his glory on the vessels of mercy, whom he had before 24 prepared for glory? Even us whom he hath called, not 25 only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles: As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, who were not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved. 26+ And it shall come to pass, in the place where it was said

to them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called 27 the sons of the living God. But Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant only shall be saved. 28 For he is finishing and cutting short his account in righteousness; for the Lord will make a short account upon 29 earth. And as Isaiah had said before, Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and had 30 been like Gomorrah. What shall we say then?

That

the Gentiles who followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is 31 by faith: But Israel following after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

*Hosea ii. 23. + Chap. i. 10.

Isa. x. 22, 23.

his glorious goodness, wisdom, and power, on the vessels of mercy; on those whom he had himself by his grace prepared for glory: Is this any injustice? V. 24. Even us-Here the apostle comes to the other proposition, of grace free for all, whether Jew or Gentile of the Jews-This he treats of ver. 25. Of the Gentiles-Treated of in the same verse.

V. 25. Beloved-As a spouse; who once was not beloved-Consequently, not unconditionally elected. This relates directly to the final restoration of the

Jews.

V. 26. There shall they be called the sons of God-So that they need not leave their own country and come to Judea.

V. 27. But Isaiah testifies, That (as many Gentiles will be accepted, so) many Jews will be rejected: That out of all the thousands of Israel, a remnant only shall be saved. This was spoken originally of the few that were saved from the ravage of Sennacherib's army.

V. 28. For he is finishing or cutting short his account-In rigorous justice, will leave but a small remnant. There will be so general a destruction, that but a small number will escape.

V. 29. As Isaiah had said before, (namely, ch. i. 9, concerning those who were besieged in Jerusalem by Rezin and Pekah,) Unless the Lord had left us a seed-Which denotes, 1. The present paucity, 2. The future abundance: we had been as Sodom-So that it is no unexampled thing for the main body of the Jewish nation to revolt from God, and perish in their sin.

V. 30. What shall we say then-What is to be concluded from all that has been said, but this, That the Gentiles who followed not after righteousness-Who, a while ago had no knowledge of, no care or thought about it, have attained to righteousness (or justification) even the righteousness which is by faith. This is the first conclusion we may draw from the preceding observations. The second is, That Israel (the Jews) although following after the law of righteousness-That law which, duly used, would have led them to faith, and thereby to righteousness, have not attained to the law of righteousness-To that righte ousness or justification which is one great end of the law.

32 Wherefore? because they sought it, not by faith, but as it were by works: for they stumbled at the stumbling 33 stone; As it is written, * Behold I lay in Sion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence: and every one that believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

CHAP. X. 1. Brethren, the desire of my heart, and my prayer to God for them is, that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them record, that they may have a zeal for 3 God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted 4 to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is by the law, The man who doth these things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is by faith speaketh thus: § Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? * Isa. viii. 14. ↑ Chap. xxviii. 16. Lev. xviii. 5. § Deut. xxx. 14.

V. 32. And wherefore have they not? Is it because God eternally decreed they should not? There is nothing like this to be met with; but agreeable to his argument, the apostle gives us this good reason for it, Because they sought it not by faith, whereby alone it could be attained; but as it were, in effect, if not professedly, by works. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone, Christ crucified.

V. 33. As it is written-Foretold by their own prophet, Behold I lay in Sion -I exhibit in my church, what, though it is in truth the only sure foundation of happiness, yet will be in fact a stumbling stone and rock of offence-An occasion of ruin to many, through their obstinate unbelief.

CHAP. X. Ver. 1. My prayer to God is, that they may be saved-He would not have prayed for this, had they been absolutely reprobated.

V. 2. They have a zeal, but not according to knowledge-They had zeal without knowledge. We have knowledge without zeal.

V. 3. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God-Of the method God has established for the justification of a sinner, and seeking to establish their own righteousness-Their own method of acceptance with God, have not submitted to the righteousness of God-The way of justification which he hath fixed.

V. 4. For Christ is the end of the law-The scope and aim of it. It is the very design of the law, to bring men to believe in Christ for justification and salvation. And he alone gives that pardon and life which the law shews the want of, but cannot give. To every one, whether Jew or Gentile, treated of ver. 11, &c. that believeth, treated of ver. 5, &c.

V. 5. For Moses describeth the only righteousness which is attainable by the law, when he saith, The man who doth these things shall live by them-That is, he that perfectly keeps all these precepts in every point, he alone may claim life and salvation by them. But this way of justification is impossible to any, who have ever transgressed any one law in any point.

V.6. But the righteousness which is by faith-The method of becoming righteous by believing, speaketh a very different language, and may be considered as expressing itself thus: (to accommodate to our present subject the

7 (that is, to bring Christ down :) Or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ again from the 8 dead.) But what saith he? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith 9 which we preach: That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God raised 10 him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.

11 For the Scripture saith, * Every one that believeth on 12 him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord of 13 all, is rich to all that call upon him. For + whosoever

shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. 14 But how shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without 15 a preacher? But how shall they preach, unless they be sent? As it is written, + How beautiful are the feet of them who bring the good tidings of peace, who bring the glad tidings of good things!

16

But all have not obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith,

* Isa. xxviii. 16. † Joel ii. 32. Isa. lii. 7.

words which Moses spake, touching the plainness of his law :) Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven, as if it were, to bring Christ down or, Who shall descend into the grave, as if it were, to bring him again from the dead. Do not imagine that these things are to be done now, in order to procure thy pardon and salvation.

V. s. But what saith he? (Moses)-Even these words, so remarkably applicable to the subject before us. All is done ready to thy hand: The word is nigh thee Within thy reach; easy to be understood, remembered, practised. This is eminently true of the word of faith, the gospel, which we preach: the sum of which is, If thy heart believe in Christ, and thy life confess him, thou shalt be saved.

V. 9. If thou confess with thy mouth-Even in time of persecution, when such a confession may send thee to the lions.

V. 10. For with the heart-Not the understanding only, man believeth to righteousness-So as to obtain justification: and with the mouth confession is made, so as to obtain final salvation. Confession here implies the whole of ontward, as believing does the root of all inward religion.

V. 12. The same Lord of all, is rich-So that his blessings are never to be exhausted, nor is he ever constrained to hold his hand. The great truth proposed in the 11th verse, is so repeated here, and in the 13th, and farther confirmed ver. 14, 15, as not only to imply, that whosoever calleth upon him shall be saved; but also that the will of God is, that all should savingly call upon him.

V. 15. But how shall they preach, unless they be sent-Thus by a chain of reasoning, from God's will, that the Gentiles also should call upon him, St. Paul infers, that the apostles were sent by God, to preach to the Gentiles also. The feet-Their very footsteps, their coming.

17

Lord, who hath believed our report? Faith then cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily, + their voice is gone into all the earth, and their words to the ends of 19 the world. But I say, Hath not Israel known? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are not a nation; by a foolish nation I will anger 20 you. But Isaiah is very bold and saith, § I was found by them that sought me not: I was made manifest to them 21 that asked not after me. Whereas with regard to Israel he saith, All the day have I stretched forth my hands to an unbelieving and gainsaying people.

CHAP. XI. 1. I say then, Hath God rejected his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed 2 Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Know ye not what the Scripture saith of Elijah? how he pleaded with God against 3 Israel, | Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thy altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my 4 life. But what saith the answer of God to him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men who have not

Isa. liii. 1. † Psalm xix. 4.

Deut. xxxii. 21. § Isa. Ixv. 1, 2. 1 Kings xix. 10.

V. 17. Faith indeed ordinarily cometh by hearing, even by hearing the word of God.

V. 18. But their unbelief was not owing to the want of hearing. For they have heard. Yes, verily-So many nations have already heard the preachers of the gospel, that I may in some sense say of them as David did of the lights of heaven.

V. 19. But hath not Israel known-They might have known, even from Moses and Isaiah, that many of the Gentiles would be received, and many of the Jews rejected. I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are not a nation -As they followed gods that were not gods, so he accepted in their stead, a nation that was not a nation, that is, a nation that was not in covenant with God. A foolish nation-Such are all which know not God.

V. 20. But Isaiah is very bold-And speaks plainly what Moses but intimated.

V. 21. An unbelieving and gainsaying people—Just opposite to those, whe believed with their hearts, and made confession with their mouths.

CHAP. XI. Ver. 1. Hath God rejected his whole people-All Israel? In no wise. Now there is a remnant who believe, (ver. 5.) And hereafter all Israel will be saved, (ver. 26.)

V. 2. God hath not rejected that part of his people whom he foreknew-Speaking after the manner of men. For in fact knowing and foreknowing are the same thing with God, who knows or sees all things at once from everlasting to everlasting. Know ye not -That in a parallel case amidst a general apostasy, when Elijah thought the whole nation was fallen into idolatry, God knew there was a remnant of true worshippers?

V. 4. To Baal-Nor to the golden calves.

6

*

5 bowed the knee to Baal. And so likewise at the present time, there is a remnant, according to the election of grace. But if by grace, then it is no more of works: else grace is no longer grace. And if it be of works, then it is no more grace; else work is no longer work. 7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh, but the election hath obtained, and the rest were 8 blinded: According as it is written, God hath given them a spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, 9 and ears that they should not hear, unto this day. And David saith, + Let their table become a snare, and a trap, 10 and a stumbling block, and a recompence to them. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow 11 down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled so as to fall? God forbid. But by their fall salvation is 12 come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy. But if their fall be the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fulness?

* Isa. xxix. 10. † Psalm. Ixix. 22, 23.

V. 5. According to the election of grace-According to that gracious purpose of God, He that believeth shall be saved.

V. 6. And if by grace, then it is no more of works-Whether ceremonial or moral: Else grace is no longer grace-The very nature of grace is lost. And if it be of works, then it is no more grace; else work is no longer work-But the very nature of it is destroyed. There is something so absolutely inconsistent, between the being justified by grace, and the being justified by works, that if you suppose either, you of necessity exclude the other. For what is given to works is the payment of a debt; whereas grace implies an unmerited favour. So that the same benefit cannot, in the very nature of things, be derived from both.

V. 7. What then-What is the conclusion from the whole? It is this: That Israel in general hath not attained justification; but those of them only who believe; and the rest were blinded-By their own wilful prejudice.

V. 8. God hath at length withdrawn his Spirit, and so given them up to a spirit of slumber; which is fulfilled unto this day.

V. 9. And David saith-In that prophetic imprecation, which is applicable to them, as well as to Judas; a recompence-Of their preceding wickedness. So sin is punished by sin. And thus the gospel, which should have fed and strengthened their souls, is become a means of destroying them.

V. 11. Have they stumbled so as to fall-Totally and finally? No, but by their fall (or slip; it is a very soft word in the original) salvation is come to the Gentiles. See an instance of this, Acts xiii. 46, to provoke them-The Jews themselves, to jealousy.

V. 12. The first part of this verse is treated of ver. 13, &c.; the latter, how much more their fulness (that is, their full conversion) ver. 23, &c.

So many prophecies refer to this grand event, that it is surprising any Christian can doubt of it. And these are greatly confirmed, by the wonderful preservation of the Jews as a distinct people to this day. When it is accomplished, it will be so strong a demonstration, both of the Old and New Testament revelation, as will doubtless convince many thousands of Deists, in countries nominally Christian; of whom there will of course be increasing multitudes among merely nominal Christians. And this will be a means of