extend the blessings of the Messiah's reign to the Gentiles, 9: 1–24; and, in the second, that he has already declared that such was his purpose, vs. 25—29. Agreeably to these prophetic declarations, the apostle announces that the Jews were cast off and the Gentiles called; the former having refused submission to the righteousness of faith, and the latter having been obedient, vs. 30-33. In the tenth chapter Paul shows the necessity of this rejection of the ancient people of God, and vindicates the propriety of extending the invitation of the gospel to the heathen in accordance with the predictions of the prophets. In the eleventh he teaches that this rejection of the Jews was neither total nor final. It was not total, inasmuch as many Jews of that generation believed; and it was not final, as the period approached when the great body of that nation should acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, and be reingrafted into their own olive tree.

CONTENTS.

In entering on the discussion of the question of the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles, the apostle assures his brethren that he was led to entertain this opinion from no want of affection or respect for them or their national privileges, vs. 1-5. That his doctrine on this subject was true, he argues, 1. Because it was not inconsistent with the promises of God, who is perfectly sovereign in the distribution of his favours, vs. 6-24. And, secondly, because it was distinctly predicted in their own Scriptures, vs. 25-29. The conclusion from this reasoning is stated in vs. 30-33. The Jews are rejected fo their unbelief, and the Gentiles admitted to the Messiah's kingdom.

CHAP. 9: 1-5.

1I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

ANALYSIS.

As the subject about to be discussed was of all others the most painful and offensive to his Jewish brethren, the apostle approaches it with the greatest caution. He solemnly assures them that he was grieved at heart on their account; and that his love for them was ardent and disinterested, vs. 1-3. Their peculiar privileges he acknowledged and respected. They were highly distinguished by all the advantages connected with the Old

Testament dispensation, and, above all, by the fact that the Messiah was, according to the flesh, a Jew, vs. 4, 5.

COMMENTARY.

(1) I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, &c. There are three ways in which the words in Christ, or by Christ, may here be understood. 1. They may be considered as part of the formula of an oath, I say the truth, by Christ. The preposition rendered in is so used in Matt. 5: 34, &c. Rev. 10: 6. But in these and similar cases it is always in connexion with a verb of swearing. In addition to this objection, it may be urged that no instance occurs of Paul's appealing to Christ in the form of an oath. This interpretation, therefore, is not to be approved. 2. The words in Christ may be connected with the pronoun I. I in Christ,' i. e. as a Christian, or, In the consciousness of my union with Christ, I declare,' &c. 1 Cor. 1: 30. 3: 1. Rom. 16: 3. 7. 3. The words may be used adverbially, and be translated after a Christian manner. This also is a frequent use of this and analogous phrases. See 1 Cor. 7: 39, "Only in the Lord,” i. e. only after a religious manner. Rom. 16: 22. Eph. 6: 1. Col. 3:18. The sense of the passage is much the same whether we adopt the one or the other of the last two modes of explanation. Paul means to say that he speaks in a solemn and religious manner, as a Christian, conscious of his intimate relation to Christ.

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I say the truth, I lie not. This mode of assertion, first affirmatively and then negatively, is common in the Scriptures. "Thou shalt die, and not live," Isa. 38: 1; “ He confessed and denied not,” John 1 : 20. My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. There are also three ways in which the words in the Holy Ghost may be connected and explained. 1. They are often considered as belonging to the first clause and standing in a parallelism with the words in Christ, and being also an oath, But in this way the construction is unnatural, and the sense not only unusual but revolting. 2. They may be connected with the words bearing me witness. The sense would then be, My conscience beareth me witness together with the Holy Ghost.' That is, not only my own conscience, but the Holy Spirit assures me of my sincerity. 3. They may be connected with the word conscience. My conscience under the influence of the Holy Ghost;' my sanctified conscience. There seems little ground of preference between the last two; either gives a good

sense.

(2) That I have great heaviness, &c. This it is which Paul so solemnly asserts. He was not an indifferent spectator of the sorrow, temporal and spiritual, which was about to come on his countrymen. All their peculiar national advantages, and the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom which they had wickedly rejected, were to be taken away; they were, therefore, left without hope either for this world or the next. The consideration of their condition filled the apostle with great and constant heaviness. The

sincerity and strength of this sorrow for them he asserts in the strongest terms in the next verse.

(3) For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, &c. The word anathema, which is used in this verse by the apostle, properly means something set up or consecrated, and is applied frequently to votive offerings. A secondary application of the word was to those persons who were devoted to destruction as sacrifices for the public good. And as, among the Greeks, the lowest and vilest of the people were selected for that purpose, it became a term of execration, and expressed the idea of exposure to divine wrath. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word to which it answers, occurs very frequently, and probably the root originally meant to cut off, to separate. Hence, the substantive derived from it, meant something separated or consecrated. In usage, however, it was applied only to such things as could not be redeemed, and which, when possessed of life, were to be put to death. It is evident from such passages as Lev. 27: 28, 29. Deut. 7: 26. Josh. 6: 17. 1 Sam. 15: 21, that the word usually designates a person or thing set apart to destruction on religious grounds; something accursed.

In the New Testament the use of the Greek word is very nearly the same. The only passages in which it occurs besides the one before us, are the following; Acts 23: 14, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse (we have placed ourselves under an anathema), that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul." The meaning of this passage evidently is, We have imprecated on ourselves the curse of God, or we have called upon him to consider us as anathema.' 1 Cor. 12: 3, “ No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed-(anathema);” 1 Cor. 16: 22, "Let him be anathema maranatha;" Gal. 1: 8, 9, "Let him be accursed (anathema)." In all these cases it is clear that the word is applied to those who were regarded as deservedly exposed, or devoted to the curse of God. In this sense it was used by the early Christian writers, and from them passed into the use of the church. "Let him be anathema," being the constant formula of pronouncing any one, in the judgment of the church, exposed to the divine malediction.

Among the later Jews, this word, or the corresponding Hebrew term, was used in reference to the second of the three degrees into which they divided excommunication (see Buxtorf's Rabbinical Lexicon). But no analogous use of the word occurs in the Bible. Such being the meaning of this word in the Scriptures, its application in this case by the apostle admits of various explanations.

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The common interpretation, however, and that which seems most natural, is, I am grieved at heart for my brethren, for I could wish myself accursed from Christ, that is, I could be willing to be regarded and treated as anathema, a thing accursed, for their sakes.' That this interpretation suits the force and meaning of the words, and is agreeable to the context, must, on all hands, be admitted. The only objection to it is

of a theological kind. It is said to be inconsistent with the apostle's character to wish that he should be accursed from Christ. But to this it may be answered, 1. Paul does not say that he did deliberately and actually entertain such a wish. The expression is evidently hypothetical and conditional, I could wish, were the thing allowable, possible or proper.' So far from saying he actually desired to be thus separated from Christ, he impliedly says the very reverse. I could wish it, were it not wrong; or, did it not involve my being unholy as well as miserable, but as such is the case, the desire cannot be entertained.' This is the proper force of the imperfect indicative when thus used; it implies the presence of a condition which is known to be impossible. 2. Even if the words expressed more than they actually do, and the apostle were to be understood as saying that he could wish to be cut off from Christ, yet, from the nature of the passage, it could fairly be understood, as meaning nothing more than that he was willing to suffer the utmost misery for the sake of his brethren. The difficulty arises from pressing the words too far, making them express definite ideas, instead of strong and indistinct emotions. The general idea is, that he considered himself as nothing, and his happiness as a matter of no moment, in view of the salvation of his brethren.

(4) The object of the apostle in the introduction to this chapter, contained in the first five verses, is to assure the Jews of his love and of his respect for their peculiar privileges. The declaration of his love he had just made, his respect for their advantages is expressed in the enumeration of them contained in this verse. Who are Israelites, i. e. the peculiar people of God. This includes all the privileges which are afterwards mentioned. The word Israel means one who contends with God, or a prince with God. Hos. 12: 3, "He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God." As it was given to Jacob as an expression of God's peculiar favour, Gen. 32: 28, its application to his descendants, implied that they, too, were the favourites of God. To whom pertaineth the adoption. As Paul is speaking here of the external or natural Israel, the adoption or sonship which pertained to them, as such, must be external also, and is very different from that which he had spoken of in the preceding chapter. They were the sons of God, i. e. the objects of his peculiar favour, selected from the nations of the earth to be the recipients of peculiar blessings and to stand in a peculiar relation to God. Ex. 4: 22, "Thou shalt say unto Pharoah, Israel is my son, even my first-born;" Deut. 14: 1, "Ye are the children of the Lord your God;" Jer. 31: 9, "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born."

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And the glory. These words are variously explained. They may be connected with the preceding, as explanatory of the adoption or as qualifying it, and the two words be equivalent to glorious adoption. But as every other specification in this verse is to be taken separately, so

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should this be. In the Old Testament that symbolical manifestation of the divine presence which filled the tabernacle and rested over the ark, is called the glory of the Lord. Ex. 40: 34, “A cloud covered the tent of the congregation; and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle;" Ex. 29:43. Lev. 16: 2. 1 Kings 8:11. 2 Chron. 5: 14. Hag. 2: 7. By the Jews this symbol was called the Shekinah, i. e. the presence of God. Besides this, the manifestation of God's presence in general is called his glory; Isa. 6: 4, "The whole earth is full of his glory," &c. It is probable, therefore, that Paul intended by this word to refer to the fact that God dwelt in a peculiar manner among the Jews, and in various ways manifested his presence, as one of their peculiar privileges.

The covenants. The plural is used because God at various times entered into covenant with the Jews and their forefathers; by which he secured to them innumerable blessings and privileges; see Gal. 3: 16, 17. Eph. 2:12. The giving of the law, the legislation. The word is sometimes used for the law itself, it may here be taken strictly, that giving of the law, i. e. the solemn and glorious annunciation of the divine will from Mount Sinai. The former is the most probable; because the possession of the law was the grand distinction of the Jews, and one on which they peculiarly relied; see ch. 2: 17. The service means the whole ritual, the pompous and impressive religious service of the tabernacle and temple. The promises relate, no doubt, specially to the promises of Christ and his kingdom. This was the great inheritance of the nation. This was the constant ubject of gratulation and object of hope. See Gal. 3: 16, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made;” v. 21, "Is the law against the promises of God?" So in other places the word promises is used specially for the predictions in reference to the great redemption, Acts 26: 6.

(5) Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, &c. The descent of the Jews from men so highly favoured of God as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was justly regarded as a great distinction. And of whom. The and here shows that whom refers, not to the fathers, but to the Israelites, to whom pertained the adoption, the law, the service, and of whom Christ came. This was the great honour of the Jewish race. For this they were separated as a peculiar people, and preserved amidst all their afflictions. As it was true, however, only in one sense, that Christ was descended from the Israelites, and as there was another view of his person, according to which he was infinitely exalted above them and all other men, the apostle qualifies his declaration by saying as concerning the flesh. The word flesh is used so often for human nature in its present state, or for men, that the phrase as to the flesh, in such connexions, evidently means in as far as he was a man, or as to his human nature, ch. 1: 3. In like manner, when it is said Christ was manifested or came in the flesh, it means, he came in our nature, 1 Tim. 3: 16. 1 John 4: 2, &c.

Who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. There is but one in