Page:A Beacon to the Society of Friends.djvu/52

48 commandment of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour." 2 Peter, iii. 1, 2.

"Our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you, as also in all his Epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the Scriptures,* unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." 2 Pet. iii. 15, 17.

"What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." 1 Cor. xiv. 36, 37.

"Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.&mdash;Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Rom. xv. 4, 13.

* Observe the testimony of the through Peter to the writings of Paul. And observe also, in the following, not only the authority of that which is, but the danger of adding to, or diminishing ought from it.

"To the law, and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them," Isa. viii. 20.

"Every word of God

is pure :&mdash;add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Prov. xxx. 5, 6.

Ye shall not add unto the word which I