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13 younger. As it is written, I have loved Jacob, and hated Esau.

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? 15 God forbid. For he saith to Moses,† I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on 16 whom I will have compassion. It is not therefore of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that 17 showeth mercy. Moreover the scripture saith to Pharaoh, * Mal. i. 2, 3. + Exod. xxxiii. 19.

Verse 13. As it is written-With which word in Genesis, spoken so long before, that of Malachi agrees. I have loved Jacob-With a peculiar love; that is, the Israelites, the posterity of Jacob. And I have, comparatively, hated Esau-That is, the Edomites, the posterity of Esau. But observe, 1. This does not relate to the person of Jacob or Esau: 2. Nor does it relate to the eternal state either of them or their posterity. Thus far the apostle has been proving his proposition, namely, that the exclusion of a great part of the seed of Abraham, yea, and of Isaac, from the special promises of God, was so far from being impossible, that, according to the scriptures themselves, it had actually happened. He now introduces and refutes an objection.

Verse 14. Is there injustice with God—Is it unjust in God to give Jacob the blessing rather than Esau? or to accept believers, and them only? God forbid-In no wise. This is well consistent with justice; for he has a right to fix the terms on which he will show mercy, according to his declaration to Moses, petitioning for all the people, after they had committed idolatry with the golden calf. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy-According to the terms I myself have fixed. And I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion—Namely, on those only who submit to my terms, who accept of it in the way that I have appointed.

Verse 16. It-The blessing. Therefore is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth—It is not the effect either of the will or the works of man, but of the grace and power of God. The will of man is here opposed to the grace of God, and man's running, to the divine operation. And this general declaration respects not only Isaac and Jacob, and the Israelites in the time of Moses, but likewise all the spiritual children of Abraham, even to the end of the world.

Verse 17. Moreover—God has an indisputable right to reject those who will not accept the blessings on his own terms. And this he exercised in the case of Pharaoh; to whom, after many instances of stubbornness and rebellion, he said, as it is recorded in scripture, For this very thing have I raised thee up—That is, Unless thou repent, this will surely be the consequence of my raising thee up, making thee a great and glorious king, that my power will be shown upon thee, (as indeed it was, by overwhelming him and his army in the sea,) and my name declared through all

*For this very thing have I raised thee up, that I may show my power in thee, and that my name may be declared 18 through all the earth. So then he hath mercy on whom he 19 willeth, and whom he willeth he hardeneth. But thou wilt

say to me, Why doth he still find fault? For who hath 20 resisted his will? Nay, but who art thou, O man, that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him 21 that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus ? not the potter power over the clay, out of the same mass to + Jer. xviii. 6, 7.

* Exod. ix. 16.

+ Hath

meaning. It seems that God was resolved to show his power over the river, the insects, other animals, (with the natural causes of their health, diseases, life, and death,) over the meteors, the air, the sun, (all of which were worshipped by the Egyptians, from whom other nations learned their idolatry,) and at once over all their gods, by that terrible stroke of slaying all their priests, and their choicest victims, the firstborn of man and beast; and all this with a design, not only to deliver his people Israel, (for which a single act of omnipotence would have sufficed,) but to convince the Egyptians, that the objects of their worship were but the creatures of Jehovah, and entirely in his power, and to draw them and the neighbouring nations, who should hear of all these wonders, from their idolatry, to worship the one God. For the execution of this design, (in order to the display of the divine power over the various objects of their worship, in variety of wonderful acts, which were at the same time just punishments for their cruel oppression of the Israelites,) God was pleased to raise to the throne of an absolute monarchy, a man, not whom he had made wicked on purpose, but whom he found so, the proudest, the most daring and obstinate of all the Egyptian princes; and who, being incorrigible, well deserved to be set up in that situation, where the divine judgments fell the heaviest.

Verse 18. So then-That is, accordingly he does show mercy on his own terms, namely, on them that believe. And whom he willeth-Namely, them that believe not. He hardeneth-Leaves to the hardness of their hearts.

Verse 19. Why doth he still find fault-The particle still is strongly expressive of the objector's sour, morose murmuring. For who hath resisted his will-The word his likewise expresses his surliness and aversion to God, whom he does not even deign to name.

Verse 20. Nay, but who art thou, O man-Little, impotent, ignorant man. That repliest against God—That accusest God of injustice, for himself fixing the terms on which he will show mercy? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thusWhy hast thou made me capable of honour and immortality, only by believing?

Verse 21. Hath not the potter power over the clay-And much more

make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour ? 22 What if God, being willing to show his wrath, and to make

his power known, yet endured with much longsuffering the 23 vessels of wrath fitted for destruction: And that he might

make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, 24 whom he had before prepared for glory, Even us, whom he

hath not God power over his creatures, to appoint one vessel, namely, the believer, to honour, and another, the unbeliever, to dishonour?

If we survey the right which God has over us, in a more general way, with regard to his intelligent creatures, God may be considered in two different views, as Creator, Proprietor, and Lord of all; or, as their moral Governor, and Judge.

God, as sovereign Lord and Proprietor of all, dispenses his gifts or favours to his creatures with perfect wisdom, but by no rules or methods of proceeding that we are acquainted with. The time when we shall exist, the country where we shall live, our parents, our constitution of body and turn of mind; these, and numberless other circumstances, are doubtless ordered with perfect wisdom, but by rules that lie quite out of our sight.

But God's methods of dealing with us, as our Governor and Judge, are clearly revealed and perfectly known; namely, that he will finally reward every man according to his works: "He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned."

Therefore, though " He hath mercy on whom he willeth, and whom he willeth he hardeneth," that is, suffers to be hardened in consequence of their obstinate wickedness; yet his is not the will of an arbitrary, capricious, or tyrannical being. He wills nothing but what is infinitely wise and good; and therefore his will is a most proper rule of judgment. He will show mercy, as he hath assured us, to none but true believers, nor harden any but such as obstinately refuse his mercy.

Verse 22. What if God, being willing-Referring to verses 18, 19. That is, although it was now his will, because of their obstinate unbelief. To show his wrath-Which necessarily presupposes sin. And to muke his power known-This is repeated from the seventeenth verse. Yet endured-As he did Pharaoh. With much long suffering-Which should have led them to repentance. The vessels of wrath-Those who had moved his wrath by still rejecting his mercy. Fitted for destruction-By their own wilful and final impenitence. Is there any injustice in this?

Verse 23. That he might make known-What if by showing such longsuffering even to "the vessels of wrath," he did the more abundantly show the greatness of his glorious goodness, wisdom, and power, on the vessels of mercy; on those whom he had himself, by his grace, prepared for glory. Is this any injustice?

Verse 24. Even us-Here the apostle comes to the other proposition, of grace free for all, whether Jew or gentile. Of the Jews-This he treats

hath called, not only of the Jews, but also of the gentiles? 25 As he saith also in Hosea, *I will call them my people, who were not my people; and her beloved, who was not beloved. 26 † And it shall come to pass, in the place where it was said

to them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called 27 the sons of the living God. But Isaiah crieth concerning

Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as 28 the sand of the sea, the remnant only shall be saved: For he is finishing and cutting short his account in righteousness for the Lord will make a short account upon earth. 29 And as Isaiah had said before, Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and had been made 30 like Gomorrah. What shall we say then? That the gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith.

* Hosea ii. 23. ↑ Hosea i. 10.

Isaiah x. 22, 23.

Verse 25. Beloved-As a spouse. Who once was not beloved-Consequently, not unconditionally elected. This relates directly to the final restoration of the Jews.

Verse 26. There shall they be called the sons of God-So that they need not leave their own country and come to Judea.

Verse 27. But Isaiah testifies, that (as many gentiles will be accepted, so) many Jews will be rejected; that out of all the thousands of Israel, a remnant only shall be saved. This was spoken originally of the few that were saved from the ravage of Sennacherib's army.

Verse 28. For he is finishing or cutting short his account-In rigorous justice, will leave but a small remnant. There will be so general a destruction, that but a small number will escape.

Verse 29. As Isaiah had said before-Namely, Isaiah i. 9, concerning those who were besieged in Jerusalem by Rezin and Pekah. Unless the Lord had left us a seed-Which denotes, 1. The present paucity: 2. The future abundance. We had been as Sodom-So that it is no unexampled thing for the main body of the Jewish nation to revolt from God, and perish in their sin.

Verse 30. What shall we say then-What is to be concluded from all that has been said but this, That the gentiles, who followed not after righteousness -Who a while ago had no knowledge of, no care or thought about, it. Have attained to righteousness-Or justification. Even the righteousness which is by faith. This is the first conclusion we may draw from the preceding observations. The second is, that Israel—The Jews Although following after the law of righteousness-That law which, duly used, would have led them to faith, and thereby to righteousness. Have not attained to the law of righteousness-To that righteousness or justification which is one great end of the law.

31 But Israel, following after the law of righteousness, hath not 32 attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because

they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works. For 33 they stumbled at the stumblingstone; As it is written,* Behold, I lay in Sion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence and every one that believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

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CHAP. X. 1 Brethren, the desire of my heart, and my 2 prayer to God for them is, that they may be saved. For I bear them record, that they have a zeal for God, but 3 not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness 4 of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness + Isaiah xxviii. 16.

Isaiah viii. 14.

Verse 32. And wherefore have they not? Is it because God eternally decreed they should not? There is nothing like this to be met with; but agreeable to his argument the apostle gives us this good reason for it, Because they sought it not by faith-Whereby alone it could be attained. But as it were-In effect, if not professsedly, by works. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone-Christ crucified.

Verse 33. As it is written-Foretold by their own prophet. Behold, I lay in Sion-I exhibit in my church, what, though it is in truth the only sure foundation of happiness, yet will be in fact a stumblingstone and rock of offence-An occasion of ruin to many, through their obstinate unbelief.

Verse 1. My prayer to God is, that they may be saved-He would not have prayed for this, had they been absolutely reprobated.

Verse 2. They have a zeal, but not according to knowledge-They had zeal without knowledge; we have knowledge without zeal.

Verse 3. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God-Of the method God has established for the justification of a sinner. And seeking to establish their own righteousness-Their own method of acceptance with God. Have not submitted to the righteousness of God-The way of justification which he hath fixed.

Verse 4. For Christ is the end of the law-The scope and aim of it. It is the very design of the law, to bring men to believe in Christ for justification and salvation. And he alone gives that pardon and life which the law shows the want of, but cannot give. To every one- -Whether Jew or gentile, treated of, verse 11, &c. That believeth-Treated of, verse 5, &c.

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