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men will be manifest, having also joined with it some defence of upright acts, although the man be condemned [fall] in the judgment , himself being his own accuser, on account of other offences. And that circumstance implies, as a consequence, [infers] (reasoning, from the greater to the less, i. e., from the final judgment, to the judgments of conscience in the present life), accusation, or even defence, exercised in this life also, as often as either the future judgment itself is vividly presented before a man, or its anticipations, without the man’s own privity (con- sciousness), are at work in the conscience. — Comp. 1 John iv. 17. And Scripture often speaks so of the future, especially of the last things, as that it presupposes those which precede them. The Jews at ver. 5, as the Gentiles in this passage, are threat- ened with the future judgment. — rd xputfra, the secrets ) the con- science, and the thoughts - — Comp. 1 Cor. iv. 5. This confirms the connection of this verse with the preceding. The true qua- lity of actions, generally unknown even to the agents themselves^ depends on the secrets. — See ver. 29. Men judge by outward manifestations, even concerning themselves. Outward manifes- tations of good or evil will also be judged, but not then for the first time ; for they are judged, even from the time in which they are wrought ; deeds, that are secret, are then at length brought to judgment. — ruv dvdpuKojv, of men) even of the Gen- tiles.— xara, according to) i.e. as my Gospel teaches. Paul adds this short clause, because he is here dealing with a man, who does not yet know Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the whole preaching as to Christ; and Christ will be the Judge ; and the judgment in regard to the Gentiles, is not so expressly declared in the Old, as in the New Testament. And it is called the Gospel of Paul, as it was preached by Paul, even to the Gen- tiles.— Acts xvii. 31. All the articles of evangelical doctrine, and the article concerning the final judgment, greatly illustrate one another ; and moreover, this very article, even in respect of believers, is altogether evangelical. — Acts x. 42 ; 1 Pet. iv. 5.
17. E / dl , but if) If — comp, when , ver. 14 — has some resem- blance to an Anaphora,1 with the exception that oruv, when , having reference to the Gentiles, asserts more ; s/, if used with
1 See Appendix.