TEXT. good, or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. PARAPHRASE. the children were born, or had done any good, or evil*, to show that his making any stock, or race, of men his peculiar people, depended solely on his own purpose and good pleasure, in choosing and calling them, and not on any works or deserts of theirs, he, acting here in the case of Jacob and Esau, according 12 to the predetermination of his own choice, It was declared unto her, that there were two nations † in her womb, and that the descendants of the elder 13 brother should serve those of the younger, As it is written, "Jacob have I loved ‡, so as to make his "posterity my chosen people; and Esau I put so "much behind him §, as to lay his mountains and 14" his heritage waste ." What shall we say then, is there any injustice with God, in choosing one people NOTES. 11 "Neither having done good, nor evil." These words may, possibly, have been added, by St. Paul, to the foregoing (which may, perhaps, seem full enough of themselves) the more expressly to obviate an objection of the jews, who might be ready to say, " that Esau was rejected, because he was wicked,” as they did of Ishmael, that he was rejected, because he was the son of a bond woman. 12 + "See Gen. xxv. 23. And it was only, in a national sense, that it is there said," the elder shall serve the younger; " and not personally, for in that sense it is not true, which makes it plain that these words of verse 13"Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated," are to be taken in a national sense, for the preference God gave to the posterity of one of them to be his people, and possess the promised land, before the other. What this love of God was, see Deut. vii. 6—8. "Hated." When it is used in sacred scripture, as it is often comparatively, it signifies only to postpone in our esteem or kindness; for this I need only give that one example, Luke xiv. 26. See Mal. i. 2, 3.. From the 7th to this 13th verse proves to the jews, that, though the promise was made to Abraham and bis seed, yet it was not to all Abraham's pos terity, but God first chose Isaac and his issue: and then again, of Isaac (who was but one of the sons of Abraham) when Rebecca had conceived twins by him, God, of his sole good pleasure, chose Jacob the younger, and his posterity, to be his peculiar people, and to enjoy the land of promise. TEXT. 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. 17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. PARAPHRASE. to himself before another, according to his good 15 pleasure? By no means. By no means. My brethren, the jews themselves cannot charge any such thing on what I say; since they have it from Moses himself*, that God declared to him, that he would be gracious, to whom he would be gracious; and show mercy, on 16 whom he would show mercy. So then, neither the purpose of Isaac, who designed it for Esau, and willed him to prepare himself for it; nor the endeavours of Esau, who ran a hunting for venison to come and receive it, could place on him the blessing; but the favour of being made, in his posterity, a great and prosperous nation, the peculiar people of God, preferred to that which should descend from his brother, was bestowed on Jacob, by the mere 17 bounty and good pleasure of God himself. The like hath Moses left us upon record, of God's dealing with Pharaoh and his subjects, the people of Egypt, to whom God saith t," Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be 66 66 NOTES. 66 15 See Exod. xxxiii. 19. It is observable that the apostle, arguing here with the jews, to vindicate the justice of God, in casting them off from being his people, uses three sorts of arguments; the first is the testimony of Moses, of God's asserting this to himself, by the right of his sovereignty and this was enough to stop the mouths of the jews. The second, from reason, ver. 19—24, and the third, from his predictions of it to the jews, and the warning he gave them of it beforehand, ver. 25-29, which we shall consider in their places. 16" Willeth and runneth," considered with the context, plaiuly direct us to the story, Gen. xxvii. where, ver. 3—5, we read Isaac's purpose, and Esau's going a hunting, and ver. 28, 29, we find what the blessing was. 17 Exod. ix. 16, TEXT. 18 Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why do he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will ? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? shall the thing formed, say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? PARAPHRASE. 18" renowned through all the earth." Therefore *, that his name and power may be made known, and taken notice of, in the world, he is kind and bountiful to one nation, and lets another go on obstinately, in their opposition to him, that his taking them off, by some signal calamity and ruin, brought on them by the visible hand of his providence, may be seen, and acknowledged to be an effect of their standing out against him, as in the case of Pharaoh: for this end he is bountiful, to whom he will be bountiful; and whom he will, he permits to make such an use of his forbearance towards them, as to persist obdurate in their provocation of him, and draw on them19 selvés exemplary destruction. To this, some may be ready to say, why then does he find fault? For who, at any time, hath been able to resist his 20 will? Say you so, indeed? But who art thou, O man, that repliest thus to God? shall the nations §, NOTES. 18" Therefore.” That his name and power may be made known, and taken notice of, in all the earth, he is kind and bountiful to one nation, and lets another go on, in their opposition and obstinacy against him, till their taking off, by some sigual calamity and ruin brought on them, may be seen and acknowledged to be the effect of their standing out against God, as in the case of Pharaoh. 66 + 'Eλɛɛĩ,“ hath mercy." That by this word is meant being bountiful, in his outward dispensations of power, greatness, and protection, to one people above another, is plain from the three preceding verses. "Hardeneth." That God's hardening, spoken of here, is what we have explained it, in the paraphrase, is plain, in the instance of Pharaoh, given ver. 17, as may be seen in that story: Exod. vii.-xiv. which is worth the reading, for the understanding of this place: see also ver. 22. 20 Here St. Paul shows, that the nations of the world, who are, by a better right, in the hands and disposal of God, than the clay in the power of the potter, may, without any question of his justice, be made great and glorious, or be pulled down, and brought into contempt, as he pleases. That he here speaks of men, nationally, and not personally, in reference to their eternal state, is evident not only from the beginning of this chapter, where he shows his concern for the na TEXT. 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22 What, if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath, fitted to destruction : PARAPHRASE. that are made great or little, shall kingdoms, that are raised or depressed, say to him, in whose hands they are, to dispose of them as he pleases, "Why 21" hast thou made us thus?" Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make this 22 a vessel of honour, and that of dishonour*? But what hast thou to say, O man of Judea, if God, willing to show his wrath, and have his power taken NOTES. tion of the jews being cast off from being God's people, and the instances he brings of Isaac, of Jacob, and Esau, and of Pharaoh; but it appears also very clearly, in the verses immediately following, where," by the vessels of wrath, "fitted for destruction," he manifestly means, the nation of the jews, who were now grown ripe, and fit for the destruction he was bringing upon them. And, by "vessels of mercy," the christian church gathered out of a small collection of convert-jews, and the rest made up of the gentiles, who, together, were from thenceforwards to be the people of God, in the room of the jewish nation, now cast off, as appears by ver. 24. The sense of which verse is this: "How darest "thou, O man, to call God to account, and question his justice, in casting off "his ancient people the jews? What, if God willing to punish that sinful "people, and to do it so, as to have his power known, and taken notice of, in "the doing of it: (for why might he not raise them, to that purpose, as well 66 as he did Pharaoh and his egyptians?) What, say, if God bore with them, a long time, even after they had deserved his wrath, as he did with Pharaoh, "that his hand might be the more eminently visible in their destruction: and "that also, at the same time, he might, with the more glory, make known his "goodness and mercy to the gentiles, whom, according to his purpose, he was "in a readiness to receive, into the glorious state of being his people, under "the gospel?" 66 21 Vessel unto honour, and vessel unto dishonour," signifies a thing designed, by the maker, to an honourable, or dishonourable use: now why it may not design nations, as well as persons, and honour and prosperity, in this world, as well as eternal happiness and glory, or misery and punishment, in the world to come, I do not see. In common reason, this figurative expression ought to follow the sense of the context: and I see no peculiar privilege it hath, to wrest and turn the visible meaning of the place, to something remote from the subject in hand. I am sure, no such authority it has from such an appropriated sense, settled in sacred scripture. This were enough to clear the apostle's sense in these words, were there nothing else; but Jer. xviii. 6, 7, from whence this instance of a potter is taken, shows them to have a temporal sense, and to relate to the nation of the jews. TEXT. 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory, on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory? PARAPHRASE. notice of, in the execution of it, did, with much longsuffering *, bear with the sinful nation of the jews, even when they were proper objects of that wrath, fit to have it poured out upon them, in their de23 struction; That † he might make known the riches of NOTES. 22" Endured with much long-suffering." Immediately after the instance of Pharaoh, whom God said, " he raised up to show his power in him," ver. 17, it is subjoined, ver. 18," and whom he will he hardeneth," plainly with reference to the story of Pharoah, who is said to harden himself, and whom God is said to harden, as may be seen Exod. vii. 3, 22, 23, and viii. 15, 32, and ix. 7, 12, 34, and x. 1, 20, 27, and xi. 9, 10, and xiv. 5. What God's part in hardening is, is contained in these words, endured with much long-suffering." God sends Moses to Pharaoh with signs, Pharaoh's magicians do the like, and so he is not prevailed with. God sends plagues; whilst the plague is upon him, he is mollified, and promises to let the people go: but, as soon as God takes off the plague, he returns to his obstinacy, and refuses, and thus over and over again; God's being intreated by him to withdraw the severity of his hand, his gracious compliance with Pharaoh's desire to have the punishment removed, was what God did in the case, and this was all goodness and bounty: but Pharaoh and his people inade that ill use of his forbearance and long-suffering, as still to harden themselves the more, for God's mercy and gentleness to them, till they bring on themselves exemplary destruction, from the visible power and hand of God, employed in it. This carriage of their's God foresaw, and so made use of their obstinate, perverse temper, for his own glory, as he himself declares, Exod. vii. 3—5, and viii. 1—8, and ix. 14, 16. The apostle, by the instance of a potter's power over his clay, having demonstrated, that God, by his dominion and sovereignty, had a right to set up, or pull down, what nation he pleased; and might, without any injustice, take one race into his particular favour, to be his peculiar people, or reject them, as he thought fit; does, in this verse, apply it to the subject in hand, viz. the casting off the jewish nation, whereof he speaks here, in terms that plainly make a parallel between this and his dealing with the egyptians, mentioned ver. 17, and, therefore, that story will best explain this verse, that thence will receive its full light. For it seems a somewhat strange sort of reasoning, to say, God, to show his wrath, endured with much long-suffering, those, who deserved his wrath, and were fit for destruction. But he that will read in Exodus, God's dealing with Pharaoh and the egyptians, and how God passed over provocation upon provocation, and patiently endured those who, by their first refusal, nay by their former cruelty and oppression of the israelies, deserved his wrath, and were fitted for destruction, that, in a more signal vengeance on the egyptians, and glorious deliverance of the israelites, he might show his power, and make himself be taken notice of, will easily see the strong and easy sense of this and the following verse. 23 Kai iva," And that; " the vulgate has not "and; " there are greek мss. that justify that omission, as well as the sense of the place, which is disturbed by the conjunction "and." For with that reading it runs thus: "and God, that "he might make known the riches of his glory, &c." A learned paraphrast, both |