Chú giải Kinh Thánh

Romans 2:10

But, glory, honor and peace, to every one doing good; to the Jews first, and also to the Greek. This verse completes the statement of the principle of law announced in Romans 2:6. The law, while it threatens death to the transgressor, promises life to the obedient; and it matters not in either case, whether it is a Jew or Gentile who receives its award. Glory, honor and peace are descriptive terms for eternal life. It is a life glorious in itself; an object of reverence or regard to others, and a source of unspeakable blessedness or peace.

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Romans 2:11

For there is no respect of persons with God. He is righteous and impartial, looking not at the person, but the conduct of those whom he judges. This is the ground of the assurance that he will judge Jews and Gentiles according to their works. The words προσωποληψία, προσωπολήπτης, προσωποληπτὲω, are all peculiar to the New Testament, and all owe their origin to the phrase πρόσωπον λαμβάνειν, which is used in the sense of the Hebrew phrase, ðÈùÈÒà ôÈðÄéí, to lift up, or accept the face of any one, that is, to be favorable to him. This is sometimes used in a good sense, as Genesis 32:20 “Peradventure he will accept of me,” literally, lift up my face. Genesis 19:21; Job 42:8. Most frequently in a bad sense, for partiality. Hence judges are forbidden to accept the face of any one, Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 10:17. In the New Testament, all the expressions above mentioned are used in the sense of unjust partiality. All προσωποληψία, respect of persons, is denied to God, and forbidden to men. See Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; James 2:1.

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Romans 2:12

In the preceding verse it was stated that God is just and impartial in all his judgments. This is confirmed not only by the previous assertion, that he will judge every man according to his works, but also by the exhibition of that important principle contained in this verse. Men are to be judged by the light they have severally enjoyed. The ground of judgment is their works; the rule of judgment is their knowledge. For as many as sinned without law. That is, God is impartial, for he will judge men according to the light which they have enjoyed. Our Lord teaches the same doctrine when he says, “The servant which knew his lord’s will, … shall be beaten with many stripes; but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.” Luke 12:47, Luke 12:48. By law, is here meant a written or supernaturaly revealed law. In 1 Corinthians 9:21, the heathen are called ἄνομοι, without law, as distinguished from the Jews, who were ὑπὸ νόμον, under law. Νόμος, as used by the apostle, means the rule of duty, the will of God revealed for our obedience; commonly, however, with special reference to the revelation made in the Scriptures. Ἀνόμως is equivalent to χωρὶς νόμου, without law, and is not to be taken in its moral sense, without restraint, i.e. recklessly. Ἀνόμως καὶ ἀπολοῦνται, shall also perish without law, that is, their punishment shall be assigned without reference to the written law. Καί before ἀπολοῦνται says Rückert and Tholuck, indicates the relation between the cause and effect, or premise and conclusion; or as Fritzsche says, “necessitatem indicat, quâ τὸ ἀνόμως ἀπόλλυσθαι ex τῷ ἀνόμως ἁμαρτάνειν consequatur.” Neither of these explanations seems to express the true force of the particle; it rather serves to indicate that as the sinning is ἀνόμως, so also is the punishment. Ἀπόλλυμι is to destroy, to put to death, spoken of physical death, and also of eternal death, Matthew 10:28; Luke 4:34; and in the passive form, Luke 13:3, Luke 13:5; John 3:15, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 8:11. The word is strong in its own import; and as explained by other passages, it here teaches that those who sin without a written revelation — although they are to be judged fairly, and are to be treated far less severely than those who have enjoyed the light of revelation — are still to perish. “Vide igitur, quale patrocinium suscipiant, qui praeposterâ misericordiâ gentes evangelii lumine privatas ignorantiae praetextu Dei judicio eximere tentant.” Calvin.

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Romans 2:13

For not the hearers of the law. This verse is connected with the last clause of the preceding, and assigns the reason why the Jews shall be judged or punished according to the law; the mere possession or knowledge of the law would not avail, for it is not the hearers, but the doers of the law that are just before God. The expression hearers instead of readers, is explained by the fact that the law was read in the presence of the people, and by hearing rather than by reading, their knowledge of it was obtained. Comp. Matthew 5:21; John 12:34; Galatians 4:21; James 1:22. To be just before God, and to be justified, are the same thing. They are both forensic expressions, and indicate the state rather than the charter of those to whom they refer. Those are just in the sight of God, or are justified, who have done what the law requires, and are regarded and treated accordingly; that is, are declared to be free from condemnation, and entitled to the favor of God. In obvious allusion to the opinion, that being a Jew was enough to secure admission to heaven, the apostle says, It is not the hearers but the doers of the laws that are justified. He is not speaking of the method of justification available for sinners, as revealed in the gospel, but of the principles of justice which will be applied to all who look to the law for justification. If men rely on works, they must have works; they must be doers of the law; they must satisfy its demands, if they are to be justified by it. For God is just and impartial; he will, as a judge administering the law, judge every man, not according to his privileges, but according to his works and the knowledge of duty which he has possessed. On these principles, it is his very design to show that no flesh living can be justified.

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Romans 2:14

For whenever the Gentiles, not having the law. In the preceding verse the apostle had said, That not the hearers but the doers of the law are justified before God; and then adds, For whenever the Gentiles, not having the law, do by nature the things of the law, they are a law unto themselves. But the fact that the Gentiles are a law unto themselves, has nothing to do, either as an illustration or confirmation, with the general proposition contained in Romans 2:13. Those who insist on establishing such a connection, suppose that Romans 2:14 refers to the last clause of Romans 2:13, and is designed to prove either that with regard to the Gentiles as well as Jews, doing is the thing required; or that there are doers of the law who may be justified, among the heathen. ‘The doers of the law,’ says the apostle, ‘shall be justified; but the heathen do the law, therefore they shall be justified.’ This, however, is not the conclusion at which the apostle is aiming. He is not teaching the method of justification, or arguing to prove that the Gentiles as well as the Jews may be doers of the law, and thus be justified in the sight of God. He is expounding the law; he is showing the principles by which God will judge the world, Gentiles as well as Jews. Those who are without the written law, he will judge without any reference to that law; and those who are under the law, he will judge by that law. This general proposition he confirms first by saying, in Romans 2:13, that the mere possession of the law is not enough; and secondly by saying, in Romans 2:14, that the Gentiles have a law by which they may be judged. The logical connection of Romans 2:14, therefore, is not with Romans 2:13, but with Romans 2:12. Thus Calvin, who says, “Probationem prioris membri (Romans 2:12) nunc repetit. Probat enim frustra obtendi a gentibus ignorantiam, quum factis suis declarent, nonnullam se habere justitiae reguam. Nulla enim gens unquam sic ab humanitate abhorruit, ut non se intra leges aliquas contineret.” When, whenever or as often as, which may be the sense of the particle in this case, ‘Whenever, or as often as the heathen do so or so.’ Or it may have the sense of while, because: ‘Because, or since the heathen do so or so.’ Comp. 1 Corinthians 15:27. As ἔθνη is without the article, many would render it heathen, that is, some heathen. But in the first place, it is evident from the context that this is not what the apostle means to say. His object is to show that the heathen world have a rule of duty written on their hearts; a fact which is not proved by some heathen obeying the law, but which is proved by the moral conduct of all men. Men generally, not some men, but all men, show by their acts that they have a knowledge of right and wrong. And secondly, this word has, without the article, in virtue of its frequent occurrence, a definite sense. Comp. Romans 3:29; Romans 9:24, and especially Romans 9:30 : ἔθνη … κατέλαβε δικαιοσύνην; the heathen attained righteousness. Do by nature the things of the law. There are two misinterpretations of the phrase, τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιεῖν. The one is, that it means to fulfill the law; the other, to do the office of the law, i.e., to command and forbid. The former is unnecessary, and is in direct opposition to the express and repeated declaration of the apostle, that none, whether Jew or Gentile, has ever fulfilled the law. To do the things of the law, is indeed to do what the law prescribes (comp. Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12); but whether complete or partial obedience is intended, depends upon the context. The man who pays his debts, honors his parents, is kind to the poor, does the things of the law; for these are things which the law prescribes. And this is all the argument the apostle requires, or his known doctrine allows us to understand by the phrase, in the present instance. This being the case, there is no need of resorting to the second interpretation mentioned above, which was proposed by Beza, and adopted by Wetstein, Flatt, and others. Though ποιεῖν τὰ τοῦ νόμου might mean to do what the law does, prescribe what is good and forbid what is evil, it certainly has not that sense elsewhere in Paul’s writings, see Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12; and is especially out of place here, in immediate connection with the phrase ποιηταὶ τοῦ νόμου, in the sense of doers of the law. The heathen do φύσει, by nature, the things of the law. The φύσις of anything is the peculiarity of its being, that in virtue of which it is what it is; it is that which belongs to its original constitution, and is opposed to what is taught, acquired, or made. The word is sometimes used for a disposition or sentiment arising out of our nature, as opposed to mere arbitrary rules, as in 1 Corinthians 11:14. In the present case, the opposition is to νόμος. It is by nature, not by an external law, that the Gentiles are led to perform moral acts. Comp. Galatians 4:8; Ephesians 2:3. The proper connection of φύσει with τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῆ, they do by nature the things of the law, is retained in our version, and by the great majority of commentators. Bengel, Rückert, and a few others, connect it with μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα, not having the law by nature; but this saying very little to the purpose of the apostle. His object is to show that φύσις supplies to the Gentiles the place of νόμος. These not having the law, are a law unto themselves. Νόμον, without the article, may be rendered either, a law, “not having a law,” by implication, a written, external law; or the law, i.e., the Jewish law, since that word is often used without the article for the law of the Jews; that is, the law of God, as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gentiles, then, are law unto themselves; they have in their own nature a rule of duty; a knowledge of what is right, and a sense of obligation. As the absence of all moral acts among the lower animals shows that they have no sense of right and wrong, that they are not under a moral law, so the performance of such acts by the Gentiles, shows that they have a law written on their hearts.

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Romans 2:15

Who show the work of the law written on their hearts. Here, as in Romans 1:25, and often elsewhere, the relative has a causal force: ‘They are a law unto themselves, because they show the work of the law,’ etc. Wolf, Tholuck, and others make ἔργον τοῦ νόμου a periphrase for the law itself; Grotius, the effect of the law, that is, a knowledge of right and wrong; most modern commentators make τὸ ἔργον equivalent to τὰ ἔργα. The same works which the Jews have prescribed in their law, the Gentiles show to be written on their hearts. It is by doing the things of the law, that the Gentiles show they have this inward rule of duty; their conscience also bearing witness. Grotius, Koppe, and Tholuck, take συμμαρτυρεῖν in the sense of the simple verb. Comp. Jeremiah 11:7, in the lxx, Romans 9:1; Romans 8:16. ‘Their conscience bearing witness,’ that is, to the fact that there is a law written on their hearts. But as συμμαρτυρεῖν is properly unâ testari, and as the context presents no reason for departing from the common meaning of the word, the great majority of commentators give the σύν its proper force. That with which conscience joins its testimony is the honestas vitae, the moral acts of the heathen; and the fact to which this joint testimony is born, is that they are a law unto themselves. The apostle appeals not only to their external conduct, but to the inward operations of their moral nature. Συνείδησις is the conscientia consequens is, the inward judge, whose acts are described in the following clause: Their thoughts alternately accusing or even excusing. Our version takes, μεταξὺ as an adverb, and makes ἀλλήλων the object of the following participles, ‘And in the meanwhile, their thoughts accusing, or else excusing one another.’ Köllner defends this interpretation, and declares that, μεταξύ, between, cannot mean vicissim. It is used, he asserts, only of time, between two portions of time, i.e., during; or of space, between two places, persons, or things. It is not, however, so much the signification of the word μεταξὺ, as the sense of the phrase μεταξὺ ἀλλήλων, that is expressed by the translation, vicissim, sive alternate sententiâ. ‘Between one another,’ implies reciprocal or alternate action; comp. Matthew 18:15. The order of the words is obviously opposed to the separation of ἀλλήλων from μεταξὺ, and to making the former the object of the following participles; which are rather to be taken absolutely. Their thoughts alternately accusing and excusing, viz., their conduct. The inward monitor acquits or condemns, as the case demands. Bengel remarks on the ἢ καί, or even, that καί is concessive, and shows “cogitation’s longe plus habere quod accusent, quàm quod defendant.”

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Romans 2:16

The greatest difficulty in relation to this verse is to determine its connection with the preceding context. In the common copies of our Bible, Romans 2:13, Romans 2:14, Romans 2:15, are marked as a parenthesis, and Romans 2:16 is placed in connection with Romans 2:12 : ‘The heathen shall be judged without the law, and the Jews by the law, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men.’ Thus the passage is arranged by Griesbach and Knapp; a mode of connection adopted also by Beza, Grotius, Reiche, and others. The objections to this explanation are, first, the distance at which this verse stands from Romans 2:12; and secondly, that the intervening verses have not the nature of a parenthesis, but are intimately connected with the idea contained in Romans 2:12. Calvin, Bengel, Rückert, Fritzsche, De Wette, Meyer, Tholuck, etc., connect this verse with Romans 2:15. The difficulty then is, that the verb and participles of Romans 2:15 are in the present tense, whereas κρινεῖ of this verse is future: ‘Their thoughts accusing or excusing in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men.’ To meet this difficulty, Calvin proposes to give ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, the force of εἰς ἡμέραν, in the sense of until, or in reference to the day. Tholuck modifies this by making ἐν include εἰς, ‘until on that day.’ Not only does conscience now exercise its office, but will do so especially on the day of judgment. Rückert, De Wette, and others, suppose that the apostle thought only of the present when he wrote ἐνδείκνυνται, but extends the reference to the future, in the latter part of the verse. That is, the present participles express what will be present on the day of judgment: ‘The heathen show the work of the law written on their hearts, and their conscience also bearing witness,’ etc., on the day of judgment. But the main objection to this connection is, that the sense thus expressed is not suited to the apostle’s object. He designs to prove that the Gentiles are a law to themselves. This is proved by the present operation of conscience, which approves or condemns their conduct. But it seems forced to bring that proof from what conscience will do on the day of judgment. It seems best therefore to refer this verse back to Romans 2:12. God, it is said, will judge the secrets of men; the things which have escaped the knowledge of others; those hidden deeds of the heart and life, which are the surest criterion of character. The searching character of this judgment; its justice, as not guided by mere external appearance; and its contrast with mere human judgments, are all intimated by this expression. The clause, according to my gospel, is not to be connected with κρινεῖ, as though the gospel was to be the rule of this divine judgment; for this would contradict the apostle’s doctrine, that men are to be judged by the light they possess. It refers to the fact of a final judgment, which is declared to be in accordance with the gospel, or a part of that message which Paul was commissioned to deliv. By Jesus Christ is to be connected with κρινεῖ. God will judge the world through Jesus Christ, agreeably to our Savior’s own declaration, “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” Sometimes this judgment is referred directly to the Messiah, as in 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:1; sometimes indirectly, as though he were but the representative of God, as in Acts 17:31. These representations, however, are perfectly consistent. The preposition διά in such cases only expresses the idea that the power or authority which belongs to the Godhead is specially exercised through the Son. Thus sometimes it is said, God created all things through the Son, Hebrews 1:2; and sometimes that the Son himself is the Creator, Colossians 1:16.

Such then are the principles on which Paul assures us that all men are to be judged. They commend themselves irresistibly to every man’s conscience as soon as they are announced, and yet every false hope of heaven is founded on their denial or neglect. It may be proper to repeat them, that it may be seen how obviously the hopes of the Jews, to which Paul, from Romans 2:17 onward, applies them, are at variance with these moral axioms.

1. He who condemns in others what he does himself, ipso facto condemns himself.

2. God’s judgments are according to the real character of men.

3. The goodness of God, being designed to lead us to repentance, is no proof that he will not punish sin. The perversion of that goodness will increase our guilt, and aggravate our condemnation.

4. God will judge every man according to his works, not according to his professions, his ecclesiastical connections or relations.

5. Men shall be judged by the knowledge of duty which they severally possess.

God is therefore perfectly impartial. These are the principles on which men are to be tried, in the last day, by Jesus Christ; and those who expect to be dealt with on any other plan, will be dreadfully disappointed.

Doctrine

1. The leading doctrine of this section is, that God is just. His judgments are infinitely removed above all those disturbing causes of ignorance and partiality, by which the decisions of men are perverted, Romans 2:1, Romans 2:16.

2. The refuge which men are always disposed to seek in their supposed advantages of ecclesiastical connection, as belonging to the true Church, etc., is a vain refuge. God deals with men according to their real character, Romans 2:2, Romans 2:3.

3. The goodness of God has both the design and tendency to lead men to repentance. If it fails, the fault must be their own, Romans 2:4.

4. It is a great abuse of the divine goodness and forbearance to derive encouragement from them to continue in sin. Such conduct will certainly aggravate our condemnation, Romans 2:3-5.

5. None but the truly good, no matter what the professions, connections or expectations of others may be, will be saved; and none but the truly wicked, whether Gentile or Jew, Christian or heathen, will be lost, Romans 2:6-10.

6. The goodness which the Scriptures approve consists, in a great degree, in the pursuit of heavenly things: it is a seeking after glory, honor and immortality, by a persevering continuance in well-doing. It is the pursuit of the true end of our being, by the proper means, Romans 2:7.

7. The responsibility of men being very different in this world, their rewards and punishment will, in all probability, be very different in the next. Those who knew not their Lord’s will, shall be beaten with few stripes. And those who are faithful in the use of ten talents, shall be made rulers over ten cities, Romans 2:9, Romans 2:10.

8. The heathen are not to be judged by a revelation of which they never heard. But as they enjoy a revelation of the divine character in the works of creation, Romans 1:19, Romans 1:20, and of the rule of duty in their own hearts, Romans 2:14, Romans 2:15, they are inexcusable. They can no more abide the test by which they are to be tried, than we can stand the application of the severer rule by which we are to be judged. Both classes, therefore, need a Savior, Romans 2:12.

9. The moral sense is an original part of our constitution, and not the result of education, Romans 2:14.

10. Jesus Christ, who is to sit in judgment upon the secrets of all men, must be possessed of infinite knowledge, and therefore be divine, Romans 2:16.

Remarks

1. The deceitfulness of the human heart is strikingly exhibited in the different judgments which men pass upon themselves and others; condemning in others what they excuse in themselves. And it not infrequently happens that the most censorious are the most criminal, Romans 2:1, Romans 2:3.

2. How does the goodness of God affect us? If it does not lead us to repentance, it will harden our hearts, and aggravate our condemnation, Romans 2:4, Romans 2:5.

3. Genuine repentance is produced by discoveries of God’s mercy, legal repentance by fear of his justice, Romans 2:4.

4. Any doctrine which tends to produce security in sin, must be false. The proper effect of the enjoyment of peculiar advantages is to increase our sense of responsibility, and our gratitude to God, and not to make us suppose that we are his special favorites. God is no respecter of persons, Romans 2:3-10.

5. How vain the hopes of future blessedness, indulged by the immoral, founded upon the expectation either that God will not deal with them according to their works, or that the secrets of their hearts will not be discovered! Romans 2:6-10, Romans 2:16.

6. If God is a just God, his wrath is not to be escaped by evasions, but in the way of his own appointment. If we have no righteousness of our own, we must seek that of the Savior, vv. 1-16.

7. He who died for the sins of men is to sit in judgment upon sinners. This is a just ground of fear to those who reject his offered mercy, and of confidence to those who trust in his righteousness, Romans 2:16.

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Romans 2:17-29

Analysis

This section consists properly of two parts. The first, Romans 2:17-24, contains an application of the principles laid down in the former section, to the case of the Jews. The second, Romans 2:25-29, is an exhibition of the nature and design of circumcision. The principal grounds of dependence on the part of the Jews were,

1. Their covenant relation to God.

2. Their superior advantages as to divine knowledge.

3. Their circumcision.

Now if it is true that God will judge every man, Jew or Gentile, according to his works, and by the law which he has enjoyed, what will it avail any to say, We are Jews, we have the law, Romans 2:17; we have superior knowledge, Romans 2:18; we can act as guides and instructors to others? Romans 2:19. This may all be very true; but are you less a thief, merely because you condemn stealing? less an adulterer, because you condemn adultery? or less a blasphemer, because you abhor sacrilege? Romans 2:21, Romans 2:22. This superior knowledge, instead of extenuating, only aggravates your guilt. While boasting of your advantages, you by your sins bring a reproach on God, Romans 2:23, Romans 2:24. According to the first principles of justice, therefore, your condemnation will be no less certain, and far more severe than that of the Gentiles. As to circumcision, to which the Jews attached so much importance, the apostle shows that it could avail nothing, except on condition of obedience to the law or covenant to which it belonged, Romans 2:25. If the law be broken, circumcision is worthless, Romans 2:25, latter clause. On the other hand, if the law is obeyed, the want of circumcision will not prevent a blessing, Romans 2:26. More than this, if those less favorably situated than the Jews are found obedient, they will rise up in judgment against the disobedient, though favored people of God, Romans 2:27. All this proves that an external rite can, in itself, have no saving power; because God is a Spirit, and requires and regards spiritual obedience alone. This principle is stated, first negatively, he is not a Jew who is such in profession merely, Romans 2:28; and then affirmatively, he is a Jew who is one inwardly, Romans 2:29.

Commentary

Romans 2:17

Instead of ἰδέ, behold, which is in the common text, most of the ancient manuscripts, many of the versions, and of the Fathers, read εἰ δέ, but if; which reading is adopted by Bengel, Griesbach, Knapp, and Lachmann, and is followed by almost all the recent commentators. We have then the protasis of a sentence of which the apodosis does not follow: ‘But if thou art called a Jew, and hast the law, thou shouldest act according to it;’ comp. 2 Peter 2:4. Or the answering clause may be found in Romans 2:21, ‘If thou art called a Jew,’ etc., ‘teachest thou then (ουν) not thyself?’ Winer, §63, 1:1. Art called, ἐπονομάζῃ, called after, or in addition to; a sense insisted on here by Theodoret, who says, “οὐκ εἶπεν ὁνομάζῃ, ἀλλ ̓ ἐπονομάζῃ.” Bengel, Köllner, Meyer, and others, take the same view of the meaning of the word: ‘Besides your proper name, you call yourself a Jew.’ But as the compound word is used for the simple one in Genesis 4:17, Genesis 4:25, Genesis 4:26, and elsewhere, and as Jew was then the common name of the people, it is better rendered, thou art called. Ἰουδαῖος, a Jew, a descendant of Judah, in the New Testament applied to all the Israelites, as inhabitants of Judea. It was considered a title of honor, not only on account of its etymology, éÀäåãÈä, meaning praised, Genesis 49:8 but because it designated the people of God. Comp. Genesis 49:28, Genesis 49:29, and Revelation 2:9 : “I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are not.” To be a Jew in this sense was to be one of the covenant people of God, a member of the theocracy, or of the true Church. As this was the principal ground of the false confidence of the Jews, the apostle mentions it before all others. It was not enough that they were the children of Abraham; if they sinned, they were exposed to the displeasure of that God who will render to every man according to his works, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. And restest on the law. That is, Thou placest thy confidence upon the law. In the Septuagint, the word occurs in Micah 3:11, a passage illustrative of the one before us, “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.” The law here means the whole Mosaic system, the civil and religious polity of the Jews. This they relied upon; the fact that they were within the Church, were partakers of its sacraments and rites; that they had a divinely appointed priesthood, continued in unbroken succession from Aaron, and invested with the power to make atonement for sin, was the ground on which they rested their hope of acceptance with God. Within that pale they considered all safe; out of it there was no salvation. Such was the false confidence of the Jews; such has been and is the false confidence of thousands of Christians. And makest thy boast of God. See Winer, §13:2, on the form of the word καυχᾶσαι. To boast, or glory in any person or thing, is to rejoice in him or it as a source of honor, happiness, or profit to ourselves. We are forbidden thus to glory in ourselves, or any creature, as the ground of our confidence and source of our blessedness. “Let no man glory in men; but he that glories, let him glory in the Lord.” This glorying in God may be right or wrong, according to the reasons of it. If it proceeds from a sense of our own emptiness, and from right apprehensions of the excellence of God, and from faith in his promises, then it is that glorying which is so often commanded. But if it arises from false notions of our relation to him, as his peculiar favorites, then it is vain and wicked. The Jews regarded themselves in such a sense the people of God, as to be secure of his favor, let their personal character be what it might. They boasted that he was their God, that they monopolized his favor, all other nations being his enemies.

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