these words, is to exhort the believing Gentiles not to despise and reproach the rejected and unbelieving Jews: and he draws an argument from the condition of the Gentiles, both past and present: in their past condition they were like a wild olivetree; in their present condition they were grafted into the true olive. Here note, That by the olive tree we understand the visible church of God; by the root he means Abraham, he was the root of the olive-tree, the Jewish church. But how so? Ans. Not the root by way of communication, but in a way of administration; not by way of communication, as if either Jew or Gentile did receive any sap of spiritual life from him, as branches receive a natural life from the root; for thus Christ alone is the root of the church. But Abraham was the root of the olive-tree in a way of administration, the Lord calling him forth as the first man with whom he was pleased to treat, and enter into covenant with. Again, by the fatness of the olive-tree, we are to understand all outward privileges and ordinances, all spiritual benefits and blessings, which belong to the Jewish church. By the branches of the olive-tree, we are to understand the members of the Jewish church; and by the wild olive, the Gentile world. Now though the Gentiles, through rich grace, were instated in the privileges of the Jews, yet the apostle foresaw, that instead of thankfulness to God for the favours received from him, they would be puffed up with pride, and accordingly he advises them not to be highminded, but fear; as if he had said, "O ye Gentiles, your state is high, let your hearts be humble. The Jews are fallen; and unless you walk in holy fear, you cannot stand unbelief ruined them, take heed that pride doth not ruin you; for the just and holy God is no respecter of persons. He that spared not the natural branches, will no more spare thee." From the whole learn, 1. That man is naturally a very proud creature; and although he has nothing but what he has freely received, yet is prone to boast. 2. That man is especially apt to magnify himself, and to glory over those who are fallen before him, either into sin, or under affliction. 3. That the best preservative from falling, is humility and holy fear. If ever we stand in the day of trial, it is the fear of falling must enable us to stand. Take heed you do not fall, by thinking it is impossible to fall. Be not high-minded, but fear. Timor

tuus, securitas tua; Thy holy fear will keep thee from falling, when others' security and presumption will lay them on the ground. Let not a man that stands on the top of a tree boast of his height, but look to his hold.

abide not

22 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 shalt also be cut off. 23 And they also, if they still in unbelief, shall be graffed in for God is able to graff them in again. 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 olivetree; how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive-tree?

Our apostle, in these and the following verses, proceeds in his exhortation to the Gentiles, not to insult over the rejected Jews, but to carry it towards them with great modesty and christian humility; and he useth several arguments by way of motive to excite and quicken them thereunto. The two first are drawn from the severity of God in cutting off the Jews, and the goodness and bounty of God in calling of the Gentiles: Behold the goodness and severity of God, &c. Justice and mercy, goodness and severity, are attributes or qualities eminently found in God; and contrary only in their effects upon men. The same God is merciful and severe, with respect to different persons and different qualifications. All mercy is not a virtue, but that which is consistent with other perfections of wisdom and righteousness. The next argument is taken from the condition upon which the Gentiles hold their present standing in the favour and grace of God; namely, If they continue in his goodness; that is, if they walk worthy of this favour from God, and suitably to such a kind and gracious dispensation; otherwise they, the Gentiles, shall be cut off and cast away, as well as the stubborn and unbelieving Jews. The Lord is with a people only whilst they are with him; if they serve and seek him, he will be found of them; but if they forsake him, he will cast them off for ever. The next argument to suppress arrogancy and pride in the Gentiles, and to prevent

their insulting over the fallen Jews, is taken from the hopes of the Jews' restoration; which the apostle proves to be both possible and probable. They shall be graff. ed in, if they abide not in unbelief; for God is able to graff them in again. As if the apostle had said, "The same God that rejected them, is able to restore them, and re-ingraff them; the only obstacle is their unbelief, and this God is also able to remove." Lastly, He shows the probability as well as the possibility of the Jews' conversion; namely, because God had done that which was more unlikely already, to wit, in graffing the Gentiles, who were wild olives, into the true olive, which was more difficult and unlikely than to graff in the Jews again, which were natural branches. The argument runs thus: "If the Gentiles, which were a kind of wild olive-branches, were graffed into a good olive-tree, (the church of God,) which is contrary to nature, seeing men use to graff a good scion into a wild stock, and not a wild scion into a good stock; how much more shall the Jews, which are the natural branches of the good olive, be graffed again into their own olive-tree, to which they formerly did be. long! The one is according to the order of nature, but the other is against and contrary to nature." Learn hence, How improbable and unlikely, how difficult and impossible soever, the conversion and calling of the Jews to the christian religion may seem to us, it is neither contrary to right reason nor true faith. The greatest obstacle in the way of the Jews' conversion to christianity, it is to be feared, lies in the wicked and scandalous lives of those that

call themselves christians.

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Here the apostle fully proves, that the rejection of the Jews was neither total nor final; not total, because blindness in part

only, happened unto Israel; that is, part of the Jews only are left in unbelief, and under the power of spiritual blindness. Nor is their rejection final, but for a time only; namely, till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in: that is, till the Gentile churches be advanced to an honourable state and fulness. And then all the Israel of God, the faithful seed of Abraham, and the main body of the Jews, shall make up the catholic church, and be saved from their unbelief; according to that gracious promise, Isa. lix. 20, 21. The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob; and this is my covenant with them, My Spirit shall not depart from thy seed, nor thy seed's seed, from henceforth and forever. Learn hence, That there shall be a general calling of the Jews to the faith of the gospel before Christ's second coming, is not only possible and probable, but infallible, sure, and certain, and that from the prophecies and predictions of the prophets of God; let us therefore believe it firmly, pray for it fervently, and live in the expectation of it continually

28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

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

Here we have two farther arguments to prove the general conversion of the Jews: the first is taken from the dignity of the Jews, they being the ancient people of God, whose father Abraham he chose, and made his first covenant with him and his seed; that nation to be an holy people to himself, and therefore as to making the election of they are beloved by God for their father's sake; that is, for the sake of Abraham their holy progenitor, who had the honour to be called the friend of God. Though grace descends not from parent to child, yet many times the children of godly parents are very blessings for their gracious parents' sake. large sharers in outward privileges and The Jews here are said to be beloved of God for their father Abraham's sake, whilst for their unbelief and contempt of the gospel, they had rendered themselves the deserved object of God's hatred. The sccond argument is drawn from the immutability and unchangeable nature of God; His gifts and callings are without re

some,

nothing? And if so, who hath reason to complain that God deals hardly with the Jews, in rejecting them, and preferring the Gentiles before them? Surely Almighty God may dispense a favour to Learn which he owes to none." hence, That in those discriminating favours which God dispenses towards some of the children of men, no other reason can be assigned but his own good will and pleasure. This particularly appears in his ordering matters relating to the Jews and Gentiles, recorded in the foregoing chapter.

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

That is, "All things are of God, as the author and efficient cause; all things are through him as the providential director, and preserving cause; and all things tend to him, as the ultimate end and final cause: therefore to him all praise, honour, and glory, ought for ever to be ascribed." Learn hence, That God is the first cause, and last end. He is the first cause; that is, he is the cause of all things besides himself, the fountain and original of all created beings; nothing was before him, but all things were created by him, and dependent upon him. And as he is the first cause, so he is the last end, that is, all things tend to him as their ultimate end; their design and aim was the illustration of God's glory, and the manifestation of his divine perfections. And if God be the first cause, let us with humility and thankfulness acknowledge him, admire and adore him, love and serve him, who is the author of our being, and the cause of all other beings. And if he be the last end, let us refer all our actions to his glory; in all our natural actions, our civil actions, but especially in all our religious actions, let the glory of God be our supreme aim, and ultimate end. For if we do not now live unto him, we can never expect hereafter to live with him,

CHAP. XII.

Our apostle having finished the doctrinal part of his discourse, begins here to make application of it. In the former part of his epistle, he had copiously

handled the doctrinal points of faith, justification, sanctification, &c. Now from hence to the end of the epistle, there is contained an exhortation to religious and moral duties, as an argument of their sincerity, and as an ornament to their profession.

I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living

sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Observe here, 1. The apostle's loving and courteous compellation, brethren: so he calls the believing Romans. They were brethren by place and nation, and brethren by religion and profession: eodem sanguine Christi conglutinati, cemented together by the blood of Christ, and by the bands

of love. Observe, 2. The manner of the apostle's exhortation: it is by way of obsecration and entreaty, I beseech you, brethren. It imports great lenity and meekness. The apostle did not want authority to command, but uses such humility as to entreat. The minister's work and office is not only to be a teacher, but a beseecher. He must not barely propound and recommend the doctrines of the gospel to his people's understanding, but must endeavour to work upon their wills and affections to embrace and entertain them. The understanding is the leading, but the will the commanding, faculty. Observe, 3. The exhortation itself: Present your bodies a living sacrifice. Present your bodies, that is, dedicate your persons, devote yourselves, your whole man, soul and body, to the service of God and his glory. Christians are priests, or a royal priesthood; they offer up themselves in sacrifice unto God, as a whole burnt-offering. Observe, 4. The properties of the christian sacrifice: it must be voluntary; present yourselves. It must be a living sacrifice, an holy sacrifice, a reasonable sacrifice; otherwise it will find no acceptance with God. serve, 5. The argument or motive which the apostle makes use of, to persuade perGod and his service, and that is drawn sons to present and give up themselves to from the mercies of God; I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God. Learn thence, That the mercies of God, revealed in the gospel, are the most proper, powerful, and effectual argument, to persuade with, and prevail upon, sinners, that have not given up and devoted themselves to God, to do it; and those that have done it, to do it more and more: I bescech you, by the mercics of God, that ye present yourselves, &c.

Ob

2 And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.