ting
them their destiny. If they refused the Saviour whom Paul preached,
if they continued morally unregenerated, then the mere fact of being
Abraham's seed would not save them. As regards their fate hereafter,
they would be as clay in the hands of the potter.

We have thus seen that those passages so much relied on have really
no bearing upon reprobation or predestination. They refer to another
and distinct question--namely, that of SOVEREIGNTY. Had God a RIGHT
to select the Jacobites as the Messianic people instead of the
Edomites? The Jews would not dispute this. But had He a right to
extend mercy as He saw fit? Had He a right to destroy Pharaoh when
he refused to yield? Had He a right to deal with the destinies of
men as He judged right? If He had, then the Jews had not a foot to
stand upon in their absurd contention, that because they had
descended from Abraham they must needs be saved. According to Paul's
theology, God, in the exercise of sovereignty, had appointed faith
as the condition of salvation, and if they refused to comply with
the condition, then, as the Israelites were destroyed in the
wilderness for lack of faith, as Pharaoh was destroyed in the sea
when he refused obedience, and as the potter assigned an inferior
position to the marred vessel, so would the Divine Ruler visit the
Jews with evil if they refused to accept of Christ.

There is nothing in this ninth chapter to frighten any one. The Jew
expected to be saved by works (see vers. 30-33), and on the ground
of his descent from Abraham. The apostle sweeps both of these away,
and presents Christ as the only ground for them. And the ground that
was for them is for all.

THE STONE OF STUMBLING.--In 1 Peter ii. 8 it is written: "And a
stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were
appointed." This text is supposed to teach that the parties spoken
of were appointed to be disobedient. At the first glance it would
seem to teach this. But the principle of interpretation to which we
have referred--namely, that when the mere grammatical construction
of a passage is clearly absurd, it is clear it cannot be the true
one, and we must look for another meaning. Now, if the "whereunto"
refers to the "disobedient," how could they be charged with
disobedience if they were just doing what they were appointed to do?
If Christ was put before those unbelievers for the purpose of making