hearts, ye double-minded. Peradventure God will give you repentance, that ye may recover yourselves out of the snare of the devil.

1 Thou that hast left thy first love, remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.

2 Break off thy sins by righteousness; and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.

3

If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear, because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away.

4

Let us cease from sin, that we may no longer live the rest of our time to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we served divers lusts and pleasures.

5 Knowing therefore the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

6

• Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings; before sin hath gotten dominion over you, and ye find no place of repentance. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? Then may they also do good that are accustomed to do evil.

7

? Surely it is meet to be said unto God, If I have

3 Job xi. 14, 15, 16. 5 Rom. xiii. 11, 12. 7 Job

Zech. i. 4. Rom. vi. 14. Heb. xii. 17. Jer. xiii. 23.

xxxiv. 31, 32.

Job xxxiii. 27, 28. Ezek. xviii. 28.

upon men:

any say,

done iniquity, I will do no more. For he looketh and if I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; he will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

1 If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die, saith the Lord: all his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

2 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up; thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Will he plead against thee with his great power? No; but he will put strength in thee.

3 He will create in thee a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within thee. He will restore unto thee the joy of his salvation, and uphold thee with his free spirit.

* After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, seeing that thou, our God, hath punished us less than our iniquities deserve, should we again break thy commandments ? And whereas we have offended against the Lord already, should we add more to our sins and to our trespasses?

5 Hear ye the word of the Lord, and fear, and do no more presumptuously. Depart from evil and do good, and dwell for evermore.

1 Ezek. xviii. 21, 22.

3 Psal. li. 10. 12.

2 John xxii. 23. Job xxiii. 6. 4 Ezra ix. 13, 14. 2 Chron. xxviii. 13.

5 Deut. xvii. 13. Psal. xxxvii. 27.

REPENTANCE TOWARDS MEN.

1 If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Restitution.

2 Whoever has wronged his brother in any thing, according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.

3

If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

4 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he hath robbed; walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

CHAPTER XI.

Concerning Rewards and Punishments.

5 THERE be many that say, Who will show us any good? O fear the Lord: For they that fear him shall not want any good thing.

6

What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days, that he may see good? Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, no evil shall come upon you.

1

1 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good. The hand of God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

2 And God will punish the men that say in their heart, the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.

3 I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Behold, these are they who prosper in the world; they increase in riches, yea, are mighty in power. Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocency. So foolish was I and ignorant, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end, how are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

4

* A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this: when the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever.

5 These are the men of the world which have their portion in this life; and have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6

The wicked say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And

2 Zeph. i. 12.

1 ¶ Job v. 27. Ezra viii. 22. lxxiii. 3. 5. 12. Job xxi. 7. Psal. lxxiii. 13. 22. 17. 19. 5 Psal. xvii. 14. Job xxxiv. 9.

xcii. 6, 7.

Mal. iii. 14.

3 Psal.

4 Psal.

Eph. v. 5. 6 Job xxi. 7. 14, 15.

what profit should we have if we pray unto him? Surely it is in vain to serve God? and it profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.

1 They have said also, that all things come alike to all; there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean: As is the good, so is the sinner, and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. Let us therefore eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.

2 Thus doth their heart carry them away, and they turn their spirit against God: for they believe not that they shall return out of darkness.

3 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity; for vanity shall be his recompense.

A book of remembrance is written before the Lord, for them that fear him, and that think upon his name and they shall be mine (saith the Lord of Hosts) in the day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked; between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him

not.

5

Woe unto them that say, Let him make speed and hasten his work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh, and come, that we may know it. For the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

6

Behold, saith the Lord, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.