Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > New Testament in Scots > Volume 3, 1905

ANE PROLOUGE TO THE ROMANIS. 329
thai appeire outwart. Withtout sic vndirstanding of thir
wordis can thow neuir vndirstande thys epistill of Pauli,
nor yit ony vthir place of the haill scripture. Tak hede,
thairfor, for quha sa euir vndirstandis thir wordis vthir
5 wayis, the same vndirstandis (a) not Paul, quhat sa ewer
he bee. Now will we prepaire our selffis to the epistill.
For alss mekill as it belangis to anne preachour of
Christis glaide tydingis, first, throu opnyng of the law,
to rebuke all thingis ande to preif all thingis synne, that
10 procedis not of the spret ande of faith in Christ, ande to
preif all men synnaris ande chyldyr of wraitht be jnherit-
ance, ande how that to syn is thair nature, ande that be
nature they can na vthir wise do bot synn ; ande tharwith
to abate the pryde of man, ande to bryng him to the knaw-
15 lege of him self and of his miserye ande wrechedness,
that he may desire helpe; ewin sua dois Sanct Paul,
ande begynnis in the first cheptur to rebuke vnbeleif
ande gret synnes, quhilkis all menn may see, as ydolatrye,
ande as the gret synnes of the heythen wer, ande as now
20 the synnes is of all thamme that lewis in ignorance with¬
out faith ; [and sais] the wraith (6) of Code of hewin apperis
throw the gospell vponn all menn for thair vngodlynes
ande vnhaly lewyng. For thocht it be dayely knawin
ande vndirstande be the creaturis that thar is bot anne
25 Code, yit is nature of hir selff, without the spret ande
grace, sua corruppit ande poysoned, that men nothir can
thank him, nothir wirschippit him, nothir gewis him his
dew honour; bot blyndis thamme selfis, ande fallis with¬
out ceasing in to worss casis, ewin vnto thai cum to the
(a) vndirstande in MS.
(b) without faith. The wraith in MS.
3. nor yit: ‘ nether.’ of the haill scripture : ‘ in the holy
scripture,’ but N., C 38, ‘in the whole scripture.’ 7. be¬
langis to anne preachour : ‘ becometh the precher.’ N. has in
margin, ‘ The fyrste Chapter,’ but the rubricator has omitted
this and all the subsequent marginalia of the original.
13. bot: ‘than to.’ 18. gret: ‘ grose,’ and so in
the next line. may see: ‘see.’ 21. faith wraith:
T., T 34, M 37, ‘fayth, and wyth oute the favoure of God,
and sayth, The wrath ’; GH., T 36, ‘ fayth & without the
fauour of God. The wrath’; N., C 38, ‘faith and without the
fauoure of God and fayth. The wrath.’ 22. vngodlynes : T.,
T 34, ‘vngodly,’ but T 36 and subsequent eds. as in the text.
2,3. dayely knawin ande : ‘ knowen & dayly.’ 27. wirschippit:
‘worschippe.’ gewis: ‘geue.’ 29. casis: ‘case.’