AND be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear: having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil 16 of you, as of evil-doers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the 17 will of God be so, that ye suffer for well-doing, than for evil-doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the 18 unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and 19 preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobe- 20 dient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few (that is, eight) souls, were saved by water: the like figure whereunto, even bap- 21 tism, doth also now save us; (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; who is gone into heaven, and 22 is on the right hand of God; angels, and authorities, and powers being made subject unto him.

FORASMUCH then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, 4 arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; (for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;) that he no longer 2 should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice 3 us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries; wherein they think it strange that ye 4 run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the 5 quick and the dead. For, for this cause was the gospel preached 6 also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, 7 and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent 8 charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 'As 9 every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

IF any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any 11 man minister, let him do it, as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ; to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever! Amen.

BELOVED, think it not strange, concerning the fiery trial which 12 is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; 13 that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, 14 happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, 15 or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men's matters. Yet 16 if any man suffer as a CHRISTIAN, let him not be ashamed; but

let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that 17 judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the 18 ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore, let them that suffer 19 according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

THE elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an 5 elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of God 2 which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples 3 to the flock: and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall 4 receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye 5 younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:

For God resisteth the proud,
And giveth grace to the humble.

6

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon 7 him; for he careth for you.

BE sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a 8 roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom 9 resist stedfastly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the 10 God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and domin- 11 ion for ever and ever! Amen.

By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have 12 written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The church that is at Babylon, elected 13 together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. 'Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you 14 all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER.

SIMON PETER, a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, 1 to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and 2 peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.

ACCORDING as his divine power hath given unto us all 3 things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby 4 are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that

by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And be- 5 sides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; ' and to knowledge, temperance; and to tem- 6 perance, patience; and to patience, godliness; ' and to godliness, 7 brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if 8 these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and can-9 not see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make 10 your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abun- 11 dantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

WHEREFORE I will not be negligent to put you always in re- 12 membrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, so long as I am 13 in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as 14 our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. Moreover, I will endea- 15 vor that ye may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly 16 devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his Majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, 17 when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory,

'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we 18 were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure 19 word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no proph- 20 ecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the 21 prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as 2 there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction: and many shall 2 follow their pernicious ways; (by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of,) and through covetousness shall they 3 with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast 4 them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world, but 5 saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the 6 cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with

an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; and delivered just Lot, vexed with the 7 filthy conversation of the wicked: (for that righteous man dwell- 8 ing among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) the Lord knoweth 9 how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: but chiefly 10 them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed; they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities: whereas, angels, which 11 are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, 12 made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption: and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that 13 count it pleasure to riot in the day-time: spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot 14 cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: which have 15 forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but was rebuked for his iniquity: (the dumb ass, 16 speaking with man's voice, forbade the madness of the prophet.) These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a 17 tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For 18 when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While 19 they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollu- 20 tions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For 21 it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto 22 them, according to the true proverb,

and,

The dog is turned to his own vomit again;

The sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.

THIS second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both 3 which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that 2 ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the Apostles of the Lord and Savior: knowing this first, that there shall come 3 in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, ' and say- 4 ing, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of

the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the 5 word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then 6 was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens 7 and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one 8 thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning 9 his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a 10 thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what man- 11 ner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, 12 wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, accord- 13 ing to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

WHEREFORE, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be 14 diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless, and account that the long-suffering of our Lord is sal- 15 vation: even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you; as also in all his 16 epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing that ye know 17 these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness: but grow 18 in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN.

THAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, 1 which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the WORD OF LIFE: (for the 2 LIFE was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that ETERNAL LIFE which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us:) that which we have seen and 3 heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that 4 • your joy may be full.