An antidote against error concerning justification, or, The true notion of justification, and of…An antidote against errour concerning justification, or, The true notion of justification, and of…

Now as this our Apostles Epistles are set before those of the rest, James, Peter, John and Jude: so this to the Romans stands in the front, or the first place of his, so disposed by those, who at first gathered the Epistles, then commonly had and acknowledged, together into one Volume, and digested them in that order as now we have them, and which we find to have ben from time to time ever since generally observed. The reason whereof I conceive to have ben, not because it was the first that the Apostles wrote: for as those that gathered together the Sermons of some of the Prophets, so those that compiled the main Body of these Epistles, did not observ that order in marshalling of them wherein they were written; and it is justly deemed from that passage, Chap. 15. 25, 26. that this Epistle was written later then some of those that here ensue: nor yet do I conceive it to have gained this precedency so much, as some other have supposed, in regard of the pre-eminence and sovereignty of the place to which it was written, being at that time the head-City of the whole Roman Empire, and the seat of the Emperors constant residence; but principally rather in regard of the eminency and excellency, yea deep profundity of the Mysteries of the Gospel, more fully and largely therein delivered then in any other of them, I may boldly say; what if I should say, in all the rest of them, were they all put togither? Ad we may hereunto, that the points herein discussed and debated are pursued and prosecuted with that nervosity of argument and vivacity of spirit, and the limbs and joints of the whole discourse so aptly knit together and artificially riveted into one another,¹ that that noble Italian Earl so much renowned for his variety of Learning, sharpness of insight, and ⟨p. 3⟩soundness of judgement, that he was deemed the Miracle of the Age he lived, in, is reported to have said, that all the humane writings of learned men & great Scholars that ever he had seen and read, seemed to him in comparison of this one our Apostles Master-piece, as he esteemed it, tanqam scopae dissolutae, as it is in the Proverb, but as besoms without bands.

Now as this our Apostles Epistles are set before those of the rest, James, Peter, John and Jude: so this to the Romans stands in the front, or the first place of his, so disposed by those, who at first gathered the Epistles, then commonlie had and acknowledged, together into one Volume, and digested them in that order as now we have them, and which we finde to have ben from time to time ever since generally observed. The reason whereof I conceiv to have ben, not because it was the first that the Apostles wrote: for as those that gathered together the Sermons of some of the Prophets, so those that compiled the main Body of these Epistles, did not observ that order in marshalling of them wherein they were written; and it is justly deemed from that passage, Chap. 15. 25, 26. that this Epistle was written later then some of those that here ensu: nor yet do I conceiv it to have gained this precedencie so much, as some other have supposed, in regard of the pre-eminence and soveraigntie of the place to which it was written, being at that time the hed-Citie of the whole Romane Empire, and the seat of the Emperors constant residence; but principallie rather in regard of the eminencie and excellencie, yea deep profunditie of the Mysteries of the Gospel, more fullie and largelie therein delivered then in anie other of them, I may boldlie say; what if I should say, in all the rest of them, were they all put togither? Ad we may hereunto, that the points herein discussed and debated ar pursued and prosecuted with that nervositie of argument and vivacitie of spirit, and the limbs and joynts of the whole discours so aptlie knit togither and artificially rivetted into one another,