And when that event is come, Israel shall be saved; 131 Rom. those already associated to the church of Christ. SECT. 26 And so all Is- And so, when this happy season marked out in xxvi. mel shall be saved: the Divine decrees, though to us unknown, is it is written, shall be come, that blessed event shall make xi. 26 out of Sion the De- way for it, and all the seed of Israel shall, by a liverer, and shall and shall general conversion, be saved from its dispersion tum away ungodli- and misery, and fixed in a state of covenant ness from Jacob. There shall come 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. favour and acceptance with God again. As it written, (Isa. lix. 20,) a Deliverer shall come out of Sion, and he shall turn away the punishment of their former impiety from Facob, when he hath brought them to true repentance. As 27 it is added, And this [is] my covenant which I shall make with them when I shall take away their sins, that is, when their sins as a nation are remitted, it shall be to bring them again 28 As concerning into covenant with myself. And thus on the 28 the gospel, they are whole, with respect to the gospel, [they are] insakes: but as touch- deed regarded as enemies for your sakes; that ing the election, they is, for their obstinate rejecting the gospel, God are beloved for the hath rejected them, in favour of you, and that enemies for your father's sakes. he might receive you into his church as in Harris's Practical Discourses on the Messiah, p. 91. Dr. Whitby very justly observes, that there is a double harvest of the Gentiles, spoken of by Paul, in this chapter; the first, called their riches, verse 12, as consisting in the preaching the gospel to all nations, whereby indeed they were happily enriched with Divine knowledge and grace; the second, the bringing in their fulness, which expresses a more glorious conversion of many to the true faith of Christians, in the latter age of the world, which is to be occasioned by the conver sion of the Jews. Whit. in Loc. This answers Orobio's objection, (Limb. Collat. p. 94,) that Paul's account is contrary to the prophecies of the Old Testament, which represent the recovery of the Gentile nations, as consequent on the redemption of Israel. those that turn from iniquity. But if Christ be here foretold as a Deliverer to the Jews, it is all that the apostle's purpose requires. Yet it is observable the LXX agrees better with the words of the quotation, as it possibly might with the original reading; and it is certain, that the general tenor of God's covenant with Israel gave no hope of deliverance after rejection and chas tisement, but in a way of repentance and reformation. Compare Lev. xxvi. 39-45 ; Deut. xxx. 1—10. < Enemies for your sakes.] The most natural meaning of these words, were they considered alone, might seem, that the calling the Gentiles prejudiced the Jews against the gospel; but as they generally rejected it before the Gentiles were called, I, on the whole, prefer the sense given in the paraphrase. The different sense of As it is written, Isa. lix. 20, &c.] This dia here supposed, may seem a strong text, as it stands in the Hebrew, seems objection against it; but if da be rendered different from the sense in which it is with a regard to, it may be applicable to here quoted. A Deliverer shall come, to both. 132 For God's gifts and callings are without repentance. Rom. are without repent SECT. ancestors, engages him to take care that some xxvi. of their seed shall alwavs continue in covenant with him, till at length he recover them as a xi. 28 nation, and astonish the world with their une29 qualled glory and felicity. And this shall 29 For the gifs most assuredly be, for the gifts and calling of and calling of God God [are] not to be repented of he doth not ance. resume the gifts he hath once bestowed, nor retract the calls he hath once given, but will maintain a remembrance of them, and act in perfect harmony with them, in all his dispensations; according to that wise plan which he hath laid in his eternal counsels, and from which no unforeseen contingency can ever cause him to vary. 30 have now obtained As then ye Gentiles were once, and for a long 30 For as ye in time, disobedient to God, and buried in igno- times past have not rance and superstition, but now have obtained believed God, yet mercy, by means of their disobedience; God mercy through their having taken you to be his people instead of unbelief: 31 the Jews; So they also, having been disobedient 31 Even so have to the gospel, and the more prejudiced against these also now not it on occasion of your admittance to such distin- believed, that thro' guishing mercy, yet shall not be utterly and your mercy they also may obtain mercy. finally ruined, but shall also to the glory of Divine grace at length, themselves, obtain the 32 mercy they have envied you. And thus the Divine goodness is illustrated, even by that which concluded them all might seem most contrary to it: for it appears, might have mercy in unbelief, that he that God hath, for a certain time, shut up all under obstinacy and disobedience, suffering each in their turn to revolt, under different degrees of light, that he might in a more remarkable manner have mercy on all, and glorify the riches 32 For God hath upon all. Not to be repented of] Elsner has pro- Abrahamic family as a peculiar seed to duced many passages from approved Greek himself, and bestowed extraordinary fa classics, in which the word aula, is vours upon them. Afterwards, he permit. used exactly in this sense; and has col- ted them, by unbelief and disobedience, lected in his curious note on this verse, to fall, and took in the Gentiles on their many testimonies of Pagan authors rela- believing; and he did even this, with an tive to the Divine perfections, which might intent to make that very mercy to the have taught some Christian Divines to Gentiles a means of provoking the Jews speak more honourably of them than they to jealousy, and so bring them to faith, do in some of their writings. by that which had at first been an offence in the way to it. This was truly a mystery in the Divine conduct, which the apostle most rationally, as well as respectfully, adores, in the concluding words of the chapter. • Shut up all under disobedience, &c.] It is of great importance to observe, that this refers to different periods. First, God suffered the Gentiles, in the early ages of the world, to revolt, and then took the The apostle adores the riches and wisdom of God. 133 of his grace, in favours bestowed on those who SECT. evidently appeared so undeserving. 33 O the depth of And now, to conclude this article. Who in the riches both of the view of such a series of events must not the wisdom and the Lord? or who xxvi. Rom. xi. 33 knowledge of God! Cry out, O the awful and unfathomable depths how unsearchable of the riches, and wisdom, and knowledge of are his judgments, God! How rich are the treasures of his mercy, and his ways past how deep the contrivances of his wisdom, how finding out! boundless the stretch of his knowledge! How unsearchable, and yet how unquestionable, [are] his judgments! and his ways such as can34 For who hath not be traced out! For who hath completely 34 known the mind of known the mind of the Lord in these things, or bath been his coun- who hath been his counsellor, in forming the plan of them? Who, whether Jew or Greek, 35 35 Or who hath can pretend, that he hath first given any thing first given to him, to him, or conferred any obligation upon him? ompensed unto him Let him make out the claim, and we may answer for it, that it shall be exactly repaid him 36 For of him, again. For, on the whole, of him, as the 36 and through him, original Author, and through him, as the grathings: to whom be cious Preserver, and for him, as the ultimate glory for ever. A. end, [are] all things. To him therefore [be] sellor ? and it shall be rec again? and to him, are all glory for ever and ever; and let all the creation IMPROVEMENT. LET our whole souls be engaged to glorify this great and bless. verse ed God, from whom, and through whom, we, and all creatures 36 exist. O that it may be our eternal employment to render adoration, and blessing, and glory to him! To him, whose counsels none can trace: to him, who hath prevented us all with the blessings of his goodness; so that far from being able to confer any obligation on him, for which we should pretend to demand a 33 recompense, on the contrary, we must own, that the more we are 35 enabled and animated to do for him, the more indeed are we obliged to him. We cannot pretend to have known the mind of 34 the Lord in all its extent, or to have been admitted into his secret counsels. He is continually doing marvellous things, which we know not: yet surely we know enough to admire and adore. Of him, through him, for him, &c.] imagine he had borrowed from this of Antoninus, speaking of nature, that is, of Paul, e maila, e o wala, ess of raila, God, has an expression, which one would all things are of thee, in thee, and to thee. 134. Reflections on the final conversion of Jews and Gentiles. SECT. We know enough to cry out in raptures of delightful surprise, xxvi. O the depth of the riches, both of his wisdom and goodness! verse 33 One instance, though but one of many, we have here before us, in his mysterious conduct towards Jews and Gentiles; in which, occurrences that seem the most unaccountable, and indeed the most lamentable, are overruled by God to answer most benevolent purposes. That the sin of the Jews should be the salvation of the Gentiles, and vet the mercy shewn to the Gentiles, in its consequences the salvation of the Jews, and so both 32 should be concluded under sin, that God might more illustriously have mercy on both! 26 O that the blessed time were come, when all Israel shall be saved: when the Deliverer, who is long since come out of Sion, 25 shall turn away iniquity from Facob; and the fulness of the Gentiles come in, so that from the rising to the going down of the sun, the Lord shall be one, and his name one. Our faith waits the glorious event, and may perhaps wait it even to the end of life. But a generation to be born shall see it: for the gifts and callings 29 of God are without repentance. Let our assured confidence in the Divine promise, travel on, as it were, to the accomplishment over mountains of difficulty, that may lie in our way; and let our hearts be cheered with this happy prospect, under all the grief which they feel, when we see how few now believe the report of the gospel, and to how few God hath revealed his arm. While the glorious expected event is delayed, let us add our fervent intercessions with God, to these prayers, by which the church has in every age been endeavouring to hasten it on. They are all written in the book of God's remembrance, and shall all be reviewed and answered in their season. Let us in the mean time comfort ourselves with this reviving thought, that the covenant which God will make with Israel in that day, is in the main the same he has made with us, to take away sin. Eased of such an insupportable burden, that would sink us into final ruin and despair, let us bear up cheerfully against all discour agements, and glory in the gospel which brings us this invalua ble blessing; how long, and how generally soever, it may be, te the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. Christians exhorted to present themselves to God. 135 SECT. XXVII. The apostle enters on a series of most admirable practical exhortations and directions; in which he labours to persuade Christians to act in a manner worthy of that gospel, the excellency of which he had been illustrating. And here, particularly, urges an entire consecration to God, and a care to glorify him, in their respective stations, by a faithful improvement of their various talents. Rom. XII. 1-11. ROMANS XII. 1. BESEECH YOU therefore, breth ren, bythe mercies of and God, that ye present ROMANS XII. 1. Rom. AVING thus dispatched what I proposed SECT. in the argumentative part of the epistle, xxvii. suggested a variety of considerations, your bodies a living which may convince you of the great excellency xii. 1 sacrifice, holy, ac of the gospel, and the singular favour which ceptable unto God, God has shewn to those Gentiles whom he which is your reasenable service. hath called into the Christian church, and to Entreat you therefore.] Some apply this to the Gentiles; and as most of the members of the church at Rome were originally so, it is reasonable to believe the apostle had them principally in view but not excluding the converted Jews, who, as he had just before expressed it, remained as a remnant according to the election of grace, when the rest were hardened, and therefore had surely reason to acknowledge the tender mercies of God to them, and were under strong obligations to derote themselves to him, I have accord. ingly in the paraphrase applied it to both. b Bodies and souls.] The body is here by a usual figure put for the whole person, nor can the soul be now presented to God otherwise than as dwelling in the body, or truly consecrated to him, unless the body be employed in his service; nor on the other hand, can the body be presented as a living sacrifice, otherwise than as actuated and animated by the soul. For the propriety of the word apasσs, which properly signifies, placing the victim before the altar; see Elsner in loc. |