The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 191

at the end, the Law of Moses le rcferrod to commandment" brongbt ont lust aa lin, as forbidding lust. Hence the article in but further that it '[IT01Jr,lwl, it, according to both oases. But in the intervening phro.ee, the alleged tendency of human nature to ol µ.~ lM 11&µ.011, it is the principle of law long o.11 the more for what id forbidden ; genemlly that is regarding as making sin Nitimw in 11etitum semper, eupimiwzu.e 11❖ known. Tho adducing of brtOuµ.la. as being gata. Whether or not we he.ve this ten- made known by the Law seems to have a dency to the ext_ent sometimes B1lpposed, significance beyond tbat of its being one the contezt certa.rnly neither requires nor portioular instance of sin being so made suggests the conception, either here or in known. It may imply that the very pro- vers. 5 e.nd 7. It is trne, however, that the pension to evil, which is the root of sin, is language of vers. 5 and 8 does in iteelf SU<>'• thus only me.do known as sinful. The re- gest it. Ago.inst it is the reason which fol- ferPnce is, of course, to tbe tenth com- lows; "for without law sin is dead," which mandment. Without it men might not can hardly mean (as the strong word IIEKf'4 have been aware of the sinfulness of desires would seem in such case to require) tho.t as well as of deeda, and thus, after all, lust itself is altogether dormant until pro- been unacquainted with the essence of sin. hibition excites it. Calvin interprets K11- Further, we may suppose it to be not with- ,,..,p-ycura.,,.o thus: "Detexit in me omnem out a purpose tho.t the apostle varies his concupiscentiam ; qum, dnm lateret, qno- verbs expressive of knowing, ,,.~., a.µ.ap,,.£a.11 de.mmodo nullo. esse videbatur;" and on olJtt l-yvr,,11, and E1r,811µ.(a.y ob« tfBEw. ""E;,v"'v a.µ.ap,,.,a. 11e1eperema.rks, "Clo.ri3sime ei:primit majus est, '({"6<&11 minus. Hine poeterius, quem seneum ho.beaut superio~. Perinde cum etio.m minor gradus nego.tur, est in enim est ac ei cliceret, sepultam esee sine incremento" (Bengel). "E-y11•w may express Lege pecco.ti notitiam." personal acquaintance with the working Vere. 9-11.-For I was alive without (or, ond power of sin; tf"6 ..v, no more than know- apart from) law onoe; but when the com- ing lust as being sin at all. If so, it does mandment oo.me, sin revived ( or, spra'IIIJ into not in itself imply (whatever may seem to be life), and I died. And the commandment, the case in ver. 8, of which below) that the which was unto life, this I found to be unto Law ezcites lust, in the sense that I should death. For Bin, to.king ooco.si.on, through the not have lusted as I do had not the Law commandment deceived me, and through it forbidden me to lust. slew me. If, in saying, "I WllB a.live once," Ver. 8.-:But sin, to.king ocoe.sion, through the writer is at all remembering his own the oomme.ndment wrought in me ell ma.nner experience, the reference may be to the time of ooncupisoenoe (or, of l!L8t): for without of the innocence of childhood, before be had (or, apart from) law sinisdee.d. Here,as in any distinct cou..oeiousuess of the behests of eh. v. 12, seq., sin is personified as a power, law. Or it may be tho.t he is only imo.,,<ri.n- antagonistic to the Law of God, that has ing e. possible state without any consciolll!- been introduced into the world of man, ness of le.w, so RB to bring out more forcibly cousin!: death. In eh. v. its first introduo- the operation of low. On the general drifi tion we.a found in the soriptural acoouut of of.ver. 9, Calvin says tersely, "Mora pecco.ti Adam's transgression. It he.a ever sinoa vita est hominis : rUISum vita peccati mol'S been in the world, as is evidenced by the hominie.'' In ver. 11 the conception of sin's continuance of the reign of death RB it comes oction is the SBme as in ver. 8; but the verb to o.11 men now (vere. la, 14). But it is only now used is if'l11'4T"7JIT•, with obvioua refer- when men, through law, know it to be sin, ence to Eve's temptation, which is regarded that it is imputed (ver. 18), nnd so slays as representing ours (d. 2 Cor. xi. 8). The them spiritually. Apo.rt from law, it is as view of the origin of human sin presented it were dead with respeot to its power over to us in Genesis is that mRIL nt tirst lice,f the soul to kill. It is regarded here ns an at peRce with God; but that the command- enemy on the watoh, seizing its occnsion to ment, "Thou shalt not est of it, lest thou kill whioh is offered it when law comes in. die " was taken adve.ntnge of by the "ser- It may be observed here tho.t, though it is pe~t" (answering to personifioo a.µ.a.p,,./,. not eo.sy to define exnotly in all onses what 1n the pnssoge before ua), inspiring sinful Bt. Pnul means by death, it is ovideut thnt lust; ond that 8() the commandment (i.e. he meo.ne in this plo.oe more than the pl,y- law), though in itself hC1ly, became the aioal deC1th whioh soomerl, o.t first sight nt oconsion of sin, and of ddath wi its conse- least, to be exolueively referred to in oh. v. quence: and further, that all this came For all die iu the latter sense of the word: about through del!fflor& ( i~T11rcln,11~ ). The but only those who sin with knowledge of thing desired WRB not reolly good for man: . low in the sonee intended bore (eoo o.leo but the h-18uµ.C11 inspin.'<l by the towpttlr : note on oh. v. 12). It is supposed by most coused it to &Jom so. Ono ~nt purp<'<>c' of oommentntors thnt tho exprossion 1<11Tflp-ycl- rcgonernting graoo is to dispel this ddusion ; •11To in this vorso meons, not only thl\t "the to briug us h:\ck to the true view of t.hingia 188 Till: BPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. [oa. vti.1-25,