The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 322

mc-nt; but d. lllntt. ii. 12, Xp,,p.aT1tr9/...,.u tation of 'l'Ov >.. .. cl., auTou, but intended to 1<aT' r,rap ; 11l<a0 Luke ii. 26; Acts x. 22; euforoo the idea of the impoaaibilit.y of HL'h. nii. 5; xi. 7) unto him t I h&ve left the fin11,l rejection of tho r,1oe of lsmol to myself seven thoUBaD.d men, who h&ve (of. ver. 29; also Ps. xciv. 14 nud 1 Sum, not bowed the knee to Ba&l. Even ao at xii. 22). The fact that, throughout the thiB present time also there ia a remnant ohapter, it is Israel as a nation that ia in aooording to the eleotion of graoe. The view, and that the coming of the whole m:011,I iut.erpl'\>tation of this whole passage, nation into the kingdom of Christ is oou- 11nd n0tahly that of the anoients, has been to templatcd in the end, adds decided pro- t&ke the proof of God not having oast off bability to this view of the significance of t,., Im people !IS beginning in ver. l, with "for ,:poi-yv..,, though Kal 'Y"P l-yili, etc., in ver. 1, I all'O," et-<'., and all the rest to be in se- may still be regarded as possibly part of the qnenCE'_ Chrysostom's apl11onation of the proof. St. Paul's deeignntion of llimself as argument is to the following effect : God "of the seed of Abraham" seems meant to ha.s not rejected his ancient people; for I express that he WI\S an Israelite of pure de- myself am eminently of it; aud I ha'l"e been scent, not a proselyte or descended from selected as a chief proclaimer and expounder proselytes. ,In Phil. iii. 5, as well as here, of the gospel to the world; this would not be specifies his tribe os that of Benja.miu, hne been the case if the nation had been the tribe that with Judah had clung to the cast otI. But it may be said to me, " You 8l'0 house of David, and had shared the privi- only one of the ancient people; yon are not leges of Judah. The quotation from 1 the people." Nay, but I do not stand alone; Kings xix. is given freely from the LXX., there are thousands of Israelite believers as varying a little, but not so as to affect the well as m.-self; and these are God's true meaning. One variation is in the feminine, people, the people whom he foreknew. And instead of masculine, article before BdCl,\, of them there may be more than we are aware which has been explained by supposing of : it is as it was in the days of Elia.s ; he ElKov, understood (so in . the Authorized had supposed himself to be left alone; but he Version, " the image of Baal "), or by there wa;; told that there were seven thousand with having been a female Ba.al, or by the god him who were God's true people still And so having been supposed androgynous, or by now, there is a faithful remnant, the nnmber the feminine being used of idols in con- of ...-hich is known to God alone, which is tempt. St. Paul may possibly have foqnd his people still, ac.cording to the election of this reading in his copy of the LXX. The ~ce. The llll,IIle Father further understands variation is of no importance with regard to the citation of the whole of the passage the drift of the passage. " According to the from 1 Kings xix. 14, though not required. election of grace," at the end of ver. 5, does for ihe apostle's proof, to be intended as sig- not seem to be directly suggested by the nificant. It woald have 6llfli.ced, he says, paasage cited, but added by St. Paul so as t.o cite only what was said about a reIDllll.llt to make plain his position -me.iutaincd being left; bot the whole complaint of Eliae throughout the Epistle, and about to be is cited, eo as to show by the way that the pressed in this chapter on the consideration presilnt rejection of Christ and persecution of Gentile Chrietians-tho.t the calling of of the Church by the majority of the Jews all, whether Jews or Gentiles, is "of grace," had also it.s rounterpart fn ancient time.s ; and not claimable as of right by any on the and thm the apostle, he says, >..av6Q.JIOVTuis ground of the merit of their own works. And .,- 77 ,, 1<aTrryopw avriiiv ( i.e. of the nu believ- in order to enforce this position, he adds, And ing Jews) al'i£EL- It is to be observed that if by gra.ce, then is it no more of works: other- the aoo'l"e interpretation of the passage, wise grace ia no more graoe ; i.e. the word which in it.s main poinui has been most ·• grace" loses its essential meaning. [But if generally adopted, goes on two supposi- of works, then is it no more gra,oe : otherwise tions; viz. that "for I also," in ver. 1, is work is no more work.] '£he prepondorn.uoe the first part of the proof that Israel is not of a.ucicut authorities is against the retenUon cast off; and that " which he foreknew," of the claUB0 within brackets, which does not w ver. 2, is inknded as a limitation of the seem required. It is the eame as in eh. iv. 4. mr::aning of "his people." According to Ver. 7.-Wha.t then1 (What is the present anott.er view, decid.t:dly r.t1held by Meyer, state of things?) That which Israel seoketh "far I r.1110" ill not part i,f the proof, but for (i.e. 3,n,otr6nw; cf. eh. ix. 80, 81) he coI1I1001.ed with I'¾ -y,v,mt1: .,. I mUBtneeduay, hatb not obtained; but ihe eleotion. (t.e. the God forbid I being myself a Hebrew of the elect of the Gentiles, with e. remnant only Hebrewt." Then, according to this view, of tho Jews--;, i1<>..o-y¾ being abstr. pr() ec,~ tlu, positive Btatement that God ha. concret., like ,;, 1rEp1'l'Oµh, ,;, a.Kpo/Jvo-Tla, olso- ~wt caat off Lie peopl.to in the l8,ID0 general whc1:e) bath obtained it, and the re■t were 1!£;llllt &M before, afler which ibe proof begins; hardened (br"'p~671trC1v). 'l'ho verb denote1:1 tt.~ i.ddition of tw •pofr11~ D.Qt beinr; a ijrpi- cal101111iie11 rather th11rn blindnef!B, llBUa.117 ua. :n. l-36.J THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 821