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¹ I say ye trueth in Christ, I lye not, my conscience also bearyng me witnesse by the holy ghost,² That I haue great heauinesse, & continuall sorowe in my heart.³ For I haue wisshed my selfe to be cursed from Christe, for my brethren, my kynsmen as pertaynyng to ye fleshe,⁴ Which are the Israelites: To whom pertayneth the adoption, and the glory, & the couenauntes, and the lawe that was geuen, and the seruice of God, and the promises.⁵ Of whom are the fathers, of whom as concernyng the fleshe, Christe [came,] which is God, in all thynges to be praysed for euer. Amen.

⁶ And it can not be, that the worde of God shoulde take none effect. For they are not all Israelites, which are of Israel:⁷ Neither are they all chyldren that are the seede of Abraham: But in Isaac shall thy seede be called.⁸ That is to say: They which are the chyldren of the fleshe, are not the chyldren of God: But they which be the childre of promise, are counted the seede.⁹ For this is a worde of promise: About this tyme wyll I come, and Sara shall haue a sonne.¹⁰ Not only this, but also Rebecca was with chylde by one [euen] by our father Isaac.¹¹ For yer the [chyldren] were borne, when they had neither done good neither bad, (that the purpose of God by election might stande: not by the reason of workes, but by the caller)¹² It was sayde vnto her: The elder shall serue the younger.¹³ As it is written: Iacob haue I loued, but Esau haue I hated.

¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there any vnrighteousnes with God? God forbid.¹⁵ For he sayth to Moyses: I wyll shewe mercy to whom I shewe mercy: And wyll haue compassion, on whom I haue compassion.¹⁶ So then it is not of the wyller, nor of the runner: but of the mercy of God.¹⁷ For the scripture sayth vnto Pharao: Euen for this same purpose haue I stirred thee vp, to shewe my power in thee, & that my name myght be declared throughout all the worlde.¹⁸ So hath he mercy on whom he wyll, and whom he wyll, he hardeneth.¹⁹ Thou wylt say then vnto me: Why then blameth he [vs] yet? For who hath ben able to resist his wyll?²⁰ But O man, what art thou which disputest with God? Shall the worke say to the workeman, why hast thou made me on this fashion?²¹ Hath not the potter power ouer the clay, euen of the same lumpe to make one vessel vnto honour, and another vnto dishonour?²² If then, God wyllyng to shewe his wrath, and to make his power knowe, suffred with long patience, the vessels of wrath, ordayned to destruction,²³ To declare the riches of his glory, on the vessels of mercy, which he had prepared vnto glory:²⁴ Whom also he called, not of ye Iewes only, but also of the Gentiles.

²⁵ As he sayth also in Osee: I wyll call them my people, which were not my people: and her beloued, which was not beloued.²⁶ And it shall come to passe, that in the place where it was sayde vnto them: Ye are not my people, there shall they be called ye chyldren of the lyuyng God.²⁷ And Esaias cryeth concerning Israel: Though the number of the children of Israel, be as the sande of the sea, yet [but] a remnaunt shalbe saued.²⁸ For he finisheth the worde, and maketh it short in ryghteousnesse: For a short worde wyll the Lorde make on earth.²⁹ And as Esaias sayde before: Except the Lorde of Sabboth had lefte vs seede, we had ben made as Sodoma, and had ben lykened to Gomorrha.

³⁰ What shall we say then? that the gentiles which folowed not ryghteousnes, haue obtayned righteousnesse: euen the ryghteousnesse which cometh of fayth.³¹ But Israel, which folowed the lawe of ryghteousnesse, hath not attayned to the lawe of ryghteousnesse.³² Wherfore? Because [they sought it] not by fayth: but [as it were] by the workes of the lawe. For they haue stumbled at the stumblyng stone,³³ As it is written: Beholde, I put in Sion a stumblyng stone, and a rocke of offence: And whosoeuer beleueth on hym, shall not be confounded.