f

of Deut. xvii. 15. they thought it unlawful to pay tribute to the Roman Emperor, and to acknowledge him for their fovereign'. And as the Jews in general expected a Meffiah who would establish a temporal kingdom, and free them from the dominion of the Romans this expectation made them ripe for rebellion, and ready at all times to throw of the yoke. Even the Jews at Rome had already begun to create difturbances, which occafioned the command of the Emperor Claudius, that all the Jews fhould leave Rome, of which mention is briefly made by St. Luke, in Acts xviii. 2. Suetonius, in his Life of Claudius, ch. 25, writes, Judæos, impulfore Chrefto, affidue tumultuantes Roma expulit." ByChreftus' Suetonius meant Chriftus', not knowing the meaning of the word, and fuppofing, that it was written in Greek Xensos. Yet he certainly did not speak of the Chriftians, and intend to accufe the followers of Jefus Chrift of fedition: for they fubmitted peaceably to the Roman magiftrates, and even if they had been inclined to fedition, they were not fufficiently numerous, nor fufficiently powerful at Rome in the time of Claudius. to make the leaft oppofition. By Judæi' therefore we must understand Jews in the strict sense of the word: and Chreftus' that is, Chriftus,' denotes, not the perfon of Jefus Chrift, but the Meffiah expected by the Jews, and which they called in Greek Xpisos, and in Latin Chriftus.' The Jews therefore being excited to fedition from an expectation of fupport from their 'Chriftus,' Claudius and his minifters imagined that this was a real perfon then living in fome place out of Rome, who excited the Jews to infurrection. This is what Suetonius meant in defcribing them as impulfore Chrefto tumultuantes.' However the banishment, which followed this infurrection, appears not to have lafted long,

c. 2.

Compare Matth. xxii. 15-22. with Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. XVII.

Jofeph. Bell. Jud. Lib. VII. 31. Suetonius in Vefpas. cap. 4. Taciti Hift. Lib. II. 5.

f See Gefner's Thefaurus, under the word Tumultus.

long, and it either terminated with the death of Claudius, or the decree was revoked during his life: for Aquilas the Jew, who met St. Paul at Corinth, after he had left Rome in confequence of this decree, was already returned to Rome, when St. Paul wrote his Epiftle to the Romans. From what has been faid in this paragraph, it is obvious how neceffary thofe exhortations to obedience were, which the Apoftle has given in the thirteenth chapter.

Whoever is converfant with the Roman hiftory, will be able to illuftrate many fingle paffages in this chapter. The city of Rome contained within itfelf the feeds of infurrection and civil war, and was frequently involved in troubles, even when the provinces were at peace. The Senate was fecretly jealous of the Emperor, and the Emperor in his turn fufpected the Senate. The life of the Emperor was feldom free from danger: Caligula had died a violent death, Claudius had been poifoned, and Nero, who was on the throne, when St. Paul wrote this Epiftle, did not meet with a more fortunate end. The inferior magiftrates afpired to the fupremacy: and as the Romans then believed in aftrology, which they had learned from the Chaldees, an aftrologer had only to predict fuccefs to the afpiring party, or to foretel the day, on which the Emperor would die, and the confequence was a certain affaffination. The imperial lifeguard, which confifted of foreigners, efpecially of Germans, and therefore was not interested in the profperity of the Empire, was not only an object of difguft to the Roman citizens, but became fo powerful after the time of Claudius, that the Emperors were obliged to purchase its favour by confiderable prefents. And in fact they had no other right to their fovereignty over the Romans, than that which they derived either from force or intrigue. Under thefe circumstances, St. Paul jndged it neceffary to exhort the Roman Chriftians to fubmit peaceably to the government, under which they lived. He tells them that the powers that be (as your a) are ordained of God:' he will not confent, that

G 3

they

they should enter into any inquiries on the origin of that right, which was exercifed by the Emperor, but commands them to obey the conftituted authorities, as appointed agreeably to the divine will, and not to affociate with thofe, who endeavoured to effect a change in the government .

TH

SECT. VI.

Contents of the Epistle to the Romans.

HE contents of the Epiftle to the Romans may be reduced to the following heads :

1. The ufual falutation, with which the Greeks began their letters, ch. i. 1-7. On this occafion, St. Paul particularly defcribes his apoftolical office, because the authority of this Epiftle depended on it.

2. St. Paul endeavours, ch. i. 8-16. to pave the way for the fubject, which he is about to difcufs. He expreffes his joy at the flourishing ftate of the Chriftian community in Rome, and his defire to come thither, and preach the Gofpel, of which he was not ashamed, in the face of the whole world. After this he infenfibly introduces the principal point, which he intended to prove, namely,

3. The fubject of the Gofpel, ver. 16, 17. This reveals a righteoufnefs unknown before, which is derived folely from faith, and to which the Jews and Gentiles have an equal claim.

4. In order to prove this point he fhews, ch. i. 18.iii. 20, that both Jews and Gentiles are under fin, that is, that God will impute their fins to Jews, as well as to Gentiles. Here, it must not be imagined, that St. Paul

meant

Qui res novas moliuntur, according to the phrafe used by the Romans,

meant by a chain of conclufions to prove, what every man's experience will fuggeft to him, that Jews and Gentiles have finned: his intention was to prove that God will call the Jews to an account for their fins, and confequently, that they ftand in need of juftification by faith.

His proof of this pofition may be reduced to the following fyllogifms. The wrath of God is revealed againft thofe, who hold the truth in unrighteouinefs, that is, who acknowledge the truth and yet fin against it, ch. i. 18.

The Gentiles acknowledged truths, but partly by their idolatry, and partly by their other deteftable vices they finned against the truths, which they acknowledged, ch. i. 19-31.

Therefore the wrath of God is revealed against the Gentiles, and punishes them.

The Jews have acknowledged more truths than the Gentiles, and yet they fin, ch. ii. 1. 17-24.

Therefore the Jewish finners are ftill more expofed to the wrath of God,' ch. ii. 1—12.

Having thus proved his point he answers the following objections, which might be made to it.

Obj. 1. The Jews were well grounded in their knowledge, and ftudied the law.' St. Paul anfwers; If a knowledge of the law, without the performance of it, could juftify, God would not have condemned the Gentiles, who knew the law by nature, ch. ii. 13-16 Obj. 2. The Jews were circumcifed.' Answer. That is, they were admitted by an outward fign to a covenant with God: but this fign will not avail those, who violate the covenant, ch. ii. 25-29.

Obj. 3. According to this doctrine of St. Paul, the Jews have no advantages above the Gentiles, which is manifeftly falfe.' Anfwer. They ftill have advantages, for to them were committed the oracles of God: but their privileges do not extend fo far, that God should overlook their fins, which the Scripture earnestly condemns even in Jews, ch. iii. 1-19.

G 4

Obj.

Obj. 4. They had the Levitical law, and facrifices.' Anfwer. Hence is no remiffion, but only the knowledge of fin, ch. iii. 20.

5. From the preceding arguments St. Paul infers that Jews and Gentiles must be juftified by the fame means, namely, without the Levitical law, through faith in Christ and in oppofition to the imaginary advantages of the Jews, he ftates the declaration of Zechariah, that God is not the God of the Jews only, but alfo of the Gentiles, ch. iii. 21-31.

6. As the whole bleffing was promised to thofe, who were the faithful defcendants of Abraham, whom both Scripture and the Jews call his children, he proves his former affertion from the example of Abraham; who was an idolater before his call, but was declared juft by God, on account of his faith, long before his circumcifion. Hence St. Paul takes occafion to explain the nature, and the fruits of faith, ch. iv. 1.-v. 11.

7. He proceeds to prove from the equity of God, that the Jews had no advantages above the Gentiles, in refpect to juftification. Both Jews and Gentiles had foretold life and immortality, through the common father of the human race, whom they themselves had not chofen as their reprefentative. If therefore it was the will of God to reftore immortality by a new fpiritual head of a covenant, which was Chrift, it was equitable that Jews and Gentiles fhould have an equal fhare in the advantages to be derived from this new reprefentative of the human race, ch. v. 12-21.

8. He fhews, that the doctrine of juftification, as he had ftated it, lays us under the ftricteft obligations to holinefs, ch. vi. 1-23.

9. He fhews that fince the death of Chrift we are no longer concerned with the law of Mofes. For our juftification arifes from our appearing in the fight of God, as if we were actually dead with Christ on account of our fins but the law of Mofes was not given to the dead. On this occafion he evinces at large, that the preceding confideration

See my Note to Gal. iii. 19.