uriously on the earth. You have indulged voluptuousness. You have pampered your hearts, as on a day of public feasting. 6 You have condemned-you have murdered the just one. Is he 7 not setting himself in array against you? Wherefore be ye, brethren, patient till the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman expecteth the precious fruits of the earth, waiting for them with patience, until it hath received the former and 8 the latter rain. Wait ye also with patience. Strengthen your 9 hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near. Repine not, brethren, against one another, that you may not be condemn10.ed. Behold the judge is at the door. For an example of enduring adversity, and of long suffering, take, my brethren, the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord. Behold 11 we call those sufferers happy. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the Lord's termination-that the Lord is full of compassion and tender mercy.

12

Now above all things, my brethren, swear not—either by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let

your

yes, be yes; and your no, no; that you may not fall under con

demnation.

13 Is any one among you afflicted, let him pray. Is any one 14 cheerful, let him sing praises. Is any among you sick, let

him send for the elders of the congregation, and let them pray 15 over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the

Lord. And the prayer of this faith will cure the sick, and the 16 Lord will raise him up. And though he may have committed sin, he will be forgiven. Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man under the divine impulse is very pow17 erful. Elias was a man frail and mortal like ourselves. In one prayer he prayed that it might not rain, and it did not rain on 18 the land during three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the land bloomed with its productions.

19

Brethren, if any among you hath wandered from the truth 20 and another hath brought him back, let him know that he who hath brought back a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins.

THE FIRST EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PETER.

PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the sojourners of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, whom God the Father, according to his predetermina2 tion hath chosen, that by a sanctification of spirit they may obey, and be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ; favour be to you, and may peace be multiplied.

3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath regenerated us 4 to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead-for an inheritance incorruptible, incapable of defilement or decay, reserved in heaven for us who are, during belief, kept safely by the power of God, for a deliverance prepared to be 5 revealed in the last time; in whom you exult with joy though 6 you are now for a little while, if it be necessary, distressed

with divers trials; in order that your faith, which hath stood 7 the test and is much more precious than gold which is of a perishable nature though tried by fire, may be found praise worthy, and honourable, and glorious, at the manifestation of Jesus Christ, whom without knowing him personally you 8 love; in whom though you do not now see him, yet you

believe, and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorified joy, 9 receiving as the completion of your faith the salvation of 10 your souls about which salvation the prophets, who pro

phesied concerning this favour for you, made diligent inquiry 11 and search, trying to find to what time, and what manner of

time, the spirit of Christ within them pointed, when it testified before hand the sufferings which were for Christ, and

12 the glories which should succeed them: to whom it was revealed that it was not for themselves, but for us, that they dispensed those things which have now been announced to you by them who proclaimed to you the glad tidings with a holy spirit sent from heaven; into which things angels have an earnest desire to look narrowly.

13 Wherefore having girded up the loins of your understanding, being perfectly sober, keep your hope fixed on the favour 14 to be conferred on you at the manifestation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves in conformity to your former desires during your ignorance; but as he who 15 hath called you is holy, be ye also holy in the whole course 16 of your life; for it is written, "Be ye holy, because I am 17 holy.*" And since you invoke, as father, him who without

respect of persons judgeth every one according to his work, 18 pass the time of your sojourning in fear; knowing that from

that vain course of life, handed down to you from your fathers, you have been redeemed not with perishable things such 19 as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, fore-ordained in20 deed before the foundation of the world, and manifested in 21 these last times, for the sake of you who by him believe in God, who hath raised him from the dead, and hath given him glory, so that you may have faith and hope in God.

22

Having, in obedience to the truth, purified your souls by the spirit for an unfeigned brotherly affection, love one ano23 ther fervently with a pure heart, as you have been born again not of corruptible but of incorruptible seed, by the word of God, which liveth and endureth forever.

24

"Because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as 25 a flower of grass-the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth, but the decree of the Lord endureth forever,t" and this is the decree which hath been proclaimed as glad tidings

II.

for you; therefore laying aside all malice, and all deceit, 2 and every kind of hypocrisy, envy and slander, like new-born

* Lev. 11. 44: 19. 2.

Es. 40. 6.

3 G

VOL. IV.

3

babes desire the pure milk of the word that by it you may thrive.

Since you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, to whom 4 you are come as to a living stone, by men indeed rejected, 5 but with God chosen and precious, and you yourselves as

living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood 6 to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ; on which account also there is in the scripture this passage, "Behold I lay in Sion a chosen, precious, chief corner stone, and he who confideth in it, shall not be ashamed,*" 7 this honour then being for you who believe: but to the disbelieving, "the stone, which the builders rejected-that 8 which was for the head of the corner,t" is indeed a stone of

stumbling and a rock of offence. They disbelieving the word 9 stumble at the thing for which they were laid: but you being a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people peculiarly set apart that you may publish the praises of him who 10 called you out of darkness into his marvellous light-you who formerly were not a people but are now the people of Godwho were uncompassionated, but are now compassionated, 11 beloved; I beseech you as strangers and sojourners to abstain 12 from carnal lusts, which war against the soul: let your behaviour among the nations be virtuous, that when they speak against you as evil doers, they who have been eye-witnesses may from your good works glorify God in the day of visitation.

13

Be subject therefore to every human establishment for the 14 Lord's sake, whether to a king as supreme, or to governors

as persons sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and 15 for the praise of them who do well. For it is the will of God

that you should by such good behaviour curb the ignorance 16 of foolish men. As freemen, but not like those who use their 17 freedom as a cover for wickedness, but as servants of God, honour all men, love the brotherhood; fear God; honour the king..

18

You who are servants, be subject to your masters with all 19 reverence, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the mo

*Es. 28. 16. † Ps. 118. 22.

rose. For this is pleasing, if from a conscientious regard to 20 God one endureth grief suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when you commit a fault and are beaten, you suffer patiently? But if when acting well you meet with ill usage, and bear it, this is well-pleasing in the sight of God. For to 21 this you have been called, because Christ himself suffered for

you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his 22 footsteps, who committed no sin, nor was guile found in his 23 mouth-who when he was reviled, did not revile again, when

he suffered, did not threaten; but committed himself to him 24 who judgeth righteously; who himself offered up our sins in his own body on the cross, that we, being freed from those sins, might live for righteousness; "by whose stripes you have 25 been healed.*" For you were like sheep going astray, but are now brought back to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

III. In like manner ye wives, be subject to your own husbands, that if any of them disbelieve the word they may by the deportment of their wives, without a word, be won over, 2 when they see your reverential, chaste behaviour. And let 3 your adorning be, not that which is external by plaiting the hair with appendages of gold, nor finery of dress; but the hid 4 den man of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is highly precious in the sight 5 of God. For thus, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God adorned themselves, submitting to their husbands, 6 (as Sarah, whose daughters you are, obeyed Abraham, calling him lord) doing what was right, and alarmed by no terror. Likewise ye husbands cohabit with your wives, paying respect to them as the weaker sex, and moreover as co-heirs with you of the grant of life, that there may be no impediment to your prayers.

7

8 Finally, be all of one mind, sympathising with one another, full of brotherly love, compassionate, courteous, not ren9 dering evil for evil, revile for revile; but on the contrary, blessing; knowing that you have been called for this, that you may inherit a blessing.

Es. 53. 5.