A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Romans · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
1. KNow ye not, brethren, (for I ſpeak to them that know the law) that the law hath power over a man as long as he liveth?
1. I have uſed the ſimilitudes of a dead Man, and one raiſed from death, and of a Servant, and one ſet free and under another Maſter; I will now add the ſimilitude of a married Woman and a dead Husband. You know (who know the Law) that the Law of Superiority, which giveth one power over another, obligeth only untill death.
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 the husband.
2. The Law bindeth a Wife to be a Subject to her Husband till he die; but then ſhe is thereby no longer bound to him.
3. So then, if while her husband liveth ſhe be married to another man, ſhe ſhall be called an adultereſs: But if her husband be dead, ſhe is free from that law, ſo that ſhe is no adultereſs, though ſhe be married to another man.
3. So that though ſhe be an Adultereſs who marrieth another, while her Husband liveth, yet when her Husband is dead, ſhe is free from that obligation, and is no Adultereſs for marrying with another.
4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye alſo are become dead to the law by the body of Chriſt, that ye ſhould be married to another; even to him who is raiſed from the dead, that we ſhould bring forth fruit unto God.
4. So death hath ſeparated the Law and the believing Jews. The Law being abrogated by the coming, and Death, and Grace of Chriſt, is dead to you, as you by Faith and Baptiſm are dead to it; that ſo you ſhould be married to him that cauſed this by his death, and is raiſed from the dead, and hath raiſed you from the death of ſin and guilt, and legal Condemnation to a new and holy life, that regeneration may cauſe you to generate the holy fruit of Love and good Works, and live hereafter unto God.
5. For when we were in the fleſh, the motions of ſin which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
5. For when we were in our meer corrupted Nature, and only under a forbidding and condemning Law, without the Goſpel and its Grace, the Law did but irritate and ſhew our Carnal Luſts, and cauſe our Guilt and Condemnation, and did not either heal or pardon us.
6. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we ſhould ſerve in newneſs of ſpirit and not in the oldneſs of the letter.
6. But now we are delivered from that Law, and ſo from its manifold difficult impoſitions, all which we could not fulfil, and alſo from its curſe of thoſe that fulfil it not: For it is aboliſhed, and bindeth us no more: That now we may ſerve God with New Hearts, and lives, by the Spirit of Chriſt, according to the Law of Grace, and not Carnally in the bondage and terror of the old Law.
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.
7. But think not by this that we infer, that the Law is bad or culpable, or the cauſe of ſin: Far be it from us; ſo far am I from ſuch a thought, that I teſtifie that the Law is the forbidder, and diſcoverer and condemner of ſin: For I had not known my Hearts inordinate deſires or luſts to be ſo bad, if the Law had not ſaid. Thou ſhalt not covet: For corrupt Nature hardly diſcerneth the evil of its own inclination, ſo be it, it break not out into Act, but is ready to think it is blameleſs becauſe its Natural.
8. But ſin taking occaſion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiſcence: For without the law ſin was dead.
8. But my own Soul hath ſinful inclinations and imperfections; by original corruption and the evil habits increaſed by actual ſin: And by theſe I am ſo backward to good and prone to evil, that a Law of ſuch a multitude of difficult, poſitive, Precepts and Prohibitions, making me ſo much work, and ſo hard, is become morally impoſſible for me perfectly to fulfil: Had I been only under the Law made to faln Adam and Noah, and all Mankind, a great number of Legal Poſitives and Ceremonials had never obliged me; but this Law, being made, and all theſe things laid upon me which my corrupt Nature could not fulfil, preſently my badneſs and diſability appeared in a great number of Acts, which now became forbidden ſin, and in the omiſſion of things commanded▪ even as if you command ignorant, weak, and il-diſpoſed Men, a multitude of ſuch particulars as none but the wiſe and well diſpoſed will keep, it will occaſion them to be guilty of a multitude of ſins, which without thoſe Canons or Laws would have been no ſin, ſo my ſinful Nature made this Law of Works, an occaſion of my guilt of a multitude of actual ſins; which without the Law would have been no ſin, or not ſo culpable. Beſides that the prohibition ſtirred up my ill inclination, and alſo that I ſinned againſt more knowledge.
9. For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, ſin revived, and I died.
9. For if you ſuppoſe me only under the Common Law made to Noah and all Mankind, and the Promiſe made to him and to Abraham, before the Law of Moſes was made, I had not then been under either that Sentence of a Temporal or an Eternal death, which by Moſes's Law are the wages of many ſins, not before forbidden: But when I am under all thoſe Laws which curſe or cut off all that do not the numerous Tasks and Ceremonies there impoſed, I am then become a dead Man in Law, and the Law and ſin riſe up in power againſt me, and condemn me.
10. And the commandment which was ordained unto life, I found to be unto death.
10. And the Commandment which promiſed life to them that keep it, proved the occaſion of death to me.
11. For ſin taking occaſion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it ſlew me.
11. For my ſinful nature called out to ſo much duty, and forbidden ſo many things, being unable to do the duties, and prone to the things forbidden, by occaſion of this Law, became the guilty cauſe of many actual ſins of omiſſion and commiſſion, and as ill humours ſtirred by a purge oft rage the more, ſo did the pravity of my nature, and ſo I was made guilty of death.
12. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and juſt, and good.
12. Wherefore I teſtifie that the Law is pure and holy, and juſt, and good: God juſtly made it: His Wiſdom and Holineſs ſhine forth in it: If Men be bad and ill diſpoſed, God may juſtly give them ſuch Laws as their badneſs is averſe to keep. And he had good and gracious ends in giving it: He made it indeed very operous, ſomewhat like the Law of Innocency to Adam, though not that ſame, but yet conjunct and ſubordinate to the Law and Promiſe of Grace; which the Jews ſhould have noted, and uſed it accordingly.
13. Was that then which is good made death to me? God forbid: But ſin, that it might appear ſin, working death in me by that which is good, that ſin by the commandment might become exceeding ſinful.
13. What then? Is the Law guilty of my ſin and death? By no means: But the inward pravity of my Soul, which elſe would have been more latent, unknown, and not have brought forth ſo much actual ſin and death, did by the good Law of God appear in its proper evil nature, and ſhew how pregnant it was of actual ſin, and how averſe to full obedience, and ſo by producing theſe actual ſins, appeared and became exceeding ſinful.
14. For we know that the law is ſpiritual; but I am carnal, ſold under ſin.
14. For we all confeſs that the Law being Gods own Law, is Divine, Spiritual, and Pure: And the reaſon why I do not fulfil it, and ſo cannot be juſtified by it, is in my ſelf; who in my Corrupt Nature am Carnal, and under a Moral neceſſity of ſinning againſt it; predominantly before Grace, and in part after.
15. For that which I do, I allow not: For what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
15. I may well call it a Captivity, or a kind of neceſſity, when my knowledge and unfeigned (though imperfect) willingneſs and deſire, and my hatred of the ſin, yet will not enable me to be ſo free from ſin and fulfil the Law, as to be juſtified by it (much leſs will the uneffectual convictions and wiſhes of the unregenerate do this) For though I do not in judgment approve my ſin; and I have a deſire perfectly to fulfill the Law of God, and I would be freed from all ſin; yet I attain not this perfection which I deſire.
16. If then I do that which I would not, I conſent to the law that it is good.
16. Now if I did not juſtifie the Law as good, I ſhould not thus condemn my ſelf for breaking it, nor deſire thus perfectly to keep it.
17. Now then it is no more I that do it, but ſin that dwelleth in me.
17. And becauſe the Underſtanding and Will are the higheſt faculties, and a Man is in Gods account what he truly would be, therefore I may ſay, that (though it be my ſin to have ſo inordinate a ſenſitive inclination, and ſo imperfect a Mind and Will which ſhould better rule it,) yet it is not ſuch a ſin as ſheweth the predominant diſpoſition of my Soul, and denominateth the Man, but is contrary to the reſolved bent of my heart and life; and therefore the Lord of Grace will not judge me according to that which is but my imperfection, and which I more hate than love, and would unfeignedly be rid of, for it is no reigning ſin that I confeſs.
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.
18. For I know that ſo far as I have any corruption and carnality, I am prone to evil and not to good! For by the Grace of God I do truly deſire perfection it ſelf; but I am not able to attain my deſire, and to be perfect in my obedience.
19. For the good which I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
19. For my Nature being corrupt, and my Will but imperfectly renewed, though ſincere, I cannot be as good as I would be, nor do all the good which I would do, nor avoid all the evil which I would avoid, and ſo cannot be ſinleſs and perfectly obedient.
20. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but ſin that dwelleth in me.
20. Now ſeeing the main bent of my Mind and Will is for perfect obedience, and againſt all ſin, and it is by the inſtigation of the remnant of carnalitie, that I am not ſinleſs and free from all culpable infirmities, God will not impute that to me which I hate, and is contrary to the bent of my Heart and Life, ſo much as that which I love and live for.
21. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is preſent with me.
21. I find then in my Carnal part, an inclination, which is as a contradicting Law, which ſtriveth ſo much againſt the Law of God, that I oft ſin contrary to my predominant Will, and when I would be ſinleſs and perfect, yet I cannot.
22, 23. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I ſee another law in my members, warring againſt the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of ſin, which is in my members.
22, 23. For I delight in the Law of God, after the inward man, which is the bent of my Mind and Will. But my corrupt ſenſual inclination is like a contrary Law, which warreth againſt my Judgment and Will, and like a Captive I am brought by it under a neceſſity of ſinning, ſo far as that my obedience is imperfect, and ſo unjuſtifiable by the Law of Works, (as in the unregenerate ſin doth reign.)
24. O wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from the body of this death.
24. So far am I then from being juſtified by this Law, that while it calleth for more perfect obedience to its hard and numerous precepts than my ſinful Soul can perform, and ſo condemneth me, it doth but ſhew me how bad and miſerable I am, and make me cry out, O wretched Man, who ſhall deliver me from this ſinning deadly fleſh?
25. I thank God, through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. So then, with the mind I my ſelf do ſerve the law of God, but with the fleſh the law of ſin.
25. But as I have told you of my miſery by nature, under the Law, I will tell you of my remedy: I rejoice in thankfulneſs to God that hath abrogated the Law, and ſanctified my nature by Jeſus Chriſt: And ſo I conclude, that my renewed Mind and Will ſo deſireth perfection, that I would be ſinleſs, and keep all the Law which God ſhall impoſe and continue; but my fleſhly inclination maketh this ſinleſs perfection too hard for my attainment, and therefore I cannot be juſtified by ſo hard and rigorous a Law.
ANNOTATIONS.
THough Expoſitors are much diſagreed whether St. Paul here deſcribe a Man Unregenerate under the meer Law, or an Imperfect Man, how ſincere ſoever; yet no ſuch Doctrinal Controverſie dependeth on this Difference, as the Ignorant and Contentious do imagine. For they that think that he deſcribeth the Caſe of a carnal Legalliſt, or Jew, ſuppoſe that he ſpeaketh of their committing againſt knowledge, and uneffectual wiſhes, the reigning Sins called Mortal, and live an ungodly Life; and that [It is not I, but ſin] ſignifieth onelyonly [My ſuperiour Faculties have ſome uneffectual reluctancy, and are convinced that the Law is good]: And that by [Captivity to the law of ſin] is meant a ſlaviſh Life of predominant Senſuality. And doubtleſs ſuch there are, of whom all this is true.
And thoſe that think that he ſpeaketh of himſelf even in his Regenerate ſtate, and ſo of all Men, do think that it is not a Life of Wickedneſs, or Mortal Sin, that he deſcribeth, nor a Captivity to it, but unavoidable Imperfection, called Venial Sin▪ to the ſame ſenſe as St. John ſaith, If we ſay that we have no ſin, there is no truth in us. And that [It is not I, but ſin] ſignifieth but that a Man ſhall be accounted and judged by God according to what is predominant in his Mind, Will and Life.
And I moſt incline to this Expoſition, 1. Becauſe the other ſeemeth forced, which muſt not be received without neceſſity. 2. Becauſe the Apoſtle is not onelyonly proving that the Law will not juſtifie an unregenerate legal Jew, but that it will juſtifie no Man, how good ſoever. 3. And I do not believe that the unregenerate can truly ſay as he, [I delight in the law of God], and [to will is preſent with me], and [I my ſelf in mind ſerve the law of God.] 4. Many Paſſages are plainly applicable to Paul in his Chriſtian ſtate.