Page:Suppressed Gospels and Epistles.djvu/117

 God made perfect: Without it nothing is pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God.

7 Through charity did the Lord join us into himself; whilst for the love that he bore towards us, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his own blood for us, by the will of God; his flesh for our flesh; his soul for our souls.

8 Ye see, beloved, how great and wonderful a thing charity is; and how that no expressions are sufficient to declare its perfection.

9 But who is fit to be found in it? Even such only as God shall vouchsafe to make so.

10 Let us therefore pray to him, and beseech him, that we may be worthy of it; that so we may live in charity; being unblamable, without human propensities, without respect of persons.

11 All the ages of the world, from Adam, even unto this day, are passed away; but they who have been made perfect in love, have by the grace of God obtained a place among the righteous; and shall be made manifest in the judgment of the kingdom of Christ.

12 For it is written, Enter into thy chambers for a little space, till my anger and indignation shall pass away: And I will remember the good day, and, will raise you up out of your graves.

13 Happy then shall we be, beloved, if we shall have fulfilled the commandments of God, in the unity of love; that so, through love, our sins may be forgiven us.

14 For so it is written, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sin, and in whose mouth there is no guile.

15 Now this blessing is fulfilled in those who are chosen by God through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.

1  He exhorts such as have been concerned in these divisions to repent, and return to their unity, confessing their sin to God, 7  which he enforces from the example of Moses, 10  and of many among the heathen, 23  and of Judith and Esther among the Jews.

LET us therefore, as many as have transgressed by any of the suggestions of the adversary, beg God's forgiveness.

2 And as for those who have been the heads of the sedition and faction among you, let them look to the common end of our hope.

3 For as many as are endued with fear and charity, would rather they themselves should fall into trials than their neighbours: And choose to be themselves condemned, rather than that the good and just charity delivered to us, should suffer.

4 For it is seemly for a man to confess wherein he has transgressed.

5 And not to harden his heart, as the hearts of those were hardened, who raised up sedition against Moses the servant of God whose punishment was manifest unto all men, for they went down alive into the grave; death swallowed them up.

6 Pharaoh and his host, and all the rulers of Egypt, their chariots also and their horsemen, were for no other cause drowned in the bottom of the Red Sea, and perished; but because they hardened their foolish hearts, after so many signs done in the land of Egypt, by Moses the servant of God.

7 Beloved, God is not indigent of anything; nor does he demand anything of us, but that we should confess our sins unto him.

8 For so says the Holy David, I will confess unto the Lord, and