Ill
from the goal to the race of faith, and from eternal glory, as it were, backward to the eternity itself, in which God decreed the glorifying of His people. — \_Comp. Ps. xvi. 3.]
31. n p'og raura) to [as regards] these things , which have been spoken of in chapters iii. v. viii. : that is to say, we cannot go, -we cannot think, we cannot wish for anything farther. And if any one, by reason of his unbelief, should feel inclined to bring forward anything in opposition to these things (comp. Luke xiv. 6, to=in opposition to these things) he cannot do it. [It may he justly said , that the gate of heaven is thrown open in this passage , ver. 31—39. — Y. g.] — si) if. The conditional used instead of the causal, renders the conclusion the stronger. Many are of opinion, that there are three sections [ periochce , complete portions of the discourse] in this passage, every one of which begins by an in- terrogation with tic, who ? with an anaphora,1 and has its answer immediately following, which is called anthypophora.2 But the apostle contemplated a different analysis. There are four sec- tions beginning with this verse ; one, a general section ; and three special ones : every one of them has glorying concerning Grace in the first instance ; and then presently after a suitable question, challenging all opposition, to which the expression, I am per- suaded, is an answer. The first, a general section, is this : If God he for us, who can he against us f The first special section is this, which concerns the past : He ivho did not even spare His own Son, hut delivered Him up for us all ; How shall He not also with Him forgive [But Engl. Yers. freely give ] us all things ? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect ? (Where in the question, the logical consequence is from [is drawn from] glorying concerning the past : for the nature of the subject did not admit of the section being only expressed by preterite tenses. Accordingly there is [besides the Preterites] also a double f uture in, shall He forgive , shall lay to the charge ; but it has a manifest reference to past events. God will forgive all the sins, that have been committed [by believers]. No one can now accuse God’s
1 The frequent repetition of the same word in the beginnings of sections. — See Appendix.
2 See Appendix. The answer to a foreseen objection of an adversary, by anticipation, or an answer to an objection actually made, by the statement of an opposite sentiment or fact.
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