God hath not cast off all Israel. The Gentiles may not insult over them. God's judgments are unsearchable.
Anno Domini 58.
OUR Lord having declared to the chief priests and elders of the Jews, that the kingdom of God was to be taken from the Jews and given to the Gentiles, Matthew 21:43 also having foretold to the same persons the burning of Jerusalem, Matthew 22:7 and to his disciples the demolition of the temple, and the dispersion of the nation, on account of their unbelief, Luke 21:24 we cannot think that the Christian preachers would conceal these things from their unbelieving brethren. Stephen seems to have spoken of them, Acts 5:13 and St. Paul often. For the objection which he puts in the mouth of a Jew, Romans 3:3. Will not their unbelief destroy the faithfulness of God? is founded on his having affirmed that the nation was to be cast off, and driven out of Canaan. Farther, the same Apostle, in chap. 9: of this epistle, has shewn, that without injustice God might take away from the Jews privileges which he had conferred on them gratuitously; and even punish them by expelling them from Canaan for their disobedience. Wherefore that the foreknowledge of the evils which were coming on their brethren, might not affect the Jewish Christians too much, the Apostle, in this chapter, comforted them, by assuring them that the rejection of the nation was not to be total, Romans 11:1-10.—Neither is it to be final, but for a limited time only, to make way for the entering of the Gentiles into the church, by whose reception the Jews at last will be provoked to emulate them, and will receive the Gospel; Romans 11:11-16.—On this occasion the Apostle exhorted the Gentiles, now become the visible church of God, not to speak with contempt of the Jews who were rejected, because if they themselves became disobedient toGod, they should in like manner be cast off; Romans 11:17-24.—Then, for the consolation of the Jewish converts, he assured them that, after the fulness of the Gentiles is come into the church, the whole nation will be converted to the Christian faith, as was predicted by Isaiah; Romans 11:25-27.
The great events in the divine dispensations displayed in this chapter; namely, the rejection and dispersion of the Jewish nation, the abrogation of the law of Moses, the general conversion of the Gentiles, and the future conversion and restoration of the Jews, St. Paul was anxious to place in a proper light; because the Jews, believing that no person could be saved out of their church, interpreted the prophesies concerning the calling of the Gentiles, of their conversion to Judaism. What impression his declarations concerning these events made on the unbelieving Jews of his own time, is not known. This only is certain, that in a few years after the Epistle to the Romans was written, the Apostle's prediction concerning the rejection of the Jews, and the destruction of their religious and political constitution, received a signal accomplishment. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, the temple was thrown down to the foundation, and such of the Jews as survived the war were sold into foreign countries for slaves. The Levitical worship, by this means, being rendered impracticable, and the union of the Jews as a nation being dissolved, God declared, in a visible manner, that he cast off the Jews from being his peculiar people, and that he had put an end to the law of Moses, and to the Jewish peculiarity. Wherefore, after the pride of the Jews was thus humbled, and their power to persecute the Christians was broken, any opposition which, in their dispersed state, they could make to the Gospel was of little avail; and any attempts of the judaizing teachers to corrupt its doctrines, on the old pretence of the universal and perpetual obligation of the law of Moses, must have appeared ridiculous. And this is what the Apostle meant, when he told the Romans, chap. Romans 16:20. That the God of peace would bruise Satan under their feet shortly.—Farther, in regard that the Apostle's predictions concerning the rejection of the Jews have long ago been accomplished, we have good reason to believe that the other events foretold by him will be accomplished likewise in their season; namely, the general coming of the Gentiles into the Christian church, and the conversion of the Jews in a body to the Christian faith, and their restoration to the privileges of the people of God.
His discourse on these important subjects the Apostle concluded with remarking, that Jews and Gentiles, in their turn, having been disobedient to God, he has locked them all up as condemned criminals, that he might in one and the same manner have mercy on all, by bestowing on them, from mere favour, the blessings promised in the covenant with Abraham, Romans 11:30-32. And being deeply affected with the survey which he had taken of God's dealings with mankind, he cried out, as ravished with the grandeur of the view, O the riches, both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33-35.—Then he ascribed to God, the glory of having created the universe, and of preserving and governing it, so as to make all things issue in the accomplishment of those benevolent purposes, which his wisdom had planned from the beginning, for making all his believing creatures happy, Romans 11:36.
In this sublime manner has the Apostle finished his discourse concerning the dispensations of religion which have taken place in the different ages of the world. And, from his account, it appears, that these dispensations were adapted to the then circumstances of mankind; that they are parts of a grand design, formed by God, for delivering all that will believe of the human race from the evil consequences of sin, and for exalting the faithful to the highest perfection of which their nature is capable: and that both in its progress, and its accomplishment, the scheme of man's salvation contributes to the establishment of God's moral government, and to the displaying of his perfections in all their lustre to the whole intelligent creation. This grand scheme, therefore, being highly worthy of God its author, the Epistle to the Romans, in which it is so beautifully displayed in its several parts, is certainly one of the most useful books of Scripture, and merits to be read with attention, not by Christians only, but by unbelievers, if they wish to know the real doctrines of revelation, and what the inspired writers themselves have advanced, for shewing the propriety of the plan of our redemption, and for confuting the objections which have been raised, either against revelation in general, or any part thereof in particular.