ished some sore calamity to himself for the advantage of his nation!
Though they have differed respecting the magnitude of the evil which
he wished to suffer for their sake.

Doct. Doddridge considers him, as "wishing to be made a curse for
them, as Christ hath been made a curse for us, that so they might be
delivered from the guilt which they had brought on themselves, and be
entitled to the blessings of the rejected gospel."

Doct. S. Clark views him, as "desirous of suffering the calamities to
which his people were doomed for rejecting and crucifying the Savior,
so that, could they all centre in one person, he wished to be the
person, that he might thereby procure salvation for them!"

Grotius and Pool understand him, as "wishing to be separated from the
church of Christ for the sake of the Jews!" Which differs little from
Doct. Hunter's sense of the passage--to which Doct. Guyse adds, "a
desire of every indignity of man, and to be cut off from communion
with Christ, for the sake of Israel;" whom he strangely considers as
prejudiced against Christianity in consequence of their prejudices
against Paul!

But why should the apostle wish evil to himself for their sakes? What
possible advantage could his sufferings have been to his nation? Is it
possible that those learned expositors should conceive that pains and
penalties inflicted on him could have made atonement for their sins,
and expiated their guilt! They must never have read Paul's epistles or
never have entered into the spirit of them, who could entertain such
views as these; or even suspect that aught, save the blood of Christ,
can atone for human guilt. It is strange, therefore, that they could
have imagined that he wished to suffer with this view. And it is no
less so, that it should be thought that prejudices against Paul could
have occasioned Jewish prejudices against Christianity, when it is so
evident that their prejudices against Paul were wholly occasioned by
his attachment to Christianity--he having been high in their esteem
till he became a Christian.

David once asked to suffer in Israel's stead; but the circumstances of
the case were then totally different from those of the case now before
us. Israel were suffering _for his sin_ in numbering the people; "I
have sinned and done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done?
Let thine hand, I pray thee be against me."--But Paul had not sinned,
to bring evil on his people--the guilt was all their