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does he do it? Let us begin the chapter. "I say then, hath God cast away his people? [That is—has he so rejected them that there is no salvation for them?] God forbid." But, how do you prove that, Paul? will tell you," says the apostle. First— For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin," and I have obtained salvation. This is my first proof that God has not cast away the Jews so but that they may have salvation. But, Paul, you are a favored character—have you any other proof that Godhas not put the Jews beyond the reach of his mercy? Yes, says the apostle—"God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 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." The apostle adds—" Even so then, at this present time, also, there is a REMNANT according to the election of grace; this is my second argument that salvation to the Jews is possible, wicked as they are; I am saved, and a remnant besides are saved. Paul then proceeds to say—"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. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded, (according as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, ears that they should not hear;) unto this day."

Who were the "election?" Ans. Paul, and that part of the Jews who embraced the gospel: because they "were obedient to the faith," (see Acts vi. 7,) the Lord elected, or chose them to the enjoyment of his favor, as his spiritual Israel. Those who did not obey [see chap. x. 16 and 21st verses,] "were blinded." The apostle then goes on to say, verses 9 and 10, that David

prophesied of this thing—" And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them: let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow their back always." Why were their eyes darkened? Because they rejected "the true light,"—the Lord Jesus Christ. But the apostle adds, 11th verse, "I say, then, Have they stumbled that they should fall," beyond the possibility of salvation? "God forbid ;" or by no means, as the phrase signifies; "but through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy"—that is, the Jews were provoked to jealousy by the salvation of the gospel being preached to the Gentiles. See Acts xiii. 45, 46: "But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."

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The middle wall was now broken down—the Jews fell from the peculiarity they had enjoyed, and through, or by means of that fall, salvation came to the Gentiles on the same terms that it flowed to a Jew; viz., by faith in Jesus Christ. "Now," says the apostle, 12th verse, if the fall of them be the riches of the world," [or be the means of enriching the world, by salvation flowing to all men with equal freedom,] and the diminishing of them [or, as the margin reads, "loss" of them, or their "loss,"] the riches of the Gentiles, [or, has been the means of riches to the Gentiles,]"how much more their fulness." As though the apostle had said, "Salvation has richly flowed to you Gentiles through the loss to the Jews of their peculiarity, but if they could be induced, generally, to embrace the gospel, there would be a still greater blessing flow to the world." And surely the unbelief of the Jews has prevented thousands and millions, probably, from embracing Christianity; and what a work of enriching

the world they might have accomplished had they espoused the cause of Christ, instead of employing all their influence against it!

The apostle now proceeds to say, verses 13 and 14: "I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office; IF BY ANY MEANS I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save SOME OF THEM."

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Surely this language does not look much as if the apostle thought that the Jews were all to be converted. He even expresses a doubt as to the salvation of any of them; but says, he labors, if by any means" he "might save some of them." He must have been peculiarly unfortunate in his expressions, if he intended to teach that the Jews were certainly to be converted. But, says the apostle, verse 15, "If the casting away of them [viz., the unbelieving Jews] be the reconciling of the world, [i. e., the cause of the gospel of reconciliation being preached to the world; or, perhaps, more strictly, the means of destroying the cause of enmity between Jews and Gentiles, bringing all on to the same ground in relation to God and one another, thus destroying the enmity' which had existed, by his cross,' see Eph. ii. 15—18,—if this casting away of them resulted so gloriously for the world,] what shall the receiving of them be [if by any means I might save some of them'] but life from the dead?" That is, if the Jews could "by any means" be brought to give up their unbelief, and embrace Christianity, it would give new life and power to the gospel itself. But Paul is very far from teaching that they should actually do so. All the apostle's language shows a doubt about the Jews, many of them, ever embracing the religion of Jesus. But he says, verse 16th, "If the first fruit be holy, the lump also" [may be holy.] Is not that the sense? The verb " is," is not in the original. What is the apostle's argument? Is it not this?"Though I have my doubts whether many of the Jews will be saved, yet their salvation is possible;

for if the first fruit [viz., the apostle himself, and the remnant of whom he had spoken in the 5th verse] be holy, [or have been made holy] the lump [or body of the Jews may be made holy] also: and if the root [Christ, see Isa. xi. 10,] be holy, so are the branches." That is—if those who are now unbelieving, would believe on Christ, the root, they would become holy, as well as we who are the " first fruits," and so they might be saved. The whole argument goes to prove the possibility of the salvation of the Jews; but, at the same time, shows that the apostle had doubts whether many of them would be saved, though he hoped to save some of them.'

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He now proceeds to caution the Gentile converts against being puffed up because they had been brought into exalted privileges: and he does this with tremendous effect, in verses 17—22. He says, "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say, then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God; on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."

The apostle then goes on to say, verse 23, "They also, IF they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in for God is able to graff them in again," IF they abide not still in unbelief. Here the apostle carefully sets his sentinel. It is a small word, it is true, but it is of tremendous import, showing that the apostle never designed to be understood as teaching the certainty of the Jews' conversion: if he had intended to teach it, he would not have set the unbending word

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"if" to stand sentinel to keep all carnal Jews and Gentiles out of the church of God.

The apostle now proceeds to argue this case still further, and says, verse 24, "For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?"—“ if they abide not still in unbelief." He then goes on to say, 25th verse, "For I would not have you to be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, [or to a part of Israel, viz., those who believed not, and this blindness will continue] until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in ;" that is, till the end of the world; for, till then, we have no reason to suppose the fulness of the Gentiles will be come in. The apostle saw that a part of the Jews would continue to reject Christ till the end of the world; but that was no evidence of the impossibility of their salvation, "if" they would give up their unbelief." Paul then adds, verse 26, "And so all Israel shall be saved—[' if they abide not still in unbelief;'—for, the apostle speaks constantly in reference to the trusty sentinel he has set to guard against intruders] as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."

Where is this written? See Isa. lix. 20, 21:

"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; my spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever."

Here the prophet helps us to understand the apostle; and he teaches us that the promise is that the Redeemer shall come unto them that turn from trans

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