4. “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering.” The apostle here makes a transition to the second argument, by which he proves, that the wise men among the Gentiles were likewise inexcusable before God, by proleptically anticipating the objections which they would be ready to start:—‘God has hitherto borne with me, and I have had experience of his goodness; therefore I will make amends to him by reproving others, and although I do the same things myself I shall escape his judgment.’ To this the apostle replies:—‘Nay! thou who doest the same things, for which thou judgest another, thou art just so much the more liable to the judgment of God, that hitherto God has been good to thee. The apostle reasons from the effect of his having so long experienced the long-suffering of God, which effect is his despising God’s long-suffering and goodness; this is the first argument of the reply: —‘Thou despiseth the long-suffering of God; therefore God’s long-suffering; renders thee so much the more inexcusable.’ “Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance;” this is the second argument of the reply, drawn from the end of God’s goodness to the wicked, which is illustrated by their own ignorance of it. The goodness of God towards the wicked should lead them to repentance; or which is the same thing,—‘He is good to thee,’ says the apostle, ‘that he may afford thee time and move thee to repent; therefore as thou dost not repent, thou art inexcusable, and shalt not escape his judgment.’ The apostle therefore replies to the objection by denying the consequence,—‘It is true God has been good to thee, but it does not follow from that that thou shalt escape his judgment;’ and this negation of the consequence he proves by two arguments; the one taken from the conduct of the wicked man—“thou despisest the goodness of God;” the other from the end of God’s goodness, which is the wicked man’s “repentance.”
Charles Ferme,
A Logical Analysis of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans (Edinburgh:
Wodrow Society, 1850), 21–22.
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