PREACHING THE MEANS OF THE CONVERSION OF THE GENTILES.
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to Corinth. 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 Scripture 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.
From the Prophecies of the New Testament, which were
now fulfilling, St. Paul is led to vindicate his divine
Mission, and that of the other Apostles-He inquires how
it was possible that these Prophecies, which foretold the
acceptance of the Gentiles, should be accomplished? for
without the Gospel could be no Salvation, and without
Preachers it could not have been proclaimed-As a Jew,
he asserts that his prejudices would have prevented him
from carrying the Gospel to the Gentiles, unless he had
been divinely appointed to do so; and he shews, accord-
ing to the Prophecy of Isaiah, their great Success, and
the happy Reception which attended the Messengers of
Salvation.
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!
$39. ROM. X. 16, to the end.
Here the Jew is supposed to object that a divine Commission
would have been attended with full Success; whereas many
did not obey the Faith of the Gospel-To which St. Paul
replies, the Spirit of God had already foretold the Event
in the Case of the Jews themselves-He asserts that Faith
is produced by the means of Preaching and Hearing—
Julian Period, 4771. Vulgar Era, 58.
by the Command of God himself—and asks if they have Corinth.
not all heard the glad Tidings of Salvation?-The
Apostles have preached the Gospel to the Jew as well
as the Gentile, fulfilling the Words of the Psalmist, which
he applied to the universal Teaching of the heavenly
Bodies-But, says the Apostle, let me further ask if
Israel did not know that the Gospel should be preached to
the Gentiles, their Prophets having so plainly predicted
the calling of the Gentiles, and their joyful Reception of
the Gospel, as well as the Rejection of the Jews?
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias
saith, Lord, who hath believed 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.
St. Paul, after having thus positively declared the Rejection
of the Jews as a Nation, comforts them with the Assurance
that God has not totally cast away his chosen People-
For, as in the days of Elias, there shall still remain a
remnant of converted Jews, who with the believing Gentiles
are elected through Faith to be God's People, not by
good Works, but by the pure Grace and Favour of
God.
11 say then, Hath God cast away his people? God
forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abra-
ham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 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,
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 rem-
nant according to the election of
grace.
THE RECOVERY OF THE JEWS WILL COMPLETE THE GOSPEL CHURCH.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: other- Corinth. wise is no more grace. But if it be of works, then ValgarÆra, grace is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
The Apostle continues, by asserting that though Israel, as
a Nation, have failed to obtain that Justification and
Righteousness which they sought for in the Works of the
Law-the Election of the chosen Remnant who hath em-
braced the Gospel hath obtained it-and the rest were
blinded had their Eyes shut against the Truth, fulfil-
ling the Prediction of Isaiah; also that of David, who
foretold the lamentable Condition to which they were now
reduced by the persevering hardness of Heart which con-
verted their best Blessings into Curses and Snares, and
the means of their Punishment, by leading them to ex-
pect a worldly Messiah-He predicted also that their
Unbelief would bring them into a State of abject Slavery
and Depression.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he
seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the
rest were blinded,
8 (According as it is written, 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, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling-block, and a recompense, unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
To the Question, whether the Jews have so stumbled that
they are irrecoverably fallen, St. Paul replies-by no
means but by their rejection of Christ the calling in of
the Gentiles was accelerated, and the very Circumstance of
receiving the Gentiles into Covenant with God, was in-
tended for the Good of the Jews, to excite in them an
Emulation of becoming partakers of the Blessings of the
Gospel-He predicts their final Restoration, and argues,
that if through their Unbelief the Riches of God's Grace is
manifested to the Gentile World, how much more will his
Grace and Glory be magnified by their return-He
glories in the Ministry entrusted to him to preach among
Gentiles, in the Hope that by his means the Jews may be
provoked to emulate the Gentiles, and the Gentiles be in-
duced to respect the Jews-for, he repeats, if their Fall
was the Occasion of the Reconciliation of the Heathen
World to God, the Resumption of the Jewish Nation will
still more be the means of establishing the Truth of
Julian Period, 4771. Vulgar Æra, 58.
Christianity, and will cause as much Joy in the World, Corinth.
as if they had been risen from the Dead-For if a Rem-
nant of the Jews, the first-fruits who have believed, have
been accepted of God, the whole Jewish Nation will be so
when they also believe-And if Abraham, the Root of
that Nation, was accounted righteous through Faith,
so will his Branches be on the same Conditions.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should
fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation
is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jea-
lousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office;
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the first-fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
St. Paul exhorts the Gentiles not to contemn or despise the
Jews, because they are at present cut off from being God's
People, from the consideration that they themselves, as
a wild Olive Tree, are grafted in among them, and are
made partakers with them of the Root and Fatness of the
good Olive Tree, deriving all their spiritual Advantages
and Privileges from their Root-that is, from the Abra-
hamic Covenant-They are admonished not to exult
in the Preference which is now given to them-for the
Jews fell for Unbelief, and they stand by Faith-
therefore they should not be arrogant, but fear-For if
God spared not the natural Branches, it cannot be ex-
pected that he will spare them-They are commanded
to remember the Severity of God towards the Jews
who fell, and his great Mercy toward them, if they
continue in his Faith; otherwise they also shall be
cut off-And the Jews, if they abide not in Unbelief,
shall be grafted in again-shall be restored to their
forfeited Privileges, which God in his Mercy is still able
to do-For if the Gentiles, like a wild and fruitless
Scion, were grafted contrary to the nature of Things, into
a good Stock-were brought to the Knowledge of God,
and admitted into Covenant with him, how much more
possible it is that the natural Branches, who have already
received the Law and the Prophets, will be brought to
Julian Period, 4771. Vulgar Era,
THE JEWS WILL BE CERTAINLY RESTORED.
the Knowledge of Salvation, and grafted again into their Corinth.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive-tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive-tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off; and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God; on them which fell, severity; but towards thee goodness; if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive-tree; how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive-tree?
St. Paul affirms that he would not have the Gentiles igno-
rant of the Mystery of the future Restoration of the Jews,
lest they should think too highly of their own Merits—
He affirms that Blindness in part only has happened unto
Israel, till the Church of the Gentiles is fully completed,
and then the Jews themselves will be brought to the Know-
ledge of Salvation, according to the Predictions of their
own Prophets-and God, when he remits their Sins, will
take them into Covenant again, and restore them to their
forfeited Privileges, (comp. v. 27. Isa. lix. 20, 21.)—
The unbelieving Jews being the Enemies of the Gospel,
were rejected of God in favour of the Gentiles-but, as
it regards Election, whereby they were originally chosen
of God to be his peculiar People-they are beloved for
their Fathers' sakes-God's free Gift, and the calling of
Abraham's Posterity, is not to be changed, for as surely
as the Gentiles, had now obtained Mercy through the
Disbelief of the Jews, so surely will the Jews who have
not believed have the same Mercy extended to them-For
God has concluded both Jew and Gentile in Unbelief;
both of them being in turns disobedient to the Light
they posessed, that the free Gift or Pardon might be
equally bestowed on all.
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