31 What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, 32 who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him 33 also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to He glorified-He speaks as one looking back from the goal, upon the race of faith. Indeed grace, as it is glory begun, is both an earnest and a foretaste of eternal glory. The Verse 31. What shall we say then to these things-Related in the third, fifth, and eighth chapters? As if he had said, We cannot go, think, or wish anything farther. If God be for us— -Here follow four periods, one general and three particular. Each begins with glorying in the grace of God, which is followed by a question suitable to it, challenging all opponents; to all which, “I am persuaded," &c., is a general answer. general period is, If God be for us, who can be against us? The first particular period, relating to the past time, is, He that spared not his own Son. how shall he not freely give us all things? The second, relating to the present, is, It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? The third, relating to the future, is, It is Christ that died-Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Verse 32. He that-This period contains four sentences: He spared not his own Son; therefore he will freely give us all things. He delivered him up for us all; therefore, none can lay anything to our charge. Freely -For all that follows justification is a free gift also. All things-Needful or profitable for us. Verse 33. God's elect-The above-cited author observes, that long before the coming of Christ the heathen world revolted from the true God, and were therefore reprobated, or rejected. But the nation of the Jews were chosen to be the people of God, and were therefore styled, "the children” or sons of God," Deut. xiv. 1; "holy people," Deut. vii. 6; xiv. 2; "a chosen seed," Deut. iv. 37; "the elect," Isaiah xli. 8, 9; xliii. 10; the called of God," Isaiah xlviii. 12. And these titles were given to all the nation of Israel, including both good and bad. Now the gospel having the most strict connexion with the Books of the Old Testament, where these phrases frequently occur; and our Lord and his apostles being native Jews, and beginning to preach in the land of Israel, the language in which they preached would of course abound with the phrases of the Jewish nation. And hence it is easy to see why such of them as would not receive him were styled reprobated. For they no longer continued to be the people of God; whereas this and those other honourable titles were continued to all such Jews as embraced Christianity. And the same appellations which once belonged to the Jewish nation were now given to the gentile Christians also; together with which they were invested with all the privileges of "the chosen people of God;" and nothing could cut them off from these but their own wilful apostasy. It does not appear that even good men were ever termed God's elect till 34 the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is also at the right hand of God, who 35 likewise maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall affliction, or distress, or perse36 cution, or hunger, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (As it is written, * For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we 37 are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.) Nay, in all these things we more than conquer through him who hath loved 38 us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor *Psalm lxiv. 22, above two thousand years from the creation. God's electing or choosing the nation of Israel, and separating them from the other nations, who were sunk in idolatry and all wickedness, gave the first occasion to this sort of language. And as the separating the Christians from the Jews was a like event, no wonder it was expressed in like words and phrases: only with this difference, the term elect was of old applied to all the members of the visible church; whereas in the New Testament it is applied only to the members of the invisible. Verse 34. Yea rather, that is risen-Our faith should not stop at his death, but be exercised farther on his resurrection, kingdom, second coming. Who maketh intercession for us-Presenting there his obedience, his sufferings, his prayers, and our prayers sanctified through him. Verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ-Toward us? Shall affliction or distress-He proceeds in order, from less troubles to greater: can any of these separate us from his protection in it; and, if he sees good, deliverance from it? Verse 36. All the day-That is, every day, continually. We are accounted-By our enemies; by ourselves. Verse 37. We more than conquer-We are not only no losers, but abundant gainers, by all these trials. This period seems to describe the full assurance of hope. Verse 38. I am persuaded―This is inferred from the thirty-fourth verse, in an admirable order : "Neither death" shall hurt us; For "Christ is dead;" "Nor life;" "Nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers; nor things pre sent, nor things to come;" "Nor height, nor depth, nor any "is risen:" "is at the right hand of God:" "maketh intercession for us." other creature ;" Neither death—Terrible as it is to natural men; a violent death in particular, verse 36. Nor life-With all the affliction and distress it can bring, 39 things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. CHAP. IX. 1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my 2 conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great sorrow and continual anguish in my heart. good (if it were possible they should attempt it) or bad, with all their wisdom and strength. Nor principalities, nor powers-Not even those of the highest rank, or the most eminent power. Nor things present— Which may befal us during our pilgrimage; or the whole world, till it passeth away. Nor things to come-Which may occur either when our time on earth is past, or when time itself is at an end, as the final judgment, the general conflagration, the everlasting fire. Nor height, nor depth-The former sentence respected the differences of times; this, the differences of places. How many great and various things are contained in these words, we do not, need not, cannot know yet. The height—In St. Paul's sublime style, is put for heaven. The depth-For the great abyss: that is, neither the heights, I will not say of walls, mountains, seas, but, of heaven itself, can move us; nor the abyss itself, the very thought of which might astonish the boldest creature. Nor any creaturė -Nothing beneath the Almighty; visible enemies he does not even deign to name. Shall be able-Either by force, verse 35; or by any legal claim, verse 33, &c. To separate us from the love of God in Christ— Which will surely save, protect, deliver us who believe, in, and through, and from, them all. CHAP. IX. In this chapter St. Paul, after strongly declaring his love and esteem for them, sets himself to answer the grand objection of his countrymen; namely, that the rejection of the Jews and reception of the gentiles was contrary to the word of God. That he had not here the least thought of personal election or reprobation is manifest, 1. Because it lay quite wide of his design, which was this, to show that God's rejecting the Jews and receiving the gentiles was consistent with his word; 2. Because such a doctrine would not only have had no tendency to convince, but would have evidently tended to harden, the Jews; 3. Because when he sums up his argument in the close of the chapter, he has not one word, or the least intimation, about it. Verse 1. In Christ-This seems to imply an appeal to him. In the Holy Ghost-Through his grace. Verse 2. I have great sorrow-A high degree of spiritual sorrow and of spiritual joy may consist together, Rom. viii. 39. By declaring his sorrow for the unbelieving Jews, who excluded themselves from all the blessings he had enumerated, he shows that what he was now about to speak, he did not speak from any prejudice to them. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ 4 for my brethren, my kinsmen after the flesh: Who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the worship 5 of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and from whom according to the flesh Christ came, who is over all, 6 God blessed for ever. Not as if the word of God had Verse 3. I could wish-Human words cannot fully describe the motions of souls that are full of God. As if he had said, I could wish to suffer in their stead; yea, to be an anathema from Christ in their place. In how high a sense he wished this, who can tell, unless himself had been asked and had resolved the question? Certainly he did not then consider himself at all, but only others and the glory of God. The thing could not be; yet the wish was pious and solid; though with a tacit condition, if it were right and possible. Verse 4. Whose is the adoption, &c.-He enumerates six prerogatives, of which the first pair respect God the Father, the second Christ, the third the Holy Ghost. The adoption and the glory—That is, Israel is the first-born child of God, and the God of glory is their God, Deut. iv. 7; Psalm cvi. 20. These are relative to each other. At once God is the Father of Israel, and Israel are the people of God. He speaks not here of the ark, or any corporeal thing. God himself is "the glory of his people Israel." And the covenants, and the giving of the law-The covenant was given long before the law. It is termed covenants, in the plural, because it was so often and so variously repeated, and because there were two dispositions of it, Gal. iv. 24, frequently called two covenants; the one promising, the other exhibiting the promise. And the worship, and the promises-The true way of worshipping God; and all the promises made to the fathers. Verse 5. To the preceding, St. Paul now adds two more prerogatives. Theirs are the fathers—The patriarchs and holy men of old, yea, the Messiah himself. Who is over all, God blessed for ever- -The original words imply the self-existent, independent Being, who was, is, and is to Over all-The supreme; as being God, and consequently blessed for ever. No words can more clearly express his divine, supreme majesty, and his gracious sovereignty both over Jews and gentiles. come. Verse 6. Not as if-The Jews imagined that the word of God must fail if all their nation were not saved. This St. Paul now refutes, and proves that the word itself had foretold their falling away. The word of God-The promises of God to Israel. Had fallen to the ground—This could not be. Even now, says the apostle, some enjoy the promises; and hereafter "all Israel shall be saved." This is the sum of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh chapters. For-Here he enters upon the proof of it. All are not Israel, who are of Israel-The Jews vehemently maintained the contrary; namely, that all who were born Israelites, and they only, fallen to the ground. For all are not Israel, who are 7 of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, * In Isaac shall thy seed be 8 called. That is, Not the children of the flesh are the children of God: but the children of promise are counted 9 for the seed. For this is the word of the promise, † At this 10 time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, 11 our father Isaac, The children being 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 12 that called,) It was said to her, The elder shall serve the * Gen. xxi. 12. + Gen. xviii. 10. + Gen. xxv. 23. here, the latter, verse 24, &c. The sum is, God accepts all believers, and them only; and this is no way contrary to his word. Nay, he hath declared in his word, both by types and by express testimonies, that believers are accepted as the " children of the promise," while unbelievers are rejected, though they are "children after the flesh." All are not Israel-Not in the favour of God. Who are lineally descended of Israel. Verse 7. Neither because they are lineally the seed of Abraham, will it follow that they are all children of God-This did not hold even in Abraham's own family; and much less in his remote descendants. But God then said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called-That is, Isaac, not Ishmael, shall be called thy seed; that seed to which the promise is made. Verse 8. That is, Not the children, &c.-As if he had said, This is a clear type of things to come; showing us, that in all succeeding generations, not the children of the flesh, the lineal descendants of Abraham, but the children of the promise, they to whom the promise is made, that is, believers, are the children of God. Verse 9. For this is the word of the promise-By the power of which Isaac was conceived, and not by the power of nature. Not, Whosoever is born of thee shall be blessed, but, At this time--Which I now appoint. I will come, and Sarah shall have a son- -And he shall inherit the blessing. Verse 10. And that God's blessing does not belong to all the descendants of Abraham, appears not only by this instance, but by that of Esau and Jacob, who was chosen to inherit the blessing, before either of them had done good or evil. The apostle mentions this to show, that neither were their ancestors accepted through any merit of their own. That the purpose of God according to election might stand-Whose purpose was, to elect or choose the promised seed. Not of works-Not for any preceding merit in him he chose. But of him that called-Of his own good pleasure, who called to that privilege whom he saw good. Verse 12. The elder-Esau. Shall serve the younger-Not in person, for he never did; but in his posterity. Accordingly the Edomites were often brought into subjection by the Israelites. |