ii

Author's desire to advance his own knowledge of God's revealed will, and to secure his attention, as far as possible, to every word of the sacred volume, fixing that sense, which upon mature consideration, with the assistance of various commentators, appeared to him to be the true meaning of the most approved text. In this he has humbly studied to ascertain the plain doctrine of the Gospel, as delivered to us in the only sure source of truth, the books of the Greek Testament. Whatever is there revealed he embraces implicitly, and has endeavoured to express clearly, unbiassed by superstition or enthusiasm. Whatever superstructure Councils or Churches, Commentators or Sectaries, may have raised upon it, he has received with the respect due to their authority, so far as he is acquainted with it, but has considered all human interpretations still subject to the free exercise of reason.

O Lord, God of truth, I humbly beseech Thee to enlighten my mind by thy Holy Spirit, that I may discern the true way to eternal sal

vation.

1839.

W. H.

THE EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

TO THE ROMANS, to the Members of
the Christian Church established at Rome.

PAUL, a slave (a) of Jesus Christ (called (b) by CHAP. I. the special favor of God to be an Apostle, appointed to preach the gospel of God, which 2. gospel He, God, had previously announced by his prophets, in the Holy Scriptures, respecting 3. his son, born of the seed and family of David according to the flesh, in his human origin, but 4. defined, demonstrated to be, son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness (c),

(a) The usual term of servant appeared too feeble an expression for the devotedness of this zealous Apostle, who surrendered his liberty and all his affections to the service of his Lord.

(b) The circumstances of his miraculous conversion are everywhere present to the Apostle's mind.

(c) πνευμα άγιωσυνης is equivalent to πνευμα άγιον, in the same manner as κυριος της δόξης ύιος της αγάπης, &c. &c., the glorious Lord-the beloved Son, &c.

B

through operation of the Holy Ghost (a), by his resurrection out of the dead (b), Jesus Christ our 5. Lord, through whom we, I, have received grace and apostleship, favor and authority, for submission of faith, to make men obedient to the faith, among all nations, for his name's sake, in pro6. motion of his kingdom upon the earth; among which nations are ye also, the called of Jesus Christ, who have heard and received the Gospel of 7. Jesus Christ), to all that are, that constitute the Church, in Rome, beloved of God, holy (c), called from the midst of unbelievers to the faith of Christ, grace, favor be, to you, and peace, happiness (d), from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

8.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ

(a) Luke i. 80.

(b) Acts xvii. 31. “Whereof he hath given assurance to all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." This is always referred to as the great proof of Jesus being the true Messiah. Therefore, in the book of Acts i. 22, we find an appointed preacher of the Gospel called "a witness of the resurrection."

(c) dyios esiv, & TNS WISEWS METEXWv.-Chrysostom. And again, άγιες τους πιςες καλει πανίας.

(d) "The Hebrew word, which we translate peace, signifies all kind of happiness."-Tillotson. The Greek word evidently embraces the same meaning, when it is used as a form of salutation; but it more particularly applies to the peace and reconciliation between God and man. C. v. 1.

for you all, in that your faith is spoken of through all the world. For God, whom I worship in my 9. spirit, to whom I am devoted in my heart, through faith in the Gospel of his son, He is my witness how unceasingly I make mention of you, always 10. requesting in my prayers, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God, that God may prosper my desire, to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to 11. you some spiritual gift, some supernatural endowment from the Holy Spirit, that you may thereby be made stedfast in your adherence to the faith. And this is, in effect, to be comforted myself, 12. together with you, through the faith of you and of me, as we may perceive it in each other (a). But I would not have you ignorant, my Christian 13. brethren, that I have many times purposed to come to you (and have hitherto been prevented), that I may have some fruit, may be instrumental in establishing the Gospel, among you also, as well as among other heathen nations. To both 14. Greeks and barbarians (b), not only strangers to Judea, but strangers to the Greek language, to both wise and unwise, to all people of all conditions, I am a debtor, bound to preach. So my 15.

(a) Like that of John xv. 11. "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

(b) See note on 1 Cor. xiv. 11.

part is ready, I on my part am ready, to preach 16. the Gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the gracious manifestation of the power of God unto salvation to every one who believeth Christ to be the son of God, and believing obeyeth his precepts; it is the appointed means of pardon and acceptance, offered to the Jew first, then also 17. to the Greek, the Gentile (a). For in it, by the Gospel dispensation, the righteousness of God is revealed, openly declared to all men, from faith to faith, by faith continually increasing (b); as it is 18. written, "the righteous shall live by (c) faith." For the wrath of God, the punishment which awaits the wicked, is revealed, is now distinctly declared, from Heaven, by the express word of Christ, against every species of impiety and un

(a) The Jews being surrounded by what had once been the Greek empire, and by nations who still used that language, seem to have applied the term of Greeks generally to all who lived without the pale of their communion; as, Mark vii. 26, "The woman was a Greek, a SyroPhoenician by nation."

(b) So 2 Cor. iii. 18, año dons eis dožav. Also, 2 Cor. iv. 17, καθ' υπερβολην εις υπερβολην. And in Psalm lxxxiv. 7, "from strength to strength." That is, as Tillotson has expressed it, from a more imperfect and obscure, to a more express and clear discovery and belief of it.

(c) Habakkuk ii. 4; quoted again Gal. iii. 11, Hebr. x. 38.