voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels, or men of like passions with you. 1 1 Dearly beloved, flee from idolatry; and serve the living and true God, who made heaven and earth; and worship no other god, neither do ye service unto them, which by nature are no gods: nor change the truth of God into a lie: nor serve the creature more than the Creator; for the Lord is a jealous God. 2 O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only we will make mention of thy name. For every one which separateth himself from thee, and setteth up idols in his heart, shall bear the punishment of his iniquity. 3 Ye shall not use enchantment, nor observe times. 4 Regard not them that have familiar spirits: neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. 5 There shall not be found among you any one that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an inchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer: for all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord. • There shall be no more any vain vision; nor lying or flattering divination. The prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak; or that shall speak in the name of 11 Cor. x. 15. 1 Thess. i. 9. Acts xiv. 15. Gal. iv. 8. Rom. i. 25. 5 Deut. xviii. 10, 11, 12. Ezek. xii. 24. Exod. xxxiv. 15. 3 Lev. xix. 26. 6 Ezek. xii. 7 Deut. xviii. 20. 27. other gods, even that prophet shall die, saith the Lord. 1 Woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing; that prophesy out of their hearts to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live; who with lies have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom the Lord hath not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life. 2 FAITH. Have faith in God: for without faith it is impossible to please God. 3 He that cometh to God must believe that he is; and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ; who himself hath thus said unto us, Ye believe in God, believe also in me: for he that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 5 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. 6 Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established: believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper; 1 Ezek. xiii. 3. 2. 19. 22. 3 Heb. xi. 6. 5 Heb. xii. 25. 41 John iii. 23. 62 Chron. xx. 20. 2 Mark xi. 22. 5 Heb. xi. 6. John xii. 48. John iii. 15. believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and ye shall be saved. For according to your faith, so will it be unto you. 1 Christ was manifest in these last times for us, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead; in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable. 2 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So then we walk by faith, and not by sight, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are not seen are eternal. 3 We have respect unto the recompence of the reward: being fully persuaded that what God hath promised, he is able also to perform. 4 We have not yet received the promises, but having seen them afar off, we are persuaded of them, and embrace them, and confess that we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth; and we seek and desire a better country, that is, a heavenly; and we look for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 5 Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe: but blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Faith cometh, by hearing, and hearing by the word of God; but the word preached doth not profit, if it be not mixed with faith in them that hear it. 'Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble. But know, O vain man, that as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. 1 A man is justified by faith in Christ; but faith which worketh by love; for by works faith is made perfect. And they only shall be esteemed saints that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 2 Add therefore to your faith virtue; for if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we are found sinners, our faith cannot save us. 3 Lord, we believe, help thou our unbelief; and increase our faith; that we may be in the number of them that believe, to the saving of the soul. 4 With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confes- Profession. sion is made unto salvation. 5 Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Whosoever shall confess me before men, (saith our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ) him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven: but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven: and whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. 6 If we deny him, his name, or his faith, he also will deny us. Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. There are likewise certain ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, and deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God. 2 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; and he shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. 3 They that profess that they know God, but in works deny him, are abominable. *Who is among you that feareth the Lord ? Trust. Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; trust in him at all times. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. Commit thy way unto him, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. 6 My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him. He is my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort. 7 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart, who is the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea. 8 him. Judgment is before him, therefore trust thou in Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. |