The texte.

NOr maketh it so greatly for theyr excuse to say, that wyse men with wordes abhorre suche enormities: nor yet to allege, that the magistrates by the lawes inhi∣bite and punishe them. For whatsoeuer a manne in the trade of his lyfe foloweth, the same thyng he appro∣ueth. Nothyng therefore hast thou to excuse thy selfe withal, whosoeuer thou he, whiche winkyng at thyne owne faultes, condemnest an other. But muche rather assure the, that whiles thou geuest sentence vpon an other, in so doyng thou condemnest thy selfe: forasmuche as thou takyng vpō the the office of a iudge, doest euen the same thynges, for whiche thou condemnest another. And synce thou art in the same thyng faultie, that he is, surely whyles thou geuest sentence against him, therin pronouncest thou sentence against thy selfe. Men mayest thou deceiue, and theyr iudgementes escape parauenture, because they vpon coniectures onely and likelyhodes geue sentence, and are not able to see the secretes of mannes heart. But God whiche seeth, and knoweth all thynges, shall against all suche haynouse offen∣ders,* as we before spoke of, geue sentence of iuste damnacion, not vpon any slender or apparent profe, but euen as the very trueth is.

What doest thou so farfoorth man, stande in thine owne phantasie (I speake to euery suche, as herein knoweth him selfe giltie) to thynke, whi∣les thou iudgest suche offenders, that thou canst escape Goddes iudge∣mente Page  iiii thy self, doyng as they do? and lookest thou to escape goddes han∣des, when the transgressor can not escape thyne? and to auoyde goddes sē∣tence, when men can not auoyde thyne? What, doeth goddes sufferaunce* put the in hope to escape vnpunished? And is he for his exceadyng and bounteouse goodnes, or his long bearyng with the in deferryng thy pu∣nishement, of the dispised, as though he wer suche one, as woulde either wynke at offences, or fauored euyll dedes? Nor vnderstandest thou, that this goddes long sufferaunce shewed vpon the, putteth not offenders in hope of escapyng punishment, but fauorably leadeth the to penaunce & a∣mendment, to the ende that vpon remembraunce of his great benefites towarde the, thou shouldest at laste begyn for shame, with thy selfe to be displeased.

The texte.

But thou thy selfe tournest the goodnes of god towardes the, to the encreace of thy damnation. For whyles thou through suche a stubberne mynde, as canne by no meanes be mollified with repētaunce, refusest and forsakest god prouokyng to y^• amendment, nothyng els therin doest thou but procure, and laye vp the treasure of goddes wrathe agaynste the. And albeit the wrathe and vengeaunce of God be not nowe presentlye seene and perceyued, yet shall it in tyme to come be founde, doubtles in* that fearefull daye, when without al fauour, synful people shall so muche more earnestly be punished, by how muche more stubbernlye, they refused goddes gentle callyng of them to amendement, and when before all the worlde the exacte sentence of god shalbe opened, whiche shall neither er∣roniously nor parcially pronounce, as men are wont to doe, but as a most vprighte iudge, and one that knoweth all thinge, who shall, as men∣nes desertes be, gyue rewarde, to some lyfe euerlastyng, to them (I saye) whiche hauyng a confidence in the promyses of the ghos∣pel, continewe styll in godlye lyfe, withoute desyre of transitorye Page  [unnumbered] thinges, or the vayne pleasures of this present lyfe, but are desirouse of lyfe euerlastyng in heauen: for theyr shorte reproche here wyll he gyue glorie without ende: for despite suffered, honoure, and for not regardyng theyr temporall lyfe, immortalitie: to other agayne, whiche through fro∣warde rebellyon had rather obeye vnrighteousnes and falshed, than the truthe, rewarde shalbe gyuen meete for suche desertes, without doubt the indignation and wrath of god, and therby tribulation and anguyshe of mynde, whiche punishment shall indifferently be layed vpon all synfull offenders, but specially vpon the Iewe and Gretian, to the ende that such be fyrste punyshed, to whome god fyrste offered his mercifull fauer: on the other syde, to euerie suche, as throughe fayth hath lyued godlye, shall prayse, honour, peace, & glorie equally be gyuē, but to y^• Iew first, thē to y^• Gretian, & after that, to al other wylde and barbarouse nations. For with god ther is of persons no suche respect, as ther is among men syttyng in iudgement, but he is one to all men, and equally iuste. Wherfore, whoso∣euer haue without the lawe synned, shall also without the condemnacion* of the lawe peryshe: and suche shall by the lawe be iudged, as receyuing the lawe haue agaynst the same transgressed. For in the syght of god to be coumpted for righteouse, it is not sufficient to haue ben onlye a hearer of the lawe, whiche I saye, because thou that art a Iewe shouldest not by so thynkyng deceyue thy self, but suche, as in workes and godly lyfe expresse and putte the lawe in vre, suche (I saye) and none elles shall by the iud∣gement of God be taken for righteouse. God is suche one, as embraceth & maketh of good workes, albeit there be no law at al, and muche more ab∣horreth suche, as hauyng a lawe are not yet obedient therto, howbeit in dede no manne is there, that is vtterlye without a lawe. For when the Gentyles beyng without Moses lawe euen by the course of nature do suche workes, as are by the lawe commaunded, notwithstan∣dyng they be not put in remembraunce so to do by the rules of Moses lawe, yet are they to them selfe in stede of a lawe, as well appereth, by that in theyr lyfe they expresse the very substaunce therof, wrytē, not in tables, as the other was, but in theyr heartes, insomuche that, whatsoeuer in the courte of iudgement amonge the Iewes is customablye wonte to be done the same is done in theyr heartes, whyles thy conscience beareth wytnes either agaynste the, or with the, and thy alteryng thoughtes either accuse,* or excuse the. In tyme to come herafter by this lawe shall god iudge, in whiche daye that shalbe opened playnlye in the syghte of all men, whiche is nowe in mennes heartes secretly wrought, where he shal gyue sentence▪ to whome nothing is vnknowen. But yet this iudgement, shall god exe∣cute by Christe his sonne, for this presente tyme our Lorde and sauioure, whiche shall than be the iudge of all the worlde. And leste anye should thinke, that this I nowe tel you, is some fable or dreame, assure your self, that it is a parte of the ghospell, whiche I preache vnto you.

The texte.

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.

The texte.

Page  [unnumbered]For neyther is it sufficient to be onely a Iewe borne, nor yet to be ta∣ken into theyr religion, but to that ende auayleth circumcision, yf thou put that thyng in vre and practise, for whiche circumcision was gyuen, & in trade of ly•e exercise that, whiche thou in ceremonies takeste vpon the. But yf thou transgresse the lawe, thy circumcision wyll nothyng auayle,* forasmuche as before god, it is as though thou wer not circumcised at al. Nowe then as thy circumcision is tourned into vncircumcision, excepte thou therwith kepe other rules of the lawe, whiche make to good man∣ners: so shall the Gentile for lacke of circumcision take no hurte, but be∣fore god be accoumpted for circumcised, yf he beyng ignoraunte nor re∣gardyng the ceremonies of the lawe, perfourme suche thynges wherin the whole perfetcion and ende of the lawe standeth, that is to saye, pure and innocent lyfe, and haue therwith a sure confidence in Christe, and be obedient vnto hym, whiche is the ende of the lawe. Yea I saye, the Gen∣tile shall not only in this behalfe be in as good state as thou arte, but be also set before the, & therin in better case, than thou arte, because he know∣eth not what circumcision is, so that therfore his hurtles lyfe shal declare thy lyfe to be more damnable: forasmuche as he not professyng the lawe, in the order of his lyfe expresseth yet the ende and meanyng of the lawe, wheras thou lenyng exactly to the bare wordes and small poyntes ther∣of, professing also the same with the marke of circumcision, by refusyng Christ breakest that, whiche in the law is chiefest. Before god, who iud∣geth not men by bodely markes, but by theyr godlye myndes loste hast thou the name of a Iewe, onles thou lyue after thy profession. For ney∣ther is he Iewe, whiche beareth vpon hym a Iewyshe outwarde marke,* nor is he circumcised, that hath a lytle skyn pared from his secret parte: but he, and none elles is a verye Iewe, whiche inwardly and in his con∣science is a Iewe, whome as god onlye regardeth: so therbye iudgeth he euery mā. To be briefe, he is circūcised, whose heart is circumcised, rather thā he, whose priuie mēber hath some parte pared of, nor trusteth somuche vpō the law grauē in stone, as vpon y^• spiritual meanyng of it. For whose only fleshe is circūcised, among mē he may in dede glorie, that he is a Iew, but the very Iewe in dede is he, whose conscience is pourged from synne, & hath wholly gyuen hymself to Christ which man: al∣beit among men be defrauded of his prayse, yet doeth god acknowledge and approue hym, whose approbacion is perfite blysse and salua∣cion.