Rom. 9 Rom. 9:1–5 Paul professeth an unfeigned sorrow for the Jewish nation, Rom. 9:6–13 but proveth by instance from Scripture that the promise to Abraham did not necessarily include all his descendants, Rom.

The apostle being about to treat of the rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles, before he enters upon it, he premiseth a preface, to prepare the minds of the Jews to a patient reading or hearing the same; and in this preface, he solemnly protesteth his love to his nation, and his…

His grief for his nation and people he expresseth, 1. By the greatness of it; it was such as a woman hath in travail so the word imports. 2. By the continuance of it; it was continual, or without intermission. 3. By the seat of it; it was in his heart, and not outward in his face.

I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ; or, separated from Christ. This verse hath greatly vexed interpreters. Some read it, I did wish myself accursed from Christ: q.d.

In this and the following verse, he rehearseth the privileges and advantages the Jews had from God, above all other nations of the earth; and this he doth to show, that he had good reason to make such a wish, as in the foregoing verse; as also, that what he should declare concerning the Jews, and…

Whose are the fathers; who are lineally descended of the holy patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with other holy fathers and prophets, and of the same blood. This was also a great privilege, of which the Jews boasted.

An objection is here obviated: the Jews might object and say: If they were cast off and rejected, then God is unfaithful, and all his promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their seed, are ineffectual. To this he answers by a distinction of Israelites.

He had before made a difference of Israelites, and now he makes a difference of the seed of Abraham. This was ever and anon in the mouths of the Jews: We are Abraham’s seed, John 8:33.

q.d. That I may speak more plainly, all those that are the children of Abraham according to the flesh, are not therefore the adopted children of God; it is not their blood, but their faith, must make them such.

The birth of Isaac was a thing extraordinary; for which, neither Abraham nor Sarah had any ground to hope, but only that promise made, Gen. 18:10, in these words: At this time, or according to this time, i.e.

And not only this; some read it, And not only she; the particle this is not in the Greek. When Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac: this instance is added, because there might be some objection against the former; as if there were some reason why God chose Isaac, and refused…

For the children being not yet born: q.d. As there was nothing in the birth of those twins, so neither in their works, that occasioned the difference that God made between them; for when God spake of what should happen to them, they were unborn, and had done neither good nor evil.

This verse is to be read with Rom. 9:10–11 being a parenthesis. Then when she resorted to the Lord for counsel, about the struggling of the children in her womb, it was told her, or revealed to her of God, that the elder should serve the younger: of the sense of which words, sea annotations on Gen.

The foregoing oracle is expounded by another, taken out of Mal. 1:2–3; see the annotations there. Because the foregoing passage of Esau’s serving Jacob doth not seem so full and clear, to betoken the election of Jacob, and the rejection of Esau, in the purpose of God, therefore the apostle brings…

Another anticipation of an objection. Some might object and say: If God elect some, and reject others, their case being the same, or their persons being in themselves equal and alike, then he is unjust and partial. To this he answers, 1.

q.d. God is not chargeable with any injustice in electing some, and not others; for this is an act of mere mercy and compassion, and that can be no violation of justice. To prove this, he cites a testimony out of Ex. 33:19, which see.

q.d. God’s election is not of Jacob’s, or of any other man’s, willing or running; i.e. it is not from his good desires or deeds, his good inclinations or actions, or from the foresight thereof; but it is of God’s mere mercy and good pleasure. This text wounds Pelagianism under the fifth rib.

This verse shows, that God is not unjust in rejecting others of equal condition with the elect; for the proof of which, he cites a testimony out of Ex. 9:16. This verse must be joined with Rom. 9:14. God forbid; for the Scripture saith, i.e.

This verse is a short repetition of the foregoing argument. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy: see Rom. 9:15, and the notes there. And whom he will he hardeneth; i.e. in a judicial way.

Here he obviates a third objection or cavil. The first was, that God is unfaithful, Rom. 9:6; the second, that God is unjust, Rom. 9:14; now the third is, that God is severe and cruel.

Here follows the answer to this cavil; which is either personal to the caviller, in this and the next verse, or real to the cavil, in the two following verses.

He argueth from the less to the greater, that if a potter hath power over his clay, to form it as he pleaseth, then God hath much more power over his creatures, to form them or order them as he listeth. God’s authority over his creature, is greater than that of a potter over his clay.

In this and in the next verse, is a real answer to the cavil in Rom. 9:19. The apostle having spoken before of God’s absolute right and power over his creatures, to dispose of them at his pleasure, as the potter doth his clay; lest any should tax God with tyranny and partiality towards his…

q.d. Again, on the other side, what hast thou to say, if he proceed more mercifully with others? Seeing: 1. He thereby manifesteth the riches of his glory, or his glorious grace; and seeing: 2. They are vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory; i.e.

Hitherto he hath been showing, that the promise was never made or meant to the carnal seed of Abraham. This argument he began, Rom. 9:6–7, and he continues it (using several apostrophes and amplifications, which were to his purpose) till he comes to these words; and here he tells you plainly who…

Here the apostle proves, that the Gentiles were children of the Promise, or that the promise belonged to them, as well as to the Jews: and because the Jews could not endure to hear of this, he cites two testimonies out of Hosea, to convince them: one is in this verse, and it is taken out of Hos.

This testimony is taken out of Hos. 1:10; and it is as if he had said: This that I affirm concerning the conversion and calling of the Gentiles, is nothing else but what the prophet Hosea long ago did preach to our fathers.

In this and the two next verses he proves, that it was foretold of old, by Esaias the prophet, that God should pass by the greatest part of the Jews, and save only a remnant, or a few of them. Crieth; hereby is noted the prophet’s zeal, or his openness and plainness.

This verse is also found in that forecited place, Isa. 10:22–23. The apostle in this, and in the other citations, follows the Seventy, which was a received translation, and had been in request about three hundred years, though in this, and in other places, it is very different from the Hebrew text.

As Esaias said before; in Isa. 1:9. The Lord of sabaoth; or, of hosts: the mighty God, whose hosts all creatures are, which execute his will, as soldiers the will of their commander. Had left us a seed: he means by a seed, the same that he meant before by a remnant, a small number.

This is the conclusion of the apostle’s discourse about the election of some and the rejection of others; as also about the calling of the Gentiles and the casting off the Jews.

Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness; i.e. the unbelieving Jews, who paid great reverence to the law of God, regarding and observing the outward precepts and ceremonies thereof.

Here is the reason of the foregoing seeming paradox; why they, who followed after the law of righteousness, should not attain it, rather than other. Because they sought it not aright; they sought it not in a way of believing, but of working.

As it is written; viz. in Isa. 8:14, Isa. 28:16; to which prophecy also the apostle Peter refers, in 1 Pet. 2:6–8. A stumbling stone; Jesus Christ is properly a corner-stone, elect and precious; but accidentally and eventually a stumbling-stone, Luke 2:34. Ashamed; or confounded.