pondents whom L

We conclude w 'Paul a servant apostle, and set a God's message of t had promised befren which message relate Lord, who in respect scended of Davided of God in respe which the Holy Sp at the first; and power, still associates ing Him from the have I received the ability for the of

the faith among all 1 name. Among the the called of Jesus beloved of God, az grace and peace from Jesus Christ."

LECTURE III.

ROMANS, i, 8-17.

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

Ir does not require much in the way of exposition to set forth the meaning of these verses. The spiritual gift, mentioned in the 11th verse, is one of those gifts by the Holy Ghost, which the apostles had it in their power to transmit to their disciples-a power which seems to have signalized them above all the Christians of that period. Many could speak tongues and work miracles; but they could not make others either speak tongues or work miracles. The gifts themselves it was competent for them to have, but not the faculty of

communicating them. This seems to have been the peculiar prerogative of apostles-which Simon Magus desired to have, but could not purchase. It was thus, perhaps, that an apostolical visit was necessary for the introduction of these powers into any church or congregation of Christians; and, if so, we would infer that the season of miracles must have passed away with those Christians, who had been in personal contact with, and were the immediate descendants of the apostles of our Lord. They left the gift of miracles behind them-but if they did not leave the power of transmitting this gift behind them, it might have disappeared with the dying away of all those men on whom they had actually laid their hands.

In the 14th verse, the phrase 'I am debtor,' may be turned into the phrase-I am bound' or 'I am under obligation,' laid upon me by the duties of my office, to preach both to Greeks and Barbarians, both to the wise and the unwise. "Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel"—a necessity is

laid upon me.

The only other phrase that requires explanation, and about which indeed there is a difference of interpretation, is in the 17th verse-' from faith to faith.' There is one sense assigned to this expression, very consistent certainly with the general truth of the gospel-but which can scarcely be admitted in this place, save by that kind of hurried acquiescence, which is too often rendered on the part of those, who like no better way of disposing of a passage than to get over it easily. The righteousness of God is certainly that, in which He hath

appointed us sinners to appear before Him; and which is the only righteousness that He will accept of at our hands, as our meritorious title to His favour and friendship. Now it is very true, that this righteousness becomes ours wholly by faith, that by faith it is received on our part, and by faith it is retained on our part; and that neither works before faith, nor works after it, have any part in our justification-and that, therefore, it is not by passing onwards from faith to works that we further the concern of our justifying righteousness before God; but only by holding fast the beginning of our confidence even unto the end, and not casting it away; and if there be any lack in our faith, perfecting that which is lacking thereinso that it may hold true of us, as it did of the primitive Christians, of whom it was recorded that their faith groweth exceedingly. And with these views in their mind, do some hold, that the righteousness of God being revealed from faith to faith, signifies that as it is made known and discerned at first in the act of our believing, so the revelation of it becomes more distinct and manifest, just as the faith becomes stronger-the things to be discerned being seen in greater brightness and evidence, as the organ of discernment grows in clearness and power--not, so they, from faith unto works, but from faith to faith-marking what is very true, that our righteousness before God, regarded as the giver of a perfect and incommutable law, is wholly by faith.

Notwithstanding however of all the undoubted truth and principle which stand associated with

this interpretation, we think that there are others more simple and obvious. Paul had already spoken of a transmission of faith from himself to those whom he was addressing, and of a constant mutual faith between himself and them; and he tells us elsewhere of faith coming by hearing, and asks how can people believe unless preachers be sent; and he announces his determination to preach the gospel to those who are in Rome also; and professes his own faith in the gospel, under the affirmation that he is not ashamed of it; and declares its great subject to be the righteousness of God, revealed, as some are disposed to understand it, from the faith of the preacher to the faith of the hearers. Others would have it to mean that this righteousness is revealed by the faithfulness of God, to the faith of

men.

But to our mind the best interpretation is obtained by conjoining the term righteousness with the phrase in question. For therein is revealed, the righteousness of God from faith, to faith. We shall thus have revealed in the gopel, δικαοισύνη εκ του πιστεως,which is the righteousness from of or by faith; and the gift of which is as TOT or to faith. This is quite at one with the affirmation of a subsequent passage, that "the righteousness which is by faith of Jesus Christ is unto all and upon all that believe," or the righteousness which is by faith is unto those who have the faith. As it is written, the righteous live, or hold that life which was forfeited under the law and is restored to them under

the gospel, by faith.

We now offer the following paraphrase.