sacrifice of Christ, appropriated by faith to each believer's soul, naturally begins by proving the necessity for this new dispensation of grace, from the lost state of man without it. And inasmuch as the immediate purpose, to which he wished to apply this truth of the universality of the kingdom of the Redeemer, was the reconcilement of certain dissensions between the Gentile and Jewish converts at Rome, he makes especial reference to the case of these two classes; and in order more forcibly to unite them in the conclusion by comprehending both under sin, separates them in the proof, by which that conclusion is enforced.

He therefore begins, by showing in the first chapter, that, from the universal state of sin in which the Gentiles were sunk, they could have no claim to eternal life on the score of their own deserts, establishing this truth by that awful picture of the depravity of the gentile world, which it would be easy to illustrate, even from those imperfect remains of ancient literature which we possess ; and of which the sculptured works of ancient art supply, in some respects at least, a yet more shameful confirmation.

Having thus, in the first chapter, brought home the sentence of condemnation to the gentile world, he proceeds, in the second, to declare that the Jews, much as they boasted of their law, and proud as they were of the privileges which had been be

stowed upon them, inasmuch as they had broken that law, and abused those privileges, were in no better state than the Gentiles, to whom such advantages had never been vouchsafed. He warns them, that while they were confident that they were guides of the blind, lights of them that were in darkness, instructors of the foolish, and teachers of babes; they were, by their daily violations of that law, of which they made their daily boast, passing sentence of condemnation upon themselves, and treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

But it was hardly to be expected that the Jews, priding themselves, as they did, in the name of God's peculiar people, and resting in fond security on the promises which they considered to be their exclusive possession, would willingly endure thus to be deprived of that cherished superiority, and to see the despised Gentiles made free and equal partakers with themselves of the covenant of God. It seemed to them that their law was made of none effect, and the promises it contained were rendered void by such an extension of their privileges. And, therefore, St. Paul, having laid down the doctrine, that there is no respect of persons with God: and, in consequence, all having sinned, no sentence but that of condemnation from "the righteous judgment of Him who will render to every man according to his deeds," proceeds to introduce of himself

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the objection which he knew would be raised by them; and says, as if in the person of a Jew offended by the truths he had just declared, "What advantage, then, hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?" "If it, indeed, be thus," he supposes this objector to say-" if, indeed, it be true, that the condition of the people of God is no better than that of those who have not known Him-if the Gentiles are thus to be raised to an equality with ourselves-if, as you say, there is no respect of persons with God, but Gentile and Jew are alike in his sight-to what purpose was it, that he made a covenant with Abraham our father? To what purpose was it, that he set us apart as his peculiar people? To what purpose was it, that he gave us the law on Mount Sinai, and by the seal of circumcision stamped us for his own?" "What advantage, then, hath the Jew: or what profit is there of circumcision?" To this objection of the Jew, St. Paul proceeds to answer " You ask me what has been the intention of God's former covenant; and what advantage the Jew has had under it? I answer, "much every way: chiefly because that unto them were committed the Oracles of God." They have enjoyed communication with their Maker, and have been entrusted with his written word. They, as I shall show you by and by, have had other privileges too: for to them has "pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants,

and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises: theirs have been the Fathers, and of them as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed for ever." The enumeration of these latter prerogatives of the Jewish people is, indeed, not made in this, but in the ninth chapter but they are clearly the other topics, to which the Apostle alludes, and, therefore, fill up his argument in this place.

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To this reply (after some supplementary questions in the intervening verses, which do not materially affect the general issue,) St. Paul supposes the Jew again to rejoin in the ninth verse"What then? are we better than they?" You did not then intend to place the Gentiles upon an equality with us-you did not intend to say, that our state is no better than theirs; or that we stand no higher in God's favour than they do. "What, then? are we better than they ?" "No," answers St. Paul, "in no wise." I cannot mean that you are better than they: for I have "before proved Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin❞— even as your own sacred books declare (and what the law says, of course applies to those who are under the law)" there is none righteous: no, not one." You are not better than they, great as your advantages have been. You are not better than they; though had you made a good use of your privileges, you would have enjoyed such a supe

riority. You have had great opportunities of improvement; and it is not the failure of God's promises, but your own disobedience, which is the cause that you have derived no benefit from them. You might have stood far higher in his favour than the Gentiles do: but inasmuch as you have neglected your advantages, and abused your privileges, you are now equally with them concluded all under sin. You have but one way to escapea way open to the Gentiles equally with yourselves— the way of faith-even "the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon

all them that believe."

Such is the argument of this portion of the epistle. The principal points, and those to which I now wish to direct your attention, are the two questions in the first and ninth verses, with their respective answers-the first pointing out, that the advantage of the Jew had been much every way— the second declaring, that in spite of those advantages they were now, in consequence of their abuse of them, in no better state as regarded eternal life than the heathen around them. I have said, "in no better state," because the force of πроexóμeða in this passage seems to be hardly sufficiently expressed in our version, by, "Are we better than they?" The question does not relate so much to the character of the parties concerned, as to their state; and requires, therefore, to be translated