other; men with men working filthiness, and receiving in 28 themselves the just recompence of their error. And as

they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to an undiscerning mind, to do the things which 29 were not expedient; Filled with all injustice, fornication, maliciousness, covetousness, wickedness; full of envy, mur30 der, contention, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil 31 things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding,

covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, 32 unmerciful. Who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that they who practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in those that practise them.

being punished with that unnatural lust, which was as horrible a dishonour to the body, as their idolatry was to God.

Verse 28. God gave them up to an undiscerning mind-Treated of, verse 32. To do things not expedient-Even the vilest abominations, treated of, verses 29-31.

Verse 29. Filled with all injustice-This stands in the first place; unmercifulness, in the last. Fornication-Includes here every species of uncleanness. Maliciousness-The Greek word properly implies a temper which delights in hurting another, even without any advantage to itself. Verse 30. Whisperers-Such as secretly defame others. Backbiters— Such as speak against others behind their back. Haters of God-That is, rebels against him, deniers of his providence, or accusers of his justice in their adversities; yea, having an inward heart-enmity to his justice and holiness. Inventors of evil things-Of new pleasures, new ways of gain, new arts of hurting, particularly in war.

Verse 31. Covenant-breakers-It is well known, the Romans, as a nation, from the very beginning of their commonwealth, never made any scruple of vacating altogether the most solemn engagement, if they did not like it, though made by their supreme magistrate, in the name of the whole people. They only gave up the general who had made it, and then supposed themselves to be at full liberty. Without natural affection— The custom of exposing their own new-born children to perish by cold, hunger, or wild beasts, which so generally prevailed in the heathen world, particularly among the Greeks and Romans, was an amazing instance of this; as is also that of killing their aged and helpless parents, now common among the American heathens.

Verse 32. Not only do the same, but have pleasure in those that practise them-This is the highest degree of wickedness. A man may be hurried by his passions to do the thing he hates; but he that has pleasure in those that do evil, loves wickedness for wickedness' sake. And hereby he encourages them in sin, and heaps the guilt of others upon his own head.

CHAP. II. 1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man whosoever thou art that judgest; for in that thou judgest the other, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest 2 practisest the same things. For we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them who practise such 3 things. And thinkest thou this, O man, who judgest them

that practise such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt 4 escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation and righte6 ous judgment of God; Who will render to every one

* Prov. xxiv. 12.

Verse 1. Therefore-The apostle now makes a transition from the gentiles to the Jews, till, at verse 6, he comprises both. Thou art inexcusable -Seeing knowledge without practice only increases guilt. O man-Having before spoken of the gentile in the third person, he addresses the Jew in the second person. But he calls him by a common appellation, as not acknowledging him to be a Jew. (See verses 17, 28.) Whosoever thou art that judgest-Censurest, condemnest. For in that thou judgest the other-The heathen. Thou condemnest thyself; for thou doest the same things-In effect; in many instances.

Verse 2. For we know-Without thy teaching. That the judgment of God-Not thine, who exceptest thyself from its sentence. Is according to truth-Is just, making no exception, verses 5, 6, 11; and reaches the heart as well as the life, verse 16.

Verse 3. That thou shalt escape-Rather than the gentile.

Verse 4. Or despisest thou-Dost thou go farther still,-from hoping to escape his wrath, to the abuse of his love? The riches-The abundance. Of his goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering-Seeing thou both hast sinned, dost sin, and wilt sin. All these are afterwards comprised in the single word goodness. Leadeth thee—That is, is designed of God to lead or encourage thee to it.

Verse 5. Treasurest up wrath—Although thou thinkest thou art treasuring up all good things. O what a treasure may a man lay up either way, in this short day of life! To thyself Not to him whom thou judgest. In the day of wrath, and revelation, and righteous judgment of God-Just opposite to "the goodness and forbearance and longsuffering" of God. When God shall be revealed, then shall also be "revealed " the secrets of men's hearts, verse 16. Forbearance and revelation respect God, and are opposed to each other; longsuffering and righteous judgment respect the sinner; goodness and wrath are words of a more general

7 according to his works: To them that by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, 8 eternal life: But to them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be indigna9 tion and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, even upon every soul of man who worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also the 10 gentile; But glory, and honour, and peace, shall be to every one who worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the gentile.

11 For there is no respect of persons with God. For as 12 many as have sinned without the law shall also perish with

out the law and as many as have sinned under the law 13 shall be judged by the law; For not the hearers of the law

Verse 7. To them that seek for glory-For pure love does not exclude faith, hope, desire, 1 Cor. xv. 58.

Verse 8. But to them that are contentious-Like thee, O Jew, who thus fightest against God. The character of a false Jew is disobedience, stubbornness, impatience. Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish—Alluding to Psalm lxxviii. 49: "He cast upon them," the Egyptians, "the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble;" and finely intimating, that the Jews would in the day of vengeance be more severely punished than even the Egyptians were when God made their plagues so wonderful.

Verse 9. Of the Jew first-Here we have the first express mention of the Jews in this chapter. And it is introduced with great propriety. Their having been trained up in the true religion, and having had Christ and his apostles first sent to them, will place them in the foremost rank of the criminals that obey not the truth.

Verse 10. But glory-Just opposite to "wrath," from the divine approbation. Honour-Opposite to "indignation," by the divine appointment; and peace now and for ever, opposed to tribulation and anguish.

Verse 11. For there is no respect of persons with God-He will reward every one according to his works. But this is well consistent with his distributing advantages and opportunities of improvement, according to his own good pleasure.

Verse 12. For as many as have sinned-He speaks as of the time past, for all time will be past at the day of judgment. Without the law-Without having any written law. Shall also perish without the law-Without regard had to any outward law; being condemned by the law written in their hearts. The word also shows the agreement of the manner of sinning, with the manner of suffering. Perish-He could not so properly say, Shall be judged without the law.

Verse 13. For not the hearers of the law are, even now, just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified-Finally acquitted and rewarded: a most sure and important truth, which respects the gentiles also, though

are just with God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For when the gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature

the things contained in the law, these, not having the law, 15 are a law to themselves: Who show the work of the law written upon their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or 16 even defending them; In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Christ Jesus according to my gospel. 17 But if thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and

principally the Jews. St. Paul speaks of the former, verses 14, &c.; of the latter, verses 17, &c. Here is therefore no parenthesis; for the sixteenth verse also depends on the fifteenth, not on the twelfth.

Verse 14. For when the gentiles-That is, any of them. St. Paul, having refuted the perverse judgment of the Jews concerning the heathens, proceeds to show the just judgment of God against them. He now speaks directly of the heathens, in order to convince the heathens. Yet the concession he makes to these serves more strongly to convince the Jews. Do by nature--That is, without an outward rule; though this also, strictly speaking, is by preventing grace. The things contained in the law -The ten commandments being only the substance of the law of nature. These, not having the written law, are a law unto themselves-That is, what the law is to the Jews, they are, by the grace of God, to themselves; namely, a rule of life.

Verse 15. Who show-To themselves, to other men, and, in a sense, to God himself. The work of the law-The substance, though not the letter, of it. Written on their hearts-By the same hand which wrote the commandments on the tables of stone. Their conscience-There is none of all its faculties which the soul has less in its power than this. Bearing witness—In a trial there are the plaintiff, the defendant, and the witnesses. Conscience and sin itself are witnesses against the heathens. Their thoughts sometimes excuse, sometimes condemn, them. Among themselves -Alternately, like plaintiff and defendant. Accusing or even defending them-The very manner of speaking shows that they have far more room to accuse than to defend.

Verse 16. In the day-That is, who show this in the day. Everything will then be shown to be what it really is. In that day will appear the law written in their hearts, as it often does in the present life. When God shall judge the secrets of men— -On secret circumstances depends the real quality of actions, frequently unknown to the actors themselves, verse 29. Men generally form their judgments, even of themselves, merely from what is apparent. According to my gospel-According to the tenor of that gospel which is committed to my care. Hence it appears that the gospel also is a law.

Verse 17. But if thou art called a Jew-This highest point of Jewish glorying, after a farther description of it interposed, verses 17-20, and

18 gloriest in God, And knowest his will, and discernest the 19 things that differ, being instructed out of the law; And art

confident that thyself art a guide to the blind, a light 20 of them that are in darkness, An instructer of the ignorant,

a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth 21 in the law. Thou that teachest another, dost not teach

thyself; thou that proclaimest a man should not steal, dost 22 steal; Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost commit adultery; thou that abhorrest idols, committest 23 sacrilege; Thou that gloriest in the law, by transgress24 ing the law dishonourest God. For the name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles through you,* as it is 25 written. Circumcision indeed profiteth, if thou keepest

*Isaiah lii. 5.

consists of twice five articles; of which the former five, verses 17, 18, show what he boasts of in himself; the other five, verses 19, 20, what he glories in with respect to others. The first particular of the former five answers to the first of the latter; the second, to the second, and so on. And restest in the law-Dependest on it, though it can only condemn thee. And gloriest in God-As thy God; and that, too, to the exclusion of others.

Verse 19. Blind, in darkness, ignorant, babes—These were the titles which the Jews generally gave the gentiles.

Verse 20. Having the form of knowledge and truth-That is, the most accurate knowledge of the truth.

Verse 21. Thou dost not teach thyself He does not teach himself who does not practise what he teaches. Dost thou steal, commit adultery, commit sacrilege-Sin grievously against thy neighbour, thyself, God. St. Paul had shown the gentiles, first their sins against God, then against themselves, then against their neighbours. He now inverts the order: for sins against God are the most glaring in an heathen, but not in a Jew. Thou that abhorrest idols-Which all the Jews did, from the time of the Babylonish captivity. Thou committest sacrilege-Doest what is worse, robbing Him "who is God over all" of the glory which is due to him.

None of these charges were rashly advanced against the Jews of that age; for, as their own historian relates, some even of the priests lived by rapine, and others in gross uncleanness. And as for sacrilegiously robbing God and his altar, it had been complained of ever since Malachi ; so that the instances are given with great propriety and judgment.

Verse 25. Circumcision indeed profiteth-He does not say, justifies. How far it profited is shown in the third and fourth chapters. Thy circumcision is become uncircumcision-Is so already in effect. Thou wilt have no more benefit by it than if thou hadst never received it. The very same observation holds with regard to baptism.