always in my prayers beseeching, if by any means now at length I shall have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you,

and dost know the will, and dost approve the distinctions, being instructed out of the law,

for scarcely for a righteous man will any one die, for for the good man perhaps some one also doth dare to die;

for that which I work, I do not acknowledge; for not what I will, this I practise, but what I hate, this I do.

And if what I do not will, this I do, I consent to the law that it is good,

for I have known that there doth not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh, good: for to will is present with me, and to work that which is right I do not find,

for the good that I will, I do not; but the evil that I do not will, this I practise.

And if what I do not will, this I do, it is no longer I that work it, but the sin that is dwelling in me.

for to vanity was the creation made subject -- not of its will, but because of Him who did subject it -- in hope,

for the word of promise is this; 'According to this time I will come, and there shall be to Sarah a son.'

for to Moses He saith, 'I will do kindness to whom I do kindness, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion;'

Thou wilt say, then, to me, 'Why yet doth He find fault? for His counsel who hath resisted?'

as also in Hosea He saith, 'I will call what is not My people -- My people; and her not beloved -- Beloved,

for a matter He is finishing, and is cutting short in righteousness, because a matter cut short will the Lord do upon the land.

But I say, Did not Israel know? first Moses saith, 'I will provoke you to jealousy by that which is not a nation; by an unintelligent nation I will anger you,'

And if certain of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wast graffed in among them, and a fellow-partaker of the root and of the fatness of the olive tree didst become --

Thou wilt say, then, 'The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in;' right!

for if thou, out of the olive tree, wild by nature, wast cut out, and, contrary to nature, wast graffed into a good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who are according to nature, be graffed into their own olive tree?

and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what is the will of God -- the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

I will recompense again, saith the Lord;' if, then, thine enemy doth hunger, feed him; if he doth thirst, give him drink; for this doing, coals of fire thou shalt heap upon his head;

and the nations for kindness to glorify God, according as it hath been written, 'Because of this I will confess to Thee among nations, and to Thy name I will sing praise,'

for I will not dare to speak anything of the things that Christ did not work through me, to obedience of nations, by word and deed,

when I may go on to Spain I will come unto you, for I hope in going through, to see you, and by you to be set forward thither, if of you first, in part, I shall be filled.

This, then, having finished, and having sealed to them this fruit, I will return through you, to Spain;

that in joy I may come unto you, through the will of God, and may be refreshed with you,