Page:Suppressed Gospels and Epistles.djvu/98

 without grudging; being ready to every good work. And being adorned with a conversation altogether virtuous and religious, ye did all things in the fear of God; whose I commandments were written upon the tables of your heart.

How their divisions began.

ALL honour and enlargement was given unto you; and so was fulfilled that which is written, my beloved did eat and drink, he was enlarged and waxed fat, and he kicked.

2 From hence came emulation, and envy, and strife, and sedition; persecution and disorder, war and captivity.

3 So they who were of no renown, lifted up themselves against the honourable; those of no reputation against those who were in respect; the foolish against the wise; the young men against the aged.

4 Therefore righteousness and peace are departed from you, because every one hath forsaken the fear of God; and is grown blind in his faith; nor walketh by the rule of God's commandments nor liveth as is fitting in Christ:

5 But every one follows his own wicked lusts: having taken up an unjust and wicked envy, by which death first entered into the world.

''Envy and emulation the original of all strife and disorder. Examples of the mischiefs they have occasioned.''

FOR thus it is written, And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof:

2 And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering. But unto Cain and unto his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very sorrowful, and his countenance fell.

3 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou sorrowful? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou shalt offer aright, but not divide aright, hast thou not sinned? Hold thy peace: unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

4 And Cain said unto Abel his brother, Let us go down into the field. And it came to pass, as they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

5 Ye see, brethren, how envy and emulation wrought the death of a brother. For this, our father Jacob fled from the face of his brother Esau.

6 It was this that caused Joseph to be persecuted even unto death, and to come into bondage. Envy forced "Moses to flee from the face of Pharoah king of Egypt, when he heard, his own countryman ask him, "Who made thee a Judge, and a ruler over us? Wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday?

7 Through envy Aaron and Miriam were shut out of the camp, from the rest of the congregation seven days.

8 Emulation's sent Dathan and Abiram quick into the grave because they raised up a sedition against Moses the servant of God.

9 For this, David was not only hated of strangers, but was