26
Sec. 3.

Thofe, who knew their Duty, and condemned the Crimes of others, To this Revelation let us give the moft attentive Heed, and be much upon our Guard against thofe vain and fophiftical Reafonings, to which they, who knowing GOD, neglect to glorify him as GOD, are fo ready to fly; left we approve ourselves Fools in Proportion to the Degree in which we Ver. 28. profefs to be Wife, and provoke GoD to give us up to an injudicious Mind, and to leave us to that reciprocal Influence which evil Principles, and evil Actions have, to render each other more inveterate and incurable.

Ver. 21.

Ver. 22.

X

SECT. IV.

The Apoftle difcourfes more particularly of thofe who knew their Duty, and yet acted contrary to it; and of the Condemnation they must expect from GOD; that fo he might properly introduce the particular Charge he had to advance against the Jews, as, above all others, answering that Character. Rom. II. 1,---16.

I'

For

Sect. 4.
HAVE just been speaking of the great and cufable, Man, who-
aggravated Guilt of thofe, who not only do foever thou art that judgeft:
Rom. II. 1. Things which they know to be difpleafing to
GOD, and evil in themselves, but alfo agree to-
gether to countenance thofe that do them. And
it may be, fome who know they are not of that
Number (a), but, on one Principle or another,
bear their Teftimony against the prevailing Im-
moralities of thofe about them, may imagine
themselves fecure and happy. I must, therefore,
argue from the Premifes juft laid down, that thou
art inexcufable, Ob Man, whofoever thou art that
judgeft, and pretendeft to pass Sentence upon
others.

(a) Some who know that they are, not of that Number.] There is a greater Delicacy in the poftle's Transition here, than moft Commentators have imagined. From what he had before faid, to prove the most abandoned and ignorant of the Heathens inexcufable in their Wickedness, he justly infers, that the Crimes of thofe who had fuch Knowledge of the Truth as to condemn the Vices of others, were proportionably yet more inexcufable. This was eminently the Cafe with the Jews: But he does not directly fpeak of them till the 9th Verfe; but draws the Inference at first, in fuch general Terms, as might alfo comprehend Gentile Philafphers, and all others, who contradicted the moral Instructions which they themselves gave.

(b) Doft

fill more inexcufable in their Difobedience to GOD.
others: For I know what the Character of fuch
generally is, and I know that the very best of

For wherein thou judgeft another, thou condemneft thyfelf; for thou that judgeft,

doft the fame Things.

fureft

27 Sect. 4.

Rom. I. I..

them all have their Blemishes and Faults; and
therefore I may fay, that wherein thou judgeft ano-
ther, thou condemneft thy felf; for thou who judgeft,
doft the fame Things in many Inftances (b), and
confequently art convicted out of thine own
Mouth. For we know in general, that the 2
Judgment of GOD is according to Truth, and Juftice,
against all those who do fuch Things, however they
may behave towards their Fellow Sinners.
And 3
canft thou then, by the Sentence which thou
paffeft upon others, think to evade that which
goeth forth against thy felf? Or reafoneft thou
thus, Oh Man, whofeever thou art, whether Pa-
gan Philofopher or Jewish Teacher, who judgeft
thofe that do fuch Things, while thou doeft them thy
felf, that thou fhouldeft efcape the Judgment of GOD?
Or is thy Heart fo obdurate, as to make light of
thofe Judgments which thou muft certainly meet,
becaufe they are not immediately executed: And
doft thou indeed defpife the Riches of his Gentleness
and Forbearance, and Long-fuffering (c), exercised
towards thee for fuch a Length of Time, fo as
to think it may be fafely trifled with? Surely if
thou doft, thou art fhamefully ignorant indeed,
as not knowing, that the Goodnefs and Gentleness
of GOD leadeth thee to Repentance. He bears
with thee, that thou mayeft prevent the threaten'd
Blow, by humbling thy felt before him, and for-
faking thy Sins. But this Day of Mercy and
Grace has its Limits; and however thou mayeft
flatter thy felf now, the Confequence will foon
appear fatal, and thou wilt find, to thine unutter-
able Confufion, that by this Hardness and Impeni-

tence

(b) Doft the fame things.] Dr. Whitby fhews, by manyvery proper Quotations, chiefly from Jofephus, that the Jews of that Age were guilty of many of thofe Crimes, which had been enumerated above. See Jofeph. de Bello Judaic. Lib. v. cap. 13. (al. 16.) §. 6. and Lib. vii. cap. 8. (al. 28.) §. 1. Edit. Havercamp.

(c) Gentleness, Forbearance, and Long-fuffering.] Mr. Blackwall (Sacr. Clafs. vol. 1. pag. 306.) enlarges on the great Emphafis of thefe Words in the Original. He thinks xpnsolns fignifies Benevolence and Generofity in the General, avox Mercy in the Propofals of Pardon and Happiness to fallen Creatures, and axpobusa Patience in attending fo long on fuch obftinate Wretches. I have given what I take to be the exacteft rendering of each; but did not judge it convenient to protract the Paraphrafe of fo lively a Paffage, by attempting in many Words to illuftrate it.

(d) Children

4

5.

28

GOD will recompence every Man according to his Works. Sect. 4. tence of thy Heart, thou art treafuring up to thy- fureft up unto thyfelf Wrath felf a more abundant Store of Wrath in the Day against the Day of Wrath, Rom. II. 5. of final Wrath, and of that Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God; teous Judgment of GOD, which is now, as it were under a Veil, and fo difregarded because

6 unfeen; but it fhall then be fet forth to View,
in all its Luftre and Terror.

The divine Be

and Revelation of the righ

6 Who will render to eve

7 To them, who by patient Continuance in well doing, feek for Glory and Honour, and Immortality; eternal Life :

ing is indeed a moft gracious and indulgent Fa-Man according to his ther; but be it known unto thee, that he is also the wife and holy Governor of the Univerfe, who will recompence every Man according to his Works, in the final Diftribution of Good and eldy god Evil; how unequal foever his prefent Difpenfations > may seem. To thefe generous and elevated Souls, that are not difcouraged by prefent Difficulties, nor infnared by the Allurements of the World, but amidst them all, by a patient and perfevering Course of well-doing, feek for Glory and Honour and Immortality, he will graciously render the great Prize they purfue, even eternal Life. 8 But to the perverfe and ungrateful Children of Contention (d) who quarrel with the merciful Difpenfation that should have faved them, and are obftinately difobedient to the Dictates of Truth, but fervilely obedient to the ufurped and base Tyranny of Unrighteousness, perverfely oppofing the Evidence of true Religion, because they are averfe to its practical Defign, [he will render] a quite different Portion. For them is referved all that can be imagined most dreadful; Indignation fhall be conceived, and Wrath fhall break forth against 9 them; The sharpest Tribulation, the most hopeless and inextricable Anguish and Defpair (e)

which

8 But unto them that are

contentious, and do not obey the Truth, but obey Unrighteousness; Indignation, and Wrath.

9 Tribulation and Anguish

(d) Children of Contention.] Mr. Locke thinks that Patience in the former Verfe, and Contention here, refer to the malignant Enmity with which the Jews endeavoured to exclude. the Gentiles from the Church. Compare Gal. i. 7. 1 Tim. vi. 4, 5; but it seems much better to explain it in a Latitude which indeed fhall include this, as one Inftance of Obstinacy and Perverfenefs, without contracting that extenfive and important Senfe which our Interpretation gives. And that the Contention of the Gentiles is included here, evidently appears by the Conclufion of the Sentence.

(e) Indignation and Wrath, Tribulation and Anguish, &c.] Here feems to be a Reference to thefe expreffive Words, Pfal. Ixxviii. 49. when speaking of the Egyptians, 'tis faid, he caft upon them the Fierceness of his Anger, Wrath, and Indignation, and Trouble. And it may finely intimate, that the Jews would, in the Day of Vengeance, be more feverely punished, than even their Egyptian Enemies were, when God made their Plagues fo wonder

ful

There is no Acceptance of Perfons with GOD:

ful.

alfo

29

which fhall be poured out in a Torrent of un- Set 4. mingled Mifery, even upon every Soul of Man who

Rom. II. 9.

worketh that which is Evil. This fhall be ren-
dered to the few in the first Place (f), who far
from escaping by his fuperior Advantages and
Privileges, will, by the Abuse of them, be ob-
noxious to distinguished Wrath. Nor fhall the
Greek escape, who fhall be judged according to
the Light he hath enjoyed, or the Opportunity
he had of enjoying more. But, as I faid be- 10
fore, and repeat it with Pleasure, as the more de-
lightful Part of the fubject, which I love to dwell
upon; Glory, Honour, and Peace, [fhall be] recom-
penced to every one who worketh Good; first to
the Jew who ftands fairer, (in Virtue of the Di-
vine Revelation he enjoys,) for distinguished De-
grees of it, as well as receives the first Meffages
of this Salvation; and then to the Greek, who, if
he exclude not himself, fhall not be exempted
Share.
proper
For there is no partial 11
Acceptance of Perfons with GOD (g), which
fhould engage him on Account of outward Con-
dition, or lineal Defcent, to fpare Obftinacy and
Wickedness in a Jew, or to reject the humble
Faith and Obedience of a Gentile. And he
will fully difplay this Impartiality of Adminiftra-
tion in the great Day of universal Judgment;
for as many as have finned without the Mofaick

from his

Law,

STEVO pa properly fignifies Straitnefs; and is ufed by Xenophow to fignify a narrow Way, that cannot be paffled. See Raphel. Fot. ex Xen. in loc. As for the Difference between Oupos and Opyn, Elfner (Obferv. vol. ii. pag. 14.) takes fome Pains to fhew, that the former fignifies the first Conception of Anger, the latter a Defire and Purpose of Punishing. Some Reference to this Interpretation will be found in the Paraphrafe, though expreffed as briefly as poffible.

(f) To the few first.] Here we have the firft exprefs mention of Jews in this Section; and it is introduced with great Energy and Weight. Their being trained up in the Knowledge of the true Religion, and having Chrift and his Apostles first fent to them, will place them in the foremost Rank of the Criminals, who obey not the Truth.

(3) Acceptance of Perfons.] That is, in paffing the final Sentence, he is determined by their real Characters. This is very confiftent with an Inequality in diftributing Advantages, and Opportunities of Improvement, according to the fovereign Pleafure of the great Lord of All This Affertion of the Apoftles, fo often repeated, will appear the more important and feasonable, as the Jews thought, that no Ifraelite fhould be deprived of future Happiness, whatever his Faults had been; unless he were guilty of Apoftacy, Idolatry, and a few other very enormous Crimes. See Mr. Fortin's Difcourfes concerning the Truth of the Chriftian Religion; pag. 26, 27. and the Notes there.

(b) Sinned

12

13

13 (For not the Hearers of the Law, are just before

GOD, but the Doers of the
Law fhall be justified.

30 GOD will judge Jews and Gentiles by the Light they enjoy. Sect. 4. Law (b), and have continued impenitent in their alfo perifh without Law: Crimes, hall without the Law perish; the Light in the Law, thall be judged And as many as have finned Rom. II. 12. of Nature, without the Knowlege of Revelation, by the Law, being fufficient to condemn them. And as many as have finned under the Instruction and Obligation of the Law, fhall with proportionable Severity be judged by the Law (i), and meet with a more awful Sentence, as their Offences have been aggravated by fuch express Discoveries of the Di-. vine Will: For not the Men who are merely refpectful Hearers of the Law of GOD in the Synagogues, or loud and vehement Applauders or Defenders of it elsewhere, [are] juft before GOD, nor will he ever accept any Encomiums upon it, inftead of the Obedience it demands; but the Doers of the Law, who fteadily and univerfally, in the Tenor of their Lives, act agreeably to its Precepts; they, and they only, fhall be juftified, in the Day of final Audit and Account; whether their Knowledge of it were more or lefs exprefs. For when the Gentiles, who have not the written tiles, which have not the 14 For when the GenRevelation of the Divine Law, do by an Inftinct Law, do by Nature the of Nature, and in Confequence of the untaught Things contained in the Dictates of their own Mind, the moral Duties re- Law, are a Law unto themquired by the Precepts of the Law (k), these hav- felves: ing not the Benefits of an exprefs and revealed Law, are nevertheless a Law unto themfelves: The Voice of Nature is their Rule, and they are inwardly taught, by the Constitution of their own Minds, to revere it as the Law of that God by whom it was formed. And they, who are in this State, do evidently fhew the Work of the Law, in their Hearts, their Conin its most important moral Precepts, written upon their Hearts, by the fame Divine Hand that engraved the Decalogue upon the Tables given

14

15

to

17

15 Which fhew the Work of the Law written

- fcience

(b) Sinned without the Mofaick Law, &c.] 'Tis evident that must here be intended ; for none can fin without the natural Law, under which all are born.

(i) Perish,-be judged.] These two Phrafes are fo different, that one would hardly think they were intended to fignify the fame Ideas; yet so many Arguments, both from Reason and Revelation, lie against fuppofing wicked Heathens annihilated, as Mr. Locke feems to infinuate from thefe Words; that I think it moft rational to interpret both thefe Expreffions, as fignifying real Punishment, but in different Degrees.

(k) By Nature.] Raphelius (Not. ex Xen. in loc.) fhews, that Animals are faid to do that by Nature, which they do by Inftinet; and Elfner, (Obferv. vol. ii. pag. 16. that la le ropes fignifies the Duties inculcated by the Law.

(1) According