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now made manifest and by prophetic scriptures made known to
all nations for the obedience of faith.
Truth has its times and seasons. Man must first realise his
own sinnership and personal transgression, before he learns of
his association with the ruined race and a federal head. At the
time when Romans was written, the moment had come when the
full teaching concerning the `one offence' and the `one
righteousness' must be brought out of obscurity and made
manifest. No uninspired commentator could ever have brought
out from Genesis 3 what Paul makes known in Romans 5, but,
on the other hand, there is nothing revealed in Romans 5 which
cannot be dimly perceived in the ancient record, when once the
light of inspiration is turned upon it.
The reconciliation of the Gentile was never a secret. We have
already considered the testimony of Moses and the prophets
regarding the inclusion of the Gentile, and this inclusion of
necessity involved their reconciliation. The reconciliation of
one portion of the race (the circumcision) with the other (the
uncircumcision) now gives place to the deeper reconciliation of
the race as such, for in Romans 5, where the silenced secret has
been made manifest and Genesis 3 made to speak, neither Jew
nor Gentile is mentioned.
We offer the above comments with full confidence that all
who are willing to follow the lead of the inspired Scriptures
only, will find no difficulty in believing that, so far as these two
mysteries in Romans are concerned, they do not go beyond the
things `which the prophets and Moses did say should come'.
No. 8