• Curfed be he that doth the Work of the Lord deceitfully; who holdeth the Truth in Unrighteousness; who fecretly doth those things that are not right, against the Lord; and hath not turned unto him with his whole Heart, but feignedly. b Woe unto you, Hypocrites; which ftrain at a Gnat, and fwallow a Camel; which devour Widows Houses, and for a pretence make long Prayer. Ye are they which juftify your felves before Men; but God knoweth your Hearts: For that which is highly esteemed amongst Men, is oftentimes Abomination in the Sight of God. d Ye fit before the Lord as his People, and ye hear his Words; but ye will not do them: For with your Mouth ye fhew much Love; but your Heart goeth after your Covetousness. e Ye are like unto whited Sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead Men's Bones, and all Uncleannefs; even fo ye alfo outwardly appear righteous unto Men; but within ye are full of Hypocrify and Iniquity. f But what is the Hope of the Hypocrite, tho' he hath gained, when God taketh away his Soul? Will God hear his Cry, when Trouble cometh upon him Will he delight himfelf in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? Behold the Joy of the Hypocrite is but for a moment; why then are ye thus altogether vain ? a Jer. 48. ro. Rom. 1. 18. 2 Kings 17. 9. Jer. 3. 10. Mat. 23. 23, 24, 14. a Eztk. 33. 31. • Luke 16. 15. . Mat. 23. 27, 28. L Job 27. 8, 9, 10. Job 20. s. Job 27. 12. • He a And befides this, giving all Diligence, add to your Faith Virtue, and to Virtue Knowledge, and to Knowledge Temperance, and to Temperance Patience, and to Patience Godlinefs, and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness, and to Brotherly Kindness Charity: For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you, that ye fhall neither be barren, nor unfruitful, in the Knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift: But he that lacketh thefe things is blind, and cannot fee afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old Sins. -b Walk as Children of Light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord; and always abounding in the Work of the Lord: Forafmuch as ye know, that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. We exhort, and charge every one of you, that ye would walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are called; worthy of God, who hath called you to his Kingdom and Glory; worthy of the Lord, unto all pleafing: being fruitful in every good Work, and increafing in the Knowledge of God. Let your Love abound yet more and more, in Knowledge, and in all Judgment; that ye may be filled with the Fruits of Righteoufness, which are by Jefus Chrift, unto the Glory and Praife of God. e Herein (faith Chrift) is my Father glorified, that ye bear much Fruit; fo fhall ye be my Difciples. f Let us therefore go on unto Perfection: And, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto thofe things which are before, let us prefs toward the Mark, for the Prize of the high Calling of God, in Christ Jesus. Seek that ye may excel: Approve things that are excellent: Covet earnestly the beft Gifts. b Let your Conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Chrift; and fo, that ye may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. He who faith, he abideth in Chrift, ought himself alfo fo to walk, even as he walked. d Be ye Followers of God, as dear Children, And let every Man, that hath this Hope in him, purify himself, even as he is pure; and be righteous, even as he is righteous. e As he which hath called you is holy, fo be ye holy in all manner of Conversation: Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. f Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect: That ye may be blamelefs and harmless, the Sons of God, without Rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation, among whom ye fhine as Lights in the World. 8 Let your Light fo fhine before Men, that they may fee your good Works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. h Except your Righteoufnefs fhall exceed the Righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye fhall in no wife enter into the Kingdom of Hea a And befides this, giving all Diligence, add to your Faith Virtue, and to Virtue Knowledge, and to Knowledge Temperance, and to Temperance Patience, and to Patience Godliness, and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness, and to Brotherly Kindness Charity: For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you, that ye fhall neither be barren, nor unfruitful, in the Knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift: But he that lacketh thefe things is blind, and cannot fee afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old Sins. b Walk as Children of Light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord; and always abounding in the Work of the Lord: Forafmuch as ye know, that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. c We exhort, and charge every one of you, that ye would walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are called; worthy of God, who hath called you to his Kingdom and Glory; worthy of the Lord, unto all pleafing: being fruitful in every good Work, and increafing in the Knowledge of God. d Let your Love abound yet more and more, in Knowledge, and in all Judgment; that ye may be filled with the Fruits of Righteoufness, which are by Jefus Chrift, unto the Glory and Praife of God. e Herein (faith Chrift) is my Father glorified, that ye bear much Fruit; fo fhall ye be my Difciples. f Let us therefore go on unto Perfection: And, forgetting those things which are behind, and a Because Iniquity fhall abound, the Love of many fhall wax cold: But he that fhall endure unto the end, the fame fhall be faved. b When the Righteous turneth away from his Righteoufnefs, and committeth Iniquity, and doth according to all the Abominations that the wicked Man doth, all his Righteousness that he hath done fhall not be mentioned; in his Trefpafs that he hath trefpaffed, and in his Sin that he hath finned, in them shall he die. If they that had efcaped the Pollutions of the World, through the Knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, are again intangled therein, and overcome; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of Righteoufnefs, than after they have known it to: turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto them. d As ye have therefore received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him: Holding Faith, and a good Confcience; and continuing in the Love of Chrift; that when he fhall appear ye may have Confidence, and not be afhamed before him at his coming. e The hoary Head is a Crown of Glory, if it. be found in the way of Righteousness. a Mat. 24. 12, 13. 20, 21. r John 2, 28. b Ezek. 18. 24. € 2 Pet. 2.: á Col. 2. 6. 1 Tim. 1. 19. John 15. 9. |