What preferment then hath the Iewe, or what auauntageth circūcision? Surely ve∣ry muche. For because that vnto them wer committed the wordes of god. What then, though sum of them did not beleue. Shall theyr vnbelefe make the promise of god with out effect God forbid. Let god be trewe, & euery man a lyar, as it is written: that thou myghtest be iustified in thy sayinges, and ouercum when thou art iudged.
BVt here some one wyll saye, yf the whole matier stande in godly lyfe, and hurtles maners ioyned with fayth in Christe, what preferment then hath* 1.1 the Iewe more, than the Gentile, or what aduaun∣tageth circumcision at al, yf faythe and godlye ly∣uyng make both the circumcised I say, and the vn∣circumcised equall? yea yf circumcision make the Iewes matier worse, yf he transgresse the law and offend? Truely, touchyng the free gyft of goddes grace offred by ye ghos∣pell, no poynte better is the Iewes state and condicion, than is the Gen∣tiles. And yet in some consideracion surely a great preeminence is it to be a Iewe borne. For herin fyrst maye they lawfully glorie, that among all other nations vnto them onelye were delyuered the wordes of god, as it maye appere, eyther for that to them aboue other was committed the law and prophecies, or for that to them god only vouchesaued to speake. Of whiche bothe, the fyrst coulde not be without the great bounteousnes of god, whome it pleased so to magnifie that nacion: and thē agayne muche more semeth he prepared to the faythe offered by the ghospell, whiche knoweth the promyses of the lawe, and nygher is he to the truthe, whiche hath sumwhat therof, albeit it be but a shadowe. For the knowledge of Moyses lawe, and of the darke sayinges of the Prophetes are, as it were a steppe onwarde, and a furtheraunce to the doctrine of Christes ghospel. And albeit sum of the Iewes beyng to muche stubbernely gyuen to the* 1.2 carnall letter of the lawe woulde not gyue credence to the ghospell, yet hurteth not theyr vnbelief, suche as vnfaynedly credit it. Shall the vn∣belief of suche (thinke you) cause, that the faythfull promise of god shall not take effecte, so that he beyng therwith displeased wyl, (as men are co∣menly wont to do,) breake his promyse, and disapoynt all men of y•, which he hath equally and indifferently promysed to euerie man? God forbid it shoulde be so: but rather looke surely, that god will with all men kepe his promise, sauing: with suche, as refuse to take his offer: whiche he doth, lest any manne myght at any tyme reproue the fidelitie of the promyse ma∣ker, and leste it appere not sufficiently that god is trew, and as he is trew in dede, and cannot lye, so is he ready to perfourme, whatsoeuer he pro∣mised, but falsehod and lying cum of men, which through theyr own faul∣tes are of the promises of god disapoynted. God, as he is faythful, so nei∣ther canne he be deceyued, nor deceyue: but man, in asmuche as he is but manne, maye do bothe. That the promyses of god ben moste cer∣tayne, witnesseth also the misticall and heauenlye psalme of Dauid, saying: To the intente thou in thy sayinges myghteste appeare righte∣ouse and trewe, and in dede ouercum, as often as menne shall accuse