On well doing. PHILIPPIANS. Exhorts died, and was raised again by should so little understand the God for us. place that was given to him in 10 Stand therefore in these the church. Wherefore I adthings, and follow the exam- monish you that ye abstain ple of the Lord; being firm from 1covetousness; and that and immutable in the faith, ye be chaste, and true of lovers of the brotherhood, speech. lovers of one another: 1com- 2 2Keep yourselves from panions together in the truth: all evil. For he that in these 2being kind and gentle to- things cannot govern himself, wards each other, despising how shall he be able to prescribe them to another? none. 11 When it is in your power to do good defer it not, for charity delivereth from death. 3 If a man does not keep himself from 3covetousness, he shall be polluted with idol12 Be all of you subject atry, and be judged as if he one to another, 3having your were a Gentile. conversation 4honest among 4 But who of you are ignothe Gentiles; that by your rant of the judgment of God? good works, both ye your- 4Do we not know that the selves may receive praise, and saints shall judge the world, as the Lord may not 5be blas- Paul teaches. phemed through you. But 5 But I have neither perwo be to him by whom the ceived nor heard any thing of name of the Lord is blasphem- this kind in you, among whom ed. the blessed 5Paul laboured and who are named in the beginning of his epistle. 13 Therefore teach all men sobriety; in which do ye also exercise yourselves. CHAP. IV. 6 For he glories of you in all the churches who then only knew God; for we did not Valens, a presbyter, having then know him. Wherefore, fallen into the sin of cove-my brethren, I am exceedingtousness, he exhorts them ly sorry both for him, and for against it. his wife; to whom God grant a true repentance. I AM greatly afflicted for Valens, who was once a presbyter among you; that he 1 Associated in truth. 2 Yelding to each other the mildness of the Lord. Tobit, xii. 9. 3 1 Pet. ii. 12. 4 Unreprovable. 5 Rom. ii 24. Titus, ii. 5. 7 And be ye also moderate 1 Concupiscence: or. immoderate and filthy lusts. So Dr. Hammond on Rom i, 29. i 2 1 Thess. v 22. Eph. v, 5. Coloss. ii. 5. 3 As before Dr. Hammond on 1 Cor. v. 10.i. 41 Cor. vi 2. 5 Phil. i. PHILIPPIANS. covetousness. Against upon this occasion; and look pray also for kings, and 1all not upon such as enemies, but that are in authority; and for call them back as suffering, and those who persecute you, and erring members, that ye may hate you, and for the enemies save your whole body; for by of the cross: that your fruit so doing, ye shall edify your may be manifest in all; and own selves. that ye may be perfect in 8 For I trust that ye are 2Christ. well exercised in the Holy 13 3Ye wrote to me, both Scriptures, and that nothing is ye, and also Ignatius, that if hid from you: but at present any one went from hence into it is not granted unto me to Syria, he should bring your practise that which is 1 written, letters with him; which also I Be angry and sin not; and a- will take care of, as soon as I gain, Let not the sun go down shall have a convenient opupon your wrath. portunity; either by myself, 9 Blessed is he that believ- or him whom I shall send upeth and remembereth these on your account. things; which also I trust you 14 The epistles of Ignatius which he wrote 4unto us, toge do. 10 Now the God and Father with what others of his ther of our Lord Jesus Christ; have come to our hands, we and he himself who is our ev- have sent to you, according to erlasting high-priest, the Son your order; which are subof God, even Jesus Christ, joined to this epistle : build you up in faith and in 15 By which ye may be truth, and in all meekness and greatly profited; for they treat lenity; in patience and long-of faith and patience, and of suffering, in forbearance and all things that pertain to edifichastity: cation in 5the Lord Jesus. 11 And grant unto you a 16 What you know cerlot and portion among his tainly of Ignatius, and those saints; and us with you, and that are with him, signify unto to all that are under the hea- us. vens, who shall believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in his Father 2 who raised him from the dead. 12 Pray for all the saints 1 Said in the Scriptures. Psalm iv. 5. Eph. iv. 2 2 Gal. i. 1. 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2 17¶These things have I written unto you by Crescens, whom by this present epistle I have recommended to you, and do now again commend. 3 See Annot. Usser. in loc. 4 i. e. 1 Powers and princes. 2 Him. To himself, and to the church of Smyr na, 5 Our Lord.. Against filthy and VISION I. proud thoughts. 18 For he has had his con-gard unto his sister when she versation without blame a-shall come unto you. mong us; and I suppose also 20 Be ye safe in the Lord Jesus Christ; land in favor 19 Ye will also have re-with all yours. Amen. with you. THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS. [This book is thus entitled, because it was composed by Hermas, brother to Pius, bishop of Rome; and because the Angel, who bears the principal part in it, is represented in the form and habit of a Shepherd. Irenæus quotes it under the very name of Scripture; Origen thought it a most useful writing, and that it was divinely inspired: Eusebius says, that, though it was not esteemed canonical, it was read publicly in the churches, which is corroborated by Jerome; and Athanasius cites it, calls it a most useful work, and observes, that though it was not strictly canonical, the Fathers appointed it to be read for direction and confirmation in faith and piety. Jerome, notwithstanding this, and that he applauded it in his catalogue of writers, in his comments upon it afterwards, terms it apocryphal and foolish. Tertullian praised it when a Catholic, and abused it when a Montanist, Although Gelasius ranks it among the apocryphal books, it is found attached to some of the most ancient MSS. of the New Testament; and archbishop Wake, believing it the genuine work of an apostolical Father, preserves it to the English reader by the following translation, in which he has rendered the books not only more exact, but in greater purity than they had before appeared. The archbishop procured Dr. Grabe to entirely collate the old Latin Version with an ancient MS in the Lambeth library; and the learned prelate himself still further improved the whole from a multitude of fragments of the original Greek never before used for that purpose.] The First Book of HERMAS, which is called his VISIONS. VISION I. 1 Against filthy and proud thoughts; 29 also the neglect of Hermas in chastis ing his children. H out my hand unto her, and brought her out of the river. 2 And when I saw her, I thought with myself, saying, How happy should I be if I E who had bred me up had such a wife, both for beausold a certain young ty and manners. This I maid at Rome; whom when I thought with myself; nor did I saw many years after, I re-think any thing more. But not membered her, and began to long after, as I was walking love her as a sister. It hap- and musing on these thoughts, pened some time afterwards, I began to honour this creathat I saw her washing in the ture of God, thinking with myriver Tyber; and I reached 1 His grace be with you all. Amer. self how noble and she was. éhastise his children. beautiful unto her, Lady, if I have sinned against thee,tell me where, 3 And when I had walked or in what place, or when did And I ever speak an unseemly or a little, I fell asleep. the Spirit caught me away, dishonest word unto thee? and carried me through a cer- 8 Have I not always estain place towards the right- teemed thee as a lady? Have hand, through which no man I not always reverenced thee could pass It was a place a- as a sister? Why then dost mong rocks, very steep, and thou imagine these wicked unpassable for water. things against me? 4 When I was passed this 9 Then she, smiling upon place, I came into a plain; me, said: The desire of and there falling down upon naughtiness has risen up in my knees, I began to pray thy heart. Does it not seem unto the Lord, and to confess to thee to be an ill thing for a my sins. righteous man to have an evil 5 And as I was praying, desire rise up in his heart? the heaven was opened, and I 10 It is indeed a sin, and saw the woman which I had that a very great one, to such coveted, saluting me from a one; for a righteous man heaven, and saying, Hermas, thinketh that which is righthail! and I looking upon her, eous. And whilst he does so, answered, Lady, what dost and walketh uprightly he shall thou do here? She answered have the Lord in heaven fame, 11 am taken up hither to ac-vourable unto him in all his cuse thee of sin before the Lord. business. 6 Lady, said I, Wilt thou 2convince me? No, said she but hear the words which I am about to speak unto thee. God who dwelleth in heaven, and hath made all things out of nothing, and hath multiplied es, and regard not the good them for his holy church's things that are to come; their sake, is angry with thee, be- souls wander up and down, cause thou hast sined against me and know not where to fix. 7 And I answering said 11 But as for those who think wickedly in their hearts, they take to themselves death and captivity; and especially those who love this present world, and glory in their rich 12 Now this is the case of 1 In MS. Lambeth. Præcepta sum such as are double-minded, who a Domino ut peccata tua a arguam: trust not in the Lord, and desam commanded of the Lord to reprove thee for thy sins. 2 In MSS. Wilt pise and neglect their own life. 13 But do thou pray unto thou accuse me? Advice VISION I. the Lord, and he will heal thy sins, and the sins of thy whole house, and of all his saints. continued. such thing from the servant of God. But it may be the desire of her has risen up in thy For indeed such a 14 As soon as she had spo-heart ? ken these words the heavens thought maketh the servants of were shut, and I remained ut- God guilty of sin; terly swallowed up with sad- 20 Nor ought such a deness and fear; and said with-testable thought to be in the in myself, if this be laid against servant of God; nor should me for sin, how can I be sav- he who is approved by the ed? Spirit desire that which is e 15 Or how shall I ever be vil; but especially Hermas, able to entreat the Lord for who contains himself from all my many and great sins ?-wicked lusts, and is full of all With what words shall I be- simplicity, and of great innoseech him to be merciful unto cence. me ? 21 Nevertheless the Lord 16 As I was thinking over is not so much angry with thee these things, and meditating n for thine own sake, as upon myself upon them, behold a the account of thy house, chair was set over against me which has committed wickedof the whitest wool, as brightness against the Lord, and against their parents. as snow. 17 And there came an old 22 And for that out of thy woman in a bright garment, fondness towards thy sons, having a book in her hand, thou hast not admonished thy and sate alone, and saluted house, but hast permitted them me, saying, 1Hermas, hail! to live wickedly; for this And I being full of sorrow,and cause the Lord is angry with weeping, answered, Hail, La- thee: but he will heal all the dy! evils that are done in thy house. For through their sins and iniquities, thou art wholly consumed in secular affairs. 18 And she said unto me, Why art thou sad, Hermas, who wert wont to be patient, and modest, and always cheerful? I answered, and said to her, Lady, a reproach has been laid to my charge by an excellent woman, who tells me that I have sinned against her. 19 She replied, Far be any 1 Vid. Hieron, in Hoseam, vii. 9. 23 But now the mercy of God hath taken compassion upon thee, and upon thine house, and hath 1greatly comforted thee. Only as for thee, do not wander, but be of an 1 1 In Glory Edit Oxon. Hath presented thee in honour: |