Ver. the Epifile to the Romanes. 6 forth by their qualities,fo now by their nation they are defcribed, either levees or Grecians;that is,all the Gentile' which were not fubje& to Ado fes Law.The drift is,tó Phew God to be righteous in his judgement,becaufe he rendreth to every one the due belonging to them, whether it be well or ill. The fumme is,that how - foever haply there bee not retribution made to every perfon here in this world according to their doing, becaufe the good are often oppreffed, and oppref- fours not onely goe foot -free, but pro - fper : yet certainly there will come a day wherein this confttfion and trou- bled face ofthings (hall be redreffed and righted ; when every one (hall have as they have done. For theparts:firft,there is a delcription of the paines due to evil) perlons, in foure words ; whereof two [ Indignation and wrath] doe containe the caufe oftheir punilhment ; Gods hot difpleafure kindled by finne : the other two [tribulation and anguiJh] note the ex- treame affli &ion of the ungodly, begun here, continued and perfe&ed in hell ; elfewhere fignified by death,deftru&ion, gnawing worme, gnafhing of teeth, darkneffe,chaines,fire, &c. Secondly,the reward of the godly is parted into three members ; glory, honour, peace, which is the mots quiet & peaceable poffeffìon of all good things in heaven. Tim. What doe)e note in the divifion of people,into levees and Grecians? S 1 L. Scripture ufirally divideth na- tions into jewel and Gentiles, or ewes and Greekes ; becaufe the Hebreeves held all people betide themfelves to be Greeke_",and there accounting all befide themfelves to be barbarous ; hence the Greeley are fubdivided into Greekes and Barbarians. See Rom. 1.14.16, Rom.1o. i2 Tire" are finii named,becaufe of their prerogative to be Gods people:alfo they excelled others in the knowledge 'of God; and therefore were more feverely to be punilhed for their difobeyirig the truth. Hence it is, that as they were finfl for the order & preheminence ofeftate; fo they are firfi placed here in the order ofpunifhment,for abufing fo great dig- nity and underftanding. Alfb it is to be obferved that here the Apofile beginneth to wrap the Jewel in the Idle lame re- proofe with the Genti.es, becaufe he in- tendeth direly and more fpecially to reprehend them, unto whom therefore eafily by little and little he flideth, tur- ning his fpeech by name to them alone hereafter at the verfe 7 When he fai- eth,Behold thou art called a Jew,&c.And in that hee would not fpare his owne kindred but named them firft, he fhewes himfelfe unpartiall. Da ALoCusVII. Verfe I r. For there is no refpeG afperfovs with God. T 114 OTI1sUS. i O 1 i.r this 'text and the verf s fol- j lawinn i }'ned with the former, and what is the fumme and f cope of them? S I e He confirmeth by this fentence, that which before he Paid of the equall condition of the Jew and Gentile, whom he had matched in puni(hmene; whereas they feemed to be unequall,for the Jew had the law of Alofes (as a great light) to guide them, fo had not the Gentiles; but the fmall and dimple light ofnature : therefore it feemeth a refpeb of perfon, to condemne them to equall paines, which were not equall in the meanes to keepe them from Finning.The Apofile anfwcreth, that howloever the caufe might bee unequal), yet God in diftributing paine,was not moved with refpe& of perfon; he did not looke unto the country or kindred of the Jew or of the Gentiles, when hee infií&ed punilh- ment upon them : but notwithftanding the difference ofcountrey,God did alike punifh the Gentiles which had no writ- ten law, and the Jew which hada law written by (Moles ; becaufe whofoever doth tranfj;reffe,whither it be without a law or with a law,they are worthy of death. Having then hitherto from the 3. verfe anfwered the generali pretext of all men,now hebendeth himfelfe to take away the more fpeciall excufes and fhifts (as bucklers againft Gods judgements : ) firft of the Gentiles, untill verfe 17. G3 and
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