17
a beautiful effect after ex, as a no and e/g, 2 Cor. iii. 18, concerning the purest glory. It is to avoid what might be disagreeable to his readers, that Paul does not yet expressly exclude works, of which, however, in this Statement of Subject [Proposition], an exclusion of some kind should otherwise have appeared. Further- more, the nature of a proposition, thus set forth, bears, that many other things may be inferred from this ; for inasmuch as it is not said, ex rqg nforeug ug rijv rritrnv, from the faith to the faith, but indefinitely ex ntanoig s/g n/tnv from faith to faith, so we shall say [we may say by inference] from one faith to another, from the faith of God, who makes the offer, to the faith of men, who re- ceive it, ch. iii. 2, etc. ; from the faith of the Old Testament, and of the Jews, to the faith of the New Testament, and of the Gentiles also, ch. iii. 30 ; from the faith of Paul to the faith of the Romans, ch. i. 12 ; from one degree of faith to still higher degrees, 1 John v. 13 ; from the faith of the strong to the faith of the weak, ch. xiv. 1, etc. ; from our faith, which is that of expectation, to the faith, which is to be divinely made good to us, by the gift of life [“ The just shall live by faith”].— xa^w?, as) Paul has just laid down three principles : I. Righteousness is [of, or] from faith, ver. 17 : II. Salvation is by righteousness, ver. 16: III. To the Jew and to the Greek, ver. 16. What follows confirms the whole, viz., the clause, the just by faith, shall live, which is found in the prophetical record, Hab. ii. 4 ; see notes on Heb. x. 36, etc. It is the same Spirit, who spoke by the pro- phets the Words, that were to be quoted by Paul; and under whose guidance Paul made such apposite and suitable quota- tions, especially in this epistle. — Zyatrai, shall live) some of the Latins, in former times, wrote the present ‘ lives’ for the future u shall live” ( vivit for vivet) an obvious mistake in one small letter, and not worthy of notice or refutation. Baumgarten, fol- lowing Whitby, refutes it, and observes, that I have omitted to notice it.
18. ’A ‘7roxu\v‘7rrsrai, is revealed) See verse 17, note. — yap, for) The particle begins the discussion ; the Statement of Subject [Proposition] being now concluded, ch. vi. 19 ; Matt. i. 18 ; Acts ii. 15 ; 1 Cor. xv. 3. The Latins generally omit it.2 This
1 ‘ Vivit’ y<7 Vulg. and Iren. But ABCAG have ^o-era/. — Ed.
2 But the Vulg. has it “ Revelatur enim.” — Ed.