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26 Be ye angry and fin not let not the fun go down upon your wrath : 27 Neither give place to the devil.

26 & 27. Supprefs all immode- A. D. 62. rate Anger and Refentment; fuffer it not to ripen into Revenge, Reproach, and Slander; for then you are overcome by that wicked Adverfary the Devil, whofe very Name fignifies a Railer and a Blafphemer.*

28 Let him that stole, steal no more t: but rather let him 1

28. Whoever has been accustomed to Steal, before his Conversion, and to esteem it but a fmall, or scarce any Sin +; muft now abhor that Practice, and by a laborious Life in fome honeft Calling, muft endeavour not only to fupply his own Wants, but, if he can, to have fomething to spare for them that are in abfolute Poverty.

bour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give

to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying; that it may minifter grace unto the hearers.

29. Avoid all manner of fcurrilous and filthy Conversation; and let your Words and Discourses in Company be always fuch, as may Innocence and Decency, but, as far not only be heard by any Body with as you can, with Profit and Advantage too; by promoting those Virtues that will procure Favour and Acceptance from God.

30 And grieve not the holy spirit of God, whereby you are feal

ed

30. In fine, Do and fay nothing that may be inconfiftent with those bleffed Endowments of the Holy

Spirit

* Διάβολα, Devil. Ver. 27. Neither give Place to the Devil, or to the Railer and Slanderer: And the Sense may be, Give no Occafion to Slanderers to reproach your holy Religion; as Erafmus and the French Proteftant Tranflation render it. See 1 Tim. iii. 6, 7. give Place, Tonov, Opportunity, or Advantage.

+ As in feveral Nations it was accounted; and rather coun tenanced than difcourag'd, by fome Grecian Commonwealths; particularly in that of the Lacedemonians, where Plutarch fays, it was enacted or agreed, [νενόμιτο] κλέπῃςν τῆς ἐλευθέρας παῖδας ὁ, TITIS dévere. That the free-born Youths might steal whatever they could. But of this let the Reader fee Dr. Clark's Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, p. 58, 59.

A.D. 62. led unto the day of Spirit that are conferred on you, redemption. or may deprive you of his Sacred Influences; which are the Pledges of your prefent Pardon, and the Earneft of your eternal Happiness.

31 Let all bitternefs, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you,

31. And as he is the Spirit of Peace and Love, fo let no Differences in your Religious Sentiments and Opinions, fuffer you to launch out into any Expreffions of Bitternefs, Rage, and clamorous Reproaches, nor to harbour any Purposes of Malice and Revenge.

with all malice.

32 And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Chrift's fake hath forgiven you.

32. But treat one another, even thofe that injure you, with Tendernefs, Pity and Forgiveness; remembring how much a greater Debt of Guilt and Sin God has forgiven us all, for the fake of Chrift Jefus.

CHA P. V.

The CONTENTS.

The first and fecond Verfes conclude the Exhortation to Love and Unanimity in the End of the foregoing Chapter. Then he repeats his Caution against their former Heathenish Vices, particularly fuch as accompanied their Idolatrous Worship. Defcends to the Relative Duties, wherein the Jewish Chriftians, by former Prejudices, were too apt to be deficient. See the Preface to this Epiftle, § 4.

BEye therefore
B followers of God

as dear children;

1.

INCE therefore you are all,

Sboth fewill and Gentile Con

verts, become the Children and

Church of God, imitate Him as your true Father and

moft perfect Example.

as

2 And walk in love,

Chrift alfo hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a facrifice to God for a

sweet smelling favour.

Pattern of Love, by

3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or coveteousness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh faints :

2. And as the Death and Sacri- A. D. 62. fice of Chrift for our Sins was the highest Inftance of divine Love and Mercy to us all, and an Act most pleafing and acceptable to God; let it be the chief Care of all Parties among you to refemble this great Charity and Unity with each other.

3. I must again efpecially warn you Gentile Chriftians from all those extravagant and luftful Paffions, and unclean Practices, that were fo common and fashionable in your Heathen State; and are still the Attendants of Idolatrous Rites and Worship. Let none of them be fo much as named or heard of among Chriftian Profeffors.

are not convenient :

4 Neither filthiness, 4. And be as careful to avoid all nor foolish talking, that fcurrilous, lewd and light way nor jefting, which of talking, that is the ufual * Incentive to fuch unclean Actions. Break it entirely off by accuftomthanks. ing your Mouths to continual Expreffions of Praise and Thanksgiving to God.

but rather giving of

5 For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Chrift, and of God. 6 Let

5. For you cannot but know, by the natural Defign of the Christian Religion, that no Perfon addicted to fuch impure Affections and Practices as are indulged in Idolatrous and Superftitious Worship, can ever be a true Member of the Church of Christ here, or inherit his Kingdom hereafter. 6 & 7. Let

★ Which are not convenient. difagreeable. See Rom. i. 28.

to be tranflated.

-τὰ μὴ ἀνήκοντα, That are moft where rà μ xadora, ought fo

† Or Covetous Man, who is an Idolater, ή πλεονέκτης ὅς ἐσιν sidwλonάrpus, i.e. One that may be called an Idolater for making bis Lufts and Pleafures his God. Or elfe a Man of fuch inordinate Defires, as an Idolater is and muft be. The former is indeed good Senfe; but the latter is plainly most agreeable to the Apostle's Defign.

A.D.62. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh upon the children of

Rom. i,

26, &c.

the wrath of God

6 & 7. Let no Philofophers there-. fore perfwade you by any Arts of Reafoning, that fuch Practices can be any way innocent or allowable. They are the very things, for which God gave up the Heathens to vile 7 Be not ye there-Affections, and ever did, and do fore partakers with ftill, draw Divine Vengeance upon them that will not renounce and

difobedience.

them.

were

8 For ye
fometimes darknefs,
but now are ye light
in the Lord: walk as
children of light,
you, that you must

9 (For the fruit of
the Spirit is in all
goodness, and righte-
oufnefs, and truth)
with fuch Gifts and
10 Proving what is
acceptable unto the

Lord.

reform them.

8. In your dark and Heathen State, it was indeed no wonder you fhould be guilty of them ; but your Chriftian Religion has fo clearly inftructed and better enlighten'd now live in a quite contrary Course.

9. (For the Practice of all moral and divine Virtues, ought to be the proper Effect of your Converfion to that pure Religion that is attended Influences of the Holy Spirit.

10. Thefe Virtues you must study and practife, as things most agreeable to the divine Will, and by the habitual Practice whereof alone you can approve your felves to God.

II And have no II. Never therefore be drawn infellowship with the to thofe dangerous Practices that * unfruitful works of none but ignorant Heathens would dark

commit;

*The unfruitful Works of Darkness. 'Axάpois here cannot fignify meerly Unprofitable, but Mischievous: in the fame manner as ra un xathrovta, fignify moft abominable Things, Rom.i. 28. as I have noted there. And thus xap exactly answers to inutilis, which fignifies Mifchievous in the best Latin Authors. Thus Cicero, Poteft enim accedere, promiffum aliquod & Conventum, ut id Effici fit inutile, vel ei cui promiffum fit, vel ei qui promiferit. De Offic. Lib. I. And again, Nec promiffa igitur fervanda funt ea, quæ funt iis, quibus promifferis, inutilia. Ibid. The learned Reader may fee abundant Inftances of this in the learned Dr. Clark's Note on Hom. Iliad 2. p. 53.

darkness, but rather commit; but, on the contrary, en- A. D. 6z. reprove them. deavour to expofe their Indecency,

and make them afhamed of them.

12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in fecret.

13 But all things that are reproved, are made manifeft by the light for whatsoever doth make manifeft, is light.

12. For certainly it would fhock the Modefty of a good Man, even to mention the abominable and filthy Actions committed in the secret Myfteries of Heathen Worship.

13. But as Light is the thing that renders every Object clearly visible to the Eye; fo has the Christiani Religion demonftrated the Vileness and Danger of these Practices to

the Minds of all that embrace it.

14 Wherefore he 14. And accordingly the Prophet faith, Awake thou Ifaiah (Ifa. lx. 1.) has expreffed the that fleepest, and arife happy Condition of the Gentile Part from the dead, and of the Chriftian Church. Arife, fhine, Chrift fhall give thee for thy Light is come, and the Glory light. of the Lord is rifen upon thee. And again, Awake and fing ye that dwell in the duft, Ifa. xxvi. 19. Signifying the former dark and ignorant State of the Heathen World, and the glorious Light and Knowledge it should attain to by the Religion of Chrift the Meffiah; and their great Obligation to live fuitably to the Advantages of it.

15 See then that ye walk circumfpect ly, not as fools, but as wife,

16 Redeeming the

time, because the days are evil.

15 & 16. Confidering therefore how contrary the Religion you have embraced is to that of the rest of Mankind, and what violent Oppofition you are like to meet with; you must have a prudential Eye to that too, and manage your felves not only with Innocency but Difcretion; not expofing yourselves to Perfecution upon needlefs Occafions; but while you endeavour to convert Men, you ought to avoid their Fury by all lawful and just Means.

17 Wherefore be ye not unwife, but understanding whatthe

will of the Lord is.

17. Remember therefore, that though it be the Will of God you fhould firmly adhere to your Chriftian Principles, and labour to bring F others

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