CHAP. II.

1 Hee bringeth all before the iudgement seate of God. 12 The excuse that the Gentiles might pretend 14 of ignorance, he taketh quite away. 17 He vrgeth the Iewes with the written Lawe, 23 in which they boasted: 27 And so maketh both Iewe and Gentile alike.

1. Therefore ¹ thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoeuer thou art that condemnest: for in that thou condemnest another, thou condemnest thy selfe: for thou that condemnest, doest the same things.

2. But we ² know that the iudgement of God is according to ³ trueth, against them which commit such things.

3. And thinkest thou this, O thou man, that condemnest them which doe such thinges, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the iudgement of God?

4. ⁴ Or despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse, and patience, and long sufferance, not knowing that the bountifulnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance?

5. But thou, after thine hardnesse, and heart that cannot repent, ^{5 6} heapest vp as a treasure vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath, and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God,

6. ^{7 8} Who wil reward euery man according to his woorkes:

7. That is, to them which through patience in well doing, seeke ⁹ glorie, and honour, and immortalitie, euerlasting life:

8. But vnto them that are contentious and disobey the ¹⁰ trueth, and obey vnrighteousnesse, shalbe ¹¹ indignation and wrath.

9. Tribulation and anguish shalbe vpon the soule of euery man that doeth euill: of the Iewe first, and also of the Grecian.

10. But to euery man that doeth good, shalbe glory, and honour, and peace: to the Iew first, and also to the Grecian.

11. For there is ¹² no respect of persons with God.

12. ¹³ For as many as haue sinned without the Lawe, shall perish also without the Lawe: and as many as haue sinned in the Lawe, shall be iudged by the Lawe,

13. ¹⁴ (For the hearers of the Lawe are not righteous before God: but the doers of the Lawe shalbe ¹⁵ iustified.

14. ¹⁶ For when the Gentiles which haue ¹⁷ not the Lawe, doe by ¹⁸ nature, the things conteined in the Lawe, they hauing not the Lawe, are a Lawe vnto themselues,

15. Which shew the effect of the Lawe ¹⁹ written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witnes, and their thoughts accusing one another, or excusing,)

16. ²⁰ At the day when God shall iudge the secretes of men by Iesus Christ, according to ²¹ my Gospel.

17. ¶ ²² Beholde, thou art called a Iewe, and restest in the Lawe, and gloriest in God,

18. And knowest his will, and ^{23 24} triest the things that dissent from it, in that thou art instructed by the Lawe:

19. And persuadest thy selfe that thou art a guide of the blinde, a light of them which are in darkenesse,

20. An instructer of them which lacke discretion, a teacher of the vnlearned, which hast the ²⁵ forme of knowledge, and of the truth in the ²⁶ Law.

21. Thou therefore, which teachest another, teachest thou not thy selfe? thou that preachest, A man should not steale, doest thou steale?

22. Thou that saist, A man should not commit adulterie, doest thou commit adulterie? thou that abhorrest idoles, committest thou sacrilege?

23. Thou that gloriest in the Lawe, through breaking the Lawe, dishonourest thou God?

24. For the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, ²⁷ as it is written.

25. ²⁸ For circumcision verely is profitable, if thou do the Lawe: but if thou be a transgressour of the Lawe, thy circumcision is made vncircumcision.

26. Therefore if the ²⁹ vncircumcision keepe the ordinances of the Lawe, shall not his ³⁰ vncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

27. And shall not ³¹ vncircumcision which is by nature (if it keepe the Lawe) condemne thee which by the ³² letter and circumcision art a transgressour of the Lawe?

28. For hee is not a Iewe, which is one ³³ outwarde: neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29. But he is a Iewe which is one within, and the circumcision is of the heart, in the ³⁴ spirite not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.

NOTES

1. Hee conuinceth them which woulde seeme to be exempt out of the number of other men, because they reprehend other mens faults, and sayeth, that they are least of all to be excused, for if they were wel and narrowly searched (as God surely doeth) they themselues woulde be founde gultie in those thinges which they reprehend, and punish in other: so that in condemning other, they pronounce sentence against themselues.

2. Paul alledgeth no places of Scripture, for he reasoneth generally against all men: but he bringeth such reasons as euery man is persuaded of in his minde, so that the deuill him selfe is not able to plucke them cleane out.

3. Considering and iudging thinges aright, and not by any outward shewe.

4. A vehement and grieuous crying out against them that please themselues because they see more then other doe, and yet are no whit better then others are.

5. Iam.5.3.

6. Whilest thou giuest thy selfe to pleasures, thinking to encrease thy goods, thou shalt finde Gods wrath.

7. The ground of the former disputation, That both the Iewes and Gentiles haue altogether neede of righteousnes.

8. Psal.62.12. mat.16.27. reu.22.12.

9. Glorie which followeth good workes, which he laieth not out before vs, as though there were any that coulde attaine to saluation by his owne strength, but, by laying this condition of saluation before vs, which no man can performe, to bring men to Christ, who alone iustifieth the beleeuers, as he himselfe concludeth, chap.2.21,22. following.

10. By trueth, hee meaneth that knowledge which we haue of nature.

11. Gods indignation against sinners, which shall quickely bee kindled.

12. God doeth not measure men either by their blood or by their countrey, either to receiue them, or to cast them away.

13. He applieth that general accusation of mankinde particularly both to the Gentiles, and to the Iewes.

14. He preuenteth an obiection which might be made by the Iewes, whome the Law doeth not excuse, by condemne, because that not the hearing of the Lawe, but the keeping of the Law doeth iustifie.

15. Shalbe pronounced iust before Gods iudgement seat: which is true in deede if any such could be found that had fulfilled the Law: but seeing Abraham was not iustified by the Law, but by faith, it followeth that no man can be iustified by woorkes.

16. He preuenteth an obiection which might bee made by the Gentiles, who although they haue not the Lawe of Moses, yet they haue no reason whereby they may excuse their wickednesse, in that they haue somewhat written in their heartes in steade of a Lawe, as men, that forbid and punish some thinges as wicked, and commaunde and commend other some as good.

17. Not simplie, but in comparison of the Iewes.

18. Command honest things, and forbid dishonest.

19. This knowledge is a naturall knowledge.

20. God deferreth many iudgements, which notwithstanding he will execute at their conuenient time by Iesus Christ, with a most strait examination, not onely of wordes and deedes, but of thoughts also, be they neuer so hidden or secrete.

21. As this my doctrine witnesseth, which I am appointed to preach.

22. He proueth by the testimonie of Dauid and the other Prophets, that God bestowed greatest benefits vpon the Iewes, in giuing them also the Law, but that they are the most vnthankefull and vnkindest of all men.

23. Canst trie and discerne what thinges swerue from Gods wil.

24. Or, allowest the things that are excellent.

25. The way to teach and frame other in the knowledge of the truth.

26. As though he said, that the Iewes vnder a colour of an outward seruing of God, chalenged all to them selues, when as in deede, they did nothing lesse then obserue the Lawe.

27. Esai.52.5. ezek.36.20.

28. He precisely preuenteth their obiection, which set an holines in circumcision, and the outward obseruation of the Lawe: So that he sheweth that the outward circumcision, if it be separated from the inward, doth not only not iustifie, but also condemne them that are in deede circumcised, of whom it requireth that, which it signifieth, that is to say, cleannes of the heart and the whole life according to the commandement of the Law so that if there be a man vncircumcised according to the flesh, who is circumcised in heart, hee is farre better and more to bee accompted of, then any Iewe that is circumcised according to the flesh onely.

29. This is the figure Metonymie, for, if the vncircumcised.

30. The state and condition of the vncircumcised.

31. He which is the vncircumcised by nature and blood.

32. Paul vseth oftentimes to set the letter against the Spirit: but in this place, the circumcision which is according to the letter, is the cutting off of the foreskin, but the circumcision of the Spirit, is the circumcision of the heart, the is to say, the spiritual end of the ceremonie, is true holines and righteousnes, whereby the people of God is knowen from prophane and heathnish men.

33. By the outward ceremonie only.

34. Whose force is inward, and in the heart.