14. where having found brethren, we were desired by them to have tarried seven days, and then toward the Rome, we went,

333

15. and from thence brethren having heard the things that are relating to us, they came for meeting us, as far as Appii Forum, or the three taverns, whom the Paul having seen, having given thanks to the God, he took courage.

16. And when we came to Rome, it was charged to the Paul to dwell as pertaining to him, with a soldier that keeps him.

17. And it came to pass after three days to have convoked round him those that are chiefs of the Jews. And after their being assembled together, he said unto them, I, men, brethren, nothing contrary having done to the people, or to the customs by the fathers, a prisoner, from Jerusalem, was delivered into the hands of the Romans,

18. who having examined me, they were determining to have released. Even because the not one cause of death, to have existed by me.

840. But I was constrained &c. Literally, Imperatively constrained; whereas &c., I had no prudent alternative; hence &c., 321.

841. Having anything &c. Literally in this connexion, Against those of my nation who accused me; whereas &c., Against the laws of my nation; hence &c., 321.

842. I am bound with this chain. Literally, He was bound because the Israelites had hope; whereas &c., He was bound for that which realized the Israelites hope; hence &c., 321.

844. The spirit that is holy spoke. Literally, Actively did so; whereas &c. Passive, Utterance was made by means of it; hence &c., 321.

845. They heard with their ears dully. Literally, Their bodily ears; whereas &c., Their mental use of what they heard; hence &c., 321.

846. That the salvation of the God &c. Literally, Expressly to them; whereas &c., They were not excluded; hence &c., 321.

5. by whom, we Christians received favor ourselves, and apostleship ie the appointment of apostolical

500. Of David's Seed. The Seed of David, means Literally, His immediate child; consequently, the Article could not be expressed in this passage. See Rule 101.

500,1. That was declared a Son of God. The Sense intended to be conveyed is Metaphorical, thus, With a human character shewn to be accepted of God; hence especially in relation to Christ, who had other claims to Sonship, the Article could not be expressed before the word God.

501. A resurrection from the dead. The resurrection of the dead, See 1 Cor. xv. 42. The Article is omitted here in Romans before the word dead, because the Sense intended to be conveyed is not, A resurrection of the dead, but, From the dead. When the Preposition From is expressed as Matt. xiv. 2, This is John the Baptist, he who was raised from the dead, the Article is expressed before the word dead, when the Reference is to the actual separation of the persons specified, but when it has relation only to the separation of the persons specified from the State in which persons are that are dead, the Article is then omitted before the word dead; See 1 Cor. xv. 12, That he hath been raised from dead. In some cases the same occurrence may be stated by different authors either with the Expression or Omission of the Article before the word dead as best suits each writer's own personal feeling, as is proved by comparing the record in Matt. xiv. 2 with Mark vi. 14. The statement there made is equally just, whether the reference is actually To the persons dead, or, To the state in which those persons were.

502. We Christians. Had the Apostle here, as some suppose, through modesty made use of the Plural instead of the Singular; the statement, as they maintain, relating altogether to himself, I conceive the Arrangement must have been Irregular; its not being so, supports the correctness of my Paraphrase.

503. Beloved of God. In one Sense, we are all the children of God; in another, such only are His children as do His will. In like manner, in one. Sense, all men are beloved of God; while in another,

322,2

9. For my witness the God is, whom I serve with my spirit, in the gospel of his Son, that without

only a part of mankind enjoy this blessing. The unlimited Sense is the Literal Sense; hence the omission of the Article. See Rule 343.

504. Grace to you. Be (Imperative) grace to you, expresses an injunction or command to possess; or an imparting of the possession of grace. Grace is with you, expresses a declaration, that grace is possessed. Grace to you, expresses a desire, that grace may be pos sessed. Hence the Apostle here imparts nothing, he only expresses his desire that they may possess grace.

505. From God Father of us. The Expression and Omission of the Article before Appellatives requires attention; it has, perhaps, been the principal cause of the obscurity that has attended the subject of the Article. If the Article is used, only, for the purpose of Defi nition, it would not be correct to say, From the God the Father of us, as such would imply the existence of a being entitled to the appellation of The God, who was not the Father of us; hence the Omission of the Article here before the word God. See Rule 100.

The Article is omitted before the words Father of us, because the Literal Sense that would be conveyed by its Expression is not the Sense intended to be conveyed. The Pronoun Us here represents certain Christians in Rome; had the Article been expressed, it would have implied, that God was in some Peculiar manner their Father; this he is not. God is styled The Father, meaning the Father of all, 1 John i. 2. The Father of Lights, James i. 17. The Father of Glory, Eph. i. 17. The Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Eph. iii. 14. Abraham is styled The Father of us, Rom. iv. 1. In all these passages the Article is expressed before the word Father; and rightly so, inasmuch as it and the words connected with it are used to convey a Peculiar and Definite Sense. 8ee Rule 101.

507. That your faith is spoken of. Literally, He was thankful for the thing that was done; whereas &c., He was thankful that the thing was of such a character as to obtain the result specified; hence &c., 322,1.

508. I make mention of you &c. The Literal Sense of this passage would require, that the Apostle never prayed without mentioning the Romans; the Disarrangement, in my opinion, makes the Sense to be that expressed in the Paraphrase. See Rule 321.

509. That I may impart. Literally, The Apostle was anxious to see them, that he personally might impart; such being the Literal Sense; whereas &c., He was anxious to see them, that they might receive good; hence &c., 321.

510. That ye may be established. Literally, The establishment was the necessary result of the reception of gifts; but the gifts do not necessarily establish those receiving them, their tendency is to lead to such an end; hence the Irregular Government. See Rule 380.

511. The faith in each other. Literally means, The belief of the one in what the other asserted; whereas &c. expressed in the Paraphrase; hence &c., 321.

512. The thing desired. Literally, This is a pointing out of one thing above all others that he desires; whereas &c., A simple affirmation that it is a thing that he desires; hence &c., 321.

513. Power by God. Had the Sense of this passage referred, To the power possessed by God, which is the literal Sense of the words, the Article would have been Expressed both before the words, Power and God; the Omission of it shews that some other Sense is intended to be conveyed, which I consider to be that expressed in my Paraphrase. The same applies to the expression, Justification or Righteousness of God in verse 17, and Wrath of God verse 18.

514. All false worship and service. The expression Ungodliness and unrighteousness appears to me to be intended to express this Sense.

515. That hold &c. Had the Sense here been, Against all ungodliness in such men as hold &c., the Article must have been expressed before the word Men; the Omission of it shews that some other Sense is intended to be conveyed, which I consider to be, Against

all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man, who, in such conduct, holds the truth &c. hence my Paraphrase. The Literal Sense of That holds the truth in unrighteousness, is impossible; since we cannot at the same time truly hold the truth and practice unrighteousness; the Sense intended, I conceive to be that expressed in my Paraphrase; hence the Disarrangement. Had no Article been expressed before the word Truth, the Sense would have been, that God was angry with all persons that rejected any kind of truth, and this we are sure is not the case; the context shews that the particular description of truth that the Article is intended to Define is that expressed in my Paraphrase.

516. See Acts 524.

517. Since the time of the creation of the world. See Note 22 to the Rules.

518. Being considered in &c. Literally, Those that are made, considering the things that are invisible of God, the invisible things are clearly seen by them; whereas &c., That men by considering the things that are made, viz., the works of creation, they will see or discover the things that are invisible of him, viz., the Eternity &c. of God; hence &c., 321.

519. I cannot admit that any thing stated by the Apostle in this argument would lead me to suppose, that the light of nature was sufficient to lead the Heathen of every age, to perceive the Eternity, Power, and Divinity of God. The Apostle appears to me to have reference to Idolatry as a system, and not that what he advances is applicable to individual Idolaters, or to Idolaters of every age. He states that those to whom he refers, had once a knowledge of God, and exchanged it for Idolatry; and that they were enlightened, and became fools. This is not a just description of modern Idolaters. But if we understand him to refer to Idolatry as a system, all he states is easily explained. Before the introduction of Idolatry, all men knew God; those that introduced Idolatry, did become fools,

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what He reveals without excuse might be,

and did exchange the knowledge of God for Idolatry. This well agrees with Rom. x. 14. Observe also in verse 21, it is not, They do not glorify God, but, They did not glorify God.

520. His eternal power. Literally, The actual particular specified; whereas &c., A power existing before every power of which Man has knowledge; hence &c., 321.

521. They glorified or offered thanksgiving to him not as a God. Literally, They held him to be not a God but a man; whereas &c., They held him to be such as could not justly be esteemed to be a God; hence &c., 321.

522. Their foolish heart. Literally, An actual existence entitled to that name; whereas &c., The desires of their hearts were of a foolish description; hence &c., 321.

526. Into the lie. The Expression of the Article here, shews, that what is conveyed is to be understood in a Restricted Sense, see Rules 100 & 103, which restriction can be ascertained only from the Context; hence my Paraphrase.

527. Their women changed. Literally, They actively did it; whereas &c. Passive, They permitted it to be done; hence &c., 322,1.

528. Working the unseemly and receiving &c. The Literal Sense

of this is better seen, if we change the persone of the sentence thus: Romans with swords working destruction, and receiving, &c.; for we then perceive, that the Romans alone are the parties that Work and Receive, and that the swords are only passive instruments; but such a character of Sense is not suited to the passage we are considering, which requires, that not only the Romans, but also the Swords, should be equal agents in Working and Receiving; hence the Irregular Arrangement is employed, and employed to shew, that other than the Literal Sense is intended to be conveyed. See Rule 321.

529. Disobedient to Parents. Literally, This fault can only be perfectly committed by young persons, since entire obedience is not required of persons of advanced years, which are the class of persons referred to by the Apostle. I therefore consider the Sentence to be Disarranged, in order to shew, that the Sense intended to be conveyed is to this effect: They yielded not a proper reverence to Parents. See Rule 321.

530. Those that practice &c. Literally, Those that at any time do so; whereas &c., Those that do not discontinue to perform ; hence &c., 321.

533. See Acts 517.

7. who will render to those that indeed seek for life eternal by patient performance of deeds excellent, glory and honor and immortality.

534. The same things. Observe, this is Plural; it is not, The same thing. 535. Thou disregardest &c. Literally, Thou dost in no way regard; whereas &c., Thou dost not rightly regard; hence &c., 321. 536. Who will render to those &c. Literally, Who seek expressly for what is stated; whereas &c,, Who seek after things which result in the attainment of life eternal; hence &c., 321.

537. See Note 589 to Corinthians.

538. Who wrath and indignation will render &c. Literally, To each who once transgresses; whereas &c., To each who does not repent; hence &c., 321.

539. The truth, the unrighteousness. Had Truth and Unrighteousness in General been referred to, the Article would not have been expressed. See Rule 103.

540. The evil. See Rule 103. The Article is here used to define what kind of evil is referred to, as though the Apostle had said, Tribulation and Anguish God will bring, not upon every man that doeth evil, for then no man could escape, but upon every man that doeth the evil just described.

541. They shall perish. The Sense that I consider is here intended to be conveyed, appears to me, to be expressed in a form that is to say the least, closely allied to irony; for after what the Apostle states in verses 14, 15, and 16, it is by no means easy to perceive where any person can be found, that is not under a law; or what it is that can be considered sin, that does not consist in a violation either of an expressed law, or of the conscience. I conceive his argument is here constructed to suit the prejudices of the Jews. He admits that

the requirements of the law for justification should

those who have no law, and yet sin, shall perish; and that those having a law, that sin, shall be judged. He then shews that all men have a law either expressed or understood in their hearts, and consequently, leaves those he addresses to draw this conclusion, that if all are under a law, all must be judged by the law they are under; consequently, there will remain no one, who will come under the class that he describes as their destiny-They shall perish.

542. Just with God. Had the Government here been that which is usually employed for the conveyance of what at first appears to be the Sense of the passage, it would have implied, That no hearer of a law was just, or to be regarded so by God; whereas &c., That those who merely hear a law, will not on that account be treated as just persons in another world, whatever privileges they may obtain by it in the present life; hence the Peculiar Government employed. See Rule 322.

543. The doers of a law. Literally, Those who actually perform every thing required by the law; whereas &c., Those whose general conduct is in conformity with the requirements of the law; hence &c., 322,1.

544. That have not a law by nature-Not having a law. The Literal Sense of these passages is, Having no law of any kind; whereas &c., Having no actual law that relates to justification; hence &c., 321.

544,1. The of the law should do. Literally, They should do all the actual things required by the law; whereas &c., They acknowledge the obligations of the essential requirements of the law; hence &c., 322,1.