it doth alfo in you, fince the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 7 As ye alfo learned of Epaphras our dear fellowfervant, who is for you a faithful minifter of Chrift; 8 Who alfo declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this caufe we also, fince the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to defire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and fpiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleafing, being fruitful in every good work, and increafing in the knowledge of God; II Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-fuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light: 15 Who is the image of the invifible God, the firstborn of every creature : 16 For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him : 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things confift. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Fa ther that in him fhould all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his crofs, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I Jay, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you that were fometime alienated and ene 13 Who hath delivered mies in your mind by wicked us from the power of dark-works, yet now hath he renefs, and hath tranflated us conciled. into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of fins : 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to prefent you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his fight : 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and fettled, and be not moved away from CHAP. III. the hope of the gofpel, which F ye then be rifen with ye have heard, and which I Chrift, feek thofe things was preached to every crea- which are above, ture which is under heaven: whereof I Paul am made a minifter; 24 Who now rejoice in my fufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Chrift in my flesh, for his body's fake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am made a minifter according to the difpenfation of God, which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifeft to his faints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this myftery among the Gentiles; which is Chrift in you, the hope of glory: where Chrift fitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Chrift in God. 4 When Chrift, who is our life, fhall appear, then fhall ye alfo appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleannefs, inordinate affection, evil concupifcence, and covetoufnefs, which is idolatry : 6 For which things' fake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience : 7 In the which ye also walked fometime, when ye lived in them. also put off 8 But now ye 28 Whom we preach, all thefe; anger, wrath, mawarning every man, and lice, blafphemy, filthy comteaching every man in all munication out wisdom 1; that we may pre-mouth. fent every man perfect in Chrift Jefus : 29 Whereunto I alfo labour, ftriving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. of your 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new max which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of of him that created him : II Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcifion nor uncircumcifion, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free but Chrift is all, and in | all. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-fuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any even as Chrift forgave you, fo alfo do ye. 14 And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Chrift dwell in you richly in all wifdom; teaching and admonishing one another in pfalms and hymns and fpiritual fongs, finging with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. 18 Wives, fubmit yourfelves unto your own hufbands, as it is fit in the Lord. 19 Hufbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleafing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, left they be difcouraged. 22 Servants, obey in all things your mafters, according to the flesh: not with eye-service, as men-pleafers, but in fingleness of heart, fearing God: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye fhall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye ferve the Lord Chrift. 25 But he that doeth wrong fhall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no refpect of perfons. From From the First Epiftle of PAUL to the THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II. OR yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: 2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were fhamefully entreated, as ye know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God, with much contention. 3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleannefs, nor in guile : 4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in truft with the gospel, even fo we fpeak, not as pleafing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. 5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetoufnefs; God is witnefs: 6 Nor of men fought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdenfome, as the apoftles of Chrift. 7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherifheth her children: 8 So being affectionately defirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own fouls, because ye were dear unto us. 9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail. For labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. io Ye are witnesses, and God allo, how holily and juftly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: Ir As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 13 For this caufe alfo thank we God without ceafing, becaufe, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh alfo in you that believe. 14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God, God, which in Judea are in Chrift Jefus: for ye also have fuffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: 15 Who both killed the Lord Jefus, and their own prophets, and have perfecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be faved, to fill up their fins alway. For the wrath is come upon them to the uttermoft. 17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a fhort time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great defire. 18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye in the prefence of our Lord Jefus Chrift at his coming? 20 For ye are our glory and joy. 2 For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord fo cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they fhall fay, Peace and fafety, then fudden deftruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they fhall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day fhould overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not fleep as do others; but let us watch and be fober. 7 For they that fleep, fleep in the night; and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be fober; putting on the breaft-plate of faith and love; and, for an helmet, the hope of falvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain falvation by our Lord Jefus Chrift, 10 Who died for us; that whether we wake or fleep, we fhould live together with him. II Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and e |