re one's eyes this curtain--the carnal
fancy of a temporal kingdom for Christ, an earthly government for his
Church--the Scriptures cannot be understood. As Paul says of the Jews
(2 Cor 3, 14), the veil remaineth in the reading of the Scriptures.
But this lack of understanding is inexcusable. That is gross and
wilful blindness which will not receive the instruction and direction
imparted by the apostles. The Jews continue to rave against the
Gospel; they will hear nothing of the Christ, though even after
crucifying him they receive the offer of repentance and remission of
sins at the hands of the apostles.

13. That Paul should make bold to tell the most prominent men and
rulers of the whole Jewish nation--the heads of God's people, pillars
of the Church, as we would say--that not only the common rabble, but
likewise they themselves did not know and understand the Scriptures
committed to them; ay, that, not content with such ignorance and
error, they had themselves become the individuals of whom they read,
the murderers and crucifiers of the Son of God, their Saviour--this
was a matter of grave offense indeed!

Offensive indeed was it to have this accusation brought against them,
a people among whom God had ordained his worship, his temple and
priesthood, and for whom he had instituted a peculiar government,
giving the high-priest power to say, Do so or you will be put to
death. Deut 17, 12. And of them were the glorious and great council of
the seventy-two elders originally ordained through Moses (Ex 18,
25-26), the council called the Sanhedrim. They ruled the entire people
and certainly knew right and wrong according to their law.

Was there not reason here to tear Paul to pieces with red-hot pinchers
as a seditious character, a public blasphemer, speaking not only
against the Jewish government but against the honor of God himself;
daring to accuse all the princes of the nation of being in error, of
knowing nothing of the Scriptures, even of being murderers of the Son
of God? The Pope and his crowd lack the credentials of such glory and
endorsement by God. They have merely reared a system of self-devised
doctrine and idolatry, which they still defend. Hence, whatever
censure and condemnation we heap upon the Pope and his crowd is small
in comparison to the thrust Paul dealt the Jewish leaders.

14. Note, Paul does not stand back for anything. He teaches men
utterly to disregard the hue and cry of the offended Jews