Romans 1

First we must be called before glorified (Romans 8:30). A man uncalled can lay claim to nothing in the Bible but threatenings; a man in the state of nature is not fit for heaven, no more than a man in his filth and rags is fit to come into a king's presence: a man in his pure na…

2. A Christian grows Gradu, in the degree of grace; he goes from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7), namely, from one degree of grace to another. A saint goes [in non-Latin alphabet], from faith to faith (Romans 1:17), and his love abounds [in non-Latin alphabet], more and more (…

As the chameleon is changed into the color of that which it looks upon, so faith looking on Christ, changes a Christian into the similitude of Christ. 2. By the growth of it; if it be a true faith, it grows: living things grow (Romans 1:17). From faith to faith; [illegible].

The creation is enough to convince the heathen that there is a God. There are two books, out of which God will judge and condemn the heathen, namely the book of conscience (Romans 2:15), who have the law written in their heart: and the book of the creation (Romans 1:20), the inv…

Resp. God sees all the sins of men, but is no more defiled with them, than the sun is defiled with the vapours that arise out of the earth: God sees sin not as a patron to approve it, but as a judge to punish it. Use 1. Is God so infinitely holy, then see how unlike to God sin i…

God delivered Israel from the pollutions of Egypt; Egypt was a bad air to live in, it was infected with idolatry. The Egyptians were gross idolaters, they were guilty of that which the Apostle speaks of (Romans 1:23). They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image…

- 1. Heathens. - 2. Turks. - 3. Jews. - 4. Papists. - 5. Protestants. 1. By Heathens: They have a knowledge of a Godhead by the light of nature (Romans 1:19-20), but they dishonor God and sin against the light of nature. The Egyptians worship an ox, the Persians worship the sun,…

Fifthly, God remembers all our deeds of charity, and takes them kindly at our hands. Hebrews 6:10. God is not unrighteous to forget your labor of love which you have shown toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints. The chief butler may forget Joseph's kindness,…

Question: But how does the Lord show his abhorring of the adulterer? Answer: In giving him up to a reprobate mind and a seared conscience (Romans 1:26). And now he is in such a condition that he cannot repent.

Some men's heads are the devil's mint-house — they are minting mischief. Romans 1:30: Inventors of evil things. Some invent new oaths, others new snares: such were those presidents that invented a decree against Daniel, and got the king to sign it (Daniel 6:9).

To be able to say God is mine, is more than to have all the mines of gold and silver. 3. Seeing there is a God, let us serve and worship him as God: It was an indictment brought in against them (Romans 1:21). They glorified him not as God.

2. A Christian may weep under an affliction, yet patiently submit to God's will. God allows tears; it is a sin to be without natural affection (Romans 1:31). Grace makes the heart tender, strangulat inclusus dolor; weeping gives vent to sorrow, expletur lachrymis dolor.

Especially seeing 3. there is so much strength of carnal and corrupt reason in men, ready to forge and invent strong reasons and arguments to confirm those sad fears and darkened apprehensions, and those drawn from those dealings of God's Spirit mentioned. For as it is said of t…

By faith. Learn here the true nature of true faith: it brings forth true obedience where ever it is: and therefore Christian obedience is called the obedience of faith, Romans 1:5. And these two cannot be separated, no more than light from the sun, or heat from fire.

For Atheism, blasphemy, contempt of God's word and worship, with open profaning of God's Sabbath, do every where abound; to omit the heinous crimes against the second table, as oppression, adultery, and blood touching blood: for all which, we may justly fear, that the Lord will…

The Affection of love is natural, but the Grace is not. Men are by nature [⟨ in non-Latin alphabet ⟩]God-haters, Romans 1:30. The wicked would fly from God; they would neither be under his rules, nor within his reach; they fear God, but do not love him.

But it may be alleged to the contrary, that the saying of the Father, This day have I begotten you, is expounded by Paul of the time of Christ's resurrection (Isaiah 2:7; Acts 13:30, 33). Answer: We must distinguish between generation itself, and the manifestation of it: and of…

Again there is no question that God directs his commandment against a sin in speculation, but against some common and wicked practice of the Jews — and that was to represent God himself in likenesses and bodily forms — Isaiah 40:18. And that was also the practice of the Gentiles…

When Julian objected to the Christians that they worshipped their martyrs as God, Cyril grants the memory and honor of them but denies their adoration — and of invocation he makes no mention at all. Ambrose on Romans 1: Is any so mad that he will give to the earl the honor of th…

For his obedience in fulfilling the law, is above Adam's righteousness, indeed above the righteousness of all angels. For they were all but creatures, and their obedience the obedience of creatures: but Christ his obedience is the obedience or righteousness of God; so termed (Ro…

Communication with sin is done sundrie waies: first, by counsell: thus Caiphas sinned when he gaue counsell to put Christ to death: Secondly, by commandement: so David sinned in the mutner of Vrias. Thirdly, by consent, or assistance, Rom. 1. 31. Thus Saul sinned in keeeping the…

By the arm of the Lord then we understand in general the power of God, the arm of man being that whereby he exercises his power, performs exploits, or does any work: so the arm of the Lord is his power whereby he produces his mighty acts; as it is said in the Psalms, The right h…

For the first, we shall not say much to it; only, seeing the Lord has made choice of the Gospel to be the ordinary external mean of grace, and of the begetting of faith, there is no reason to say that it's useless; for though it be not the main and only thing that turns the sinn…

2. Because, who shall declare his generation? is brought in here, to show the ineffableness of it, and so to make his sufferings the more wonderful — it was he who suffered, whose continuance cannot be declared. 3. It is such a continuance as is brought in to show a reason why d…

But though he was brought to prison and to judgment, to death and to the grave, yet they did not, they could not detain him; He was taken, or as the word signifies, he was lifted up from prison and from judgment, being the same word that follows, He was cut off out of the land o…

And thus, though God's grace and mercy be the Efficient Cause that admits of the ransom; yet neither is grace in us the Formal Cause; nor is grace in God the Meritorious Cause, but it is that which lays down the way how a satisfaction shall be provided, and accepts of it, when p…

That sure were not faith but a blind guessing; it is just as if you should say that you believe such a thing, when yet you cannot at all tell what it is; which is not faith, but as I said, blind guessing, and presumption. 2. Faith as justifying is always held forth as making use…

I call the Gospel the external mean of promoting our justification, in four respects. 1. Because it lays before us the object of our faith, for in it (as it is, Romans 1:17) is the righteousness of God revealed, etc. and (Romans 11:21-22) it's said, Now the righteousness of God…

For all are not justified, and saved, but only believers; indeed, by the doctrine of universal redemption, though you were even new believers, you could not conclude that you should be saved, because you might fall from it again. But our doctrine of justification has solid conso…

The expressions run in different persons; the first is in the first person, I will divide him a portion: it is a promise of God the Father, to the Mediator, for His attaining the victory, as it is said (Ephesians 1:20), God raised him from the dead. The 2nd expression is in the…

3. Conscience is a piece of eternity, a chip that fell from a Deity, and the nearest shadow of God, and ends as it begins. At first, even by its natural constitution, Conscience wars against Concupiscence, and speaks sadly out of Adam, while it is hot, and not cold-dead; I was a…

To be chosen out of the world, to carry anything of Christ and his image and nature, and to be born again, and of another seed than the world is born of, is no ground of arbitrary and elective hatred; but of such hatred as comes from diverse natural instincts, such as is the hat…

He that is nearest to be drawn to Christ, and yet never drawn, is deepest in hell: An Evangelical fire of God's fury is worse than a Sinai-fire, though it burn up to mid-heaven. 1. Sinning against the light of nature and the known will of God, as idolatry and the principles of y…

But to return to the state of the question. 4. So much of God is revealed to all, even to those who never heard of Christ, as serves to make all unexcusable for that knowing willingly, and knowingly, they glorify not God as God (Romans 1:19-21). 5. All within the visible Church,…

If you go about anything, with any tolerable endeavor to give him content, he is not hard to be pleased; and if not easy to please, there is little grace; or dangerous to be none at all, if you have much ado to bow or bend them to comply with them that asks anything of them, the…

These things are written that you may believe. Say not what is this, but to make the work that is already wrought, for though faith and believing be wrought in the hearts of God's people, yet such as do believe, had need to be helped to believe more and better (Romans 1:17). It…

So then, do but lay these things together, do you find a man that is desirous to be doing good duties, but is it to please others, or is it out of the bonds of authority that lies upon him? Do you see them have affection to duties, but out of their place and calling, or in their…

It is kindness to his soul to reprove him. In the general, holy friendship must be improved to the use of edifying (Romans 1:11-12). I long to see you to impart some spiritual gift to you, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith of you and me.

Secondly, the necessity of it. 1. The sins and guilty fears of mankind needs such a remedy; we are naturally sensible that the punishment of death is deserved and due to us by the law of God (Romans 1:32): They which commit such things are worthy of death. Now these fears are no…

When God had proclaimed his name and manifested himself to Moses (Exodus 34:8), Moses made haste, and bowed himself and worshipped. It is the crime charged upon the Gentiles, that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God (Romans 1:21). They knew a divine power, but did…

Paul therefore concludes, that there is no other Gospel besides that, which he himself had preached. But he preached not a Gospel which he had himself devised, but the same which God promised before by his Prophets in the holy scriptures (Romans 1). Therefore he pronounces himse…

Therefore necessary it was also that Cornelius should be brought to another belief, not that Christ was yet to come, as he did believe before: but that he was already come. So faith gives place to faith: From faith to faith (Romans 1). The popish Schoolmen therefore are deceived…

You knew not God: and you worshipped God. I answer: All men naturally have this general knowledge, that there is a God, according to the saying (Romans 1): Forasmuch as that which may be known of God, was manifest in them. For God was made manifest to them, in that the invisible…

But the proper office of Christ is, after the law has pronounced a man to be guilty, to raise him up again, and to loose him from his sins, if he believe the Gospel. For to all that do believe, Christ is the end and full finishing of the law to righteousness (Romans 1:16; John 1…

In the end of the verse, Paul adds: for they communicated nothing to me. But to the contrary (Romans 1:12) may be objected, where Paul desires to come to Rome, that he might be comforted by their mutual faith both his, and theirs. Answer: Though the Apostles did communicate noth…

And that which I say appears in this text — for whether these words be left in, or put out, the sense of the verse, is one and the same. These words, that you should not obey the truth, are meant of the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5, and 16:28). And the obedience of faith is pr…

Thus was he made Lord by declaring himselfe to be so indeede. Rom 1:4. 1. Tim 3:16.

Here observe, that all the exercises of Christian religion are to be in the spirit. God must be worshipped in spirit (John 4:24; Romans 1:9). The heart must be rent, and not the garment (Joel 2).

Lastly, whereas the Apostle speaks indefinitly; if any man be nertaken, restore him. I gather, that the gifts and graces of God, bestowed upon vs, ought to be used in restoring those that are fallen, without respect of persons: for herein spirituall men are debters, to the wise,…

The word justice is diversely expounded. Some refer it to the preaching of the Gospel, because the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith by it, as Saint Paul says (Romans 1:17). Now the Gospel was published throughout the whole world by the ministry of the Apostle…