¶ He rebuketh the Iewes, whiche as touchynge synne are lyke the Heathen.
CAPI. II.
THerfore art thou inexcusable. O man, [unspec A] whosoeuer thou be that * 1.1 ☞ iudgest. For in that same wherin thou iudgest ano∣ther ‡ 1.2 thou condemnest thy selfe. For thou that iudgest, doest euen the same selfe thyn∣ges. But we are sure, that the iudgement of God is accordynge to trueth, agaynst thē which cōmyt luch thynges. Thynkest thou this, O thou man that iudgest them which do suche thynges, and doest euen the very same thy selfe, that thou shalt escape the iud¦gement of God? Ether despysest thou the ryches of his goodnes, and pacyence & long sufferaunce, not knowynge ‡ 1.3 that the kynd∣nes of God leadeth the to repentaunce?
But thou after thy stubburnesse, and [unspec B] herte that cannot repente, heapest vnto thy selfe wrath against the daye of vengeaunce, when shalbe opened the ryghtewes iudge∣ment of God, ‡ 1.4 whiche wyll rewarde euery man ☞ accordynge to his dedes: that is to saye, prayse, honoure and immortalyte, to them whiche contynue in good doyng, and seke immortalyte. But vnto them that are rebelles, and that do not obeye the trueth, but folowe vnryghteousnes, shall come in∣dignacyon and wrath, trybulacyon and anguyshe vpon the soule of euery man that do the euyll: of the Iew fyrst, and also of the Gentyle. To euery man that do the good, shall come prayse, and honoure, and peace, to the Iewe fyrst and also to the Gentyll. For ‡ 1.5 there is no respecte of parsonnes, with God. For whosoeuer hath synned without lawe, shall also peryshe without lawe. And as many as haue synned in the lawe, shalbe iudged by the law. For in the syght of God, they ‡ 1.6 are not ryghteous whiche heare the lawe. But the doers of the lawe shalbe iustifyed. For whā the Gentyls which haue not the lawe, ☞ do of nature the thynges contayned in the lawe: then they hauynge not the lawe, are a lawe vnto them selues, whiche shewe the dede of the lawe wrytten [unspec C] in theyr hertes: whyll theyr conscyence bea∣reth wy••ues vnto them, & also theyr though tes, accusynge one another or excusynge, at the daye * 1.7 when the Lorde shall iudge the secretes of men by Iesus Christ, accordyng to my Gospell.
Beholde, ‡ 1.8 thou art called a Iewe, and trustest in the lawe, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his wyll, and alowest the thynges that be excellent, & art infourmed by the lawe: and beleuest that thou thy selfe art a gyde of the blynde, a lyght of them whyche are in darcknes, an infourmer of them whyche lacke dyscrecyon, a teacher of the vnlearned, whyche hast the ensample of knowlege, & of the truth by the lawe. Thou therfore whyche teachest another, teachest not thy selfe * 1.9 Thou preachest, a man shulde [unspec D] not steale: yet thou stealest. Thou that saist, a man shulde not cōmyt aduoutry, breakest wedlocke. Thou abhorrest ymages, & yet robbest God of hys honoure. Thou that makest thy boast of the lawe, thorow brea∣kynge the lawe dyshonourest God. For the name of God ys euyl spoken of amonge the Gētils, thorow * 1.10 yow as yt is wryttē. ☞ For cyrcumcisyon verely auayleth, yf thou kepe the lawe. But yf thou be a breaker of the lawe, thy cyrcumcysyon is turned to vncyr∣cumcysyon, Therfore, yf the vncyrcūcysed kepe the ryght thynges contayned in the lawe, shall not hys vncyrcumcisyon be coū∣ted for cyrcumcysyon? And shall no vncyr¦cumcysyon whyche is by nature▪ yf yt kepe the lawe) iudge the, whyche beynge vnder the letter and circumcisyon, dos•• transgresse the lawe? He is not a Iew, which ys a Iewe outwarde. Nether is it circumcisyon, which is outwardes in the flesshe. But * 1.11 he is a Iewe whiche is hyd wythin, and ‡ 1.12 the cyr∣cumsyon of the herte is the true cyrcumcy∣syon, whyche consysteth ☞ in the spyrit and not in the letter: whose prayse is not of men, but of God.