whilst so large a portion of the heathen world remains still unconverted.

This difficulty will, however, I think, be removed, if we attend to the Apostle's argument in the context. I say then, he observes, ver. 11, have they (the Jews) stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing (marginal reading, decay or loss) of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? Ver. 11, 12, 15.

From this it appears, that the future conversion of the Jews is to be much more the riches of the world than their rejection formerly was? Now their rejection was the occasion which it pleased God to take, of sending salvation to the Gentiles; their conversion, therefore, will be much more the occasion of advancing that salvation; in other words, a much greater display of the riches of divine grace, among the Gentile nations, shall follow the return of the Jews to the privileges of the church of God, than attended their rejection from that church. Thus, as the casting away of the Jews was the means of the reconciliation

of the world, by the Gospel being spread among the nations, the receiving of the Jews into the Christian church shall not merely be a more extensive reconciling of the world, but absolutely as life from the dead; shall occasion such a general conversion of the heathen (probably by the means of the Jews embracing in every quarter, and propagating, with zeal and affection, the doctrine of the cross), that the whole benighted mass of Pagan and Mahometan nations shall start into spiritual life, as by a resurrection from the grave.

With this view of the Apostle's general argument almost all commentators agree. They differ, however, in the manner of accommodating the expression of the text to that conclusion. Some have thought, that the fulness of the Gentiles here refers only to that number which God may be pleased to save whilst the blindness of the Jews continues. Others interpret it in the sense of a supplement, or filling up of a void, as the word is employed in St. Matthew, chap. ix. 16, and consider that the blindness of the Jews will continue, till so many Gentiles are converted as to fill the void made by their rejection. A far larger class of divines explain the fulness here, of the fulness of the times, expounding it as synonymous with the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled, mentioned Luke, xxi. 24.

The objection to all these comments is, that it requires us to understand the word λńρwμa in our text, in a different sense from that in which the Apostle employs the same word, in the same argument, only a few verses before. But if a natural and consistent resolution of the apparent difficulty can be found, without altering the sense of the word, I conceive it must in all respects be preferable. In the 12th verse the Apostle evidently employs the term as synonimous with the general reception of the Jews into the Christian Church, and as opposed to their being diminished or cast off. In like manner, I conceive it to require the same interpretation here, and to mean the general conversion of the Gentile world.

It remains, then, to be seen, whether the words connected with this term allow us to affix this signification to it. The expression, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, though presenting to the English reader the sense I have already adverted to, does not, I apprehend, require us to understand, that the entire number of Gentile converts shall be accomplished before the blindness be removed from the Jews, but only that the event referred to, the fulness of the Gentiles, shall BE COMING IN, shall have ENTERED, as it were, or come on the stage, shall have BEGUN TO TAKE PLACE, shall be IN THE ACT OF BEING ENTIRELY AND

GRADUALLY ACCOMPLISHED*. The reference is thus rather to the commencement of the great event, than to its absolute completion; to something which shall introduce the salvation of Israel, and be in part contemporaneous with that blessing, in part consequent upon it, than to a consummation entirely fulfilled previously to the conversion of the Jews, and terminated before that conversion takes place. The word which the Apostle uses to connect his argument, And so (not, and then) all Israel shall be saved, may perhaps be just mentioned, as rather favouring the view we are now taking, that is, the general connexion of the fulness of the Gentiles with the conversion of Israel, than the exact and severe order in the succession of the events themselves.

If this then be the fair interpretation of the passage as considered by itself, I conceive we are the more strongly called upon to adopt it, by the consideration of the Apostle's general

2

*Αχρις & το πλήρωμα των ἐθνῶν εἰσελθῃ. Donec, quousque, tantisper dum, usque ad id tempus quo plenitudo gentium intraret. Usque quo plenitudo gentium intraret. Usque dum introierit. Usque dum ingressi fuerint. Donec intraret. Quoad ingrederetur perfectio gentium. Such are the chief renderings of the antient versions. They all admit, in common with our English translation, the natural interpreta tion of an event or transaction entering, being in the act of coming in. See Jewish Expositor, vol. i. p. 41.

train of argument in this chapter, which I have already noticed. The brief remark in the text is surely to be explained, if any ambiguity rest on it, by the preceding adequate statement of the inspired writer. Besides, it is in the Apostle's manner, after he has dwelt fully on any topic, to advert to it afterwards by a rapid and incidental reference, trusting to his previous statement for the right interpretation of the whole.

In this way I trust a consistent sense is assigned to the apostle's argument, and the conclusion may fairly be drawn, that the judicial. blindness will continue on the nation of Israel till the predicted conversion of the Gentiles begin to be accomplished. Then, when this fulness is actually coming in, all Israel shall be saved, and the antient people of God shall again become a blessing to the world. As they were at first chosen from the heathen nations and consecrated as the guardians of religion, and the progenitors of the Messiah for the purpose of blessing all the nations of the earth, and as these blessings of the Redeemer's grace were disseminated at the first promulgation of the Gospel, by the means of their unbelief and rejection of God; so their future reception into the Christian Church shall be the occasion of the universal propagation of the Christian faith. Thus, as the Jews became enemies, as concern