The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 214

Suoh o great fln11l hope flnds expression in e~n above as to onr present ''mortal t=Jies" the verse- bemg both the organs of the Just of the "Tho.t God, which evor lives and loves, flesh ancl the hi_ndrances to the proper cleve- One God, one 1Bw1 one element, lopment of onr mward spi.ritnal Iifo And one far-off Divine event, Vera. 24, 25.-:ror by (or, in) hope we To which the whole creation moves." "!!ere aaved_; not are Ba'lled, as in the Autbo- (' In Memoriam.') nzed Ve!910D. The 3?rist irrrf.e11 pn, like ill.d.{J,TE_ in ver. 15, pomts to the time of The present condition of things ie In ver. converB1on. The dative ill.,r(iJ, which has 20 denoted by µa.TciaoT71s, and in ver. 21 by no preposition before it, seems hen,. to have Tijs ~ovl\.euls Tijsl ,p9opiis. The flret of these a 1Mdal ra~her than medial 8€nee; for faith, words is the equivalent in the LXX. of not hope, 1s that uhereb,; we are ever said the Hebre-v ~?i;i, which means properly to be saved. The meaning is that whe,:i "breath," ot "vapour," and is used meta- the state of ealv3:tion was e~tered U!)')n, phorically for anything frail, fruitless, hope_was an essent_i~l element m ita appro- evanescent, vain. It ie often applied to pnat1on. A cond1t1on, not of attainment idols, and it is the word in Ecoleeiastee but of hope, is therefore the nonnal cnn~ where it is said that "all ie vanity" (cf. dition of the regenerate now; and so after also Pa. xxxix, 5, 6). It seems here to shortly pointing out the very mean~g of denote the frailty, incompleteness, transi- hope, the apostle enforces his previo1l3 toriness, to which all things are now subject. conclusion, that they must be content at "Ma.TcuoT71s sonat frustratio, quod creatura present to wait with patience. B11t hope that interim non e.ssequatur quod utcunque is aeen is 110t hope : for what a man seeth, oontendit efficere" (Erasmus). 4'9opiis in- why doth he yet hope for 1 But if we ho De timates corruption and decay. for that we see not, then do we with patience Vere. 22, 23.-For we know that the wait for it. whole creation groaneth and travaileth in po.in together until now. And not only so, Now comes in a further thought, and a but ouraelves e.lso, which have the :flrstfruits very interesting one. of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, Vere. 26, 27.-Likewise the Spirit also the redemption of our body. The present helpeth our infirmitia.: for what we should unwilling subjection of the whole visible pray for 68 we ought we know not : but the creation to evil is here still more forcibly Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with expressed, and spoken of as being what is groanings which cannot be uttered. And known-a subjeot of experience to o.11 who he that searaheth the hearts knoweth what observe and think; and it is added that this is the mind of the Spirit, because (or, that) state of things continues still-it is "until he maketh intercession for the saints a.ccord- now." '.rhe yearned-for deliverance haa not ing to the will of God. Here, then, i. a yet come ; and therefore we should not be further source of help Bnd corn fort to Chris- surprised if we too, the regenerate, while in tians under present trials. Of themselres the body, are not yet exempt from our share they know not what relief to ornve. St. in the universal groaning. For we have Foul himself knew not wh.'lt to pmy for 68 but the firatfruits of the Spirit 68 yet, not he ought, when he asked for remo.-al of his its full triumph ; of. " the earnest of the thorn in the flesh; if left to them.:selves, Spirit" (2 Cor. i. 22), and "the earnest of their long woiting e.nd their mBnifold per- our inheritance" (Eph. i. 14). Its being said plexities might dl\Dlp their hope ; but a tho.t we still wait for our adoption as sons Helper beyond themselves comes in to suo- is not inconsistent with other statements (e.s oour them, viz. the Holy Spirit himself, who in Eph. iv. 5-7, and nbove, ver. 14, eto.), to intercedes (w<p<rrrU"fxcim) for them. But the effoo t that we o..re olreody Bdopted, and how? Not as the Son intercedes for them. are nh·el\dy sons; for u/oe«rim here denotes opru:t from thewselves, at thu meroy-se:it; the fl.nl\l renliza.tion of our present sonship, but within themselves, by inspiring them when the sous of God shall be revealea (ver. with these uuutternble (or, unuttert'd) gr,.1an- 19). Siluilarly, our redemption (cl.1roll.JTpo,cr1s) incrs; and they are conscious th:1t such deep ie horo regnrded I\S future. In ono sense we I\Ud intense yoomings:I\J"\l fl"l.1m the Di,·ine l\?0 redeemed nil"llady; in nnothor wo I\Wl\it Spirit moving them, tmd k1whing thc•m to our redemption, i.e. tho full nooomplishmont pmy. They m,\y not still l"' t\blu to put thereor. It is the ooneumumtion ol\lled by thoir requests of God into ddiuitc• form, or our Lord ,; ,ral\.1-yyevEcrlm (Mntt. xix. 28), even express them iu worus; but they know o.nd by St. Peter, a.1ro1CaTd11Tacr1s rdvTo,v that God knows tho mennin~ of what his (Acts iii. 21). Of. 2 Pot. iii. Ill, e.nd Reve- own Spirit hl\S inspired. '!'his is 1\ det1p 11\tlon gonem\ly. "or our body,. BOl'lllS to I\Dd prticrnant thought. Even l\pru:t from ho oduotl with roforonoo to whnt hos been the poolili1\l' faith i:ind iuspimtion of th,• 212 THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. [011. vm. 1-89,