“ Soþli þis is þe word of biheeste, Vp þis tyme I schal come, and a sone schal be to Sare. Forsoþ not oonly she, but and Rebecca, of o liggynge by hauynge tweye sones of Ysaac, oure fadir. Soþli whanne þei weren not ȝit born, eþer hadden don ony þing of good or yuel, þat þe purpos of God schulde dwelle vp þe eleccioun, not of workis, but of God clepinge, it is seid to him, For þe more schal serue to þe lasse, as it is writun, I louede Jacob, forsoþe Esau I hadde in hate. What þerfore schulen we seie? Wher wickidnesse be anentis God? ”

“ Soþli we witen, þat ech creature insorwiþ, and childiþ, or worchiþ wiþ angwis, til ȝit. Forsoþ not oonly it, but and we vs silf, hauynge þe firste fruytis of þe spirit, and we vs silf sorwen wiþ ynne vs þe adopcioun of Goddis sones, þat is, wiþ greet mornynge desyren þe staat of Goddis sones bi grace, abidinge þe aȝen bygging of oure body. Soþli by hope we ben mad saaf. Forsoþ þe hope þat is seyn, is not hope; forwhy what hopiþ a man þat þing, þat he seeþ? Forsoþ if we hopen þat þing þat we seen not, we abiden by pacience. ”

“ And not as we ben blasfemyd, and as summe seyen vs for to seye, Do we yuele þingis, þat goode þingis come. Whos dampnacioun is iust. What þerfore? Passen we hem? Nay; soþli we han schewid by skile, Jewis and Greekis alle for to be vndir synne, as it is writun, For þer is not ony man iust; þer is not a man vndirstondinge, neiþer sekinge God. Alle bowedyn a wey, to gidere þei ben maad vnprofitable; þer is not þat doiþ good þing, þer is not til to oon. A sepulcre openynge is þe þrote of hem; wiþ her tungis þei diden gilyngly, or trecherously ”

“ Forwhi þat þat was vnpossible to þe lawe, in what þing it was syk, or freel, by fleisch, God sendinge his sone in to þe liknesse of fleisch of synne, of þe synne dampnede synne in fleisch; þat þe iustifiynge of lawe were fulfillid in vs, þat not aftir þe fleisch wandren, but aftir þe spirit. Forsoþ þei þat ben aftir þe fleisch, saueren þo þingis þat ben of þe fleisch; but þei þat ben after þe spirit, feelen þo þingis þat ben of þe spirit. Forwhi þe prudence of fleisch is deeþ; forsoþ þe prudence of spirit lyf and pees. For þe wysdom of fleish is enemy to God ”

“ Forsoþ if þe losse of hem is reconsilinge of þe world, what takinge vp, no but lyf of deede men? For if þe sacrifise, or litel part of tastynge, be hooly, and þe hool gobet; and if þe roote is hooly, and þe braunchis. ”

“ Þerfore as by o man synne entride in to þis world, and by synne deeþ, so deeþ passide forþ in to alle men, in which man alle men synneden. Soþli til to þe lawe synne was in þe world; forsoþe synne was not wyitid, or rettid, whanne lawe was not. But deeþ regnyde fro Adam til to Moyses, also in to hem þat synneden not in licnesse of trespassinge of Adam, which is foorme, or licnesse, of oon to comynge. But not as gilt, or trespas, so and þe ȝifte; soþli if þorw þe gilt of oon manye ben deed, moche more þe grace of God and ȝifte in þe grace of o man Jhesu Crist haþ haboundid in to many men. ”

“ Also and þe spirit helpiþ oure infirmyte, or vnstedefastnesse; forwhy what we schulen preie, as it bihoueþ, we witen not, but þe ilke spirit axiþ for vs wiþ sorowyngis, þat mown not ben toold out. Forsoþe he þat sekiþ þe hertis, wot what þe spirit desyriþ, for aftir God, þat is, at Goddis wille, he axiþ for hooly men. Forsoþ we witen, for to men louynge God alle þingis worchen to gidere into good þing, to hem þat aftir purpos ben clepid seyntis. Forwhy and whom he wiste bifore, and he ordeynede by grace for to be maad lychi of þe ymage of his sone, þat he be þe firste bigetun in many briþeren. ”

“ If it may be don, þat þat is of ȝou, hauynge pees wiþ alle men. Ȝe moost dereworþe briþeren, not defendynge, or vengynge, ȝou silf, but ȝyue ȝe place to ire, or wraþþe; forsoþ it is writun, Þe Lord seiþ, To me veniaunce, and I schal ȝelde aȝen. But if þin enemye schal hungre, feede þou him; if he þirstiþ, ȝyue þou drynke to hym; forsoþe þou doynge þes þingis schalt gidere to gedre colis on his heed. Nyle þou be ouercome of yuel þing, but ouercome þou yuel þing in good þing.
Capitulum XIII. Euery soule, or lyuynge man, be suget to hiȝer poweris. Forsoþ þere is not power no but of God ”

“ Contricioun, or defoulyng togidere, and infelicite, or cursidnesse, in þe weies of hem, and þei knewen not þe wey of pees; þe drede of God is not bifore her yȝen. Forsoþe we witen, for what euere þingis þe lawe spekiþ, it spekiþ to hem þat ben in þe lawe, þat ech mouþ be stoppid, and ech world be maad suget to God. For of þe workis of lawe ech fleisch, þat is, mankynde, schal not be iustifyed bifore him; forsoþe by þe lawe is knowinge of synne. Forsoþe now wiþouten þe lawe þe riȝtwysnesse of God is schewid, witnessid of þe lawe and prophetis. ”

“ Þerfore feiþ of heeringe, heering forsoþ by þe word of Crist. But I seye, Wher þei herden not? And soþli þe word of hem wente out into al erþe, and into þe endis of þe roundnesse of þe erþe her wordis. But I seie, Wher Israel knew not? First Moyses seiþ, I schal lede ȝou to enuye, into not a folk; into an vnwys folk, I schal sende ȝou in to wraþþe. Forsoþ Ysaie dar, and seiþ, I am foundyn of men not sekinge me; openly I apperide to hem, þat axiden not me. Forsoþe to Yrael he seiþ, Al day I streiȝte out my hondis to a peple not bileuynge to me, but aȝen seyinge. ”

“ Capitulum V. Therfore we, iustified of feiþ, haue pees at God by oure Lord Jhesu Crist. By whom we han accesse, or nyȝ goynge to, by feiþ in to þis grace, in which we stonden, and han glorie in þe hope of glorie of Goddis sones. Forsoþ not oonly, but and we glorien in tribulaciouns, witinge þat tribulacioun worchiþ pacience, soþli pacience prouynge, forsoþe prouynge hope. Forsoþ hope confoundiþ not, for þe charite of God is spred abrood in oure hertis by þe Hooly Gost, þat is ȝouun to vs. ”

“ Þat as synne regnede in to deeþ, so and grace regne by riȝtwysnesse into euere lastynge lyf, by Jhesu Crist oure Lord.
Capitulum VI. Therfore what schulen we seye? Schulen we dwelle in synne, þat grace be plenteuous? Ferr be it. Soþli we þat ben deed to synne, how schulen we ȝit lyue þer ynne? Wher, breþeren, ȝe vnknowen, for whiche euere we ben baptysid, or cristened, in Crist Jhesu, in his deeþ we ben baptysid? Soþli we ben to gidere biried wiþ him bi cristendom in to deeþ; þat as Crist roos fro deede spiritis bi glorie of þe fadir, so and we walke in þe newenesse of lyf. ”