Whereas, ver. 2, he saith to the Jews, that though he shall most diligently have called and sent apostles unto them, never giving over, till their measure of iniquities being filled up their destruction was now at the door, as a night at the end of a long day, yet they will continue refractory, and not believe the ⁴ Faith indeed, "Apa ἡ νίστιν. not of me. ⁵ voice is gone out into all the land. ⁶ inquired For I shall declare this mystery to you, this great secret of God's providence, (which may keep the Gentiles from being proud, vv. 18. 20,) viz., that a great part of the people of the Jews are now at this present become blind, and that that is made use of by God, that, by occasion of that, the gospel may (by departing a while from them) be preached to and received by the generality of the Gentiles, and they compacted into Christian churches, (and this in very mercy to those Jews, that they by seeing the Gentiles believe might at length be provoked to do so too, by way of emulation, vv. 11. 31.)