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THE EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL, TO THE ROMANS.

I.

PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, set apart 2 for the gospel of God, which he promised heretofore by his 3 prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his son, (him who 4 was of a seed of David with respect to flesh-him who was determinately marked out as son of God by a power, according to a spirit of holiness, of rising up from the dead,) [namely] 5 Jesus Christ, our Lord, by whom we have received favour and an apostolical mission, that for his name there may be an obedience of faith among all the nations, among which

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you, and peace

you in6 deed are called ones of Jesus Christ-to all who are at 7 Rome, beloved of God, called and consecrated; favour be to from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first place, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your belief is celebrated throughout the whole 9 world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son, is my witness how incessantly I make mention of 10 you, intreating always in my prayers that by the will of God

I may at length have some how a favourable opportunity to 11 come to you. For I long to see you that I may impart to you 12 some spiritual gift for your establishment, that is, to partake of consolation among you by the faith which is mutually in us, both yours and my own.

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Now, brethren, I would not have you ignorant that I have hitherto been hindered, though I have often heretofore purposed to come to you, that I might have some fruit among you even 14 as among the other nations. I am a debtor both to Greeks and barbarians, to both the learned and the unlearned, so that as far

15 as it rests with me, I am ready to publish the glad tidings to you 16 also who are at Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Christ; for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believeth, to the Jew in the first place, and also to 17 the Greek. For by it there is revealed a justification of God's 18 appointment because of belief, that we may believe. As it is written, "But the just shall live because of belief:*”—for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of the men, who by unrighteousness repress truth.

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Because that which is to be known of God is manifest 20 among them, for God hath manifested it to them; for his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and divine majesty, being thought upon, are from the creation of the world clearly discoverable by the things made, so that they are without ex21 cuse-because when they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor give him thanks, but became vain by their illgrounded reasonings, and their foolish heart was darkened22 pretending to be wise, they became fools, and changed the 23 glory of the incorruptible God for an image representing cor24 ruptible man, and birds, and four footed beasts, and reptiles;

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therefore God delivered them up, by the desires of their own hearts, to impurity, that by themselves their own bodies might be dishonoured.

They changed the truth of God for a falsity, and worshipped and served the creature, and not the creator who is blessed forever, Amen: therefore God gave them up to infamous 26 passions; for even their women perverted the instinct of 27 nature; and in like manner the males also leaving the sex,

were inflamed with desires towards each other, which they most shamefully indulged, men with men, and received in themselves the retribution which was justly due to their error. 28 And as they did not search out God to have constantly a due

sense of him, God gave them up to an undiscerning mind to 29 do things unseemly, filled as they were with all manner of injustice, lewdness, maliciousness, covetousness, mischief, be

* Hab. 2. 4.

30 ing full of envy, murder, contention, fraud, evil habits; being whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insulters of men, insolent, boastful, inventors of evils, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant breakers, void of natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.

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II.

Some having recognised God's law, That they who do such things deserve death, not only do the same things themselves, but have even a complacency in them who commit them; therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, who judgest another: for in the act of judging another thou condemnest thyself. For thou the judger dost the same 2 things. Now we know that the judgment of God is according 3 to truth against them who commit such things. And dost thou

imagine, O man, who judgest them who commit such things and dost the same thyself, that thou shalt escape the judgment 4 of God? Or dost thou contemn the riches of his gentleness and forbearance and long suffering, not considering that the gentle5 ness of God is leading thee to a reformation? Indeed according to this obduracy, and impenitent heart of thine thou art treasuring up for thyself wrath against a day of the wrath and 6 of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will 7 render to every one according to his works-to them who by perseverance in well-doing, seek for glory and honour, and 8 incorruption [he will grant] everlasting life; but for them who are contentious and disobedient to the truth and in sub9 jection to unrighteousness, there will be indignation and wrath,

tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man who doth 10 evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; but glory and 11 honour and peace, for every one who doth good-for the Jew

first, and also for the Greek. For with God there is no respect 12 of persons. For as many as have sinned without law, shall

without law perish, and as many as have sinned, being under 16 law shall be judged by law, on the day when, according to

my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in the 14 sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when the Gentiles who have not law do by nature the duties required by the law, these not having law are a law to them15 selves. By the joint testimony of their conscience, and by

their debates one with another, whether accusing or defend. ing, they shew the matter of the law written in their hearts. 17 Behold thou art called a Jew, and thou restest on the law 18 and gloriest in God, and knowest his will, and triest things 19 which differ, being instructed out of the law, and hast a confi

dence that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light to them 20 who are in darkness, an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher

of babes, having the form of the knowledge and of the truth 21 in the law. Thou therefore who teachest another, dost thou

not teach thyself? Thou who proclaimest not to steal, dost 22 thou steal? Thou who sayest, Commit not adultery, dost thou

commit adultery? Thou who abominatest idols, dost thou 23 violate things sacred? Thou who gloriest in a law, dost thou 24 by the breach of that law dishonour God? For as it is written,

"On your account the name of God is blasphemed among the 25 nations.*" For circumcision is indeed profitable if thou per

formest the law. But if thou art a transgressor of the law thy 26 circumcision is become uncircumcision. If then the uncir

cumcision keep the moral precepts of the law, shall not such 27 a one's uncircumcision be accounted circumcision? And

may not the uncircumcision which in a state of nature per formeth the law, judge thee who being under a written law 28 and circumcision art a transgressor of law? For he is not a Jew, who is one outwardly; nor is that circumcision, which is barely in the flesh: but he, who is a Jew inwardly, whose circumcision is that of the heart-spiritually not literally, whose praise is not from men, but from God.

III.

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(J) What then is the superior privilege of the Jew, or what the advantage of circumcision?

(A) Much every way. First indeed that they were intrusted with the oracles of God.

3 (J) Well! what if some have been unfaithful? Shall their unfaithfulness make void the faithfulness of God?

4.

(A) No, by no means. Yea, let God be true, though

*Es. 52. 5. (J) A Jew's objection.

answer.

(A) The apostle's

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every man be a liar, as it is written, "So that thou must be justified in thy acts and must overcome when thou art judged.*" (J) If then our unrighteousness establisheth the righte ousness of God, what shall we say, Is not God unjust who taketh vengeance? I speak as a man

6 (A) No, by no means. In that case, how shall God judge the world?+

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(J)-For if by my falsehood the truth of God hath abounded to his glory, why am I yet condemned as a sinner?

(A) And will you, (as we are calumniated and as some affirm that we) say, that we should do evil that good may come, you whose condemnation is just?

(J) What preference then have we?

(A) None at all. For we have before charged both Jews 10 and Greeks with being all under sin; as it is written,

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"There is none righteous, no, not one.

There is none who hath understanding.
There is none who seeketh God.

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They are all gone aside;

They are all together become vile;

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Their throat is an open sepulchre.

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There is none who doth good-no, not one.

With their tongues they practised deceit.
The poison of asps is under the lips of them,
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood.

Destruction and misery are in their ways.
And the way of peace they did not know.

There is no fear of God before their eyes."‡

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world stand convicted before God.

Because no flesh can be justified before him by works of 21 law; for by law there is a knowledge of sin, now therefore, in

Ps. 51. 6.

The apostle, as I conceive, repels the suggestion of God's being unjust, without waiting for the conclusion of the objection which is contained in verse 7.

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Ps. 14.

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