The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 62

wltneee to the ohoracter of his deeds, or Testoment, ·e.8 well e.s by Roman writer,,, rather, with his deeds beore witnees for or the term 'EfJpciio, being Rpplied in th!'l New ogoinst himself: his thoughts are as o.dvo- Testament (usually o.t Je-,~t) to dfatingoish oa.tes on both sides, o,rguing for condemna.tion those Jews who n,lheT01l to th'l H~l:,rew or a.cquittal. "Observo qno.m erudite de- le.ngnage in public wr,r~hip, e.nd t,:, nati,ma.l scribe.t oonsoientio,m, quum elicit nobis venire customs e.ud traditions, from th1Jse who Hel- in mentem ro,tiones, quibus quod recte fa.ctom lenized ('EM.7111"1.,.a[). It was tha name 0n est defendimus; rorsum qom nos fle.gitiorom which the people prided thems,,lvea at tha.t l\ccuaent et rede.rguant" (Ce.lvio), time, as expressing their p,-.,:mliar privileges. Ver. 16.-In the day when God shall judge The apostle, having at the be"innina of the seorets of men, according to my gospel, this cba.pter addressed himselr g~neTally to by Jesus Christ. About this verse the me.in "whosoever thou art tha.t judgest," now question is, what previous assertion the summons the Jew exclusively tn the ba.r of "when" refers to. The time denoted by judgment, whose claims to exemption from "when" (whether we suppose 1<pt11u or 1<_p111i, the general condemnation have come to the -,i.e. the present or future tense-to have front in the preceding verses. By the em- been intended by the writer) is certainly the phatic .,.1, he calls ou him now to give a.n ;,plpa. of 1 Cor. iii. 18, and other passages- a.cco1Int of himself, and justify his preten- the de.y of doom, when "every man's work sions if he can. The point of the argument shall be me.de manifest." Hence immediate is that :the Jews were notoriously at that connection of this verse with the preceding time no better than other nations in moral one, which would otherwise have been the conduct-nay, their national character was natural [one, seems to be precluded; for in such as to bring their very religion into cfu- ver. 15 the present operation of conscience, repute among the heathen-1llld therefore during this present life, was described. One doing, and not either privilege, knowledge, way of me.king the connection obvious is by or profession. being according to the very understanding ver. 15 as itself denoting the Law on which they rested the test re- manifestation reserved for the day of judg- quired, their whole ground for national ex- ment, when ell will stand self-convicted. emption was ta.ken away. And restest on But not only the verb /"1iel1<11t111-ra.1 in the law (11&µ.,p, here without the article, so as to present tense, but eJso the fa.et of the whole emphasize the principl,e on which the Jew verse being so obvious a description of pre- professed to rest for e.ccept.ance), and makest sent human consciousness, seems to preclude thy boast of God. The Jew gloried, as this view. Some would connect ver. 16 with 6<,<>"Sinst the heathen, in his knowledge an~ ver. 12, of which it is in itself e. natural worship of the one true God. sequence; and this connection is intimated Ver. 18.-And knowest his will, and at1- in the Authorized Version, which includes provest the thmgs that are more excellent the three verses thot come between in e. pe.- (llo1<1µ.&(ers -re\ llu14>lpoll'ra., a phrase c.1pahle renthesis. The objection to it is the length eJso of the meaning, "pro vest the .lungs of the pe.renthesis. Probably the apostle, in which differ," i.e. distingoishest between his characteristic way, paid little regard to right and wrong; fur lio1e,µ.ci.(e,v may mean precise logical sequence ; he only desired to either "to prove,'' or "to approve " after express, in this concluding verse, that in trial, and -re\ li1a.4>,poll'ra. either ·• things which the great day full justice would be done, differ," or "things which surpass." Exactly and all that he had been speaking of would ' the same expression occurs in Phil. i IO, be me.de plain. My go~pel means " the with the same uncertaintv of mesnin!!. The gospel committed unto me to preach" ( of. eh. difference is unimportant, both interpreta- xvi. 25: 2 Cor. iv. 8: 2 These. ii. 14; 2 Tim. tions coming to the same thing:). being in- ii. 8). The idea that it means "the Gospel Btruoted (1eC1"1"11xo.\l'"os, which implies regu- o.ocording to St. Luke," said to have been lar training, whether cateohetice.lly in youth, written under St. Paul's superintendence, is or through rabbinical and syu.,b"!!io teach- too improbable to oall for serious notioe. ing) out of the Law. 8o far th., Jew·s own Ver. 17.-But it (the true reading being chums on the ground of his own position. oert11inly .11/lt, not llll, ns in the Textlll! have beeu touched on: whnt follows ex- Receptus) thou (all, emphatic) art named a presses his attitude with reg,ud to others. Jew. The Isroelites who hod remuined in We may observe throughout a vein c>t" Palestine, or who returned to it nftor the irony. Ca.ptivlty, seem thenceforth to have been Vers.19, 20.-And art oonfident that thou designated J(J'IJ)s ('Ioulla.i'o1), though they in- thyself an a guide of the blind, a light of cluded some of other tribes tlum thnt of them whioh are in darkness, an instruotor Judoh, nota.bly that of Denjomin, of whioh of the foolish, a teaoher of babes, h&ving the St. Paul himself wa.s, and of oourso of Levi. form of knowledge and of the ttoth in the Thay a.re so coiled, whether rosidont in Law. Here the form (!'Jp,p,,,ais) does not P11lestine oi- elsewhere, througbllut tho New mean the mere outwt\?d show, but the real  56 THE EPISTLE OF PAUL '1'0 'i'HE itOMANS. (011.It. 1-20.