ing of them be, but life from the dead? 16 Now, if the first fruits be holy, so shall the mass be; and if the root be holy, so shall the branches be. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wert grafted in among them, and with them wert made partaker of the root and fatness of the olive,18 boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest

what shall the receiving of them be,] that is, of the rejected Jews, but life from the dead!] how can so glorious a consummation fail to pour a new tide of spiritual energy and joy upon the world! Some commentators understand the apostle to mean, literally, that the resurrection of the dead is to follow immediately on that event; to us, however, this does not seem to be the natural import of his language.

Ver. 16. To confirm the intimation, that the rejected Jews shall yet be received back, he introduces a metaphorical argument. It was well known that, in the Mosaic economy, the offering of the first-fruits consecrated the whole harvest that was to follow; it was also a natural fact that the root of a tree determined the character of the branches. Now, says he, if the first-fruits, or ancient patriarchs and fathers of the Jewish nation, be holy, or consecrated to God, so also will be the whole nation, including the part now rejected. The argument is merely rhetorical; but it illustrates very clearly the apostle's meaning. (The metaphor of the root and branches is but a repetition, and forms the other clause of a Parallelism.)

Ver. 17, 18. He follows out the metaphor of the root and branches, through several succeeding verses.-if some of the branches were broken off,] namely the rejected Jews, (who, however, might be grafted in again; see verses 23, 24.) and thou, being a wild olive;] the Gentile believers, the Gentile portion of the elect, whom he here addresses, were of another and foreign stock,-were heathens by birth. And if they were now adopted as the spiritual children of Abraham, in place of some of the natural descendants who had been rejected, it became them not to boast against the latter; for they were but sharers of the blessings promised in the ancient covenant with the fathers, were but branches grafted in, and not the root.

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; by unbelief were they broken off; and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear; for if God spared not those who were branches by nature, take heed lest he neither spare thee.

21

22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; on those who fell, severity; but upon thee, kindness, if thou continue in his kindness; otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, unless they continue 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 wert grafted against nature into a good olive, how much more shall these, which are the branches by nature, be grafted into their own olive!

Ver. 19. Some of the Gentile believers might say, contemptuously, that the rejected Jews were cast out, to make room for them, as if God had a partiality for Gentiles.

Ver. 20, 21. But it was for their unbelief that they were rejected; and the Gentile portion of the elect held their standing only by faith. If they became high-minded, instead of being humbly thankful for the distinction vouchsafed to them, they might expect to be cast out in their turn, since God had not spared even the natural descendants of Abraham.-those who were branches by nature] that is Jews, who were natural heirs of the ancient covenant, by birth.

Ver. 22.-otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off;] that is, if thou do not continue true to the vocation thou hast received from the kindness of God. Observe, this is said to the Gentile believer, an elect, a "vessel of mercy." Nothing can be plainer than that this election was conditional, so far as its availableness was concerned.

Ver. 23.—and they also,] the rejected Jews: they too shall be adopted, if they cease from their unbelief; for God is able to make them his children again. The rejection was not final, nor unconditional while it lasted.

Ver. 24.-for if thou,] the Gentile believer;-wert_cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by nature,] wert taken from among those who were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise;"—and wert grafted, against nature, into a good

26

25 For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery, (lest ye be wise in your own conceit,) that blindness is come upon Israel in part, until the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in ; and so shall all Israel be saved, as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and he shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 and this is my covenant with them, when I shall take

olive,] adopted, from an alien line, into the spiritual commonwealth of Israel;-how much more shall these,] the rejected Jews, who are, by birth, natural heirs of the covenants;-be grafted into their own olive!] be restored to the blessings promised to their fathers! The apostle means the exclamation to be understood as an assertion. (Here ends the metaphor of the root and branches; in the remaining verses, he proceeds to speak without figure.)

Ver. 25.-this mystery,] namely, the fact about to be stated, that the blinded Jews were to remain in their condition only till all the Gentiles should be converted; and that all the Jews were then to be saved. (In the New Testament, "mystery" is not something unintelligible, but something not yet commonly known; as in the present instance.)-wise in your own conceits,] puffed up with pride, as the Gentile believers were in danger of becom ing, if they fancied that the blinded Jews were permanently excluded from the favor they themselves enjoyed. -until the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in,] to the faith. As the Jews were blinded that salvation might come to the Gentiles, their blindness would continue till the object should be fully accomplished.

Ver. 26, 27.—and so all Israel,] including the blinded part; for this was the part to be saved at the period here referred to, (the others having been saved before,)— shall be saved.] Here is the salvation of the world ultimately complete: first, the salvation of the elect Jews and Gentiles; then, of all the Gentiles; and finally, of all the Jews. This universal ingathering is the end to which the entire plan of election aims, and in which all seeming partiality, or favoritism, is obviated.-as it is written] in İsaiah lix. 20, 21,-a passage which the apostle quotes (after the Septuagint rendering,) to confirm his position that all the Jews shall be saved; in other words, to show

for the fathers' sake.

away their sins.' 28 In respect to the gospel, they are indeed enemies, for your sake; but in respect to the election, they are beloved 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are not to be repented of. 30 For as ye did not formerly believe God, but have now obtained mercy through their unbelief; even so have these not believed now, that they also may obtain mercy through your mercy. 32 For God hath included all in unbelief, that

31

that the Deliverer, or Christ, shall turn them from their ungodliness, according to God's covenant with them. The last clause, " when I shall take away their sins," is borrowed, perhaps, from Jeremiah xxxi. 33, 34.

Ver. 28. As it respects their present relation to the gospel, the blinded part of the Jews are indeed treated by God as enemies, that is, they are rejected, for your sakes, or, that salvation might come to you, Gentiles; but as it respects the purposes of election, they are never theless beloved, or favored, of God, on the ground of the covenant with their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in which the blessings of the gospel were secured to them.

Ver. 29.-for the gifts and the calling of God,] such as he vouchsafed to the Jews in his covenant with the fathers, and in his promises by the prophets, these can never be repented of, or recalled, by him; for he does not change his mind. They must therefore take effect, sooner or later.

Ver. 30, 31.—for as ye,] Gentile converts, were formerly given up to heathen unbelief,-but have now obtained mercy through their unbelief,] the unbelief of these Jews having been the occasion of the gospel coming to you; so these Jews, in their turn, are now left in unbelief, but will at length be brought to believe through the instrumentality of the faith which you, Gentiles, have received by the mercy of God. There was, thus, an equalizing of divine Providence in relation to both parties. Each was placed, at different times, in the same condition; and each was made the means of saving the other.

Ver. 32. First or last, all have been included in unbelief, by the counsel of God,-the Gentiles first, and the Jews last; but the grand object of this divine economy, was, the more effectually to bestow mercy upon all, in the result, to bring in the fulness of the Gentiles, and to save all Israel, as stated in verses 25, 26.

he might have mercy upon all. 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! 34 For Who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor ?' 35 or who hath first given to him, and it shall be repaid unto him? 36 Because, of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.

[The apostle has followed out this wide-embracing and wonderful arrangement of God, to its glorious result. All meets, at last, in a consummation worthy of the divine Sovereign, and fulfilling, to the utmost, the demand of Christian desire. Even those measures which, at every the commencement, and in their progress, were so painful, are seen to end in the blessedness of all, and to have been but means of attaining this object.]

Ver. 33-35. And, now, the apostle breaks forth in an exclamation of adoring wonder and praise.—who hath known... been his counsellor ?] quoted from Isaiah xl. 13, according to the Septuagint version.-who hath first given to him. . . . repaid unto him?] quoted loosely, perhaps, from Job xli. 11; and introduced here to express the thought that God does not measure his blessings by the merits of his creatures.

Ver. 36. The ultimate ground of the foregoing argument, summarily stated: All things come from God, at first; all things are governed and directed by him; and to his ends they all arrive at last.

H. B. 2d.

ART. XXI.

Spirituality.

WHOSOEVER is quickend by the spirit is spiritual; and spirituality is one of the vital requisites of Christianity. Whoever is perfectly quickened by the spirit, is wholly spiritual, and has attained the loftiest condition of Chris