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CHAPTER V

1 He sets before them the examples of holy men, whose piety is recorded in the Scripture.

WHEREFORE let us obey his excellent and glorious will; and imploring his mercy and goodness, let us fall down upon our faces before him, and cast ourselves upon his mercy; laying aside all vanity, and contention, and envy which leads unto death.

2 Let us look up to those who have the most perfectly ministered to his excellent glory. Let us take Enoch for our example; who being found righteous in obedience, was translated, and his death was not known.

3 Noah being proved to be faithful, did by his ministry, preach regeneration to the world; and the Lord saved by him all the living creatures, that went with one accord into the ark.

4 Abraham, who was called God's friend, was in like manner found faithful; inasmuch as he obeyed the commands of God.

5 By obedience he went out of his own country, and from his own kindred, and from his father's house; that so forsaking a small country, and a weak affinity, and a little house, he might inherit the promises of God.

6 For thus God said unto him; "get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee."

7 "And, I will make thee a great nation, and will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be blessed. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed,"

8 And again when he separated himself from Lot, God said unto him; I Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

9 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

10 And again he saith: and God brought forth Abraham, and said unto him; look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be.

11 And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

12 Through faith and hospitality he had a son given him in his old age; and through obedience he offered him up in sacrifice to God, upon one of the mountains which God showed into him.

CHAPTER VI

1 Redemption for such as have been eminent for their faith, kindness, and charity to their neighbours.

BY hospitality and goodliness was Lot saved out of Sodom, when all the country round about was destroyed by fire and brimstone.

2 The Lord thereby making it manifest, that he will not forsake those that trust in him; but will bring the disobedient to punishment and correction.

3 For his wife who went out with him, being of a different mind, and not continuing in the same obedience, was for that reason set forth for an example, being turned into a pillar of salt unto this day.

4 That so all men may know, that those who are double minded, and distrustful of the power of God, are prepared for condemnation, and to be a sign to all succeeding ages.

5 By faith and hospitality was Rahab the harlot saved. For when the spies were sent by Joshua the son of Nun to search out Jericho, and the king of Jericho knew that they were come to spy out his country, he sent men to take them, so that they might be put to death.

6 Rahab therefore, being hospitable, received them, and hid them under the stalks of flax, on the top of her house.

7 And when the messengers that were sent by the king came unto her, and asked her, saying, There came men unto thee to spy out the land, bring them forth, for so hath the king commanded: She answered, The two men whom ye seek came unto me, but presently they departed, and are gone: Not discovering them unto them.

8 Then she said to the spies, I know that the Lord your God has given this city into your hands; for the fear of you is fallen upon all that dwell therein. When, therefore, ye shall have taken it, ye shall save me and my father's house.

9 And they answered her, saying, It shall be as thou hast spoken unto us, Therefore, when thou shalt know that we are near, thou shalt gather all thy family together, upon the house-top and they shall be saved: but all that shall be found without thy house shall be destroyed.

10 And they gave her moreover a sign, that she should hang out of her house a scarlet rope, showing thereby, that by the blood of our Lord, there should be redemption to all that believe and hope in God. Ye see, beloved, how there was not only faith, but prophesy too in this woman.

CHAPTER VII

1 What rules are given for leading a holy life.

LET us, therefore, humble ourselves, brethren, laying aside all pride, and boasting, and foolishness, and anger: And let us do as it is written.

2 For thus saith the Holy Spirit; Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches; but let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord, to seek him, and to do judgment and justice.

3 Above all, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, which he spake concerning equity and long suffering, saying,

4 Be ye merciful, and ye shall obtain mercy; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; as ye do, so shall it be done unto you; as ye give, so shall it be given unto you; as ye judge, so shall ye be judged; as ye are kind to others, so shall God be kind to you; with what measure ye mete, with the same shall it be measured to you again.

5 By this command, and by these rules, let us establish ourselves, that so we may always walk obediently to his holy words; being humble minded:

6 For so says the Holy Scripture; upon whom shall I look, even upon him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word.

7 It is, therefore, just and righteous, men and brethren, that we should become obedient unto God, rather than follow such as through pride and sedition, have made themselves the ring-leaders of a detestable emulation.

8 For it is not an ordinary harm that we shall do ourselves, but rather a very great danger that we shall run, if we shall rashly give up ourselves to the wills of men, who promote strife and seditions, to turn us aside from that which is fitting.

9 But let us be kind to one another, according to the compassion and sweetness of him that made us.

10 For it is written, The merciful shall inherit the earth; and they that are without evil shall be left upon it: but the transgressors shall perish from off the face of it.

11 And again be saith, I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like the cedar of Libanus. I passed by, and lo! he was not; I sought his place, but it could not be found.

12 Keep innocently, and do the thing that is right, for there shall be a remnant to the peaceable man.

13 Let us, therefore, hold fast to those who religiously follow peace; and not to such as only pretend to desire.

14 For he saith in a certain place, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

15 And again, They bless with their mouths, but curse in their hearts.

16 And again he saith, They loved him with their mouths, and with their tongues they lied to him. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.

17 Let all deceitful lips become dumb, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said, with our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own, who is Lord over us?

18 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise saith the Lord; I will set him in safety, I will deal confidently with him.

CHAPTER VIII

He advises then, to be humble, and, follow the examples of Jesus, and of holy men in all ages.

FOR Christ is theirs who are humble, and not who exalt themselves over his flock. The sceptre of the majesty of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, came not in the show of pride and arrogance, though he could have done so; but with humility as the Holy Ghost had before spoken concerning him.

2 For thus he saith, Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed; For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground;

3 He hath no form or comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

4 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

5 And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

6 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

7 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

8 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

9 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

10 He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare this generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

11 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

12 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper m his hand.

13 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

14 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

15 And again he himself saith, I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out their lips, they shake their heads, saying; He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him, let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him.

16 Ye see, beloved, what the pattern is that has been given to us. For if the Lord thus humbled himself, what should we do who are brought by him under the yoke of his grace?

17 Let us be followers of those who went about in goat-skins, and sheep-skins; preaching the coming of Christ.

18 Such were Elias, and Eliaxus, and Ezekiel, the prophets, And let us add to these, such others as have received the like testimony.

19 Abraham has been greatly witnessed of; having been called the friend of God. And yet he steadfastly beholding the glory of God, says with all humility, I am dust and ashes.

20 Again of Job, it is thus written, That he was just, and without blame, true; one that served God, and abstained from all evil. Yet he accusing himself, said, No man is free from pollution, no, not though he should live but one day.

21 Moses was called faithful in all God's House; and by his conduct the Lord punished Israel by stripes and plagues.

22 And even this man, though thus greatly honoured, spake not greatly of himself; but when the oracle of God was delivered to him out of the bush, he said, Who am I, that thou dost send me? I am of a slender voice, and a slow tongue.

23 And again he saith, I am as the smoke of the pot.

24 And what shall we say of David, so highly testified of in the Holy Scriptures? To whom God said, I have found a man after my own heart, David the son of Jesse, with my holy oil have I anointed him.

25 But yet he himself saith unto God, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

26 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

27 Against Thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest; and be clear when thou judgest.

28 Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

29 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

30 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

31 Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

32 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

34 Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me.

35 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit.

36 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

37 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

38 O Lord open thou my lips, and my mouth shall. show forth thy praise.

39 For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.

40 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.