see 1 Cor. 15: 17. John 15: 22; compare such passages as Gal. 3: 10. Rom. 6: i4. 7: 14, &c. &c. Both ideas are here probably included, Paul had proved that all were sinners, that is, corrupt and exposed to condemnation.
Verses 10 — 18 contain the confirmation of the truth of the universal sinfulness of men, by the testimony of Scripture. These passages are not to be found consecutively in any one place in the Old Testament, but are quoted from several. Verses 10 — 12 are from Ps. 14 or 53 : v. 13, from Ps. 5 : 9 ; v. 14, from Ps. 10 : 7 ; vs. 15—17, from Isa. 59 : 7, 8; and V. 18, from Ps. 36 : 1. These passages, it will be perceived, are of two classes; the one general, descriptive of the whole human race as wicked ; the other special, referring to particular prevalent sinful acts as evidence of the general sinfulness of men, on the principle ' by their fruits ye shall know them.' This method of reasoning is legitimate and common. The national character of any people is proved by a reference to the special acts by which it is manifested. It is not necessary that every inhabitant of France, for example, should manifest his gayety by dancing, to make the argument good from the prevalence of this amuse- ment, that gayety is a national trait of the French character. So it is no* necessary to prove that every man manifests his wickedness by shedding blood, to make the prevalence of this and kindred crimes a proof that men are, as a race, corrupt.
(10) ^s it is written .- There is none righteous, no, not one. This is a general declaration of the universal wickedness of men. The two ideas contained in this proposition are expressed in the following verses. All are destitute of piety, v. 11 ; and all are consequently immoral, v. 12.
(11) There is none that understandeth, i. e. who sees things in theii true nature ; who has right apprehensions of God. Right views of truth are uniformly, because necessarily attended with right affections towards it. Hence, ' understanding' is in the Scriptures so often used for reli- gion, see the note on ch. 1 : 21 ; and hence, as an amplification of the phrase, * there is none that understandeth,' Paul adds, there is none that seeketh after God, which expresses all those exercises of desire and wor- ship, consequent on the discovery of the divine excellence.
(12) They are all gone out of the way. Blinded by sin to the per- fections and loveliness of God and truth, they have turned from the way which he has prescribed, and which leads to himself, and have made choice of another way and of another portion. They are together become unprofitable, i. e. useless, worthless, corrupt. The last is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word used in the passage quoted, Ps. 14: 3. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Universal corruption of mo- rals is the consequence of universal apostasy from God, see ch. 1 : 24, 26, 28.
(13, 14) These verses present that evidence of the sinfulness of men which consists in the universal prevalence, under some form or other, of evil speaking. Their throat is an open sepulchre, i. e. from their throat