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Of election, &c.

Romans. God's love to mankind.

we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,that he might be the first born among many brethren.

30 Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son,but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect It is God that justifieth;

34 Who is he that condemneth Pb It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

b Who is be that condemneth? since it is Christ that died, or rather is risen and maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 (As it is written, For thy sake we are killed a k the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.)

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loveď us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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CHAP. IX.

Paul's sorrow for the Jews. 7 All Abraham's seed were not the children of the promise. 25 The calling of the Gentiles, and rejection of the Jews.

I SAY the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

3 For I could wish that myself were accursed a from

a Accursed; this word might with propriety be translated separated; & the verse be thus rendered: For I could wish myself separated, or cut off by death, from the visible church of Christ, instead of my brethren the

Of Abraham's seed.

Chap. ix.

Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel;

7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children; but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these. are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a

son.

10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac,

11 (For the children being

Jews. This strong expression was drawn from St. Paul, by the consideration, that the Jews, a people so long favoured with distinguished privileges, of which some are mentioned in the 4th and 5th verses, were, for their unbelief and obstinacy, about to be visited with heavy judgments, and to be rejected of God.

The Gentiles called.

not yet born, neither having done any 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.

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 sheweth mercy.

17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

18 Therefore hath he merey on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.b

b He bardeneth; This and the like

expressions in the Bible may be un

derstood to mean only, that God, by exercising patience and long-suffering towards persons or nations, allows them an opportunity to harden themselves. Thus God by his mercy and forbearance only can ever be said to harden the hearts of men.-The 22d verse not only justifies, but proves the correctness of this explanation.

The Jews rejected.

Romans. Christ the end of the law.

19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth 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 ? 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 shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction;

23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

24 Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As he saith also in Osee,c I will call them my people,d which were not my people; and her Beloved, which was not beloved.

26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are

Osee, Hosea i. 10 & 11, 23. d Call them my people, I will call the Gentiles my people, which were formerly not my people,&c. St. Paul is here showing, that according to the prophecies in the Old Testament, the Gentiles were to be admitted to the privileges of the church of Christ.

not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

27 Esaias e also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

29 And, as Esaias said before,f Except the Lord of sabaothg had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.h

30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness,i have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:

31 But Israel, which followed after the law of rightcousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the

e Esaias, Isaiah x. 22. ƒ Esaias, Isaiah i. 9.

g Sabaoth, hosts. The original Hebrew word signifies sun, moon, and stars, and also the angels.

b Sodoma and Gomorrba: see Matt.

x. 15. Being as Sodom and Gomorrha means, wholly destroyed.

i Which followed not after righ teousness: i. e. the Gentiles, who formerly had no knowledge of Christ, or expectation of pardon & salvation by him.

1

Righteousness of the

Chap. x. law, and that of faith.

law; for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone ;j

33 As it is written, Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone and rock of offence; and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

CHAP. X.

1 The difference of the righteousness of the law and that of faith. 11 No believer shall be confounded, whether Jew or Gentile.

BRETHREN, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is,that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above :)

j They stumbled at that stumbling stone, i. e. the Jews stumbled at Jesus, or rejected him because they expected him to be a great temporal monarch, whereas they found him only a teacher of religion.

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7 Or, who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead:)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the seripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then 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 a preacher ?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent ? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the Gospel; for Esaias

Who shall be saved.

Romans.

saith, Lord, who hath believ

ed our report?

17 So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First, Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

CHAP. XI.

1 God hath not cast off all Israel. 7 Some were elected, though the rest were hardened. 18 The Gentiles may not boast.

I SAY then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not a what the scripture saith of Elias ?b how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

a Wot ye not, know ye not ?
Elias, Elijah. (1 Kings xix. 14.)

All Israel not cast off. 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

5 Even so then, at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwise work is no more work.

7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded,c

8 (According as it is written,d God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear) unto this day.

9 And David saith,e Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unte them:

10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

e Were blinded by their own evil dispositions.

d As it is written, Isaiah xxix. 10, and vi. 9.

e David saith, Ps. Ixix. 22, 23.

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