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29 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.

1 The Jews' prerogative: 3 which they have not lost: 9 howbeit the law convinceth them also of sin: 20 therefore no flesh is justified by the law, 28 but all, without difference, by faith only: 31 and yet the law is not abolished.

1 WHAT advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?

2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Gentiles, but liable, like them, to the wrath of God, notwithstanding their religious distinctions and privileges. But as every thing depended upon convincing them of this, since, if the Jews were safe in consequence of being Abraham's seed, Christianity could be of no importance to them, in the next chapter he answers an objection, and confirms the whole from their own scriptures.

CHAPTER III. Verse 1. What advantage then hath the Jew? &c.-The Apostle frequently uses the interrogatory style, either to give strength to his own conclusions, or to bring forward what he knew would be the objections of others. To the doctrine which he had laid down, that the religious privileges of the Jews did not insure their future salvation, he introduces the natural objection of those who reasoned like them on these subjects: What advantage then, what superiority in matters of religion and religious hope, hath the Jew? or what profit, benefit, is there in circumcision, by which the Jews are initiated into covenant with God, and become his peculiar people? This advantage he allows to be great in every respect, since the religious privileges with which they were thereby invested were so many instituted means of obtaining grace and salvation; but he sums them all up in their having had the oracles of God committed to them; both as this was the crowning privilege, and to inti

mate that their religious privileges did not, oF THEMSELVES, place them in a state of salvation, but that they all, like the word of God itself, were addressed to their understanding, and were designed to be the means of religious instruction and direction, which they were to follow out to its practical application. Such was the nature of circumcision itself, and of their sacrifices, festivals, and typical ceremonies.

Verse 2. Committed the oracles of God, &c.-By the oracles of God, Ta λoyia 78 Oe8, St. Paul means the holy scriptures, according to the usual division, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. The heathens used to call the pretended responses of their deities Aoyia; which is the word the apostle here uses, as it is frequently used by the LXX., for those immediate communications from God which are contained in the Jewish scriptures. It is evident, therefore, that these writings were received by St. Paul and the Jews as of divine inspiration. They regarded them not as words of men, but oracles of God. The Jews are said to have been intrusted with them, because Judaism was, in fact, a conservative dispensation, by which the light of truth might be kept from extinction during all those ages in which the nations of the earth were running mad with error and idolatry of every kind. These blessed records of the divine oracles were therefore committed to one people to preserve and partially to diffuse,

3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

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4 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 overcome when thou art judged.

a Psalm cxvi. 11.

until the fulness of time, when all na. tions should, through the gospel, be put into the possession of them. That advantage, in the mean time, belonged to the Jews, who, by means of these oracles, had the knowledge of God, the promises of Messiah, the doctrine of a future life, and were instructed in the way of salvation.

Verse 3. For what if some did not believe? &c.-Commentators have here greatly perplexed the apostle's course of observation, for want of holding this and the following verses close to the context. The apostle had stated, in answer to the objection, that, although the sinning Jews should perish notwithstanding their advantages, yet the advantages were great, and chiefly as to their possessing the oracles of God. Now he goes on to state, that, though some did not believe these oracles, had not that genuine faith in their warnings and threatenings, nor, indeed, in their spiritual promises, which is necessary to put men in possession of the saving and renewing influence of the word of divine truth; yet their unbelief did not affect the faithfulness of God. This use of the term faith is quite in the manner of St. Paul, who, speaking of the ancient Jews, says that " the gospel," the good news, "preached to them, did not profit them, not being mixed with FAITH in them that heard it;" (Heb. iv. 2;) and they therefore perished. It is their practical unbelief, and their want of practical faith, here as well as there, of which he speaks. But he then asks, by way of rendering the negative more emphatic, Shall their unbelief make the faith, the faithfulness, of God without effect? shall it abolish or destroy God's faithfulness to his own oracles, who promises life only to the penitent, the believing, and the holy, and

b Psalm li. 4.

threatens sure vengeance against persevering and obstinate sinners of any class? That the execution of the threatenings of the oracles of God is here referred to, as the object of the divine faithfulness of which the text speaks, is manifest from what follows; for of the next verse no consistent sense can be made, if the faithfulness of God be confined to the promises alone, and those especially which relate to the seed of Abraham, which is the view usually taken.

Verse 4. God forbid, &c.—This negation contains a strong implied assertion of the contrary. Whatever becomes of the opinions and theories of men, this is a first principle, that THE TRUTH of God must be acknowledged, and that both in his threatenings as well as promises, which was the point the Jews denied. As to the Gentiles, indeed, God's threatenings against sin might be interpreted strictly; but not as to the Jews, the seed of Abraham, the friend of God. Hence the force of the quotation from Psalm li. 4, where David acknowledges the justice of God with regard to the punishment denounced against him and his posterity by the prophet Nathan, in consequence of his adultery and murder: "That thou mightest be justified in thy sentence, and be clearly right in every judicial act." David was indeed a man in special relation to God; yet his sins were visited with severity; and when he confesses those offences in this penitential Psalm, and reviews the sentence which his Judge had pronounced against him and his house, he justifies it, and acknowledges that in that, as well as in every other case, such was the essential righteousness of God, that he must be justified in his sayings, or sentences; and should any question them, that he would, by the

5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

6 God forbid for then how shall God judge the world? 7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

strong demonstration of the equity of all his proceedings, overcome when judged. It was to these views, and this humble temper of David, that St. Paul wished to bring the Jews, that they might "acknowledge their sin," and ascribe righteousness to God who had placed them under condemnation as sinners. The apostle and the LXX. translate the Hebrew word which we render "mayest be clear," by vikηONS, mayest overcome," which is the same in sense; for he who is cleared when accused overcomes his accuser, and carries his cause.

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Verses 5, 6. But if our unrighteousness, &c. Still in order to attain clear views of these passages, which have been by most commentators so greatly obscured, the scope of the discourse must be strictly kept in mind. These words are not, as many suppose, a new objection; but are to be joined with the preceding verse, the argument of which, indeed, they continue. This is indicated by their not being introduced by the particle yap, which marks the other transitions. The apostle, having quoted the preceding passage from Psalm li., continues his own observations, but not in the person of the objecting Jews: But if it be so, that the judgments of God are so righteous as not to be called in question, and our unrighteousness thus commends, proves and demonstrates, avvisno, the righteousness, or justice, of God, what shall we say? Meaning, what can we say? We ought to be silent, and, like David, in the passage quoted, confess the unquestionable rectitude of the decision. We must either acknowledge that, or else we must blasphemously deny it, and affirm that God is unrighteous. Is God then unrighteous who taketh vengeance on the wicked Jews? I speak as a man: I put

the case hypothetically in the language of wicked men, prone to throw the blame from themselves, and to challenge the justice of God; but this no Jew can affirm. He cannot say that God is unrighteous in taking vengeance on sinners, because he acknowledges that the Gentiles at least will be condemned; and if wicked Jews were to be screened, though guilty of the same crimes, how then shall God judge the world, the whole world of Jews and Gentiles? that is, how shall he do this righteously and according to his own character of truth, if he show so gross a partiality and respect of persons?

Verses 7, 8. For if the truth of God, &c. -This is a new and distinct objection. If the Jews could no longer urge against the arguments of the apostle, that the mere possession of superior privileges would exempt them from the punishment due to their offences, still their zeal to make the true God known, and to promote his glory and worship, might plead for them. The fact could not be denied: whatever might have been the conduct of the earlier Jews, who were given much to idolatry, those who after the captivity were spread through the Greek and Latin cities maintained generally the worship of God, and were zealous to make proselytes from the heathen. This was reckoned an act of great merit; and though they were not solicitous to make the proselytes better men, yet if they brought them to acknowledge and worship the true God, this was their boast. They were indeed so urgent in this respect, that it is referred to by Horace, as proverbial. Our Lord, when he speaks of the Pharisees "compassing sea and land," that is, using all sorts of means, "to make one proselyte," intimates that they were not very scrupulous as to the

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 for we have before proved are all under sin;

better than they? No, in no wise: both Jews and Gentiles, that they

* Greek, charged.

arts they employed; and here the truth of God is said to have abounded expressly through their lie, yevoua, deceit of any kind. This truth of God is truth respecting God, which was proposed to the belief of the Gentile proselytes; and the abounding of this truth cannot easily be referred to any thing but to the gather. ing of proselytes from their heathen neighbours. That they often, at least, thus promoted the glory of God, by deceit and falsehood, they did not affect to deny; but seem to have grounded upon it an argument against St. Paul's severe doctrine,-the doctrine he had preached previously in many places, and therefore well knew how his countrymen wrestled with it, that the sins of Jews as well as of others placed them in a state of damnation. How, said they, can that be, since we all acknowledge, that though we often make proselytes by means not perfectly justifiable, yet it is a most meritorious act, and causes the truth of God to abound to his glory? Such sins therefore, they said, will not be punished; and this would be set up as a refutation of the apostle's doctrine. If the truth of God is made known, if Gentiles are brought to worship and glorify him, why yet am I judged, condemned by you, as a sinner? To this the apostle subjoins two answers. The first is drawn from a slander thrown by these very Jews and others upon the apostles as Christians, that they did evil that good might come; but if they condemned this in Christians, though the charge was false, how then could they justify it in themselves? The second answer is apostolic, and authoritative, but founded upon the whole tenor of both the Jewish and Christian revelations,-that the final con

demnation of persons who acted upon this detestable maxim would be JUST, since it is the first duty of every individual to avoid all sin, and the pretence of promoting some good thereby would sanction the greatest crimes.

The sense of this passage is plain, the construction not so obvious. Bloomfield includes or within the parenthesis, and observes, "The sense then will be, And why, (xaι being adjective for Kairo,) at this rate, may not we, as we are slanderously reported to do, and some say we maintain, do evil that good may come?"

Verse 9. What then, are we better than they?-What, then, shall we conclude, that we Jews are better than the Gentiles? No, in no wise, certainly not; and thus the apostle comes back to the great point from which he set out,-for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin, all guilty of sin. The word auTiare signifies not merely to prove, but to prove forensically, and therefore to convict, to bring in as it were that verdict of guilty, which leaves the criminal to the sentence of the law. Here, therefore, it may be well to mark the steps of the argument. The point to be proved was, the necessity and excellence of the gospel, as the power of God unto salvation, or as having a divine efficiency to save, and this especially, as adapted to the case of the guilty against whom the wrath of God was revealed from heaven, having this grand peculiarity, that it revealed to the faith of men a method of pardoning and saving even the guilty, consistent with the righteous administration of a just and holy God; for thence he observes, is the righteousness of God by faith revealed by faith, establishing the principle, that the just shall live by faith.

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10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

c Psalm xiv. 1-3.

But it was necessary to convince men, that they needed such a provision of infinite wisdom and mercy, or to press it upon their attention and acceptance would be in vain. He shows therefore, 1. That all ungodliness and unrighteousness exposed men to the wrath of God, chap. i. 18. Then, 2. That the Gentiles were no toriously guilty of this ungodliness and unrighteousness; which he illustrates by an awful but just enumeration of their mental and sensual vices, and thus shows, that not only were they worthy of death, God's penalty against sin, but that they knew that this was God's sentence, by the light which remained among them. 3. He charges the Jews with the same sins, both of the heart and life,—a fact which is confirmed by their history and their own writers, as the fact of the immoralities of the Gentiles is confirmed by their history and their own writers. But in this the Jews differed from the Gentiles. The latter, it appears from chap. i. 32, knew the judgment, or righteous appointment, of God, that they that commit such things are worthy of death; but the Jew, without denying this to be the judgment of God, nay, asserting it as to the Gentiles, thought, imagined, wrapped himself in the delusion, conceit, that he, up being a Jew, should "escape the judgment of God;" though he did the same things. Therefore, 4. The apostle applies himself to dissipate this delusion, and with wonderful earnestness repeats and refutes overy objection they were in the habit of making to the doctrine of their liability to future punishment for their sins, or anticipating such delusive reasonings as he knew their course of thinking on these subjects would suggest. This refutation of their favourite and fatal error, and which alone was sufficient to prevent them from receiving the gospel, I have shown runs on from chap. ii. 3, to chap. iii. 8, where it terminates. I am, indeed, aware of the difficulty of tracing the connexion of this part of the discourse, where the subject is greatly varied in its aspect, and the

transitions are abrupt. But, by considering that the subject of this whole section of the epistle is the refutation of the error just mentioned, a much more consistent and uniform sense of the different parts is brought out; whereas, it is quite difficult to conceive the connexion of the usual interpretations with the general arguments. For instance, if we interpret verse 3 of this chapter, with many whom Macknight has followed in substance, "If some did not believe in Christ the promised seed, shall their unbelief make the faithfulness of God in his promises to be a God to Abraham's seed, without effect?" how can this be made to harmonize in any conceivable manner with that part of the apostle's reply taken from David's psalm of penitent confession, "That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged," or brought into judgment? Again, as to verse 5, if it be put into the mouth of a Jew, which is generally done by interpreters, as a reason why he should not be punished, in what sense could such a Jew, pleading for his impunity, argue that his unrighteousness did, or at least was allowed to, commend the righteousness of God, which manifestly means his punitive justice? This is clearly contradictory. No Jew could reason in this manner, nor the apostle put such an argument into his mouth. Hence some, who have perceived the incongruity, have given to the righteousness of God the forced sense of mercy. same may be said of the usual interpretations of verse 7. They want either consistency or connexion with the scope of the discourse.

The

Verses 10-19. As it is written, There is none righteous, &c.-As the apostle himself asserts that he resumes the subject from which he had diverged in order to rouse the Jews from their false security, and now comes back to the great point that both Jews and Gentiles were equally guilty of sin, and obnoxious to "the wrath of God, revealed from heaven

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