays for men's accept- 
 ance Avith God ; one, through a per- 
 sonal legal obedience ; the other, 
 through diA'ine grace. The latter 
 has been the only possible Avay ever 
 since man became a sinner. But he 
 is here reasoning with special refer- 
 ence to JcAVS, Avho were A-ainly cher- 
 ishing the thought that, through 
 obedience to the Mosaic law, they 
 were enjoying favor Avith God and 
 Avould attain eternal life. Taking 
 them on their OAvn ground, he unfolds 
 the nature and tendency of a legal 
 system and of the system of grace, 
 in vicAV of the actual state of men's 
 hearts, and thus shows the neces- 
 sity of the gracious system through 
 Christ, of AA'hich, since all need it, all 
 may avail themselves. Though the 
 salvation of men has always pro- 
 ceeded from grace, yet it is only in 
 the gospel of Christ' that the system 
 of grace is fully made knoAAm and 
 dcA'eloped, since its basis is in tlic life 
 and death of Christ. PrcAdously to 
 his advent, men avIio had the right 
 temper of mind Avere pardoned and 
 accepted ; still, their acceptance Avas 
 an act of grace, having the same re- 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 75 
 
 7 What shall we say then ? Is the law sin ? God forbid. 
 Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law : for I had not 
 known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 
 
 lation to Christ as the acceptance of 
 penitent and believing- sinners under 
 the gospel, or subsequently to the 
 actual death of Christ. See' Heb. 9 : 
 15. Compare Kev. 13 : 8. AVhile, 
 however, salvation has always been 
 impossible for sinners by a legal sys- 
 tem, no mistake is more common 
 than for men to suppose that by some 
 works of righteousness of their own 
 they can obtain fovor with God : and 
 hence, the apostle's reasoning has 
 value for all men. For whoever, 
 through any causes, declines the pro- 
 posals of the gracious system and 
 seeks eternal life according to the 
 terms of a legal system, must fiul of 
 becoming righteous in the sight of 
 God and of ha-ving spiritual life, be- 
 cause he is actually a sinner and a 
 egal system contains no provision 
 li)r acceptance after disobedience, or 
 for recovering sinners to holiness : he 
 will also inevitably fail of rendering- 
 such an obedience as the holy law 
 prescribes, because in his inmost 
 heart he is indisposed to such obedi- 
 ence ; and any supposed obedience to 
 mere authority, while the authority is 
 disliked and the heart is not in ac- 
 cordance with the law, is of no ac- 
 count in the sight of God. 
 
 7-12. What shall ice say then, etc. 
 In 6 : 14 the apostle had said, Sin 
 shall not have dominion over you, 
 for ye are not under the law ; imply- 
 ing, that sin would rule over them so 
 long as they should be under the law. 
 This might seem a reflection on the 
 law, as though it gave aid to sin and 
 was of a sinful tendency. He had 
 also just said, 7 : 5, that sinful affec- 
 tions were stimulated by the law. 
 The. inquiry then would naturally 
 arise. Whether the law was sinful, 
 the blamable cause of sin. He re- 
 plies, By no means : neveitheless, the 
 law becomes the occasion of activity 
 to a sinful inlination, the existence 
 
 of which was hardly before suspected. 
 Thus the law leads to a distinct con- 
 sciousness of sin and illdesert, and 
 of inability, under the influence and 
 guidance of the law, to secure eternal 
 life ; a sinful disposition being ex- 
 cited, by the law's laying restraints 
 on it, to resist the law and thus in- 
 evitably incurring its penalty, death, 
 spiritual ruin. The law, then, so far 
 from being sinful, or in itself the 
 cause of sin, is holy, opposed to all 
 sin. Viewed in itself and as a direc- 
 tory to an obedient spirit, it leads to 
 life and bliss. 
 
 7. Is the law sin ? Is the law sin- 
 ful 1 Is it the cause of sin ? Is its 
 tendency sinful ? || God forbid. See 
 3:4. II Nay. The word neverthe- 
 less, or still, represents more accu- 
 rately the apostle's word. He had 
 strongly disavowed the thought, that 
 the law was sinful ; but while that 
 thought was not, for a moment, to be 
 entertained, it was still, or nevertheless, 
 true that the law was a means of pro- 
 ducing a distinct consciousness of sin. 
 While it docs not lead to sin, but for- 
 bids it, it is yet an occasion of sin's 
 exerting its power, and thus makes 
 us sensible that we are sinners. || For 
 I had not known lust, except, etc. By 
 a particular commandment in the 
 law, the apostle illustrates his thought 
 that the law leads to a distinct con- 
 sciousness of sin. The word lust was 
 formerly used in a more general sense 
 than at present, and was equivalent 
 to inordinate desire or coveting. In 
 the original of this verse and the fol- 
 lowing, the same word, substantially, 
 is used for lust, covet, and concupis- 
 cence; so that the apostle's idea in 
 the 7th and 8th verses might be more 
 directly couAcyed by the following 
 language — For I should not have 
 known coveting, unless the law had 
 said. Thou shalt not covet ; but sin, 
 taking occasion by the command- 
 
76 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in 
 me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin 
 
 9 was dead. For I was alive without the law once : but when 
 
 10 the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the 
 commandment which was ordained to life, I found to he unto 
 
 11 death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, de- 
 
 12 ceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, 
 and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 
 
 ment, -wrought in me all manner of 
 covetm^. 
 
 8. Sin, taking occasion, etc. Sin 
 is here regarded as an active inter- 
 nal power. Sinful inclination, stimu- 
 lated by this prohibition, became un- 
 usually vigorous. Such is human 
 experience ; a latent and dormant in- 
 clination to a certain thing becomes 
 aroused, and demands gratification, 
 in consequence of a prohibition to its 
 indulgence. || Without the law, etc. ; 
 aside from the law, at a distance, so 
 to speak, from the law, sin lay in- 
 active, had not betrayed its existence 
 and power. 
 
 9. For I was alive without the laio 
 once, etc. ; up to a certain period, 
 while away from tlie pressure of the 
 law, not distinctly apprehending and 
 feeling its claim on me, I was free 
 from disquietude, Avas happy in my 
 supposed enjoyment of the good will 
 of God. and a sure hope of heaven. 
 But when the commandment, men- 
 tioned in verse 7, came in contact 
 with me and I felt its pressure, then 
 sin put forth a new life in resisting 
 the command and promising gratifi- 
 cation from disobeying it, and I sunk 
 into misery through a sense of guilt 
 and apprehension of the displeasure 
 of God. My consciousness of being 
 under the power of sin destroyed my 
 enjoyment and my hope of future 
 bliss, and made me sensible that I 
 had within me no spiritual life. 
 
 10. The commandment, etc. That 
 very commandment which pointed 
 
 * out the path of righteousness and was 
 thus designed to secure life, that is, 
 true bliss, issued in producing death 
 tome. 
 
 11. For sin taking occasion by the 
 commandment deceived me, etc. ; when 
 the commandment, the prohibition 
 mentioned in verse 7, was distinctly 
 apprehended by me and its force was 
 felt, sin promised me gratification 
 from disobedience ; but it deceived 
 my expectation of enjoyment and 
 wrought out misery foi* me instead of 
 happiness : it slew me, brought me 
 into a state of death, making me sen- 
 sible of my subjection to depraved 
 inclinations, of my condemnation in 
 the sight of God and my inability, 
 by any moral strength of my own, 
 to avert his displeasure and attain 
 eternal life. I felt myself doomed to 
 death, as a deluded victim of sin. 
 
 12. Wherefore the law is holy, etc. 
 Since, then, the law is only the occa- 
 sion of sin by coming in collision 
 with a sinful inclination and laying 
 its prohibitions on it, the law itself is 
 holy, announcing the holy will of God 
 in opposition to all sin ; and eveiy 
 commandment of the law, like the 
 one instanced in verse 7, is holy, just 
 and good in its requisition and its ten- 
 dencies. 
 
 13-25. The view just given of the 
 law of God suggests another inquiry : 
 Was that which is a good thing and 
 adapted to secure bliss, namely, the 
 holy and good law of God, made the 
 cause of death to me ? Is my death, 
 that is, my loss of the divine favor 
 and my exclusion from all bliss and 
 hope, tiie fruit of a good law ? By 
 no means, the apostle replies : Sin is 
 the cause of this death ; and since it 
 brings about death by occasion of a 
 law which is in itself holy and good, 
 tlie nature of sin, as only evil and 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 77 
 
 13 Yf AS then that which is good made death unto me ? God 
 forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in 
 me by that which is good ; that sin bv the commandment 
 
 14 might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law 
 
 malij>:nant, becomes thereby fully 
 manifest. The law, too, as we all 
 know, is spiritual, requiring a spir- 
 
 - itual, or holy, obedience and a spiritual 
 mind in order to render such obedi- 
 ence, and recompensing such obedi- 
 ence with eternal life: but I, on 
 whom the demands of this law came 
 with pressure, am carnal, sinful, even 
 in bondage to sin ; and being thus 
 under its sway, sin controls me, so 
 that the dictates of my judgment and 
 moral nature, which approve of the 
 divine law, are overmastered, and I 
 do not act according to my couA'ic- 
 tions of right ; that which I approve 
 I fail to perform ; that which I con- 
 demn and cannot but hate, I yet do. 
 Sin overpowers me ; so that it is not 
 so much I who act, as sin that lords 
 it over me. It is sin, then, to which 
 I am in bondage, that is working out 
 my ruin ; and not the holy and good 
 law. Thus miserably enslaved by 
 sin, I can be delivered from its power, 
 and from the death to which it in- 
 evitably leads, only by ceasing vainly 
 to strive for spiritual life and the 
 favor of God by means of the law, 
 and by coming into the state of grace 
 through faith in Christ, that is, 
 through uniting myself to him as 
 
 , the head of the system of grace, my 
 Redeemer and Lord, and thus secur- 
 ing to myself the benefits and in- 
 fluences of this system. 
 
 13. That which is good ; the law, 
 mentioned in verse 12. || That it 
 
 \ might appear siti : rather, that sin 
 
 / might be made to appear, that it 
 might be manifested as to its evil and 
 
 I malignant nature and be no longer 
 concealed under a deceitful garb. 
 Compare verse 11. || That sin — 
 might become exceeding sinful ; that sin 
 might, by occasion of the command- 
 ment, go to great lengths in trans- 
 gressing the law, and thus, by means 
 
 of the law which forbade its indul- 
 gence, it might become worse and 
 worse. Compare 5 : 20. 
 
 14. For we know. It is not sur- 
 prising that sin should thus abuse 
 the law of God and increase its vio- 
 lations of it. Tliis the apostle re- 
 gards as resulting from the spmtual, 
 or holy, nature of the law acting on 
 a mind that is sinfully inclined and is 
 in bondage to sin as its ruUng power. 
 II The law is spiritual; it requires a 
 spiritiial, or holy, service, and conse- 
 quently a spiritual mind in order to 
 render that service. || But I am car- 
 nal. So far from having the needed 
 spiritual mind, I am carnal, fleshly, 
 disposed to obey tlie impulses and in- 
 dulge the appetites of the flesh, in- 
 stead of obeying the dictates of the 
 Spirit. I am the very opj)Osite of 
 what is required. — As the body, or 
 the flesh, is the seat of so many sin- 
 ful appetites, and the members of the 
 body are the means by which a sinful 
 inclination gratifies itself, to he in the 
 flesh, or to be carnal, is the same as to 
 be sinful, to he under the influence of 
 sin, to be sinfully disposed. It is ex- 
 pressive, therefore, of sinfulness, a 
 source of sin, a sinful state, in general, 
 whether the sins consist in bodily in- 
 dulgence, or are strictly internal. 
 Compare Gal. 5 : 19-21. It is the 
 opposite of being spii-itual, of being 
 under the influence of the Holy Spirit 
 Avhich awakens lioly desires and leads 
 to a holy hfe. A carnal, or unspiritual, 
 mind is aftirmed of all persons, whether 
 unregeuerate or regenerate, so far as 
 they are not in subjection to the Holy 
 Spirit in their feelings and conduct : 
 hence, it was ascribed to the Corin- 
 thian Christians, 1 Cor. 3 : 3, 4, who 
 had so far lost the tinily Christian 
 temper of mind as to be indulging 
 in dissensions ; a course of conduct 
 more characteiistic of worldly men 
 
78 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 15 is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that 
 which I do, I allow not : for what I would, that do I not ; 
 
 16 but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would 
 
 17 not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is 
 
 18 no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I 
 
 thanof the spiritually minded. || Sold 
 under sin ; bought, as it were, by sin 
 and reduced to bondage by it as an 
 imperious master, so as to do its bid- 
 ding rather than what my own sober 
 judgment would dictate. 
 
 15. The proof, or illustration, of 
 the remark that he was a bondslave 
 of sin, now follows. As a slave is 
 subject to the will and command of 
 his master and thus acts by another's 
 bidding, not by his own judgment 
 and choice, and may not be pleased 
 with what he is doing, nor approve 
 of it, and might seem to himself to 
 be often acting without knowing what 
 he was doing, so it is with one in 
 bondage to sin. — For that which I do 
 I allow not ; literally, / know not ; I 
 scarcely know what I am doing, I am 
 so impelled by a power that sAvays 
 me and overrides my sober convic- 
 tions. — The original word, here ren- 
 dered alloio, but more correctly know, 
 has sometimes the accessary idea 
 oi approving, that is, of knowing with 
 approval. The idea of allowing and 
 disallowing, or of approval and disap- 
 proval, is, however, more directly ex- 
 pressed in the following clause ; while 
 this clause rather indicates a mind 
 doubting whether to do a thing or 
 not, beclouded by sinful desire, half 
 willing and half-unwilling to do the 
 sinful deed, and yet yielding to sinful 
 desire, as if impelled, without being 
 fully aware of thus doing. H For 
 what I ivoiild, that do I not, etc. The 
 term would here is indicative of the 
 desire, or preference, which the soul 
 of man cannot but feel for that wbich 
 is morally good, when it is soberly 
 reflected on. It does not indicate a 
 settled, determined choice, but a lik- 
 ing, or wishing. The apostle, then, 
 may be understood as saying, For 
 what I like, what in itself and accord- 
 
 ing to my sober judgment I approve, 
 and wish to do, I do not perform ; 
 but Avhat I cannot help hating, that I 
 actually do. So truly has sinful in- 
 clination the mastery, that I sacrifice 
 my sober preferences to it ; I am held 
 bound by sinful desire ; under its in- 
 fluence, what I prefer I fail to do, but 
 what I dislike and condemn that I 
 do : such is the power of sin over 
 me. Compare Gal. 5 : 17. 
 
 16. If then I do that lohich I icould 
 not, Iconse72t unto the law, etc. Since, 
 then, in my judgment I disapprove 
 of what I do in transgressing, and 
 dislike it, I thereby pronounce in 
 favor of the law which forbids what I 
 do : the law has a testimony in my 
 reason and conscience that it is really 
 good. Compare verse 12. 
 
 17. Noio then it is no more I that 
 do it but sin, etc. Now, too, since I 
 pronounce in favor of the law which 
 I violate, and since I do not act in 
 harmony with my convictions of 
 what is right, but in opposition to 
 them, it is henceforth not I myself, I 
 in the full and free exercise of the 
 faculties of my nature, I as endowed 
 with reason and conscience, who act ; 
 but sin that dwells in me is the acting 
 power. Sin, an impeiious master 
 within me, performs the deeds through 
 me. — The apostle here personifies sin, 
 representing it as a pei-sonal agency 
 within the soul, lording it over the 
 rational and moral natui-e : as though 
 there were two opposing powers 
 within him, reason Avith conscience, 
 on one side, and sinful desire, on the 
 other; and sinful desire actually bav- 
 ing the predominance and controlling 
 his actions. Without a figure, it is 
 strong sinful inclination, a bent to- 
 wards sin, the apostle here speaks of, 
 that impels a person to a sinful act, 
 or course, in opposition to his ■ ao 
 
chaptp:r VII. 
 
 79 
 
 18 know that in me, (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good 
 thing : for to will is present with me ; but how to perform 
 
 19 that which is good, I find not. For the good that I would, 
 
 20 I do not ; but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now 
 if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin 
 
 21 that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that when I would 
 
 22 do good, evil is present w4th me. For I delight in the law 
 
 23 of God, after the inward man : but I see another law in my 
 members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing 
 me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 
 
 24 w^'etched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the 
 
 25 body of this death ? I thank G-od, through Jesus Christ 
 
 knowledgment of the claims of God's 
 law and to the dictates of his sober 
 judgment. 
 
 18-20. In confirmation of the 
 thought that sin was the actor, the 
 apostle declares it as a matter of his 
 consciousness that in him A'iewed as 
 carnal, destitute of the Holy Spirit, 
 (goodness did not dwell, as a predom- 
 inating power; since while to like 
 and A\ish for what is good was near 
 him, to perform Avhat is good was far 
 away from him, he could not reach 
 it : the one was within his reach, was 
 easy ; the other Avas far beyond him, 
 he found not access to it, his efforts 
 to attain it were baffled. — In me, that 
 is, in my flesh ; in me, while, or so far 
 as, under the influence of the flesh, or 
 nnspiritual : so far as the Spirit is not 
 ruling me, goodness does not dwell 
 in me ; it is sin that actuates me. 
 Compare Gal. 5 : 17. || Fortoioillis 
 present loith me, etc.; to like and pre- 
 fer what is good is within my reach, 
 but actually to do it is beyond me ; 
 for sin sways me and not goodness, 
 and I do the evil, notwithstanding 
 my convictions of duty and my sense 
 of the preferableness of the good. 
 
 21. Iflnd then a law, etc. ; I find 
 within me a governing principle, 
 which, though I cannot but like, and 
 approve of, the good, makes me do 
 the evil : evil is ever near at hand 
 and I yield to it, notwithstanding my 
 discex-nment of the right and the de- 
 cision of my judgment in its favor. 
 
 22, 23. The proof, or illustration, 
 of this predominating power of sin, in 
 the absence of the Spirit, is now given 
 in a very emphatic manner. — For I de- 
 light in the law of God after the inward 
 man ; that is, in my soul : my judg- 
 ment and moral convictions are de- 
 cidedly in favor of the law of God, 
 and I take delight in contemplating 
 it. But I perceive in my members, 
 in my bodily, or sensual, nature, 
 another law, another ruling principle, 
 namely, sinful appetite, opposing the 
 law which my rational and moral 
 nature approves, and subjugating me, 
 as a captive, to the law of sin, that 
 law which rules in my bodily mem- 
 bers and subjects my sensual nature 
 to itself. 
 
 24. tiretched man, etc. Thus 
 being a captive to sin and acting ac- 
 cording to its impulses rather than to 
 my own sober judgment and moral 
 sense, I am a wretch indeed, and 
 despair of rescuing myself from this 
 bondage. || Who shall deliver me? 
 Is there any one who can deliver me 1 
 To whom can I look for deliverance ? 
 II Froin the body of this death ; or, 
 from this body of death ; from this 
 body, this sensual nature, which sin 
 subjects to itself and which, under 
 such subjection, leads to deatli (com- 
 pare 8 : 13), that is, to hopeless misery 
 in exclusion from the favor of God 
 and in the endurance of his frown 
 and Avi-ath. 
 
 25. / thank God through Jesus 
 
80 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law 
 of God ; but with the flesh the law of sin. 
 
 Christ our Lord. Tlie law gives no 
 hope of deliverance ; but the gospel 
 of Christ, the system of grace through 
 Christ, inspires hope. Through Jesus 
 Christ deliverance can come ; for he 
 bestows the Spirit who imparts a 
 new life and sets up a new dominion 
 in man. || So then with the mind, etc. 
 As the result of the preceding view 
 of his sinful and enslaved condition 
 aside from the influence of the Spirit 
 through Jesus Christ, the apostle 
 makes a personal statement : In my 
 mind, that is, my reason and con- 
 science, I acknowledge the goodness 
 and claims of the law of God and 
 my duty to obey it ; but in my flesh, 
 my bodily members, my sensual na- 
 ture, I obey the law of sin. — The over- 
 throw of this sway of sin, by the new- 
 creating Spii-it of God is indispensa- 
 ble to the reign of righteousness in a 
 human being, or to the subjection of 
 the whole man to the dominion of God. 
 
 In this chapter the apostle seems 
 to have spoken from his own ex- 
 perience of his sinfulness. At va- 
 rious times in his life, we may well 
 believe, he felt the pressui-e of the 
 divine law on his conscience, and con- 
 viction was awakened that he was 
 not guiltless. His endeavors for a 
 more strict conformity to it, in feeling 
 and conduct, were unsatisfactory; and 
 notwithstanding all his ceremonial 
 obedience and his general freedom 
 from pain of conscience, he doubtless 
 was dissatisfied with himself at times. 
 Not until he found true and abiding 
 peace through believing in Christ, tvas 
 he free from conscious servitude to sin. 
 And after this turning point in his 
 religious history, he knew of a con- 
 flict between the flesh and the Spirit. 
 Self-acquaintance, no doubt, led him 
 to say to the Galatians, Gal. 5 : 16, 17, 
 Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not 
 fulfil the lusts of the flesh ; for the 
 flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the 
 Spirit against the flesh. He nowhere 
 
 else enters so much into detail, as 
 here, in regard to the Avorkings of two 
 opposing influences ; but the lan- 
 guage throughout this chapter is most 
 naturally explained, as disclosing his 
 own mental exercises. In these he 
 was, doubtless, a specimen of human 
 nature : those who know their own 
 hearts in reference to the law of God 
 have an inward commentary on his 
 language. Eemarkably similar to 
 his ideas here is the passage in Gala- 
 tians, 5 : 16, 17, ending with the re- 
 mark, So that ye cannot do the things 
 that 3-e would. Universally, the in- 
 fluence of the divine law on the un- 
 regenerate spirit fully shows the bon- 
 dage of such a spirit to sin and 
 the inevitable tendency to spiritual 
 ruin ; and in all, both regenerate and 
 unregenerate, so far as the heart, 
 through any unfavorable cii'cum- 
 stances, is not under the influence of 
 the Holy Spirit and of a conscious 
 practical dependence on Christ and 
 the system of free grace, the over- 
 powering influence of sin is felt. To 
 the renewed, as well as the unrenewed, 
 the influences of the system of grace 
 are indispensable for their deliverance 
 from sin and for their spiritual life. 
 In both, the sensual nature, so far as 
 not subordinated to the Spirit of God, 
 is a source of sin, and proves stronger 
 than the preferences and wishes awak- 
 ened by a view of what is right. 
 Even the apostle felt the necessity of 
 keeping his body under and bringing 
 it into subjection, 1 Cor. 9 : 27, lest 
 that after having preached to others 
 he should himself be a castaway. 
 
 For illustrating the apostle's de- 
 scription, it is not necessary to resort 
 to grosser forms of sin. While such 
 forms of sin do, indeed, forcibly illus- 
 trate it, the workings of a dishonest, 
 and of an ambitious, heart in full 
 view of the demands of God's law 
 furnish, also, ample illustration : our 
 self-love, when not subordinated to 
 the love of God, may easily create 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BelicTcrs in Christ are delivered from the bondage of sin through the Iloly Spirit who abides 
 in them, 1-4. They have an affection for spiritual tilings, and the promise of a resurrec- 
 tion, 5-11. The obligations, filial privileges, and blissful assurances, connected with the 
 sjstem of grace, 12-39. 
 
 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which 
 are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after 
 
 such a conflict between duty and in- 
 clination as is here described : and in 
 tliose affections, purposes and acts 
 which more directly relate to God, 
 our weakness and vacillation and dc- 
 clinins: to obey the commands of God, 
 and our thus contracting increased 
 guilt and strengthening the imperious 
 sway of sin over us, and our falling 
 deeper and deeper into a sense of 
 present misery, with the prospect of a 
 hopeless doom, are matters of daily 
 occurrence. Those, too, who have 
 the most satisfactory evidence of hav- 
 ing been renewed by the Holy Spirit, 
 are fully sensible that tlieir ability to 
 do the will of God is dependent on 
 the Spirit's continued influence. — 
 Compare 1 Cor. 15 : 10. Gal. 2: 20. 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 
 In 7 : 1-5, the apostle had shown 
 that by the death of Christ the legal 
 system wliicii inevitably brings men 
 into hopeless condemnation, had been 
 terminated in respect to those who 
 connect themselves with Christ as the 
 head of a new aiTangement, tlie sys- 
 tem of grace. By virtue of this 
 union with him as their Lord, they 
 are enabled, Avith the new spirit im- 
 paited to them, to live in obedience 
 to God and to glorify him. The 
 treatment of the two questions sug- 
 gested by the apostle's view of the 
 divine law, namely. Is the law sin 1 
 and. Was that which is good made 
 death to me ? 7 : 7, 13, and which 
 occupied tlie chief part of the 7tli 
 chapter, had brought into very bold 
 relief the utter hopelessness of a sin- 
 ner's rendering a legal obedience and 
 
 (81) 
 
 of freeing himself from condemnor 
 tion. The way is now thoroughly 
 prepared to resume the consideration 
 of the new system, the scheme of 
 grace : and in'the present chapter the 
 apostle affirms that those who accept 
 Christ as their Lord and Head are 
 freed from condemnation ; for the 
 dominion, or ruling power of the 
 Holy Spirit imparted to them through 
 Jesus Christ, has liberated them from 
 the enslaving dominion of sin, in 
 order that they might obey the will 
 of God, vs. 1-4. As enjoA-ing the 
 influence of the Holy Spi'rit, who 
 abides in them, they have a spiritual 
 bent of mind, an affection for spiritual 
 things, and the promise of a resurrec- 
 tion, 5-11. The obligations, groAV- 
 ing out of the new relation to God 
 into which the system of grace has 
 brought believers,' as being under the 
 influence of the Holy Spirit and as 
 being childien of God, together with 
 the blissful assurances which are war- 
 ranted by the system of grace, are 
 also here presented, 12-39. 
 
 1. There is therefore vote no con- 
 demnation, etc. Freedom from con- 
 demnation is impossible to men 
 through the law, or the legal system : 
 but Christ has established a system 
 of grace ; those, therefore, who are 
 in Christ, that is, Avho have become 
 united to Christ by faith in him, are no 
 longer under the law, but are under 
 grace. See 6 : 14. The law, as a 
 means of justification through obed - 
 ence, or of condemnation for disobe- 
 dience, has ceased in respect to them- 
 They now stand on a different ground 
 from that of the law, so that thev are 
 
82 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 2 the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus 
 
 3 hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For 
 what the laiv could not do, in that it was weak through the 
 flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful 
 
 beyond the application of its con- 
 demnatory sentence. il Who icalk, 
 etc. ; who live not according to the 
 impulses of the carnal nature, of 
 which sin avails itself, but according 
 to the influences of the Holy Spirit 
 ■vvho gives a new life to the soul, or 
 imparts power to man's spiritual 
 nature. 
 
 2. Being thus in Christ, and under 
 grace, the Holy Spirit, as a sanctify- 
 ing agent for securing the purposes 
 of the system of grace, influences 
 them with his life-imparting power 
 and delivers them from the dominion 
 of sin. — The law of the Spirit of life; 
 the iiiling power, or dominion, of 
 the Holy Spirit which imparts spir- 
 itual life to the soul and secures etei*- 
 nal life. || In Christ Jesus ; by Christ 
 Jesus. Compare Jolm 7 : 39, where 
 the bestowal of the Spirit is spoken 
 of as connected with the exaltation 
 of Jesus to glory ; also John 16:7, 
 etc. The liberation from sin which 
 results from the Spirit's agency is 
 also traceable to Christ, since by him 
 the system of grace Avas founded and 
 the Spirit sent forth. See John 1 5 : 
 26. 16 : 7. II Hath made vie free, 
 etc. ; hath liberated me from the rul- 
 ing power, or dominion, of sin, 
 which dominion inevitably issues in 
 death, the final misery of a soul re- 
 jected of God and abiding under 
 condemnation. Sin had been a rul- 
 ing power in the soul, making it 
 dead as to any service to God and 
 subjecting it to the death of exclu- 
 sion from the favor of God and, con- 
 sequently, from all true bliss. The 
 counteracting dominion of the Spirit 
 had overthrown this sway of sin and 
 given spiritual liberty to the captive. 
 The apostle here uses the personal 
 mode of speech, ' hath made me free,' 
 in harmony with the mode of speak- 
 ing in tlie 7th chapter and in order to 
 
 make the contrast more striking be- 
 tween the two states in which he con- 
 ceived of himself as heing ; namely, 
 as first being under tlie influence of 
 the law and next under the influence 
 of the system of grace : in both of the 
 views in which he presents himself, 
 he is a specimen of human nature, 
 an illustration of what is naturally 
 to be expected in human beings sim- 
 ilarly situated. — It is not necessary 
 to consider the apostle as here affirm- 
 ing respecting himself an entire and 
 final liberation from all influence of 
 sin : he affirmed a liberation from its 
 thraldom, so that it did not bear sway 
 in him, subjecting him to itself. The 
 extent of this liberation, in any case, 
 may be dependent on a variety of 
 circumstances. 
 
 3. The ground of this deliverance 
 from the sway of sin is now presented. 
 For, lohat the law could not do, in that 
 it was weak, etc. The legal system 
 was unable to secure obedience from 
 men, so strong and controlling was 
 the carnal disposition in its resistance 
 to the law : but what was impossible 
 to be accomplished through the law, 
 God has eftected in another way. — 
 The inability of the law to subdue sin, 
 or to overcome the carnal disposition 
 in man, has been fully illustrated in tlie 
 7th chapter. |i God, sending his own 
 Son, etc. God, having sent his own 
 Son in the flesh, so that he was like 
 man in having that nature which sin 
 had subjected to itself, and having 
 sent him with special reference to sin, 
 has in his person effectually con- 
 demned sin : in the very nature over 
 Avhich sin had triumphed, a condem- 
 nation of it has been etFected and a 
 triumph over it gained. Christ by 
 coming in human nature was, though 
 sinless, like those who had sinned , 
 and the human nature in Christ, that 
 is, the flesh, (by having wliich in com- 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 83 
 
 4 flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh : that the right- 
 eousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not 
 
 5 after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after 
 the flesh do mind the things of the flesh : but they that are 
 
 Uion Avitli man, he Avas, though sin- 
 less, like those who had sinned,) ef- 
 fectually resisted sin, was victorious 
 over it and exposed it as condemned 
 and subjugated. — This condemnation 
 of sin was effected by the overpowex'- 
 ing holiness of Christ, througli which 
 every temptation to sin v/as overcome 
 and lie obeyed most perfectly the law 
 of God ; also, by his sacriticial death, 
 in "which while suflrering for sins, the 
 just for the unjust, 1 Pet. 3 : 18, he 
 most impressively showed God's con- 
 demnation of sin. Thus in human 
 flesh, tlu-ough which sin had brought 
 aiiOut condemnation to men by sub- 
 jecting them to its sway, in human 
 flesh as borne by Christ in common 
 with man, sin is itself condemned and 
 divested of its power. — 1| And for sin; 
 either, icith reference to sin, an expres- 
 sion denoting generally the design 
 for which God sent his Son, namely, 
 that sin might be effectually con- 
 demned and its power broken ; or, a 
 sacrifice for sin, Heb. 10 : 6, 8, 12, 
 denoting specifically his death, which, 
 being endured on account of sin, con- 
 tained an emphatic condemnation of 
 it and secured the overthrow of its 
 power. II Condemned sin ; not merely 
 pronounced condemnation on it, for 
 this was done by the law ; but effec- 
 tually condemned it, so that it was 
 brought down to a subjugated state, 
 its dominion was broken, it was ex- 
 posed as condemned and enfeebled. 
 II In the flesh ; in human nature, as 
 borne, however, by Christ. — Thus in 
 the person of Christ, and in a nature 
 like sinful man's, God had effected 
 what the law could not do, since car- 
 nal inclination was too strong to be 
 effectually withstood by it. 
 
 4. This effectual condemnation of 
 sin had for its design, the obedience 
 of Christ's disciples to the precepts 
 of that law, which men's carnal in- 
 
 clination will not obey. To the dis- 
 ciples of Christ the Holy Spirit has 
 been imparted : by his influence on 
 them they cease to live in subjection 
 to the flesh. The dominion of the 
 Spirit has broken the domniion of 
 sin, and they now obey the will of 
 God. The righteousness of the law; 
 or, the righteous requirement of the 
 law ; that is, its collective body of 
 precepts as enjoining the Avill of God. 
 II Might hefuljilled ; performed, obey- 
 ed. To what extent the law, or will, 
 of God is actually obeyed by believ- 
 ers is not here the object of remark ; 
 but the intent, or design, of God to 
 secure complete obedience to his will. 
 Comparatively speaking, that is, as 
 compared with other men and with 
 their former selves, the disciples of 
 Christ obey the will of God ; and the 
 tendency of the new spirit which they 
 possess is towards universal and per- 
 fect obedience. Among them, and 
 only among them, is obedience to the 
 divine will exemplified on earth. 
 II In us ; in us individually, and 
 among us collectively. || Who walk, 
 etc. See verse 1. Disciples of Christ 
 are here characterized as those in 
 whom the flesh, that is, carnal affec- 
 tion, or inclination, has given way to 
 the Spirit, so that they follow the 
 monitions of the Spirit and have a 
 spiritual tendency of thought and 
 feeling. 
 
 5. This spiritual tendency is in- 
 dispensable to obedience ; because 
 carnal affection is towards carnal 
 things, not towards those which the 
 law enjoins ; the law being spiritual, 
 requiring the subjection of our spirit 
 to the will of God. The law, then, 
 is in direct opposition to carnal affec- 
 tion, which leads us to seek earthly 
 and personal gratifications, and con- 
 fines our desires and pursuits to the 
 present world, the region of flesh and 
 
84 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 6 after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally 
 minded is death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and 
 
 7 peace : because the carnal mind is enmity against God : for 
 it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 
 
 8 9 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But 
 ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the 
 Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the 
 
 sense. They that are after the flesh do 
 mind, etc. ; they whose temper of 
 mind is carnal, in accordance with 
 sensual and worldly desires, have 
 affection for carnal things merely, 
 and consequently disregard spiritual 
 things, the things which God requires 
 us to love. But in order to have af- 
 fection for spiritual things and thus 
 obey the will of God, we must have 
 a temper of mind accordant with the 
 Spirit. — In other words, subjection 
 to the fl(-sh is utterly inconsistent 
 with obedience to the law of God, 
 since God requires a supreme regard 
 to his will and a decided preference 
 of spiritual things. Carnal men will 
 have affection for carnal things ; in 
 order to have affection for spiritual 
 things, men must be spiritual : the 
 Spirit, not the flesh, must be the rul- 
 ing power. 
 
 6. For to he carnally minded, etc. 
 Another reason for the necessity of a 
 spiritual dom.inion in man is, that the 
 natural and inevitable result of being 
 carnally minded, that is, of loving 
 and pursuing carnal things, is death, 
 rejection from God's favor and from 
 all bliss ; while genuine life, living to 
 good purpose for the present and the 
 future, and peace, freedom from dread, 
 bliss, both present and anticipated, 
 in possessing God's favor, can come 
 only from being spiritually minded, 
 from loving and pursuing spiritual 
 things. 
 
 7. The disastrous result of carnal 
 affection is next accounted for. The 
 carnal mind, etc. ; literally, according 
 to the original, tlie minding of the flesh ; 
 the indulging of carnal atiections, is 
 direct hostility to God and makes 
 him hostile to us ; of course, it must 
 issue in death to the soul, li For it is 
 
 not subject, etc. The direct hostility 
 of the carnal temper to God and its 
 making him an enemy to us comes 
 from its entire opposition to his law ; 
 it is a refusing to submit to him. 
 II Neither indeed can be. A carnal 
 disposition cannot, in the very nature 
 of things, be in subjection to the law 
 of God, for it is the direct contrast 
 of that law ; it must cease to be a 
 carnal disposition in order to be sub- 
 ject to it. The contrast is the same 
 as between sin and holiness. 
 
 8. Tluy that are in the flesh cannot 
 please God. They who are ruled by 
 carnal affection cannot please God, 
 because such affection is directly at 
 variance with him ; and while they 
 are governed by it, they cannot but 
 offend him. Besides, they are so 
 much under its influence that it sways 
 them even against their judgment and 
 conscience. See 7 : 18-23. A new 
 spirit must be possessed by them 
 before they can please God. 
 
 9. Freedom from the carnal tem- 
 per, and ability to please God, de- 
 pend on the presence and agency of 
 the Spirit of God in the soul. * Ye 
 are not in the flesh, etc. Ye are not 
 carnal, but spiritual, if indeed, agree- 
 ably to your avowal of belonging to 
 Christ, the Spirit of God dwell in you. 
 Compare John 14: 16,17. 1 Cor. 
 6 : 9-1 1 . II Now if; more conectly, 
 Bid if: the contrast of the |3reccding 
 statement is here made. 1| 2 lie Spirit 
 of Christ. Tlie expressions. Spirit of 
 God and Spirit of Christ, are sub- 
 stantially the same ; the Holy Spirit 
 being thus variously denominated as 
 sent forth either by the Father or the 
 Son, and for the purpose of canying 
 into eftect the design of Christ to save 
 men. Compare John 14 : 16, 26. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 85 
 
 10 Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ he in you, 
 the body is dead because of sin ; but the spirit is life because 
 of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised 
 up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ 
 from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his 
 Spirit that dwelleth in you. 
 
 Therefore, brethren, ye are debtors, not to the flesh, to 
 live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall 
 die : but if ye thi'ough the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the 
 
 11 
 
 15 : 26, 16:7. As the apostle was 
 thinking of believers in Christ he natu- 
 rally spoke of the Spirit as being 
 specially the Spirit of Christ ; just as 
 with another shade of thought he 
 might have said, If any man have 
 not the Spirit of God he is none of 
 God's people. 
 
 10. Some blissful results of hav- 
 ing the Spirit and of being under 
 his influence are next stated. If 
 Christ be in you; Christ, by the agency 
 of his Spirit. Compare John 14 : 
 -16, 17, with verse 23. || The body is 
 dead, etc. ; the body does, indeed, re- 
 main subject to death on account of 
 sin, agreeably to the threatening, 
 Thou shalt surely die. Gen. 2:17, and 
 to the doom. Dust thou art and unto 
 dust shalt thou return. Gen. 3:19; 
 yet the soul on account of righteous- 
 ness which, through Christ, has begun 
 to rule in it, has true life towards 
 God and will have eternal life. — 
 Though Christ has procured life for 
 the believer, yet it is the righteous 
 will of God that the believer should, 
 in his body, still be the prey of death. 
 So far as the threat related to the 
 body, it is unrevoked ; so far as it 
 related to the soul, it is reversed : 
 true life is given and will endm-e 
 forever. 
 
 11. Still further: Though the 
 bodies of believers must yield to 
 death, yet they too are to be rescued 
 from its power ; their bodies shall be 
 recovered to life by virtue of the 
 Spirit which dwells in believers and 
 which is preparing them for the end- 
 less life of heaven. He that raised up 
 Christ from the dead shall also qmcken, 
 
 8 
 
 etc. ; God who raised up the dead 
 body of Chi-ist will also make alive 
 again your mortal bodies by his Spirit, 
 that is, by virtue of his Spirit, that 
 dwells in you. Not that the Holy 
 Spirit raises the dead body to life : 
 this act is ascribed to the Son of God ; 
 John 5 : 21, 25, 28 ; but, by virtue 
 of the Spirit's dwelling in believers 
 and rescuing their souls from sin and 
 spiritual death, thus preparing them 
 for heaven, their bodies Avill also, as 
 an appropriate result, be delivered 
 from the dominion of death. 
 
 12-17. The obligations of believ- 
 ers for the bestowal of the Holy 
 Spirit are now hinted, and the glori- 
 ous state to which the disciples of 
 Christ will be exalted. 
 
 12. Therefore ye are debtors, etc. ; 
 ye are under obligations, not to the 
 fleshy to live according to its dictates ; 
 but to the Spirit, to live according to 
 liis guidance. 
 
 13. The sure results of obeying 
 the flesh and of obeying the Spirit 
 enhance this obligation : in the one 
 case, death ; in the other, eternal life. 
 Compare 6 : 23. If ye — mortify the 
 deeds of the body ; if ye put to death, 
 that is, resist and subdue, the evil de- 
 sires of tlie carnal nature, so that they 
 shall not have power to sway you. 
 Such resistance can be effected only 
 through the Spirit. — Deeds of the body 
 is an expression of the same import 
 as works ofthejtesh in Gal. 5 : 19-21. 
 Compare also Col. 3: 5-10. || Ye 
 shall live ; ye shall have eternal life. 
 Such resistance to sinful propensities, 
 as is here spoken of, shows alsc that 
 spiritual life is commenced smd such 
 
86 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 14 body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit 
 
 15 of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not re- 
 ceived the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye have re- 
 ceived the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
 
 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are 
 
 17 the children of God : and if children, then heirs; heirs of 
 God and joint-heirs with Christ ; if so be that we suffer with 
 him, that we may be also glorified together. 
 
 life secures a living sense of the fa- 
 vor of God. Compare Gal. 6 : 7, 8. 
 
 14. For as many as, etc. The cer- 
 tainty of eternal life to those who, 
 through the Spirit, subdue carnal in- 
 clination, is grounded on the fact that 
 such persons are sons of God. They 
 have a moral likeness to God, being 
 born of the Spirit and led by him. 
 Compare John 1 : 12, 13. 
 
 1.5. For ye have not received the 
 spirit of bondage again to fear. Ye 
 •uere once in bondage to sin ; but the 
 spirit which you have now received 
 is not a servile one, harassing you 
 again Avith fear of God's condemna- 
 tion. II But ye have received the spirit 
 of adoption, etc. ; the filial spirit, in 
 which we cry out to God, in our 
 prayers, with fervency of atiection and 
 filial confidence. || Alia, Father. 
 These two words have the same 
 meaning, the fonner being essen- 
 tially Hebrew. The two-fold form 
 of address to God, as a Father, indi- 
 cates intensity of desii-e for needed 
 spiritual blessings, coupled with de- 
 light in God and filial trust in him. 
 See Gal. 4:6. 
 
 16. The Spirit itself beareth ivit- 
 ness, etc. The Holy Spirit, dwelling 
 in us and exciting childlike feelings 
 towards God, testifies, in union Avith 
 our own spirit as being conscious of 
 this childlike temper, that we are 
 children of God. A two-fold testi- 
 mony is thus borne to our being chil- 
 dren of God : that of our OAvn con- 
 sciousness of filial feelings towards 
 God, and that of the Holy Spirit Avho 
 imparted to us, and Avho still cher- 
 ishes, this temper. The filial temper 
 we had not formerly, but rather, being 
 
 in bondage to sin, we habitually dis- 
 obeyed God and felt a dread of his 
 wrath and, consequently, had no filial 
 feelings towards him. The Holy 
 Spirit, Avho bestows on us the filial 
 temper, also cherishes it, calling forth 
 and directing childlike affections, 
 verse 26, so that at times we cannot 
 but acknowledge an agency superior 
 to our oAvn, by Avhich, in religious 
 affections, we are even carried beyond 
 ourselves : by the Spirit's co-operat- 
 ing Avith, and strengthening, the filial 
 temper, he may Avell be considered as 
 bearing a testimony additional to 
 that of the rencAved mind. 
 
 17. The blissful consequences of 
 the filial relation to God are suggested. 
 IfchUdren, then heirs. A child is also 
 an heir, and, as such, is to share in 
 his father's Avealth. So Avith children 
 of God ; they are heirs of God, Gal. 
 4 : 7 ; God designs to bestOAv on 
 them a possession hereafter, suitable 
 to his and their mutual relation. 
 The inexhaustible resources of the 
 divine bounty Avill most amply pro- 
 vide for them. || Joint-heirs with 
 Christ, etc. As they are in Christ, 
 intimately united to him, belonging 
 to him as his redeemed people, mem- 
 bers of his body, Eph. 5 : 30, tliey 
 are to be his felloAv-hcirs ; in order 
 that, since they suffer Avith him and 
 for his sake, they may also be glori- 
 fied together Avith him, participating 
 in his glory as avcU as in his suffer- 
 ings.— ^ The AA'hole life of Christ on 
 earth Avas a continued humiliation ; 
 he endured temptations from the evil 
 One, and from men contumely and 
 rejection : Avithout earthly resources, 
 he was dependent on the bounty of 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 87 
 
 18 For I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time are 
 
 others ; during his closing days he 
 underwent incomparable sufferings 
 till he expired, in anguish and ig- 
 nominy, on the cross. His people 
 have often been called to bitter suffer- 
 ings in consequence of being his dis- 
 ciples and of steadfastly adhering to 
 his cause ; they have been hated, re- 
 viled, persecuted even unto death. 
 The apostle had large experience of 
 suffering for the sake of Christ ; 2 
 Cor. 1 : 8, 9. 4 : 8-10. 6 : 4, 5. 
 11 : 23-27. 12 : 10. Col. 1 : 24. 
 But tlie issue will make amends for 
 all sufferings endured in his cause ; 
 for the design of God is, that his dis- 
 ciples shall be also glorified togetha- 
 with him. In his glory, they are to 
 participate. He has been their suffer- 
 ing Head ; he is now their glorified 
 Head : they have been his suffering 
 members ; they are to be his gloritied 
 members. Great and unspeakable as 
 is the glory awarded to Christ, his 
 disciples are to share in it. See 
 John 17 : 22-24. Compare 1 Pet. 
 4: 13. Rev. 3: 21. 
 
 18-23. The thought of the glory 
 which is in reserve for the people of 
 Christ, as being children of God, 
 brings fully before the apostle's mind 
 the consummation of God's purposes 
 in respect to the kingdom of Christ 
 and the corresponding renovation of 
 all things. So great will be the glory 
 to which the children of God will 
 then be elevated, that all present suf- 
 ferings can bear no comparison with 
 it. So desirable is their entrance on 
 the expected glory, that the whole 
 creation is conceived of as anticipat- 
 ing it with eagerness, hoping that 
 then the suffering and perishable state 
 to which it has been su!)jected will be 
 succeeded by one of freedom from 
 frailty and mortality ; a state of the 
 natural creation corresponding to 
 that which the glorified children of 
 God will enjoy. As the sinfulness 
 of men is now accompanied with 
 misery on the part of all sentient 
 
 beings in the world, so the future 
 glory of Christ's people, when entered 
 on by them as redeemed from sin, is 
 to introduce a new order of things, 
 from which decay and mortality will 
 be excluded, and in which permanent 
 bliss will be enjoyed. The apostle 
 and his fellow Chi-istians, having by 
 the presence of the Spirit iii their 
 hearts the commencement of spiritual 
 and eternal bliss, Vt^ere also themselves 
 waiting with earnest desire for its 
 consummation in the expected glory. 
 The passage is highly figurative. 
 Nature, or the whole creation, is per- 
 sonified, and is represented as con- 
 scious of having been subjected to a 
 frail and unsatisfying state, to misery 
 and death, yet with hope of recovery 
 from that state and of a permanently 
 happy condition at the period when 
 the designs of redeeming mei'cy 
 should be accomplished in the en- 
 trance of Christ's people on their 
 final glory. Tlic general idea of the 
 termination of frailty and corruptible- 
 ness is conveyed ; but precisely in 
 Avhat particulars this new state of 
 things will consist Ave are not in- 
 ormed, and it is useless to speculate 
 on tlie subject. The glowing descrip- 
 tion in this passage is summarily 
 given by the apostle Peter when he 
 speaks, 2 Pet. 3 : 13, of " new heavens 
 and a new earth : " a resemblance to it 
 we have, also, in the 21st chapter of 
 Revelation. The expectation of a 
 renovated state of things, in which 
 even the inferior creation should 
 share, originated, probably, in such 
 predictions as we find in Is. 11 : 
 6-9. 65: 17-25. That state how- 
 ever, denominated the new heavens 
 and the new earth, being so different 
 from the one with which we are now 
 familiar, all speculations about it and 
 attempts at minute explanation must 
 prove failures : but that the present 
 is to pass away and to be succeeded 
 by one of unspeakable glory to the 
 redeemed people of Christ, and of 
 
88 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 not worthy to he compared with the glory which shall be 
 
 19 revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature 
 
 20 waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the 
 creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by 
 
 21 reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope ; because 
 the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage 
 of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of 
 
 wide-spreading influence and connec- 
 tions beyond our definite knowledge, 
 seems, evidently, the teaching of the 
 scriptures. In harmony with the lan- 
 guage of this paragraph we may say, 
 in the language of one of our hymns, 
 all "nature sighs to be renewed," and 
 is awaiting the period when the re- 
 deemed shall enter on their promised 
 glory ; for then frailty and mortality 
 will have ceased, and all things will 
 have become new. The idea is also 
 a familiar one in the Old Testament, 
 that under the reign of the Messiah 
 the earth would become vastly im- 
 proved in fruitfulness and beauty. 
 Seels. 35: 1. 29 : 17. 32: 15, 16. 
 
 18. For I reclcon that the sufferings, 
 etc. The apostle was animated with 
 the thought of the glory with Christ, 
 which was to succeed the sufferings 
 that he and his fellow-Christians were 
 called to endure. He may be con- 
 sidered as saying, We may well bear 
 patiently the sufferings, since they are 
 to be followed by such glory ; for I 
 judge that our present sufferings are 
 not worthy to be named in compar- 
 ison with the glory that is to be re- 
 A'ealed in respect to us. Compare 2 
 Cor. 4: 17. 
 
 19. The earnest expectation. The 
 word here used in the original is in- 
 dicative of that eagerness which is 
 shown by a person looking off to 
 something with his head bent for- 
 ward. II Of the creature ; moi-e cor- 
 rectly, the creation, as per^^onified : the 
 sentient irrational creation is figu- 
 ratively regarded as endued with 
 rational powers and, while exposed 
 to abuse, suffering and death, as long- 
 ing for that signal event which will 
 put an (md to its misery. As other 
 
 instances of this figure, see Jer. 12:4. 
 Is. 35 : 1. II The manifestation of the 
 sons of God; the revelation of the glory 
 of the sons of God, mentioned in the 
 preceding verse ; the word here trans- 
 lated manifestation being radically 
 the same as that translated revealed. 
 The period is meant when the ex- 
 pected glory shall be ushered in, and 
 when it may also be said that the sons 
 of God are manifested, or rendered 
 conspicuous, as such. Comjjare 1 
 John 3:2. 
 
 20, 21 . This manifestation, or rev- 
 elation, is waited for with eager in- 
 terest by the creation, since the crea- 
 tion is to experience a corresponding 
 transformation. — For the creature ; 
 more correctly, the creation. \\ Was 
 made subject to vanity. The creation 
 was subjected to a frail, perishable 
 state, as if made in vain, so far as 
 any enduring valuable purpose is 
 concerned. || Not iciUing/y, but by 
 reason of him, etc. The figure is still 
 retained, which ascribes intelligence 
 and choice to the creation. This sub- 
 jection was not of the creation's 
 choice, but of the sovereign appoint- 
 ment of God. Compare Gen. 3:17, 
 Cursed is the ground for thy sake. 
 II In hope. These words ought, agree- 
 ably to the punctuation in the best 
 editions of the Greek Testament, to 
 be connected with the Avords made 
 subject to vanity in the first clause of 
 the verse, as indicating the hope, held 
 out to the creation, of deliverance from 
 this state of frailty and transientness ; 
 though the creation was thus sub- 
 jected, yet hope was given it that a 
 different state of things was in re- 
 serve. — The words the same, in Italics, 
 as supplied by the translators, should 
 
CHAPTEK VIII 
 
 89 
 
 22 God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth, and 
 
 23 travaileth in pain together until now : and not only tliey^ but 
 ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even 
 we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adop- 
 
 24 tion, to wit, the redemption of our bodv. For we are saved 
 by hope. But hope that is seen, is not hope : for what a 
 
 25 man seeth, why doth he yet hope for ? But if we hope for 
 
 26 that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Like- 
 wise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities : for we know not 
 
 be omitted, and the word it take their 
 place. — In the 21st verse, the word 
 because should be substituted by the 
 word that, which word should not be 
 separated from the word Iiope. The 
 apostle's language in these two verses, 
 in harmony with the suggestion just 
 made, would be better rendered in 
 the following manner : — For the 
 creation was subjected to inanity (not 
 willingly, but by reason of him who 
 subjected it), in hope that the creation 
 itself shall be set free from the bond- 
 age of the corruption into the liberty 
 of the glory of the children of God. 
 The bondage of the corruption is the 
 same as the involuntary subjection to 
 vanity, coiruption being significant of 
 that which is to decay and perish, and 
 being virtually a bondage. The 
 liberty, or freedom, of the glory of the 
 children of God means liberty from that 
 bondage, which liberty stands con- 
 nected with the glory to be possessed 
 by the children of God. 
 
 22. The ivhole creation groaneth, 
 etc.; the whole creation has, up to 
 this time, been enduring bitter an- 
 guish. The liabilities of the lower 
 creation to suffering seem to be here 
 meant ; while we cannot but also 
 think of the mental and bodily mis- 
 eries which have so perpetually ha- 
 rassed mankind. 
 
 23. Not only they, but ourselves also, 
 etc. ; not only the creation in general 
 is thus in misery and longs for de- 
 liverance from it, but we too, that is, 
 the apostle himself and his fellow 
 Christians, who have the Holy Spirit 
 as the earnest of the heavenly glory, 
 
 are weighed down with a sense of 
 present dissatisfaction and are sighing 
 for the completed adoption, the de- 
 liverance of our bodies from the 
 power of death and an entrance on 
 the full possession of our inheritance, 
 the state of glory. Compare verses 
 11,17. II The first fruits of the Spirit. 
 The first-fruits are an earnest of the 
 coming harvest ; so the influences of 
 the Holy Spirit, imparting the spirit 
 of adoption, verse 14, are the earnest 
 of the future glory, for which they are 
 preparing the children of God by 
 strengthening their filial aff'ection for 
 him and maturing their conformity to 
 his own Son. !| Waiting for the adop- 
 tion : the full enjoyment of the bless- 
 ings of son ship, the adoption com- 
 pleted. II Tlie redemption of our body; 
 the deliverance of the body from the 
 power of death by the resurrection. 
 See verse 1 1 . This event, still waited 
 for, is here regarded as the last of the 
 pi-eliminaries to the entrance of the 
 sons of God on the full possession of 
 their glory. 
 
 24, 25. This completed adoption 
 is waited for ; it is still an object of 
 hope. We are saved by hope ; more 
 pi-operly, in hope. Salvation is not 
 yet realized ; it is an object of hope. 
 We have the promise of salvation, the 
 actual and complete possession of it 
 being in reserve. || Hope that is seen, 
 etc. Hope ceases as soon as its object 
 is really a matter of sight and posses- 
 sion ; but while the desired object is 
 not yet possessed, we continue, through 
 patience, waiting for it. 
 
 26. Not only does our hope of 
 
90 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 what we should pray for as we ought : but the Spirit itself 
 maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be 
 
 27 uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is 
 the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for 
 the saints, according to the loill of God. 
 
 28 And we know that all things work together for good, to 
 them that love God, to them who are the called according to 
 
 29 his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did pre- 
 destinate to he conformed to the image of his Son, that he 
 might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, 
 whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and whom 
 
 30 
 
 salvation encourage a patient waiting 
 for it, but the Spirit, in like manner, 
 aids us in our weakness. Our infir- 
 mities ; our weakness through ig- 
 norance, error and sin. || For ice 
 know not, etc. We need aid in our 
 prayers ; since through ignorance Ave 
 might pray for improper objects, and 
 through dulness of spiritual appre- 
 hension and affection we might not 
 pray with the requisite confidence 
 and earnestness. But the Spirit liim- 
 self acts in our behalf and excites 
 within us intense desires for spiritual 
 blessings, felt but incapable of ex- 
 pression. These ardent desires for 
 spiritual good and fitness for heaven 
 are here regarded as the entreaties of 
 the Holy Spirit himself in our behalf, 
 since it is he that awakens them and 
 feeds the flame of piety. || Groan- 
 ings lohich cannot he uttered: unuttera- 
 ble sighings for spiritual blessings. 
 These are, indeed, the actings of our 
 own souls, but prompted by the 
 Spirit, and accepted as expressions 
 of the Spirit's desires in our be- 
 half. — Tlie more intense our gen- 
 uine desires for spiritual good, the 
 less capable are they of being ade- 
 quately expressed in language. 
 
 27. He that searcheth the hearts, 
 etc. God, the searcher of hearts, 
 knows our unexpressed desires and 
 will grant them, since in them he sees 
 the intent of the Holy Spirit in 
 respect to us ; and the Spirit's en- 
 treaties are in accordance with the 
 will of God. II For the saints ; the 
 
 people of Christ : so called, as being 
 really and professedly holy persons, 
 consecrated to God ; the counterpart 
 of the Jews, the ancient people of 
 God, who as a nation were called 
 saints, or hoh/, since they were sepa- 
 rated from ail other nations and taken 
 into a peculiar relation to God. See 
 on 1 : 7. — The Spirit in our hearts 
 awakens no desires and prompts no 
 prayers but such as the heart-search- 
 ing God fully apprehends, and such 
 as the prayer-hearing God will ac- 
 knowledge as being accordant with 
 his will. How harmonious in all 
 their parts are the arrangements for 
 our salvation ! and what encourage- 
 ment we have patiently to wait for 
 it! 
 
 28. In addition to patience in 
 hoping for salvation, and to the spe- 
 cial aid of the Spirit in our prayers, 
 we know that all things work together 
 for good to those who love God, 
 those whom he has also called to the 
 blessings and glory of the divine 
 kingdom. — For good; for their high- 
 est good, the good result of heavenly 
 glory. In the divine administration, 
 all things will either directly eon. 
 duce, or be overruled, to this result. 
 II Who are the called ; not merely in- 
 vited, but so called that they have 
 accepted the invitation. Sec on 1 : 
 7. II According to his purpose; ac- 
 cording to the purpose of making 
 them partakers of glory with Christ, 
 
 29, 30. The apostle proceeds to 
 disclose the ground of the certainty 
 
CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 ai 
 
 he called, tliem he also justified : and whom he justified, them 
 31 he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things ? 
 
 that all thingfs co-operate for good to 
 the peoj)lc of Christ. In doing this, 
 he commences with tlie fact that God 
 foreknew them as those who were in- 
 cluded in his purpose ; then, that he 
 had fore-appointed them to become 
 partakers of a moral resemblance to 
 his own Son ; being thus fore-ap- 
 pointed, he called, or invited, them to 
 the proposed blessings, which call 
 had effect, so that they became be- 
 lievers in his Son ; being thus called, 
 h/Q justified them, regarded and treated 
 them as righteous on the ground of 
 their being united to his Son by faith 
 in him ; and those thus justified he 
 glorified. The last step is here men- 
 tioned, like the others, as already 
 taken, though it is an anticipation of 
 what is to be realized in heaven. The 
 apostle was here conceiving of the 
 entire Chi-istian body as contemplated 
 in the divine purpose ; and therefore 
 regarded the event as cei-tain, like the 
 preceding steps which led to it. With 
 ardor of mind, throwing himself for- 
 ward to the era of the final accom- 
 plishment, he seems rather describ- 
 ing what has taken place than what 
 is yet future. The calling and the 
 justifying are also future and succes- 
 sive, m reference to the individuals 
 included in the divine purpose 
 Though to man the divine purpose 
 divides itself into parts, successively 
 realized, yet to God the purpose was 
 always present as including all the 
 parts : God's omniscient survey con- 
 templates all these at once, while to 
 man they appear only in the process 
 of being effected and are successive 
 both in respect to indiAuduals and to 
 generations. — Foreknow; know be- 
 forehand, as those whom he had pur- 
 posed to save : reference being, doubt- 
 less, had to God's knowledge as con- 
 nected with his eternal purposes. 
 Compare 1 Pet. 1 : 20, where the 
 word fore-ordained is the translation 
 of a woxd radically the same as the 
 
 one here used in the original. || Pre- 
 destinate ; appoint, or determine, be- 
 forehand. The same word is here 
 used in the original as is translated 
 determined before in Acts 4 : 28, and 
 ordained in 1 Cor. 2 : 7. \\ To he con- 
 formed to the image of his Son, etc. ; 
 to the likeness of his own Son, in 
 reference to their affections and pur- 
 poses, or their character : in this 
 respect it was fore-appointed that 
 they should become like him. Thus, 
 he being God's own Son, and they, 
 renewed in spirit and united to hiim 
 by faitli, being adopted as children of 
 God, he would be the first-boni of 
 the spiritual brotherhood, that is, the 
 Head of it ; for in oriental families 
 the first-born son occupied the place 
 of honor and power-, or lordship, in 
 reference to the other children. — The 
 purpose of God, then, contemplated 
 holiness of character as indispensable 
 to its ultimate result : unless we are, 
 morally, like Christ, we have not 
 evidence that we belong to the com- 
 pany whom he acknowledges as his 
 brethren. Mistake on this point is 
 also forestalled by the apostle's idea, 
 that it is those who love God that 
 were the objects of his purpose and 
 pre-determination. || Many brethren. 
 The redeemed will be an innumerable 
 multitude out of every nation and 
 kindred. See Rev. 5:9. 7:9. 
 II Called. The connection shows that 
 the calling involves the idea of a cor- 
 responding acceptance on the part of 
 the called. ' Justified ; treated as 
 righteous through their believing in 
 Christ. II Glorified; admitted to 
 glory : or, more coolly speaking, ho 
 regarded them as heirs of gloiy, as 
 tliose %A ho were to be glorified \vith 
 Christ. Compare verse 17. 
 
 31. In view of these things, what 
 shall we say ? Is there the slightest 
 ground for doubt as to our participa- 
 tion of glory with Christ, in whom 
 we believe and whom we are follow- 
 
92 ROMANS. 
 
 32 If God he for us, who can he against us ? He that spared 
 not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how sha 1 
 
 33 he not with him also freely give us all things? "Who shall 
 lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ? It is God that 
 
 34 justifieth. Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that 
 died : yea rather, that is risen again ; who is even at the 
 right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 
 
 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? Shall tribu- 
 lation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or 
 
 36 peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed 
 all the day long ; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
 
 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through 
 
 38 him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, 
 nor life, nor angels, nor princij)aKties, nor 230wers, nor things 
 
 39 present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any 
 other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
 God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 
 ing on earth ? If God he for us, etc. 
 God is our friend : who can harm 
 us? 
 
 32. He that spared not his own Son. 
 Since God has not withholden the 
 greatest possible gift, his own Son, 
 what things are too great for him to 
 bestow 1 All things else are small, 
 compared with this ; having given us 
 this, the greatest, Avill he withhold the 
 less ? Especially will he bestow all 
 things which are needful for accom- 
 plishing the object of this greatest gift. 
 
 33. Who shall lay any tiling to the 
 charge of God's elect ? Who shall 
 bring an accusation against those 
 whom God has chosen and who are 
 objects of his special favor? It is 
 God, who has acquitted them of every 
 charge and accepted them. Who, 
 then, can revive a cliarge against 
 them, or prefer a new accusation ? 
 Who can reverse God's decision con- 
 cerning them ? 
 
 34. Who is he that condemneth 7 
 Who can undertake to condemn us ? 
 Chx-ist has died for us ; yea, rather, 
 has been raised from the dead for us ; 
 has been exalted to the right hand of 
 God, and is there our patron and 
 Advocate, entreating for us favor and 
 
 aid. Who is it, then, that can con- 
 demn us ? 
 
 35, 36. Who shall separate us from 
 the love of Christ ? That is, from the 
 love which Christ cherishes for us. 
 AVhat shall induce him to cease lov- 
 ing us ? Shall affliction, in all the 
 diversified forms in which it may 
 assail us, be allowed to gain power 
 over us so as to make us deny Christ, 
 and thus induce him to separate him- 
 self from us and cut us olf from his 
 love ? II Nakedness ; a comparative 
 woi'd, meaning destitution of suitable 
 apparel. || Suxird. The sword, an 
 instrument of death, here signifies 
 exposure to violent death. The apos- 
 tle was reminded of a passage in the 
 Old Testament, Ps. 44 : 22, expres- 
 sive of exposure to murderous ene- 
 mies, and wliich was but too applica 
 ble to himself and many of the early 
 followers of Christ. 
 
 37. Nay, etc. Far from it. So 
 far from tliese things terminatinu' in 
 Christ's withdrawal of his love from 
 us, it is HE that carries us triumph- 
 antly through the conflict. 
 
 38, 39. The apostle concludes his 
 animating view by avowing his con- 
 viction that absolutely notliing, not 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Rejection of the Jewish people from the faTor of God, regretted, 1-5. Their rejection re- 
 sulting, not from failure on the part of God to fulfil his word, but from his discriminat- 
 ing between his professed and his real people, 6-13. Objection against the justice of 
 making this discrimination, considered. 14-18- Objection against the justice of imput- 
 ing blame, considered, 19-29. Gentiles, obtaining righteousness through faith in Christ, 
 Jews, through refusing to believe in Christ, failing to obtain righteousness, 30-33. 
 
 the most various and opposite in- 
 fluences, shall be able to separate 
 genuine believers from the love which 
 God has for them and Avhich he has 
 manifested in Christ Jesus their Lord, 
 This love will be abiding, and its de- 
 sign in their behalf will certainly be 
 accomplished. — Neither death, with 
 whatever dread it may be anticipated, 
 or with whatever teiTors it may be 
 connected ; nor life, with all its allure- 
 ments ; nor angels, nor principalities, 
 nor powers, that is, nor any superhu- 
 man powers. Compare 1 Cor. 15 : 24. 
 Eph. 1: 21. 3: 10. 6: 12. Col. 
 1: 16. 2: 15. Nor things present, 
 whether agreeable or painful, nor 
 things to come, whether desirable or 
 dreadful ; nor height, nor depth, noth- 
 ing on high, in heaven, or the upper 
 air, the visible heavens where evil 
 spirits Avere popularly thought often 
 to be, Eph. 2:2. 6:12, and nothing 
 below, on earth, or under tlie earth ; 
 (compare Is. 7 : 11, where earth and 
 heaven seem to be meant by depdh and 
 height ; ) nor a ny other creature, nor any 
 created thing. In short, nothing at 
 all shall prevail to remove from us 
 God's loving-kindness ; it will abide, 
 and will secure for us the end which 
 he has purposed to bestow, namely, 
 participation in the glory of Christ in 
 heaven. 
 
 Such is the result to which the 
 apostle brings his reasoning on the 
 topics of the believer's justification 
 and sanctification by the death of 
 Christ and the renovating agency of 
 the Holy Spirit. In the last two 
 verses, the ardor of his mind must be 
 kept in view when wo are seeking to 
 
 interpret his language. He accumu- 
 lates various particulars, some of 
 them entire contrasts, some of them 
 capable of being applied to beings 
 and things that might seem in them- 
 selves helpful to Christians rather 
 than hostile to them ; but by such an 
 accumulation he brings out more fully, 
 than he otherwise could, his deep 
 conviction of the certainty of a glo- 
 rious ssue to the believer in Christ. 
 
 CHAPTERS IX — XI. 
 
 Another section of the epistle com- 
 mences at this point and occupies 
 three chapters. The doctrine of the 
 gospel, as unfolded in this epistle, 
 was entirely repugnant to the senti- 
 ments of Jews in general. They had 
 been in the habit of regarding them- 
 selves as the people of God, by virtue 
 of his promises to the patriarchs and 
 of their own obsen^ance of the Mosaic 
 law : they held the observance of this 
 law as a claim for acceptance with 
 God. The apostle i-egaixled such a 
 claim as futile : acceptance with God, 
 he taught, is to be obtained by be- 
 coming disciples of Christ and trust- 
 ing in him. This utter opposition of 
 cherished Jewish ideas to the Chris- 
 tian doctrine made the mass of the 
 nation reject the gospel and exclude 
 themselves from its benefits. The 
 apostle could not but commiserate 
 them. Their rejection from being 
 the people of God needed, in view of 
 the ancient promises of God, to be 
 explained and vindicated. To this 
 subject the three following chapters 
 arc devoted. 
 
 (93) 
 
94 ROMANS. 
 
 1 I SAY the truth in Chinst, I lie not, my conscience also 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The apostle first expresses bis deep 
 regret at the i-everse which had taken 
 place in the Jewish nation ; formerly, 
 so honored of God and favored with 
 rich promises ; now, cast off and hav- 
 ing no portion in the Messiah. Vs. 
 1-5. 
 
 Having expressed his grief, he next 
 undertakes to explain this deplorable 
 fact. Some might hastily conclude, 
 that God had failed to fulfil his word. 
 Paul repels that idea ; but, resorting 
 to the absolute pui'poses of God, af- 
 firms that God did not make his 
 promise to the entire nation : God 
 discriminated between the nation and 
 those who Avere, or were to be, his 
 real people ; just as he discriminated, 
 among the descendants of Abraham, 
 between Isaac, the promised child, and 
 the other children ; and as he made a 
 distinction between the children of 
 Rebecca, namely Esau and Jacob, 
 even before they were born. Vs.6-13. 
 
 Some might object that in making 
 such discrimination according to an 
 absolute purpose, God was unjust. 
 The apostle repels tliis suggestion by 
 an appeal to the Jewish scriptures, 
 the authority and sacredness of which 
 Jews would acknowledge. In the 
 Old Testament, God claims to exer- 
 cise his mercy on whom he will, thus 
 selecting objects for his mercy, mak- 
 ing distinctions in the bestowal of it, 
 and not allowing it to rest on any 
 meritorious ground, such, for instance, 
 as that of a person's desiring it, or 
 toiling for it so as to deserve it, but 
 purely on the ground of God's being 
 disposed to be merciful. So, on the 
 other hand, if mercy be withheld 
 and a man's heait become hardened, 
 the Old Testament traces this result 
 to God. A person, then, who re- 
 gai'ded the Old Testament as an au- 
 thority, could not consistently reject 
 the thought that God made discrimi- 
 nation among the Jca^s, showing 
 
 mercy to some and hardening others. 
 Vs. 14-18. 
 
 The objector might then say, Wliy 
 does he then blame us ? for in any 
 event his will is done ; no one has 
 effectually opposed it. — The apostle 
 regards this as the language of im- 
 piety. He suggests two replies to it : 
 first, God has a right to do as he 
 pleases with his creatures, designing 
 them respectively for honor or for dis- 
 honor ; secondly. In bringing about 
 the result of his pui-pose, he awards 
 men to an issue for wliich they have 
 become fitted, whether, as objects of 
 his displeasure, for destruction, or, as 
 objects of his favor, for glory. Tliis 
 is true of men, whether they are Jews 
 or Gentiles, as Gentiles and Jews 
 were both found among Christians. 
 The apostle here quotes, in illustra- 
 tion of his views, a passage from the 
 prophet Hosea which represents God 
 as, of his mere good pleasure, taking 
 into a relation of favor with himself 
 those who had not hitherto been tlius 
 regarded, a thought applicable to 
 Gentiles, and from the prophet Isaiah 
 language which showed that a vast 
 number of Jews would be cast off". 
 Vs. 19-29. 
 
 It accords with these views, then, 
 that Gentiles, who had not been pur- 
 suing after righteousness, had yet ob- 
 tained righteousness, namely, that 
 which comes from believing in Christ; 
 and that Jews, who had been pursu- 
 ing after righteousness had not ob- 
 tained it, because they sought it not 
 from faitli in Christ, but from adher- 
 ing to the Mosaic law. Vs. 30-33. 
 
 The cause of the Jews' exclusion 
 from the fovor of God and from being 
 liis people is, thus, clearly shown ; 
 namely, their refusing to believe in 
 Christ. 
 
 1 / say the truth in Christ, 1 lie not, 
 etc.; a solemn avowal of the apo-ilc's 
 sincerity in the affirmation he was 
 about to make. He spoke as one 
 united to Christ and resting all his 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 95 
 
 2 bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great 
 
 3 heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could 
 wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, 
 
 4 my kinsmen according to the flesh : who are Israelites : to 
 whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the cove- 
 
 hopes of spiritual good on him, feel- 
 ing that, if he should make a false 
 declaration, his conduct would be a 
 forfeiting of his relationship to Christ. 
 He spoke, also, as one under the in- 
 fluence of the Holy Spii'it, and hav- 
 ing the testimony of his own con- 
 science that he was about to utter 
 only the truth. 
 
 2. That I have great heaviness, etc. 
 The ground of his sorrow, namely, 
 God's rejection of the Jewish people, 
 he does not fonnally state, perhaps, 
 through dt^icacy towards the Jews ; 
 but it wouli be easily conjectured and 
 would soon appear. 
 
 3. For I could icish, etc. Under 
 his intensity of emotion in view of 
 the hopeless reverse to which the 
 Jews were subjecting themselves, he 
 expresses a willingness to endure any 
 conceivable misery, however extreme, 
 even to being himself sundered from 
 Christ and devoted to destruction, 
 were it possible thereby to save them 
 from their doom. — This passage is 
 not to be regarded as proceeding from 
 a cool, calculating mind, but as the 
 language of emotion, showing the 
 deep hold which the welfare of his 
 countrymen had on his heart and how 
 little he ought to be suspected of in- 
 difference towards them. His wil- 
 lingness to meet such suffering must 
 also be understood as conditioned on 
 the possibility of its being so ap- 
 pointed, and of its being available for 
 the purpose contemplated. It should 
 be compared with expressions of so- 
 licitude and compassion which are 
 sometimes made in reference to an 
 endeared object ; as when we say, 
 We would gladly have done ainj thing, 
 or endured any thing, to avert its 
 misery: as David said, 2 Sam. 18 : 
 33, Would God I had died for thee, O 
 
 Absalom, my son, my son; that is, pro- 
 vided my dving could have saved thy 
 life ; as Moses said, Ex. 32 : 32, Yet 
 now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin ; 
 and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out 
 of thy book which thou hast written ; 
 that is, provided that thus the people 
 might be saved. — The original Avord, 
 translated / could in'sh, may be com- 
 pared with similar Avords in the origi- 
 nal, as to their grammatical forai, in 
 Acts 25 : 22. "Gal. 4 : 20. i| Ac- 
 cxirsed from Christ. The word anathe- 
 ma, here used in the original, signifies 
 something which has been devoted 
 to destmction and which could not be 
 redeemed. Compare Lev. 27 : 28, 
 29. The con-esponding Hebrew term 
 was also employed in such cases as 
 those of the ancient cities of Pales- 
 tine, and of various objects, taken as 
 spoils of war, that were to be de- 
 stroyed. See Josh. 6 : 17, 18. 7 : 1, 
 11. To be an anathema, accursed, 
 was, to he given up to destruction. In 
 the earnest expression of his grief, 
 then, the apostle declares himself 
 ready, in behalf of his national kin- 
 dred, to endure the very worst con- 
 ceivable form of misery, even a sep- 
 aration from Christ and meeting the 
 doom of an accursed object, could 
 such an airangement avail to the sal- 
 vation of his countrymen. In such 
 emotion, he v ould naturally name 
 something beyond possibility; since 
 any thing within his reach, any thing 
 really feasible, could not fathom the 
 depth of his grief at their loss of the 
 inconceivable good of the Messiah's 
 kingdom. 1| For my brethren, etc.; in 
 behalf of my brethren, the Jews, my 
 kinsmen as to national descent and 
 national relation. 
 
 4. The apostle proceeds to men- 
 tion the chief points by which the 
 
96 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 nants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and 
 the promises ; whose are the fathers, and of whom, as con- 
 cerning the flesh, Christ came ; who is over all, God 
 BLESSED FOREVER ! Amen. 
 
 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. 
 
 Jewish nation had been pre-eminently 
 distinguished, and reflection on which 
 CDuld not but stimulate interest in 
 their welfare. — Who are Israelites. 
 They bore the honorable name of 
 Israelites (compare 2 Cor. 11 : 22), 
 as descended from the patriarch to 
 whom the appellation Israel was given 
 by the angel of God, Gen. 32 : 24-28, 
 as an indication of divine favor to- 
 wards him. II To whom pertaineth the 
 adoption ; more exactly, ichose was the 
 adoption. The adoption here spoken 
 of is not the spiritual adoption, men- 
 tioned in 8 : 15-17, but the national, 
 by which the Hebrews were honored 
 in being selected from all other na- 
 tions to be the people, or children, of 
 God. See Dent. 14: 1. 32 : 6. 
 II The glory ; the Aasible manifestation 
 of Jehovah's presence in the taber- 
 nacle and temple. See Ex. 40 : 34, 
 35. 1 Kgs. 8 : 10, 11. 2 Chron. 7 : 
 1. Compare also Ex. 24: 16, 17. 
 II The covenants; those made with 
 Abraham, Jacob, and the whole peo- 
 ple. II The giving of the law ; the 
 code, or system, of laws expressly 
 given from heaven through Moses. 
 II The service of God; the divinely 
 appointed worship. 1| The promises; 
 particularly those pertaining to the 
 coming and the reign of the Messiah. 
 5. Whose are the fathers ; the pa- 
 triarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and 
 other honored progenitors of the Jew- 
 ish nation. II Of whom, as concerning 
 the flesh, Christ came. As to his 
 fleshly, human, descent, the Messiah, 
 in whom the gloiy and hopes of the 
 nation and of the'world centred, was 
 of the Jewish peo])le. — He possessed, 
 however, a higher nature than the 
 human, in which he was in no respect 
 connected, for his existence, with any 
 created being. This divine nature is 
 
 immediately brought to our notice in 
 contrast with the human. || Who is 
 God. The mention of the human 
 descent of Christ, in such a connec- 
 tion as this, where the pri^nleges and 
 glory of the Jewish nation are exhib- 
 ited, naturally led to a declaration of 
 his divine nature and of the apostle's 
 feelings of adoration towards him. 
 For a similar mention of his divine 
 nature, see 1 : 4. John 1:1. 1 Tim. 
 3 : 16. II Over all; over all men 
 without distinction of nations as being 
 Gentiles or Jews, and over all things. 
 See Matt. 28: 18. Acts 10: 36. 
 Eph. 1 : 22. Hcb. 1:2. 1 Pet. 3 : 
 22. II Blessed forever ; worthy to bo 
 praised forcA'er. — T])C words, who is 
 over all, God blessed forever, have been 
 variously interpreted. The principal 
 of these diverse modes of treating 
 them is that which regards them as, 
 in the oiiginal, not referring to Christ, 
 but as a doxology addressed to God. 
 The objections, howe\'er, against this 
 view arc so strong that it is best to 
 understand the words as relating di- 
 rectly to Christ. 
 
 6. Having so feelingly avowed his 
 soiTOw, the apostle proceeds to ac- 
 count for the sad event of the Jews' 
 rejection. Some might regard it as 
 a failure, on the part of Gocl, to fulfil 
 his promise to the seed of Abraham. 
 Such a view, however, the apostle 
 afiirms, is not correct : for God's 
 promise had respect not to all the 
 Jews, but to a certain portion of them 
 whom in his own free purpose he had 
 designed to bless. To that portion, 
 originally had in view, the promise 
 had been, or would be, fulfilled. The 
 promise was made to the Israelites ; 
 but not all who have descended from 
 Israel are acknowledged as true Is- 
 raelites : the promise was made to the 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 97 
 
 9 
 10 
 
 For tliey are not all Israel, which are of Israel : neither, 
 because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all chil- 
 dren : but, In Isaac shall th j seed be called : that is. They 
 which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children 
 of God ; but the children of the promise are counted for the 
 seed. For this is the -word of promise. At this time will I 
 come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; 
 
 children of Abraham ; but not all the 
 descendants of Abraham are acknowl- 
 edged as his true children : just as in 
 a national point of view, it was only 
 the descendants of Abraham through 
 Isaac that were regarded as Abraham's 
 children. — Not as though the icord of 
 God, etc. The case is not as though 
 the declaration of God, or his word 
 of promise, had failed : we are not 
 to reason on any such ground. || For 
 they are not all Israel, etc. ; for not all 
 who are descendants of Israel are the 
 true Israel, Israelites in the sight of 
 God. 
 
 7. Neither because they are the seed 
 of Abraham, etc. Not because they 
 are natural descendants of Abraham, 
 are they his true children, having 
 part in the promises made to him. 
 II But, in Isaac, etc. Though Abra- 
 ham had other sons, yet only his de- 
 scendants through Isaac were to be 
 accounted his posterity. See Gen. 
 21 : 12. — The same thing is obsei-va- 
 ble in regard to the possession of spir- 
 itual blessings, as held true in regard 
 to being accounted the posterity of 
 Abraham. It was only the descend- 
 ants through Isaac that were to be 
 regarded as his seed, while the de- 
 scendants through Ishmael were not 
 accounted his posterity in reference 
 to the blessings which were promised 
 to Abraham ; those descendants were 
 not included in the divine promises. 
 As a distinction was made among the 
 immediate descendants of Abraham, 
 and only a certain portion were in- 
 cluded within the promises, so, in 
 regard to the nation, a distinction was 
 made. It was not the natural relation 
 to Abraham that was the ground of 
 receiving the blessings of the Mes- 
 
 9 
 
 siah : not the descendants of Abra- 
 ham, as such, were to inherit the 
 promises ; fleshly claims did not hold 
 here, and blessings were bestowed on 
 a different principle. The particular 
 principle which the apostle had in 
 mind is presented in the following 
 verse. 
 
 8. That is, etc. The apostle re- 
 gards the promise which he had just 
 quoted. Gen. 21 : 12, as containing 
 the idea, that not those who are de- 
 scended from Abraham by natural 
 birth arc acknowledged as children 
 of God, but those to whom the prom- 
 ise of God particularly related, and 
 who are therefore denominated chil- 
 dren of the promise. Tlie tnie children 
 of God are not those persons who 
 trace their natural descent to Abra- 
 ham, but those who were the objects 
 of God's promise, or, agreeably to 
 verse 11, objects of God's purpose. 
 Sonship with God is not a result 
 of fleshly descent, but of God's prom- 
 ise, or purpose. 
 
 9. For this is the word of promise, 
 etc. This verse contains the proof 
 that only those are regarded as chil- 
 dren of God, in respect to whom a 
 promise had been made ; just as only 
 Isaac, of all the sons of Abraham, 
 was regarded as his tiiie child, or heir, 
 in consequence of his being bom by 
 virtue of a divine promise. — The 
 promise, as here cited, is not a verbal, 
 but a free, quotation, according to 
 the sense, from Gen. 18 : 10. 
 
 10-13. And not only this ; but, etc. 
 Rebecca also is a case in point. — ^As 
 further illustrating the bestowal of 
 blessings in accordance with a di- 
 vine promise, or purpose, aside from 
 the circumstance of biith, the apostle 
 
98 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by oui 
 
 11 father Isaac, (for the children being not yet born, neither hav- 
 ing done any good or evil, that the purpose of God accord- 
 ing to election might stand, not of works, but of him that 
 
 12 calleth;) it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the 
 
 13 younger : as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have 
 I hated 
 
 adduces the case of Kebecca, the 
 motlier of Esau and Jacob. Con- 
 cerning her two sons respectively, 
 God had declared his purpose even 
 before they were born and Avhen, 
 moreover, that purpose could not be 
 influenced by either good desert or 
 ill desert on their part ; and thus the 
 superior privileges and blessings of 
 Jacob must be traced to a divine pur- 
 pose or promise, not to the circum- 
 stance of descent from Abraham, nor 
 to a claim founded on meritorious 
 obedience. God discriminated, in his 
 purpose, between these two sons, giv- 
 ing one pre-eminence over the other, 
 and giving the pre-eminence to that 
 one who, on tlie principle of domestic 
 relations acknowledged at that time, 
 could not have expected it. 
 
 11. That the purpose of God ac- 
 cording to election might stand; accord- 
 ing to his own spontaneous choice be- 
 tween those two sons of Rebecca; a 
 choice, originating in his own mind, 
 not influenced by any thing extraneous 
 to himself || Not of works ; originat- 
 ing, not from any works performed, or 
 obedience rendered. This choice was 
 not a result of deeds on the part of 
 the children, either good deeds or evil, 
 and therefore not a result of desert, 
 but a result of God's own calling and 
 appointment. — A universal principle 
 as to the freeness of God's choice 
 seems here involved : this choice rests 
 not at all on good desert, either pre- 
 sent, or future as foreseen. 
 
 12. It was said unto her, etc. See 
 Gen. 25 : 23. It was the rule in 
 oriental families that the first-born 
 son should have authority over the 
 others ; but in the case of Esau and 
 Jacob, God saw fit to disregard the 
 
 rule and to purpose that the older 
 should be in subjection to the younger, 
 thus making an unexpected disci'im- 
 ination as to superiority. This case 
 illustrated not only the limitation of 
 blessings to one in preference to 
 another of Abraham's descendants, 
 but also an antecedent choice of the 
 former, according to a divine purpose 
 as the ground of this limitation. — The 
 passage quoted had reference origin- 
 ally to the posterity of Esau and 
 Jacob, thougli it doubtless applied also 
 to the two brothers personally; and 
 in either case, it equally answered the 
 apostle's design ; since tlie relative 
 position of the two brothers, and of 
 the people descended from them, was 
 a result of the divine jn-e-arrange- 
 ment. The idea of the elder being a 
 servant to the younger had reference 
 to the inferior position, to Avhich Esau 
 was reduced by his loss of his father's 
 blessing and of the right of primo- 
 geniture, and by his being separated 
 from the family which enjoyed a spe- 
 cial relation to Gocl. — In reference 
 to the descendants of the two brothers,- 
 the Old Testament proves the fulfil- 
 ment of the divine purpose in the re- 
 peated subjection of the Edomites, 
 descendants of Esau, to the Hebrews. 
 See 1 Sam. 14 : 47. 2 Sam. 8 : 14. 
 1 Chron. 18: 11-13. 1 Kgs. 11: 15. 
 13. As it is written, etc. In har- 
 mony with the view just given of a 
 discrimination, in the purpose of 
 God, between Esau and Jacob, we 
 find it written in Mai. 1 : 2, 3, I loved 
 Jacob and I hated Esau. — The sub- 
 sequent treatment of these individuals 
 and of their posterity was in harmony 
 with the declaration made before their 
 birth : Jacob and his descendants 
 
chaptp:r IX. 
 
 99 
 
 14 "What shall we say then ? is there unrighteousness with 
 
 15 God ? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have 
 mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compas- 
 
 16 sion on whom I will have compassion. So then, it is not of 
 him that willeth, nor him that runneth, but of God that 
 
 were favored of God, while Esau and 
 his descendants Avere comparatively 
 neglected : God, according to his own 
 purpose, in the one case, bestowed fa- 
 vor, in the other he did not. — In the 
 quotation from Malachi, the two na- 
 tions, the Hebrews and the Edomites, 
 are spoken of; but the apostle easily 
 associated the nations respectively 
 with their progenitors, and may be 
 considered as directing attention to the 
 resemblance between historical events 
 in the tv.o nations and the original 
 pi-ediction. — The word hated is here 
 to be understood comparatively, as in 
 Luke 14 : 26 ; and it indicates the 
 comparative lack of favor tOAvards 
 Esau. — Throughout this pai-agraph, 
 vs. 8-13, the apostle eA'idently traces 
 back human affairs to the pre-deter- 
 mining Avill of God, and to his provi- 
 dential administration as correspond- 
 ing Avith that AA'ill. This recognition 
 of the sovereign purpose and agency 
 of God is frequent Avith Paul. Com- 
 pare 2 Cor. 5 : 18. Eph. 1:11. 2 : 
 8, 9. 2 Tim. 1 : 8, 9. 
 
 14. What shall tve say then ? Is 
 there unrighteousness, etc. If God, in 
 his treatment of men, discriminate be- 
 tAA'een them according to an original 
 purpose of his OAvn, Avhat shall we 
 say to this ? Is he unrighteous in so 
 doing 1 — The apostle, forestalhng 
 the thought that thereby the justice 
 of God might be impugned, himself 
 proposes the inquiry, AA'hether there 
 be injustice in God's treating men 
 according to his own original spon- 
 taneous purpose in regard to them. 
 II God forbid ; be it not so : let not 
 such a thought be indulged. 
 
 1.0. For he saith to Moses. The 
 apostle now repels the idea that there 
 can be injustice on the part of God. 
 In order to perceive the force of his 
 
 reply, Ave must keep in mind the 
 actual case Avhich he is considering ; 
 namely, the rejection of the Jews. 
 He is not to be regarded as discussing, 
 in a philosophical manner, an abstract 
 question concerning the government 
 of God, but an actual case and in a 
 manner adapted to the JcAvish mind. 
 The JcAvs held the Old Testament in 
 reverence as the Avord of God ; and if 
 it should appear that God had claim- 
 ed, in his Avord, the right of discrim- 
 inating betAveen men according to 
 his own soA-ereign will and purpose, 
 tlie supposition of unrighteousness 
 in him must, by Jcavs, be abandoned. 
 This claim, together Avith correspond- 
 ing conduct, on the part of God, is 
 clearly maintained in the Old Testa- 
 ment. This appeal to the Avord of 
 God is of two parts ; the first, in 
 reference to the bestoAval of mercy : 
 the second, in respect to the award 
 of A'engeance. In a declaration to 
 Moses, Ex. 3.3 : 19, God claims the 
 right to shoAV mercy on AA^homsoever 
 he will, having supreme regard to his 
 OAvn good pleasure. 
 
 16. So then, etc. Erom the de- 
 claration of God just quoted, it fol- 
 loAvs that the bestOAval of his mercy 
 is to be traced to his oavu avIU or 
 choice, and not to a person's own 
 desire, or strenuous efforts to deserve 
 it, II It is not of^ him that willeth ; 
 the mercy of God is not a result of a 
 person's oavu will, or desire for it, as 
 the originating, or procuring, cause. 
 II Nor of him that runneth. Allusion 
 is here had to the races in which men 
 contended for prizes, 1 Cor. 9 : 24 ; 
 the prize Avas aAvarded, as a matter of 
 mei-it, to the successful racer. Not 
 so in regard to the mercy of God : it 
 is not bestovA'cd as a compensation for 
 serA'ice, or for efforts, as if man could 
 
100 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 slioweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh ; 
 Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I 
 might show my power in thee, and that my name might be 
 declai-ed throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy 
 on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 
 
 obtain a claim to it, as he can for an 
 earthly prize, which is awarded on 
 the ground of the successful compet- 
 itor's deserving it. — The apostle is 
 here contemplating the source of bless- 
 ings : he traces them back to the 
 divine will ; he does not deny the 
 necessity, nor disparage the duty, of 
 desires and efforts for blessings. 
 Nothing is more evident, both from 
 the word of God and from universal 
 experience, than that sincere and ear- 
 nest seeking for blessings is requisite 
 in order to then- bestowal : he that 
 asketh receiveth ; he that seeketh find- 
 eth ; to him that knocketh it shall be 
 opened. But the apostle here denies 
 the meritorious character of such de- 
 sires and efforts, as if they could con- 
 stitute a claim for the blessings. Not 
 to man's desert, but to God's will and 
 unmerited mercy, must blessings be 
 traced. 
 
 The apostle viewed the plan of 
 God in redemption as comprehend- 
 ing the entire human family, not 
 merely Jews ; and the divine purpose 
 of forming subjects for the spiritual 
 kingdom, of which the Messiah was 
 to be the head, was by no means 
 limited to the Jewish people. He 
 also viewed God as acting from the 
 tirst, when he selected Abraham and 
 the Jewish nation, with reference to 
 that kingdom in its completed state. 
 In explaining the divine dealings 
 •vvith the Jews, therefore, he resorts to 
 that governing purpose of God, by 
 which God selects and fits subjects of 
 his kingdom, not according to natural 
 <Iescent, not according to men's orig- 
 inal will, nor according to efforts 
 which men might make for a merito- 
 rious claim for blessings, but wholly 
 according to mercy on his part, so 
 that his grace, and not human merit, 
 
 should be honored. This was the 
 apostle's habitual view : in opposition 
 to national descent and to human 
 merit even of the slightest degree, in 
 reference both to Jews and to all 
 men, he perpetually insisted that God 
 saves us and calls us with an holy 
 calling, not according to our works, 
 but according to his own purpose and 
 grace, which was given us in Christ 
 Jesus, before the world began, 2 Tim. 
 1:9; and that it is not by works of 
 righteousness which we have done, 
 but according to his mercy he saves 
 us. Tit. 3:5. 
 
 17. For the scripture saith unto 
 Pharaoh. Still fuither, and with re- 
 ference particularly to that part of the 
 nation which was excluded from the 
 blessings of the gospel, a scripture 
 testimony is adduced, Ex. 9 : 16, in 
 which God affii-ms that he raised up 
 a certain man of eminent wickedness 
 for the express purpose of manifest- 
 ing, by means of him, the divine 
 power and character. || Even for this 
 same purpose, etc : for this very thing 
 have I raised thee up, that is, have I 
 brought thee into being, that I might 
 show my powe/- in thee, that is, in thy 
 destiiiction, and that my name might 
 he declared throughout all the earth, that 
 is, that I might become known far 
 and wide as the God of power and 
 justice. 
 
 18. Therefore hath he mercy on 
 whom he will, etc. In view of the 
 two passages quoted from the Jewish 
 scriptures, it follows that God claims 
 the right of showing favor to whom- 
 soever he will, selecting the objects of 
 it as he pleases, without any good 
 desert on their part as the ground of 
 it ; and claims the right of withhold- 
 ing favor from whomsoever he will, 
 hardening such a person and sentenc- 
 
CHAPTER IX, 
 
 101 
 
 19 Tliou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? 
 
 20 for who hath resisted his will ? Nay but, O man, who art 
 thou that repliest against God ? Shall the thing formed say 
 
 21 to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus ? Hath 
 not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to 
 make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? 
 
 ing him to destruction. — The apos- 
 tle's design did not require him to 
 enter into an explanation of the man- 
 ner in which God hardens a person's 
 heart ; it is merely a fact as presented 
 in scripture, with Avliich he was con- 
 cerned. Compare Eph. 1 : 5, 11. 2 
 Thess. 2: 11. He aims to fix the 
 attention on God, and to trace all 
 things to him, as the original sover- 
 eign controller, as doing his own 
 pleasure, carrying out his own pur- 
 poses, both in cases of mercy and of 
 wrath. Since God claims this for 
 himself, a Jewish adherent to the Old 
 Testament must admit it ; though tlie 
 application of it to his own nation 
 might make him demur. It is the 
 righteous God, revealed in the Old 
 Testament, whom that same book re- 
 presents as originating distinctions in 
 regard to the issues to which men 
 come. 
 
 19. At this point, a person dis- 
 posed to make objections would natu- 
 rally say, If God treats mercifully 
 whom he will, and hardens whom he 
 vnW, why does he still find fault ? 
 His will is accomplished ; why should 
 he complain against us ? — In reply- 
 ing to this, the apostle suggests, that 
 such a thought is presumption in 
 man towards God; tliat God has a 
 supreme right to determine the desti- 
 nation of that which he creates ; and 
 that the design of God is supremely 
 good, while tlie manner of effecting 
 it is entirely just in respect both to 
 God and to man. Thou wilt then say 
 unto me, etc. It may be well, in order 
 to apprehend the spirit of this pas- 
 sage, to conceive here of a Jewish 
 objector, since the discussion has a 
 direct bearing on the rejection of the 
 Jews. II Why doth he yet Jindfaidt ? 
 9* 
 
 Why does God, who hardens whom 
 he will, still find fault with us for our 
 sins ? ji Fo7' icho hath resisted his 
 will ? That is. Who hath effectually 
 resisted it, so as to endanger the ac- 
 complishment of the divine purposes, 
 or to bring about a result not con- 
 templated in the divine jnind 1 — The 
 question is grounded on tlie principle, 
 that the almighty power of God and 
 his supremacy in all respects render 
 the accomplishment of his absolute 
 will and of his determinations a cer- 
 tainty. 
 
 20! Nay but, man; etc. Tme 
 indeed, the apostle rejoins, no man 
 can defeat the will of God. — Allusion 
 may here be made, in the address, 
 man, to tlie contrast between man, ig- 
 norant, impotent, wholly dependent, 
 and God independent, almighty, and 
 omniscient : Who art thou, weak, ig- 
 norant, dependent man, that thou 
 repliest against God, calling in ques- 
 tion his justice ? What presumption, 
 to contend against God ! — Tlie apos- 
 tle would thus disclaim all right, in 
 any one, to arraign the justice and 
 Avisdom of God in his treatment of 
 men. || Shall the thing formed say, 
 etc. Compare Is. 4.5 : 9. No crea- 
 ture has a right to find fault for not 
 being made a different creature from 
 what he is : it is not for him to 
 know the reasons why precisely such 
 powers, and not different ones, were 
 given him, and such relations, and 
 not different ones, were established 
 for him, and such designs, and not 
 others, Avere to be answered by his 
 creation. 
 
 21. Hath not the potter, etc. As a 
 potter decides what kind of vessels to 
 make of his clay, and for what use to 
 make this vessel and for what use to 
 
102 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 22 What if God, willing to show Us wrath, and to make his 
 power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels 
 
 make that, so may God in his su- 
 premacy make such beings as he 
 pleases, and make them for accom- 
 plishing such purposes as he pleases. 
 The sovereign x'ight of God to do 
 whatever he pleases is here main- 
 tained. Before the creation, it must 
 obviously ha^-e been for the Creator 
 alone to determine what orders of 
 being to create and what individuals, 
 with what capacities to endue each, 
 in what relations and circumstances 
 to place him, and what issues to bring 
 about in regard to him. The ob- 
 jects to be subserved by the existence 
 of each, and to be effected by the 
 divine administration towards him, 
 depended on God's sovereign pleas- 
 ure. 
 
 22, 23. The design of God, rela- 
 tive both to the perdition of some 
 and the salvation of others, and his 
 manner of accomplishing that design, 
 show the unreasonableness of calling 
 in question his right to find fault with 
 the wicked. — What if God willing to 
 show his urath, etc.; choosing to show 
 his wrath against sin, and to maTce his 
 power known in defeating the ill de- 
 signs of those who are unreconciled 
 to him, overruling their wickedness, 
 and bringing them to merited punish- 
 ment. — God's design is, on the one 
 hand, the manifestation of his wrath 
 against sin and his power in thwart- 
 ing and punishing the wicked, and, 
 on the other, the manifestation of his 
 abundant mercy. This design, so 
 eminently worthy, requires that there 
 be, on the one hand, persons who 
 shall be deserving objects of his 
 wrath, persons who, by their trans- 
 gressions and their abuse of the long 
 sutfering of God, shall become pre- 
 pared for destruction ; and, on the 
 other hand, persons on whom God 
 will exercise his mercy in bringing 
 them to repentance, in pardoning 
 them, and preparing them through 
 holiness for gioiy. The former are 
 
 denominated, in these verses, the ves- 
 sels oficrath, those on whom the Avrath 
 of God is to be exercised and by the 
 punishment of whom his hati-ed of 
 sin is to be manifested ; the latter are 
 the vessels of mercy, persons on whom 
 the mercy of God is to be exercised 
 and through whose salvation his 
 mercy is to be manifested. — Endured. 
 It is observable that in these verses 
 the apostle uses the past tense, en- 
 dured, prepared, as if describing what 
 had actually taken place, or having 
 an actual case in mind : the use of 
 the present tense would be more 
 suitable for the statement of a gen- 
 eral principle, or mode of operation. 
 His mode of speaking may be ex- 
 plained by supposing that he con- 
 ceived of himself as at the close of 
 the world's history and at the award- 
 ing of men respectively to their final 
 states ; or, by supposing that he had 
 in mind the actual case, Avhich he 
 was discussing, of the rejection of the 
 Jews and the acceptance of believers 
 in Christ as the people of God. The 
 former supposition is hardly consist- 
 ent "svith the cool and unimpassioned 
 character of the context : the latter 
 seems harmonious with the mention 
 in the 24th verse of Christians, as 
 being the vessels of mercy just spoken 
 of. Such an allusion to the Jewish 
 people might rebuke the complain- 
 ing spirit of the objector by remind- 
 ing him of the great forbearance of 
 God towards them, and might show 
 that God had just ground for finding 
 fault. — In such a vicAV of the passage, 
 however, the Jews must be considered 
 as furnishing a specimen of a general 
 mode of operation in the divine gov- 
 ernment, an instance of the manner 
 in Avhich God efltects his design of 
 showing his wrath against sin and 
 making his power knoAvn, || The 
 vessels of wrath ; those on whom the 
 divine ^\xi\i\\ was to be exercised, and 
 through whose punishment that wrath 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 103 
 
 23 of wrath fitted to destruction : and that he might make 
 known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which 
 
 24 he had afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he hath 
 
 was to be manifested. Compare the 
 expression in verse 21, " another to 
 dishonor." || Fitted to destruction ; 
 prepared in their characters for de- 
 struction, so that their punishment 
 woul(^ evidently be just. God's pur- 
 pose was fulfilled, and their ill desert 
 and destruction resulted from their 
 voluntary course of life by which 
 their characters were fixed. In their 
 disobedience they acted according 
 to their own hearts and became 
 prepared for perdition. The history 
 of the Jewish people amply illus- 
 trates the apostle's view : after ' much 
 long-suffering' on the part of God, 
 during which they filled up the 
 measure of their iniquities. Matt. 23 : 
 32-38, his wrath overtook them (com- 
 pare 11:7-10. 1 Thess. 2 : 16), the 
 beginning, doubtless, of the wrath to 
 come. As an individual instance, 
 also, Pharaoh furnishes a similar il- 
 lustration ; for every one, in reading 
 the account concerning him in Exo- 
 dus, chapters 5-14, sees that he 
 wrought out his own destruction 
 freely, against warnings, against his 
 own convictions, abusing the clem- 
 ency of God and perverting it into an 
 occasion of continued obstinacy in 
 disobedience : and thus Pharaoh is a 
 signal example of a person accom- 
 plishing a divine purpose respecting 
 himself in the exercise of his own 
 will, and being himself the procuring 
 cause of his own destruction. 
 
 23. A)id that he might make knoivn, 
 etc.; and, on the other hand, what if 
 God, that he might make known the 
 riches of his glory, his rich, or abund- 
 ant, grace in which the divine glory so 
 eminently consists. The word qlorij 
 being here contrasted with wrath in 
 the preceding verse refers to the grace, 
 or beneficence, of God. || On the 
 vessels of mercy ; the persons on Avhom 
 the mercy of God was to be exercised. 
 Compni'e the expression in verse 21, 
 
 "one to honor." ll Which he had 
 before prepared unto glory. In the case 
 of those whom God had appointed 
 for mercy and salvation, as well as in 
 the case of the opposite class, a pre- 
 paration, as to character, is effected 
 for the glorious state to which he pur- 
 posed to bring them. They are here 
 spoken of as prepared, either compar- 
 atively, or by anticipation. — It was, 
 probably, liot without design that 
 while the apostle speaks of the others 
 merely as being fitted, or having become 
 fitted, for destruction, he here says 
 that God prepared for glory those 
 whom he had appointed for that re- 
 sult. In this latter case, a special 
 influence from God was necessary to 
 secure the preparation ; in the former, 
 without any special agency of God, 
 pi-eparation would be going on by 
 men's own choices. — The sentence, 
 in this verse, is left incomplete. The 
 full intent of it, however, is easily 
 seen, and may be expressed in the 
 following manner : What if God, that 
 he might make known his rich grace on 
 the vessels of mercy, called them to the 
 enjoyment of his mercy, and prepared 
 them for glory ? — The purport of the 
 whole question in vs. 22 and 23 may 
 be thus stated : What if God purpos- 
 ing to manifest his wrath against sin, 
 and his abundant mercy, should deal 
 with men in such a manner as has 
 been represented, can any objection 
 be made against his purpose and his 
 course of proceeding ? and has he not 
 ground for still finding fault with 
 sinners ? 
 
 24. Even us, whom he hath called, 
 etc.; rather, according to the order of 
 the words in the original. Whom 
 he also ccdled, us, etc. The word 
 tvhom refers to vessels of mercy whom 
 God called to be partakers of his 
 mercy; us, who believe in Christ, 
 has God thus called not only from 
 among Jews who had regarded them- 
 
104 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 25 called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles ? As 
 he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were 
 not my people ; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 
 
 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said 
 unto them. Ye are not my people ; there shall they be called 
 
 27 the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concern- 
 ing Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be 
 
 '2^ as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved ; for he 
 w^ill finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness : be- 
 cause a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 
 
 29 And as Esaias said before. Except the Lord of Sabaoth 
 had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made 
 like unto Gomorrha. 
 
 selves as his people, but also from 
 among Gentiles. Before those who 
 believe in Christ had become believ- 
 ers, they were not in reality the people 
 of God ; but by his signal mercy they 
 have become such and are acknowl- 
 edged as such by him, in accordance 
 with his declaration through the pro- 
 phet Hosea. 
 
 25, 26. As he saith also in Osee 
 [Hosea]. See Hos. 1 : 10. 2 : 23 ; 
 language, which, though originally 
 used in reference to idolatrous Israel- 
 ites, was easily and naturally applica- 
 ble also to Gentiles. 
 
 27-29. That some of the Jcavs, 
 as vessels of mercy, would be saved 
 from the wrath which was impending 
 over the nation, and would be called 
 and admitted to the blessings of the 
 gospel as ti-ue people of God, is ob- 
 vious also from declarations of the 
 prophet Isaiah. — Esaias also crieth; 
 proclaimeth. See Is. 10 : 22, 23 ; 
 the ideas in which verses, here quoted, 
 may be thus expi-essed : However 
 numerous, like the sand of the sea, 
 might be the children of Israel, a 
 remnant would be saved from the im- 
 pending destruction ; foi- the Lord ful- 
 fils his word and he decrees in right- 
 eousness ; because his decreed word 
 the Lord will perform on the land. 
 
 29. And as Esaias said before. 
 See Is 1 : 9. The idea of the pro- 
 phet in this passage may be expressed 
 
 in the following manner : Unless the 
 Lord of hosts had reserved a seed for 
 us, we should have been utterly cut 
 off, like Sodom and Gomorrah. But 
 he had determined to reserve a seed, 
 a surviving remnant, to prevent utter 
 extinction. || Sabaoth : a Hebrew 
 word signifying hosts, either the an- 
 gelic hosts; see 2 Chron. 18: 18. 
 Ps. 103: 21 (compare Luke 2: 13); 
 or the visible heavens ; see Gen. 2:1. 
 The expression Lord of hosts is equiv- 
 alent to the Lord almifjhti/. 
 
 30-33. The apostle has now pre- 
 pared the way for a distinct state- 
 ment of the positive reason for the 
 rejection of the Jews. He has main- 
 tained that it was not caused by a 
 failure on the part of God to keep 
 his word, vs. 6-13 ; that God bestows 
 mercy according to his own good 
 pleasure without any claim to his 
 favor on the part of men, vs. 15-18 ; 
 and that, according to the prophetic 
 scriptures. Gentiles were to become 
 partakers of God's special mercy, 
 while a vast number of Jews would 
 be destroyed and comparatively few 
 of them be really the ])eople of God, 
 vs. 2.5-29. In view of these things, 
 he now asks. What shall ive say then ? 
 The reply states the fact in the case 
 and gives the explanation of it : 
 namely, We have to say, that Gen- 
 tiles who were not pursuing after 
 righteousness, not striving for it, and 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 105 
 
 30 What shall we say then ? That the Gentiles, which fol- 
 lowed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, 
 
 31 even the righteousness which is of faith : but Israel, which 
 followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to 
 
 32 the law of righteousness. Wherefore ? Because they sought 
 it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For 
 
 33 they stumbled at that stumbling-stone ; as it is written. Be- 
 hold, I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone, and rock of oifence : 
 and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 
 
 who would therefore seem very un- 
 likely to attain it, have yet attained 
 to righteousness, that is, the righteous- 
 ness which comes from faith : but 
 Israel, the Jews, who were diligently 
 following after, or, in their own 
 esteem, seeking scrupulously to obey, 
 a law which defines and requires 
 righteousness, and wlio therefore 
 might be regarded as likely to attain 
 to righteousness, did not reach the 
 law, but fell short of it and of right- 
 eousness. And why ? Because they 
 sought righteousness not by faith, but 
 by works of the law ; for the princi- 
 ple of justification, or of being ac- 
 counted as righteous, by faith in 
 Christ, was so offensive to them that 
 they would not admit it, 
 
 30. Which followed not, etc. The 
 idea of dilic/entli/ pursuing is contained 
 in the word here rendered /b//o?yec?. — 
 The Gentiles who had not, previously, 
 been earnestly seeking righteousness 
 and favor with God, having no writ- 
 ten divine law for their guide and not 
 following *' the law Avritten in tlieir 
 hearts," 2: 15, who Avere regarded 
 also by the Jews only with aversion, 
 as sinners and outcasts from God, 
 yet attained to righteousness ; that, 
 namely, which is of faith. 
 
 31. The law of righteousness ; the 
 law which shows what is righteous- 
 ness, Avhich requires it and promises 
 to reward it. Though the Jews were, 
 at least in their own esteem, earnestly 
 pursuing after compliance with tliis 
 laAV, yet they had not attained to the 
 fulfilment of its requisitions. How- 
 ever strenuo is any Jews might be in 
 
 endeavoring to obey their law, viewed 
 as a directory of man's spirit, they 
 would fail to render it a complete 
 obedience and would still be sinners, 
 needing a different mode of justifica- 
 tion than by their own obedience. If 
 the law were viewed in its ceremonial 
 prescriptions, even had the Jews ob- 
 served these -with the utmost exact- 
 ness, still external obedience cannot 
 recommend a person to Him who 
 requires the heart. 
 
 32. Wherefore? Why did they 
 not attain to righteousness ? Because 
 tliey sought it not from faith, but 
 from works of the law, as if they 
 could attain it by obedience to the 
 law. II As it were; that is, as ifirovo. 
 the law they could obtain righteous- 
 ness which would avail for their ac- 
 ceptance with God. II For they stum- 
 bled at that stumbling stone ; more 
 properly, at the stumbling stone ; that 
 is, at Christ; for the term, stone of 
 stumbling, had become significant of 
 Christ. Compare 1 Pet. 2 : 7, 8. 
 They were offended at Christ, as to 
 his character and claims, and at the 
 cardinal principle in the gospel that 
 men's justification proceeds from ftiith 
 in Christ. 
 
 33. As it is icritten. See Is. 28 : 
 16. 8: 14. tl Rock of offence; a 
 rock which would occasion offence 
 and ruin. || Whosoever believeth on 
 him, etc. Whosoever confides in it, 
 that is, the stone, or confides in him, 
 that is, Christ, who is thus denom- 
 inated, shall not suffer the shame of 
 abused and disappointed confidence, 
 shall have no occasion to haste 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Desire for the Jews' salvation, with acknowledgment of their zeal, though a mistaken one, 
 towards God, 1-4. Difference between justification through the Mosaic law and through 
 faith in Christ, 5-13. The Jews, made acquainted with the gospel and, in their own 
 scriptures, warned of their liability to be rejected, 14-21. 
 
 1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel 
 
 away (compare Is. 28 : 16), to 
 another object of trust, but shall be 
 truly blessed. — The apostle quotes 
 frorn the Greek translation of the 
 Hebi'ew original ; hence the passage 
 slightly ditfers in its words from the 
 corresponding passage in our version 
 of the Old Testament. He seems, 
 also, to have dropped the figure, which 
 was in the prophet's mind, of a build- 
 ing with a large and firm coi-ner 
 stone, and to have contemplated 
 Christ himself under this appellation. 
 The term, whosoever, also, is of special 
 significance ; meaning every one, in- 
 discriminately, whether Gentile or 
 Jew. 
 
 In this closing paragraph of the 
 chapter, vs. 30-33, the cause of the 
 rejection of the Jews has been dis- 
 tinctly presented : they took offence 
 at the cardinal principle of the gos- 
 pel, namely, that faith in Christ, not 
 obedience to the law of Moses, is the 
 medium of justification in the sight 
 of God. The Jews relied on the law 
 of Moses, and were unwilling to 
 abandon the thought that, through 
 the law, they could acquire a merito- 
 rious title to the kingdom of God. 
 Refusing to connect themselves with 
 Christ, the Head of this kingdom, 
 they cut themselves off from its bless- 
 ings. To their rejection of Christ 
 must tho fact be traced, that God 
 '•ejected them from being his people. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The apostle, having stated the 
 (106) 
 
 cause of the Jews' rejection, 9 : 30-33, 
 still dwells on that part of the subject, 
 after asserting anew his earnest de- 
 sire for their salvation, and acknowl- 
 edging their zeal towards God ; a zeal, 
 however, founded on mistake. They 
 still persisted in relying on the Mosaic 
 law and consequently on their OAvn 
 religious deeds, though Christ, in es- 
 tablishing the principle that right- 
 eousness is to be reckoned to those 
 who believe in him, or that faith in 
 him is the condition of justification, 
 had put an end to the law. The dif- 
 ference between justification through 
 the law and justification through faith 
 is then illustrated, and the thought 
 fully presented that faith in Christ is 
 the medium of salvation for all men, 
 Jews and Gentiles alike ; for whosoever 
 relies on the Lord Jesus sluill be 
 saved. Vs. 1-13. 
 
 By a series of questions and by 
 quotations from the Old Testament, 
 the apostle shows that the Jews had 
 no valid excuse, since they had had 
 all necessary' advantages for securing 
 the blessings of the gospel ; he also 
 shows that warning had been given 
 them of the hazard, which they were 
 incurring, of being rejected from the 
 divine favor. Vs. 13-21. 
 
 1 . My heart's desire and prayer, etc. 
 Lest the views which the apostle h.ad 
 presented, and which he was about lo 
 affirm with greater fulness, should 
 seem to imply an indifference to the 
 welfare of the Jews, he sti-oagly as- 
 serts anew Ms heart's desii-e for their 
 salvation. 
 
CHAPTER X, 
 
 107 
 
 is, that thev might be saved. For I bear them record, that 
 they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 
 For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going 
 about to establish their own righteousness, have not submit- 
 ted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ 
 is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that 
 believeth. 
 
 2. For I bear them record that theij 
 have a zeal of God, etc. He could 
 not but cherish earnest desires for 
 their good, when he remembered tlieir 
 zeal towards God, or in respect to God. 
 Their zeal, however, Avas not accord- 
 ing to knowledcje ; it was not an intel- 
 li^xent zeal, regulated by knowledge 
 of the way which God had ap])ointed 
 for obtaining acceptance with him. 
 
 3. God's righteousness — their own 
 righteousness. These terms designate 
 respectiyely God's method of treating 
 men as rigliteous,*! : 17. 3 : 21, 22, 
 and the Jews' idea of becoming right- 
 eous by their own deeds. Disregard- 
 ing God's method of accounting men 
 as righteous, acting as if they knew it 
 not, and seeking to establish a right- 
 eousness of their own by their own 
 deeds, they have not subjected them- 
 selves to God's method. 
 
 4. For Christ is the eiid of the law 
 for righteousness, etc. Their zeal in 
 seeking to establish a rigliteousness 
 of their own, by a supposed obedience 
 to the law of Moses, is a mistaken zeal ; 
 for Christ in establishing the prin- 
 ciple that every one, of whatever 
 nation, who believes in him is ac- 
 cepted of God, his faith being set to 
 his account as righteousness, 4 : 
 22-24, has put an end to the law on 
 which the Jews rely. Their seeking 
 to establish their own righteousness 
 was therefore utterly vain, since only 
 by subjecting themselves to God's 
 method could they be saved. — This 
 was eminently true of the law, viewed 
 as a ritual system ; in which respect 
 the Jews generally relied on it for ac- 
 ceptance with God : through Christ 
 the ritual system was abolished. 
 The law \'iewed as a code of moral 
 
 and religious principles, though, as a 
 directory of feelings and conduct, it 
 must always have force and was not 
 destroyed by Christ, Matt. 5:17, yet 
 so far as justification in the sight of 
 God is concerned, never had force; for 
 the sinfulness of men always required 
 a different mode of justification, and 
 the apostle finds evidence in the Old 
 Testament that faith was the requisite 
 for men's acceptance with God. 
 Still, accommodating ourselves to 
 human conceptions, avc may justly 
 say that, when Christ came, he estab- 
 lished a different system, and made it 
 evident that salvation cannot ])e ob- 
 tained through the law. Compare 
 7 : 1-5. — The distinction between the 
 moral law and the ritual, as already 
 noted on 3 : 20, was of no practical 
 utility to Jews, since, as the whole 
 INIosaic code was binding on them by 
 divine authority, the observance of 
 rites was obedience to God, in their es- 
 teem, as much as the compliance with 
 moi-al duties : if they did what the law 
 enjoined, whether ceremonial or moral, 
 it was doing, they flattered them- 
 selves, the will of God, and gave them 
 a claim for reward. 
 
 5-10. Having distinctly mentioned 
 two kinds of righteousness, or two 
 methods of being accounted as right- 
 eous in the sight of God, one of which 
 is entirely set aside by Christ, the apos- 
 tle shows the difference between them, 
 in order to place in due prominence 
 faith in Christ as necessary for ac- 
 ceptance Avith God, and to urge the 
 sentiment that, without regard to the 
 distinction between Jew and Gentile, 
 whosoever believes in him shall be 
 saved. He here avails himself of 
 language used in the Old Testament 
 
108 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the 
 law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by 
 
 6 them. But the righteousness Avhich is of faith speaketh on 
 this wise, Say not in tliine heart who shall ascend into heaven ? 
 
 which, either in itself, or by a slight 
 modification as giving it a Cluistian 
 aspect, teaches and illustrates this 
 point. 
 
 5. For Moses describeth. See Lev. 
 18: 5, II The righteousness which is 
 of the laio ; denominated in the third 
 verse their own righteousness. \\ The 
 man which doeth these things, etc. The 
 actual performance of what the law 
 enjoins, as to the heart and the con- 
 duct, is necessary in order to be 
 saved by the law : whoever is thus 
 righteous in view of the laAv will be 
 saved by it : whoever fjiils of being 
 thus righteous cannot, on the ground 
 of a legal system, be saved. The 
 doing of the law, as to all its requisi- 
 tions, is necessaiy for salvation on a 
 legal basis. 
 
 6. But the 1-ighteousness which is of 
 faith ; that which is reckoned to the 
 believer on account of his faith, and 
 named in the third verse God's right- 
 eousness. Compare 9 : 32. — In this 
 and several following verses, the 
 apostle employs language which 
 Moses had used in addressing the 
 people of Israel, Deut. 30: 11-14, 
 modif\-ing it so as to render it a suita- 
 ble medium for illustrating the dis- 
 tinctive principle of the gospel. — 
 Moses had said, " This commandment 
 which I command thee this day, it is 
 not hidden from thee, neither is it far 
 off. It is not in heaven, that thou 
 shouldst say. Who shall go up for us 
 to heaven and bring it unto us, that 
 we may hear it and do it 1 Neither 
 is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldst 
 say. Who shall go over the sea for 
 us and bring it unto us, that we may 
 hear it and do it ? But the word is 
 very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth 
 and in thy heart, that thou mayest do 
 it : " as if he had said, God has placed 
 you in peculiarly favorable circum- 
 
 stances for doing his will ; he has 
 made it clearly known to you ; you 
 have no need to send a messenger to 
 heaven to learn it ; you have no need 
 to send to remote regions of the earth 
 in order to learn it. What he re- 
 quires of you he has brought near to 
 you ; and all what is needed is, that 
 you have a heart to do his will. The 
 apostle, giving a Christian turn to 
 this language and illustrating by it 
 the reqiiisition of the gospel, says, as 
 it were, Indulge not the thought that 
 God has not made provision for our 
 salvation and has not placed us in 
 favorable circumstances for obtaining 
 acceptance with him ; say not, in dis- 
 belief of what has actually been done 
 in our behalf, that Christ has not 
 come dow^n from heaven to be our 
 Saviour ; he is far away from us ; 
 would he but come and show us the 
 w^ay, we w^ould Avalk in it : who can 
 go \ip to heaven to bring him down 
 to us ? Say not, again, in a spirit of 
 disbelief, Christ has not arisen from 
 the dead : he is far away from us : 
 who can descend to the region of the 
 dead to bring him up to us, that we 
 may obey him 1 And while the gos- 
 pel* bids you not to indulge in such 
 disbelief, what does it positively say 
 to you ? It says, Christ has come 
 down from heaven and has come up 
 from the region of the dead, to be 
 your Lord and Saviour : the word of 
 God is thus brought near to you ; it 
 is not afar off : "\\hat it requires of 
 you is easily apprehended and is level 
 to your necessities. It is, as Moses 
 said, in your mouth and in your 
 heart ; and all you have to do, ac- 
 cording to the righteousness of faith, 
 is, Avith your mouth to avow Jesus to 
 be your Lord and with your heart to 
 confide in him ; for, according to the 
 righteousness of faith, or the requisi- 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 109 
 
 7 That is, to bring Christ down from above : or, Who shall 
 descend into the deep ? That is, to bring up Christ again from 
 
 8 the dead. But what saith it ? The word is nigh thee, even 
 in thy mouth, and in thj heart. That is the word of faith, 
 
 9 which we preach ; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth 
 the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
 
 *;ion of the gospel, believing with the 
 heart is accepted as righteousness by 
 which you a\411 be justified in the 
 sight of God, and the acknowledg- 
 ment of Jesus as your Lord, with the 
 sincere yielding to him of your heart, 
 will secure your salvation. You are 
 not required to do what the law en- 
 joins, so as to have a claim on God 
 for reward : this would be as hope- 
 less and as morally impossible as it 
 would be naturally impossible for a 
 person to ascend to heaven, or to de- 
 scend to the place of the departed, in 
 order to bi-iTig Christ to the earth. 
 You are not required to do any such 
 impossibilities ; but are required sim- 
 ply to believe in the Lord Jesus ; and 
 by a cordial faith in him you Avill be 
 accepted and treated as righteous. 
 Indulge not, then, such questionings ; 
 propose not such impossibilities : but 
 welcome the gospel into your heart ; 
 believe in Christ who has descended 
 from heaven and has arisen from the 
 dead. "Whoever in his heart believes 
 in Christ shall be saved. H Say not — 
 Who shall ascend into heaven ? That 
 is, etc. ; to speak thus, the apostle 
 says, is the same as to require that 
 Christ should be brought do^vn from 
 heaven, as though he had not already 
 come to earth ; and it is a virtual dis- 
 belief of his having come. 
 
 7. Who shall descend into the deep ? 
 The deep, or the abyss, was a word 
 used, according to the popular cus- 
 tom, to signify the place of departed 
 spirits. This Avas conceived of as 
 under the earth, and Avas the contrast 
 oi' heaven, which was above. — 1| l^hnt 
 is, to bring up Christ, etc. To make 
 this inquiry is the same as to require 
 that some one should go down to the 
 abode of the departed and bring up 
 10 
 
 Christ, as though ho had not already 
 risen from the dead : it would be a 
 disbelief of his resurrection, and would 
 be, like the proposal for sending u 
 person to heaven to bring Christ down 
 to earth, to require an impossibility. 
 
 8. The word is nigh thee, etc. ; the 
 word of God is nigh thee. |i That is 
 the loord of faith, etc. This language 
 of Moses, "Deut. 30 : 14, the apostle 
 proceeds to say, is virtually tlie same 
 as the word, or doctrine, of faith 
 which we preach ; it happily expresses 
 the doctrine of the gospel. As the 
 word of God was very nigh to the 
 Israelites, in their mouth and in their 
 heart, so is the word, or doctrine, of 
 faith something very nigh to us : it is 
 in our mouth and in our heart ; we 
 have not to search far and wide to 
 know what is required, or to find op- 
 portunities for obeying it : it is not a 
 toilsome routine of observances that 
 is required ; it is not a laborious and 
 hopeless attempt to gain for ourselves 
 a claim to recompense from God for 
 obeying his statutes ; it is not a re- 
 quisition for impossibilities : it is, 
 rather, something which is exactly 
 suited to our necessities, sometliing 
 on which we may lay hold, and which 
 may at once make us blessed : let but 
 the mouth avow our subjection to 
 Jesus and the heart yield him its 
 homage of love and trust. 
 
 9. If thou shalt confess loith thy 
 mouth, etc. Adapting himself to the 
 language of Moses, the apostle first 
 mentions the acknowledgment with 
 the mouth, or the profession of Jesus 
 as our Lord, and next the believing 
 with the heart in him as the Son of 
 God. II That God hath raised him 
 from the dead. The resuirection of 
 Christ from the dead was a pre-erai- 
 
no 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 10 raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the 
 heart man beheveth unto righteousness ; and with the mouth 
 
 11 confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, 
 
 nent proof of his being the Son of 
 God, 1:4. To believe with the heart 
 this g-reat foct, tlien, was tlie same as 
 to believe that he was the Son of God, 
 and to become his disciple. — The 
 avowal of Jesus as our Lord, by 
 wliich we make, on our part, an ac- 
 knoAvledg-mcnt corresponding to his 
 claim of being Lord of all men, is of 
 course to be regarded as sincere and 
 indicative of our hearts' trusting in 
 him ; the believing in the heart and 
 the avowal Avith the mouth involve 
 each other. Hence, in the following 
 verse, tlie apostle revei-ses the order, 
 having no further occasion to conform 
 to the order of words used by Moses. 
 
 10. For zcith the heart, etc. This 
 verse is a repetition, in tb.e form of an 
 abstract and universal proposition, of 
 the idea in the preceding verse. — Be- 
 lieving with the heart is accepted as 
 righteousness Avliich justifies in the 
 sight of God ; and acknowledgment, 
 with the mouth, of what is thus be- 
 lieved in the heart, brings salvation. 
 Compare Matt. 10 : 32. The apostle 
 does not ascribe greater efficacy to 
 confessing icith the mouth than to he- 
 lieving with the heart; for the right- 
 eousness of faith which justifies also 
 saves ; justification and salvation in- 
 volving one another, as believing and 
 confessing, according to the scripture 
 use of the terms, involve one another. 
 
 The difi'erencc betAveen the right- 
 eousness of the laAV and the righteous- 
 ness of ft\ith, presented in vs. 5-10, is 
 that the former requires a perfect doing 
 of all things commanded, and thus the 
 acquiring of a title to blessings as a 
 recompense ; the latter, contemplat- 
 ing us as sinners under condemnation, 
 and the ample provision which God, 
 of his free mercy, has made for our 
 spiritual good, and his promises of 
 
 }>ardon and aid, requires us to believe 
 lis declarations, to confide in them, 
 
 and to receive as his free gift the 
 needed blessings. The difference is 
 that between doing and believing, as a 
 condition of acceptance; and as Christ 
 established the system Avhose princi- 
 ple is, tliat believing ivith the heart is 
 the medium of acceptance, the Mosaic 
 law, which required doing, as the 
 medium, is terminated by him. — 
 Another difference may be stated, as 
 intimately connected with that which 
 seems to have been mainly in the 
 apostle's mind : the doing of all things 
 commanded keeps a per-on in sus- 
 pense during his whole life as to the 
 result, since at any time he may be 
 led into transgression, or may fail to 
 do some duty, and thus forfeit the 
 blessings ; the believing, on the con- 
 trary, is put at once to a person's 
 account as righteousness, and he is, 
 at present, actually justified and 
 adoi)ted as a child of God ; he is in 
 an incipient state of salvation, with 
 the purpose, on the part of God, of 
 making all things co-operate for his 
 good. Li the one case, we have the 
 state of a servant ; in the other, that 
 of a son with the distinctive affections, 
 hopes and prospects warranted by the 
 relation of a son to a Avise, good and 
 powerful father. — In view, also, of 
 the Avearisome routine of service to 
 Avhich the Jcaa's, in tlie time of our 
 Lord and tlie apostles, held themseh-es 
 bound, it Avould be profitable to com- 
 pare Acts 15: 10 Avith Matt. 11: 
 28-30, as shoAving the jn-actical differ- 
 ence betAveen a scrupulous Jcav and 
 an enlightened, confiding disciple of 
 Christ. 
 
 11. For the scripture saith, etc. 
 The apostle noAv confirms the senti- 
 ment that faith in Cluist is tlie sure 
 condition of salvation to all, AA'hether 
 JcAA's or Gentiles, and consequently, 
 as affirmed in v. 4, that the Mosaic 
 system is ended. He here produces 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Ill 
 
 12 Whosoever believetli on him shall not be ashamed. For 
 there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek : for 
 the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 
 
 13 For, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall 
 be saved. 
 
 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not 
 believed ? and how shall they believe in him of whom they 
 have not heard ? and how shall they hear without a preacher .'* 
 
 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent ? as it is 
 written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the 
 gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things ! 
 
 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, 
 
 the same passage as in 9 : 33, but 
 with particular reference to the ex- 
 pression irhosoever. 
 
 12. For there is no difference be- 
 tween the Jew and the Greek. The 
 Greek in contrast with the Jew means, 
 of course, tlie Gentile, a frequent use 
 of the word in the New Testament. 
 The system of mercy by Christ ac- 
 knowledges no distinction, in regard 
 to the way of acceptance with God, 
 between a Jew and a Gentile ; of the 
 one as well as of the other faith is 
 required, and to both alike it is avail- 
 able for justification. || For the same 
 Lord over all, etc. ; more con-ectly, 
 For the same being, Christ, is Lord 
 of all, of Jews and Gentiles, Acts 
 10 : 36, rich in blessings to all who 
 call on him, that is, who sincerely 
 acknowledge him as their Lord and 
 rely on him, and invoke liim, for 
 blessings. 
 
 13. For, Whosoever, etc. By another 
 quotation from the Old Testament, 
 Joel 2 : 32, he confirms the sentiment 
 that all, of whatever nation, who call 
 on the name of the Lord, as confiding 
 in him, will be richly blessed. 
 
 14,15. How then, etc. The apos- 
 tle now anticipates a thought which 
 might arise in the mind of a Jew, as 
 accounting for the failure of his coun- 
 trymen to receive the gos])el ; namely, 
 that they had not all been favored 
 with the hearing of it. The thought 
 ifi conveyed in a series of questions 
 
 which veiy naturally succeed one 
 another, the last of them implying 
 that preachers of the gospel had not 
 been sent to tlie Jews. || As it is 
 loritten; Is. 52 : 7. In the passage 
 as here translated, it would have been 
 better, instead of the expression that 
 preach the gospel of peace, to have said 
 that publish glad tidings of peace. 
 These words of the prophet are quoted 
 to confirm the idea that preachers 
 must be sent forth to proclaim the 
 gospel. Though the words referred 
 primarily to the joyful event of the cap- 
 tive Jftws' return from the Babylonian 
 exile, they are happily expressive of 
 the joyful tidings of redemption by 
 Christ, or of the gospel, to which 
 their ultimate reference was doubtless 
 intended. 
 
 16. But they have not all obeyed, 
 etc. Instead of allowing the thought 
 contained in the series of questions 
 to be a just explanation of the de- 
 plorable rejection of the Jews, the 
 apostle affirms, They did not all 
 obey the gospel ; and by their not 
 obeying the message sent them in the 
 gospel, they have fulfilled what the 
 prophet Isaiah said, 53: 1, Lord, who 
 hath believed the message which he 
 has heard from us ? — The words, our 
 report, mean the thing reported by us, 
 that is, the message ichich has been 
 heard from us. — The natural reply to 
 the inquiry made by the prophet is, 
 No one has believed it; that is, in 
 
112 
 
 ROMANS, 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 17 Lord, who hatli believed our report ? So then, faith cometh 
 hj hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 
 
 But I say, Have they not heard ? Yes, verily, Their sound 
 went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the 
 world. 
 
 But I say, Did not Israel know ? First, Moses saith, I 
 will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and 
 
 20 by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very 
 bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not ; 
 I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. 
 
 21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth 
 my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. 
 
 accordance with our ordinary modes 
 of speaking, very few have believed 
 it, compared with all who heard it. 
 Compare John 1 : 11, 12. 3 : 32, 33. 
 
 17. So then, faith cometh by hear- 
 ing, etc. In order to set forth dis- 
 tinctly the thought that the Jews had 
 heard the gos])el, the apostle shows 
 what is implied in the language which 
 he had just quoted from Isaiah. 
 From the prophet's language we in- 
 fer, he, as it were, says, that faith, or 
 believing, comes from hearing a mes- 
 sage ; and the message announced in 
 the hearing of the people is, in the 
 present case, through the word of 
 God ; it is the gospel, as the utterance 
 of God which has come to our hear- 
 ing. By stating the connection be- 
 tween hearing a message and believ- 
 ing it, or reposing faith in it, the 
 apostle has prepared the way to pro- 
 pose directly the question, whether 
 the Jews in all regions had not heard 
 the gospel. 
 
 18. Have they not heard? That 
 is. Have not the Jews heard the mes- 
 sage which has come through the 
 word of God '( In reply to this ques- 
 tion, the Old Testament again fur- 
 nishes language which may well be 
 employed to express the wide diffu- 
 sion among the Jews of the knowl- 
 edge of the gospel. || Yes, verily. 
 Their sound, etc. See Ps. 19:4. 
 
 19. But I say. Still fui'ther; warn- 
 ing had been given to the Jews that 
 
 they were in danger of being rejected, 
 and that Gentiles would eventually 
 be admitted, instead of them, to the 
 divine favor. — Did not Israel know ? 
 Did not the Jews know that they were 
 in danger of being cast away from 
 God ? In reply to this inquiry, the 
 language of Moses is first quoted, in 
 which warning of their danger had 
 been given. In Deut. 32 : 21, Moses 
 had addressed tlie children of Israel 
 in language, of which the following 
 is the purport : By means of those 
 whom you do not consider worthy to 
 be called a nation, I will excite in 
 you a jealous sense of the privileges 
 which you will lose, and by means of 
 those whom you call an impious 
 people, I will make you angry with 
 yourselves for having allowed your 
 distinguished blessings to be taken 
 from you. — The intimation here is, 
 that they were in danger of losing 
 their exalted privileges and of be- 
 holding them transferred to others. — 
 II A foolish nation: moi-ally foohsh, 
 wicked, neglecting the true wisdom, 
 Compai-e Ps. 14 : 1. 
 
 20, 21. But Esaias is very bold, 
 etc. Besides the intimation which 
 Moses had given, the propliet Isaiah 
 had openly and boldly spoken of Gen- 
 tiles as receiving knowledge of God 
 and being admitted to his tavor, 65 : 
 1 ; and of the Jews as a disobedient 
 people, to whom God had in vain 
 been perpetually dii-ecting his expos- 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Rejection of the Jews, as a people, not final, 1-10. Through the transgression of the Jews, 
 the Gentiles obtain salvation ; the Jews will, in thfir turn, be excited to regain favor with 
 God, to the advantage, also, of the Gentiles, 11, 12. Honor of being an apostle to the 
 Gentiles, since from their conversion benefit will result to the Jews : Gentiles cautioned 
 against glorying over the Jews and warned of their own danger, 13-24. The Jews yet to 
 be recovered to the divine favor, 25-32. Adoration of God, and ascription of glory to 
 him, 33-36. 
 
 I SAY then, Hath God cast away his people ? God forbid. 
 For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the 
 
 tulations, 65 : 2. — No valid excuse, 
 then, remained for the JeAvs ; and 
 they could make no plea in abatement 
 of their guilt, or for mitigating the 
 sentence of God against them. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 The passages of scripture last 
 quoted, 10: 19-21, have, at first 
 sight, a very discouraging aspect 
 towards the Jews, and naturally sug- 
 gest the inquiry, AVhether God has 
 absolutely and finally cast away his 
 people. ' The apostle earnestly re- 
 jects such a thought ; and affirms 
 that as there was in the time of 
 Elijah the prophet, when the Israel- 
 ites forsook the worship of the true 
 God, a remnant who faithfully ab- 
 stained from idolatry, so now there is 
 a remnant, selected by the free mercy 
 of God, not on account of any just 
 claim of their own ; a remnant, Avhich 
 continued in favor M-ith him, while the 
 rest had become hardened and were 
 under his displeasure. Vs. 1-10. 
 
 Another question then arises : Is 
 the transgression of the Jews to have 
 its sole and final issue in their destruc- 
 tion ? Far from it, is the reply. 
 Instead of this, through their trans- 
 gression salvation is to go to the Gen- 
 tiles, and by occasion of the Gentiles' 
 enjoying the blessings of the gospel 
 10* 
 
 the Jews are to be excited to a sense 
 of their own loss, and to the regaining 
 of their position of favor with God. 
 Moreover, by the Jews' being again 
 received into favor with God the Gen- 
 tiles will, in their turn, be blessed in 
 a far higher degree than before. Vs. 
 11, 12. 
 
 The apostle regards it a great 
 honor to be an apostle to the Gentiles, 
 since, by pi-omoting their conversion, 
 he is contributing to the recoveiy of 
 the Jews. He cautions the Gentile 
 Christians against feelings of supe- 
 riority to the Jews : they ought rather 
 to leara, from the case of the Jews, 
 their own danger. Vs. 13-24. 
 
 Finally ; the hardness into which 
 the Jews had fallen is to have an end ; 
 they are yet to be • recovered to the 
 divine favor and to salvation. Vs. 
 25-32. 
 
 The discussion of the Jews' rejec- 
 tion closes with adoration of the wis- 
 dom and knowledge of God and 
 ascription of gloiT to him. Vs. 
 33-36. 
 
 1 . / saxf then, etc. In view of the 
 scripture passages which had just 
 been produced, lO: 19-21, the ques- 
 tion would naturally arise to a person 
 of quick sensibilities towards the 
 Jews, Has then God utterly cast away 
 his people? — The force of the ques- 
 tion lies particularlv in the words cast 
 (113) 
 
114 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which 
 he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias ? 
 how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 
 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine 
 altars ; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But 
 what saith the answer of God unto him ? I have reserved to 
 myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to 
 the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time, also, 
 there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And 
 if by grace, then is it no more of works : otherw^ise grace is 
 no more grace. But if it he of works, then is it no more 
 
 away ; the original term expressing 
 a complete abandonment, as though, 
 humanly speaking, God would have 
 no more to do with them. 1| God for- 
 bid. The apostle thus strongly ex- 
 presses his dissent from the thought, 
 and seems to start back from it with 
 abhorrence. || For I also am an Israel- 
 ite, etc. He here gives a reason for 
 the strong feeling which he had ex- 
 pressed : the query proposed could 
 not but be revolting to him as a true 
 Israelite. All his sympathies with 
 the Jews would seem to be aroused, 
 as well as his regard for God's faith- 
 fulness to his purposes. — The apos- 
 tle's belonging to the tribe of Ben- 
 jamin is particularly mentioned (com- 
 pare Phil. 3 : .5), because this tribe 
 and that of Judah were the two which 
 remained faithful to the royal family 
 of David, when the ten tribes revolted 
 under Rehoboam, 1 Kgs. 12: 20-23. 
 These two tribes Avere eminently the 
 Jeics; and a person's descent through 
 one of these would be a sort of guar- 
 anty that love to the Jewish people 
 had not become extinct in his breast. 
 2-4. God hath not cast away, etc. 
 God hath not thrust away, wholly 
 and hopelessly, his people whom he 
 foreknew, and whom he has so often 
 acknowledged as his. — The parallel 
 case Avhich the apostle proceeds to 
 state seems to show that the nation 
 was here meant, and not a select 
 portion of it. God had fore-appointed 
 and foreknown the Jewish nation as 
 
 an object of his favor, and separated 
 it from other nations as a medium for 
 the spiritual welfare of the world. 
 II Wot ye not 7 Know ye not 1 — The 
 case in hand may be illustrated by 
 what took place in the time of Elijah 
 the prophet. In the defection of 
 Israel from the worship of the true 
 God, a defection so general that the 
 prophet spoke of himself as being 
 left alone, God assured him that 
 several thousands had remained faith- 
 ful, 1 Kgs. 19: 10, 18. So now, 
 though the nation in general had re- 
 jected the Messiah, there is a remnant, 
 according to God's electing mercy, 
 who have received the Messiah. 
 II MaJceth intercession, etc.; more prop- 
 erly, makes complaint to God against 
 Israel. 
 
 5. Even so then, etc.; so now there 
 is a remnant which abides in favor 
 with God, according to his gracious 
 election of them out of the nation to 
 be partakers of his mercy. Compare 
 8: 28-30. 9: 18, 23, 24. 
 
 6. And if by grace, then, etc. The 
 apostle seizes the occasion, in passing, 
 to inculcate the truly gracious charac- 
 ter of this election, or of the divine 
 purpose by which this remnant had 
 been selected and was preserved. 
 The tendency among the Jews to 
 reliance on their religious deeds, as 
 procuring them a claim on God, made 
 it necessary, in the apostle's vicAV, to 
 assert the contrary sentiment at every 
 favorable opportunity. || No more of 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 115 
 
 7 grace : otherwise work is no more work. What then ? 
 Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for ; but the 
 
 8 election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded ; according 
 as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, 
 eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not 
 
 9 hear, unto this day. And David saith. Let their table be 
 made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling-block, and a re- 
 
 worlcs ; it does not proceed from 
 works, as a recompense for them : it 
 is purely of grace. If it were a i-e- 
 sult of works, then it would not be 
 of grace ; else grace would cease to 
 be grace. || Bat if it he of works, 
 etc. This latter part of the verse is 
 only a reversed statement of the same 
 idea. 
 
 7. What then, etc. "What follows, 
 then, says the apostle, from the reply 
 which has been given to the question, 
 whether God has finally cast away 
 his people ? He had said, in vs. 2-6, 
 that God has not cast them away 
 wholly and hopelessly, but that a 
 chosen remnant of them still con- 
 tinues in favor Avith him. It follows 
 from this, that Israel, as a people, 
 have not obtained that which they 
 are continually seeking ; namely, a 
 righteousness which shall secure to 
 them a claim for acceptance with 
 God ; but the elect remnant have ob- 
 tained it, being justified and accepted 
 through their faith in Christ, while 
 the rest became hardened. || Were 
 blinded. The more general term 
 hardened better expresses the original 
 word. — The contrast which the apos- 
 tle here expresses between two parts 
 of the nation is of the same nature as 
 that which he presents in 9 : 18 ; and 
 in each of these passages the harden- 
 ing results from men's own sinful 
 preferences, both as a natural conse- 
 quence and as a divine judicial vis- 
 itation. 
 
 8. According as it is ivritten; Is. 
 29 : 10. Deut. 29 : 4, The apostle 
 considers as applicable to the Jews of 
 his time, who had become hardened 
 and had rejected Christ, the language 
 
 in which Isaiah and Moses had de- 
 scribed the people of their times : a 
 spiritual lethargy had come over 
 them ; they were as men indulging 
 in drowsiness Avho heed not the most 
 pressing claims ; they saw not, they 
 heard not, the things pertaining to 
 their spiritual welfare. || Unto this 
 day. The quotation from the Old 
 Testament ends with the words unto 
 this day ; and it thus sei'ved the apos- 
 tle's purpose to convey the thought, 
 that the moral insensibility with which 
 the Jews had been chargeable in former 
 ages still continued. — When God is 
 said to have given the spirit of slum- 
 ber, blind eyes and deaf ears, this 
 mode of speaking is in acknowledg- 
 ment of his sovereign disposal of cir- 
 cumstances and events, even as to 
 those things which are brought about 
 by the agency of men, and of which 
 men are themselves the guilty cause ; 
 so that the idea of an inevitable and, 
 so far as men are concerned, irre- 
 sponsible, fatality does not belong to 
 this phraseology. Compare Is. 29 : 
 3, where Jeliovah is represented as 
 saying, I will camp against thee round 
 about, and I will lay siege against 
 thee, etc., though it was the king of 
 Assyria who was thus to lay siege 
 against Jei'usalem. See, also. Is. 
 10 : 5-7, where in union Avith God's 
 expressed design to employ the As- 
 syrian king as an agent for inflicting 
 vengeance, the Assyrian king is rep- 
 resented as impelled by his own am- 
 bitious purposes : " Howbeit he mean- 
 eth not so, neither doth his heart 
 think so ; but it is in his heart to 
 destx'oy and cut oiF nations not a few.'* 
 9, 10. And David saith; Ps. 69 : 
 
116 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 10 compense unto them : let their eyes be darkened, that they 
 may not see, and bow down their back always. 
 
 11 I SAY then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God 
 forbid : but rather through their fall salvation is come unto 
 
 12 the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall 
 of them be the riches of the Avorld, and the diminishing of 
 them the riches of the Gentiles ; how much more their ful- 
 
 22, 23. The imprecations of the 
 psalmist on his enemies, here quoted, 
 the apostle considers as foreshowing 
 and illustrating the infliction of divine 
 judgments on those who in their 
 hardness of heart had refused to ac- 
 cept the Messiah : even their enjoy- 
 ments would become curses, and they 
 would be bowed do-wn under the 
 weight of their calamities. || Their 
 table; that is, the provision with 
 which their table is furnished : let it 
 become a means of destruction to 
 them, and be succeeded by a recom- 
 pense of evil. II Let their eyes be 
 darkened, etc. Let them become 
 blind, and make them bend under 
 their woes. — In other words, divine 
 judgments have overtaken, and will 
 rest on, the mass of the nation suita- 
 ble to those who have become hard- 
 ened in disobedience to God and op- 
 position to his method of salvation. 
 
 11. I say then , have they stumbled, 
 etc. The inevitable doom which 
 awaited the mass of the nation, 
 agreeably to the view thus far pre- 
 sented, prompted another inquiry : Is 
 it the design of God, that the Jews, 
 stumbling, taking ofi'ence, at the gos- 
 pel, should fall into perdition 1 Is 
 their perdition for their unbelief the 
 final fact in their histoiy, as closing 
 up the designs of God in respect to 
 them 1 Is the nation to perish ? 
 II God forbid. The inquiry is at once 
 met with pious aversion. Their fall- 
 ing into perdition is so far from being 
 the ultimate design of God, that he 
 has graciously made their rejection of 
 the gospel the occasion of its recep- 
 tion among the Gentiles (compare 
 Acts 13: 45-49); and its reception 
 among the Gentiles will serve to ex- 
 
 cite among Jews a sense of what 
 they have lost and a desire for the 
 blessings of the gospel. || Through 
 their fall: more properly, through 
 their blunder, their false step, that is, 
 their trespass in refusing to welcome 
 Christ. — The word rendered fall 
 in this clause is different from the 
 one thus rendered in the first, and 
 signifies false step, fault, trespass. 
 II To provoke them to jealousy ; to 
 make them jealous of the Gentiles as 
 having obtained blessings which the 
 Jews regarded as peculiarly theirs ; 
 and thus to excite in them a desire 
 to obtain the same blessings for them- 
 selves. 
 
 12. A still additional result, fa- 
 vorable to tlie Gentiles, was expected 
 by the apostle : if the trespass of the 
 Jews have been the occasion of good 
 to the Gentiles, and the diminution 
 of the Jews, as the Lord's people, to 
 a mere remnant, have resulted in rich 
 mercy being shown to the Gentiles, 
 what blessings may not be expected 
 for the world when the Jewish believ- 
 ers shall have become full in number ! 
 Noiv if the fall — and the diminishing 
 of them, etc. If, moreover, the tres- 
 pass of the Jews issue in spiritual 
 wealth, or abundant mercy, to the 
 world, that is, to the Gentile world, 
 and their being diminished to a small 
 number, namely, the comparatively 
 small number among them who have 
 embraced the gospel, prove the occa- 
 sion of rich mercy to the Gentiles, 
 how much more their being increased 
 to a comparatively full number ! — As 
 the diminishing indicates compara- 
 tively few, so the fulness indicates 
 comparatively many, a comparative ful- 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 117 
 
 13 ness ? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the 
 
 14 apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office, if by any 
 means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, 
 and might save some of them. For if the casting away of 
 them he the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving 
 of them be, but life from the dead ? For if the first fruit he 
 holy, the lump is also holy : and if the root be holy, so are 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 13, 14. For I speak to you Gentiles, 
 etc. The thoughts expressed in vs. 
 11, 12, were designed particularly for 
 Gentile believers, as leading them to 
 commiseration and kindness towards 
 the Jews and repressing the disposi- 
 tion to exult over the Jews as cut off 
 from the favor of God. |l I magnify 
 mine office ; I regard as specially hon- 
 orable the service to which I am called 
 as an apostle to the Gentiles, since, 
 by promoting their conversion, I may 
 excite my countrymen to seek the 
 same blessings as the Gentiles are 
 obtaining and may thus save some of 
 them. \\ Apostle of the Gentiles. See 
 Acts 26: 15-18. ' \\ Provoke to emula- 
 tion ; excite to jealousy in respect to 
 privileges belonging to the people of 
 God. See verse 11. \\ My flesh; my 
 countiymen. Compare 9 : 3. 
 
 15. For if the casting away of them, 
 etc. The special desire which the 
 apostle felt for the conversion of his 
 countr}Tnen was, also, stimulated by 
 the eft'ect which would result from 
 that event to the Gentiles : for, if the 
 rejection of the Jews had proved the 
 occasion of Gentiles' becoming re- 
 conciled to God and enjoying his 
 favor, what might not be expected 
 fi-om their recoveiy "? That event 
 would be signally advantageous to 
 the Gentile world in respect to their 
 more extended conversion to Christ 
 and the more thorough sway of true 
 religion among his avowed disciples ; 
 as if life, springing up from among 
 the dead, should exert its re-animat- 
 ing power where only death had 
 reigned, and add new energy to what- 
 ever elements of life might have been 
 previously acting. — Life from the dead 
 seems to be a figurative expression in 
 
 advance of the tenii reconciling used 
 in the former part of the verse, and 
 probably signifies increased activity 
 and efficacy in the extending of the 
 gospel, and the deepening of religious 
 influence, as consequent on the gen- 
 eral reception of the gospel among 
 the Jews. It would seem that the 
 Jews are to be remai'kably efficient, 
 after their conversion, in advancing 
 the Eedeemer's kingdom ; and thus 
 the ancient promise to Abraham, In 
 thy seed shall all the nations of the 
 earth be blessed. Gen. 22: 18. 12: 
 3. 18: 18, may receive an additional 
 fulfilment. The apostle appears to 
 have regarded the depressed state of 
 the nation, consequent on their rejec- 
 tion of Christ, only as a striking inci- 
 dent, which, in the long lapse of ages, 
 will no more conflict with their being 
 really a chosen people and still in- 
 cluded within divine promises, than 
 did their seventy years' captivity in 
 Babylonia. 
 
 16. A ground for belief is here pre- 
 sented, that the Jews though now, as 
 a nation, rejected, are as to be recovered 
 to the divine favor. The sacred re- 
 lation into which God took the nation 
 at its commencement was designed to 
 be enduring, notwithstanding occa- 
 sional interruptions ; and it was in- 
 tended, that future generations of the 
 people should have a ret^emblance to 
 the original stock, as being sacred to 
 God and acknowledged by him as 
 ti-uly his. Thus there is to be har- 
 mony, in character and relation to 
 God, between the progenitors and 
 their descendants ; and in them is to 
 be illustrated the steadfastness of the 
 divine purposes : harmony will char- 
 acterize the divine plan. If the first- 
 
118 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 17 the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, 
 and thou, being a wild olive-tree, wert graffed in among them, 
 and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive- 
 
 18 tree ; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou 
 
 fruits of the wheat hardest, given up 
 as an oblation to God are sacred, so 
 is the mass of dough which is made 
 of the oblation ; if the root be sacred 
 to him, so are the branches which are 
 produced and nourished by the root : 
 if he accept the one, he refuses not to 
 own the other. — In applying these 
 illustrations, the first fruits and the 
 root repi'esent the patriarchs of the 
 nation ; the mass of dough and the 
 branches represent the nation de- 
 scended from them and viewed as a 
 whole. The imagery must not be 
 too closely pressed, as though it in- 
 cluded all the descendants of the 
 patriarchs : for many of then- de- 
 scendants were unlike the progenitors 
 in piety, and failed of participating 
 with them in the highest blessings 
 connected with their relation to God, 
 and in the very next verse some of 
 the bi-anches are represented as hav- 
 ing been cut off; in plain language, 
 many of the people had lost tlieir 
 relation to God, and were without a 
 title to the divine favor. But with 
 such exceptions as the immutable 
 principles of the government of God 
 require, and as do not impair the ac- 
 complishment of his purposes as a 
 whole, God will show eventually that 
 the branches of the Jewish tree are as 
 really regarded by him in a sacred re- 
 lation as was the root. The mercy 
 which selected and blessed the pa- 
 triarchs, as founders of a nation, will 
 not forsake the nation Avhich, in ac- 
 cordance with divine promises, pro- 
 ceeded from them : the founders and 
 the nation ai-e regarded as one whole, 
 as the root and the branches are one 
 tree : and the lot of the several parts 
 is to be a kindred one. The apostle 
 saw a unity of plan running through 
 the dispensations of God towards his 
 people, and fully believed that in 
 future generations the sacred relation 
 
 of this people to God will be re- 
 vived and his favor signally be- 
 stowed on them. — If the first fruit be 
 holy. The first ripe sheaf of the liar- 
 vest, as the first in the series of 
 sheaves and a pledge of the incoming 
 harvest, was presented to God as an 
 oblation in acknowledgment of him 
 as the giver of the harvest. See Lev. 
 23: id. Num. 15: 20. Deut. 18: 
 4. As thus set apart and consecrated 
 to God, it was ceremonially hohi, that 
 is, sacred to God. |i The lump is also 
 holy. The lump, or mass, of dough, 
 made from the first fruits, is also 
 sacred to God. 
 
 17. Thou, being a ivild olive tree, 
 etc. The olive was one of the choice 
 trees of Palestine, and furnished a 
 striking illustration of the topic now 
 under treatment. It was usual to 
 graft cultivated olive trees, when they 
 had lost some of their branches, with 
 scions of the wild olive, which in its 
 natural state bore little or no fruit. 
 II Among them; among the branches 
 still standing. 
 
 18. Boast not, etc. Exult not 
 over the branches which have been 
 cut off. — The apostle would thus 
 check the unkind spirit which some 
 of the Gentile believers indulged 
 towards the fallen Jews ; instead of 
 commiserating, they rather gloried 
 over them. || But if thou boast, etc. ; 
 if you are disposed to glory over 
 them, repress this disposition by re- 
 membering the obligations under 
 which the plan of God has placed 
 you to the Jewish people, and your 
 dependence on them for the S!)iritual 
 privileges to which yon have been 
 admitted. Agreeably to the divine "■ 
 arrangement, the Jewish people were 
 the root, you are but branches deriv- 
 ing fruitfulness and beauty from the 
 Jewish root. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 119 
 
 19 bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say, then, 
 The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 
 
 20 Well ; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou 
 
 21 standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but. fear : for if God 
 spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare 
 
 22 not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of 
 God : on them which fell, severity ; but toward thee, good- 
 ness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise, thou also shalt 
 
 23 be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, 
 shall be graffed in : for God is able to graff them in again. 
 
 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by 
 nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive- 
 tree ; how much more shall these, which be the natural 
 
 25 branches, be graffed into their own olive-tree ? For I would 
 not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest 
 
 19-21. Thou ivilt say then, The 
 branches icere broken off', etc. The 
 Gentiles, still -willing to indulge the 
 spirit of glorying over the fallen Jews, 
 might reply to the apostle's sugges- 
 tion in A-crse 18, The natural bi-anches 
 were broken off, that we might be set 
 in their place. Very well, says the 
 apostle in rejoinder ; it is even so. 
 But remember, the Jews were broken 
 off for lack of faith ; and you stand 
 by faith, not by any natural right, not 
 by any claim to your blessed position, 
 but by the grace of God through con- 
 fiding in his promises and his merci- 
 ful airangements ; you occupy your 
 position, not by deeds of your own, 
 but by faith in Christ. Indulge not, 
 then, a haughty and arrogant spirit ; 
 but rather cherish a salutaiy dread 
 lest you, too, forfeit the favor of God ; 
 for if he spared not the natural 
 branches, you certainly have ground 
 for fearing a similar doom. 
 
 22. Severity; not an undue and 
 vengeful severity, but a strict adher- 
 ence to threatenings proceeding from 
 justice ; a just severity, as distin- 
 guished from that goodness which 
 overlooks ill desert and bestows un- 
 merited benefits. || On them which 
 fell ; on those who have fallen from 
 his goodness, or from confiding in his 
 
 mercy ; that is, the unbelieving Jews. 
 II //' thou continue, etc. ; if thou con- 
 tinue trusting in his goodness, and 
 acknowledging its claims on thee. 
 
 23. And they also, etc. The Jews, 
 too, though now objects of God's 
 strict justice, will again experience 
 his goodness, as soon as they aban- 
 don their unbelief (compare 2 Cor. 
 3: 16); they shall be restored to 
 their position of favor with God, for 
 he is able, consistently Avith all his 
 declarations, to restore them, and 
 thus in their case, as well as in that 
 of the Gentiles, to manifest his good- 
 ness. 
 
 24. For if thou — how much more 
 shall these, etc. Indeed, it is much 
 more to be expected that the people 
 with whom God originally entered 
 into a covenant should, on abandon- 
 ing their unbelief, be restored to his 
 favor, than that those, who had not 
 previously been thus favored, should 
 receive blessings which had been 
 promised to his people. From the 
 goodness of God to you Gentiles, 
 then, we may fully believe that good- 
 ness is in store for the Jews who are 
 now in a fallen and forlorn state. 
 
 25. For I icould not, brethren, etc. 
 Having cautioned the Gentile believ- 
 ers and given grounds to expect a 
 
120 
 
 EOMANS. 
 
 •ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part 
 is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be 
 
 26 come in: and so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, 
 There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shaU 
 
 27 turn away ungodliness from Jacob : for this is my covenant 
 unto them, when I shall take away their sins. . . . 
 
 restoration of the Jews to the divine 
 favor, the apostle now takes the atti- 
 tude of a prophet disclosing the 
 hitherto concealed purpose of God 
 respecting the Jewish people. || 31i/s- 
 tery. This word is applied, in the 
 scriptures, to things which have been 
 kept secret but which, when disclosed, 
 are perfectly intelligible, as well as to 
 those truths which are, even when re- 
 vealed, inexplicable to the human mind. 
 Compare Eph. 3: 3-6. || Lest ye 
 should be ivise, etc. ; lest ye should 
 think too highly of yourselves — 
 II Blindness in part, etc. ; hardness, 
 insensibility to their obligations and 
 to the blessings of the gospel. Com- 
 pare verse 7. This insensibility may 
 have resulted from God's withholding 
 any positive check to the downward 
 tendencies of the nation, or from their 
 being placed, in consequence of their 
 perverseness, in circumstnnces which 
 directly deepened their spiritual blind- 
 ness, so that they became, more and 
 more, fit objects for rejection. In 
 either case, the result, according to 
 the scriptural representations, might 
 be traced to God as manifesting his 
 displeasure and commencing a right- 
 eous retribution, and at the same time 
 to themselves as abusing their privileges 
 and giving a more free indulgence to 
 their sinful inclinations. Compare 
 Matt. 23: 33-38. 27: 22-25.— 
 II Until the fulness, etc. As the word 
 jTw/wess in verse 12 is the contrast of 
 diminishing, that is, a diminished mim- 
 ber, and consequently indicates an 
 increased number, a number indefin- 
 itely large, so the expression, fulness 
 of the Gentiles, probably means here 
 a very large mnnber of the Gentiles, 
 not the complete number who are to 
 
 embrace the gospel. — The insensi- 
 bility of the Jews to the privileges of 
 the gospel is to have a limit : after 
 the gospel has had free course among 
 the Gentiles, and Gentiles in very 
 large numbers have been admitted to 
 its blessings, blindness Avill pass away 
 from the Jews, they will see that the 
 gospel is tnily from God and will 
 zealously receive Jesus as the Mes- 
 siah. 
 
 26, 27. Ay}d so all Israel shall he 
 saved. When the fulness of the Gen- 
 tiles shall have come into the posses- 
 sion of the Messiah's blessings, the 
 surviving Jews generally and their 
 descendants will become believers in 
 Christ ; and thus the collective body 
 of the nation will be saved, though 
 so many will have perished through 
 rejection of the Messiah. It is not 
 implied, in this collective mode of 
 speaking, that every Israelite will be 
 saved ; for then, as now, salvation 
 will result from believing in Christ, 
 and only those who in heart become 
 his disciples will enjoy the full benefits 
 of the gospel. It would seem, how- 
 ever, from the apostle's language, that 
 the JcAvs generally will at length be- 
 come genuine Christians and be 
 saved. |i As it is uritten ; in Is. 59 : 
 20, 21. The passage as here quoted 
 has some verbal discrepances from 
 the passage in the Old Testament ; 
 and a few words are added, by a 
 natural association of thought, as indi- 
 cating the spiritual character of the 
 deliverance Avhich the propliet fore- 
 told. Strict verbal accuracy was not 
 important ; since the apostle's mind 
 was occupied with the general idea 
 of the Deliverer, or Redeemer, be- 
 coming acknowledged among the 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 121 
 
 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes : 
 but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' 
 
 29 sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repent- 
 
 30 ance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet 
 
 31 have now obtained mercy through their unbelief; even so 
 have these also now not believed, that through your mercy 
 
 32 they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them 
 all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
 
 Jews, and bestowing blessings on 
 them. Through this Deliverer, the 
 Jews were to be turned away from 
 sin and again to be brought within 
 the terms of a covenant that should 
 never cease. 
 
 28. As concerning the gospel, they 
 are enemies, etc. It was the plan of 
 God, that the sinfulness of the Jews 
 in rejecting the gospel and their con- 
 sequent rejection by him should be 
 overruled to the advantage of the 
 Gentiles, as the occasion of introduc- 
 ing among them the gospel. Thus 
 for the sake of the Gentiles, the Jews 
 were treated as enemies to God, and 
 the gospel was taken from them. 
 Compare Matt. 21 : 43. || But as 
 touching the election, they are beloved, 
 etc.; but, with reference to God's elec- 
 tion of them to be his favored people 
 and to be a medium of blessings to 
 the world, they are still beloved, they 
 are still regarded with a design of 
 mercy, for the sake of the patriarchs 
 to whom the promises were made. 
 God's remembrance of the patriarchs 
 and of the promises made to them, 
 still secures this kind regard for the 
 nation ; because God is unchangeable, 
 as the following verse affirms. 
 
 29. For the gifts and calling of God 
 are without repentance. Repentance 
 is indicative of regret and of a change 
 of mind and conduct on the part of 
 the person concerning whom it is 
 affirmed, and concerning things which 
 he has said or done. Now God does 
 not repent of his bestowal of gifts of 
 grace, and of the calling, or invitation, 
 which he has given in regard to the 
 blessings of his kingdom : he changes 
 
 11 
 
 not in regard to his gifts and calling ; 
 he will not revoke his gracious de- 
 clarations, but will abide faithful and 
 steadfast in his purpose. — The un- 
 changeablencss of God, thus confirm- 
 ing the declaration in the 28th verse, 
 that the Jews will continue beloved 
 for the fathers' sakes, forms also the 
 ground of the assurance in vs. 31 
 and 32. 
 
 30, 3 1 , For as ye in times past, etc. 
 God still adheres to his original pur- 
 pose of mercy, and will accomplish 
 it even through the disobedience of 
 those who were his people. As you, 
 Gentiles, were formerly disobedient to 
 God and destitute of his favor, but 
 have now obtained mercy by occasion 
 of the JeM's' disobedience, so the plan 
 of God, as to his ultimately bestowing 
 mercy on the Jcavs, will be accom- 
 plished through the mercy bestowed 
 on you : the Jews having become dis- 
 obedient and having failed of the 
 favor of God, in order that, thi'ough 
 the mercy bestowed on you, they might 
 in turn receive mercy. || Through 
 your mei'cy ; through mercy shown to 
 you. 
 
 32. For God hath concluded them 
 all in unbelief, etc. The word them 
 ought not to have been admitted into- 
 the translation ; as the original does 
 not contain here a woi'd correspond- 
 ing to it, and the word all in the orig- 
 inal, as is manifest from the connec- 
 tion, relates not to Jews exclusively, 
 but to all men, Jews and Gentiles. 
 The apostle's idea is, that God has 
 shut up all, both Jews and Gentiles, 
 in a state of disobedience, regai-ded 
 them all as alike chargeable with dis- 
 
1^2 
 
 ROMANS, 
 
 33 THE depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowl- 
 edge of God ! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his 
 
 34 ways past finding out ! For who hath known the mind of 
 
 35 the Lord ? or who hath been his counsellor ? Or who hath 
 first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him 
 
 36 again ? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all 
 things : to whom he glory for ever ! Amen. 
 
 obedience, that he might be merciful 
 to all, both Jews and Gentiles, saving 
 all, of every nation, who comply with 
 the terms of mercy and saving' none, 
 of whatever people, on the ground of 
 their own I'ighteousness. — The word 
 unbelief in vs. 30-32 does not so cor- 
 rectly express the original word, as 
 disobedience ; unbelief being properly 
 the translation of a different word. 
 11 That he might have mercy upon all ; 
 that all, having been brought to a 
 consciousness of sin, might feel their 
 dependence on mercy and be pre- 
 pared to receive the grace, or the 
 gratuitous salvation, of the gospel, 
 and that all who comply with the 
 terms of mercy might actually receive 
 mercy. — That such is the idea of the 
 apostle, appears from the pervading 
 doctrine of the epistle ; it being wholly 
 inconsistent v.-ith the leading views 
 of the epistle to suppose that every 
 tuman being, whether conscious of 
 sinfulness or not, and whether accept- 
 ing the divine method of mercy or 
 not, shall actually be an object of 
 God's saving mercy. 
 
 33-36. The thought of the mercy 
 of God, in his so amply providing for 
 the redemption of men, of his eternal 
 purposes, of his carrying his designs 
 into effect in ways wholly unexpected 
 and beyond anticipation, so that in 
 the fulness of time they are accom- 
 plished notwithstanding*, and even by 
 occasion of, the perversity of men, 
 
 stirs the apostle's mind with adoring 
 sentiments. — the depth of the riches, 
 etc. Some prefer to render this 
 clause, the depth of the riches, that 
 is, of the rich mercy, 10: 12, and 
 wisdom and knowledge of God ! His 
 mercy is rich, indeed superabundant, 
 since it has made not only adequate, 
 but most ample, provision for the be- 
 stowal of blessings which no merits of 
 men could, by any possibility, secure. 
 II His judgments ; his judgments, or 
 determinations, as to what he will 
 accomplish; that is, his purposes. 
 II His ways ; his methods of accom- 
 plishing his purposes. 
 
 34. For who hath known the mind 
 of the Lord, etc. Who knew the 
 mind, the intention, of the Lord? 
 Who was his counsellor ? Obviously, 
 none. He has all Avisdom and knowl- 
 edge in himself; his own infinite 
 mind proposes its objects and provides 
 for their attainment. Compare Is. 
 40: 13. 
 
 35, 36. Or who hath first given to 
 him, etc. Who has ever laid an ob- 
 ligation on God, so as to claim from 
 him a recompense ? Such a pretence 
 would be the height of absurdity and 
 profaneness : for all things originate 
 from him (compare 1 Chron. 29 : 
 10-14); all things are done through 
 him; and all things find their ulti- 
 mate aim in him. To him, then, be 
 glory forever. Amen. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Exhortation to Christian conduct in general, 1-21. 
 
 1 I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
 that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accepta- 
 
 2 ble unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not 
 conformed to this world : but be ye transformed by the re- 
 
 CHAPTERS XII — XV: 1-13. 
 
 These chapters comprise the hor- 
 tatoiy division of the epistle, in which 
 the apostle enjoins the cultivation of 
 the Christian temper generally, obedi- 
 ence to magistrates, and mutual ac- 
 commodation on the part of Gentile 
 and of Jewish believers, in respect to 
 ceremonial observances Avhich orig- 
 inated in the Mosaic law. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 1 . / beseech you therefore, etc. The 
 word thei'efo7-e connects the hortatoiy 
 part of the epistle with the preceding 
 doctrinal part, as containing the prac- 
 tical lessons appropriate to all believ- 
 ers in Christ, and to the Roman 
 Christians in particular. The apos- 
 tle's mind had been occupied with 
 views of the mercy of God in provid- 
 ing for men's salvation, and in pre- 
 serving a remnant of the Jews from 
 the destruction which the mass of the 
 nation were biinging on themselves. 
 In view of this mercy, he beseeches 
 the Roman brethren to offer up them- 
 selves to God as a sacrifice, to be 
 wholly his in their temper and con- 
 duct. II That ye present your bodies ; 
 that ye offer up your persons, your- 
 selves. The idea of a sacrifice offered 
 to God being in the apostle's mind, 
 his language was shaped by that 
 image. As the bodief of slain ani- 
 mals were offered, he laturally em- 
 
 ployed the word bodies as signifying 
 the whole person. Compare 6 : 13. 
 li A living sacrifice, etc. Slaughtered 
 victims were the sacrifices of the 
 Jewish ritual : in distinction from 
 these, believers in Christ should be 
 living sacrifices, devoted to God in 
 the use of their living, active powers. 
 As the animals for sacrifice under the 
 Mosaic law were required to be 
 ceremonially clean, Avithout blemish, 
 so the Christian sacrifice was to be 
 holy, morally pure. || Which is your 
 reasonable service ; rather, your spir- 
 itual service, the service of your mind 
 and heart. — As sacrifices formed a 
 part of the Jewish worship, the word 
 is here employed, in the original, 
 which particularly signifies service in 
 worship ; and Christians, in offering 
 up themselves to God for the cultiva- 
 tion of such tempers of mind, and for 
 such conduct in all the relations and 
 circumstances of life, as are accepta- 
 ble to God, are considered as render- 
 ing him a spiritual worship. The 
 entire life of a Christian, so far as it is 
 devoted to God and spent in con- 
 foi-mity to his will, is a kind of living, 
 or constant, worship, since the whole 
 spirit and body are occupied in doing 
 his pleasure and glorifying him. 
 
 %, Be not confurnie'd to this icorld ; 
 to this present evil world. Gal. 1:4; 
 to the spirit and maxims of the men 
 of this world, Luke 16: 8. 1 Cor. 
 2 : 6, 8. The jjresent icurld is char 
 acterized by its being unspiritual, sin- 
 (123) 
 
124 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 newing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, 
 and acceptable, and perfect will of God. 
 
 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man 
 that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than 
 he ought to think ; but to think soberly, according as God 
 
 ful, in distinction from the world of 
 holiness to which the Saviour will 
 bring his people. The men of this 
 world and the genuine disciples of 
 Christ are opposite in their leading 
 aims and conduct. John 17: 9, 14, 
 16. II But be ye transformed by the 
 renewing, etc. ; be ye transformed ac- 
 cording to tbe renovation which has 
 been wrouglit in your mind, or heart ; 
 let the renewing of your mind become 
 more and more thorough. || That ye 
 may prove, etc. The original word, 
 here translated prove, means to try, to 
 test, to ascertain by trial. The apostle 
 seems to suggest that the renewed 
 mind may put to the test that which 
 claims to be the Avill of God, and prove 
 by trial what is the will of God con- 
 cerning men, and may show by a life 
 in harmony with this will its natural 
 tendency, and thus give a practical 
 demonstration of what is good and 
 acceptable and perfect in the sight of 
 God. The renewed mind proves, by 
 a kind of instinctive perception, what 
 is the will of God ; it is a moral test 
 which aids in deciding what things 
 are pleasing to God. Generally 
 speaking, matters of moral feeling 
 and conduct will be almost instinct- 
 ively pronounced on by a spiritual 
 mind, as being according to the will 
 of God or otherwise : by cultivating 
 iliis spiritual discrimination through 
 rue increasing transformation of a 
 renewed mind avid its growing con- 
 formity to the will of God, a person 
 will have an inward judge of the 
 moral quality of actions ; a jutlge, 
 I hat will become more and more in- 
 telligent and, by a just spiritual sen- 
 t-itiveness, more and more able to de- 
 lide rightly. Comp are Eph. 5 : 8, 
 10, 17. John 7 : 17 — Some inter- 
 
 preters divide the latter part of the 
 verse thus : ivhat is the loill of God, 
 lohat is good, acceptable, and perfect. 
 The renewed mind proves what is 
 good in distinction from what is evil, 
 what is acceptable to God in distinc- 
 tion from what is displeasing to him, 
 and what is perfect or complete, from 
 what is deficient as to the measure of 
 duty. The judgments of a renewed 
 mind are often widely different from 
 those of a mind which has not felt 
 the transforming power of the Holy 
 Spirit ; and on many topics of reli- 
 gion, the human mind needs to be 
 renewed in order to judge correctly. 
 
 3. For I say. The apostle now 
 proceeds to give specimens of what is 
 the will of God to which behevers in 
 Christ should become conformed. 
 II Through the grace given unto me: 
 through the divine favor which had 
 been shown in calling him to be an 
 apostle. 1: 5. Eph. 3 : 8. By virtue 
 of the authority with which divine 
 grace had invested him, he enjoins 
 the temper and conduct at which be- 
 lievers should aim. || Not to think of 
 himself more highly, etc. ; not to in- 
 dulge in too high an estimate of him- 
 self, but to judge of himself with 
 sobriety, according to the degree of 
 Christian faith which God has be- 
 stowed on him. — The idea is not, that, 
 if his measure of faith exceed that 
 of his brethren, he may therefore judge 
 more favorably of himself than of 
 them ; but, as each one's measure of 
 faith comes from God, he should 
 therefore make a modest estimate of 
 himself and be humble as being de- 
 pendent on the bounty of God. 
 Compare 1 Cor. 3:5. 4:7. Faith, 
 being regarded by the apostle as the 
 essential element of the Christian 
 
CHAPTEIi XII 
 
 125 
 
 4 hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we 
 have many members in one body, and all members have not 
 
 5 the same office : so we, being many, are one body in Christ, 
 
 6 and every one members one of another. Having then gifts, 
 differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether 
 prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of 
 
 7 faith : or ministry, let us wait on our ministering : or he that 
 
 8 teacheth, on teaching : or he that exhorteth, on exhortation : 
 
 life, seems to be nere used as a gen- 
 eric term signilicant of Christian 
 character, and more particularly of 
 such knowledge of the gospel as best 
 accords with high spiritual attain- 
 ments. 
 
 4. For as ice have many members, 
 etc. A modest estimate of one's self 
 is enforced by the consideration that 
 the company of believers, whether 
 the whole, or regarded in the several 
 portions with which they are more 
 immediately connected, forms a body, 
 the various members of which must 
 harmoniously perform their several 
 offices, whether more or less impor- 
 tant, in order to accomplish the de- 
 signs for which the body was formed. 
 II All members ; more correctly, all the 
 members. 
 
 5. One body in Christ ;. one body 
 as belonging to Christ our Head, one 
 Christian body. Compare Eph. 4 : 
 15, 16. 1 Cor. 12 : 12-27. 
 
 6. Gifts; spiritual endowments, 
 capacities for rendering service to the 
 cause of Christ, either bestowed by 
 divine grace, or natural talents sanc- 
 tified and elevated by that grace into 
 fit agencies for promoting the gospel. 
 Compare 1 Cor. 12:4. || Prophecy. 
 The gift of prophecy was possessed 
 by a class of persons who were able, 
 both by divine revelations and by 
 sanctified natural endowments, to in- 
 struct and exliort in accordance with 
 the mind of the Spirit, and occasion- 
 ally to foretell future events. Their 
 gift was held of great value ; and in the 
 enumeration of offices, the prophets 
 stand next to the apostles. Acts 11 : 
 27. 21: 9, 10. 1 Cor. 12: 28. 14: 
 
 11* 
 
 29,30. Eph. 4:11. \\ According to 
 the proportion of faith ; that is, as in 
 verse 3, the measure of faith ; or, in 
 proportion to the strength of faith, or 
 genuine belief, that the communica- 
 tion to be delivered, whether predic- 
 tion or exliortation, was divinely im- 
 parted. 
 
 7. Ministry; the various minis- 
 trations, or services, which the welfare 
 of a church would require ; as, for 
 instance, the care of the indigent 
 members, the outward arrangements 
 for worship and other external mat- 
 ters. II He that teacheth. .Teachers 
 seem to have differed from prophets, 
 in that their employment was stated 
 and regular, not occasional, and not 
 requu-ing special revelations. 
 
 8. He that exhorteth. A particular 
 class of men is not, probably, here 
 intended, as the word exhort \s very 
 variously used. Compare Acts 15 : 
 32. 1 Cor. 14: 31. || He that giv- 
 eth ; that is, in the way of personal, 
 or private, benevolence, as the orig- 
 inal word indicates sharing icith 
 another what we possess. Compare 
 Luke 3: 11. Eph. 4: 28. || With 
 simplicity ; with singleness of inten- 
 tion to benefit the needy, and, by im- 
 plication, with kindness'and lilierality. 
 The same word is translated liberality 
 in 2 Cor. 8 : 2, and bonntifuhiess in 2 
 Cor. 9: 11. \\ He that ridcth ; he 
 that presides, probably in the pastoral 
 relation. In 1 Thess.*5 : 12 tlie same 
 word, substantially, in the original is 
 rendered by the words are over you. 
 11 He that showeth mercy ; he that per- 
 forms deeds of kindness in general 
 for the distressed. 1| With cheerful- 
 
126 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity : he that ruleth, 
 with diligence ; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. 
 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is 
 
 10 evil ; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly afFectioned 
 one to another with brotherly love ; in honor preferring 
 
 1 1 one another ; not slothful in business ; fervent in spirit ; 
 
 1 2 serving the Lord ; rejoicing in hope ; patient in tribulation ; 
 
 13 continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of 
 
 14 saints ; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute 
 
 15 you ; bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, 
 
 16 and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one 
 toward anoth 3r. Mind not high things, but condescend to 
 men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 
 
 17 Recompense lo no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in 
 
 ness. 2 Cor. 9: 7. — In verses 6-8, 
 the apostle seems to have united 
 under the general name of gifts the 
 disposition and capacity for some 
 private duties with the official services 
 of certain classes. This was in har- 
 mony with his use of the term gift, 
 since he sometimes employed it "in 
 cases that did not properly belong to 
 the pubhc welfare. 1 Cor. 7 : 7. Be- 
 sides, the simplicity and cheerfulness 
 which he enjoined in respect to the 
 duties of benevolence might well be 
 traced to divine influence, as gifts of 
 the Holy Spirit. 
 
 10. In honor; respect, esteem. 
 Ij Preferring one another ; literally, fai- 
 ing the lead of one another, as setting 
 each other an example, in mutual 
 respect. Compare Phil. 2:3. 
 
 11. Not slothful in business. The 
 word hei'e rendered business is trans- 
 lated, in verse 8, diligence ; in 2 Cor. 
 7:11, carefulness ; in 2 Cor. 8 : 7, 8, 
 diligence, forwardness. — This clause, 
 then, is probably better rendered, In 
 regard to diligence, that is, activity in 
 the cause of Christ, not slothful. 
 
 13. Given to hospitality. Heb. 13: 
 2. 1 Pet. 4:9. 
 
 14. Bless them tvhich pasecute you. 
 Matt. 5 : 44. Luke 6 : 27, 28. 
 
 15. Rejoice with them, etc. Joy at 
 the good of others is oft m a surer 
 
 proof of the sincerity and strength of 
 piety, than sympathy in their dis- 
 tresses : it may be more free from 
 alloy. 
 
 16. Be of the same mind, etc.; of 
 the same spirit, or disposition ; be 
 like-minded, Phil. 3 : 16. || Conde- 
 scend to men of low estate. The orig- 
 inal is singularly expressive : Being 
 led away by lowly things, as the con- 
 trast of minding high things ; that is, 
 being attracted more by the lowly 
 circumstances in which any of your 
 brethren may be placed, than by high 
 things. II Be not wise in your own 
 conceits. — To such union of spirit as 
 should characterize the members of a 
 Christian church, humility is most 
 friendly, while self-conceit is its dire 
 foe. 
 
 17. Recompense to no man evil for 
 evil. 1 Pet. 3:9. || Provide tlivigs 
 honest, etc. The word honest was 
 probably understood here by our 
 translators in the sense of honorable, 
 or becoming : the more general term 
 good or upright, seems preferable. 
 Carefulness for what is good in the 
 sight of all, for what the judgment 
 and moral sense of men would pro- 
 nounce right and proper, is enjoined ; 
 in other woi-ds, carefulness to walk 
 uprightly. See 2 Cor. S : 21. Com- 
 pare Prov. 3 : 4. 
 
CHAPTER XIII, 
 
 127 
 
 18 the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in 
 you, live peaceably with all men. 
 
 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give 
 place unto Avrath : for it is written, Vengeance is mine ; I 
 
 20 will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hun- 
 ger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink : for in so doing 
 
 21 thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome 
 of evil, but overcome evil with good. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII, 
 
 Subjection to magistrates and discharge of all civil duties, 1-7. Injunction of mutual 
 love, 8-10. Incitement to renewed Christian vigilance and activity, 11-14. 
 
 18. If it he possible, etc. Be at 
 peace with all men, if it be possible. 
 Others may make it impossible, since 
 they may originate and foster causes 
 of strife : but as much as in you lieth, 
 so far as any thing proceeding from 
 you is concerned, so far as depends 
 on you, be at peace with all. K 
 strife arise, let not the cause of it lie 
 with you. 
 
 19. Give place unto icrath ; yield 
 to wrath ; resist it not with coitc- 
 sponding wrath, nor take vengeance 
 on your foe : leave the work of ven- 
 geance for God, the righteous ruler. 
 if For it is loritten. Deut. 32 : 35. 
 
 20. Therefore, if thine enemy hun- 
 ger, etc. See Prov. 25: 21, 22. 
 II Thou shalt heap coals of fire on his 
 head. This was a proverbial saying, 
 indicating that the treatment here en- 
 joined would make the evil doer 
 smart under a sense of his %vrong 
 deeds, or produce a burning sense of 
 Jiis wrong doing. Sucli treatment 
 would excite in him shame and com- 
 punction, which might issue in his 
 highest good. 
 
 21. Be not overcome of evil, etc.; 
 be not ov^ercome by evil, so as to do 
 evil in x'Ctum ; but triumph over evil 
 by repaying it with good. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The Jews, as a people, being sub- 
 jugated by the Roman government, 
 were exceedingly restive under it, as 
 being a heathen and idolatrous power. 
 Their mistaken zeal for the glory of 
 God and their expectation that the 
 Messiah, as the head of the Jewish 
 people, would bring all nations under 
 his sway, kept them in a constant 
 state of readiness for insurrectionary 
 movements. In consequence, the 
 Roman magistrates Avere constantly 
 on their guard against political out- 
 breaks among the Jews ; and even the 
 Christians in Rome, being regarded 
 by the civil authorities as a sect of the 
 Jews, were constantly exposed to 
 suspicion and probably shared in 
 some public severities which were 
 really occasioned by the misconduct, 
 not of Christians, but of the Jews. 
 Thus, in Acts 18 : 2, we learn that 
 Aquila and Priscilla had left Italy, 
 because Claudius, the emperor, had 
 commanded all Jews to depart from 
 Rome. Though Aquila and Priscilla 
 were Jews by birth, they had become 
 Christians and had separated them- 
 selves, as to religion, from the mass 
 of the Jews. This fact, however. 
 
128 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For 
 tl ore is no power but of God : the powers that be, are or- 
 dained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, 
 resisteth the ordinance of God : and they that resist shall 
 receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a ter- 
 ror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be 
 afraid of the power ? do that which is good, and thou shalt 
 
 oould not be properly apprehended 
 by tlie magistrates and did not secure 
 exemption from rigors which were 
 designed to rid the city of Jewish 
 insurrections. Perhaps, too, some 
 of the Christians, Gentile as well as 
 Jewish, actually believed that they 
 might righteously plot against an 
 idolatrous government, as being a 
 part of the kingdom of Satan. — 
 Hence, the apostle judged it neces- 
 sary to enjoin on them submission 
 to the existing magistracy in all 
 things pertaining to their ci^•il rela- 
 tions. On matters beyond the 
 province of the civil authorities, such 
 as religious worship, he here says 
 nothing. He is writing to Christians ; 
 and they could not, consistently, join 
 in the prevalent idolatry, while yet in 
 all civil matters they might submit to 
 the ruling powers. He enjoins sub- 
 mission to the civil authorities on 
 two grounds : 1. A regard to the 
 will of God. Civil government is 
 his appointment ; and those who oc- 
 cupy the seats of power have been 
 placed there by his providence. 2. A 
 regard to their own good. Obedient 
 subjects will enjoy the protection of 
 the goveniment; rebellious subjects 
 will incur its wrath. Vs. 1-7. 
 
 The injunction to discharge all civil 
 duties is followed by an injunction 
 to leave no obligation whatever un- 
 discharged ; and that, the rather, since 
 the time is near when the hoped for 
 salvation shall be consummated : 
 hence, sinful practices should be laid 
 aside, and the truly Christian spirit 
 be acted out. Vs. 8-14. 
 
 1. Let evstysoul be subject into the 
 higher powers : let every one mbmit 
 
 himself to the civil authorities, the 
 
 magistrates. || For there is no power 
 but of God ; for magistracy is from 
 no other source but God ; it exists by 
 his appointment. || The powers that 
 be, etc.; the existing civil authorities 
 were appointed by God. — Magistracy, 
 not however any particular /brn? of it, 
 is here declared to be of divine ap- 
 pointment ; and the ruling powers, 
 actually in authority, are declared to 
 have been set in their station by 
 diWne pi-ovidence. 
 
 2. Whosoever, therefore, resisteth, 
 etc. ; whoever, then, arrays himself 
 rebelliously against the civil author- 
 ity, opposes the appointment of God. 
 II Damnation. This word was for- 
 merly used in a broader sense than at 
 present. Judgment carried info execu- 
 tion probably expresses the apostle's 
 •idea ; the judgment, or punishment, 
 proceeding, agreeably to the first 
 clause of the verse, from God. It 
 may, however, be from God as a 
 providential visitation through the 
 agency of the nilers, and reference, 
 therefore, be made to the civil punish- 
 ment : at the same time, as resistance 
 opposes the appointment of God, the 
 punitive results, as in all cases of 
 sin, are not merely external and 
 present, but reach to the soul and the 
 futare world. 
 
 3 For rulers are not a terror, etc. 
 Rulers are not an object of dread to 
 good works, that is, to those subjects 
 who faithfully observe the laws per- 
 taining to civil duties : such have no 
 occasion for fear; it is those whose 
 deeds, in civil respects, are evil, who, 
 instead of complying with the civil 
 regulations, array themselves against 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 129 
 
 have praise of the same ; for he is the minister of God to 
 thee for goo 1. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid ; 
 for he bear< th not the sword in vain : for he is the minister 
 of God. a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 
 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but 
 also for conscience' sake. For, for this cause pay ye tribute 
 also : for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon 
 
 the government, create distnrbanees, 
 and aim to overthrow the govern- 
 ment, it is those to whom rulers are 
 a terror. — The apostle confines his 
 view to government as regulating the 
 Qxvil relations of its subjects. In the 
 case of religious persecutions on the 
 part of magistrates, he would prob- 
 ably direct the Christians to regard 
 them as trials and afflictions to wliich 
 they must submit, as they would do 
 other providential dispensations for 
 which they are not responsible ; wliile 
 for the miseries which they would 
 meet in consequence of engaging in 
 schemes against the government they 
 would be personally responsible, as 
 having brought them on themselves 
 unnecessarily and in violation of their 
 civil duties. || Do that which is good: 
 good in your relations to the ci%-il 
 power. ]| Praise of the same. The 
 word same refers to the power: by 
 doing what is good, as a subject, you 
 will have commendation from the 
 authorities. 
 
 4. For he is the minister of God, 
 etc. ; for the magistrate is a seiTant 
 of God for your benefit. — The magis- 
 trate, even though a heathen, is here 
 regarded as a servant of God, because 
 God established ci-^-il government 
 and, by his providence, brought that 
 magistrate to his station of power, 
 thus making him the medium of 
 good even to Christians. || But if 
 thou do that which is evil, etc. ; if you 
 disregard your civil obligations, and 
 create disturbances, you may well 
 fear. ll For he heareth not the sword in 
 vain. The sword, as borne by the 
 magistrate, was an emblem of the 
 power of putting to death for offences 
 
 against the state. This power of 
 inflicting the punishment of death the 
 magistrate docs not possess in vain. 
 The apostle gives not the slightest 
 intimation that the power of capital 
 punishment, lodged with the magis- 
 ti-ates, was either unjust or unsuitable. 
 In cases of personal injury he forbids 
 taking vengeance, and directs that 
 punishment be referred to God. 12 : 
 19. But the case of a magistrate, in 
 his public capacity, is different : he 
 may inflict the punishment of death, 
 agreeably to the laws, without the 
 least indulgence of personal revenge ; 
 indeed, with the most sincere compas- 
 sion for the criminal. || For he is the 
 minister of God, etc. ; the magistrate, 
 using the sword of justice in the dis- 
 charge of his office, is a sen-ant of 
 God, an avenger for the punishment 
 of the criminal. 
 
 5. Wherefore, etc. The conclu- 
 sion from the preceding -s-iews is here 
 given : it is necessary to be in sub- 
 jection to the civil power, not only on 
 account of the punishment which 
 would follow resistance, but also to 
 presene a good conscience. A re- 
 gard to personal good, and a regard 
 to the claims of conscience, unite in 
 requiring obedience ; resistance is in- 
 compatible with both. 
 
 6. For, for this cause pay ye tribute 
 also. It is uncertain, in the (-riginal, 
 whether the first clause of this verse 
 should be regaided as an exhortation 
 to pay ti-ibute, or as a declarative 
 statement that the Roman Christians 
 were in the habit of paying tribute. 
 But whichever of these is^^the ti-ue 
 view, the apostle evidently teaches 
 that tlie just ground on which the 
 
130 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 7 this very thing. Render therefore to all, their dues : tribute 
 to whom tribute is due ; custom to whom custom ; fear to 
 whom fear ; honor to whom honor. 
 
 8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another : for he 
 
 9 that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou 
 shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt 
 not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not 
 covet ; and if there he any other commandment, it is briefly 
 comprehended in this saying, namely. Thou shalt love thy 
 
 10 neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor : 
 therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 
 
 payment of tribute rests is the very- 
 same as he had mentioned for sub- 
 mission to the government in general. 
 He repeats, substantially, the first 
 clause of the fourth verse, as pre- 
 senting the proper ground for the 
 payment of tribute ; namely, that the 
 officers who had charge of this part 
 of the public affairs Avere servants of 
 God, men called in his providence to 
 this service. The service which they 
 rendered was for the support of the 
 government, and was thus subsidiary 
 to the divine arrangement in appoint- 
 ing magistracy. To refuse the pay- 
 ment of tribute would, therefore, be 
 to oppose a divine appointment. — 
 The apostle's language here, if re- 
 garded as declarative rather than hor- 
 tatory, would encourage those who 
 had always viewed the matter in this 
 light, while it would kindly correct 
 the error of any who might have 
 viewed the matter differently. — 
 Among the Jews, the payment of 
 taxes to the Romans was a continual 
 grievance. It was a perpetual token 
 of their subjection to a foreign and 
 heathen power, and was the occasion, 
 on the part of daring leaders, of 
 resistance to the government, and 
 of apparently conscientious query 
 among the well-disposed. See Matt. 
 22: 17. 
 
 7. Render therefore to all, their dues. 
 Having shown the grounds of obedi- 
 ence in general to the civil authorities 
 and to the demand for tribute in par- 
 
 ticular, he closes this topic by enjoin- 
 ing the discharge of all dues to state 
 officers. Tribute; taxes. || Custom; 
 duties imposed by law on goods im- 
 ported or exported. 1| Fear; in re- 
 ference to judges. II Honor; in refer- 
 ence to the higher magistrates, or to 
 the magistracy in general. — Compare 
 
 1 Tim. 2: 1, 2. Tit. 3:1. 1 Pet. 
 
 2 : 13-17. 
 
 8, 9. The direction to pay all pub- 
 lic officers their dues he now extends, 
 and makes it touch all cases of obli- 
 gation. — Owe no man any thing, but to 
 love one another. Be in no man's 
 debt, as to any thing : with the ex- 
 ception of one debt, or obligation, 
 .which it is impossible should be ever 
 so discharged as to warrant an ex- 
 emption from it ; namely, the debt of 
 mutual love. From, this we can 
 never be discharged ; it is perpetually 
 binding. The pressure of this duty 
 we ought ever to feel ; for in perform- 
 ing it, we are fulfilling the law of 
 God ; since all the directions of his 
 law, pertaining to our social relations, 
 may be comprised in the one direc- 
 tion, Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
 as thyself. Obviously, true love to 
 others will prevent all those social 
 wrongs which the decalogue forbids, 
 and secure obedience to any command 
 which provides for the good of others. 
 
 10. Love worketh no ill to his neigh- 
 bor. True love to one's neighbor can- 
 not prompt injury to him, but rather 
 the opposite -jood : it is therefore the 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 131 
 
 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to 
 awake out of sleep : for now is our salvation nearer than when 
 
 12 we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let 
 us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on 
 
 13 the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day : not 
 in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wanton- 
 
 14 ness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil 
 the lusts thereof. 
 
 fulfilling of the law, because the law 
 forbids all wrong doing to a neigli- 
 bor, that is, to any other person. If, 
 also, a man liave the spirit of love, 
 he has that Avliich prompts a cheerful 
 obedience to all divine commands. 
 Christian obedience is not merely 
 compliance with extraneous com- 
 mands ; it springs from the heart. 
 Where genuine love is the ruling 
 principle, obedience to the divine 
 will follows naturally and sponta- 
 neously. 
 
 11. And that. An enforcement 
 now follows of the injunction in the 
 8th verse, not to leave any social 
 obligation undischarged, from the 
 consideration that we are rapidly 
 hastening to our complete salvation. 
 II Knowing the time, etc. ; knowing 
 what point of time we have reached, 
 that it is the hour for us to be already 
 aroused from sloth and earnestly en- 
 gaged in the work of the Christian 
 life. Compare 1 Thcss. 5 : 6-9. The 
 Roman Christians would doubtless 
 feel that, in view of their obligations 
 and prospects, they v.-ere not half 
 awake and needed to be aroused from 
 spiritual torpor. || Salvatirm ; de- 
 liverance from the annoyances and 
 temptations of the present state : 
 these were great and numerous amid 
 the prevailing vices of Rome and the 
 hostility which, in various forms, the 
 Christians were compelled to encoun- 
 ter. Salvation would also be the con- 
 stimmation of their hopes in heaven. 
 That glorious end of the Christian 
 course, the apostle felt, was drawing 
 near to him and his fellow Christians ; 
 
 and the nearer it was, the more pre- 
 pared for it should they seek to 
 become. 
 
 12. The night is far spent. The 
 Avhole period of the present state is 
 here regarded as comparatively night, 
 and this was to them now far ad- 
 vanced. II The day; the state to 
 which the disciples of Christ were 
 tending, the endless day of holiness 
 and bliss in the Messiah's kingdom. 
 II Let us therefore cast off the works of 
 darkness, etc. Darkness is expres- 
 sive of ignorance and sin ; ivorks of 
 darkness are sinful deeds and indul- 
 gences not fit to see the light. Light 
 is expressive of knowledge and holi- 
 ness ; to put on the armor of light is to 
 be in constant readiness for all right- 
 eous deeds. The exhortation is. 
 Cease from sinful indulgences and in 
 good earnest live righteously. 
 
 13. Let us tvalk honestly as in the 
 day, etc. Let us live as in broad day 
 light, honorably, in a manner becom- 
 ing our Christian profession and our 
 avowed hopes, not in bacchanalian 
 revels, in licentiousness, in strife and 
 heart-burnings. 
 
 14. But put ye on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. To put on Christ is to come 
 into close intimacy Avith Christ in our 
 affections and conduct, as a garment 
 is closely connected with its wearer, 
 and to make ourselves known by our 
 lives as those to Avhom Christ has 
 imited himself and who worthily re- 
 present his religion. In other words, 
 Be decidedly Christ-like in your tem- 
 per and life ; and make no provision 
 for carnal indulgences. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Mutnal accommodation in matters which are liable to diversity of judgment, 1-23. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The harmony of the Eoman church 
 had been disturbed by questions about 
 the laAvfuhiess of animal food and the 
 religious observance of certain days. 
 The Mosaic law forbade the use of 
 certain animals as food ; and the 
 Jews consequently felt bound to avoid 
 them, as unclean and unla^^'ful. It 
 also forbade the use of blood : ani- 
 mals, allowed for food, must be pre- 
 pared for use in a manner that would 
 effectually drain their blood. Some 
 practices among the Gentiles in re- 
 gard to the slaughtering of animals 
 and preparing them for food, naturally 
 deepened the Jews' abhoiTence of 
 what they regarded as polluted, and 
 polluting, food. The Gentiles offered 
 animal sacrifices, also, to their gods, 
 and portions of such sacrifices were 
 sent to the markets for sale ; so that 
 purchasers were constantly liable to 
 buy food that had been offered up to 
 a heathen god. The use of such food 
 was regarded by many as sharing in 
 the guilt of idolatry. By these united 
 influences, it is probable that some 
 of the Jews had become prejudiced 
 against all animal food, since they 
 might, unconsciously, whenever they 
 ate it, be partaking of food that would 
 defile them by its very kind, or by 
 the manner of its preparation, or by 
 its having been offered to idols ; and 
 when Jews of such sentiments became 
 Christians, they probably retained 
 their conscientious scruples, and, be- 
 sides believing that it would be wrong 
 in them to use animal food, objected 
 to its use by any Christians. The 
 Gentile believers, riot having been 
 accustomed to the distinction between 
 clean and unclean, or lawful and pro- 
 (132) 
 
 hibited, in reference to food, and not 
 having been taught, by preachers of 
 the gospel, any distinction of this 
 kind as belonging to the Christian 
 religion, and being superior to any 
 scruples about idolatiy, Avhile con- 
 scious of not practising, or approv- 
 ing, it, could not sympathize with 
 the Jewish sentiment, and felt at 
 liberty to eat whatever they chose. 
 Doubtless, some of the Jewish believ- 
 ers also, in accordance with the spirit 
 of the apostle himself, regarded the 
 Mosaic prohibition as no longer bind- 
 ing and had correct ideas of Christian 
 liberty. 
 
 The Mosaic laAV enjoined, also, the 
 observance of several days in the 
 course of a year, both as feasts and 
 as fasts ; and custom had increased 
 the number of such days. Some of 
 the converted Jews felt conscience- 
 bound on this point, while many of 
 their fellow Christians, both Jewish 
 and Gentile, of more comprehensive 
 views and untrammelled by a weak 
 conscience, acknowledged no such 
 distinction of days. Compare Gal. 
 4: 10. Col. 2: 16-2.3. 
 
 Diversity of opinion in the Roman 
 church, on both of these subjects, led 
 to mutual alienation : the unduly 
 scrupulous condemned those who felt 
 at liberty to dispense with ritual ob- 
 sei-vances ; the more strong-minded 
 held the weak in contempt. The 
 apostle aimed to restore harmony by 
 bringing the contending parties to 
 a spirit of mutual accommodation. 
 He censured each of them as wrong 
 in their conduct towards the other, 
 whether in condemning or in despis- 
 ing. But while he defended the 
 strong-minded against the harsh judg- 
 ment of their weaker brethren, he was 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 133 
 
 1 Him that is weak in the f&ith receive ye, but not to doubt- 
 
 2 ful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all 
 
 3 things ; another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him 
 that eateth, despise him that eateth not; and let not him 
 which eateth not, judge him that eateth : for God hath re- 
 
 4 ceived him. Who art thou that judgest another man's ser- 
 vant ? to his own master he standeth or falleth : yea, he shall 
 
 5 be holden up : for God is able to make him stand. One man 
 esteemeth one day above another : another esteemeth every 
 day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own 
 
 6 mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the 
 
 more particularly solicitous to correct 
 the unfraternal feelings of the strong- 
 minded and to caution them against 
 a use of their liberty, which might be 
 pernicious to their brethren. 
 
 1 . Him that is weak in the faith ; 
 a Christian brother who is unable 
 to extricate himself from needless 
 scrujjles of conscience. |] Receive ye, 
 etc. ; admit him to your Christian 
 regards, not to disputes about his 
 doubts, or about matters respecting 
 the allowableness of which he is not 
 able to satisfy himself. 
 
 2. The apostle now presents one 
 of the cases which had produced di- 
 versity of opinion and conduct in the 
 Roman church, and in respect to 
 which persons who took opposite 
 sides equally needed advice. — One 
 believeth, etc. One firmly believes it 
 right for him to eat all kinds of food, 
 animal as well as vegetable : but 
 another who is weak-minded in regard 
 to ceremonial matters, and whose con- 
 science is morbidly scrupulous, eateth 
 vegetable food only. 
 
 3. Directions are now given to the 
 two classes, represented by these two 
 Christians. — Let not him that eateth 
 despise, etc. ; let not him that eateth 
 all kinds of food despise him who, 
 through weakness of judgment and 
 conscience, abstains from every thing 
 but vegetable food : on the other 
 hand, let not him who does not use 
 animal food pass judgment on him 
 who uses it. For God has received 
 to his favor him who eateth as well 
 
 12 
 
 as him who eateth not ; being a be- 
 liever in Christ, he, as well as the 
 one of a weakly-sensitive conscience, 
 is admitted to favor with God. 
 
 4. The impropriety of the weak 
 brother's passing judgment on the 
 other is now exposed. — Who art thou 
 that judgest, etc. "What right hast 
 thou to pass judgment on a servant 
 who does not belong to thee, but to 
 another, even to Christ ? Christ is 
 his Master ; and according to liis 
 own master's judgment he is to stand 
 accepted, or to fall condemned. Yea : 
 he shall be made to stand, since he is 
 a believer ; for God is able to make 
 him stand in Christian integrity and 
 in divine approval. Instead, then, 
 of harshly judging him that eats, re- 
 gard him as a fellow-servant account- 
 able to the same common Lord as 
 thyself. 
 
 5. The other case which had dis- 
 turbed fi-aternal harmony is next 
 presented. — One man esteemeth one day 
 above another, etc. Some Jewish 
 Christians retained a conscientious 
 feeling in regard to the days appointed 
 by the Mosaic law for sacred observ- 
 ances : the Gentile Christians in gen- 
 eral, not having been accustomed to 
 the observance of those days, and 
 doubtless some Jewish Christians, 
 felt under no obligation to regard 
 them. The apostle's direction in re- 
 gard to this matter is, that every 
 Christian should act according to his 
 own convicti'>n of what God requires. 
 
 6. In sacredly regarding such a 
 
134 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 Lord : and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he 
 doth not regard it. He that eateth, eatetl: to the Lord, for 
 he giveth God thanks ; and he that eateth not, to the Lord 
 
 7 he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us Hveth 
 
 8 to himself, and no man dieth to himself For whether we 
 Uve, we live unto the Lord ; and whether we die, we die 
 unto the Lord : whether we live therefore, or die, we are the 
 
 9 Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose and re- 
 vived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and Uving. 
 
 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother ? or why dost thou set 
 at naught thy brother ? For we shall all stand before the judg- 
 
 1 1 ment-seat of Christ. For it is written. As I live, saith the 
 Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall 
 
 day a Christian may act piously, and 
 in declining to regard it, another 
 Christian may act piously, with a 
 a sincere intent to please the Lord in 
 his employment of time. — He that 
 regardeth the day, etc. ; he that regard- 
 eth the day regards it out of respect 
 to the Lord's\vill; and he that re- 
 gards it not, he too, in like manner, 
 declines to regard it out of respect to 
 the Lord's \vill. The same truly 
 religious motive may actuate one in 
 observing the day, and the other in 
 not obi^en-ing it : both may equally 
 cherish a pious regard to the will of 
 the Lord. — The apostle now returns 
 to the case of food as coming under 
 the same rule, and as the two cases 
 are alike in the piinciple which should 
 regulate a Christian's conduct, he 
 speaks in the subsequent verses only 
 of the question pertaining to food. 
 II He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, etc. 
 He that eateth animal food, as well 
 as vegetable, eateth it with a religious 
 acknowledgment of the Lord ; for he 
 thanks God who has appointed it for 
 man's use : on the other hand, he 
 who doth not eat it declines to use it 
 out of regard, in like manner, to his 
 convictions of the Lord's will, and 
 religiously thanks God for the pro- 
 vision which he has made for man's 
 necessities. Both the one and the 
 other have a regard to the Lord's 
 wiU. 
 
 7, 8. For none of us liveth to him- 
 self, etc. This regard to the will of 
 Christ in whatever we do is eminently 
 pi'oper ; for we are not our own, wo 
 belong to Christ : by the fact of our 
 being Christians, no one of us lives, 
 or dies, as being his own, but as be- 
 longing to Christ, both in living and 
 in dying ; that is, in the whole of our 
 existence, whether in this world or 
 the other, we belong to Christ. 
 
 9. For to this end Christ both died 
 and rose, etc. Christ is the Lord of 
 Christians, both the dead and the 
 living ; and it was in ox'der that he 
 might become such, that he died and 
 rose again. 
 
 10. Since, then, Christ is the com- 
 mon Lord of all Christians, and as 
 such, is to be our Judge, let both the 
 weak-minded and the strong-minded 
 take caution. — IMiy dost thou judge — 
 jrhy dost thou set at naught? Why 
 dost thou, who scrupulously ab- 
 stainest from animal food, condemn 
 thy brother? or, why, on the other 
 hand, dost thou, who eatest animal 
 food . despise thy brother "? See verse 
 3. For we are all to stand at the 
 tribunal of Christ. See 2 : 16. 2 
 Cor. 5:10. John 5: 22, 27. Matt. 
 25 : 31-46. 
 
 11. For it is written: Is. 45 : 23. 
 The idea of the quoted passage is, 
 that every one shall bow before God, 
 the sovereign Judge. 
 
CHAPTER Xiy 
 
 135 
 
 12 confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account 
 
 13 of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another 
 any more : but judge this rather, that no man put a stum- 
 
 14 bling-block, or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. I 
 know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is 
 nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any 
 
 15 thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother 
 be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. 
 
 16 Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let 
 
 17 not then your good be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of 
 God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy 
 
 12. So then every one of us shall 
 ^ive account, etc. It follows, then, 
 tiat every one of us is to give account 
 of himself to God : no one can avoid 
 giving this account ; no one will give 
 account for another, but each for 
 himself. 
 
 13. Let. us not therefore judge one 
 another, etc. Since, then, each one is 
 to give account of himself, let us not 
 pass judgment on one another ; but 
 decide, rather, not to put any hin- 
 drance, or any occasion of sin, in our 
 brother's way. 
 
 14. / know, etc. As strengthen- 
 ing the determination not to put any 
 occasion of sin in a brother's way, 
 the apostle avows his own clear con- 
 viction, which, he was fully persuaded, 
 was according to the mind of Christ, 
 that no article of food is unclean in 
 itself, or capable of defiling the soul, 
 Mark 7 : 15. Acts 10: 15; yet, if a 
 person honestly regard it as unclean, 
 that is, forbidden and unlawful, to 
 him it is unclean, and it would be 
 wrong for him to use it, because by 
 so doing he would violate his con- 
 science and thus contract guilt : con- 
 sequently, we ought to avoid occa- 
 sions o * leading him thus to sin. 
 
 15. The case being so. Christian 
 love requires a person to abstain from 
 such an article of food who might inno- 
 cently use it so far as himself alone is 
 concerned, but who by using it might 
 endanger another's integrity and sal- 
 vation.^ y thy brother be grieved with 
 
 thy meat, etc. If on account of food 
 used by thee thy Christian brother is 
 aggrieved, thou dost not act charita- 
 bly ; that is, according to love. — 
 II Destroy not, etc. ; do not cause to 
 perish. Compare 1 Cor. 8 : 11. Be 
 not accessoiy, by thy food, which 
 pei-tains merely to the perishable body 
 and to brief gratification, and is hence 
 of very small consideration, to the 
 perdition of him whom Christ so 
 loved as to die for his sake. — The 
 natural consequence of sin is here 
 had in view, the loss of the soul. 
 Sin, whether in a believer or an un- 
 believer, exposes to perdition ; it 
 is only by abiding in holiness that we 
 can be saved. Heb. 4 : 1. 12: 14. 
 Col. 1 : 22, 23. 
 
 16. Let not then your good be evil 
 spoken of Let not that which you 
 justly esteem so great a good, namely, 
 your Christian freedom from the 
 yoke of the Mosaic law, be reviled in 
 consequence of the mischiefs which 
 would result from an undue assertion 
 and indulgence of it ; rather be will- 
 ing to waive your right and prefer a 
 brother's peace of conscience to your 
 own gratification. The reason for 
 this immediately follows ; namely, 
 true piety consists in other things 
 than carefulness, on one side or on 
 the other, about food. 
 
 17. For the kingdom of God, etc. 
 For the religion of Christ, designed 
 to establish the reign of God in men's 
 souls, that is to say, genuine piety, 
 
186 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 18 in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth 
 Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 
 
 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for 
 
 20 peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For 
 meat destroy not the work of God. AH things, indeed, are 
 pure : but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. 
 
 21 It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine, nor any thing 
 whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made 
 
 22 weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. 
 Happy is he that condemneth not liimself in that thing which 
 
 does not consist in food and drink, as 
 though a man's pietj' depended on 
 what he eats or declines to eat ; but 
 in righteousness of heart and life, in 
 peace towards God and men, and in 
 spiritual joy, such joy of soul as the 
 Holy Spirit produces. 
 
 18. For he that in these thmc/s serv- 
 eth Christ, etc. The sure way to 
 commend your Christian liberty is, to 
 act as servants of Christ in these 
 things which constitute the reign of 
 God in the heart. He that serA^es 
 Christ in these things, namely, riglit- 
 eousness, peace, and spiritual joy ; he, 
 who in his professed subjection to 
 Christ exemplifies these things, will 
 be acceptable to God and approved 
 among men, and even among those 
 who are weak in their consciences. 
 
 19. Things wherewith one may edifi/ 
 another; things conducive to our 
 mutual building up in the Christian 
 faith. 
 
 20. For meat ; for so small a con- 
 sideration as the kind of food which 
 thou slialt eat. || Destroy not ; liter- 
 ally, pull not down. || The work of 
 Gud. This may mean the work 
 which God is effecting among men in 
 establishing righteousness ; that is, 
 the cause of God on earth : or, since 
 Christians are called, 1 Cor. 3 : 9, 
 compare 3: 16, God's building, refer- 
 ence may be made to the Christian 
 community, or to the church of which 
 the parties concerned were members, 
 viewed as a building. The idea here 
 contrasts well witi that in the pre- 
 
 ceding Averse: the exhortation there 
 is, to build up one another ; here, not 
 to pull doion the Avork of God. || AU 
 things indeed are pure, etc. All kinds 
 of food are indeed pure in themselA'es 
 (compare verse 14), not communicat- 
 ing moral defilement, and therefore 
 laAvful to be used ; yet to a person 
 who eats icith offence, that is, thereby 
 occasioning another to commit sin, 
 the eating is AA'rong. Compare 1 
 Cor. 8: 8-11. 
 
 21. It is good neither to eat fesh, 
 etc. On the other hand, though a 
 person might use AvhatCA'er articles of 
 food he chooses Avithout incurring 
 guilt to himself, yet to abstain \xova. 
 such articles Avhen the use of them 
 Avould occasion sin to another, is good 
 and right. || Thy brother stumbleth, or 
 is offended, etc. ; falls into sin, or is 
 led astray, or in respect to which his 
 conscience is Aveak. — From regard to 
 the Aveak conscience of another and 
 the danger of his being led into acts 
 Avhich in him would be sinful, it is 
 good for a person to deny himself 
 what in other circumstances he might 
 rightfully enjoy. Compare 1 Cor. 
 8: 13. 'lU: 29. 
 
 22. Hast thou faith, etc. More 
 properly, Tl.ou hast faith; that is, 
 thou, the strong-minded Christian, 
 hast a full belief that Avhat thou doest 
 is right. Very Avell ; make not this 
 belief, hoAvever, the standard by 
 Avhich others must judge in regard 
 to themselves. This belief of thine 
 should be held as a matter betAveen 
 
CHAPTEK XV. 
 
 137 
 
 23 he alloweth. And lie that doubteth is damned if he eat, 
 because he eateth not of faith : for whatsoever is not of faith 
 is sin. 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 Mutual accommodatior. still further encouraged, 1-7. Christ, the bestower of blessings on 
 Jews and Gentiles in common, 8-13. Apology for writing with so much boldness, 14-20. 
 Proposal to Tisit the Roman brethren, after having fulfilled the trust of conveying to 
 Jerusalem a pecuniary contribution for the indigent Christians of that city, 21-29. Be- 
 speaking of their prayers in reference to his journey to Jerusalem, 30-33. 
 
 1 We then that are strong ought to bear the_ infirmities of 
 
 2 the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us 
 
 3 please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even 
 Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The re- 
 
 God and thee, and not as embolden- 
 ing thee to disregard the moral weak- 
 ness of thy brother. || Happy is he 
 that condemneth not himself, etc. Justly 
 may the man account himself hap- 
 py, who is free from self-condemna- 
 tion in the acts which he approves. 
 
 23. And he that doubteth, etc. ; but 
 he, who doubts the rightfulness of 
 eating flesh, is condemned if he eat it ; 
 because liis act would not proceed 
 from a belief that it was right : he 
 ate, while conscientiously doubting 
 whether he was doing right; and 
 every act Avhich does not proceed 
 from a belief that it is right, is sinful ; 
 it is doing what the person suspects, 
 at least, to be wTong, and thus his 
 conscience is really defiled. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The subject of the preceding chap- 
 ter is concluded ; vs. 1-13. The 
 apostle expresses his great regard for 
 the Roman Christians, notwithstand- 
 ing the boldness vith which he had 
 12* 
 
 written to them, 14-16 ; gives a cur- 
 sory view of his apostolic labors, 
 17-21 ; makes known his purpose of 
 visiting Rome after he shall have 
 conveyed to Jerusalem a contribution 
 with which he -had been entrusted for 
 the indigent Christians there, 22-29 ; 
 and requests a remembrance in their 
 prayers, expressing also his interest 
 in their welfare, 30-33. 
 
 1 . " We then that are strong, etc. ; 
 we, who have strength of judg- 
 ment and conscience ought to bear 
 with the weaknesses of our brethren, 
 and not to please ourselves in disre- 
 gard of theh' scruples. Compare 
 Gal. 6 : 2. 
 
 2. Let every one of us please his 
 neighbor, etc. Instead of pleasing 
 himself, each one of us should aim to 
 please his brethren with the design of 
 advancing their spiritual improve- 
 ment. 
 
 3. For even Christ pleased not him- 
 self, etc. The example of Christ i9 
 produced, to enforce the exhortation: 
 he submitted to reproach and suffer- 
 
188 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 4 proaches of them that reproached thee, fell on me. For 
 whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for 
 our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the 
 
 5 scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and 
 consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another, 
 
 6 according to Christ Jesus : that ye may with one mind and 
 one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 
 7 Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Chi'ist also 
 received us to the glory of God. 
 
 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circum- 
 cision for the truth of God, to conj&rm the promises made unto 
 
 9 the fathers : and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his 
 mercy : as it is written. For this cause I will confess to 
 
 10 thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And 
 
 11 again he saith: Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And 
 again. Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles ; and laud him, all 
 
 12 ye people. And again Esaias saith ; There shall be a root 
 of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles ; 
 in him shall the Gentiles trust. 
 
 ing for the sake of God and his cause 
 among men. 1| As it is written : Ps. 
 69 : 9. Compare Phil. 2 : 4, 5. 
 
 4. Whatsoever things were written 
 aforetime ; things written in the Old 
 Testament. || For our learning, etc. ; 
 for our instruction ; that we, through 
 the patience which the scriptures 
 enjoin and the consolation which they 
 impart, might have well grounded 
 and confirmed hope of eternal life. 
 
 5, 6. As a fit conclusion to his 
 treatment of the mutual disagree- 
 ments among the members of the 
 Roman church, the apostle expresses 
 the wish that God may bestow on 
 them the spix'it of concord, that with 
 unity of feeling they may glorify God. 
 The God of patience and consolation ; 
 the God who bestows patience and 
 consolation, as mentioned in the pre- 
 ceding verse. || According to Christ 
 Jesus ; according to ihe will of Christ 
 and to his example. 
 
 7. Wherefore receive ye one another, 
 etc. ; receive one another to mutual 
 kind regai-ds, ar. Christ has received 
 us into his fav )r and thus secured 
 glory to Grod. 
 
 8, 9. Now I say, etc. He now 
 finishes this discussion about the mat- 
 ters in controversy, by affirming that 
 Jesus Christ became a minister of 
 good both to Jews and Gentiles, in 
 order to confirm the veracity of God 
 in his promises to the patriarchs and 
 in his predicted pui-pose to show mercy 
 to the Gentiles, that they, too, might 
 glorify God. || Was a minister of 
 the circumcision. Here, as in 3 : 30, 
 the circumcision designates the Jews 
 distinctively. — A minister is one min- 
 istering to the good of others, render- 
 ing them service. Christ is here 
 represented as one who took on him 
 service for the Jews in accordance 
 with the promises of God, thus acting 
 for the truth of God, establishing his 
 Acracity. || And that the Gentiles, etc. 
 He became, also, the medium of 
 mercy to the Gentiles. The apostle 
 may have designed here to awaken 
 the sentiment that both Jews and 
 Gentiles, believing in Christ, foma 
 one body and ought to cherish har- 
 mony ; and that Christ, having come 
 to minister to their common good, is 
 an example which . should- prompt 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 139 
 
 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in 
 believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that 
 ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able 
 
 15 also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I 
 have written the more boldly unto you, in some sort, as put- 
 ting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me 
 
 16 of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the 
 Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up 
 of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the 
 
 17 Holy Ghost. I have therefore whereof I may glory through 
 
 them to minister to one another's 
 good. Compare Luke 22 : 27. Matt. 
 20: 28. II As it is icritten. The 
 purpose of God to bless the Gentiles 
 is shown by several quotations from 
 the Old Testament; namely, Ps. 18 : 
 49. Deut. 32:43. Ps. 117:1. Is. 
 11 : 10. 
 
 13. Now the God of hope ; the 
 God from whom comes our hope of 
 eternal life. || In believing ; in believ- 
 ing on Christ. || Through the poivei- 
 of the Holy Ghost. The joy and 
 peace, here prayed for, are imparted 
 through the power of the Holy Spu-it 
 and reader the hope, already cher- 
 ished, more abundant and firm. 
 
 14-16. The apostle now forestalls 
 any injurious misapprehensions which 
 might be occasioned by the freeness 
 with which he had written ; he there- 
 fore avows his high estimate of the 
 Roman brethren, and traces his bold- 
 ness, (though he wishes to be con- 
 sidered as, in part, reminding them 
 of what they already knew and were 
 disposed to perform,) to his beai'ing 
 the office and responsibility of an 
 apostle. — And I niyself also am per- 
 suaded of you, etc. ; more correctly, 
 But I myself etc. : notwithstanding 
 my counsels to you, I am persuaded 
 of your kind and conciliatory spirit 
 and your ample knowledge of the 
 gospel. Compare 1 : 8, 12. 
 
 15. The more boldly ; more boldly 
 
 than would seem consistent with my 
 avowed persuasion of your goodness 
 and knowledge. || In some sort, as, 
 etc. ; in part, as reminding you of 
 what you already know. || Because 
 of the grace that is given to me, etc. 
 The real cause of his boldness in 
 addressing them was, that God had 
 by his grace invested him with the 
 responsibility of an apostle. Com- 
 pare 1:5. 12:3. It was neither 
 through lack of confidence in his 
 brethren, nor through assumption of 
 authority, that he wrote with so much 
 freedom. 
 
 16. That I should be the minister 
 of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, etc. 
 The original terms here employed are 
 quite peculiar: they describe the 
 apostle's work as a priestly service 
 rendered to Christ in reference to the 
 Gentiles, in which he officiated by 
 making knov/n to them the gospel, 
 in order that they might become an 
 offering to God, acceptable to him, 
 sanctified by the Holy Spirit. — In 
 other words, he had been divinely 
 called to the apostlesliip among the 
 Gentiles in order that they might par- 
 take of the influences and blessings of 
 the gospel and become an accepted 
 and holy people of God. 
 
 17-21. In view of the appoint- 
 ment to the apostleship among the 
 Gentiles, he had great cause for re- 
 joicing, since Christ had accomplished 
 much by him in respect to the con- 
 
140 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 18 Jesus Cirist, in those things which pertain to God. For I 
 will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ 
 hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by 
 
 19 word and deed, through mighty signs and wonders, by the 
 power of the Spirit of God ; so that from Jerusalem and 
 round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel 
 
 20 of Christ. Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not 
 where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another 
 
 21 man's foundation : but as it is written, To whom he was not 
 spoken of, they shall see : and they that have not heard shall 
 understand. 
 
 vei-sion of the Gentiles, particularly 
 those to whom Christ was before un- 
 known. — / have therefore whereof I 
 may glory, etc. : I have therefore a 
 ground for glorying in Christ Jesus ; 
 that is, in my connection with Christ, 
 as being his agent in promoting the 
 cause of God. 
 
 18. For I will not dare to speak of 
 any of those things which Christ hath 
 not wrought by me, etc. Compare 2 
 Cor. 10 : 13-16. This avowal of un- 
 willingness to mention any thing 
 which Christ had not effected through 
 him, virtually contains the idea that 
 Christ had wrought much through 
 him. He may be considered as say- 
 ing, I will not venture to say a word 
 about things which Christ has not 
 accomplished by me ; for I should, 
 indeed, regard this as arrogance ; but 
 
 I may venture to speak of what he 
 Ms accomplished by me, in making 
 the Gentiles obedient to the gospel. 
 
 II By word'^and deed; by speech and 
 act, by making known the gospel and 
 performing deeds in confirmation of 
 it. — The means employed for the 
 conversion of the Gentiles are here 
 intimated ; namely, the preaching of 
 the gospel and the miraculous deeds 
 which attested its divine authority. 
 
 19. Through mighty signs and icon- 
 ders ; literally, by the power of signs 
 and wonders, the miracles wrouglit by 
 the apostle. Conpare Acts 16 : 16, 
 18. 19: 11, 12. II By the power of 
 the Spirit of God. The preaching of 
 
 the gospel and the working of mira- 
 cles were made effectual by the Spirit 
 of God. Thus while glorying, the 
 apostle took no honor to himself: it 
 was Christ who wrought through 
 him ; his labors Avere made effectual 
 by the Holy Spirit. Compare 1 Cor. 
 3:5-9. 4 : 6, 7. \\ So that from 
 Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum, 
 etc. The extent of territory over 
 which his labors were spread, fur- 
 nished ground, also, for glorying in 
 his relation to Christ ; namely, from 
 Jerusalem and round about (perhaps, 
 in the expression, round about, he 
 meant to include Arabia, Gal. 1:17, 
 and Damascus, Acts 9 : 22) to Illy- 
 ricum, a countiy of Europe on the 
 north-east shore of the Hadriatic Sea. 
 A mere glance at a map shows how 
 extensive were his travels in preach- 
 ing the gospel and planting churches. 
 II / have fully preached, etc. The idea 
 is, that lie had preached through all 
 that extent of territory, thus giving 
 completeness in all those i-egions to 
 his official work. 
 
 20, 21. Yea, so have I strived, etc. 
 He here intimates a limitation in re- 
 gard to the places where he had 
 preached : though he had travelled 
 so extensively, yet it had been his 
 aim to spread the gospel, not where 
 it had already been made known, but 
 where Christ had not been named, 
 thus acting in harmony with the pro- 
 phetic declaration, in Is. 52 : 15, that 
 knowledge of Christ was to be dif- 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 141 
 
 22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from 
 
 23 coming to you. But now having no more place in these 
 parts, and having a great desire these many years to come 
 
 24 unto you, whensoever I take my journey into Spain I will 
 come to you ; for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be 
 brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be some- 
 
 25 what filled with your company. But now I go unto Jerusa- 
 
 26 lem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them 
 of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for 
 the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased 
 them verily ; and their debtors they are. For if the Gen- 
 tiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their 
 duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. When 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 fused among those who had not heard 
 of him. — The planting of the gospel 
 in the dark regions of idolatry and 
 superstition was a favorite object with 
 the apostle and was in literal accord- 
 ance Avith his commission from Christ. 
 See Acts 26 : 16-18. 
 
 22-29. The apostle expresses his 
 desire to visit the Roman brethren. — 
 For which cause ; namely, the inces- 
 sant demand for his labors in the 
 regions which he had indicated in 
 verse 19. || Much hindered; more 
 correctly, many times, or maiiy years, 
 hindered. 
 
 23. Having no more place in these 
 parts ; having no longer a place for 
 laboring, or an occasion for laboring, 
 in these regions, since throughout 
 them the gospel has been made 
 known. 
 
 24. Whensoeve:r, etc. He cher- 
 ished the purpose of extending his 
 labors as far as to Spain, and was 
 intending, when he should under- 
 take this contemplated tour, to pass 
 through Rome and visit the brethren 
 there. || And to be brought on my ivay. 
 It was customary, when a person was 
 setting out on a joui-ney, or re-com- 
 mencing it after tarrying awhile at 
 a place, for particular friends to ac- 
 company him a short distance. — 
 Hence the expression, to be brought on 
 the way, or, literally, to be sent forward. 
 Compare Acts 5:3. 20: 38. 21: 
 
 5. 3 John, verse 6. || If first 1 be 
 somewhat filled ivith your company. 
 His regard for the Roman brethren 
 made him anticipate much enjoyment 
 in his visit to them ; but a full satis- 
 faction of his desires he could not 
 promise himself : his purpose to pros- 
 ecute his official labors would allow 
 him to gratify his desires only in 
 part. 
 
 25. But noio I go unto Jerusalem, 
 etc. Compare Acts 24 : 17. He was 
 the bearer of a contribution made for 
 the indigent Christian Jews in Jerusa- 
 lem. 
 
 26, 27. And their debtors they are. 
 The Gentile Christians in Macedonia 
 and Achaia were pleased to make this 
 contribution for the poor among the 
 Jewish Christians in Jei'usalem ; but, 
 besides that, the apostle represents, it 
 was a matter of duty : they were 
 under obligations to Jews, and they 
 might well feel it their duty to impart 
 worldly good in return for the spir- 
 itual blessings which had flowed to 
 them from the Jews. — By this sug- 
 gestion, the apostle probably aimed 
 to promote kind feeling between the 
 Gentile and the Jewish members of 
 the Roman church, and perhaps to 
 secure additional aid for the suffering 
 poor in Jerusalem. 
 
 28. Performed this ; completed this 
 business. || Sealed to them this fruit ; 
 delivered over, and thus made sure, to 
 
142 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 29 
 
 30 
 
 31 
 
 32 
 33 
 
 therefore I have pei-formed this, and have sealed to them 
 this fruit. I will come by you into Spain. And I am sure 
 that when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the 
 blessing of the gospel of Christ. 
 
 Now I beseech you, bretliren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's 
 sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together 
 with me in your prayers to God for me ; that I may be 
 delivered from them that do not believe in Judea ; and that 
 my service which / have for Jerusalem may be accepted of 
 the saints ; that I may come unto you with joy by the will 
 of God, and may with you be refreshed. Now the God of 
 peace he with you all. Amen. 
 
 them this fruit of the Gentile Chris- 
 tians' bounty. || I will come by you 
 into Spain, \\1iether the apostle was 
 ever able to accomplish this purpose 
 is doubtful. The New Testament 
 makes no mention of an actual jour- 
 ney to Spain ; and the entire derange- 
 ment of his plans, consequent on the 
 opposition with which the uncon- 
 verted Jews assailed him on his ar- 
 rival at Jerusalem, Acts 21 : 17, 27, 
 might have frustrated his purpose. 
 When he went to Rome, it was not 
 only as a prisoner, but also after many 
 delays, occasioned both by Jews and 
 by Roman magistrates ; so that cir- 
 cumstances took an entirely different 
 turn from that which he was antici- 
 pating. 
 
 29. I shall come in the fulness of 
 the blessing, etc. Compare 1: 11, 12. 
 
 30-32. In view of the hazards of 
 his visit to Jerusalem, he requests the 
 intercession of the brethren at Rome. 
 F'or the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, etc. ; 
 by a regard for the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and by the brotherly love which the 
 Holy Spirit has imparted. 
 
 31. That I may be delivered, etc. 
 He was aware of the determined hos- 
 
 tility felt towards him by the uncon- 
 verted Jews in Jerusalem. See Acts 
 20:22,23. 21:10-13. \\ And that 
 my service, etc. ; that my service in 
 conveying the contribution, verse 25, 
 may be accepted of the Je\vish Chris- 
 tians. — He knew that many of the 
 Jewish Christians were unfavorably 
 affected towards him, Acts 21:1 7-21, 
 and therefore feared that a contribu- 
 tion brought by him, and from the 
 Gentile Christians who were so favor- 
 able to him, miglit not be welcomed. 
 The visit to Jerusalem, now just about 
 to be made by the apostle, proved the 
 occasion of those tiying scenes which 
 are recoi'ded in Acts, commencing at 
 21 : 17 and occupying the remainder 
 of that book. 
 
 33. The God of peace. The 
 thought of God as the author of 
 peace was quite appropriate in view 
 of the disagreements which the apos- 
 tle had been seeking to remove. The 
 expression, however, was a frequent 
 one ; and probably designated God 
 as the author of all good. See Phil. 
 4:9. 1 Thess. 5 : 23. 2 Thcss. 3 : 
 16. Heb. 13 : 20. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Commendation of Phebe and closing salutations to numerous individuals at Rome, 1-16. 
 Exhortation to be on their guard against false teachers, 17-20. Salutations .'rom various 
 persons to the Romans, 21-24. Closing commendation of the Romans to God, with 
 ascription of praise to him, 25-27. 
 
 I COMMEND unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant 
 of the church which is at Cenchrea : that ye receive her in 
 the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in what- 
 soever business she hath need of you : for she hath been a 
 succorer of many, and of myself also. Greet Priscilla and 
 Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus : who have for my life 
 laid down their own necks : unto whom not only I give 
 thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles : Hkewise 
 gi'eet the church that is in their house. Salute my well- 
 beloved Epenetus, who is the first-fruits of Achaia unto 
 
 CHAPTEE XVI. 
 
 Commendation of Phebe, probably 
 the bearer of the epistle, vs. 1, 2. 
 Salutations to various Christians in 
 Rome, 3-16; exhortation to avoid 
 men who occasion dissensions, 17-20. 
 Salutations ft-om various individuals, 
 21-24 ; closing ascription of glory to 
 God, 25-27. 
 
 1. Phebe, our sister ; our Chi-istian 
 sister. || A servant of the church; 
 probably in conformity with the orig- 
 inal term, a deaconess of the church. 
 It is geiierally believed that, on ac- 
 count of the customs of society, cer- 
 tain females in churches were ap- 
 pointed to the care of the poor and 
 sick of their own sex, holding a rela- 
 tion to the female members of the 
 church similar to that of deacons to 
 the entire church. || Cenchrea ; one 
 of the sea-ports of Corinth. — Corinth 
 was an inland city on an isthmus, 
 and had communication with the sea 
 by two sea-ports, one towards Europe, 
 the other towards Asia. Cenchrea 
 
 w^as the latter, a few miles distant 
 from Corinth. 
 
 2. In the Lord, as hecoweth saints; 
 agreeably to the Avill of the Lord, as 
 it becomes Christians to receive their 
 fellow disciples. 
 
 3, 4. Priscilla and Aquila. See 
 Acts 18: 2, 3, 18. 1 Cor. 16: 19. 
 II Who have for my life, etc. On what 
 occasions they exposed their lives for 
 the apostle, we are not informed. 
 II All the churches of the Gentiles. 
 Priscilla and Aquila seem to have 
 travelled, for purposes of traffic, over 
 various regions, and to have had a 
 temporary abode in various cities. 
 They were thus able to coiifer benefits 
 on many churches, probably, by hold- 
 ing religious assemblies at their resi- 
 dences, as well as in other ways; 
 thus, too. Christians from various 
 regions, while in the same cities with 
 them, were favored Avith religious 
 privileges. Generally speaking, then, 
 all the churches of the Gentiles had 
 ground for gratitude to them. 
 
 5. The diurch that is in their hxnise. 
 (143) 
 
144 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 6 Christ. Greet Mary, who bestowed . much labor on us. 
 
 7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow 
 prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were 
 
 8 in Christ before me. Greet Amplias, my beloved in the 
 
 9 Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my 
 
 10 beloved. Salute Apelles, approved in Christ. Salute them 
 
 11 which are of Aristobulus' household. Salute Herodion my 
 kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, 
 
 12 which are in the Lord. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, 
 who labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which 
 
 13 labored much in the Lord. Salute Rufus, chosen in the 
 
 14 Lord, and his mother and mine. Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, 
 Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with 
 
 15 them. Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, 
 
 1 6 and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them. Salute 
 one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute 
 you. 
 
 As Aquila and Priscilla had a tem- 
 porary abode in various cities, they 
 were, probably, in the habit of ac- 
 commodating in their houses small 
 assemblies of Christians for worship. 
 Such assemblies appear to have been 
 denominated churches, in accordance 
 with the etymological meaning of the 
 word church in the original, namely, 
 an assembly, or company, of persons 
 called together. Compare 1 Cor. 16 : 
 19, 20, where such a company, or 
 church, is expressly distinguished 
 from the entire church, or all the 
 brethren, in the city spoken of. — 
 II Epenetus, ivho is the first-fruits of 
 Achaia unto Christ. In 1 Cor. 1 6 : 
 15, the family of Stephanas is called 
 the first-fruits of Achaia. This term, 
 however, was not intended to distin- 
 guish an individual, or a family, as 
 the very first that adopted the religion 
 of Christ in Achaia: it designated 
 those who were the earliest converts 
 to Christ in that province. To this 
 number Epenetus belonged, as well 
 as the family of Stephanas. 
 
 6. Who bestowed much labor on us ; 
 who exerted herself much in our 
 behalf. 
 
 7. Junia. It is uncertain in the 
 
 original, whether Junia, or Junias, 
 is the right name ; consequently, 
 whether a Christian brother, or a sis- 
 ter, is intended. || My kinsmen : prob- 
 ably, by family relation, jj Mi/ fellow 
 prisoners. Where and on what occa- 
 sion Andronicus and Junia shared a 
 prison with the apostle is unknown. 
 
 10. Approved in Christ; a tried 
 and approved Christian. 
 
 13. Rufus. "Whether he was the 
 son of Simon the Cyrenian, men- 
 tioned in Mark 15 : 21', as some sup- 
 pose, is uncertain, since the name 
 Rufus was very common. || Chosen 
 in the Lord; a choice, beloved Chris- 
 tian. II His mother and mine ; Rufus's 
 own mother. She had, also, greatly 
 endeared herself to the apostle by 
 affection and care for him like a 
 mother's. 
 
 16. Salute one another with a holy 
 kiss. Compare 1 Cor. 16: 20. 2 
 Cor. 13: 12. 1 Thess. 5: 26. 1 Pet. 
 5 : 14. This token of mutual reli- 
 gious affection was common among 
 the earliest Christians. In ordinary 
 life among the Jews, Greeks, and 
 Romans, salutation was accompanied 
 with a kiss ; and the custom naturally 
 passed into the usages of Christians. 
 
CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 lU 
 
 17 Now I b( seech you, brethren, mark them which cause 
 divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which ye have 
 
 18 learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly ; and by good 
 words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 
 
 19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all 77ie7i. I am glad 
 therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise 
 
 20 unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And 
 the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. 
 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 
 
 After the apostles' times, it was made 
 a matter of ecclesiastical regulation 
 and continued for several centuries. 
 
 17-20. The npcstle cautions the 
 Romans afrainst certain men who 
 were opposing; the genuine doctrine 
 of the gospel, creating dissensions 
 and occasions of ^in among Cliris- 
 tians. Ke proliably meant the zealous 
 Judaizers who had done so much 
 mischief among the Galatians, Gah 
 1 : 6-9. 3: iT 4: 16, 17. 5: 12. 
 6: 12, 1.3, and against whom he af- 
 tenvards warned the Philippians, 
 Phil. 3 : 2, 3. Whether or not such 
 persons had yet attempted to alienate 
 the Romans from the true faith, it 
 was still necessary to put the Roman 
 brethren on tlieir guard. — Mark ; 
 carefully notice. !| Offences ; occa- 
 sions of' stumbling, both as to the 
 doctrine of the gospel and as to the 
 conduct which it enjoins. 
 
 1 8. The]/ that are such sa've not our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, lut, etc.; they serve 
 not Christ, but themselves, bent only 
 on procuring a subsistence and low 
 gratifications. || The simple ; the un- 
 suspectiiig. 
 
 19. For your obedience is come 
 abroad unto all men. Compai'e 1 : 8. 
 The obedience to the gospel for 
 which the Romans had become eveiy 
 where distinguished, was a reason 
 why they should avoid men who 
 would sow dissensions among them 
 and thus impair the church's influence. 
 Should they come under the power 
 of false teachers, tlie reputation which 
 
 13 
 
 they had eveiy where enjoyed, as in- 
 telligent and established Christians, 
 would not only be endangered, but 
 might operate to the strengthening of 
 error. || / am rlad tltcrt-fore. on your 
 behalf. I rejoice on account of your 
 oberiience to th.e gospel, and the con- 
 sequent ground of hope- that you v.ill 
 be steadfast in adhering to it. || But 
 yctlicould Jtai'c you icise — and simple, 
 etc. But whi!e I rejoice in your 
 obedience to the gospel, I yet wish, 
 since insinuating false teachers are 
 abroad, that you may be sagacious 
 and Avaiy as to what is good, shrewdly 
 discriminating it from evil, and sim- 
 ple-minded as to what is evil, feeling 
 no tendency tow: rds it, instinctively 
 repelling it. — The vrord here trans- 
 lated simple is the same as is trans- 
 lated harmless in Matt. 10: 16; and 
 our Lord's direction in that verse, 
 Be ye icise as serpents, harmless as 
 doves, may illustrate the apostle's 
 meaning. He may be considered as 
 saying, I wish you, concerning what 
 is good, to be wary and shrewd ; con- 
 cerning what is evil, to be simple and 
 harmless, as doves. Compare 1 Coi. 
 14: 20. 2 Cor. 11 : 3. 
 
 20. And the God of peace shall 
 bruise Satan, etc. God wlio is the 
 author of peace, 15 : 33. 1 Cor. 14: 
 33, sliall give you the victory over 
 Satan, who is the author of dissen- 
 sions. — In th.e expression, God shall 
 bruise /Satan under your feet, allusion 
 is made to the ancient practice of 
 treading down conquered enemies, or 
 
146 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 21 Timotlieus, my work -fellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and 
 
 22 Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. I Tertius, who wrote 
 
 23 this epistle, salute you in the Lord. Gaius mine host, and 
 of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain 
 
 24 of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother. The grace 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ he with you all. Amen. 
 
 25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to 
 my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to 
 the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since 
 
 26 the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scrip- 
 tures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the 
 
 putting the foot on their necks. See 
 Josh. 10: 24. Compare Gen. 3 : 15. 
 21-23. Salutations from persons 
 who were with the apostle at tlie time 
 of sending this epistle. — Timotheus. 
 Acts 16: 1-3. II Lucius. Acts 13: 
 1. II Jason. Acts 17: 5. || Sosipa- 
 ter; probably the same as Sopater. 
 Acts 20 : 4. 
 
 22. I, Tertius, who icrote this epis- 
 tle, etc. Tertius was the apostle's 
 amanuensis, or scribe, in writing this 
 epistle. It was the apostle's ordinary- 
 practice to employ a scribe, though 
 he wrote the salutation at the end 
 himself. In one case he wrote the 
 entire epistle with his own hand. 
 Compare Gal. 6 : 11. 1 Cor. 16 : 21. 
 Col. 4: 18. 2 Thess. 3: 17. \\ In 
 the Lord ; as a disciple of Christ. 
 
 23. Gains, mine host and of the 
 whole church. See 1 Cor. 1 : 14. He 
 was in the habit of showing hospi- 
 tality to Christians from all quarters. 
 
 24. Erastus, the chamberlain, etc. ; 
 more correctly, the treasurer of the 
 city of Corinth ; perhaps the person 
 mentioned in 2 Tim. 4 : 20. || Quar- 
 tus, a brother ; a Christian brother. 
 
 25-27. The epistle concludes with 
 ■an ascription of praise to God. — To 
 him who is of power to stablish you, 
 etc.; to him who is able to establish 
 you in faith. Compare 1 Cor. 1:8. 
 2 Cor. 1 : 21. || According to my gos- 
 pel; according to the gospel which I 
 preach ; or, the gospel as I preach it. 
 Compare 2 : 16. Perhaps the apos- 
 
 tle intended to distinguish his gospel 
 from the eiToneous views of the 
 Judaizing teachers. || And the preach- 
 ing of Jesus Christ; even the preach- 
 ing which Christ himself has en- 
 joined ; in other woi'ds, the genuine 
 doctrine of Christ. • || According to the 
 revelation of the mystery. The mystery 
 here is the undisclosed purpose of God 
 to save men through faith in Christ. 
 See Eph. 3 : 4-6, 9. Col. 1 : 26. 
 2:2. 4:3. Compare the note on 
 11 : 25. By the gospel that secret 
 purpose has become disclosed, and 
 thus the gospel is tlie revelation of 
 that mystery. || Which ivas kept 
 secret, etc. ; which was kept in silence 
 through all the ancient times pi'eced- 
 ing the coming of Christ. 
 
 26. But now is made manifest; 
 now, in these times, since Christ has 
 come, the purpose of God is made 
 manifest. Col. 1 : 27. || And by the 
 scriptures of the prophets, etc. ; and, 
 by means of the prophetic scri]>turc5 
 which predicted the gospel (1 : 2) 
 and which are now fulfilled, this pur- 
 pose of God is made known, pu!)- 
 lishcd abroad, agreeably to the com- 
 mand of the eternal God, among all 
 nations, in order to make them obedi- 
 ent to the requisition of faith in 
 Christ (1: 5) — The apostles con- 
 stantly ap])ealed to the writings of 
 the Old Testament in confirmation 
 of their instructions ; and it was by 
 means of these scriptures that convic- 
 tion of the truth as to the Messiah- 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 147 
 
 everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience 
 27 of faith : To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ 
 for ever. Amen. 
 
 ship of Jesus, and the validity of his 
 claim to be accepted as the Son of 
 God, was produced. — The apostles 
 acted, also, under the command of 
 the eternal God. See Acts 4: 19. 
 5: 19, 20. 13: 47. 1 Tim. 1 : 1. 
 Tit. 1:3. The epithet everlasting, 
 more properly eternal, is here of spe- 
 cial significance ; since it is He who 
 sees the end from the beginning, by 
 whose arrangement the method of 
 mercy was so long kept concealed, and 
 who in the fulness of time brought 
 about the disclosure. The apostles 
 who proclaimed it acted by his com- 
 mand, as really as the prophets who 
 predicted the Messiah ; and the gos- 
 pel is the promulgation of his eternal 
 purpose of mercy carried into effect 
 by Jesus Christ. 
 
 27.. To God, only icise, etc. ; to the 
 only wise God, etc. This verse is to 
 be connected witli the 25th ; thus, 
 To him who is able to establish you 
 .... to the only w^ise God, etc. 
 God only is independently wise, wise 
 in himself: compared with him, too, 
 no being has wisdom. Compare 
 Job. 4 : 18 — A reader of the original 
 perceives a peculiarity in the language 
 of this doxology : and diverse modes 
 of accounting for it ax-e adopted. — 
 Some suppose that the clause, through 
 Jesus Christ, should be connected with 
 
 the clause, the only icise God, convey- 
 ing the idea that the wisdom of 
 God is eminently displayed through 
 Christ. Eph. 3: 10, 11. The rela- 
 tive pronoun, occurring here, in the 
 original, is also regarded by some as 
 used instead of the personal pronoun. 
 It has also been thought, that, by 
 means of the relative pronoun, Christ 
 is the designed object of the ascrip- 
 tion, the reader's mind being left to 
 supply the omission thus occasioned 
 in the" former part of the sentence. 
 
 Tlie subscription usually attached 
 to this epistle, stating that it was sent 
 from Corinth, and that it was con- 
 veyed by Phebe of Cenchrea, though 
 probably correct, Avas appended long 
 after the apostle's time. In like man- 
 ner, the subscriptions to the other 
 epistles did not proceed from the 
 apostle. " Some of them," as Home 
 observes in his Introduction to the 
 Scriptures, vol. II. pp. 154, 155, 
 " are l)eyond all doubt false. . . . 
 They are altogether wanting in some 
 ancient manuscripts of the best note, 
 while in others they arc greatly varied. 
 . . . According to Dr. Mill, they 
 were added by Euthalius, bishop of 
 Sulca in Egypt, about the middle of 
 the fifth century." 
 
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 THE LIFE AND POSTHUMOUS ^WOEKS OP 
 
 rHE REV. JOHN HARRIS, D. D. 
 
 Late Princii)al of New Collego, i^ondou, aud formerly Theological Tutor of Cheshunt College. 
 
 Edited by the Be V, PHILIP SMITH. B. A., 
 Formerly a colleague of Dr. Harris in Cheshunt and New Colleges. 
 
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 SERMONS AND CHARGES delivered by him in various parts of the country, during the height 
 
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 THE DIVINE GOVERNMENT OF NATIONS. Besides other Minor Writings and Fragments. 
 
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DirORTANT .NEW WORKS. 
 
 YAIIVEH CHRIST, or the Memorial Name. By Alexander Mao* 
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 This little volume is destined at least to awaken thought and attention, if not to accomplish all that 
 the author expects of if. The argument to a cursory glance shows great probability, and is worth 
 a serious attention. It his position could be demonstrated it would be one of vast importance to 
 theology, and would give m some sense a new face to the Old Testament. Though the work relates 
 to a Hebrew word, it is written in a form to be understood by all readers; and it deserves, what w« 
 have no doubt it will receive, a careful examination. — Puritan Recorder. 
 
 It is refreshing in these days of many books, to fall in with an original work, laying open a new vein 
 of thought, and leading the student to a novel train of investigations. Mr. MacWiiortcr is entitled 
 to this rare distinction, for his conclusions will be entirely new to the large body of American 
 scholars. We can commend the volume cordially to all readers who enjoy an investigation, marked 
 by great thoroughness, ripe scliolarship, and eminent candor, and written, too, in an animated and 
 flowing style. We anticipate that the work must create a profound sensation in the theological world, 
 for its^.'onclusions are tenable ; it puts at rest forever all doubts of the Divinity of Clirist. — Watch- 
 man AND Reflector. 
 
 HEAVEN. By James William Kimball. With elegant illustrated title- 
 page. 12mo, cloth, SIOO. 
 
 From Pkof. Huntington, Editor of the EELroious Magazine. — He has avoided the 
 perilous and tempting extremes of rash or fanciful painting on the one side, or of a too exact and 
 literal description on the other. . . . One is surprised at the mental discipline, the variety of 
 information, and the measure of literary skill evinced in the body of the work- 
 
 The book is full of beautiful ideas, consoling hopes, and brilliant representations of human destiny, 
 all presented in a chaste, pleasing, and very readable style. — N. Y. Chroniclk. 
 
 There is an air of freshness and originality about it, that will render it interesting even to some 
 whose spirits have not caught the upward tendency. — Puritan Recorder. 
 
 This is a delightful volume, written by an active business man of this city, upon a subject which 
 must always possess peculiar interest to the Christian. — N. E. Farmer. 
 
 It is suggestive of elevated thoughts respecting that lofty state and place which is called heaven, 
 and to the attainment of which our best energies should be directed. — Presbyterian. 
 
 We welcome this contribution to our religious literature, from the open pen of a Christian mer- 
 chant. Free from pedantry and the conventionalities of logic and of style, it comes to us with u 
 fresliness of thought and a fervor of feeling that are often wanting in the scnolar's page. The author 
 draws illustrations, som times, from scenes with which the professional teacher is little conversant. 
 — N. Y. Independent. 
 
 The author is certainly an independent thinker, as well as a vigorous writer, and has written a 
 book tiiat will please the thoughtful, and will astonish pious peopIC; who seklom, and always timidly, 
 think. Freed from the technicalities of theological science, his style ii? all the more pleasing. In 
 short, everything about the work is fresh and racy. The author's view.< of the society, joy, and 
 occupations of Heaven are somewhat peculiar, but none the less philosophical and acceptable. We 
 admire hiin intensely, and bid him God speed. — Westeun Lit. Mjcssexgkb. (w> 
 
IMPORTA.NT i\EW WORKS. 
 
 tHE TESTIMONY OF THE ROCKS : or, Geology in its Bearings on 
 the two Theologies, Natural and Revealed. By Hugh Miller. " Thou slialt be 
 in league -with the stones of the field." — Job. "With numerous elegant illustrations 
 12mo, cloth, SI 25. 
 
 The completion of this important -work employed the last hours of the lamented author, and may 
 iic considered his greatest and in fact his life work. 
 
 MACAULAY ON SCOTLAND. A Critique. By Hugh Miller, 
 Author of " Footprints of the Creator, ' &c. 16ma flexible cloth, 25c. 
 
 When we read Macaulay's last volumes, we said that they wanted nothing but the fiction to make 
 m epic poem; and now it seems that they are not wanting even in that. — Pueitan Recorder. 
 
 He meets the historian at the fountain head, tracks him through the old pamphlets and newspapers 
 on which he relied,and demonstrates that his own authorities are against him.— BosTOif Tka:nsckipt. 
 
 THE GREYSON LETTERS. Selections from the Correspondence of 
 
 R. E. H. Gretson, Esq. Edited by Henry Rogers, Author of " The Eclipse of Faith." 
 
 12mo, cloth, $1.25. 
 
 " Mr. Greyson and Mr. Rogers are one and the same person. The whole work is from his pen { 
 and every letter is radiant with the genius of the author of the ' Eclipse of Faith.' " It discusses a 
 ■wide range of subjects in the most attractive manner. It abounds in the keenest wit and humor, 
 satire and logic. It fairly entitles Mr. Rogers to rank with Sydney Smith and Charles Lamb as a 
 wit and humorist, and with Bishop Butler as a reasoner. 
 
 If Mr. Rogers lives to accomplish our expectations, we feel little doubt that his name will share, 
 with those of Butler and Pascal, in the gratitude andvenerationof posterity. — London Quartf.ki.t. 
 
 Full of acute observation, of subtle analysis, of accurate logic, fine description, apt quotation, pithy 
 remark, and amusing anecdote. ... A book, not for one hour, but for all hours; not for one mood, 
 but for every mood, to think over, to dream over, to laugh over. — Boston Jocknal. 
 
 A truly good book, containing wise, true and original reflections, and written in an attractive style. 
 
 — Hon. Geo. S. Hillakd, LL. D., in Boston Courier. 
 
 Mr. Rogers has few equals as a critic, moral philosopher, and defender of truth. . . . This volume 
 is full of entertainment, and full of food for thought, to feed on. — Philadelphia Presbyterian. 
 
 The Letters are intellectual gems, radiant with beauty and the lights of genius, happily inter- 
 mingling the grave and the gay. — Christian Observer. 
 
 ESSAYS IN BIOGRAPHY AND CRITICISM. By Peter Bayne, 
 
 M. A., Author of " The Christian Life, Social and Individual." Arranged in rwo Series, 
 OE PAiiTS. 12m0j cloth, each, $1.25, 
 
 This work is prepared by the author exclusively for his American publishers. It includes eign» 
 teen articles, viz : 
 
 First SEitiKb :— Thomas De Quincy. - Tennyson and his Teachers.— Mrs. Barrett Browning. 
 ~ Recent Aspects of British Art. — John Ruskin. - Hugh Miller. — Tlie Modern Novel : Dickens, &c. 
 
 — Ellis, Acton, and Currer Bell. — Charles Kingsley. 
 
 Seco.vd Series ; — S. T. Coleridge. — T. B. Macaulay. — Alison. — "Wellington. — Napoleon. — 
 Plato. - Characteristics of Christian Civilization. — Education in the Nineteenth Century. — Th« 
 Pulpit and the Press. 
 
 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF JAMES MONTGOMERY. Abridged 
 from the recent London, seven volume edition. By Mrs. H. C. Knight, Author 
 of '• Lady Huntington and her Friends," &c. With a dne likeness and an elegant 
 illustrated title page on steel. 12mo, cloth, SI. 25. 
 
 This is an original biography prepared from the abundant, but ill-digested materials con- 
 tained in the seven octavo volumes of the London edition. The great bulk of that work, together 
 Vith the heavy style of its literary e-je.'ition, must nf^cessarily prevent its republication in this 
 country. At the same time, the f.liriit'ai pucl': in America will expect some memoir of a poet 
 whose hymns and sacred melodies ha- c J'.e.i t'r i '* iic'it of every household. This work, it is confi- 
 dently hor>cd. will fully satisfy the piK'.' / fi'^ *• is prepared by on<» who has already won distin- 
 Buishea 'lurels m this department f"" 'it. Ti'T,"! <jtl 
 
THE CHURCH MEMBEirS MANUAL 
 
 Of Ecclesiastical Principles, Doctrines, and Discipline. By the Eev. Wii. 
 LiAM Crowell. Introduction by H. J. Ripley, D. D. Second edition, revised and 
 improved. 12mo, cloth, 75 cts. 
 
 We have looked through this book with no little interest. It is written with perspicuity, candor, and 
 ability. It contains much to which all denominations, and especially Orthodox Congregationalists, 
 would heartily subscribe. — Furitan Recorder. 
 
 "We welcome this Manual with unusual satisfaction. In a brief compass we have a development 
 of Baptist principles as to church organization, and church order, with a comprehensive view of tho 
 doctrines of the gospel as held by Baptists, and an exhibit of various usages which obtain, more or 
 less, in the denomination. We regard the work as one of great practical value, and desire for it » 
 wide circulation in our churches. — JV. Y. Recorder. 
 
 We would be happy to see a copy of this work in tyerj Baptist family in our state. — Zion's Adv. 
 
 As a Manual of ecclesiastical principles, doctrine, and discipline, presenting a systematic view o^ 
 the structure, policy, doctrines, and practices of Christian churches, as taught in the Scriptures, as a 
 book for old and young, it will be found very interesting and instructive, and as a book of reference. 
 one of great value. We wish all our young brethren would study it. — Bap. Register. 
 
 This has now, by common consent, obtained a place among our permanent literature u a denonv 
 ination. It is a book that should find a wide circulation in the west. — Ch. Messenger. 
 
 The first edition was well received. The author has been over every chapter and line, and presented 
 us with a new and thoroughly revised edition. It should be introduced into all the families, and 
 among all the members of our churches. Its influence, in explaining and enforcing our polity, as 
 a denomination, would be most instructive and salutary. — Phil. Ch. Chronicle. 
 
 The main positions are defended with a vigor and clearness of argument that reflect great credit 
 upon the bearing and tact of the author. There is an air of practical good sense, and a candor and 
 good feeling towards other denominations, which give the book additional value, and will, undoubted- 
 ly, enhance its usefulness. — Bihlical Repository. 
 
 Hardly any question can be raised with regard to the nature, powers, riglits, and duties of a church, 
 to the appointment, character, ordination, and authority of its officers, to the articles of its beUef and 
 the nature and proofs of its positive institutions, to its government, discipline, and usages, which U 
 not here met by a distinct, intelligent, and satisfactory answer. —Southern Baptist. 
 
 It bears the marks of attention, study, and great care in the arrangement and discussion of the 
 numerous topics embraced in it, and contains much that will interest evangelical readers of every 
 church. — Phil. Ch. Observer. 
 
 THE CHURCH MEMBER'S HAND-BOOK; a Plain Guide to the 
 
 Doctrines and Practice of Baptist Churches. By REV. WILLIAM Crowell. Fifth 
 thousand. 18mo, cloth, 33 cts. 
 
 Contents. — The Ground Work of Religion ; Christian Truth : Frame Work of Religion ; Chris- 
 tian Churches : Memorials of Religion ; Christian Ordinances : Symbols of Religion ; Christian 
 Sacraments : Privileges of Religion ; Church Discipline : Life of Religion ; Christian Love, etc. 
 
 We have never met with a book of this size that contained so full and complete a synopsis of th« 
 doctrines and practice of the Baptist, or any other church, as this. Just such a book as is needed by 
 every young church member. — Ch. Secretary. 
 
 It is concise, clear, and comprehensive ; and, as an exposition of ecclesiastical principles and prac- 
 tice, is worthy of study by all young members of our churches. We hope it may be widely circu- 
 lated, and that the youthful thousands of our Israel may become familiar with its pages. — Watch' 
 man and Reflector. 
 
 This is just the book wanted in all parts of our country. It contains a condensed but complete 
 epitome of all those things which come up in practice, and on which churches and ministers are fre- 
 f uently called to act. — Western Watchman. 
 
 A brief, plain guide to young church members. We wish every one of this class might have the 
 " Hand Book." Ignorance of the doctrine of the Bible and the laws of Christ's house is the disgrace 
 of too man/, both of the young and old, and through it blight and dishonor often come upon the 
 Visible church of God. — Mich. Ch. Herald. 
 
 This is decidedly the best treatise that has ever come under our notice. — Indian Advocate. 
 
 Its doctrinal views would tend to stability, as its practical suggestions would to spiritual life. Its 
 hints and rales on rights, duties, discipline, business, and order, if duly observed, would contribute 
 greatly to the peace, purity, and eflSciency of our churches. — y. Y". Recorder. TJu 
 
MODERN ATHEISM. 
 
 MODERN ATHEISM, under its Forms of Pantheism, Materialism, Secu* 
 larism, Development, and Natural Laws. By James Buchanan, D.D , LL.D. 
 12mo, cloth, S1.25. 
 
 The A-jfnor of this yrork is the successor of Dr. Chalmers in the Chair of Divinity In the New 
 College, Edinburgh, and the intellectual leader of the Scottisli Free Church. 
 
 FnoM Hugh Milleh, Author of " Old Hed Sandstone," &c., &c. — The work before us Ii 
 one of at once the most readable and solid wliich we have ever perused. 
 
 From the "Xkws of the Churches."— It is a work of which nothing less can be said, than 
 that, both in spirit and substance, style and argument, it fixes irreversibly the name of the author 
 as a leading classic in the Christian literature of Britain. 
 
 From Howard Malcom, D. D., President of Lewisburo University. — Xo work has 
 come into my liands, for a long time, so helpful to me as a teacher of metaphysics and morals, 
 I know of nothing which will answer for a substitute. The public specially needs such a book at 
 this time, when the covert atheism of Ficlite, Wolfe, Hegel, Kant, Schelling, D'Holbach, Comtc, 
 Crousse, Atkinson, Martineau, Lcroux, Mackay, Uolyoake, and others, is being spread abroad with 
 all earnestness, supported, at least in some places, both by church influence and university honors. 
 I cannot but hope that a work so timely, scholarly, and complete, will do much good. 
 
 It is one of the most solid and remarkable books in its department of literature; one of the most 
 scholarly and profound productions of modern Christian literature. — "Worcester Transcript. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan has earned a hi^h and well-deserved reputation as a classical writer and close logi- 
 cal reasoner. He deals heavy, deadly blows on atheism in all its various forms ; and wherever the 
 work is readit cannot fail to do good. — Christian Secretary. 
 
 It is a work which places its author at once in the highest rank of modem religious authors. His 
 analyses of the doctrines held by the various schools of modern atheism are admirable, and his 
 criticism original and profound ; while his arguments in defence of the Christian faith are powerful 
 and convincing. It is an attractive as well as a solid book ; and he who peruses a few of its pages is, 
 as it were, irresistibly drawn on to a thorough reading of the book.— Boston Portfolio. 
 
 The style is very felicitous, and the reasoning clear and cogent. The opposing theories are fairly 
 stated and combated with remarkable ease and skill. Even when the argument frlls within the 
 range of science, it is so happily stated that no intelligent reader can fail to understand it. Such a 
 profound, dispassionate work is particularly called for at the present time. — Boston Journal. 
 
 It is justly described as "a great argument," "magnificent in its strength, order, and beauty," in 
 defence of trutii, and against the variant theories of atheism. It reviews the doctrines of the dif- 
 ferent schools of modern Atheism, gives a fair statement of their theories, answers and refutes them, 
 never evading, but meeting and crushing their arguments. — riiiLA. Christian Observer. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan is candid and impartial, too, as so strong a man can afford to be, evades no argument, 
 undertakes no opposing view, but meets his antagonists with the quiet and unswerving confidence 
 of a locomotive on iron tracks, pretty sure to crush them. — Christian Register. 
 
 We hail this production of a master mind as a lucid, vigorous, discriminating, and satisfactory 
 refutation of the various false philosophies which have appeared in modern times to allure ingenu- 
 ous youth to their destruction. Dr. Buchanan has studied them thoroughly, weighed them dispas- 
 sionatelj', and exposed their falsity and emptiness. His refutation is a clear stream of l.ght from 
 beginning toend. — Piiila. Presbyterian. 
 
 We recommend "Jlodcrn Atheism" as a book for the times, and as having special claims on 
 theological students. — Universalist Quarterly. 
 
 It is remarkable for the clearness with which it apprehends and the fairness with which it states, 
 not less than for the ability with which it replies to, the schemes of unbelief in its various modem 
 forms. It will be found easy to read— though not liglit reading — and very quickening to tliought, 
 while it clears away, one by one, the mists which the Devil has conjured around the great doctrines 
 of our Faith, by the help of some of his ingenious modern coadjutors, and leaves tlie truth of God 
 standing in its serene and pristine majesty, as if the breath of hatred never had been breathed forth 
 against it. — Conoregationalist. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan has here gone into the enemy's camp, and defeated him on his own ground. 
 The work is a masterly defence of faith against dogmatic unbelief on the one hand, and that unN 
 versal skepticism on the other, which neither affirms nor denies, on the ground of an assumed 
 deficiency of evidence as to the reality of God and religion. — N. T. Christian Chkoniclk. 
 
 It is a clearly and vigorously written book. It is particularly valuable for its clear statement and 
 kiaetarly refutation of the Pantheism of Spinora and his School. — Chbistiaf Qebald. (V> 
 
PROGRESS OF BAPTIST PRINCIPLES 
 
 IN THK 
 
 LAST HUNDRED YEARS. 
 
 BY THOMAS F. CURTIS, 
 
 PEOFESSOE OF lUEOLOGY IN THE UXIVEnSlTY OF LEWISBCBO, FA. 
 
 12mo. Cloth. $1.25. 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 Part One. Progress op Principles now conceded in Theory bt thb 
 
 ■MOST ENLIGHTENED OP OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 
 
 CiiArxEii 1. Opening remarks. 2. Freedom of Conscience, and Separation of Church and State. 
 8. A converted churcli membership. 4. Sacraments inoperative without choice and faith. 5. Be. 
 liuvcrs the only Scriptural subjects of Baptism of the New Testament. 6. Immersion always the 
 Baptism of the New Testament. 
 
 Part Two. Progress of Principles still controverted. 
 
 Chapter 1. The command to Baptize, a command to Immerse. 2. The importance of Believers. 
 Baptism. 3. Infant Baptism injurious — its modern defences considered. 4. Open Communion 
 unwise and injurious. 
 
 Part Three. Progress op Principles always held by Evangelical 
 Christians, but more consistently by Baptists. 
 
 CnAPTRR 1. The Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures. 2. Salvation by grace alone. 3. The essen- 
 tial priesthood of all Christians. 4. Connection of Baptist Principles and Bolitical Liberty. 5. Sum- 
 mary of the foregoing work. 
 
 In the course of the work the author reviews the opinions of many distinguished men, as Roger 
 Williams, Wesley. Nevin. Coleridge, Neander, Bunsen, Augustine, Origen, Cyprian, Authon, Pond, 
 Stuart, Bushnell, Robert Hall, &c. 
 
 The work has already rapidly passed through several editions, and has received the 
 emphatic approval of many of the most distinguished clergymen and scholars in the 
 country. Among the numerous testimonials to its value which have been received are th» 
 following 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS. 
 
 Henry J. Ripley, D. D., Prof Newton Theol. Inst. 
 The work bears ample testimony to its author's extensive reading and accurate reflection : it 
 cannot fail to awaken in a reader much serious and profitable consideration, and will abundantly 
 repay the time and attention which it occupies. Even should a reader hesitate to adopt the author's 
 views, he cannot but admire his spirit. It is gratifying to see so much evidence of growing agreement 
 among Christians, and to meet with a book so well illustrating the candor and the independence 
 which should mark, as well as guide, the progress of Christian principles. 
 
 J. Neicton Brown, D. D., Philadelphia. 
 It is one of those first-rate books, which it is of great importance to keep constantly before the 
 public. Its principles are sound. Its facts will repay perusal. Its spirit is lovely ; its style lucid 
 and attractive ; its images full of the purest light and beauty. Some of its argumentative illustrations 
 appear to me to possess original and irresistible force. Indeed I have seldom read a book with more 
 pleasure. It is full of the seeds of things. 
 
 George C. Baldwin, D. D., Troy, N. Y. 
 I religiously feel two desires. One is, that it may find its way into every Baptist family on the con- 
 tinent; for it will gvcatl3- strengthen their faith and confirm their hope. The other is, that all candid 
 Inquirers after truth., in the directions it discusses, will give It a fair consideration; for it will assur- 
 *dly, by the kindness of its tone, the reliableness of its facts, the scope of its argumetits, and Um 
 teanly ability, aid them in finding " the right way of the Lord." (fi^ 
 
PkOUKKSS OF BAPTIST PKINCIPJLKS. 
 
 A. C. Kendrick, D. D., Prof. Rochester University, N.Y. 
 
 It is a book of genuine and solid merit. It is a clear, scholarly, and candid statement of the leading 
 distinctive principles of our denomination, with their grounds and their progress. It is pervaded 
 also by an excellent spirt. The author has done the church a service in preparing the work, and 
 you in publishing it. 
 
 Francis Wayland, D. D. Provide nee, R. I. 
 
 If any one desires to see this whole subject treated with great fullness of research, and with singular 
 fairness and ability, I would refer him to Professor Curtis's work on the " Progress of Baptist Prin- 
 ciples." 
 
 Pharcellus Church, D. D., Neiv York. 
 
 I have found it logical in arrangement, lucid in statement, forcible in argumentation, catholic in 
 spirit, and triumphant in its vindication of individualism, that cardinal idea of Baptists in the 
 formation of civil and ecclesiastical society, the personal and voluntary character of all preparation 
 for Christian ordinances and privileges, and altogether a faithful sketch of the wonderful progress 
 of those principles in modifying Christian life and conviction, and in founding the institutions of 
 Church and State, for the past hundred years. A subject more instructive could not have been se- 
 lected, none more cardinal to our common Christianity none better fitted to explode false dogmatisms, 
 and pernicious ecclesiasticisms ; and it is commendation enough of the book that its treatment of it 
 U equal to the trauscendunt theme. 
 
 Horatio B. Hackett, D. D., Prof, in Neivton Tlieol. Inst. 
 
 I regard the work of Prof. Curtis as a well written, well digested, and reliable treatise. I would 
 sooner place it in the hands of any one wishing to understand the principles of the Baptists, or to 
 defend them, than any work that I know of. 
 
 Baron Stoiv, D. D., Boston. 
 
 It supplies a want in our Christian literature, and does it in a form and a spirit of which no Baptist 
 can be ashamed. While it embodies a large amount of information, evidently the product of thor- 
 ough, discrimir.ating research, its style is distinguished for purity, clearness and vigor. It is every 
 way creditable to the author, and to the denomination whose principles he candidly and courteously 
 developes. 
 
 Rev. Henry C. Fish, Neioark, N. J. 
 
 I have greeted no work of recent date with a warmer welcome than that of Professor Curtis. That 
 it fills a place not before filled, and meets a real want in the literature of our country, and especially 
 of our denomination, no one can doubt. Could I reach the ear of every Baptist minister and lay- 
 member in the land, I would say, " Buy the Proouess of Battist Pkixciples, and read it, and 
 lend it to your neighbor; it will deepen the conviction of the truthfulness and immcnce importance 
 of the sentiments which you hold; and while it will cherish no unkind or uncharitable feelings 
 towards any other denominp.tion.it will make you more firmly and intelligently attached to your own. 
 
 Rev. George W. Samson, Washington. D. C. 
 This treatise is the completest ever published; and its brevity united with its completeness makes 
 it a bdok " for the people " in this reading age. It would be difiiult to conceive a more perfect hand- 
 book of history and criticism upon those points increasing in interest, not only among Baptists, but 
 among other Christian denominations, than this work. 
 
 Pro/. Milo P. Jewett, author of'-'- Mode and Subjects of Baptism.'"' 
 
 1 have read it with great attention and with deep interest, l.ucid in arrangement, simple and per- 
 
 •picuous in style, cogent in argument, redolent of heavenly charity in spirit, it contains multum i.h 
 
 PAKvo, the quintessence of all that has been said on the Baptismal controversy, from Apostolic times 
 
 to the present day. It needs only to be known to be obtained by all our ministers, and by many 
 
 intelligent private members of our churches. Indeed, I know of no book, more suggestive, none 
 
 more instructive, to the mind of any serious, intelligent Pedobaptist. 
 
 Adam Wilson, D. D., Paris, Me. 
 
 I know of no other book that contains so many statistics on the subject. The book is written in 
 
 en excellent spirit, and I do not see why it would not be nteresting to all lovers of historical truth, 
 
 whatever may be their religious sentiments. 
 
 M. B. Anderson, D. D., LL.D., Fres. Rochester University. 
 It is learned, clear and candid, and while it will be indispensable to the library of the intelligent 
 Baptist, it will be found of hardly less value to Christians of other denominations who desire to form 
 clear views of the internal »nd external organization of the church, and the points at issue between 
 the supporters of different theories on this subject. As a vindication of the character and principles 
 of the Baptists, and a proof of the extent to which they have aflected the thinking and acting of the 
 Christian world, it is particularly able, and must continue to have a standard and permanent value. 
 
 (Bff) 
 
VALUABLE WORKS 
 
 THE SUFFERING SAVIOUR ; or, Meditations on the Last Days 
 OF Christ. By Fred. W. Krummach::5r, D.D., Chaplain to the King of Prussia, 
 and author of" Elijah the Tishbite," "Last Days of Ehsha," "Tlie Martyr Lamb,'- 
 etc. etc. Translated iindor the express sanction of the author, by Samuel Jac£> 
 SON. 12mo, cloth. $1.25. 
 
 The leading article in a recent number of the New York Independent is wholly de- 
 voted to the subject of this work. Kespecting the work itself and its author, it speaks 
 as follows : 
 
 "It is refreshing at times to meet with one who views the work of Christ from the emotional 
 Btand-point, without immediate reference eitlier to the dialectic or the practical. Such, in an emi- 
 nent degree, is Krummacher— the Krummacher of ' Elijah, the Tishbite.' A series of meditations 
 from his pen on the last days of Christ upon earth has just appeared under the title of ' The Suffer- 
 ing Saviour.' The style of the autlior need not be described to those who have read his ' Elijali;' and 
 whoever has not read an evangelical book of our own time that has passed through many editions 
 In German, English, French, Dutch, Danish, had better order the Chinese edition, which has 
 recently appealed. ♦ * * We like the book— love it, rather— for the vivid perception and 
 fervid emotion with which it brings us to the Suffering Saviour." 
 
 " Krummacher is himself again I Till the present work appeared, he had done not'ning equal to 
 his first one, ' Elijali, the Tishbite.' We felt that the productions which he gave to the world during 
 the interval were scarcely up to the mark. In the present he comes upon the literary firmament in 
 his old fire and glory, ' like a re-appearing star.' The translator has done his worlc admirably. * • ♦ 
 Much of the narrative is given with thrilling vividness, and pathos, and beauty. Marking as we 
 proceeded, several passages for quotation, we found them in the end so numerous, that we must refer 
 the reader to the work itself." — News of the Chukches (Scottish). 
 
 "All those characteristics which made ' Elijah, the Tishbite,' so deservedly popular, — as, due 
 appreciation of the subject ; a comprehensive treatment, which, while it embraces a grand whole, 
 neglects not even the minutest details ; fertility of illustration ; and earnest and impressive lessons 
 inculcated by the way, and in affectionate terms,- all re-appoar in the present work, which, so far, 
 it least, as concerns the dignity of its subject, is of infinitely greater importance to us than its prede- 
 cessor."— British Ckitic. 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF BAPTIST PRINCIPLES IN THE LAST 
 HUNDRED YEARS. By T. F. Curtis, Professor of Theology in Lewisburg 
 University, Fa., and author of " Communion," etc. 12mo, cloth. $1.25. 
 This work is divided into three books. The first exhibits the progress of Baptist 
 principles, now conceded in theory by the most enlightened of other denominations. 
 The second presents a view of the progress of principles still controverted. 
 The third sets forth the progress of principles always held by Evangelical Chris* 
 tians, but more consistently by Baptists. 
 
 It is a work that invites the candid consideration of all denominations. In his 
 preface the author says : "If, in a single line of the following pages, there should 
 appear to the reader the slightest unkind allusion to any other denomination or indi- 
 vidual, the writer would at once say that nothing h^s been further from his inten- 
 tions or feelings. * * * His aim has been to draw a wide distinction between parties 
 and opinions. Hence the object of this volume is not to exhibit or defend the Bap- 
 tists, but their ijrinciples." 
 
 " The principles referred to are such as these : Freedom of Conscience and Separation oi 
 Church and State ; a Converted Church Membership ; Sacraments inoperative without Choice and 
 Faith ; Believers the only Scriptural Subjects of Baptism ; Immersion always the Baptism of the 
 Now Testament ; Infant Baptism Injurious ; Open Communion Unwise and Injurious. To show 
 the progress of these principles, statistics are given, from which we learn that in 1792 there was ^ut 
 one Baptist Communicant in the United States to every fifty -six inhabitants, while in 1854 there was 
 one to every thirty inhabitants. The Baptists have more than one quarter of the whole Church 
 accommodation in the United States. * * * The entire work is written with ability and unfailing 
 good temper."— Quarterly Journal of Ajierican Unitarian Association 
 
 "We know of no man in our Churches better fitted to prepare a fair exh'bition of ' Baptist Prin- 
 ciples.' lie is no controversialist ; and his discussions are in most refreshing contrast with many, 
 both of Baptist defenders and their opponents."— Southern Baptist. 
 
 " The aim of the work is important, the plan ingenious, yet simple and natural, the author's pre- 
 paration for it apparently thorough and conscientious, and his spirit excellent." — Watchman and 
 Reflecior. 
 
 " The good temper of the author of this volume is obvious, the method of arranging his materials 
 for effect admirable." — Presbyterian. 
 
 " The work exhibits ample learning, vigorous argumentative power, and an excellent spirit toward 
 those whose views it controverts. Apart from its theological bearings, it possesset not a little historic 
 ealinteryt."— Naw Yobk Tbibunb. 
 
 (r) 
 
WOUKS FOR BIBLE STUUENTS. 
 
 A TREATISE ON BIBLICAL CRITICISMS; Exhibiting a Srst«» 
 matic View cf tliat Science. By Samuel Davieson, D. D., of tlie University of UalU^ 
 Author of " Ecclesiastical Polity of the New Testiiinent," " Introductit)n to the New 
 Testament," "Sacred Hermeneutics Developed and Ai)})lied. Anew Revised and En« 
 larged Edition, in two elegant octavo volumes, chith, 5^00. 
 
 Tliese volumes contain a statement of the sources of criticism, sv.ch as the MSS. of the Iltbrcw Bi- 
 ble and Greek Testament, the iirincipal versions of both, quotations from them in early writers, par- 
 allels, and also the internal evidence on which critics rc'.y for obtuining a pure text. A history of t!ie 
 texts of the Old and New Testaments, with a description of the Hebrew and Greek languages in 
 •which the Scriptures are written. An examination of the most iniportiint passages wliose readings 
 ore disputed. 
 
 Every thing, in short, is discussed, which properly belongs to the criticism of the text, comprehend- 
 ing all that comes under the title of General Introduction in Introductions to the Old and New Tes- 
 taments. 
 
 HISTORY OF PALESTINE, from tlic Patriarchal Age to the Present 
 Time ; with Introductory Ciiapters on tlie Geograpl.y and Natural Jlistoiy of the Coun- 
 try, and on the Customs and Institutions of the Hebrews. Dy Joiix KiTTO, D. D., 
 Author of" Scripture Daily Readings," " Cyclopaedia cf Biblical Literature," &c. With 
 upwards of two hundred Illustrations. 12nio, cloth, 1,25. 
 
 A very full compendium of the geography and history of Palestine, from the earliest era mentioned 
 In Scripture to the present day ; not merely a dry record of boundaries, and the succession of rulers, 
 but an intchigible account of the agriculture, habits of life, literature, science, and art, with the re- 
 ligious, political, and judicial institutions of the inhabitants of tlie Holy Land in all ages. The de. 
 Bcriptive portions of the work are increased in value by numerous wood cuts. A more useful and 
 instructive book has rarely been published.— iVL Y. Commercial. 
 
 ■Whoever will read this book till he has possessed hiinseif thoroughly of its contents, will, we ven« 
 tnre to say. read the Bible with far more intelligence and satisfaction during all the rest of his life.— 
 2'uritun Recorder. 
 
 Beyond all dispute, this is the best historical compendium of the Holy Land, from the days of 
 Abraham to those of the late Pasha of Egyi-t, Mehemct AH. — EuiiUxirgh llevieiL: 
 
 JET- In the numerous notices and reviews the work has been strongly recommended, as not only ad- 
 mirably adapted to iha fat nil ij, but also as a text book for Saibath and week day schools. 
 
 CRUDEN'S CONDENSED CONCORDANCE ; a New and Complete 
 Concordance to the Hi>iy Scriptures. By Alexander Ckuden. Revised and Ro- 
 edited by the Rev. David King, LL. D. Tenth thousand. Octavo, cloth backs, 1,2'* 
 
 This work is printed from English plates, and is a full and fair copy of all that is valuable as a Con- 
 cordance in Crudeii's larger work, in two volumes, which costs five dollars, while this edition is fur- 
 nished at one dollar and tiLcnty-five cents! The principal variation from the larger book consists ia 
 the exclusion of tlie Bible Dictionary, (which has always been an incumbrance.) the condensation of 
 the quotations of Scripture, arranged under their most obvious heads, which, while it dirainishea the 
 bulk of the work, greatly facilitates the finding of any required passage. 
 
 We have, in this edition of Cruden, the lest made better 1 That is, the present is better adapted to 
 the purposes of a concordance, by the erasure of superfluous references, the omission of unnecessary 
 explanations, and the contraction of quotations, etc. It is better as a manual, and better adapted by 
 Its price, to the means of many who need and ought to possess such a work, than the former large and 
 expensive edition. — Puritan Recorder. 
 
 The present edition, in being relieved of some things which contributed to render all former ones 
 unnecessarily cumbrous, without adding to the substan'.ial value of the work, becomes an exceedingly 
 cheap book. — AUtany Argus. 
 
 All in the incomparable work of Cruden that is essential to a Concordance is presented in a volume 
 much reduced both in size and price. — Watchman and Reflector. 
 
 Next to the Bible itself, every family should have a concordance. No person can study the Scrip* 
 tures to advantage ■without oae. Cruden'sij the best — TJoi'tu/ /?*cor(.'. I 
 
DR. RIPLEY'S NOTES 
 
 NOTES ON THE GOSPELS; Designed for Teachers in Sabbath Schools 
 and Bible Classes, and as an Aid to Family Instruction. Ey Henry J. Ripley, Prot 
 in Newton Theological Inst. With a Map of Canaan. Two volumes in o.e. clotli, 1^. 
 
 The pastors of churches in Boston and vicinity have united in the following testimony in favor of 
 the work :— 
 
 " The undersigned, having examined Professor Ripley's Notes on the Gospels, can recommend 
 them with confidence to all who need such helps in the study of the sacred Scriptures. Those pas- 
 sages which all can understand are left ' without note or comment,' and the principal labor is devoted 
 to tlie explanation of such parts as need to be explained and rescued from the perversions of errorists, 
 both tlie ignorant and the learned. The practical suggestions at the close of each chapter are not the 
 least valuable portion of the work. Most cordially, for the sake of truth and righteousness, do we wisli 
 for these notes a wide circulation." 
 
 MOTES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES ; with a beautiful 
 AIap, illustrating the Travels of the Apostle Paul, with a track of his voyage from 
 Cesarea to Rome. By Prof. Henry J. Ripley. 12mo, cloth, 75 cents. 
 
 The following Notices apply to both the above Works. 
 
 Dr. Pattison, Prof, in Newton Theological Institution, says : I know not that I have ever rend so 
 
 much commentary with so few occasions to dissent from the views of the author. I should sooner 
 
 recommend the Notes to that class of persons for whom they were designed than any other witli which 
 
 I am acquainted. 
 
 De. Chaplin, late President of WafervUle College, says : He seems to have hit on the proper me- 
 dium between the conciseness which leaves the mind of the reader unsatisfied, and tliat prolixity 
 which exhausts his patience and loads his memory with useless lumber. 
 
 Rev. J. A. Warne, editor of the Comprehensive Commentary, says : It may not seem proper to in- 
 stitute comparison between llipley and Barnes ; and yet I will just say, that Prof Ripley is, in my 
 judgment, by far the safer guide ; and I cannot but wish he were adopted universally, in place of 
 Barnes, in our Sabbath schools. 
 
 The late Dr. Kendrick, Prof, of Theology, Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution, says; 
 I think them superior to any exposition I have seen of this part of the Divine word. 
 
 The late Prof. Knowles, in the Ch7-istian Peview, says: Prof. Ripley has given us a specimen of 
 the right kind of Commentary ; the Notes are more strictly explanatory than those of Mr. Barnes; 
 they occupy a smaller space ; the style, though less pointed and vivacious, exhibits more sobriety ; the 
 principles of interpretation are more cautiously applied, and tlie explanations more correct. 
 
 Dr. Turnbull, Pastor of the First Baptist Chnrch, Hartford, says : The value of the Notes con- 
 sists chiefly in their brevity, judiciousness, and simplicity. The diiTicult passages are satisfactorily 
 discussed, while those of a plainer and more intelligible nature are passed over with brief notices. 
 
 Dr. Bacon, President of Columbia College, says : The trachcr or scholar will find in this work a 
 greater number of just such questions as he would desire to ask intelligibly' and satisfactorily answered 
 than in any other. I should be happy to see it in every family, and in the hand of every Sabbath 
 school teacher and scholar of suitable age, in the land. 
 
 The Biblical Peposifory, Andover, says: There are three things in these Notes which have given 
 us much satisfaction ; first, the kind and catholic spirit every where manifest ; second, the labor is be- 
 stowed upon the really difficult texts ; third, the practical reflections are few and to the point 
 
 The Watchman and Reflector says: We are impressed by the wonderful perspicuity, simplicity, and 
 omprehensiveness of the author's style. 
 
 x'fOTES ON THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 
 
 Designed as an Accompaniment to the Author's Notes on the Gospels and the Acts. 
 
 By Henry J. Ripley. 12mo, cloth, 67 cents. Just published. 
 
 The author in this, as in his other works, has expended his chief strength on the difficult passages, 
 acting on the principle that comment on what every one can understand is superfluous. Owing to 
 the continuity of thought throughout this Epistle, paragraphs, instead of the customary arbitrary 
 division into verses, have been adopted. For the convenience, however, of notes and of refereacs, 
 Um figures ordinarily used to designat? the verses are retained in the margin. 
 
 J 
 
I3irORTANT WORKS. 
 
 ANALYTICAL CONCORDANCE OF THE HOLY SCEIPTURES; 
 or, The Bible presented under Distinct and Classified Heads or Tcpics. By John 
 Eadie, D. D., LL. D., Author of "Biblical Cyclopaedia." "Dictionary of the 
 Bible," &c., &c. One volume, royal octavo, 833 pp. Cloth, S3.00; sheep, $3.50. 
 Jw^t published. 
 The publishers would call the special attention of clergymen and others to some of the peculiar 
 
 features of this great work. 
 
 1. It is a concordance of siihjecis, not of words. In this it differs from the common concordance, 
 which, of course, it does not supersede. Both arc necessary to the Biblical student. 
 
 2. It embraces all the topics, both secular and religious, wliich are naturally suggested by the entire 
 contents of the Bible. In this it differs from Scripture Manuals and Topical Text-books, which are 
 tontincd to religious or doctrinal topics. 
 
 Z. It contains the whole of (he PAble without ahriclgment, differing in no respect from the Bible in 
 common use, except in the classification of its contents. 
 
 4. It contains a synopsis, separate from the concordance, presenting within the compass of a few 
 pages a bird's-eye view of the whole contents. 
 
 5. It coEtains a table oi" contents, embracing nearly two thousand heads, arranged in alphabetical 
 order. 
 
 6. It is m-ich superior to the only other work in the language prepared on the same general plaa, 
 ■nd is offered to the public at much less cost. 
 
 The purchaser gets not only a Concordance, but also a Bil.le, in this volume. The superior con- 
 venience arising out of this fact, — saving, as it does, tlie necessity of having two bookj at hand and 
 of making two references, instead of one, — will be readily apparent. 
 
 The general subjects (under each of vhich there are a vast number of sub-divisions) are arranged 
 as follows, viz. : 
 
 Agriculture, 
 
 Genealogy, 
 
 Ministers of Religion, 
 
 Sacrifice, 
 
 Animals, 
 
 God, 
 
 Miracles, 
 
 Scriptures, 
 
 Architecture, 
 
 Heaven, 
 
 Occupations, 
 
 Speech, 
 
 Army, Arms, 
 
 Idolatry, Idols, 
 
 Ordinances. 
 
 Spirits, 
 
 Body, 
 
 Jesus Christ, 
 
 Parables and Emblems 
 
 1, Tabernacle and Temple, 
 
 Canaan, 
 
 Jews, 
 
 Persecution, 
 
 Vineyard and Orchard, 
 
 Covenant, 
 
 Laws, 
 
 Praise and Prayer, 
 
 Visions and Dreams, 
 
 Diet and Dress, 
 
 Magistrates, 
 
 Prophecy, 
 
 War, 
 
 Disease and Death, 
 
 Man, 
 
 Providence, 
 
 Water. 
 
 Earth, 
 
 Marriage, 
 
 Redemption, 
 
 
 Family, 
 
 Metals and Minerals 
 
 , Sabbaths and Iloly Days, 
 
 That such a work as this is of exceeding great convenience is matter of obvious remark. But li 
 Is much more than that ; it is also an instructive work. It is adapted not only to assist the student 
 in prosecuting the investigation of preconceived ideas, but also to impart ideas which the most care- 
 ful reading of the Bible in its ordinary arrangement might not suggest. Let him take vp any one of 
 the subjects — " Agriculture," for example — and see if such be not the case. This feature places 
 the work in a higher grade than that of the common Concordance. It shows it to be, so to speak, a 
 work of more mind. 
 
 No Biblical student would willingly dispense with this Concordance when once possessed. It is 
 adapted to the necessities of all classes, — clergymen and theological students; Sabbath-school 
 superintendents and teachers; authors engaged in the composition of religious and even secular 
 works; and, in fine, common readers of the Bible, intent only on their own improvement. 
 
 A COMMENTARY ON THE ORIGrN'AL TEXT OF THE ACTS 
 OF THE APOSTLES. By Horatio B. Hackett. D. D., Professor of Biblical Liter- 
 ature and Interpretation, in the Newton Theological Institution. CI/='A new, 
 revised, and enlarged edition. Octavo, cloth. In Press. 
 
 J8^* This most important and very popular work, has been throughly revised (some parts being 
 entirely rewritten), and considerably enlarged by the introduction of important new matter, the 
 lesult of the Author's continued, laborious investigations since the publication of the first edition, 
 •ided by the more recent published criticisms on this portion of the Divine Word, by t;the>r distin- 
 guished Biblical Scholars, in this country and in Europe. (T 
 
I M r O It T A X T W O 11 K. 
 
 KITTO'S POPULAR CYCLOPAEDIA OF BIBLICAL LITERA. 
 TURE. Condensed from the lari:er work. Ey the Autlior, J oh.\ Kitto, D. D., Autlior 
 of " Pictorial Bible/' " History of Palestine," " Scripture Daily Readings," &,c. Assisted 
 by James Taylor, D. D., of Glasgow. Witli over Jive hundred Illustrations. One vol- 
 ume octavo, 812 pp., cloth, 3,03. 
 
 The Popular Biblical CrcL0P.£DiA of Literature is designed to furnish a Dictioxakt 
 OF THB Bible, embodying the products of the best and most recent researches in biblical literature, 
 in which the scholars of Europe and America have been engaged. Tlie work, the result of immense 
 labor and research, and enriched by the contributions of writers of distinguished eminence in the va- 
 rious departments of sacred literature, has been, by universal consent, pronounced the best work of 
 
 t. class extant, and the one best suited to the advanced knowledge of the present day in all the stuaica 
 «onnected with theological science. It is not only intended for ministers and theological studtntf, 
 but is also particularly adapted io jjareyits, Sabbath school teachers, atid the great hoili/ of the rcUgiout 
 l,iu.lic. The illustratioris, amounting to more than th-ee hundred, are of the very highest order. 
 
 A condensed view of the various branches of Biblical Science comprehended in the work. 
 
 1. Biblical Criticism,— Embracing the History of the Bible Languages ; Canon of Scripture 5 
 Literary History and Peculiarities of the Sacred Books ; Formation and History of Scripture Texts. 
 
 2. HtSTORV, — Proper Names of Persons ; Biographical Sketches of prominent Characters; Detailed 
 Accounts of important Events recorded in Scripture ; Chronology and Genealogy of Scripture. 
 
 3. Geography, — Names of Places; Description of Scenery ; Boundaries and Mutual Relationi of 
 the Countries mentioned in Scripture, so far as necessary to illustrate the Sacred Text. 
 
 4. Auciixology, — Manners and Customs of the Jews and other nations mentioned in Scripture 1 
 their Sacred Institutions, Military Affairs, Political Arrangcmeirts, Literary and Scientific Pursuits. 
 
 5. Physical Sciexce,— Scripture Cosmogony and Astronomy, Zoology, Mineralogy, Botany. 
 Meteorology. 
 
 In addition to ntunerous flattering notices and reviews, personal letters from more than fifty of the 
 most distinguished Ministers and Laymen of different religious denominations in the country have been 
 received, highly commending this work as admirably adapted to ministers, Sabbath school teachers, 
 aeads of families, and all Bible students. 
 
 The following extract of a letter is a fair specimen of individual letters received from each of the 
 gentlemen whose names are given below : — 
 
 " I have examined it with special and unalloyed satisfaction. It has the rare merit of being all that 
 It professes to be, and very few, I am sure, who may consult it will deny that, in richness and fulnest 
 of detail, it surpasses then- expectation. Many ministers will find it a valuable auxiliary; but its 
 ehief excellence is, that it furnishes just the facilities which are needed by the thousands in families 
 end Sabbath schools, who are engaged in the important business of biblical education. It is in itielf s 
 library of reliable information." 
 
 W. B. Sprague, D. D., Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church, Albany, N. Y. 
 
 J. J. Carruthers, D. D., Pastor of Second Parish Congregational Church, Portland, Jle. 
 
 Joel Hawes, D. D., Pastor of First Congregational Church, Hartford, Ct. 
 
 Daniel Sharp, D. D., late Pastor of Third Baptist Church, Boston. 
 
 N. L. Frothingham, D. D.,late Pastor of First Congregational Church, (Unitarian,) Boston. 
 
 Ephraim Peabody, D. D., Pastor of Stone Chapel Congregational Church, (Unitarian,) BostoM, 
 
 A. L. Stone, Pastor of Park Street Congregational Church, Boston. 
 
 John S. Stone, D. D., Rector of Christ Church, (Episcopal.) Brooklyn. N. Y. 
 
 J. B. Waterbury, D. D., Pastor of Bowdoin Street Church, (Congregational,) Boston. 
 
 Baron Stow, D. D., Pastor of Rowe Street Baptist Church, Boston. 
 
 Thomas H. Skinner, D. D., Pastor of Carmine Presbyterian Church, New York. 
 
 Samuel W. Worcester, D. D.. Pastor of the Tabernacle Church, (Congregational,) Salem. 
 
 Horace Bushnell. D. D.. Pastor of Third Consregational Church, Hartford, Ct. 
 
 Right Reverend J. M. Wainwright. D. D., Trinity Church, (Episcopal.) New Yc. Jc. 
 
 Gardner Spring. D. D., Pastor of the Brick Church Chapol Presbyterian Church, New York. 
 
 W. T. Dwight, D. D.. Pastor of Third Congregational Church. Portland, Me. 
 
 E. N. Kirk, Pastor of Mount Vernon Conarefirational Church. Boston. 
 
 Prof. George Bush, author of " Notes on the Scriptures," New York. 
 
 Howard Jlalcom, D. D.. nuthor of " Bible Dictionary." and Pres of Lewisburg University. 
 
 Henry J. Ripley. D. D.. author of " Notes on the Scriptures," and Prof, in Newton Theol. Ini, 
 
 N. Porter. Prof, in Yale College, New Haven, Ct. 
 
 Jared Sparks, Edward Everett. Theodore Frelinghuysen, Robert C. Winthrop, John »IcL.e«n, 
 
 Simon Greenleaf, Thomas S. Williams, - and a large number of othen of like character and 
 
 ■tandins of the above, whose names cannot here appear. H 
 
WORKS FOll SABEATII SCHOOLS 
 
 MALCOM'S (NEW) BIBLE DICTIONARY of the most impor-.ant 
 Names, Objects, and Terms found in the Holy Scriptures ; intended principally for Sab- 
 bath School Teachers and Bible Classes, By Rev. Hom'ard Malcom, I). D., President 
 of Levvisburg College, Pa. 16mo, cloth, 60 cts. 
 
 03- The former Dictionary, of which more than one hundred and thirty thousand copies have been 
 •old, being highly commended by Conventions, Associations, Ministers, Superintendents, Papers, Re- 
 views, etc., throughout the land, as the best Bible Dictionary extant, is made the basis of tlie present 
 work; yet. so revised, enlarged, and improved, by the addition of new material, a greatly increased 
 number of articles, new illustrations, the adoption of new and beautiful type, increased number and 
 «ize of pages, etc., as to render it essentially a Nkw Dictionarv. 
 
 The advantages of this Dictionary over similar works consists in the following particulars: — 
 
 1. It contains greatly more actual illustration of the word of God. Ko space is consumed with re- 
 hearsals of Scripture history nor biographies which can be better read in the Bible itself, nor tedious 
 discussions on disputed points ; nor statements long since superseded by modern research. 
 
 •2. It quotes more extensively those passages which may be explained by the article j thus making it 
 K brief commentary on the whole Bible. 
 
 3. It gives the modern names of places mentioned in the Bible, in all cases where there is any cer- 
 tainty ; thus defining and fixing the reader's conceptions. 
 
 4 Events and personages prominent in profane history are mentioned in connection with names 
 and events in the Scripture history, so as to form a chronologiccd arrangement in the mind of the 
 reader, and assist his memory by association of ideas. 
 
 5. The name of each book in the Bible is given, followed by an article which briefly gives all that is 
 known of writer, date, design, etc., thus often giving a key to the whole. 
 
 6. It contains a sufficient geography of the Bible, and much more convenient for Sundny Schools 
 than a separate work on that subject can be, because, by thi alphabetical arrangement, every one may 
 find the desired information. 
 
 7. The full description of nil the animals, birds, reptiles, insects, plants, minerals, etc., to which im- 
 portant allusions are made, furnishes an adequate natural history of the Bible. 
 
 8. A large part of the work is neu% being derived fiom recent sources. Upwards of ybto- hundred 
 articles are not found in other Bible Dictionaries. "Wlien the article itself is not new, it has been im- 
 proved, if ar<y additional light has been thrown upon tlic Fubject by recent writers. 
 
 9. Distinct and correct impressions of what could not well be taught by words, are given by engra- 
 vings, faithfully and elegantly drawn ; and names liable to erroneous pronunciations are accented. 
 
 For the above reasons, the value of the book is not lessened by the possession of any other Bible 
 Dictionary. 
 
 In addition to the common purposes of a dictionary, this may furnish not only a useful, but a very 
 delightful Sunday exercise in the family. Let a parent read a few articles in course, while the other 
 members of the family, each with Bible in hand, look out the references, and read them aloud. Great 
 light would thus be cast on important subjects, and happy efiects produced in fixing sacred truth 
 upon the memory. 
 
 SABBATH SCHOOL CLASS BOOK; comprising copious Exercises 
 on the Sacred Scriptures. By E. Lincoln. Revised and Improved by Rev. Joseph 
 Banvard, author of " Topical (Question Book," etc. 18mo, 12i cts. 
 
 United testimony of Dr. Malcom, author of " Bible Dictionary," Dr. Stow, author of the " Doctrinal 
 Question Book," and Dr. Hague, author of " Guides to Conversations on the New Testament" : — 
 
 " Hiving examined the Sabbath School Class Book, it gives us pleasure to express our satisfaction 
 with its design and execution. We think the work is well adapted to the end designed, having avoid- 
 ed, in a great degree, the evils of extreme redundance or conciseness." 
 
 LINCOLN'S SCRIPTURE QUESTIONS ; with Answers annexed, {giv- 
 ing, in the Language of Scripture, interesting Portions of the History, and a concise View 
 of the Doctrines, Duties, etc., exhibited in the Bible. 8J c;s. p r copy, or 1,00 per doz. 
 es- Where Bibles cannot be furnished to each scholar, this work will be found to answer on ad- 
 mirable purpose, as the Scripture text is furnished in connection with the questions. 
 
 THE SABBATH SCHOOL HARMONY ; containing appropriate 
 Hymns and Music for Sabbath Schools, Juvenile Singing Schools, and Family Devotion. 
 By N. D. Gould. 12^ cts. K 
 
WORXS BY HUGH MILLER, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 aOULD AND LINCOLN, 
 
 59 A7ASIIINGT0N STREET, BOSTON. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE OLD HED SANDSTONE; 
 
 OR, NEW WALKS IX AN OLD FIELD. 
 
 Elustrated with Plates and Geological Sections. 12mo, cloth. Price $1.00. 
 "It is -withal one of the most beautiful specimens of English composition to be found, convey- 
 ing information on a most difficult and profound science, in a stjle at once novel, pleasing and 
 elegant." — Dk. Spkague, Albany Spectaxok. 
 
 II. 
 
 MY FIKST I^^IPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND AND ITS PEOPLE. 
 
 With a fine Engraving of the Author. 12mo, cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 A thriUingl V interesting and instructive book of travels ; presenting the most perfectly life- 
 like views of England and its People to be found in the language. 
 
 III. 
 
 THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE CREATOR; 
 
 OR, THE ASTEROLEPIS OF STROM NESS. 
 
 With numerous Illustrations. With a Memoir of the Author, by Louis Aoassiz. 
 
 12mo, cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 Dr. Buckland said iiK would give his left haxd TO possess such powees or descsip* 
 
 TIUS AS THIS MAX. 
 
 IV. 
 
 MY SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLMASTERS; 
 
 OR, THE STORY OF MY EDUCATION. 
 
 AX AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 
 
 With a full length Portrait of the Author. 12mo, cloth. Price $1.25. 
 
 This is a personal narrative of a deeply interesting and instructive character, concerning one 
 of the most remarkable men of the age. It should be read and studied by every young man in 
 the land. 
 
 V. 
 
 TESTIMONY OF THE ROCKS; 
 
 OR, GEOLOGY IN ITS BEARINGS ON THE TWO THEOLOGIES, 
 NATURAL AND REVEALED. 
 
 "Thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field."— Job. 
 
 With numerous elegant Illustrations. One volume, royal 12mo. Price $1.25. 
 
 This is the largest and most comprehensive geological work of this distinguished author. It 
 exhibits the prolbund learning, the felicitous style, and the scientific perception, which charac- 
 terize his former works, while it embraces the latest results of geological discovery. But the 
 great charm of the book lies in those passages of glowing eloquence, in which, having spread out 
 his facts, the author proceeds to make deductions from them of the most striking an4 exciting 
 character. 
 
 GC?* The above works may be had in sets of unifo -m size and style of binding. 
 
WiQxlis bii |ol]ii f arris, §.§., 
 
 PUBLISHKU BY 
 
 GOULD AND LINCOLN, 
 
 59 WASHINGTON STKEET 
 
 THE GREAT TEACHER; or. Characteristics of our Lord's ^rinistry. "With an Intro- 
 ductory Essay by IlEMAJf IIcMi'iiRET, D. D. 12mo, cloth. Trice &5 cents. 
 
 II. 
 
 THE GREAT C 51 M I S S I O X ; or. the Christian Church constituted and charged to 
 
 convey the Gospel to the world. A Prize Essay. With an Introductory Essay by 
 
 William K. Williams, D. D. 12mo, cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 III. 
 
 THE PRE-ADAMITE EARTH; Contributions to Thcolo^cal Science. New and Re- 
 vised edition. 12mo, cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 IV. 
 
 "^TAX PRIMEVAL; or, the Constitution and Primitive Condition of the numan Being. 
 With a finely engraved Portrait of the Author. 12ino, clotli, Price $1.25. 
 
 PATRIARCHY; or, Tlie Family, its Constitution and Probation. Contribations to Theo- 
 logical Science. 12nio, cloth. Price $1.25. 
 
 GC?" The immense sale of Lr. Harris's Works^ both in this country and in Eurqpt, 
 their intrinsic ivorl/'i and ^eat poptdarity. ^U) 
 
GOULD AND LINCOLN, 
 
 59 "WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON, 
 
 Would call particulai- attention to the following valuable wonvs described 
 in their Catalogue of Publications, viz. : 
 
 Hugh Ivliller'a Works. 
 
 Bayne'u "Vvorks. "Walker's Works. Miall's Works. Bungener's Work. 
 
 Aunnal of Scientific Discovery. Kniglit's Knowledge is Power. 
 
 Krummacher's Suffering Saviour, 
 
 Banvard's American Histories. The Aimvvrell Stories. 
 
 S'ewcorab's Works. Tweedie's Works. Chambers's Works. Harris' Works. 
 
 Ivitto's CyclopEedii of Biblical Literature. 
 
 *Prs. Knight's Life of Montgomery. Kitto's History of Palestia 
 
 Wheewell's Work. Wayland's Works. Agassiz's Worka. 
 
 '\ Ann . or 
 s, Earth 
 ^ Principii. or Zoology 
 
 ^ MoUuEca and Shells ^ 
 1 Thesaur. of £ng. ^-^^^^ 
 
 mKnowiedgc is Power, 
 WJ^V; Cyclop, of Eng. Literal 
 **W Cjclop. of Bible Lit.. 
 vA\\\ ^ ^ oftb« Bible 
 
 BBS 
 
 
 
 v\ Concord oi i"e iiioje, 
 »>m\ Aoalyt. Cone of Bible, 
 IWVl Moral Science. 
 ^^^^^'vTb. Great Teacher. 
 
 ;TheCi.xV.t-3-'' 
 
 lers. N^^3li 
 
 , ^bert Chambe.„. 
 
 ^'"o.-Cruden. 
 
 , ^adie. - William,. 
 
 Francis WaylanJ. 
 
 \, Join Harris. 
 
 ^. r.'syv/T^.s/. 
 
 William's Works. Guyot's Works. 
 
 Cbompaon's Better Land. Kimball's Heaven. Valuable Works on LUssions. 
 
 Haven's Mental Philosophy. Buchanan's Modern Atheism. 
 
 Cruden's Condensed Concordance. Eadie's Analytical Concordance. 
 
 Tli3 Psalmist : a Collection of Hymns. 
 
 Valuable School Books. Works for Sabbath Schools. 
 
 Memoir of Amos Lawrence. 
 
 Poetical Works of Milton, Cowper, Scott. Elegant Miniature Volvjr.''P. 
 
 Arvine's Cyclopsedia of Anecdotes. 
 
 Ripley's Notes on G-ospels, Acts, and Bomans. 
 
 Sprague'o European Celebrities. Marsh's Camel and the Hallig. 
 
 Hoget'a Thesaurus of English Words. 
 
 Haekett'a Notes on Acts. M'Whorter's Yahveh Christ. 
 
 Slebold and Stannius's Comparative Anatomy. Marco's Geological Map, U. ft. 
 
 Keligious and Miscellancou;; Worka. 
 
 Works iH the various Departments c^^ Literature, Scienoe and Art. 
 
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