Cristian praiers & godly meditatio[n]s vpon the epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes briefly conteyninge the summe of euery chapiter orderly, worthy to be vsed of al the faythfull in this wretched and sinfull time / translated out of Italian into English.

¶Vpon the iij. Chapiter.

MY Lord, like as the naughtines of the Iewes was not sufficient to make voyd thy faith of the noble promises made by thée vnto that people, because

that thou art true and al men liares: semblably our iniqui∣tie can neuer be hable to dis∣anull the faith of thy promi∣ses which thy onely Sonne hath made to his faithful con¦gregatiō, saying to the same: I am with you euen to the consumation of the world. Therfor although I sée the same altogether vexed, de∣formed, and as a little shippe in the middest of the sea bea∣ten of furious windes, not∣withstanding I am sure that she can not perish because that Iesus Christ, according

to his promise, ruleth and gouerneth her, and bringeth her at the length to the porte of eternall saluation. And how much greater our vn∣righteousnes is, so much more commendable is his iustice the which forsaketh vs not for our deserts, but defen∣deth vs for his promise sake.

Ought we therfore to conti¦nue in sinne to thintent that our vnrighteousnes may cō∣mend the iustice of Christ? nay, aboue all other thinges we should abhorre sinne, as that which of his owne na∣ture

dishonoreth Christ, and yet he by his goodnes & wise∣dome, of so euill sede gathe∣reth the fruite of his glory. Deliuer therfore, lord Iesus, thy Church from all slaun∣ders and from all iniquities, so that like as now by our sinnes thou settest forth the faith of thy promises, so in time to come by our saluati∣on we may glorifie thy holy name.

My Lord, when thou ga∣vest thy holy lawe to the peo¦ple of Israell, they promised earnestly to obserue the same

but afterward comming to the performance, they wan∣ted so much of their promise, that one of the Prophetes speaking of them, saith: that there is not one iust, or wise, neither that seketh after god. By the which thing it is re∣quisite that all mouthes bée shutte, and all the world con¦fesse to be giltie and to be thy debtour, because that none shalbe pronounced iust by the workes of the lawe in thy iudgement, sith it is so that the lawe doth not iustifie, but doth vs to vnderstand

sinne: the which knowne lea¦deth a man to desperation if thy grace comforteth hym not. Therfore we thanke thée (O my Lord) with al our harte, for thy iustice, the which to put away our vn∣righteousnes, thou hast ma∣nifested to the world, besides the lawe I meane the iustice which thou doest communi∣cate by the faith of Iesus Christ, to all them that be∣leue, of all nations, for that without exception euery one hath sinned and is destitute of thy glory, and whosoeuer

is iustified, receaueth wyth∣out any deseruing, the iustice of thy grace, through the re∣demptiō wrought by Christ Iesu, whom frō euerlasting thou hast determined to bée by the meditation of faith, the propitiation of the world through his bloud, meaning to set forth thy iustice by the remission of sinnes past, the which thou hast suffred for to shew thy iustice in the time of grace, to thintent that e∣uery one might knowe that thou art iust and the iustifier of euery one that beleueth in

Iesus Christ, the which with thée liueth & raigneth world without end.

My Lord, when thy saints do say that we be iustified fre¦ly by the meanes of faith, many beleue that by the prea¦ching of faith thy holy law is destroyed: but I through ex∣perience that thou geuest me of my selfe, am constrained to say the contrary, that thy lawe is confirmed and esta∣blished by fayth, sith it is so that the man which is not iustified through faith, doth feare thée as a sharpe and ri∣gorous

iudge, where as he that is iustified by faith, lo¦ueth thée & worshippeth thée as a father: the one as a most vile slaue serueth thée for feare: the other as a right lo∣uing sonne serueth thée for loue. Whereupon to the one thy commaundements do ap¦peare very greuous, and vn∣to the other they be very plea¦sant. The one hauing the∣spirite of the world through the wisedome of the flesh lo∣ueth himselfe and the world: the other hauing thy spirite by faith loueth thée and his

neighbour for thy sake: and the more faith encreaseth, so much y^e more groweth chari∣tie in y^t which cōsisteth al the obseruation of the lawe. Therfore my Lord, encrease in vs faith, so that in vs may be established and fulfilled thy holy lawe, to thy honour and glory.