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TEXT.

7 What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid! Nay, I had not known sin but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

9. For I was alive without the law, once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

PARAPHRASE.

7 every tittles. What shall we then think that the law, because it is set aside, was unrighteous, or gave any allowance, or contributed any thing to sin'? By no means; for the law, on the contrary, tied men stricter up from sin, forbidding concupiscence, which they did not know to be sin, but by the law. For I had not known concupiscence to be sin, 8 unless the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. Nevertheless sin, taking opportunity w during the law, or whilst I was under the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence for without the law sin is dead, not able to

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NOTES.

That this sense is also comprehended, in not serving in" the oldness of the letter," is plain from what St. Paul says 2 Cor. iii. 6. "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." From this killing letter of the law, whereby it pronounced death for every the least transgression, they were also delivered, and therefore St. Paul tells them here, chap. viii. 15, that they "have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear," i. e. to live in perpetual bondage and dread under the inflexible rigour of the law, under which it was impossible for them to expect aught but death.

7" Sin." That sin here comprehends both these meanings expressed in the paraphrase, appears from this verse, where the strictness of the law against sin is asserted, in its prohibiting of desires, and from ver. 12, where its rectitude is asserted.

u" I." The skill St. Paul uses, in dexterously avoiding, as much as possible, the giving offence to the Jews, is very visible in the word I, in this place. In the beginning of this chapter, where he mentions their knowledge in the law, he says, "ye." In the 4th verse he joins himself with them, and says 66 we. But here, and so to the end of this chapter, where he represents the power of sin, and the inability of the law to subdue it wholly, he leaves them out, and speaks altogether in the first person, he means all those who were under the law.

8 St. Paul here, and all along this chapter, speaks of sin as a person endeavouring to compass his death; and the sense of this verse amounts to no more but this, that, in matter of fact, that concupiscence, which the law declared to be sin, remained and exerted itself in him, notwithstanding the law. For if sin, from St. Paul's prosopopœia, or making it a person, shall be taken to be a real agent, the carrying this figure too far will give a very odd sense to St. Paul's words, and, contrary to his meaning, make sin to be the cause of itself, and of concupiscence, from which it has its rise.

See note ver. 5.

y"Dead." It is to be remembered not only that St. Paul, all along this chapter, makes sin a person, but speaks of that person and himself, as two in

TEXT.

10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

PARAPHRASE.

9 hurt me; And there was a time once, when I, being without the law, was in a state of life; but the commandment coming, sin got life and strength again, and I found myself 10 a dead man; And that very law, which was given me for

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NOTES.

compatible enemies, the being and safety of the one consisting in the death, or inability of the other to hurt. Without carrying this in mind, it will be very hard to understand this chapter. For instance, in this place St. Paul has declared, ver. 7, that the law was not abolished, because it at all favoured or promoted sin, for it lays restraints upon our very desires, which men, without the law, did not take notice to be sinful; nevertheless sin, persisting in its design to destroy me, took the opportunity of my being under the law, to stir up concupiscence in me; for without the law, which annexes death to transgression, sin is as good as dead, is not able to have its will on me, and bring death upon me. Conformable hereunto St. Paul says, 1 Cor. xv. 56, "the strength of sin is the law;" i. e. it is the law, that gives sin the strength and power to kill men. Laying aside the figure, which gives a lively representation of the hard state of a well-minded Jew, under the law, the plain meaning of St. Paul here is this: "though the law lays a stricter restraint upon sin than men have without it: yet it betters not my condition thereby, because it enables me not wholly to extirpate sin, and subdue concupiscence, though it hath made every transgression a mortal crime. So that being no more totally secured from offending, under the law, than I was before, I am, under law, exposed to certain death." This deplorable state could not be more feelingly expressed than it is here, by making sin (which still remained in man, under the law) a person who implacably aiming at his ruin, cunningly took the opportunity of exciting concupiscence in those to whom the law had made it mortal.

9Пorè, "once." St. Paul declares there was a time once, when he was in a state of life. When this was, he himself tells us, viz. when he was without the law, which could only be, before the law was given. For he speaks here, in the person of one of the children of Israel, who never ceased to be under the law, since it was given. This word, therefore, must design the time between the covenant made with Abraham and the law. By that covenant, Abraham was made blessed, i. e. delivered from death. That this is so, see Gal. iii. 9, &c. And, under him, the Israelites claimed the blessing, as his posterity, comprehended in that covenant, and as many of them as were of the faith of their father, faithful Abraham, were blessed with him. But when the law came, and they put themselves wholly into the covenant of works, wherein each transgression of the law became mortal, then sin recovered life again, and a power to kill; and an Israelite, now under the law, found himself in a state of death, a dead man. Thus we see it corresponds with the design of the apostle's discourse here. In the six first verses of this chapter, he shows the Jews that they were at liberty from the law, and might put themselves solely under the terms of the Gospel. In the following part of this chapter, he shows them that it is necessary for them so to do; since the law was not able to deliver them from the power sin had to destroy them, but subjected them to it. This part of the chapter showing at large what he says, chap. viii. 3, and so may be looked on as an explication and proof of it.

TEXT.

11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

12 Wherefore the law is holy; and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid! But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me, by that which

PARAPHRASE.

the attaining of life, was found to produce death b to me. 11 For my mortal enemy, sin, taking the opportunity of my being under the law, slew me by the law, which it inveigledd me to disobey, i. e. the frailty and vicious inclinations of nature remaining in me under the law, as they were before, able still to bring me into transgressions, each whereof was mortal, sin had, by my being under the law, a sure 12 opportunity of bringing death upon me. So that the law is holy, just, and good, such as the eternal, immutable rule of 13 right and good required it to be. Was then the law, that in itself was good, made death to me? No, by no means: but it was sin, that by the law was made death unto me, to the

NOTES.

10 That the commandments of the law were given to the Israelites, that they might have life by them; see Lev. xviii. 5. Matth. xix. 17.

The law, which was just, and such as it ought to be, in having the penalty of death annexed to every transgression of it, Gal. iii. 10, came to produce death, by not being able so to remove the frailty of human nature, and subdue carnal appetites, as to keep men entirely free from all trespasses against it, the least whereof, by the law, brought death. See chap. viii. 3. Gal. iii. 21.

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11 The sense wherein I understand Sià Toũ vóμov, "by the law," ver. 5, is very much confirmed by dià tñs évloλñs, in this and ver. 8, by which interpretation the whole discourse is made plain, easy, and consonant to the apostle's purpose. "Inveigled." St. Paul seems here to allude to what Eve said in a like case, Gen. iii. 13, and uses the word "deceived," in the same sense she did, i. e. drew me in.

12", "so that." Ver. 7, he laid down this position, that the law was not sin; ver. 8, 9, 10, 11, he proves it, by showing that the law was very strict in forbidding of sin, so far as to reach the very mind and the internal acts of concupiscence, and that it was sin that remaining under the law (which annexed death to every transgression) brought death on the Israelites; he here infers, that the law was not sinful, but righteous, just, and good, just such as by the eternal rule of right it ought to be.

13 "No." In the five foregoing verses the apostle had proved, that the law was not sin. In this, and the ten following verses, he proves the law not to be made death; but that it was given to show the power of sin, which remained in those, under the law, so strong, notwithstanding the law, that it could prevail on them to transgress the law, notwithstanding all its prohibitious, with the penalty of death annexed to every transgression. Of what use, this showing the power of sin, by the law, was, we may see, Gal. iii. 24.

TEXT.

is good; that sin, by the commandment, might become exceeding sinful.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

15 For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law, that it is good.

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PARAPHRASE.

end that the power of sin might appear, by its being able to bring death upon me, by that very law, that was intended for my good, that so, by the commandment, the power of sin and corruption in me might be shown to be exceeding 14 great; For we know that the law is spiritual, requiring actions quite opposite to our carnal affections. But I am so carnal, as to be enslaved to them, and forced against my will to do the drudgery of sin, as if I were a slave that had been sold into the hands of that my domineering enemy. 15 For what I do, is not of my own contrivance; for that which I have a mind to, I do not; and what I have an aver16 sion to, that I do. If then my transgressing the law be what

NOTES.

8 That ȧμ¤gτía xað' inɛpboλǹv åμaplwλòs, “sin exceeding sinful," is put here to signify the great power of sin or lust, is evident from the following discourse, which only tends to show, that let a man under the law be right in his mind and purpose; yet the law in his members, i. e. his carnal appetites, would carry him to the committing of sin, though his judgment and endeavours were averse to it. He that remembers that sin, in this chapter, is all along represented as a person, whose very nature it was to seek and endeavour his ruin, will not find it hard to understand, that the apostle here, by "sin exceeding sinful," means sin strenuously exerting its sinful, i. e. destructive nature, with mighty force.

h"Iy¤ yɛvýται, “ that sin might become,” i. e. might appear to be. It is of appearance he speaks in the former part of this verse, and so it must be understood here, to conform to the sense of the words, not only to what immediately precedes in this verse, but to the apostle's design in this chapter, where he takes pains to prove, that the law was not intended any way to promote sin, and to understand, by these words, that it was, is an interpretation that neither holy Scripture nor good sense will allow : though the sacred Scripture should not, as it does, give many instances of putting "being," for "appearing," Vid. ch. iii. 19.

14 iПveμalinds, "spiritual," is used here to signify the opposition of the law to our carnal appetites. The antithesis in the following words makes it clear. 15k Où уvæ ̄xw, "I do not know," i. e. it is not from my own understanding, or forecast of mind; the following words, which are a reason brought to prove this saying, give it this sense. But if ou yoxw be interpreted, "I do not approve," what in the next words is brought for a reason will be but tautology.

TEXT.

17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

19 For the good, that I would, I do not: but the evil, which I would not, that I do.

20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin, that dwelleth in me.

PARAPHRASE.

I, in my mind, am against, it is plain the consent of my 17 mind goes with the law, that it is good. If so, then it is not I, a willing agent of my own free purpose, that do what is contrary to the law, but as a poor slave in captivity, not able to follow my own understanding and choice, forced by the prevalency of my own sinful affections, and sin that remains 18 still in me, notwithstanding the law. For I know, by woeful experience, that in me, viz. in my flesh', that part, which is the seat of carnal appetites, there inhabits no good. For, in the judgment and purpose of my mind, I am readily carried into a conformity and obedience to the law: but, the strength of my carnal affections not being abated by the law, I am not able to execute what I judged to be right, and in19 tend to perform. For the good, that is my purpose and aim, that I do not; but the evil, that is contrary to my intention, that in my practice takes place, i. e. I purpose and aim at 20 universal obedience, but cannot in fact attain it. Now if I do that, which is against the full bent and intention of me m myself, it is, as I said before, not I, my true self, who do it, but the true author of it is my old enemy, sin, which still remains and dwells in me, and I would fain get rid of.

NOTES.

18 St. Paul considers himself, and in himself other men, as consisting of two parts, which he calls flesh and mind, see ver. 25, meaning, by the one, the judgment and purpose of his mind, guided by the law, or right reason; by the other, his natural inclination, pushing him to the satisfaction of his irregular, sinful desires. These he also calls, the one the law of his members, and the other the law of his mind, ver. 23, and Gal. v. 16, 17, a place parallel to the ten last verses of this chapter, he calls the one flesh, and the other spirit. These two are the subject of his discourse, in all this part of the chapter, explaining particularly how, by the power and prevalency of the fleshly inclinations, not abated by the law, it comes to pass, which he says, chap. viii. 2, 3, that the law being weak, by reason of the flesh, could not set a man free from the power and dominion of sin and death.

20 m Où déλw żyù, “I would not." I, in the Greek, is very emphatical, as is obvious, and denotes the man, in that part which is chiefly to be counted himself, and therefore with the like emphasis, ver. 25, is called avròsiya, "I my own self."

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