8 Draw nigh to God, and he will shall eat your flesh like fire. You draw nigh to you. Cleanse your have stored up to yourselves wrath hands ye sinners; and purify your against the last days. hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy, into sorrow. 10 Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. 11 Detract not one another, my brethren. He that detracteth his brother, or he that judgeth his brother, detracteth the law, and judgeth the law. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one law-giver, and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver. 13 But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? Behold, now you that say: To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year, and will traffick, and make our gain. 14 Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. 15 For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will; and, if we shall live, we will do this or that. 16 But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked. 17 To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin. CHAP. V. A woe to the rich that oppress the poor. 4 Behold the hire of the labourers, who have reaped down your fields, which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth: and the cry of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 You have feasted upon earth: and in riotousness you have nourished your hearts, in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the just one, and he resisted you not. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth: patiently bearing till he receive the early and the latter rain. 8 Be you therefore also patient, and strengthen your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Grudge not, brethren, one against another, that you may not be judged. Behold the judge standeth before the door. 10 Take, my brethren, for an example of suffering evil, of labour and patience, the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord: 11 Behold we account them blessed who have endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is merciful and compassionate. 12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven nor by the earth, nor by any other Go to now, ye rich men, weep oath. But let your speech be, yea, and howl in your miseries, which shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted: and your garments are moth eaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered: and the rust of them shall be for a testimony against you, and Chap. 5. Ver. 14. Let him bring in, &c. sacrament of extreme unction yea: no, no: that you fall not under judgment. 13 Is any of you sad? Let him pray. Is he cheerful in mind? Let him sing. 14 Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the See here a plain warrant of scripture for the church, and let them pray over him that it might not rain upon the anointing him with oil in the name earth, and it rained not for three of the Lord. years and six months. 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man: and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for another, that you may be saved. For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man possible like unto us: and with prayer he prayed 18 And he prayed again: and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 19 My brethren, if any of you err from the truth, and one convert him: 20 He must know, that he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins. Ver. 16. Confess your sins one to another. That is, to the priests of the church, whom, v. 14, he had ordered to be called for, and brought into the sick. The first EPISTLE of St. PETER the Apostle. CHAP. I. He exhorts to holiness of life. 8 Whom having not seen, you love: in whom also now, though PE docia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect, 9 Receiving the end of your 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord JESUS Christ, who according to his great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of JESUS Christ from the dead, 4 Unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that cannot fade, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who by the power of God, are kept by faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein you shall greatly rejoice, if now you must be for a little time made sorrowful in divers temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith (much more precious than gold which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honour at the appearing of JESUS Christ 10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and diligently searched, who prophesied of the grace to come in you, 11 Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them did signify when it foretold those sufferings that are in Christ, and the glories that should follow: 12 To whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you they ministered those things which are now declared to you by them that have preached the gospel to you, the Holy Ghost being sent down from heaven, on whom the angels desire to look. 13 Wherefore having the loins of your mind girt up, being sober, trust perfectly in the grace which is offered you in the revelation of JESUS Christ, 14 As children of obedience, not fashioned according to the former desires of your ignorance: 15 But according to him that hath called you, who is Holy, be you also in all manner of conversaon holy : 16 Because it is written: You shall be holy, for I am holy. 17 And if you invoke as Father him who, without respect of persons, judgeth according to every one's work: converse in fear during the time of your sojourning here. 18 Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, from your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers. 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled, 3 If so be you have tasted that the Lord is sweet. 4 Unto whom coming, as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen and made honourable by God: 5 Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by JESUS Christ. 6 Wherefore it is said in the scripture: Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious. And he that shall believe in him, shall not be confounded. 7 To you therefore that believe, he is honour: but to them that believe not, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner: 20 Fore-known indeed before the foundation of the world, but manifested in the last times for you, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and 21 Who through him are faithful a rock of scandal, to them who in God, who raised him up from stumble at the word, neither do the dead, and hath given him glo- believe, whereunto also they are ry, that your faith and hope might set. be in God. 9 But you are a chosen genera22 Purifying your souls in the tion, a kingly priesthood, a holy obedience of charity, with a bro- nation, a purchased people: that therly love from a sincere heart you may declare his virtues, who. love one another earnestly: hath called you out of darkness in 23 Being born again not of cor- to his marvellous light. ruptible seed, but incorruptible by 10 Who in time past were not a the word of God who liveth and people but are now the people of remaineth for ever. God. Who had not obtained mercy: you 24 For all flesh is as grass: and but now have obtained mercy. all the glory thereof as the flower of 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech grass. The grass is withered, and as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain the flower thereof is fallen away. yourselves from carnal desires 25 But the word of the Lord en-which war against the soul, dureth for ever, and this is the 12 Having your conversation word which by the gospel hath good among the gentiles: that been preached unto you. CHAP. II. We are to lay aside all guile. whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may, by the good works which they shall behold in WHEREFORE laying away you, glorify God in the day of visi in malice, and all guile, and tation. dissimulations, and envies, and all 13 Be ye subject therefore to detractions, every human creature for God's 2 Asnew born babes, desire the ra-sake: whether it be to the king as tional milk without guile,that there-excelling: by you may grow unto salvation. 14 Or to governors as sent by him 稱 for the punishment of evil doers, | and for the praise of the good: 15 For so is the will of God, that by doing well you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 18 Servants be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this is thanks-worthy, if for conscience towards God, a man endure sorrows, suffering wrongfully. 2 Considering your chaste conversation with fear. 3 Whose adorning let it not be the outward plaiting of the hair, or the wearing of gold, or the putting on of apparel: 4 But the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptibility of a quiet and a meek spirit, which is rich in the sight of God." 5 For after this manner heretofore the holy women also, who trusted in God,adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands. 6 As Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters you are, doing well, and not fearing any disturbance. 20 For what glory is it, if com- 7 Ye husbands likewise dwelling mitting sin and being buffeted for with them according to knowledge, it you endure? But if doing well giving honour to the female as to you suffer patiently, this is thanks- the weaker vessel, and as to the worthy before God.' co-heirs of the grace of life: that your prayers be not hindered. 21 For unto this are you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow his steps. 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. 8 And in fine be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble : 9 Not rendering evil for evil, 23 Who, when he was reviled, nor railing for railing, but contraridid not revile: when he suffered, wise, blessing: for unto this are he threatened not but delivered you called, that you may inherit a himself to him that judged him unjustly. 24 Who his own self bore our sins in his body upon the tree: that we being dead to sins, should live to justice by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were as sheep going astray but you are now converted to the shepherd and bishop of your souls. CHAP. III. How wives are to behave to their husbands. Ν IN like manner also let wives be blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. 11 Let him decline from evil, and do good: let him seek after peace, and pursue it: 12 Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their prayers: but the countenane of the Lord upon them that do evil things. 13 And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good? subject to their husbands: that 14 But if also you suffer any if any believe not the word, they thing for justice sake, blessed are may be won without the word, by ye. And be not afraid of their the conversation of the wives. fear, and be not troubled. 15 But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you. : the desires of men, but according to the will of God. 3 For the time past is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the gentiles, for them who have walked in 16 But with modesty and fear, riotousness, lusts, excess of wine, having a good conscience that revellings, banquetings, and unwhereas they speak evil of you, lawful worshipping of idols. they may be ashamed who falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 17 For it is better doing well (if such be the will of God) to suffer, than doing ill. 18 Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might offer us to God,being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit. 19 In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison: 20 Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 Whereunto baptism being of the like form, now saveth you also: not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the examination of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of JESUS Christ. 22 Who is on the right hand of God, swallowing down death, that we might be made heirs of life everlasting: being gone into heaven, the angels and powers and virtues being made subject to him. CHAP. IV. Exhortation to cease from sin. 4 Wherein they think it strange, that you run not with them into the same confusion of riotousness, speaking evil of you. 5 Who shall render account to him, who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to the dead : that they might be judged indeed according to men, in the flesh : but may live according to God in the Spirit. 7 But the end of all is at hand. Be prudent therefore, and watch in prayers. 8 But before all things have a constant mutual charity among yourselves for charity covereth a multitude of sins. 9 Using hospitality one towards another without murmuring. 10 As every man hath received grace, ministering the same one to another; as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the words of God. If any man minister, let him do it as of the power, which God administereth : that in all things God may be honoured through JESUS Christ; to whom is glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen. 12 think not Cfered in the fefor, be you also strange the burning heat which is armed with the same thought: for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sins: to try you, as if some new thing happened to you: 13 But if you partake of the suf2 That now he may live the rest ferings of Christ, rejoice, that when of his time in the flesh, not after his glory shall be revealed you may Ver 19. Spirits in prison See here a proof of the middle state of souls. |