ix. 16, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, spared thee from the pestilence and other plagues, continued thee in thy place when thou didst deserve to have been cut off, that I might shew my power in thee, make thee a signal example, that by thy wonderful destruction my name might be declared throughout all the earth,

18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and from whom he will he withdraweth his Spirit.

19 But perhaps you Jews will then say to me, If this be the case, if God hath taken away his Spirit from us, why doth he yet find fault with us? None can resist his will; we therefore are not to blame. 20 Nay but, O man, [O Jew, filled with impenitence and unbelief, who hast rejected the gospel of the Saviour,] who art thou that repliest against God, pretendest to judge his ways, and cloke thy free agency with such an excuse? Shall the thing say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus ?

21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make on vessel unto honour, and another unto meaner use?

22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, [his justice in the end,] and make his power known, endured with long-suffering, for many ages, the vessels of wrath, [those children of Abraham according to the flesh, who were not the children of the promises, impenitent, unbelievers,] fitted to destruction:

23 That he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, even the remnant whom

he had saved and those whom he would call, whom he had afore prepared, without any deserts of theirs, unto glory;

24 Even unto us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.

25 As he saith also by the Prophet Hosea, (ii. 23,) I will call them [the Gentiles] my people, which were not my people; and her [my church] beloved, which was not beloved.

26 And by the same prophet, (Hosea i. 10,) he saith, It shall come to pass, that in that place [Judea, Jerusalem] where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God.

27 Isaiah also prophesieth concerning Israel, Isa. x. 22, 23, Though the number of the children of Israel [impenitent, unbelievers,] be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

28 For he will finish the work, and cut the people short in his righteous judgment: a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

29 And as the same prophet said in a former chapter, (Isaiah i. 9,) Except the Lord had left us a remnant, we should have been utterly destroyed, as Sodom and Gomorrah.

30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which knew not the law of Moses, have attained to righteousness, even by faith in Jesus.

31 Whereas the people of Israel, who had the law, have not attained righteousness.

32 Wherefore? because they sought it not by

faith in Christ, but by the works of the law. For they objected to this justification by faith, stumbled at it, could not understand it.

33 As it is written, (Isaiah viii. 14,) Behold I send my Son, the Saviour of the world, to my people Israel, to whom he will be a stumbling-stone, a cause of offence: nevertheless, whosoever believeth on him shall never be ashamed.

CHAP. X.

1 BRETHREN, the desire of my heart, and my prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be turned to Jesus, and be saved.

2 For I will bear this witness of them, that they have zeal towards God, although it be not well directed.

3 For they being ignorant of God's method of justification through the gospel, and having endeavoured to establish a way by their own works, have not submitted themselves unto the dispensation by Jesus Christ.

4 For he is the fulfilment of the prophecies and types of the law of Moses, and stands in the place of good works to every true believer.

5 For Moses thus describes the way of salvation by the law, Lev. xviii. 5, That the man which doeth these things, who is perfect in his obedience, shall live [be saved] by them.

6 But the righteousness which is by faith in Jesus, says this, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend

into heaven? Who shall of themselves do any thing in this great work, or forward this great salvation, or bring down Christ to save us

?

7 Or who shall descend into the deep, [even as Moses said, Deut. xxx. 12, 13,] to bring up this salvation for us [raise up Christ from the dead to be our sacrifice]?

8 But what saith it? Even as Moses, Deut. xxx. 14. The word [means] is before thee, [nigh thee,] even in thy mouth and in thy heart: this it is, [the word of faith in Jesus,] which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, [openly and at all times profess thyself his disciple,] and shalt believe in thine heart that God has, for thy salvation, raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For inward faith purifying the heart, and open profession honouring him before all men, leadeth to salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Isaiah xxviii. 16, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no respect of persons with God, no difference between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord over all, is rich in mercy to all that call upon him.

13 For the prophet Joel saith, ch. ii. 32, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How can they call on him in whom they have not believed? how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ?

D

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, Isaiah lii. 7, How beautiful are the feet [the coming, the appearance] of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But not all who have heard have obeyed the gospel. This we must have expected, for Isaiah, liii. 1, saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, have they not heard? has not the gospel been preached to them? Yes verily, as David foretold, Psalm xix. 4, [so wonderfully shall it spread, the apostles shall so prevail, that] their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

19 But I say, Ought not the Jews to have foreseen this? Did not Israel know that the Gentiles would be called? First, Moses told them, Deut. xxxii. 21, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

20 But Isaiah is very bold, he speaks out clearly, and saith, chap. lxv. 1, I was found of them [the Gentiles] that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

21 But to the Jews he saith, Isaiah lxv. 2, All day long [all ages, always] I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.