When Jew he.d come to be the peculfar de- an4 otroummlon ii the.t of the heart, in the signa.tlon of tho cliilclren of the covenant, llpirit, not In the letter (or, iA gpirit, Mt m persons were said to become Jewa by cir- letter. Both the nouna, ,n,e6µ"'"' e.nd 7p&µ- oumoision. Thus Eeth. viii.17, "And many µaT<, here e.re without the e.rticle, BO e.a to of the people of the land bece.me Jews," bring out their inherent significance. See where the LXX. has, Kczl ,ro/\/\ol .,,r;,,, 10,,;;,,, e.bove e.a to l, v6µo, e.nd v6µo,). Whoae pre.ise npwrlµvono tcal 'Iova&,(ov. It may be is not of men, but of God. In these two here observed the.t the known fact of other concluding verses we observe the double races o,e well as the Jews ha.ving practised, seUBe in which the term 'Iov3a.o, may be e.nd still practising, circumcision is not eub- UBed. It denotes here one possessed of the versi ve of the scriptural view of its being true spirit of J ndaiem; in which senee the e. peculiarly Jewish rite. For to the Jew Gentile might be the bett.er Jew. In a like alone it had e. peculiar significance. double sense we may we the word " Chris- Vere. 25, 26.-For oircumcision verily tian "_ (cf. John i. 47, a.\7J81>1< 'lo-pa71/\[.,,'1•; proftteth (not j'U8tifieth, but only profiteth: John viii 39, "If ye were Abraham'• chil- it is of advantage, e.nd no unmeaning rite, dren, ye wonld do the works of Abraham;'' if thou underste.ndest e.nd ce.rriest out its aleo eh. iv. and Gal. iii. 7). So, too, rep,-roµf, mee.ning; it introduces thee into e. ste.t.e of for spiritual circumcision ( ,rep,.,,ou-1, cixe1po- knowledge e.nd opportunity, e.nd certainty of ,ro(7J.,,o,, Col. ii 11), in the sense of inward Divine fe.vour), if thou keep the Le.w: but if dedication to God's service, and "putting off thou be a transgressor of the Le.w, thy cir- the body of the siru of the flesh" (0:iL ii. 11 ; oumcision is me.de nnciroumoision. If there- see e.lso Phil. iii. 2, 3). Such ethical signi- fore the nnoircumoision keep the ordine.noes fic11.nce of the rite appears e,en in the Old of the Law, she.11 not hie nnoiroumcision be Teetament. We read there of " nucircnm- counted for circumcision 1 Here, e.gain, as cieed lips" (Exod. vi 12, 30), or "ears" in vers. 10, 11, 14, 15, the impartiality of (Jer. vi. 10), or "hearts" (Lev. =vi. 41); God's dealings with e.11 men alike is dis- and in Deut. =· 6 we find the significant tinctly: declared. words," The LoBD thy God will cireumcise Vere. 27-29.-And she.11 not the nncir- thine heart, e.nd the heart of thy seed, to oumoision which is by ne.ture (i.e. men in e. love the LoBD thy God with all thine heart, ste.te of n11.ture, without any distinct revel11.- e.nd with all thy soul, that thou mayest tion, or sign of e. peculiar covenant) judge live;" e.nd in Jer. iv. i. "Circumcise ,our- thee (thou presu.mest, in virtue of thy posi- selves to the LORD, and take e.way the.fore- tion, to judge them; na.y, r11.ther, they shall skins of your hearts, ye men of Judah and judge thee), who by (re.ther, with, ie. though inhe.bite.nt.s of Jerusalem." (Cf. Isa.. Iii. 1, in possession of) the letter e.nd oiroumoision "Put on thy beautiful garments, 0 Jerusa- dost tra.nsgress the Le.w 1 For he is not a lem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall lew, which is one outwe.rdly; neither is no more come into thee the uncircumcised the.t oircumcision, which is outwe.rd in the e.nd the unclean.") 11.eah: but heis aJ'ew, whiohisoneinwe.rdly;
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-3.-Judgment, human and Divina. This sudden and impassioned appeiu was made, in reality though not expressly, to the Jew. St. Paul imagined himself in the presence of a Hebrew fellow-countryme.n, whom he supposed to be listening to his burning denunciation of the vices nnd crimes of heathen society. Now, the distinctive characteristic of Christianity as e. moral system wa.s its insistence upon righteousness, purity, e.nd charity of heart, and not merely of conduct; and no one more thoroughly entered into this characteristic thau did the apostle himself. With quick perception, St. Pnul discerned, in the mind of the Jewish hearer or reader l'f his :first che.pter, indignation and disgust springing up e.t the picture of moral corruption which fairly represented the state of Gentile society. But the apostle wished to prove e.ll men under condemnation--Jew and Gentile alike; and upon the Christian principle that morality is of the heart, he was able to do this, 1U1d was justified in doing it. Hence the language of indignation with which ho turns upon the Pharisee, who recoils from Gentile iniquity, who pronounces upon those guilty of it the sentence of cc1 n- demnation. "Thou art inexcu~nblo; thou that judge~t doest the s,imt1 thing-, l" 'l.'ho appeal is instructive, as to judgment passed upon man's Cc)nduct by his l~llow-lllcn and by his God. I. 'l'mi: JUDOMENT OF MAN BY MAN, I. It is always fallible. For who has THE EPlSTLE OF PA.UL TO THE ROMANS. [on. 11. 1-29.
knowledge sufficient t-0 enable him to sit in judgment upon hie fellow-sinners ? 2. Ae a matter of fact, it is often unjust. For who is so parfoctly u}:lrigbt and. lm}:lartlnl u to ~ entrusted, not with judicinl authority over mou ns agents, but with mornl autbonty onr them as accountable beings? 3. He who judges his Mlow-man is liable to bRve his attention withdrawn from bis own sins, errors, aud ill deserts, He is troubled by the mote in bis brother's eye, and forgets the beam which is in bis own eye. 4. In t.he case of fallible and sinful men, the condemnation of others is alwe.ys condemnation of self. "'l'bou art the man I" is the response wbioh is suggested The form of wrong-ooing denounced. may not be the identical form by whioh the denouncer is chiefly t.empted; but the principle of sin is one, though the forms assun1od be many. . I~ ~ Jc:™?YE~"T ~F MAN BY ~OD. 1. 'l'his is always and exactly jmt; for Justice is a D1nne at-tnbute ; and it would be absurd to attribute to the infinitely perf~t Being, the Governor of the universe, either imperfection of knowledge or partiality and respect of persons. 2. It is not to b6 impugned. "The judgment of God is according to truth;" it needs no court of revision, no court of appeal ; its decisions are final and unquestionable. 3. It is inevitable. Foolish and ignorant must be the man into whose mind the thought can enter that the Divine judgment can be escaped. APPLICATION. Let a man judge, not his fellow-men, but himself, lest he incur the right.eous judgment of God.