CHAP. II.

THEY THAT SIN, NOT IGNORANTLY, ARE

INEXCUSABLE.

Now every one that judgeth is inexcusable; for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; as thou doest the same things. 2. But we know the judgment of God is according to justice and truth, against them who commit such things. 3. And thinkest thou, O man, that judgest them who do such things, and doest the same thyself, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance and long-suffering, as not knowing the goodness of God should lead thee to repentance? 5. But, by thy hardness and impenitency of heart, treasurest up to thyself more wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6. Who will render to each according to his works. 7. To them who, by patient continuance in good works, seek for glory, honour and immortality, he will render eternal bliss. 8. But to them who are contentious and disobey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, he will render indignation and wrath, 9. Tribulation and anguish on every soul of man that doeth evil; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 10. But glory, honour, and peace to every man that works good; to the Jew first and also to the Gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God. 12. For whoever sinned without Moses' law, shall also perish without it, (by the law of nature;) and whoever sinned under the law, shall be judged by the law; 13. For the hearers of the law are not justified before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified (thro' faith.) 14. For the Gentiles not having the written law, do naturally the things required by the law, these having not the law, are a law to themselves: 15. Shewing the work of the law written on their hearts;

their consciences witnessing together, and their thoughts accusing them for breaking, or approving them for doing the law; 16. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, as my gospel shews. 17. But if thou art called a Jew, and restest in thy profession of the law, and glo. riest of believing in God, 18. And knowest his will, and discernest the things that are excellent, being instructed by the law; 19. And art confident that thou art able to teach and guide the blind Gentiles, to be a light to them who are yet in darkness, 20. And an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of these babes in understanding; having a form of knowledge and of the truth contained in the law.

21. Thou, who teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, Dost thou steal? 22. Thou that sayest, One should do no whoredom, dost thou commit whoredom? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? (robbing God of his homage.) 23. Thou that gloriest in the law, thro' breaking the law, dishonourest thou God? 24. For God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles thro' your bad conduct, as it is written (Ezek. xxxvi. 22.)

25. For thy circumcision, or being a Jew, verily profiteth if thou keep the law; but if thou breakest the law, it becomes uncircumcision, thou art a Jew in profession, (but a heathen in practice.) 26. So, on the contrary, if the uncircumcision perform the righteousness of the law, shall not it be counted for circumcision? And thus if the uncircumcision by nature fulfil the law, it shall condemn thee who by the letter of the law with circumcision without the spirit of it, transgressest the law. 28. For he is not a true Jew who is mere ly one outwardly; nor is that true circumcision which is only outward in the flesh; 29. But he is a real Jew who is so in heart, and true circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the

letter of the law only, whose praise is not of men, but of God, (Deut. xxi. 6.)

CHAP. III.

THE JEWS' PREROGATIVE.

WHAT advantage then hath the Jew? or what benefit hath circumcision? 2. Much every way, chiefly, because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3. For tho' some believe not, or embrace not the gospel, shall their unbelief in rejecting it, render God's faithfulness (in ushering in that dispensation at the time foretold) ineffectual to its success. 4. By no means; yea, let God be considered as true and faithful, and every man as false or unfit for confidence, as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, and over come when thou judgest. 5. But if our unrighteousness (in rejecting the gospel) may they say, render God's faithfulness more commendable in ushering it into the world according to his promise, what shall we say, is not God unrighteous in punishing us for rejecting it; I speak after the manner of men. 6. By no means, for then how shall God judge the world righteously. 7. And if my infidelity (may the Jew say) conduce to the glory of God, by making his faithfulness more illustrious, why am I judged for it as a criminal? 8. Or why may I not rather say, as some slanderously report and affirm we say, Let us do evil that good may come? such conduct justly merits condemnation.

9. What then? Do we Jews excel the Gentiles? not at all; for we proved both Jews and Gentiles to be sinners; 10. As it is written, There is none (wholly) righteous, no, not one; 11. There is none that (fully) understandeth (his errors); there is none that seeks after God (as he ought;) 12. They are all gone out of the right way; they are altoge

ther become worthless, there is none that doeth good, (rightly) no, not one (as he ought.) 13. Their mouth is like an open sepulchre (to bury their neighbour's reputation); with their tongues they utter deceit; (malicious words, like) the poison of asps, are under their lips; 14. Their mouth is full of cursing, and bitter words; 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16. Destruction and misery to themselves, and others are in their ways, 17. Yea, the way of peace (and happiness) they know 18. Because there is no fear of God (in their hearts,) or before their eyes, (in their conduct.)

not.

19. Now, we know, whatever the law says (as above,) it saith to them only that know it, and so are under the written law; that every mouth may be stopped (or without excuse) and all may appear guilty before God.

20. Therefore, no man can be justified or accounted righteous before God, by the works of the law (either natural or revealed, as all come short of the duties it requires); for by the law is the knowledge of (the evil and danger of) sin. 21. But now God's mercy, without (perfectly fulfilling) the law (if we sincerely obey it) is manifested, being attested by the (whole tenor of the) law and the prophets. 22. Even his mercy obtained by faith in Jesus Christ, to all and upon all that believe in him, for there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. 23. For all have sinned and come short in glorifying God (and therefore equally need it.) 24. Being justified freely by his grace thro' the redemption made by Christ Jesus. 25. Whom God hath set forth (in the gospel) for a propitiation to atone for their sins, who truly believe he shed his blood for their redemption, to manifest his mercy for the remission of sins past, thro' the forbearance of God: 26. To manifest, I say, at this time his mercy, and that he might also appear to be just, while he justifies him who believes in

Jesus.

27. Where is boasting (in ourselves) then? it is excluded. By what law? is it by the law of works? nay, but by the law of faith. 28. For we conclude, that one (whether Jew or Gentile) is justified by faith, (Jas. ii. 17.) without the deeds of the law.

29. Is he the God of the Jews only, and not also the God of the Gentiles? yes, he is the God of the Gentiles also; so. Seeing the one God justifies the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised Gentiles by the same faith. 31. Do we then set aside the moral law thro' faith? God forbid! nay, we establish the law, (in making it the rule of our lives, after Christ's example, who fulfilled it, 1 John ii. 6. Tit. iii. 8. Jas. ii. 20.)

CHAP. IV.

OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH.

WHAT shall we say that Abraham, our father, obtained as to the flesh? 2. For if Abraham were justified (or saved) by (circumcision or) works, he hath whereof to glory (before others); but not be- . fore God. 3. For what saith the scripture, Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness. 4. Now to him who works is the reward not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. 5. But to the man who works not, but believes on him who justifieth those that were ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. 6. As David also describes the blessedness of him to whom God imputes righteousness without works, 7. Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (with the mercy of God in Christ.) 8. Blessed is he to whom the Lord will not impute sin, (to condemn him for it). 9. Cometh then this blessedness upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10. Was it, when he was circumcised, or Y y

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