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Salvation by faith,]

ROMANS.

be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

CHAP. IV.

[that it might be by grace.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his cake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our of fences, and was raised again for our justification. (F)

EXPOSITION.

(F) Ver. 1-25. Abraham's faith imputed to him for righteousness, as ours shall also be, if we believe in Christ.-There is some difference among the most learned commentators in explaining the opening verses of this chapter. Had this Epistle been addressed to Hebrew converts, we should have had no hesitation in explaining the term "according to the flesh" in the most natural and obvious sense, as referring to the natural seed of Abraham: but since it is expressly addressed to Gentile converts, namely, the Romans, we are more disposed, with Hammond and Whitby, Claude, Boothroyd, and Cox, to refer it to circumcision. What advantage, then, did our Father Abraham derive from circumcision?' that is, Was he justifiedthereby? If so, he hath "whereof to glory" before God; but, surely, neither he, uor any man, hath whereof to glory before God; therefore Abraham was not justified by circumcision, nor by any other works. And if Abraham was not justified by works, then neither can we be. And that Abraham was not thus justified is farther evi

dent, because he was justified" in uncircumcision;" that is, before he was circumcised. (See Robinson's Claude, vol.i. p. 72, 73.)

But how, then, was Abraham justified? By faith in God's promise relative to the Messiah, in whom all nations were to be blessed, as we shall find the apostle clearly explains himself in his Epistle to the Galatians, ch. iii. Abraham was, therefore, justified by faith in Christ, as we also shall be, if we believe in him. But neither was Abraham, nor can we be justified by any merit either of our faith or of our works; for, as stated in this chapter (ver. 16), our salvation is of faith, that it might be by grace, that is, by God's free favour: to make, therefore, our justification, which is one grand brauch of our salvation, to be of works, is to attempt to defeat God's great design in the plan of our redemption.

But, it is said, this faith was reckoned or imputed to Abraham, as it shall be to us Christians, for righteousness or justification-not as a debt or claim, but as a favour bestowed on us for Christ's sake, ou

NOTES-Chap. IV. Con.

Ver. 16. The father of us all-That is, of believing Gentiles, as well as Jews.

Ver. 17. Before.-Boothr. "In the sight of." So Macknight.

Ibid. Calleth those things which be not-i, e. do not yet exist as though they were.-To him

who" seeth the end from the beginning" (Isa. xlvi. 10), all things, past or future, are alike present. Ver, 19. His own body.-See Gen. xviii. Il. Ver. 22. And therefore it-i. e. his faith. Ver. 25, Delivered.-See Acts ii, 23, 24.

The fruits of]

CHAP. V.

CHAP. V.

THEREFORE being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience experience; and experience hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

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[justification by faith.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 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, and death by

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EXPOSITION.

whom our faith must rest. "I think (says good Dr. Doddridge) nothing can be easier than to understand how this may be said in full consistence with our being justified by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ; that is, our being treated by God as righteous, for the sake of what he has done and suffered for, though this be the meritorious cause of our acceptance with God, yet faith may be said to be imputed to us in order to our being justified, or becoming righteous; that is, as we are charged as debtors in the book of God's account, what Christ has done in fulfilling all righteousness for us, is charged as the graud balance of the account: but that it may appear that we are, according to the tenor of the Gospel, entitled to the benefit

of this, it is also entered in the book of God's remembrance "that we are believers ;" and this appearing, we are graciously discharged, yea, and rewarded, as if we ourselves had been perfectly innocent and obedient." (See also Witsius, Econ. Fed. lib. iii. c. 8, § 36.)

Christ was not only "delivered (to death) for our offences, but raised again for our justification."-" In the death of Christ (says Mr. Cor) we see an atonement made for sin, and in his resurrection a proof that his atonement was accepted. He may also be said to be raised for our justification, because we are justified through his intercession; and he could not have interceded had he not been raised."

NOTES.

CHAP. V. Ver. 2. By whom we have access. Some critics suppose this alludes to the formal introduction of a heathen worshipper into the immediate presence of his idol: but why may it not rather allude to the introduction of a subject into the royal presence by the king's son?

Ibid. This grace wherein we stand-Namely, the grace of adoption: Christ introduces his adopted brethren into the Father's presence. Compare Ephes. ii. 13, 14.

Ver. 6. Yet without strength. The original (Asthenon), says Mr. Cox," signifies weak through sickness and here refers to the pernicious influence of sin, which affects, as it were, the whole man with an incurable malady. See Isa. i. 5. —~ In due time-Marg. "according to the time," viz. the time predicted.

Ver. 7. A righteous man-i. e. one remarkable for honour, equity, and strict justice.A good man-A man of kindness and benevolence. Godwyn thinks that this and the preceding verse allude to a rabbinical distinction of the Jews into three classes-good, just, and ungodly.-Moses and Aaron, Book i. ch. ix.

Ver. 10. Saved by his life-i. e. by his being raised from the dead. Compare ch. iv. 25.

Ver. 11. Received the atonement.-Doddr. and Mackn." the reconciliation." The Greek noun is nearly related to the verb twice rendered reconciled in the preceding verse. Reconciliation, however, certainly implies atonement.

Ver. 12. For that-Marg. "In whom;" namely, Adam. Newcome and Boothroyd, "inasmuch as all have sinned."

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sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

13 (For until the law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed when

there is no law.

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

15 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 many.

16 And not as it was by 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.

17 For if by one man's offence death

[Adam compared.

reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. (G)

CHAP. V.

EXPOSITION.

(G) Ver. 1-21. The happy consequences of our justification.-The apostle having laid down "the most wholesome" doctrine of justification by faith, proceeds now to consider the practical effects arising from it; and, in the first place, the consolation derived therefrom by true believers. Assured of pardon and justification through our Lord Jesus Christ, the love and peace of God are shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit-they have access to communion with God here, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God to be revealed hereafter. Thus are they supported in tribulations of every kind; "tribulation worketh patience-patience (produces) experience" of the divine goodness-and " experience (engenders) hope"-a hope that will not disappoint the expectation, but infinitely exceed it; and of which the possessor will never have reason to be ashamed,

The apostle now enters upon another topic from the consideration of their having obtained pardon while in a state of sin and unbelief, he draws an argument to hope for farther blessings. He now shows the ground on which we receive these benefits, namely, our relation to Christ Jesus, in the covenant of grace made with him, of which he is the head and surety. Fo Here a comparison is drawn bètween Adam the first, as the head and father of all mankind, and Christ, the second Adam, as he is expressly called in 1 Cor. xv. 47. The former being the covenant (or federal) head of all his natural descendants, to whom his first sin, whereby he violated God's covenant with him, conveyed death with all its fatal consequences: the latter, being in like manner the federal head of all his people

namely, all who were given to him by the Father and purchased by his bloodall who believe, and are justified by faith in him-to them he eventually conveys not

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Ver. 18. By the offence of one.--Marg. " By one offence. By the righteousness of one.-Marg.

"By one righteousness."-The free gift came upon all men.-The expression being evidently elliptical, the words "free gift" are here properly supplied,

Ver. 21. As, sin hath reigned, &c.-" Sin and grace are here most happily personified under the character of two mighty monarchs exercising their power over their respective subjects." Cox,

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only temporal, but also spiritual and eterenal life; and this by a resurrection both spiritual and literal-raising them to newness of life here, and to a new and immortal life hereafter.

That all men-Jews as well as Gentiles ere are sinners and guilty before God, our be apostle had largely proved in the preceding part of this Epistle, and he now asserts that their guilt commenced in Adam, and therefore extended to all his posterity, who by were alike connected with him. So the ninth Article of the Church of England, on Original Sin, expressly states that "it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousDess, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that in every person born into this world it deserveth God's wrath and damnation."-This indeed sounds so harsh to modern ears, that many have endeavoured to persuade themselves that "God's wrath and damnation" can mean only the temporal evils of the present life: yet to say that infants do not deserve God's wrath, and yet do deserve the pains and miseries of sickness and of death; or that they suffer without deserving them either of these positions seems equally inconsistent; and, if not so shocking to our ears, is no less so to our understanding. The fact is, there are many things in God's moral government of the world that we can by no means account for; and if we are not content to leave them to the explanations of a future state, we may perplex and torment ourselves through life in vain.

As to the sense of the Scripture now before us, and of the article just cited, we shall copy ouly a single paragraph from Bp. Burnett, who has laboured to soften the language of the latter: yet he says"As these words [of St. Paul] are positive, and of great importance in them

selves, so all this is much the stronger, by the opposition in which every one of them is put to the effects and benefits of Christ's death; particularly to our justification through him, in which there is an impu tation of the merits and effects of his death, that are thereby transferred to us; so that the whole effect of this discourse is taken away, if the imputation of Adam's sin is denied. And this explication does certainly quadrate more entirely to the words of the Article, as it is known that this was the tenet of those who prepared the Articles, it having been the generally received opinion from St. Austin's days downward." (Burnett's Expos. Art. 1x.) That this was indeed the doctrine of "the Fathers of the English Church" is fully evident from the Homilies and other authentic documents. (See Rev. W. Wilson on the Articles.)

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What follows, with reference to the two great heads of mankind, Adam and Christ, requires some explication; the sin of the one fell upon man universally, and all men are sinners the righteousness of the other [Christ] is offered to the same extent, though it avails only to them who by faith receive it. Mr. Cox says, that the meaning of the apostle seems to be.... "That the Gospel reveals a remedy fully adequate to the salvation of all men; and actually effectual to the salvation of all who do not wilfully reject the remedy. As far as Christians are concerned, their loss by the fall is more than repaired to them; for they enjoy a capacity of obtaining [he might have said a promise of receiving] a far greater degree of happiness and glory than that of Adam in Paradise." The effects of Christ's atonement exceed those of Adam's sin in some other respects. We were involved in misery by one trangression; but are saved from infinite offences, Our misery admitted of a perfect remedy; but our salvation, when completed, is beyond all danger of relapse.

NOTES.

CHAP. VI. Ver. 1. What shall we say then?Marg. and Doddr. "What shall we say then?Shall we say) Let us continue," &c. Compare hap. iii. 8.

Ver. 2. God forbid.-Mackn. "By no means."

See Note on ch. iii. 4.-How shall we, &c.—i. e. How shall we who are dead to lust live in adultery? How shall we who are dead to the world, live in the pursuit of its wealth and pleasures?

Ver. 3. Were (twice over)-Doddr. "Have been."

Believers redeemed]

ROMANS.

us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him :

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in, your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yield yourselves unto

[from the service of sin,

God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instraments of righteousness unto God.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

16 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?

17 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.

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteous

ness.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh : for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye

NOTES-Chap. VI. Con.

Ver. 4. Into death.-Doddr. and Mackn. "Into (his) death."

Ver. 5. Planted together.-Drs. Wells and Doddr. "Made to grow together." Boothroyd, "United together." See Ephes. ii. 21; iv. 15.

Ver. 6. Might be destroyed.--Doddr." enervated," that it might not destroy us.

Ver. 7. Is freed.-Marg. "justified." Doddr. says, "the word here seems to import, being delivered from future claims of subjection." So Mackn. Ver. 10. Died unto sin once.-Doddr." Died for sin once."

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Ver. 17. But God be thanked, that ye were the ser vants of sin. This is one of the most unhappy translations in the New Testament. Bishop Lowth ren ders it," But thanks be to God, that [though y were the slaves of sin; yet have ye obeyed from the heart the doctrine, on the model of which ye were formed." Doddridge translates it to the same effect, thus "Thanks be to God, that whereas ye were the servants of sin, ye have obeyed from the heart the model of doctrine into which ye were delivered." The allusion undoubtedly is to the casting of tigures in a mould.Form of doctrine which was delivered you. The Margin reads, "whereto ye were delivered." So Macknight.

Ver. 19. After the manner of men.-See ch. iii. 5. Ver. 20. Free from righteousness.-i. e. not under the control of its precepts.

Ver. 21. What fruit had ye, &c.-i. e. what advantage did ye derive from a life of sinful pleasures?

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