Obrazy na stronie
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A. D. 57. tiles, I magnify mine

office:

14. If by any means I may provoke to emulation, them which are my flesh, and might fave fome of them.

and founded upon the Rejection of the Jews. But my only Aim in fo expreffing myself, is to raise the Spirit and Emulation of my Countrymen, and bring them the fooner (at least fome of them) to accept of the Gospel Salvation; not to give you Gentile-Converts the leaft Occafion to infult over that obftinate and unhappy People. For tho' I be your Apoftle, and glory that I am fo, yet would I give you no Encouragement to fuch Behaviour against my own Nation.

15. For if the cafting away of them be the reconciling of the world: what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

15. You will have infinitely more Reason to triumph and rejoice at their general Converfion, than you have now at their Rejection. For though the latter has been an Occafion of bringing fome of you (the fooner) into the Chriftian Faith, yet the former, whenever it fhall happen, will fo enlarge and fill the Chriftian Church from all Quarters, that the whole World will feem, as it were, to rife from the Dead to a new State of Life and Happiness.

16. For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is alfo boly: and if the root be holy, fo are the branches.

16. You must not look upon them as finally and entirely rejected. God has ftill an Eye upon them as a People in Covenant with him from Abraham, and as Branches fprung from the Root of the pious and holy Patriarchs. And tho' their prefent Infidelity has now justly deprived them of the Privileges belonging to that noble Relation; yet whenever they repent of it, they are fure to be favourably accepted of him, as the whole Product of the Harveft was confecrated by the Firstfruit Offering, and as they are the genuine Branches of fo good a Root.

17. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wild olive-tree, wert grafted in a

mongst

are

17 & 18. And if many of them now broken off, like the fruitless Branches of a good Tree, and you Gentiles put into their Place, yet remember, 'tis but like

Cions

mongst them, and with them partakeft of the root and fatnefs

of the olive-tree:

18. Boast not against the branches; but if thou boaft, thou bear

Cions of another Tree grafted A. D. 57-
upon their Stock; you grow by
their Sap, and are nourish'd from
their Root; for you are faved by
Virtue of the Promise made to
Abraham, but Abraham's natural

eft not the root, but Seed have received no Advantages
from you.

the root thee.

19. Thou wilt fay then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. they did over us before.

20. Well: because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standeft by faith. Be not high minded, but fear.

19. You may perhaps alledge, That fince they are cut off to make Way for us, we may as well infult over them now, as

20. Well, but pray remember it was Infidelity and Difobedience that loft them; and 'tis only fincere Faith and Obedience that puts you in Poffeffion of their happy Privileges. Take Warning by them therefore, and don't infult, but rather endeavour to avoid their Fate, by an humble, modeft, and constant Perseverance in the Duties of your Profeffion.

21. For if God fpared not the natural branches, take beed left he also spare not

thee.

21. For if God fpared not his own chofen People, the Seed of Abraham, upon their Infidelity, much less will he fpare you who never had any fuch Relation to

him, fhould you relapfe, and be guilty of the fame Miscarriage.

22. Behold therefore the goodness, and feverity of God: on them which fell, feverity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodnefs: otherwife thou alfo fhalt be cut off.

22. Confider then the perfect Mixture of Severity and Mifery Mercy in the divine Difpenfations! How fevere he has been even to his own People, that fell from their Obe dience to him; and how merciful toward you Gentiles in now giving you the Gospel Salvation: But 'tis no further, and for no longer than you continue to live worthy of that

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Mercy.

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A. D. 57. 23. And they allo, if they abide not ftill in unbelief, fhall be graffed in for God is able to graff them in again.

23. Nay, if the Jewish Nation fhall yet return and embrace the Gospel, God will again engraft them into his Church: For tho they feem to you to be cut off, and quite wither'd; yet is he both able and willing, upon their true Repentance, to reduce them again to a flourishing Church and People.

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25. For I would not, brethren, that ye fhould be ignorant of this mystery (left ye fhould be wife in your own conceits) that blindness in part is happened to Ifrael, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. pleated.

26. And fo all If

rael fhall be faved, as
it is written, There
shall come out of Sion

the deliverer, and shall
turn away ungodli-
nels from Jacob.

24. For if you Gentiles, that were never before in Covenant with him, are now fo freely and readily taken into it, upon your Belief of the Gospel, how much eafier is it to conceive, God will upon the fame Conditions receive them again, to whom the Promise of the Meffiah originally belong'd, and was at first made?

25. For, to prevent any proud Conceit of your felves in Contempt of them, I muft now tell you, what you feem to be yet ignorant of, That God never defigned to abandon this great Part of the Jewish Nation to this Blindnefs and Infidelity, any longer than till the Christian Church of the Gentiles is more fully com

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27. For this is my covenant unto them, when I fhall take away their fins.

28. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your fake:

but

28. Their obftinate Refufal of the Religion of Chrift, has indeed caufed God in juft Judgment to

reject

but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers fakes.

reject and caft them off, and you A. D. 57. have the Advantage of coming into their Place: But God has ftill fuch a tender Regard to the eminent Virtues of, and the Covenant made with Abraham and the holy Patriarchs, whofe Pofterity they are, that he has yet a merciful Eye toward them as his original Church and People.

29. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

29. For that great Promise to Abraham, That his Seed fhould be the covenanted People of God, and enjoy the Bleffings of the Meffiah, tho' fufpended now upon their prefent Difobedience, God will certainly have a Refpect to, and fee effectually fulfill'd at laff, if ever they will come into the Conditions of it.

30. For as ye in times paft have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

31. Even fo have thefe alfo now not

believed, that thro' your mercy they also may obtain mercy. pentance and divine

32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

30 & 31. And as you Gentiles were once in a State of Idolatry, Vice, and Superftition, but now enjoy the Opportunity of coming into the Pale of God's true Church, by their cafting themselves out of it; fo fhall your Improvement of this great Advantage, provoke and excite their Emulation, and

in due Time become an Occafion * of bringing them again to ReFavour.

32. And thus has the divine Wifdom and Juftice fuffer'd you both in your Turns to revolt from him, by the wilful Abuse of the Light and Advantages bestowed on you; and by a moft wife and wonderful Turn of providential Events, has given you both the free and fair Offers of Pardon and Salvation, in order to reduce both Jew and Gentile into one Church under Jefus Chrift, our common Saviour and Redeemer.

33. O the depth of 33. Oh the deep Abyss of dithe riches both of the vine Goodness and Wisdom, that

wisdom

T 4

can

Ver. 31. That they also may obtain Mercy, "Ira dulo Brend was so as they also may yet obtain Merky, ἐλεηθώσι

A. D. 57. wifdom and knowledge of God? how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out?

can thus order and dispose even its Judgments and Punishments, to the Good of Mankind, by Ways abfolutely furprizing and unfearchable to human Understanding!

34. For who hath 34. Certainly nothing but infiknown the mind of nite Wisdom, that ftands in need the Lord, or who hath of no Counsellors but itself, could been his counsellor ? have thus difpofed of Events fo much to the Advantage of a finful World. 35. Or who hath

firit given to him, and
it fhall be recompenf

35. Certainly as the Gentiles can pretend to have had no Hand themselves in thefe gracious Me-. ed unto him again? thods of their Happiness, fo cannot the Jews prefume to fay, that God is in their Debt, or any Way deals hardly by them, even in this, fevere Punishment inflicted upon their Infidelity.

36. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things: to whom be glory for

36. Thus perfect are the Ways and Difpenfations of GOD, by whofe Power all Things were at first created, by whofe Providence they are govern'd and directed, and to whofe Glory and Praise they all tend. To whom therefore be afcribed all Glory and Honour for ever. Amen.

ever. Amen.

CHAP. XII.

The CONTENTS.

Jewish and Gentile Believers being now united into one Church under CHRIST, the Apoftle exhorts them all to fuch Duties as become their Jeveral Stations in the Church. Warns them against undervaluing and defpifing one another upon Account of fpiritual and extraordinary Endowments. Excites every one to employ his own Gifts nodeftly and well, and to attend diligently upon their refpective Offices. Exhorts them to the Love of one another, and to feek no Revenge, but do Good even to their Enemies and Perfecutors.

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Having thus proved, that

both Jews and Gentiles

are

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