The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 288

hist,,ry 1md notro with satisfaction how his nation had been e.cknowledged and honoured in ro~nooti,m with God's revelation of himself. The Jewish genius we.s in the sphore of religion. H_e ~tudied also the gre3t capacities of his countrymen, and it was his d,1 wnr1ght connct1on that if they were once won to Christ, their advent to the Christian cause woul~ be as " life from the dead." His fellow-countrymen seemed to him the most ruagmficent of latent possibilities, embodiments of great and noble qualities which simply were waiting to be consecrated to Christ, And it is here that enliahtened 0 Christian patriotism must begin. Let us take the good points, not the bad, in our fellow-countrymen. Let us consider what splendid possibilities they are, and then let us try, by God's blessing, to have these qualities consecrated to our Lord and Master, II. THE CHBI'STIAN PATRIOT WILL NOT EXCUSE HIMSELF FROM SERVING HIS COUNTRY• ~ m-.-nER. TEE PRETENCE OF SOME SPECIAL MISSION. There are some people who are so occupied with special work &s to have no time, as they certainly show littJo tast.e, for what is patriotic. They imagine they have got a dispensation from all patriotic service. But if any one ever had such a dispensation, it was assuredly the Apostle Paul. As soon &s he was con\"erted, he was told he was to be the apostle of the Gentiles. Immediately he blooms into a man of cosmopolitan aims and desires. The whole world becomes his parish, and all men his charge. Might he not, in such circumstances, plead for a division of l:Lbour, and leave the Jews to the care of Peter and of the eleven? Especi&l.ly when he had tasted the bitterness of their persecution &.,,era.inst him, might he not have well excused himself on the plea of his special mission? He might-but, blessed be God. he did not. Though the apostle of the Gontiles, he was so patriotic a.s to have the Jews and their interests always on his heart. It pained him evermore to think that these splendid possibilities were being wasted in a vain endeavour to stem the tide of Christianity that he knew was on the flood, and would reach, in spite of all opposition, its fulness. .And so we see this Christian patriot laying siege of set purpose to the Jewish synagogues on his way; preaching the gospel to the Jews until they would hear no longer; praying for them, writing Epistles about them, and perhaps one to them; in short, doing anything that a patient, pertinacious, per- severing, converted Jew could do for his kinsmen according to the flesh. In view of Paul's special mission, then, no man has any right to excuse himself, as some indeed do, from patriotic service. fil THE CE:BisTUN PATRIOT WILL RECOGNIZE THE SALVATION OF BIS OOUNTBYMEN AS THE MOST DlPOB'll.NT 11E1>"EFrr TREY CAN RECEIVE. It is certainly remarkable that St. Paul, in all his work among the Jews and references in his writings to them, keeps steadily before his mind and theirs that their conversion to Christ would be the greatest boon they could possibly receive. Ho gets involved in no controversy about patriotic politics, but devotes himself to the promulgation of what he believes to be the best religion for the Jews and for any man. He tried, accordingly, to bring them into sympathy with Christ. He preached the Messiahship of Jesus on the ground of the Jewish Scriptures. He showed that there was promised first a suffering and then a glorified Messiah; and that Jesus, now riBen and reigning, embodied all their hopes. He understood their prejudices, for he had himself shared them; he met them manfully, and tried to carry conviction t.o their hearts. The result may have been and often was diEappointing. The patriot was misunderstood, was despised, was rejected, was forced to flee from city to city, was mobbed, stoned, imprisoned, and at last martyred, all because bright as a star above him all the time shone the single purpose of getting hie co•.mtrymen converted to Christ. Now, the same duty lies before all of us, The most patriotic effort a~y one ~n put forth ~. to get all one's fellow-countrym_en brought into fellowship with Cluut. Other policies may be questioned and questionable, but the one about which there can be no question !s t_he pa~riotic one of get~in~ ~ll.we can influence in our country converted to the faith 1n Christ. Let us be his living 1:pi.stles," and we shall be" known o.nd read of all men." IV. THE GwnsTIA?i' PATBlOT WILL BE BEADY FOB Al'l'Y SAOBill'IOE TO BEOUitE BIS KiliSKEli's SALVATION. We have seen how Paul exposed himself for his Jewish countrymen. He waa prepared fur risks. His poor body might be battered, stoned, k.illi:d, but Paul waa quite ready for such eventualities. Nay, the passage before us shows that he Wal! ready for a still greater sacrifice. If it had been possible for him to 110Cure their aal vat.ion by becoming "anathema," that is, separated from Christ, he wa.s on, 1x. 1-33.J THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMA~S. 287