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¶Beholde thou arte called a Iewe, and trustest in the lawe, and makest thy boaste of God, and knowest his wyll, and allowest the thynges that be excellente, and arte infourmed by the lawe: and beleuest, that thou thy selfe arte a guyde of the
blynde, a lyght of them, which are in darkenes, an infourmer of them, whiche lacke dis∣crecion, a teacher of the vnlearned, whiche hast the ensample of knowledge, and of the truthe, by the lawe. Thou therfore whiche teachest an other, teachest not thy selfe. Thou preachest, a man shoulde not steale, yet thou stealest. Thou that sayest, a man shoulde not commit aduoutrie, breakest wedlocke. Thou abhorest ymages, and yet robbest god of his honour. Thou that makest thy boste of the lawe, through breakyng of the lawe dis∣honourest god. For the name of god is euyll spoken of among the gentiles through you, as it is wrytten.
What cause then hast thou, that arte a Iewe, to glorie of the lawe? Beholde, thou whiche to be called a Iewe thynkest it a great matier, and vpon the priuilege of the lawe gyuen vnto the by god bearyng thy selfe boldly, bostest that god is author of thy religion, whose mynde & pleasure thou knowest by the holy wrytynges, whiche came from hym, whiche arte also infourmed by the lawe, so that not onlye thy self art learned to knowe what is to be desyred, what thynges are to be auoyded, & what is best to be done: but standest also in a confidence, that thou art able to be guyde to suche, as are in blyndnes, & to gyue them lyght, which wander in dark∣nes: that is, to be a teacher of the vnlearned, and an infourmer of them, y• lacke discreciō. Because the lawe hath in the brought to passe to know the fourme and order of lyfe, and the rule of truthe, thinkest thou for this in the grace of the gospel to be preferred before the Gentile? I thinke not so, but rather thynke that the knowledge of the lawe, wherof thou makeste suche boste, shal before the iudgement seate of god make thy matier worse, vnles thou frame thy lyfe therafter. For the knowledge wherof thou ma∣kest suche boste, shall sharpely be layed to thy charge. Thou bragger vpō the lawe, what crakest thou? thou (I saye) whiche teachest an other, and teachest not thy selfe? whiche preachest, that a man shoulde not steale, and thy selfe doest commit robbery? whiche tellest other, that aduoutrie muste not be done, and thy selfe breakest wedlocke? whiche abhorrest ydolatry, & thy selfe takest goddes honoure from hym? whiche among men crakest & gloriest of the lawe gyuen vnto the by god, and by breaking the same, dis∣honourest & shamest god the author therof? tournyng y•, for which amōg o∣ther thou sekest for glorie, to his reproche, to whō onely al prayse is dewe. For this wyse to do, what els is it, but as far as in the lyeth, to dishonoure god, I saye, as farre as in the lyeth, for in dede vpon hym, no reproache at all falleth. Of suche, long synce complayned the holy prophetes of god, & namely Esai and Ezechiel sayinge, that through you the name of god is euyl spoken of, reuiled, and through your faulte coūpted reprocheful, euē among the Gentiles gyuen to ydolatrie, whyles ye bostyng youre selfes vpon the tytle of god and his lawe, leade an vngodly lyfe.
A light of thē whiche wan∣der in darke∣nes.
For the name of god is euil spoken of a∣mong the Gē¦tyles.