himself the only worshipper of the true God left; whereas, in fact, there were many who remained faithful.
(4) But what saith the answer of God unto him P I have reservea to myself seven thousand men, &c. ; 1 Kings 19 : 18. Ansiuer of God, divine response or oracle ; see the use of the. corresponding verb, Heb. 12 : 25. 11 : 7. Matt. 2: 12. Luke 2 : 26. Acts 10 : 22. It is probable that the number seven thousand is to be taken for an indefinitely large number. Those who remained faithful to God are described as those who did not bow the knee to Baal. This was a Phcenician or Canaan- itish deity, frequently worshipped by the idolatrous Hebrews. The word Baal properly means Lord, Ruler, and probably designates the same deity which among the Chaldeans was called Bel or Belus. The name is almost always masculine. The Septuagint prefix the feminine article to it in Hos. 2 : 8. Jer. 2:8. 19:5. Zeph. 1 : 4, but in no one of these places is there any thing in the Hebrew to indicate that a female deity is intended. As Paul prefixes the feminine article, it may be ex- plained either by supposing the word for image to be understood, as our translators have done and read, "Who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal;" or by taking the word as of the common gender, and used as the name of both a male and female deity. These false gods were either the sun and moon, or the planets Jupiter and Venus.
(5) Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant ac cording to the election of grace. As in the days of Elias there was a number which, although small in comparison with the whole nation, was still much greater than appeared to the eye of sense ; so at the present time, amidst the general defection of the Jews, and their consequent rejection as a people, there is a remnant, graciously chosen of God, who are not cast off. The phrase election of grace, agreeably to the familiar scriptural idiom, means gracious election. Gracious, not merely in the sense of kind, but gratuitous, sovereign, not founded on the merits of the persons chosen, but the good pleasure of God. This explanation of the term is given by the apostle himself in the next verse. Remnant accord- ing to the gracious election is equivalent to remnant gratuitously chosen ; see ch. 9:11, and vs. 21, 24 of this chapter. Paul, therefore, designs to teach that the rejection of the Jews was not total, because there was a number whom God had chosen, who remained faithful, and constituted the true Israel, or elected people, to whom the promises were made.
(6) And if hy grace, then it is no more of vjorhs ; otherwise grace is no more grace. This verse is an exegetical comment on the last clause of the preceding one. If the election spoken of be of grace, it is not founded on works, for the two things are incompatible. It evidently was, in the apostle's view, a matter of importance that the entire freeness of the election of men to the enjoyment of the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom, should be steadily kept in view. He would not otherwise have stopped, in the midst of his discourse, to insist so much on this idea.