tent believer. The effect of this happy deliverance, the apostle sets forth, by making the delivered sinner declare with joy, that he does not now, as formerly, serve God only with the ineffectual approbations and volitions of his mind, and with his flesh, or animal part, the law of sin; but as one delivered from that law, he habitually serves God, both with his mind and with his flesh, ver. 25. Although the apostle, in this chapter, hath spoken more immediately of the Jews, as placed under the law of Moses; yet, as the arguments by which he hath proved their freedom from that law as a rule of justification, are equally forcible for proving the freedom of mankind from the law of nature, as a rule of justification, the author hath not, in this illustration, departed from the truth, in supposing the apostle designed this passage for both.Farther, as the moral precepts and curse of the law of Moses, are in effect the precepts and curse of the law of nature, what the apostle hath written to shew the excellent nature and operation of the law of Moses, in making the Jews sensible of their sins, and of their inability to deliver themselves, either from the power or from the punishment of their sins, consequently in leading them to seek sanctification and pardon from the grace of God published in the gospel, is equally applicable to the law of nature written on the hearts of men: for it hath the same operation and influence, in making sinners sensible both of their sins and of their danger, and in leading them to Christ. We may therefore believe the apostle had both laws in his eye, when he wrote this excellent passage.-His principal design, however, was to wean the Jews from their extreme attachment to the law of Moses, and to make them sensible of the absurdity of pressing that law upon the Gentiles; because, however excellent it might be in itself, or however useful for certain purposes, it was, through the infirmity of human nature, as ineffectual for the sanctification of mankind, as for their justification. NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. VII. 1 Know ye not, brethren, for I speak to them who know (voμov) law that the law hath dominion over a man, ONLY so long as he liveth? 2 COMMENTARY. CHAP. VII. 1 Ye Jews think the law of Moses is of perpetual obligation; but know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them who know law,) that the law of Moses, as the law of God's temporal kingdom among the Jews hath dominion over a man only so long as he liveth; its obligation being that of a marriage? 2 For the woman which hath an husband, is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth: but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then, if while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adul teress; but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no 2 Ἡ γαρ ύπανδρος γυνη τῷ ζωντι ανδρι δέδεται νομῳ· εαν δε αποθανῃ ὁ ανηρ, κατά ηργηται απο του νόμου του ανδρος. 3 Αρα ουν ζωντος του ανδρος μοιχαλις χρηματίσει, εαν γενηται ανδρι ἑτερῳ· εαν δε αποθανη ὁ ανηρ, ελεύθερα εςιν απο του νόμου του μη ειναι αυτην μοιχαλίδα, γενο adulteress, though she be μενην ανδρι ἑτέρῳ. married to another man. be married to another, even 4 Ωςε, αδελφοι μου, και Εμεις επανατώθητε τῷ νομῷ δια του σώματος του Χριςου εις το γενεσθαι ὑμας ἑτέρῳ τῷ εκ νεκρών εγερθεντι, ίνα καρ ποφορήσωμεν τῷ Θεῷ. Ver. 1.—1. I speak to them who know law. Here law signifies the whole of the divine revelations recorded in the Jewish scriptures. See Rom. ii. 12. note 1. Or, as the article is wanting, it may denote law in general, not only the law of Moses, but the law of nature, which is the law of works. The truth is, the apostle's reasoning in this chapter is applicable to both these laws. 2. That the law hath dominion over a man only so long as he liveth. Elsner thinks the law, in this clause, is the law of marriage, mentioned ver. 2. But I rather suppose the apostle means the law of Moses, as the law of God's tem poral kingdom among the Jews: for his intention was to shew that the Jews were loosed from that law, by their being put to death with Christ. See ver. 6. Ver. 2.-1. For a woman who bath an husband, &c. This argument was peculiarly adapted to the Jews, whose connection with God as their king, was represented by God himself, under the idea of a marriage solemnized with them at Sinai. See Illustr. ver. 4.-But the same argument is applied by the apostle to the Gentiles likewise, Rom. vi. 7. because the law of marriage being of universal obligation, if it is dissolved by the death of either party, other obligations of a like nature must be dissolved in the same manner. 2. Is bound by law to her husband, while he liveth. The law bere referred to, is the law of marriage promulgated in paradise, Gen. ii. 24. whereby, 2 For a woman who hath an husband, is bound by the law of marriage (Gen. ii. 21-24.) to her husband while he liveth: but if her husband `die, she is loosed from the law of marriage, which bound her to her husband, and hindered her from marrying any other man. 3 So then such a woman shall be reputed, both by God and man, an adulteress,if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another husband: but if her husband die, she is freed from that law, which bound her to her hus band, and hindered her to marry any other man; so that she is no adulteress, though, after his death, she be married to another husband. 4 Wherefore, my brethren, since marriages are dissolved by the death of either of the parties, ye Jews, who were married to God as your king, and thereby were bound to obey the law of Moses, are loosed from that marriage and law, because ye also, as well as the Gentiles, (chap. vi. 6.) have been put to death by the curse of the law in the person of Christ, that ye may be married to another, even to him who died for you, but is now raised from the dead; and that we should bring forth fruit to God. as our Lord declared, Matt. xix. 6. marriages were appointed to continue for life, except in the case of adultery. Ver. 4.-1. Ye also, Davarædnтe to voμy, have been put to death by the law. Here To vou is the dative of the instrument. See Rom. vi. 2. note. The original word Javaro, properly signifies, I put to death. The word also, is emphatical in this passage, and implies, that not the Gentiles only, but the Jews also, were put to death by the curse of the law. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 5 Οτε γαρ ημεν εν τη σαρ κι, τα παθήματα των ἁμαρ των τα δια του νομου ενηργειτο εν τοις μελεσιν ἡμων, εις το καρποφορήσαι τῷ θανατῳ. 2. In the body of Christ. Believers being considered as members of Christ'sbody on account of the intimate union which subsists between them and him, every thing happening to him, is in scripture said to have happened to them. Thus the Jews are here said to be put to death in the body of Christ; and our old man, is said to be crucified with Christ, Rom. vi. 6.; and we are said to have died together with Christ, ver. 8.; and to be buried together with him by baptism, ver. 4. and to be dead with Christ from the elements of the world, Col. ii. 20. and to be risen with Christ, Eph. ii. 4.-6.; and even to be circumcised with Christ, Col. ii. 11. ; on which account, believers of all nations are called Toun, the circumcision, Philip. iii. 3.-These expressions St. Paul took great delight in, because they make us sensible that Christ became man, was circumcised, crucified, and buried, and rose again to deliver us from punishment, and to procure for us a blessed resurrection to immortality. More particularly, as Christ suffered death for us, we are said to have been actually put to death in him : and whatever extrinsic obligations respecting religion, would have been dissolved by our own death, are dissolved by his. Wherefore, as the Jews were killed by the curse of the law of Moses in the person of Christ, its claim to their persons and services was abolished; so that they were at liberty to be married to another busband or king. In like manner the Gentiles having been killed in the person of Christ, by the curse of the law of nature, they have, from the beginning, by that death been delivered from the law of nature, as a rule of justification. So the apostle tells us, Gal. iii. 13. Christ hath delivered us from the curse of the law. 3. That ye may be married. In this passage the union of Christ with his people is represented as a marriage. So likewise, Ephes. v. 31, 32. Rev. xxi. 9. xxii. 17. The apostles probably took that idea from the ancient phraseology concerning the Jews. See Illustr. ver. 4. But from whatever source it was derived, it is a strong representation of the friendship which subsists, and will subsist between Christ and believers to all eternity, and of the happiness which they will derive from his love to them, and from their entire subjection to him. 4. To another. The apostle speaks of Christ as the husband of the believ ing Jews, because he was now become their Lord and Head; and calls him another husband, because, while the theocracy subsisted, God was their husband, Isa. liv. 5. Thy maker is thy husband. 5. Even to him who is raised from the dead. The crucifixion of their old man, or corrupt nature, and their obtaining a new nature through the death of Christ, was a fit preparation of the Jews for becoming spouses to Christ, now raised from the dead. 5 For, when we were in the flesh,' the sinful passions (ra Six T8 vous) which WE HAD (73, 74. 117.) under the law, wrought effectually in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death. 5 Besides, the law of Moses never was intended as the rule of our justification; for when we were the subjects of God's temporal kingdom, the sinful inclinations which we had under the law, wrought effectually in the members, both of our soul and body, (see Rom. vi. 13. note 1.) to bring forth such evil actions as, by the curse of that law, subjected us to death, without mercy. 6. That we should bring forth fruit unto God. The apostle says, That we should bring forth, to show that he was in the same circumstances with the Jews. The transition from one person to another, as Blackwall observes, Sacr. Class. Part I. ch. 2. § 6. is frequent in Homer, Virgil, Xenophon, Plato, and all the best writers in both languages, and is admired as emphatical and beautiful, by readers of taste. 7. Fruit to God. Holy actions brought forth by the Jews, in consequence of their new marriage with Christ, or introduction into Christ's church, is called fruit to God, to signify that, although the Jews were loosed from their former marriage with God as their king, they were not loosed from their obedience to God; and that all the good actions which men perform under the gospel dispensation, are considered by God as belonging to him. Per haps also in the expression, fruit to God, there is an insinuation, that as law gives no assistance for conquering the corruptions of our nature, and allows no pardon to any sinner, the evil actions which men commit under law, whether the law of nature or of Moses, are properly fruit to death. See ver. 5. Ver. 5.-1. For when we were in the flesh. The apostle describes the state of the Jews under the law of Moses, by their being in the flesh, and their state under the gospel by their being in the spirit, (See Gal. iii. 3. note,) to shew, 1. That their relation to God as his people, was constituted merely by their descent from Abraham according to the flesh, and by their performing the services of the law of Moses, which all pertained to the flesh. 2. That men's relation to God as his people, under the gospel, is not constituted, either by their being descended from this or that father, or by their performing this or that ceremony pertaining to the flesh, but by their possessing those dispositions of mind which render men like God. They are God's people, not by the flesh, but by the spirit. In other passages of scripture, by men's being in the flesh, is meant their being governed by the lusts of the flesh, and by their being in the spirit, their being guided by the spiritual principles of their nature, purified and strengthened by the Spirit of God. Rom. viii. 1. note 2. See ver. 14. of this chap. note 1. |