now I would not have you ignorant, my brethren, that I often purposed to come to you, tho' I have been hindered hitherto, that I might be useful among you as well as among other Gentiles.

for I am not ashamed of the gospel, since it is divinely effectual to salvation, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile.

because when they knew God, they did not with gratitude glorify him as God, but their reasoning became extravagance, and their minds, void of judgment, were involv'd in darkness.

As they did not seek the favour of God, by worshipping him, God gave them over to a depraved sense, to act unworthy of human nature;

who knowing the divine rule of right, did not perceive that they who commit such things are worthy of death, and not only they who do the same, but they who give countenance to those that do them.

or do you despise the riches of his kindness, and forbearance, and long-suffering; not considering that the kindness of God invites you to repentance?

but unto those who are contentious, and do not yield to the truth, but give way to injustice, indignation and wrath,

for not the bare hearers of the law, but they who observe the law, are such as shall be justified, before God.

when the Gentiles who have not the law, do by nature what the law prescribes, tho' these have not the law, they are a law to themselves:

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?

for it is not the Jew in outward appearance, neither is it the external mark of circumcision:

but it is the Jew, who is so inwardly, and it is the circumcision of the heart, according to the spiritual, not the literal sense, which have the approbation, I do not say of men, but of God.

but say you, "if our unfaithfulness displays the veracity of God, what shall we say? is it not injustice in God to inflict punishment?"

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

and why may we not do evil, that good may come?" which is slanderously reported to be our maxim, by some, whose condemnation is just.

"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.

as it is written, " there is none righteous, no not one:

they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one.

and the way of peace have they not known.

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

the reward is not counted as a favour to him that has done good actions, but as a debt:

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

happy is the man to whom the Lord will not account sin."

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

and the father of the circumcised, that is of those who are not barely circumcised, but who imitate that faith which our father Abraham had, being yet uncircumcised.

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.

therefore the inheritance is of faith, that it might be meerly of favour, to the end the promise might be assured to all his posterity, not to that part only who have the law, but to that also who have the faith of Abraham, the father of us all, as it is written,

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

now this saying, "that it was accounted to him," was not written for his sake alone,

and not only so, but we triumph in tribulation also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, probation;

now hope will not deceive us, because the love of God is diffused thro' our hearts, by the holy spirit which is given to us;

and not only so, but we have present joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now obtained the reconciliation.

sin indeed was in the world all the time before the law: but then sin is not punished when there is no law.

nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned by violating a positive law, as did Adam, who is

the type of him that was to come: but yet the damage of the fall does not exactly correspond to the advantages of the divine favour: for tho' through the fall of one, mankind became mortal, yet this is greatly over-ballanced by the favour and bounty of God, in the benevolence of one man, Jesus Christ, to all mankind.

considering this, that our vicious passions were crucified with him, that the body of sin being destroyed, we might not any longer be vassals to sin.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, by making you slaves to the lusts thereof.

for then sin shall have no dominion over you: because you are not under the legal, but under the gospel dispensation.

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under the gospel?

by no means. know ye not, that to whom ye subject your selves vassals at command, his vassals you are whom you thus obey; the vassals either of sin to destruction, or of obedience to justification?

for when ye were the vassals of sin, ye were not in the service of virtue.

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to Jews acquainted with the law) that the law hath authority over a man, till it be abrogated?

but now we are delivered by the death of the law, which held us in bondage: that we might serve according to the living spirit, and not in the dead letter of the law.

Do we then conclude, that the law is the cause of sin? by no means; but I should not have had such a notion of sin, had it not been for the law: for I should not have known concupiscence was a sin, unless the law had said, "thou shalt not covet."

what I do I allow not: for what my mind leads me to, that do I not; but what I have an aversion to, that I do.

now then, it is not wholly I that do it, but the sinful passions that dwell in me.

for I experience, that in the carnal part of me dwells no good: for it is familiar to me, to will, but not to execute that which is good.

for the good that I purpose to do, I do not: but the evil which I resolve against, that I do.

now if I do that which my mind is against, it is not meerly I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Sentence of death therefore shall not pass upon those christians who do not lead a vicious life.

God having sent his own son invested with a body like that of sinful men, as a sacrifice for sin, thereby destroyed its power; which the law could not effect, human nature being in such a corrupted state.

so that the moral obligations of the law might be fulfilled by us, in living according to the spiritual, and not the carnal tenor thereof:

because a sensual disposition of mind is averse to God: for it is not subject to the divine law, nor indeed can it be.

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 the spirit you have received is not servile to keep you still in fear; but it is the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, that is, father.

who were not, by their own choice, expos'd to this uncertain state, but by virtue of him, who subjected them thereto:

and not only they, but even those who have the first fruits of the spirit, even we our selves do inwardly groan for the fruit of our adoption, by the deliverance of our body from corruption.

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?

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?

However, the divine promise cannot but have its effect. for they are not the whole of Israel, who are descended from Israel:

that is, the children by natural descent are not thereby the children of God: but the children of the promise are alone considered as his posterity.

for before they were born, and had done neither good or evil, that the distinction which God had purposed to make might appear to be, not in consideration of their actions, but of his own free call,

so that this is a matter not dependent on him that wills or runs, but on God, who shews mercy.

is not the potter the master of his own clay, of the same mass to make one vessel for use and ornament, and another for a meaner purpose?

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,

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

and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people; there shall they be called, the children of the living God."

What shall we hence conclude? that the Gentiles who sought not after justice, have obtained justice, even to that which is by faith:

but Israel, who followed the law of justice, hath not attained to the law of justice.

why? because they sought it not by faith, but indeed by the works of the law: for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone;

as it is written, "behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone, and a rock of offence: and whosoever believeth in him, shall not be ashamed."

for I bear them witness, that they have a zeal for God, but not guided by true knowledge.

because being ignorant of the justice which is of God, and going about to establish a justification of their own, they have not submitted themselves to that which is of God.

but the justification which is by faith, speaks in this manner; "say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven, in order to bring Christ down from above?

for the scripture saith, "whosoever believeth on him, shall not be ashamed."

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?

but all do not obey the gospel. for Esaias saith, "Lord, who hath believed our report?"

I reply, have they not heard? on the contrary, "their voice spread thro' all the earth, and their words to the remotest inhabitants thereof ."

but still I ask, did not Israel know this? first, Moses saith, "I will provoke you to jealousy, by those that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you."

but Esaias is more express, and says, "I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest to them that asked not after me.

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,

but what said the oracle to him? "I have reserved to my self seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

and if it be by favour, it is not upon the account of merit. for then mercy would not be mercy.

"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,

as it is written, "God hath given them up to a state of insensibility, so that their eyes could not see, and their ears could not hear."

let their eyes be darkned, so as not to see, and let their back be continually bowed down."

don't triumph over the branches: or if you do, remember the root is not dependent upon you, but you upon the root.

well, be it so, for their incredulity they were broken off, and you by faith stand firm: be not then elated, but let this be your fear,

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

I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this secret, (for fear you should presume too much on your selves) that blindness has fallen upon a part of Israel, until the time when the Gentiles shall be fully come in.

as you in times past did not obey God, yet have now obtained mercy upon the occasion of their disobedience:

and be not conformed to the present age: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may perceive what God requires of you is good, and acceptable, and perfect.

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.

for as there are many members in one and the same body, but all the members have not the same office:

in business be not slothful, but of an active mind, making the best use of every incident.

bless them, but curse not. rejoice with those that do rejoice, and weep with those that weep.

have the same respect for one another. let not your behaviour be haughty, but soften'd to the condition of those below you. be not wise in your own conceits.

Render no man evil for evil. mind such things as are approved not only by God, but by men.