Introduction
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Every page of the sacred volume is stamped with the impress of Deity, and contains an inexhaustible treasure of wisdom, and knowledge, and consolation. Some portions of the word of God, like some parts of the material creation, may be more important than others. But all have their proper place, all proclaim something of the character of the glorious Author, and all ought to be earnestly and reverentially studied. Whatever be their subject, whether it relates to the history of individuals or of nations, whether it contains the words of precept or exhortation, or whether it teaches by example, all is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. But while every part of the word of God demands the most serious attention, it is not to be doubted that certain portions of the sacred volume call for more frequent and deeper meditation. Among these, the Epistle to the Romans is entitled to peculiar regard. It is the only part of Scripture which contains a detailed and systematic exhibition of the doctrines of Christianity. The great truths which are embodied and inculcated in every other part of the Bible, are here brought together in a condensed and comprehensive form. More especially the glorious doctrine of justification by faith is clearly unfolded, and exhibited in the strongest light. This doctrine so far transcends the powers of man’s discovery, that human wisdom is ever attempting either to set it aside, or to mould it into accordance with systems which represent salvation as more or less the reward of merit.
The Epistle to the Romans has always attracted the peculiar notice of those whose study has been directed to the interpretation of Scripture. To this portion of the divine record, all who look for salvation by grace have constantly appealed, and here they have a rich mine of evidence alike solid and inexhaustible. No considerable difference of interpretation has ever been given of its contents by those who have renounced their own wisdom, and determined to follow implicitly the obvious meaning of the word of God.
This epistle has been equally an object of attention to those who admit the authority of Scripture, but follow their own wisdom in forming their system of religious doctrine. Salvation by grace, and salvation by works, are so inconsistent with each other, that it might well be supposed no attempt would ever be made to bring them into harmony. Still the attempt has been made. Human wisdom cannot receive tke doctrine of the Epistle to the Romans, and men professing Christianity, cannot deny it to be a part of Scripture. What, then, is to be done? A compromise and peace are proclaimed between the wisdom of man and the revelation of God. All the ingenuity of Mr Locke, one of the most acute metaphysicians that ever appeared, has been exerted to bring Paul into accordance with human science. He and many others have laboured to give a view of this epistle, that may reconcile human merit with divine grace.
The mind of every man is, by nature, disaffected to the doctrine of this epistle; but it is only in proportion to the audacity of his unbelief that any one will directly avow his opposition. While some, by the wildest suppositions, will boldly set aside every thing it contains that opposes their own preconceived opinions, others will receive its statements, only with the reserve of certain necessary modifications. Thus, in the deviations from truth in the exposition of its doctrines, we find various shades of the same unhallowed disregard for the divine testimony.
The spirit of speculation and of novelty which is now abroad, loudly calls upon Christians to give earnest heed to the truths inculcated in the Epistle to the Romans. There is hardly any doctrine which has not been of late years exposed to the corruptions and perversions of men. Many, altogether destitute of the Spirit of God and the semblance of true religion, have nevertheless chosen the word of Grod, and its solemn and awfully momentous truths, as the arena upon which to exercise their learning and display their ingenuity. In consequence of the Scriptures being written in the dead languages, there is doubtless scope for the diligent employment of critical research. But if it were enquired how much additional light has been thrown upon the sacred volume by the refinements of modern critics, it would be found to bear a very small
proportion to the evil Influence of unsanctified learning applied to the holy doctrines of Revelation. It has become common, even among Christians, to speak of the critical interpretation of Scripture as requiring little or nothing more than mere scholarship, and many seem to suppose that the office of a critical and that of a doctrinal interpreter are so widely different that a man may be a safe and useful critic who has at the same time no relish for the grand truths of the Bible. There cannot be a more lamentable delusion, or one more calculated to desecrate the character and obscure the majesty of the Word of God. To suppose that a man may rightly interpret the Scriptures, while he is ignorant of the truths of the Gospel, or disaffected to some of its grand fundamental doctrines, — to imagine that this can be to him a useful or even an innocent occupation, is to regard these Scriptures, as the production of ordinary men, treating of subjects of ordinary importance, instead of containing, as they do, the message of the Most High God, revealing life or death to every soul of man to whom they come.
If the Scriptures have not testified in vain that the carnal mind is enmity against God; if we are bound to believe that there is no middle state between the Christian and the unbeliever; can we wonder at the manner in which they have been perverted, not only by the ignorance, but by the inveterate prejudices of men from whom the Gospel is hid? Is it reasonable — is it agreeable to the dictates of common sense, to believe that the critical interpretations of such men are not tinged with their own darkened and hostile views of the divine character and the divine revelation? And yet such is the opinion entertained of the labours of some of the most unenlightened commentators, that their works have obtained a celebrity altogether unaccountable on any principle of sound Christian wisdom. Christians ought to be particularly on their guard against tampering in any degree with the word of God. We should never forget, that when we are explaining any expression of Scripture, we are treating of what are the very words of the Holy Ghost as much as if they had been spoken to us by a voice from heaven. The profane rashness of many critics is much emboldened, by the circumstance that men have been employed as the instruments of the Almighty in communicating his revelation. A sort of modified inspiration only is granted to the
Scriptures, and they are often practically treated as the words merely of those who were employed as the penmen. When God is thus kept out of sight, little ceremony is used in treating the words of the Apostles with the utmost freedom. That profound reverence and awe with which the Scriptures ought to be read and handled, is, in many instances, too little exemplified. The poor man’s Bible is the Word of God, in which he has no suspicion that there is anything but perfection. The Bible of the profoundly erudite scholar, is often a book that is not so necessary to instruct him, as one that needs his hand for alteration, or amendment, or confirmation. Learning may be usefully employed; but if learning ever forgets that it must sit at the feet of Jesus, it will be a curse instead of a blessing. It will raise clouds and darkness, instead of communicating light to the world.
The evil of studying the Scriptures, and commenting upon them with as little reverence as a scholar might comment upon the plays of Aristophanes or Terence, has extended itself much farther than might be supposed. This is the spirit in which the German Neologians have written; and, indeed, it is to be feared, that as the Neologian form of infidelity originated from this profane method of criticising the Scriptures, so the same cause may produce the same effect in this country. Certain it is, that works have been repubhshed or translated here, which are very little calculated to uphold the ancient faith of the church of Christ, or to advance the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.
From present appearances, there is every reason to fear that Britain will be inundated with German Neology. The tide has strongly set in, and unless the Christian public be upon their guard, the whole country will be brought under its influence. It is a solemn thing to be employed in ushering into more extended notoriety publications that have a tendency to lower the character of the Holy Scriptures, to introduce doubt and confusion into the minds of those who are weak in the faith, and to embolden others who seek an apology for casting away the fetters of education and authority, and desire to launch out into the ocean of wild and dangerous speculation. While some appearances in Germany of a return to the Scripture doctrine of salvation by Jesus Christ should be gladly hailed by every Christian, yet it must be admitted, that those who in that country seem to have made the greatest advances in the knowledge of the Gospel, are still far from being entitled to be pointed out as guides to the Christians of this country. Their modifications of divine truth are manifestly under the influences of a criticism too nearly allied to Neology. There is great danger, that in the admiration of German criticism, a tincture may be received from continental errors. It would be far preferable, if the learned Christians of Britain would pursue truth in a diligent examination of its own sources, rather than spend their time in retailing the criticisms of German scholars. “Their criticisms,” it is observed by Mr. Carson, “are arbitrary, forced, and in the highest degree fantastical. Their learning is boundless, yet their criticism is mere trash. The vast extent of their literary acquirements has overawed British theologians, and given an importance to arguments that are self-evidently false.”
In these days of boasted liberality, it may appear captious to oppose with zeal the errors of men who have acquired a name in the Christian world. The mantle of charity, it will be said, ought to be thrown over the mistakes that have resulted from a free and impartial investi-Xll INTRODUCTION.
gation of the truth, and they ought either to be overlooked, or noticed with a slight expression of disapprobation. Such, however, was not the conduct of the Apostle Paul. He spared neither churches nor individuals, when the doctrines they promulgated tended to the subversion of the Gospel; and the zeal with which he resisted their errors was not inferior to that with which he encountered the open enemies of Christianity. He affirms that the doctrine introduced into the Galatian churches is another gospel, and denounces a curse against all by whom it was promulgated. Instead of complimenting the authors of this corruption of the Gospel, as only abusing in a slight degree the liberty of free examination, he decides that they should be cut off as troublers of the churches. Let not Christians be more courteous in expressing their views of the guilt and danger of corrupting the Gospel, than faithful and compassionate to the people of Christ who may be injured by false doctrine. It is highly sinful to bandy compliments at the expense of truth.
The awful responsibility of being accessary to the propagation of error, is strongly expressed by the Apostle John.” If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him
not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.*” If the imputation of Adam’s sin and of Christ’s righteousness, be doctrines contained in the Word of God, commentaries that labour to expel them from that Word must be grossly pestiferous books, which no Christian ought to recommend, but which, on the contrary, to the utmost of his power, it is his duty to oppose.
A very dangerous misrepresentation of some of the great doctrines of the Epistle to the Romans, has lately come before the public, in a commentary on that epistle from the pen of Professor Moses Stuart of America. As that work has obtained an extensive circulation in this country, as it has been strongly recommended, and is likely to produce a considerable effect, it has appeared to me proper to make frequent references, in the Exposition of the five first chapters, to his glaring perversions of their important contents. On the same principle I have introduced various remarks on the well-known heterodox commentary of Dr Macknight, and have also alluded occasionally to that of Professor Tholuck, lately published.
In the following Exposition I have availed myself of all the assistance I could obtain, from whatever quarter. Especially, I have made use of every thing that appeared to be most valuable in the commentary of Claude, which terminates at the beginning of the twenty-first verse of the third chapter. I have also had the advantage of the assistance of Mr Carson, whose thorough acquaintance with the original language, and well-known critical discernment, peculiarly qualify him for rendering effectual aid in such a work. As it is my object to make this Exposition as useful as possible to all descriptions of readers, I have not always confined myself simply to an explanation of the text, but have occasionally extended, at some length, remarks on such subjects as seemed to demand particular attention, either on account of their own importance, or of mistaken opinions entertained concerning them. As to those which required a fuller discussion than could be conveniently introduced, I have referred to my larger work on the Evidence and Authority of Divine Revelation.
In the first five chapters of this Epistle, the great doctrine of justification by faith, of which they exclusively treat, is more fully discussed than in any other part of Scripture. In the first chapter, the Apostle commences by directing the attention of those to whom he wrote to the person of the Son of God in his incarnation in time, and his divine nature from eternity, as the great subject of that Gospel which he was commissioned to proclaim. After a most striking introduction, every way calculated to arrest the attention, and conciliate the affection of those whom he addressed, Paul briefly announces, what he intends afterwards to establish, that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, because in it is revealed the righteousness of God. Unless such a righteousness had been provided, all men must have suffered the punishment due to sin, seeing God hath denounced his high displeasure against their ungodliness and unrighteousness. These are the great truths which the Apostle immediately proceeds to unfold. And as they stand connected with every part of that salvation which God has prepared, he is led to exhibit a most animating and consolatory view of the whole of that great plan of mercy, which proclaims “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men.”
The first point which the Apostle establishes, is the ruined condition of men, who by nature are ail under sin. The charge of ungodliness and of consequent unrighteousness, he proves first against the Gentiles. They had departed from the worship of God, although, in the works of the visible creation, they had sufficient notification of his power and Godhead. In their conduct they had violated the law written in their hearts, and had sinned in opposition to what they knew to be right, and to the testimony of their consciences in its favour. All of them, therefore, lay under the sentence of condemnation which will be pronounced on the workers of iniquity in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men. In the second chapter a similar charge of guilt and transgression is established against the Jews, notwithstanding the superior advantage of a written revelation with which they had been favoured.
Having proved in the two first chapters, by an appeal to undeniable facts, that the Gentiles and the Jews were both guilty before God; in the third, taking them both together, Paul exhibits a fearful picture, drawn from the testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures, of their universal guilt and depravity. And thus having established it as an undeniable truth that every man in his natural state lies under the just condemnation of God, as a rebel against him in all the three ways in which he has been pleased to reveal himself, he arrives at the inevitable conclusion, that by obedience to law no man living shall be justified; that so far from justifying, the law proves him to be a transgressor.
The way is thus prepared for the grand display of the grace and mercy of God announced in the gospel. What the law could not do, not from any deficiency in itself, but owing to the depravity of man, God has fully accomplished. Man has no righteousness of his own which he can plead, but God has provided a righteousness for him. This righteousness, infinitely superior to that which he originally possessed, is provided solely by grace, and received solely by faith. It is placed to the account of the believer for his justification, without the smallest respect either to his previous or subsequent obedience. Yet, so far from being contrary to the justice of God, this method of justification, “freely by his grace,” illustrates his justice, and vindicates his former dealings to men. So far from making the law void, it establishes it in all its honour and authority. This way of salvation equally applies to all, both Jews and Gentiles — men of every nation and of
XVlll INTRODUCTION.
every character; “there is no difference“” here, for all, without exception, are sinners.
The Apostle, in the fourth chapter, in obviating certain objections, farther confirms and illustrates his doctrine. And in order to complete the view of the great subject of his discussion, he describes, in the fifth chapter, the blessed effects connected with a state of justification. He then gives a striking account of the entrance of that sin and of that righteousness, both of which he had been exhibiting; and shows the reason of the introduction of the written law, by means of which the extent of the evil of the one, and of the effectual remedy brought by the other, was fully made manifest to the glory of the grace of God.
These five chapters disclose a consistent scheme in the divine conduct, and exhibit a plan of reconciling sinners that never could have been discovered by the human understanding. It is the perfection of wisdom, yet in all its features it is opposed to the wisdom of this world.