were only to take up his place, and enter into the fellowship from which himself had been cast out. It is not that he would give up his final salvation, but that he would give up all which was short of his final salvation-that, for example, he who made himself all things to all men if by any means he might save some, would make every lawful approximation in order to reconcile his countrymen to Christ, even though in doing so he should give such offence to all other Christians, as to bring about his own expulsion from their society. He would consent to all temporal infamy and suffering —rather than that his compatriots the Jews should persevere in their obstinate rejection of the Saviour, and incur that awful destruction which he saw to be approaching. He was addressing himself in fact to men who in a great degree were strangers to the conception of a spiritual economy, or of those its spiritual privileges which had their chief place and fulfilment in eternity. Apart from these altogether, the expression of the text had all the strength which it could possibly have to a Jewish understanding, although Paul's imprecation upon himself was felt to extend no further than to the loss of those present distinctions which belonged to him, while in communion with the Christian church, and as a recognised member of the Christian society. It is somewhat in this strain that commentators have attempted to vindicate this effusion of the apostle-though after all it may not be capable of full vindication. There might really have been‚a

distempered extravagance in the mind of the apostle upon this subject, even as there seems to have been in Moses, when, pleading for the forgiveness of the children of Israel, he offered himself as an expiation for their sins. "Yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not blot me I pray thee out of the book which thou hast written." The

proposal met with rebuke and resistance in the answer that was given to it-"And the Lord said unto Moses, whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my book."

Before leaving this part of the subject, I may just take notice of an interpretation which I do think the original admits of, although not much insisted on by scripture critics. The translation really appears more literal, when, instead of being rendered 'I could wish,' it is rendered that I did wish that myself were accursed or separated from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. This signification has the further advantage of being historically true. Paul at one time did for the sake of his countrymen, did, for what he conceived to be the honour and the good of his nation, embark in a most resolute opposition to Christ and to His faith, and would gladly have consented to be in a state of everlasting disunion from Him: And this it is quite pertinent to quote now, in proof of the affection which he still retained for the children of Israel. He appeals to the zeal manifested then in their behalf; and assures them that the same spirit, misdirected though it was at a former part of

his life, of fervent and devoted attachment to those of his own nation, still remained with him—although under the guidance of other views, and now directed to other objects. It is analagous to other appeals made by the apostle, when called to make his own vindication. "I have served God with all good conscience unto this day.' "This I confess to thee, that so worship I the God of my fathers-believing all the things which are written in the law and the prophets." And then in this place, I protest that I have great heaviness of heart, for on your account, I did indeed wish myself separated from that very Christ whom now I press upon your acceptance.

363

LECTURE LXXI.

ROMANS, ix, 4--10, 12.

"Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called; that is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is th word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger."

VER. 4. WHO are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises.

After the utterance of his affection for the Jews, he enters upon the record of their distinctions; and to no nation under the sun does there belong so proud, so magnificent a heraldry. No minstrel of a country's fame was ever furnished so richly with topics; and the heart and fancy of our Apostle seem to kindle at the enumeration of them.

tion-nor are we aware that any critical solution of the difficulty in question, would at all sensibly or materially add to the power of them. In other words, within the limit of these verses there is enough of revelation for the conscience, though not enough perhaps for the curiosity of the reader. The spirit of them might be caught by the very simplest of Christ's disciples, although in the letter of them there may be a something to baffle our profoundest commentators. We have tried to expound some of the obvious instruction wherewith this passage is replete and if there be not enough in it to satisfy the ambition of that knowledge which puffeth up, there is at least enough in it to light up in every soul the glorious inspiration of that charity which edifieth. There may lie within its confines a yet undeveloped mystery, even as there is a spot in the sun which sensibly impairs not the force or the splendour of that luminary. And so, in the words of doubtfulness upon which we at present have alighted, there is nothing that can obscure the general character of the whole-nothing to cloud or to enfeeble the expression of its great principle; or that can in any way dim the manifestation of that Christian philanthropy which so blazed forth in the soul of our devoted apostle, whose heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel was that they might be saved.

Now we need not have stopped perhaps for the utterance of such an observation, did it not apply to the whole Bible. It cannot be denied that in this book, there are some things hard to be under