and this expression, yet once more" signifies the abolition of those changeable things which were only contriv'd, that what is unalterable might lastingly succeed.

since then we are entring into a kingdom which cannot be changed, let us maintain the divine favour, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and fear.

for the mind is better improv'd by the gospel-dispensation, than by the distinctions about meats, in which some have been so uselesly vers'd.

than the sacrificers had to eat of the flesh of those beasts, which were burnt without the camp, and whose blood the highpriest carried into the sanctuary.

for we have. no settled corporation here, but are in expectation of that which is approaching.

Let our sacrifice then, which we are to offer to God by Jesus Christ, be that of incessant praises, the offering of our lips, which celebrate his name:

Confide in your guides, and be respectful: that they who are vigilant, as being accountable for your souls, may discharge themselves with cheerfulness, and not with anxiety, which would be to your prejudice.

the sheep) make you perfect in every virtue, to the accomplishment of his will: effecting that in you by Jesus Christ, which is agreeable to him: to whom be glory thro' all ages.

Pray, my brethren, favourably receive this exhortation, which I have writ to you in brief.

happy is he that can stand the tryal: for when he has undergone the test, he shall receive that crown of life which the Lord has promised to those that love him.

a man is instigated, and drawn into the snare by his own vicious passions, which once indulg'd, are productive of sin,

every thing that is valuable, every gift that leads to perfection is deriv'd from heaven, it descends from that original light, which knows no change, no shadow, or decline:

throw off then your vices as dregs and scum: and receive with docility that genuine doctrine, which is effectual to your salvation.

they who blaspheme that sacred name by which you are distinguish'd?

you see how manageable horses are made by the application of a bit, which makes them take what motion we please.

and your gold and silver by rust: that rust shall convict you: that rust shall corrode your flesh like a caustic, which you have treasur'd up against the last days.

hark! what a noise there is of hire, of which you cheated the labourers, who gather'd in your harvest! the cries of the reapers have reach'd even the Lord of the celestial militia.

whom the divine power preserves through faith for that salvation, which is going to be made manifest in the latter time.

This it is that fills you with joy, notwithstanding the various tryals, which still necessarily afflict you,

that your faith being put to a more advantageous proof, than that of gold, which loses by the essay, may redound to your praise and highest honour at the appearance of Jesus Christ:

and were answer'd, that it was not they, but we, who were concern'd in the events which they predicted, events which have been now represented to you by those, whom the holy spirit from heaven inspired to preach the gospel to you: a secret which the angels desire to penetrate into.

as obedient children be no longer influenc'd by those passions, which were the effects of your former ignorance.

You that have purified your souls by the holy spirit, in obeying the gospel, which obliges you to an undisguised benevolence, let your hearts be mutually affected with the most disinterested ardour;

but the word of the Lord remains for ever: and that is the gospel, which has been preached to you.

which is without any mixture, and will make you thrive. Since you have tasted how good the Lord is,

which however rejected it is by men, is the precious stone, which God has chosen: and

trusts thereon shall not be confounded. it will prove an honour to you, who believe; but to the incredulous, the same stone, which is the chief of the angle,

and which the architects rejected, will be an occasion to the incredulous of their stumbling, and bruising themselves thereby:

but in the internal qualities of the mind, in that purity, in that mild and dispassionate temper, which is so acceptable to the divine being.

by which he went with guardian spirits to preach to

those antient rebels in the time of Noah, when the divine forbearance waited, till the ark was quite finish'd, in which only eight persons were saved by means of the water.

thus baptism, which corresponds to the deluge, does now save us, not as it is a cleansing from external filth, but as it is an engagement to lead a divine life, from the belief of the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

to exhort you to feed the flock of God, which is among you: to take care of it, voluntarily, without reluctance, not from any view to sordid gain, but out of real affection;

I formerly writ to you a short epistle, by Silvanus, I think, a faithful brother, to declare and testify to you, that the true dispensation of God is that to which you are attach'd.

by which we have receiv'd the most inestimable promises, that thereby you might become partakers of the divine perfections, after having escap'd from the corruption of a sensual world.

Besides, we have the more authentic accounts of the prophets, to which you do well in giving your attention, as to a lamp shining in an obscure place, till the day dawn, and the morning-star arises in your hearts.

This is the second letter I now write to you, my brethren, by which I would awaken your sincere attention,

but they are wilfully ignorant, that the heavens were originally form'd by the divine Logos, and likewise the earth, which was separated from the water, and still subsists upon it.

But there is one thing, my brethren, you ought to be appriz'd of, which is this, that "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

as it were in all his epistles, where he takes notice of these things: in which there are some passages that are difficult to understand, which the illiterate, and unstable wrest, as they do the rest of the scriptures, to their own ruin.

for the life was manifested, we have seen it, we testify of it, and denounce unto you, that eternal life which was with the father, and was manifested unto us.

My brethren, I don't prescribe you any new commandment, but the antient precept which you had from the beginning: and that is no other than the word which was originally delivered.

but as the unction which ye have received from him, abides in you, you don't need any instruction: being then fully instructed by his unction, which is true and not fallacious, adhere to what that has taught you.

he that observes his commandments, dwelleth in God, and God in him: and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the spirit which he hath given us.

and every spirit that does not own that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not from God." this is that anti-christian spirit which you have heard was to come, and even now it appears in the world.

if we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater: now this is the testimony, which God has given us of his son.

If any man see his brother commit a sin, which is not a mortal sin, let him pray to God, who will grant him life, for such as do not commit a mortal sin. there is a sin unto death: in which case I do not enjoin any prayer to be made.

in consideration of the true doctrine, we all profess, and in which we shall for ever persevere.

for which reason, when I come, I shall animadvert upon his conduct, and the malicious aspersions he casts upon us: not contented with this, he will neither receive the brethren himself, nor suffer those who are better inclin'd, to do it; but drives them out of the church.

I have many things to write, which I don't think fit to commit to paper and ink:

My beloved, as I was strongly bent upon writing to you of our common salvation, I thought it necessary to write to you at present, and exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once delivered to the saints.

and the angels which kept not their original dignity, but deserted their proper abode, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, to the judgment of the great day.

As for these, they inveigh against what they do not understand: and abuse those natural instincts which regulate brute animals.

to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the impious among them, of all the impious actions they have committed, and of all the injurious expressions, which impious sinners have utter'd against him."

These are murmurers, complainers, who pursue their own passions: their language swells with flattery, which they offer to the personages of men from a prospect of gain.

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to shew to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; this he signified by his angel whom he dispatch'd to his servant John:

JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia: favour and peace be with you from him WHO IS, WHO WAS, WHO WILL BE; and from the seven spirits who are before his throne;

saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what you shall see, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia; to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

write what you have seen, the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.

the conceal'd meaning of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and of the seven golden candlesticks, is this: the seven stars signify the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which you saw, signify the seven churches.

but in this thou art right, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

he that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith to the churches, to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God."

fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

you have likewise those that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I hate.

he that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches: to him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man understands, except he that receives it."

because you have kept my precept about patience, I also will keep you in the time of persecution, which shall happen to all the world, to try the inhabitants of the earth.

behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, let no man take your crown.

him that overcomes, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more: I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which descends from heaven from my God: even my new name will I write.

At another time I had a vision, when I saw a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard talking to me, was like the sound of a trumpet; which said, "come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

he that sat, appear'd to the sight, like a jasper, and a sardine stone: and there was an arch like a rain-bow, round about the throne, which had the appearance of an emerald.

out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thundrings, and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

And I beheld, and saw before the throne, in the midst of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders, a lamb which seem'd to have been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

when he had taken the book, the four animals, and the four and twenty elders fell down before the lamb, every one of them having harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints.

Then in my vision I heard the voice of many angels which surrounded the throne, the animals, and the elders: to the number of ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

and every creature which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, "blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb for ever and ever."

When he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they maintain'd.

After this I beheld, and there was a great multitude, which no man could number, of every nation, tribe, people, and language, who stood before the throne, and before the lamb cloathed in white robes, having palms in their hands.

and another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne.

the first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, which fell upon the earth: and a third part of the earth, and a third part of the trees was burnt up, and all the green grass.

and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

then I beheld, and heard an eagle flying thro' the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, wo, wo, wo to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the sound of the trumpets which the other three angels are yet to sound.

and to them was power given, not to kill them, but to torment them five months: and their pain was like the pain which a scorpion produces when it strikes a man.

then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God,

saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates."

by these three the third part of men were killed, by the fire, by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

for the power of these horses is in their mouths, and in their tails: for their tails were like serpents, and had heads, with which they do mischief.

As for the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues, they did not repent of their evil actions, so as to forbear worshipping demons, and idols of gold and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk:

and when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: but I heard a voice saying to me, "seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."

Then the angel which I saw standing upon the sea, and upon the land, lifted up his hand to heaven,

And the voice which I heard from heaven, spake to me again, and said, "go, take the little book that is open, from the hand of the angel who stands upon the sea, and upon the land."

but don't measure the court which is without; for it is given to the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they trample under foot two and forty months.

their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which in the mystical stile is called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified.

the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, call'd the devil or satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were precipitated with him.

then I heard a loud voice, which cry'd in the heaven, "the time of salvation, and power, the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ are now come: for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, is cast down.

they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word to which they gave testimony; for their lives they expos'd to the last.

but the earth helped the woman, for the earth opened its jaws, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon threw out of his throat,

which so enrag'd the dragon against the woman, that he went to make war with the rest of her race, who keep the commandments of God, and bear testimony to Jesus.

and the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.

They worshipped the dragon which had given his power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, "who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?"

and he deceived the inhabitants of the earth, by the prodigys which he had power to effect by the influence of the beast, by telling the inhabitants of the earth, that he had made an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, but yet did revive.