if therefore an uncircumcised Gentile keep the moral precepts contained in the law, shall not he be reckon'd, as if he were circumcised?

and shall not a Gentile, tho' he is not actually circumcised, if he fulfil the law, condemn thee, who, tho' literally circumcised, dost yet transgress the law?

not at all: for then how could God judge the world?

"how then are we better than they?" why, not at all: for we have already convicted both Jews and Gentiles, of being all under the guilt of sin.

I say, his goodness at this time: that he might appear to be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.

is God the God of the Jews only, and not of the Gentiles? surely he is of the Gentiles too;

How then can we assert, "that Abraham our father obtained this from circumcision?"

for if Abraham was justified by works, he had matter of pretension, whereas he had no such claim from God.

whereas he that trusts in God to be made righteous, tho' he has not done such actions, shall find his faith accounted as righteousness.

how was it then accounted? whilst he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? he was not then circumcised, but uncircumcised:

and he received the sign of circumcision, as a seal of the justification by that faith, which the uncircumcised have: that he might be the father of all those who believe, tho' they are uncircumcised, that it might be accounted to them also for righteousness:

Besides, the promise that he should possess the world, was not made to Abraham, or to his posterity in consideration of the law, but with regard to the righteousness by faith.

" I have made thee a father of many nations," then existing in the sight of God, whom he believed, who gives life to the dead, and calls forth things that are not, as if they were:

he it was who against hope believed in hope, that he should become the father of many nations, according to what was told him, "so shall thy posterity be:"

he was not incredulously diffident of the divine promise; but was strong in faith, and did honour to God,

by the full persuasion he had, that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

for as to his death, he died upon the account of sin once for all; but as to his being alive, he lives to the glory of God for ever.

you are not in such a state, but in a spiritual one, provided the divine spirit dwell in you. now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

for if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you; he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall likewise restore your mortal bodies to life, by his spirit that dwelleth in you.

for we are saved but by hope: but hope supposes things not yet present; for how can a man hope for what he has now in possession?

and he that penetrates into the heart approves what the spirit desires, because what he demands for the saints is agreeable to the divine will.

for whom he before approv'd, he predispos'd to follow the example of his son, who was to conduct them all as their elder brother;

but whom he predispos'd, he calls: and whom he has call'd, he justifies: and whom he has justified, he glorifies.

he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, will he not with him likewise freely give us all things?

neither the high, nor the low, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God by Christ Jesus our Lord.

God forbid. for he saith to Moses, "I will show favour to whom I will show favour, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

thus some he pursues with his favours, and abandons others to their obduracy, according as he thinks fit.

But you will object, why does he then find fault? for "who can resist his will?"

if the divine Being has patiently bore with those objects of his displeasure, that had been working out their own destruction, why may he not reveal himself to make them feel his vindictive power,

and display his infinite goodness to such objects of mercy, as he had prepared for glory?

to such as we, whom he has called, both from among the Jews, and from among the Gentiles.

as he saith himself in Osee, "I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her, beloved, which was not beloved.

But how, say you, shall they call on him on whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent? as it is written, "how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

and to Israel he says, "all day long I have stretched forth my hands to an incredulous and rebellious people."

God hath not discarded his people whom he formerly approv'd. don't you know what the scripture says of Elias? how he complain'd to God against Israel,

"What then, hath not Israel obtained what he sought for?" no, but the chosen remnant have obtained it, and the rest are obdurate to this day,

now if their fall be to the advancement of the world, and the few converts among them bring in whole numbers of the Gentiles: how much more so will it be, when the Jewish body recover?

lest God should not spare you, since he did not spare even the natural branches.

for if you were taken from the wild olive, which was natural to you, to be grafted into a good olive-stock of a different nature, with how much greater reason shall these who are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive-tree?

for God hath manifested to all the disobedient, that he would have mercy upon all.

O the depth of the divine goodness, wisdom, and contrivance! how impenetrable are his decrees, and his ways past finding out!

who hath given any thing to him, and he will repay it?

Now it is by virtue of my apostolical commission, that I charge every man among you, not to entertain too high an opinion of himself; but modestly consider, that 'tis God who has dealt to every man his proportion of spiritual gifts.

if it be the ministry, let him attend on that ministry; and he that teacheth, on teaching; he that exhorteth,

on exhortation: he that giveth, let him be disinterested; he that presideth, let him be diligent; he that sheweth mercy, let him do it with cheerfulness.

therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head .

so that he who opposes the ruler, disobeys the orders of God: and will be punished too for resisting, by those very powers.

for his administration is appointed by God for your good. but if you do wrong, you have reason to be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: he being the minister of God, to execute punishment upon malefactors.

Owe no man any thing, but mutual love: for he that

Consider likewise the present season, that now it is high time to rouse out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.

for one makes no difficulty of eating all sorts of food: another is so scrupulous, he lives upon herbs.

who art thou that judgest the domestick of another? his staying or removal depends solely upon his master: yea, he shall be fixed: for God is able to establish him.

he that observes a day, and he that obobserves it not, act both from a sense of duty. he that eats, consisiders it as the bounty of his Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that forbeareth to eat, considers his forbearance as enjoined by his Lord, and giveth God thanks for the rest.

for to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

for he that thus pays his allegiance to Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

keep the persuasion you have, to your own conscience. blessed is he that approves himself to God, without making any difference about meats:

for he that makes a difference, is self-condemn'd, if he eats against his own persuasion: for every action of that kind is sin .

besides Esaias saith, "there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope."

as it is written, "they to whom he was not mentioned, shall see: and they that have not heard, shall understand."