unto thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

c Eccles.12.14.

it exists, for future use; it is kept in store (comp. 2 Peter iii. 7) against future times; and the man who commits sin is only increasing this by every act of transgression. The same sentiment is taught in a most solemn manner in Deut. xxxii. 34, 35.—It inay be remarked here, that most men have an immense treasure of this kind in store, which eternal ages of

5. But after thy hardness. The word "after" here (xarà) means in respect to, or you act according to the direct tendency of a hard heart in treasuring up wrath. The word hard-pain will not exhaust or diminish! ness is used to denote insensibility of mind. It properly means that which is insensible to the touch, or on which no impression is made by contact, as a stone, &c. Hence it is applied to the mind, to denote a state where no motives make an impression; which is insensible to all the appeals made to it. See Matt. xxv. 24; xix. 8. Acts xix. 9. And here it expresses a state of mind where the goodness and forbearance of God have no effect. The man still remains obdurate, to use a word which has precisely the meaning of the Greek in this place. It is implied in this expression that the direct tendency, or the inevitable result, of that state of mind was to treasure up wrath, &c. Impenitent heart. A heart which is not affected with sor row for sin, in view of the mercy and goodness of God. This is an explanation of what he meant by hardness. Treasurest up. To treasure up, or to lay up treasure, commonly denotes a laying by in a place of security of property that may be of use to us at some future period. In this place it is used, however, in a more general sense, to accumulate, to increase. It still has the idea of hoarding up, carries the thought beautifully and impressively onward to future times. Wrath, like wealth treasured up, is not exhausted at present, and hence the sinner becomes bolder in sin. But

Stores of wrath are thus reserved for a guilty world, and in due time it "will come upon man to the uttermost." 1 Thess. ii. 16. Unto thyself. For thyself, and not for another; to be exhausted on thee, and not on your fellow man. This is the case with every sinner, as really and as certainly as though he were the only solitary mortal in existence. ¶ Wrath. Note ch. i. 18. Day of wrath. The day when God shall show or execute his wrath against sinners. Comp. Rev. vi. 17. 1 Thess. i. 10. John iii. 36. Eph. v. 6. ¶ And revelation. Or the day when the righteous judgment of God will be revealed, or made known. Here we learn, (1.) That the punishment of the wicked will be just. It will not be a judgment of caprice or tyranny, but a righteous judgment; that is, such a judgment as it will be right to render, or as ought to be rendered, and THEREFORE such as God will render, for he will do right. 2 Thess. i. 6. (2.) The punishment of the wicked is future. It is not exhausted in this life. It is treasured up for a future day, and that day is a day of wrath. How contrary to this text are the pretences of those who maintain that all punishment is executed in this life. (3.) How foolish as well as wicked is it to lay up such a treasure for the future; to have the only inheritance in

6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

a Prov.24.12. Matt.16.27. Rev.20.12.

7 To them, who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek

the eternal world, an inheritance of to which the rewards of heaven shall wrath and wo!

6. Who will render. That is, who will make retribution as a righteous Judge; or who will give to every man as he deserves. To every man. To each one. This is a general principle, and it is clear that in this respect God would deal with the Jew as he does with the Gentile. This general prin- | ciple the apostle is establishing, that he may bring it to bear on the Jew, and to show that he cannot escape simply because he is a Jew. According to his deeds. That is, as he deserves; or God will be just, and will treat every man as he ought to be treated, or according to his character. The word deeds (gy) is sometimes applied to the external conduct. But it is plain that this is not its meaning here. It denotes every thing connected with conduct, including the acts of the mind, the motives, the principles, as well as the mere external act. Our word character more aptly expresses it than any single word. It is not true that God will treat men according to their external conduct; but the whole language of the Bible implies that he will judge men according to the whole of their conduct, including their thoughts, and principles, and motives; i. e. as they deserve. The doctrine of this place is elsewhere abundantly taught in the Bible. Prov. xxiv. 12. Matt. xvi. 27. Rev. xx. 12. Jer. xxxii. 19. It is to be observed here that the apostle does not say that men will be rewarded for their deeds (comp. Luke xvii. 10), but according to (nara) their deeds. Christians will be saved on account of the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ (Titus iii. 5), but still the rewards of heaven will be according to their works; that is, they who have laboured most, and been most faithful, shall receive the highest reward, or their fidelity in their Master's service shall be the measure or rule according

be distributed. Matt. xxv. 14—29. Thus the ground or reason why they are saved shall be the merits of the Lord Jesus. The measure of their happiness shall be according to their character and deeds. On what principle God will distribute his rewards the apostle proceeds immediately to state.

be.

7. To them. Whoever they may

Patient continuance. Who by perseverance in well doing, or in a good work. It means that they who so continue, or persevere in good works as to evince that they are disposed to obey the law of God. It does not mean those who perform one single act, but those who so live as to show that this is their character to obey God. It is the uniform doctrine of the Bible that none will be saved but those who persevere in a life of holiness. Rev. ii. 10. Matt. x. 22. Heb. x. 38, 39. No other conduct gives evidence of piety but that which continues in the ways of righteousness. Nor has God ever promised eternal life to men unless they so persevere in a life of holiness as to show that this is their character, their settled and firm rule of action. The words well doing here denote such conduct as shall be conformed to the law of God; not merely external conduct, but that which proceeds from a heart attached to God and his cause. ¶ Seek for. This word properly denotes the act of endeavouring to find any thing that is lost. Matt. xviii. 12. Luke ii. 48, 49. But it also denotes the act when one earnestly strives, or desires to obtain any thing; when he puts forth his efforts to accomplish it. Thus, Matt. vi. 33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God," &c. Acts xvi. 10. 1 Cor. x. 24. Luke xiii. 24. In this place it denotes an earnest and intense desire to obtain eternal life. It does not mean simply the desire of a sinner to be happy, or

the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath,

tion thus included Gentiles and Jews; but particularly the latter, as they had been more signally favoured with the light of truth. It had been an eminent characteristic of the Jews that they had refused to obey the commands of the true God. Josh. v. 6. Judg. ii. 2; vi. 10. 2 Kings xviii. 12. Jer. iii. 13. 25; xlii. 21; xliii. 4. 7; ix. 13. But obey unrighteousness. The expression means that they yielded themselves to iniquity, and thus became the servants of sin. Rom. vi. 13. 16, 17. 19. Iniquity thus may be said to reign over men, as they follow the dictates of evil, make no resistance to it, and implicitly obey all its hard requirements. Indignation and wrath. That is, these shall be rendered to those who are contentious, &c. The difference between indignation and wrath, says Ammonius, is that the former is of short duration, but the latter is a long continued remembrance of evil. The one is temporary, the other denotes continued expressions of hatred of evil. Eustathius says that the word indignation denotes the internal emotion, but wrath the external manifestation of indignation. (Tholuck.) Both words refer to the opposition which God will cherish and express against sin in the world of punishment.

9. Tribulation. This word commonly denotes affliction, or the situation of being pressed down by a burden, as of trials, calamities, &c.; and hence to be pressed down by punishment or pain inflicted for sins. As applied to future punishment, it denotes the pressure of the calamities that will come upon the soul as the just reward of sin. And anguish, Toxwgía. This noun is used in but three other places in the New Testament. Rom. viii. 35. 2 Cor. vi. 4; xii. 10. The verb is used in 2 Cor. iv. 8; vi. 12. It means literally narrowness of place, want of room, and then the anxiety and distress of mind which a man experiences who is pressed on every side by afflictions,

9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that and trials, and want, or by punishment, and who does not know where he may turn himself to find relief. (Schleusner.) It is thus expressive of the punishment of the wicked. It means that they shall be compressed with the manifestations of God's displeasure, so as to be in deep distress, and so as not to know where to find relief. These words affliction and anguish are often connected. Rom. viii. 35. Upon every soul of man. Upon all men. In Hebrew the word soul often denotes the man himself. But still, the apostles, by the use of this word here, meant perhaps to signify that the punishment should not be corporeal, but afflicting the soul. It should be a spiritual punishment, a punishment of mind. (Ambrose. See Tholuck.) ¶ Of the Jew first. Having stated the general principle of the divine administration, he comes now to make the application. To the principle there could be no objection. And the apostle now shows that it was applicable to the Jew as well as the Greek, and to the Jew pre-eminently. It was applicable first, or in an eminent degree, to the Jew, because, (1.) He had been peculiarly favoured with light and knowledge on all these subjects. (2.) These principles were fully stated in his own law, and were in strict accordance with all the teaching of the prophets. See Note on ver. 6. Also Ps. vii. 11; ix. 17; cxxxix. 19. Prov. xiv. 32. Of the Gentile. That is, of all who were not Jews. On what principles God will inflict punishment on them, he states in ver. 12-16. It is clear that this refers to the future punishment of the wicked, for, (1.) It stands in contrast with the eternal life of those who seek for glory (ver. 7). If this description of the effect of sin refers to this life, then the effects spoken of in relation to the righteous refer to this life also. But in no place in the Scriptures is it said that men experience all the blessings of eternal

doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile.

a

10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that work

1 or, Greek. a 1Pet.1.7.

eth good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile :

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

b Deut.10.17. 2Chron. 19.7. Gal.6.7,8. 1Pet.1.17.

on account of sometihng personal-on account of his wealth, or rank, or office, or influence, or by personal friendship, or by the fear of him. It has special reference to a judge who pronounces judgment between parties at law. The exercise of such partiality was strictly and often forbidden to the Jewish magistrates. Lev. xix. 15. Deut. i. 17. Prov. xxiv. 23. James ii. 1. 3. 9. In his capacity as a Judge, it is applied often to God. It means that he will not be influenced in awarding the retributions of eternity, in actually pronouncing and executing sentence, by any partiality, or by regard to the wealth, office, rank, or appearance of men. He will judge righteous judgment; he will judge men as they ought to be judged; according to their character and deserts; and not con

life in this world; and the very supposition is absurd. (2.) It is not true that there is a just and complete retribution to every man, according to his deeds, in this life. Many of the wicked are prospered in life, and "there are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm." Ps. lxxiii. 4. Many of the righteous pine in poverty and want and affliction, and die in the flames of persecution. Nothing is more clear than there is not in this life a full and equitable distribution of rewards and punishments; and as the proposition of the apostle here is, that God WILL render to every man ACCORDING to his deeds (ver. 6), it follows that this must be accomplished in another world. (3.) The Scriptures uniformly affirm, that for the very things specified here, God will consign men to eternal death. 2 Thess. i. 8, "Intrary to their character, or by partiality. flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that OBEY NOT the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction," &c. 1 Pet. iv. 17. We may remark also, that there could be no more alarming description of future suffering than is specified in this passage. It is indignation; it is wrath; it is tribulation; it is anguish which the sinner is to endure for ever. Truly men exposed to this awful doom should be alarmed, and should give diligence to escape from the wo which is to come! 11. For. This particle is used here to confirm what is said before, particularly that this punishment should be experienced by the Jew as well as the Gentile. For God would deal with both on the principles of justice. Respect of persons. The word thus rendered means partiality, in pronouncing judgment, in favouring one party or individual more than another, not because his cause is more just, but

The connexion here demands that this affirmation should be limited solely to his dealing with men AS THEIR JUDGE. And in this sense, and this only, this is affirmed often of God in the Scriptures. Deut. x. 17. 2 Chron. xix. 7. Eph. vi. 9. Col. iii. 25. Gal. vi. 7, 8. 1 Pet. i. 17. Acts x. 34. It does not affirm that he must make all his creatures equal in talent, health, wealth, or privilege; it does not imply that, as a sovereign, he may not make a difference in their endowments, their beauty, strength, or graces; it does not imply that he may not bestow his favours where he pleases where all are undeserving, or that he may not make a difference in the characters of men by his providence, and by the agency of his Spirit. All these are actually done, done not out of any respect to their persons, to their rank, office, or wealth, but according to his own sovereign good pleasure. Eph. i. To deny that this is done, would be to deny the