may be thoughts of love and goodwill in the bofom of God toward fuch, ere all be done the poor people of the Jews are now dealt with, and accounted as enemies, and yet they are beloved; As touching the election, they are beloved for the father's fake. 'VII. Tho' now the people of the Jews are at a low pafs, because of their unbelief, and contempt of the gofpel; yet the covenant made with their fore-fathers Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, is not forgoten by God, but is in force; and by virtue thereof, they have fome room in God's affection yet: They are beloved for the father's fake. VIII. God's taking the people of the Jews, and making them his peculiar people and treasure, and entering into covenant with their fore-fathers, is yet fome ground of hope and expectation, that God will yet renew his ancient kindness and love toward that people, and take them again into his favour. This is the force of the apoftle's argument, to prove that they fhall again be re-enchurched; because, Accarding to the election, they are beloved for the father's fake. IX. When men covenant with God, and walk in that covenant with uprightness of heart, they will not only reap advantage thereby themselves; but their pofterity long after, who follow their footsteps may be the better thereof; they are beloved for the father's fake. See the tenor of the Second Command. X. As when the Lord, who is perfect in wifdom, and infinite in power, and unchangeable, effectually calleth poor fouls in to himfelf, and beftoweth upon them fpecial and fpiritual graces, doth not rue and caft them off again; fo, when he has thoughts of good to a nation, bestowing upon them the grace of repentance, and will therefore bring and call them in to a covenant state, there is nothing that will hinder his purposes from taking effect; the gifts and calling of God are without reRentance. VERSES 30. 31. For as ye in times palt have not believed God, yet have now ob tained mercy through their unbelief: Even fo have these alfo now not believed, that through your mercy they aljo may obtain mercy. Ere is another argument whereby the apostle cleareth the poffibility of the future recovery and converfion of the Jewifh nation, and it is taken from a fimilie, with an advantage too. It is true, would the apoftle fay, the people of the Jews are now wicked, malicious enemies to Chrift and the gospel, and unbelievers; yet for all that they may be converted and brought to believe, and fall in love with the gofpel; for the time was when the Gentiles were unbelievers, and as imperfuafible and untractable as they are this day, and yet, upon occafion of their rejecting of the gofpel, God caft a blink of mercy on you, and made you believe; and why may not the day turn fo, as tho' now they be unbelievers, yet they may obtain mercy and get grace to believe thro' your mercy? If, upon occafion of their rejecting of the gofpel, ye got grace to welcome it; why may not they get grace to welcome it, upon the occafion of your imbracing of it? If their ill hindred not you, much lefs will your good hinder them, but rather pro-voke them the more... OBSERVATIONS.. I. Faith is a flower that groweth not in the garden of either Jew or Gentile by nature; but all naturally are utter ftrangers thereto; for the Gentiles in time paft did not believe, and the Jews alfo have now not believed. II. Let the unbelief of a people or per-fon be never fo great, yet they need not conclude their cafe defperate, and think it impoffible that ever they shall believe in Chrift; for tho' the Gentiles in times past have not believed, yet have they now obtain ed! ed mercy; fo tho' the Jews have now not believed, yet they shall obtain mercy. III. Howbeit many lock on faith as an eafy matter, yet it is beyond the reach of nature, be it never fo decked with human ornaments, and adorned with natural qualifications, yea, and common gifts, as illumination, and the like; it is the merciful act of God, and fuch as get it, obtain mercy; it is the gift of God, for fuch as get it, muft obtain mercy from him, IV. Tho' unbelievers blefs themselves in their heart, and account themselves happy, yet are they truly to be pitied, being in the high-way to hell and deftruction; and it is one of the greatest acts of pity and commiferation that can be fhown to a poor unbeliever, .to beftow faith upon him; fo fuch are faid here to obtain mercy, when they get grace to believe. V. Unbelief under the gofpel, however many account light of it, yet is accompanied with wilful difobedience and rebelli oufnefs; there is an imperfuafible difpofition, a contumacious refractoriness, and an iron finew of wilfulness in every unbeliever under the light of the gofpel: The word rendered here unbelief, fignifies difobedience or unperfuafiblenefs, a fpirit that will not receive conviction nor inftruction. VI. When God has a mind to do good to a people or a perfon, he can bring it about by most unlikely and improbable means, and make ufe of fuch occafions as folk would think would prove occafions to the contrary: God took occafion at the Jews rejecting of Chrift and the gospel, to bring in the Gentiles, and make them believe; Ye have now obtained mercy thro' their unbelief. VII. The confideration of God's wonderful goodnefs and mercy towards other miferable finners, fhould keep us from defpairing thoughts of ourselves, God being unchangeable in mercy and power: for he proves that it is not impoffible that the Jews fhall be recovered, becaufe the Gentiles who were once as evil as they are now, were recovered; Even fo have thefe alf now not believed, that thro' your mercy they alfo may obtain mercy. VIII. God's fhewing kindnefs unto the Gentiles, and taking them in, who were once frangers, may confirm the Jews of their reception; and fince the Jews rejecting of the gofpel, was the occafion of the Gentiles receiving of it; much more shall the Gentiles believing, and receiving the gofpel, be an occafion of inbringing the Jews; they fhall be hereby moved to jealoufy: That through your mercy, they als● may may obtain mercy. IX. God's goodnefs to one people or perfon, will be fo far from proving an ob fruction unto the good of others, that rather it will open a door and make way for the fame; that through your mercy they may obtain mercy. VERSE 32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. THis is the apostle's laft argument to prove the future converfion of the Jews, and it ferves to confirm the preceding, and it is to this purpose, The great end and drift of God, who is infinite and unfearchable in wifdom, in ordering mat ters fo, in his holy and wife difpenfations, as that all, both Jew and Gentile, fhall be once into a ftate of unbelief, locked up therein as in a prifon, is not, that all might remain ftill there, and be undone, but that thereby God may have a greater occafion of manifefting his mercy and grace upon both Jews and Gentiles without difference; and, fo his ordering it fo in his wife difpenfation as that the Jews faculd become unbelievers, fays not, that he will never convert them again; but rather, as they are in the fame prifon of unbelief in which the Gentiles once were, fo fhall they be fet free in God's good time, out of his free love, as well as the Gentiles; for this is God's defign and purpose, that as both were were once concluded in unbelief, fo will God have mercy upon both. OBSERVATIONS. I. When God's difpenfations feem fharpeft and fadeft towards his own chofen people, there may be thoughts of great good in God towards them; for when he concludes his chofen ones in unbelief, he has a mind then to few mercy unto them. II. Even fuch as he hath chofen from eternity, and has a purpose to do good unto, and thew mercy unto at length, are by nature in no better condition than others, but are under the power of fin and unbelief: He hath concluded all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all; even fuch as he will have mercy upon are once concluded in unbelief. III. Tho' we be all by nature lying under the power of fin and unbelief, yet can we not of ourselves win to a thorough conviction of this ftate and condition, but it must be done by the power of the Spirit of God becoming a spirit of bondage, in carcerating the poor foul, fo as it can fee no outgate, but ly in fetters until the day of execution: God has concluded them in unbelief; he has locked them up as in a prifon-houfe where door and window is fhut. IV. God's ordinary way of bringing in his own people to himself, is, by becoming first a spirit of bondage, and fo clofe imprifoning of them as there is no way of efcape: He concludeth them in unbelief, that be might have mercy upon them. V. There is none who can fet a poor imprisoned foul at liberty, and loofe thefe bonds wherewith it is bound, but he who locked them up; he who did caft down, can only raise up again: God hath conclud ed them in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon them. VI. God's delivering of a poor captivated foul, and imprifoned wretch, lying under the fenfe and conviction of guilt, and hazard thereby, is an act of fingular mercy, and fhould be fo accounted: That he might have mere; an act of great kindnels, free grace, love, and rich mercy. VERSE 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! N this laft part of this chapter, the IN аро- ftle is cloling his difputes anent the profound points of religion which he has been treating of from chapter ix. with a grave epiphonema. He has been handling. fome mysterious heads, and clearing them out of the fcripture, as touching Election and Reprobation; the of cafting of the people of the Jews, and the taking in of the Gentiles in their place, and re-enchurching of the Jews with the Gentiles ere all be done; and now being to put an end unto these debates, leaft man's fpirit fhould fwell too big, and have too great a conceit of its own ability and capacity to take up and un-derstand thoroughly these myfterious points, or, if not fatisfied acording to the princi-ples of its own fond reafon, it would cry out against God and his procedure: There-fore he concludes with an exclamation; and, like one in a rapture, he cannot find: words to exprefs his fenfe and apprehenfion of these myfteries; no words can be fo fignificant as to ferve his turn, and therefore he must take the words in their larg-eft capacity, and fo put the.abftract for the concrete, and fay, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, for, O the deeply rich wifdom and know-ledge of God, &c. In this conclufion, there is, 1. The a-poftle's exclamation and admiration vented, and the particulars concerning which he admires mentioned, ver. 33. And, 2. there is the grounds of this given, ver. 34. 35. 36. And, 3. A doxology in the end of verfe 36. First, He cries out, 1. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of Goa! which agree not unto their conceptions; yet this is fo profound and myfterious a gulph, as who dives moft into it will be forced to cry out, O the depth! It far tranfcendeth the reach of man's understanding, that he who knows moft of it, will be forced to admire moft at it: Thus doth Paul admire; a man he was who knew most of this mystery, and yet a man that is ravished with admiration anent this myftery, and cries out, after he has explained the purpose, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! God! wifdom and knowledge are near of kin, and often therefore conjoined by the apostle, as we fee, Col. ii. 3. and hold forth that effential attribute of God, whereby all things poffible, and paft, prefent, and to come, are naked and bare before him, and their natures thoroughly known; he knows all things by his effence, and contrives and orders all things in the beft manner imaginable: The apoftle feeth both in God's wisdom and knowledge, his theoretical and practical understanding, to speak fo; riches, that is, an abundance, and not only fo, but a depth of riches, a vaft huge incomprehenfible measure, an unmeasurable quantity, and fuch a unmeasurable quantity as raifeth his admiration, and makes him cry out, O the depth! &c. 2. How unfearchable are his judgments, fays he; that is, his decrees, purposes and refolutions, are fuch as cannot be fearched out or founded fufficiently; man is not able to fearch them to the bottom. 3. And his ways paft finding it and carrying it on to a period: 0 ing out; that is, his manner of executing and bringing about his decrees and projects. OBSERVATIONS. III. Tho' man, being but a blind mole in the things of God, cannot fee thro' nor difcern how God's great defign of bringing about the falvation of his own chofen, is contrived in the depth of wisdom and knowledge; yet whoever wins to a clear and faving fight and uptaking of this myftery, will fee infinite wisdom contriv the depth of the riches both of the wifdem and knowledge of God! IV. As God is infinite in himself, and every way incomprehenfible; fo all his 1. Whatever truths minifters are deli- perfections and effential attributes being novering unto people, they ought to be fuit- thing but himfelf, (for all that is in God ably affected therewith themselves, and fo is nothing elfe but God,) are beyond the to carry themselves in the way of deliver- reach and capacity of man: his knowledge ing of these truths, as that people may fee and wifdom, in defigning and carrying on they believe the thing which they fay; his deep projects, are infinite, let Atheists, for Paul, after he has been speaking of or faithlefs perfons, fay and conclude the the most fublime points of religion, that contrary as they pleafe: There is riches of they might fee he was fpeaking nothing wisdom and knowledge, and not only fo, but what he conceived to be truth, he but depth of riches; there is a treasure of fhews how much he was affected there-it, and a treasure that cannot be exhaufted: with, and cries out, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! II. Tho' vain and foolish men think to fathom the business of predeftination, and the way of God's carrying on the grand bufinefs he hath upon the wheels, and therefore take that to be the only way of it which fuits moft with their carnal apprehenfions, and caft all other ways O the depth of the riches both of the wif dom and knowledge of God! V. When a foul once is graciously exercifed with the apprehenfions of the perfections of the Most High, and is dwelling upon the fpiritual thoughts of his excellency in his works and difpenfations, he becomes fo ravifhed with the fights he wins to, that, as a man tranfported, he canno get words whereby to exprefs his thought and conceptions: Thus Paul, as one fo | and fecret purpofes and decrees of God, as ravifhed, cries out, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! VI. As no man is upon the fecrets of God, to know his purposes and decrees, till he reveal them, or elfe make them known by the event; fo we muft profefs ourfelves utterly unable to fearch these to the bottom; to know their order, nature, or causes, or the like: We must take up with the apostle, and clofe with this unanfwerable queftion, How unfearchable are bis judgments! VII. Tho' God will certainly carry on his own defigus, and none of his purposes fhall fail; yet oftentimes his way is fo in the deep fea, as none can difcern what he is doing: And many times his own people are, thro' misbelief, defpairing of ever leeing his work finished, when they look upon the face of prefent affairs, and fee nothing but all things runing crofs in appearance. This is a truth paft queftioning, that his ways are past finding out. VERSES 34. 35. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his tounfeller? Or who bath firft given to him, and it shall be recompenfed unto him again? TH 'HE apofle here gives fome grounds of the unfearchablenefs of his judgments and ways, left any should think he was admiring without juft caufe: and that thefe grounds may be the more convincing, he continueth in his propofing the matter queftion-ways, that the undoubted truth thereof may the more fully appear: And, 1. He makes ufe of a paffage out of Ifa. 11. 13. and therein followeth the Seventy, who vary in their words from the Hebrew, but keep ftill their fenfe: In Ifaiah it is, Who hath directed the fpirit of the Lord? or, who hath by weighing or pondering fo found the mind of the Lord as to win to an exect knowledge thereof; that is, Who can fearch out or dive fo into the hid to win to a thorough knowledge of them, fo as to know what his purposes are, and how he defigneth to carry on the fame ? Or, Who hath been his counfeller? What was he who was befide God when he began these purposes to give his advice? Who was the man of his counfel, to direct him what courfe to follow? Was there any body to advife God what to intend, and how to carry on his projects? Thefe queftions have the force of a strong denial, and so he confirmeth that his judgments are unfearchable by men. Then, 2. fays he, Who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompenfed to him again? that is, Who is he to whom God is beholden for his counfel and advice, in the contrivance of his grand purposes? And who is he to whom God is fuch a debtor, as he is bound to give an account of his ways? Or, is there any to whom God is so obliged, as that he may not difpofe of them as he thinks fit, for his own moft holy ends and purposes? If there be any that can fhew the bond, and fhew wherein they have obliged God, they fhall be abundantly recompenfed: All this containeth a flat denial. OBSERVATIONS. I. Tho' the godly have much infight in the ways of God, and know much of his mind, as revealed by his word and works, 1 Cor. ii. 16. yea, and are upon his fecrets, Pfal. xxv. 14. Prov. iii. 32. yet there is none that can challenge to themfelves any hability to dive into the fecret purposes and projects of the Almighty; the wifeft and holiest cannot weigh them, fo as to win to a thorough knowledge of them, but must profess ignorance of thefe: Who hath known the mind of the Lord? II. The infinitely wife God stood not in need of, nor took any counsel or advice from man, who was but of yesterday, in paffing his everlasting decrees, and concluding his purposes; fo that it is but the height of folly for man to call the Lord, |