17 nesses of his greatness. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the majestic glory; 'This is my beloved Son, 18 in whom I am well pleased.' And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him on the 19 holy mount, and so we have more sure the word of prophecy; whereto ye do well to hold, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star 20 arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy 21 of scripture is of private interpretation. For prophecy came not of old by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as moved by the holy spirit.

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And there were false prophets also among the people, even as there will be among you false teachers, who will bring in heresies of destruction, and will deny the Master that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift 2 destruction. And many will follow their lewd ways, by reason of whom the way of truth will be evil spoken of. 3 And in lasciviousness will they gain you over with smooth words; against whom the former judgment lingereth 4 not, and their destruction slumbereth not. For if God

spared not the angels that sinned, but in bonds of darkness casting them down to hell delivered them up 5 reserved for judgment; and spared not the old world, but saved Noah, with seven others, as a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly; • and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, leaving them an 7 example to those that should afterwards live ungodly; and delivered just Lot, when vexed with the behaviour of the 8 wicked in filthiness; (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous till the day of judgment to be 10 punished; but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to speak ill of dignities; 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, bring not a railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these as senseless beasts, animals made to be taken and destroyed, speak ill of what they understand not, and

will be destroyed in their own corruption, receiving the 13 reward of unrighteousness. They count riot by day as pleasure; they are spots and blemishes, sporting themselves in their own deceits while feasting with you; having eyes 14 full of adultery, and that cease not from sin; beguiling unstable minds, having a heart exercised in lasciviousness, children of cursing, having forsaken the right way, they 15 are gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but had the rebuke of his own iniquity; the dumb ass 16 speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These men are wells without water, and clouds 17 driven along by the whirlwind; to whom is reserved the mist of darkness to the end of the world. For when is they speak high-sounding words of vanity, they allure by lusts of the flesh, by wantonness, those that were scarcely escaped from them that live in error; promising 19 freedom to them, being themselves slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, to that is he also enslaved. For if, after they have escaped from the pollu- 20 tions of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it were better for them 21 not to have known the way of righteousness, than after knowing it, to turn from the holy command delivered to them. But it is happened to them according to the 22 true proverb; The dog is turned again to his own vomit; and, The sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.

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This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure mind by reminding; that ye remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets, and the command of our apostles of the Lord and saviour; knowing this first, that in the latter days will come scoffers in scoffing, walking after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of his 'coming? for since the fathers went to their rest, all 'things remain as they were from the beginning of the 'creation.' For this they are wilfully ignorant of, that by 5 the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth formed out of water and by means of water; by which 6

the world that then was, being overflowed with water, 7 perished. But the heavens and earth which are now are by His word kept in store, reserved unto fire until the day of judgment and of destruction of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord of the promise is not slow, as some men count slowness; but is patient towards us, not wishing that any should perish, but that 10 all should come to repentance. For the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in it the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with heat, the earth also and the works therein will be 11 burned up. Since then all these things are to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be? in holy 12 behaviour and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire will be dissolved, and the elements will melt 13 with heat. But let us look, according to his promise, for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

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Wherefore, beloved, looking for these things, endeavour to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and count the patience of our Lord as salvation, even as

our beloved brother Paul according to the wisdom given 16 to him wrote to you; as he did also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which things are some hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto 17 their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, foreseeing, beware lest, being led away by the deceit of the wicked, 18 ye fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. -To him be glory both now and until the day of the end of the world; amen.

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The First Epistle of JOHN.

WHAT was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked on, and our hands have handled, about the word of life; 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear

witness and declare unto you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us;-what we have seen and heard we declare unto you, so 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 we write unto you, that your joy may be full.

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And these are the tidings which we have heard from him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we speak falsely, and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have 10 not sinned, we make him speak falsely, and his word is not in us. My children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any one sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is a propitiation for our sins, and not for our's only but for the whole world.

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And hereby we know that we have known him, if we keep his commands. He that saith, 'I have known him,' 4 and keepeth not his commands, speaketh falsely, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him is the love of God truly made perfect; hereby we know that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him 6 ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Beloved, I write no new command to you, but an old command which ye had from the beginning. The old command is the word which ye heard from the beginning. Again a new command I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is even yet in darkness. He that 10 loveth his brother abideth in the light, and in him is no cause of stumbling. But he that hateth his brother is in 11 darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes.

12 I write unto you, children, because your sins are for13 given you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning; I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one; I write unto you, children, because ye have 14 known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one. Love not the world, nor the things in the world. If any one love the world, the love of the 16 Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pomp of 17 living, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth till the end of the world. 18 Children, it is the last hour; and as ye have heard that

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the antichrist cometh, even now there are many antichrists; 19 whereby we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but it was that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20 But ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye 21 know all things. I have not written unto you because ye

know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because 22 no falsehood is of the truth. Who speaketh falsely, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist, 23 that denieth the Father and the Son. Whoever denieth the

Son, the same hath not the Father; he that acknowledgeth 24 the Son, hath the Father also. What therefore ye have heard from the beginning, let that abide in you. If what ye have heard from the beginning shall abide in you, then ye will 25 abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise 26 that he hath promised us, eternal life. These things have 27 Iwritten unto you concerning them that deceive you. But the anointing which ye received from him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you about all things, and is to be trusted, and is not false; and as it taught you, ye will 28 abide in him. And now, children, abide in him; that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be put to shame by him at his coming.