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things concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, 24 and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some 25 disbelieved them. So when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after Paul had said one thing, Well spake the holy spirit to our fathers by the prophet 26 Isaiah, saying, Go to this people, and say, Hearing ye will hear, and will not understand; and seeing ye will 27 see, and will not perceive. For the heart of this people

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is become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal 28 them.' Be it known therefore to you, that the salvation of God is sent to the gentiles; who will hearken also to 29 it." [And when he had said these words the Jews de

parted, and had great disputing among themselves.]* 30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired 31 house, and received all who came in unto him; preach

ing the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all freedom of speech, unhindered.

*This verse is wanting in some of the best manuscripts and versions. See Griesbach, and Newcome's note.

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PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, 2 separated to the gospel of God, (which he had promised

before by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) even the 3 gospel concerning his Son, who was born of the race of 4 David, according to the flesh, but proved to be the Son of God by power, according to the holy spirit, through his resurrection from the dead;)* the gospel, I say, con

* The apostle could not mean by this phraseology and the antithesis which he here uses, to assert or countenance the strange and unintelligible notion of two natures in Christ, one the human nature, by which he was the descendant of David; the other a divine nature, by which he was the son of God. The sense of the passage is plainly this, that Christ by natural descent was of the posterity of David, but that in a figurative sense, by designation of the holy spirit at his baptism, he was the son of God: or the promised Messiah, which was further proved by the extraordinary exertion of divine energy in raising him from the dead. See Mr. Lindsey's Second Address to the Students of the Two Universities, p. 276. Christ is called the Son of God for two reasons: First, because this title is equivalent to that of Messiah, and was so understood by the Jews, John i. 50. Thou art the son of God, thou art the king of Israel. Compare Mark i. 1; Luke iv. 41; xxii. 67, 70. Secondly, he is called a son of God as having been raised from the dead to an immortal life. In this sense Christ is called the first born, having been the first human being who was put in'o possession of this glorious inheritance. Col. i. 15, 18; Heb. i. 6; Rev. i. 5. All believers, as heirs of the same inheritance, are also sons of God. John i. 12; Rom. viii. 14-17; 1 John iii. 2. Hence they are said to be brethren of Christ, and co-heirs with him; and he is the first-born among many brethren. Rom. viii. 29. These are the only senses in which the title, Son of God, is applied to Christ in the genuine apostolical writings.

5 cerning Jesus Christ our Lord; (by whom we have received the favour of an apostleship, for preaching obedience to the faith among all the gentiles, for the sake of 6 spreading his name; among which gentiles are ye also, 7 the called of Jesus Christ;) to all the beloved of God, and called to be saints*, that are in Rome : favour be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the

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Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole 9 world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with myt spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I 10 make mention of you; always requesting in my prayers that by some means now at length I may have a prosperous journey by the will of God, so as to come unto 11 you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you 12 some spiritual gift, that ye may be established: which is, that I may be jointly comforted among you by our mutual faith, the faith of both you and me.

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But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you, (but have been hindered hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among 14 you also, even as among the other gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians; both to the 15 wise and to the unwise. So then, as much as lieth in me,

I am ready to preach the gospel unto you also that are in 16 Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is

the power of God unto salvation, to every one who be17 lieveth; to the Jew first, and to the gentile also. For

"That this term comprehends the whole body of christians, appears from Acts xxvi. 10; Rom. xii. 13; 1 Cor. vi. 1; Eph. iii. 8; Heb. iii. 1; 1 Pet. ii. 5, 9; and from many other places. All christians were thus called because they were dedicated to God: 1 Cor. vii. 14: and because they professed a religion which tended to make them holy. 1 Cor. vi. 11." Newcome.

+ my whole spirit, N. but without any authority from MSS.

the gospel of Christ, R. T.

thereby God's method of justification * from faith to faith is revealed: as it is written, "Now the just by faith shall 18 live t." For the anger of God is revealed from heaven

against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who 19 hold the truth in unrighteousness: for what may be

known of God is manifest among them; for God hath 20 manifested it unto them: for, from the creation of the world, the invisible things of Him are clearly perceived, being understood by the things which are made; even his eternal power and providence‡: so that they are with21 out excuse §, because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, nor gave him thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their inconsiderate heart 22 was darkened: professing 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.

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Wherefore God [on his part] gave them up to uncleanness through the desires of their hearts, that their 25 bodies should be dishonoured among themselves; who changed the true into a false God, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is bless26 ed for ever. Amen. For this cause, I say, God gave

them up to vile passions for even their women changed 27 the natural use into that which is against nature; and in like manner the men also left the natural use of the woman, and burned in their desire one toward another; men working unseemliness with men, and receiving among

"The original word is often used by St. Paul for God's treating men as just or righteous; whether by admitting them into the outward privileges of the christian church here, or into his heavenly kingdom hereafter." Newcome.

"The just shall live by faith." N. See Hallet's Observations, vol. i. p. 15.

Rosenmuller in loc.

See Mr. Lindsey's Second Address, p. 278. The expression, "godhead,” used in the common version, and adopted by Newcome, is liable to be misunderstood. § Gr. that they might be.

|| So Wakefield. The true God into false ones. N. the truth of God into a lie. Gr.

28 themselves the due recompense of their error.

And as

they did not approve of retaining God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do 29 those things which were not fit: being filled with all iniquity, [fornication,] maliciousness, covetousness, wickedness; full of envy, murther, strife, deceit, malignity; 30 whisperers, evil-speakers, haters of God, injurious, proud,

boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without consideration, covenant-breakers, without na32 tural affection, [implacable,] without pity: who though they knew the righteous ordinance of God, (that those who commit such things are worthy of death,) not only do them, but even have pleasure in those who do them. CH. II. Wherefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever

thou art, that judgest: for, wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the 2 same things. But we know that the judgement of God is according to truth, against those who do such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest those who do such things, and yet doest them, that thou shalt escape 4 the judgement of God? or despisest thou the riches of his kindness, and of his forbearance, and long-suffering; not knowing that the kindness of God should lead thee to 5 repentance? and, after thy perverseness and unrepenting heart, treasurest thou up to thyself anger against the day of anger, and the manifestation and righteous judgement 6 of God? who will render to every man according to his 7 works to those who, by patient continuance in good

works, seek for glory, and honour, and incorruption, 8 everlasting life: but upon those that are contentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there shall 9 be wrath and anger, affliction and distress; even upon every soul of man who doeth evil, of the Jew first, and 10 of the gentile also; but glory, and honour, and peace, to every man who doeth good, to the Jew first, and to the gentile also.

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