33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone, and rock of offence and whosoever believeth on him, shall not be ashamed.

33 Καθώς γεγραπται· Ιδου, τίθημι εν Σιων λίθων προσ

κόμματος, και πέτραν σκαν· δαλου και πας ὁ πιςεύων επ' αυτῷ, ου καταισχυνθήσεται.

to one, who in running a race, stumbles on a stone in his way and falling, loses the race.

Ver. 33.-1. Behold, I place in Sion, a stone of stumbling, and a rock of of fence; yet whosoever, &c. Here two passages of Isaiah are joined in one quotation, because they relate to the same subject. Is. xxviii 16. Behold, I lay in Sion for a foundation, a store, a tried precious corner stone, a sure foun dation, namely, of the new temple or church which God was about to build.-— Is. viii. 14. But for a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. See 1 Pet. ii. 8. note 1. Accordingly, those in Israel who expected Messiah to be a great temporal monarch, stumbled at Jesus, when they found him nothing but a

CHAPTER X.

View and Illustration of the Matters contained in this Chapter.

In what follows, the apostle lays open the causes of the unbelief of the Jews, and answers the two chief objections, whereby they justified their opposition to the gospel. The first objection was, that by teaching the justification of the Jews by faith without the works of law, the expiations of the law of Moses were rendered of no use in their justification. The second was, that by admitting the Gentiles into the church and covenant of God without circumcision, the covenant with Abraham was made void.

His answer to the first of these objections, the apostle began with telling the Jews, his desire and prayer to God was, that they might be saved, ver. 1.—Because he knew they had a great zeal in matters of religion, though it was not directed by knowledge, ver. 2.-Wherefore being ignorant of the kind of righ teousness which God requires from sinners, and mistaking the nature of the law of Moses, they sought to become righteous by observing its precepts; and where they failed, by having recourse to its expiations. So that vainly endeavouring to esta blish a righteousness of their own, they had not submitted to the righteousness of God's appointment, now fully revealed in the gospel, ver. 3.—But in all this they counteracted the true end of the law of Moses, which, though a political law, being given

33. As it is written, (Is. viii. 14.) Behold I place in Sion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence; Yet whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Is. xxviii. 16.)

33. This happened according to what was foretold, Behold I place in Sion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. Yet whosoever believeth on this crucified Christ, as à sure foundation of the temple of God, and rests his hope of righteousness on that foundation, shall not make haste, out of the presence either of men or of God, as ashamed of believing on him:

teacher of religion, and fell. They lost righteousness, together with all their privileges as the people of God. The words in the original, was πιστευων #D'AUTOV 8 Rata-may more literally be translated, No one who believe:h on bim shall be ashamed. For to use Grotius's note on this verse: "Universalis Vox, sequente negativa, apud Hebræos est pro negativa universali."

by God, and requiring a perfect obedience to all its precepts under the penalty of death, was in fact a republication of the original law of works. See Gal. iii. 10. note 2. Rom. vii. Iliustr. ver. 5., made, not for the purpose of justifying the Jews, but to shew them the impossibility of their being justified by law, that they might be obliged to go to Christ for that blessing, who was exhibited in the types of the law, ver. 4.- -That the law required perfect obedience to all its precepts, the apostle proved from Moses's description of the righteousness which it enjoined, and the reward which it promised. The former consisted in doing all the statutes and judgments of God, delivered in the law. The latter in a long and happy life in Canaan. But an obedience of this kind is impossible, and its reward of no great value, ver. 5.-Whereas the righteousness enjoined by the gospel, and the reward which it promises, are very different. It enjoins a righteousness of faith, which is easy to be attained; and promises eternal life, a reward no where promised in the law. For, saith the apostle, the gospel which requires the righteousness of faith, to shew that that righteousness may casily be attained, thus speaketh to all mankind to whom it is now preached: Do not object to the method of justification revealed in the gospel, that Christ the object of thy faith is removed far from thee, and there is no person to bring him down from heaven since his resurrection and ascension, that thou mayest see and believe on him, ver. 6.-Neither object to his being the

promised seed, in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed, that he was put to death, and there is no person to bring him up from the grave, that thou mayest see him crowned with glory and honour by the miracle of his resurrection, ver. 7.—For the gospel tells thee, the object as well as the duty of faith is brought nigh thee; it is explained and proved to thee in the clearest manner, and is easy to be performed, as it hath its seat in the mouth and in the heart, being the doctrine concerning Christ, which we preach by inspiration, and confirm by miracles, ver. 8.—namely, That if thou wilt confess with thy mouth before the world, that Jesus is Lord and Christ, and wilt believe in thine heart, that God raised him from the dead, and thereby declared him to be both Lord and Christ, thou shalt be saved: a reward which the law does not promise to any one, ver. 9.—For with the heart we believe, so as to obtain righteousness, and with the mouth confession of our faith is made, so as to have assurance of our salvation, ver. 10.—The righteousness of faith, therefore, enjoined in the gospel, is in its nature and in its reward, entirely different from the righteousness enjoined in the law.

To the second objection, that the admission of the Gentiles into the church and covenant of God without circumcision, is contrary to the covenant with Abraham, the apostle replied, that the prophets have taught the salvation of the Gentiles by faith; particularly Isaiah, in these words: Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed, ver. 11.-And to shew that the expression whosoever, does not mean whosoever of the Jews only, but whosoever of the Gentiles also, the apostle observed, that in bestowing salvation, God makes no distinction between Jew and Greek; but being equally related to all, is rich in goodness towards all who call upon him, ver. 12.-Besides, Joel hath expressly declared, ch. ii. 32. That whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, ver. 13.-But perhaps ye will reply, that Joel does not speak of the Gentiles, because it cannot be said, that they believe on the true God, and worship him, since he was never preached to them by any messengers divinely commissioned, ver. 14.—although such messengers ought to have been sent to them long ago, according to Isaiah, who insinuates, that they would have been received with joy, namely in that passage, where he says, How beautiful are the feet of them, &c. ver. 15.-But to this I answer, that in the passage last mentioned, Isaiah declares what ought to have happened, and not what would have happened, if the true God had been preached

to the Gentiles. For he foresaw, that even the Jews, who were well acquainted with the true God, would not believe the report of the preachers of the gospel, concerning the Christ, notwithstanding it ought to have been as acceptable to them, as the preaching of the true God to the Gentiles, ver. 16. However, granting that faith in the true God cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God preached, it will not follow, that the Gentiles could not believe on the true God, ver. 17.-For though ye say, they have not heard concerning him, so as to be able to believe on him and worship him, I must tell you, yes verily they have heard; for from the beginning of the world, God hath preached to all men his own being, perfections, and worship, by that grand exhibition of himself which he hath made in the works of creation, as is plain from Ps. xix. 4. Their sound hath gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. All mankind, therefore, may know and worship the true God, and be saved, agreeably to Joel's declaration above mentioned, ver. 18.-But ye will say, Is it not a great objection to this doctrine, that Israel, to whom the oracles of God were intrusted, is ignorant of the salvation of the Gentiles through faith, and of their reception into the church and covenant of God equally with the Jews? I answer, If the Jews are ignorant of these things, it is their own fault. For Moses foretold them in the law, ver. 19.—and Isaiah yet more plainly, ver. 20.—who insinuated, that the calling of the Gentiles to be the people of God, by the preaching of the gospel, would provoke the Jews exceedingly, and harden them in their infidelity; insomuch, that though Christ in person, and by his apostles, should long and earnestly endeavour to persuade them, they would not believe on him, ver. 21.

In this manner did the apostle lay open the true causes of the unbelief of his countrymen. They rejected the gospel, because it reprobated that meritorious righteousness, which they endeavoured to attain, by performing the sacrifices and ceremonies of the law of Moses; and because it required them to seek salvation, by believing on Jesus, as Lord and Christ, and offered salvation to all the Gentiles, who believed. But the Jews were greatly to blame in rejecting the gospel upon these grounds, seeing their own prophets had taught, that whosoever believeth on the true God, and worshippeth him sincerely, shall be saved, although he be preached to them no otherwise than by the works of creation. To conclude, the same prophets having ex

pressly foretold, that the Jews, by the calling of the Gentiles, would be provoked to reject the gospel, and for that sin should themselves be cast off, the apostle represented these things to them, in the hope that such among them as were candid, when

OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. X. 1 Brethren,

my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israelis, that they might be saved.

2 For I bear them re

cord, that they have a zeul

of God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not sub

mitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

5 For Mosesdescribeth

5 Μωσης γαρ γράφει την the righteousness which δικαιοσυνην την εκ του νόμου,

Ver. 1.-1. That they may be saved. Israel, or the whole body of the Jew. ish nation, who were ignorant of the righteousness of God, being the subject of this wish, saved must mean their coming to the knowledge and belief of the gospel; a sense in which the word is used, 1 Tim. ii. 4. Who willeth all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Also Rom. xi. 26. And so all Israel shall be saved. Farther, if the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, mentioned ch. ix. 22. were the unbelieving Jews, and if that description implied that they were under God's curse of reprobation, the apostle would not here have prayed for their salvation at all.

Ver. 4.-1. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Estius and Elsner are of opinion, that by Tvous, is meant the fulfilling of the law: both because T is used in that sense, Luke xxii. 37. These things which are predicted of me, τελΘ έχει, are fulfilled, and because in giving an account of what our Lord said when he expired, the evangelist John, chap. xix. 30. uses the derivative word in that sense, Τετέλεσαι, sup. παντα ; All things are accomplished. Beza thinks, that as the law was designed to justify them whe