not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, this sin; as the apostle shows at the close of his argument, (ver. 25.) when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of 23 This struggle constitutes the fight of faith, which St. Paul so nobly fought, and so gloriously won. 24 Is there none to deliver? Yes, blessed be God! Jesus is the deli verer. my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve 25 Well may the soul pour forth its thanks for so mighty deliverance ! If by nature we once served the law of sin, by grace we now serve the law of God. Grace triumphs! the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. : CHAPTER VIII. JAN. 10, MAY 9, SEPT. 7. For 'THERE is therefore now 1 To avoid condemnation, it will not no condemnation to them be enough to be called Christianswhich are in Christ Jesus, we must lice as Christians; after the who walk not after the flesh, pure and holy spirit of Christ. but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the the flesh do mind the things after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, 4 That, being in the spirit of Christ, we might practise the purity and righteousness which the law of God requires. Spirit. For they that are after of the flesh; but they that are For where, or when, does a worldly mind find peace? 10 As the body, when dead, is devoid of sensation, so the soul, when the body is dead because of dead unto sin, returns no response sin; but the Spirit is life to the suggestions of sin-is no because of righteousness. longer alive to its influence. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 The sinner binds himself to service for wages-yet what other wages has sin than death? O the folly as well as the wickedness of the wicked! 14 The Spirit of God speaketh to us the will of God, as though it were the voice of a parent to a child. Wilt thou boast thyself a son of God, and not be led by Him! If thou wouldst be blessed, and not lose thine inheritance, obey! 16 Every man's conscience confirms this truth. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our of God: " and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bon spirit, that we are the children 17 To suffer with Christ is wisdom; for the end is glory with Him. be that we suffer with him, that 18 To give up, for Christ's sake, life figuratively its enjoyments, or absolutely its existence-will well be recompensed in the kingdom of glory. 20 Man became subject to destruction, or vanity, by the sin of Adam, who entailed sin and death upon his posterity. 21 Death is mercy; for it delivers man from a corruptible body, and prepares him for one incorruptible. dage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that 22 The whole race of mankind-the the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain toge ther until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, dark Heathen, the enlightened Christphilosophy itself never dreamed that ian-alike long for immortality. But the body would be raised. That hope is the brighter triumph of religion. 1 which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but 26 The outpourings of the soul in prayer, influenced by the gracious Spirit from on high, are often such as words can scarcely give due ut terance to. the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom 28 Joyful truth!-Whatever then be my troubles, surely God will bring all to a good end, if my faith in Him fail not. 29 God, of course, knows who will, and who will not, accept his call of salvation through Jesus Christ, and make that calling and election sure*. 31 Make God thy friend: thou mayest then be very easy, though all the world be against thee. he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy The union of God's foreknowledge and man's free will, is a mystery. But we believe it, though it were folly to suppose our shallow reason could fathom it; seeing that it is among the deep things of God. (See Deut. xxx. 15, p. 330, and Ecclus. xv. 14, 17, p. 357.) The Jews did lay grievous things to the charge of St. Paul and others, who, having obeyed the Gospel call, were striving, by a holy life, to make their calling and election sure. sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 36 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 38 God grant you to adopt these animating sentiments. May neither evil men nor evil spirits, neither the depth of misery nor the height of glory, neither fear of death nor hope of life, separate you from the love and favour of your God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord! be able to separate us from the CHAPTER IX. JAN. 11, MAY 10, SEPT. 8. 'I SAY the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the 3 ac 1 A solemn oath, in the name of Jesus and the Holy Ghost-two persons of the blessed Trinity. 3 So earnest St. Paul for his countrymen's conversion, that like Moses of old, he would fain resign some of his own high privileges, if such a sacrifice on his part could secure their reception of the Gospel *. Amen. Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen cording to the flesh : who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the chilFor this is the dren of the promise are counted for the seed. word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of 11 11 By referring to Gen. xxv. 23, we understand that the calling and eleetion here declared, were so declared to their posterity generally. This is clear from ver. 13. We are God's creatures; the work of his hands. * See the note upon Exodus xxxii. 32. He cannot be unrighteous either in God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith 15 See Ex. xxxiii. 19. So 18 No one will deny, that national mercies and privileges are at the disposal of God. to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed hast thou made me thus ? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing 19 The doubter cavils, and pleads that if God ordained these things, why condemn those, by whose human agency they are brought about?— Faith exposes the vanity of such reasoning, by reminding the caviller, that folly itself might shame to question the Will of the Creator of all. say to him that formed it, Why 21 It is seldom we find an illustra tion so conclusive as this. to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a rem * Locke compares this verse with Col. i. 27, and draws at once the conclusion, that by "the riches of his glory," we are to understand the gift of Jesus Christ; offered to whom God shall choose. |