1 I therefore the prisoner for
the Lord, beseech you to live
suitably to the offers that have
been made to you:
2 with all humility,
meekness, and patience,
bearing with one another in
love;
3 endeavouring to preserve
the spiritual union by your affectionate
attachment to one
another.
4 Being one body, acted by one
spirit, since you all have but
one expectation in view;
5 there
is but one Lord, one faith, one
baptism,
6 one God and father
of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in all.
7 but
to every one of us a different
charge is given, according to
the distribution which Christ
has made;
8 wherefore 'tis said,
β note when he ascended up on
-- --
high, he made a number of
captives, and gave gifts to
men.β
9 now his having ascended,
what does it mean, but
that he had descended into the
lower parts of the earth?
10 he
that descended, is the same too
that ascended far above all
heavens, to perfect all things.
11 It is he then that made some,
apostles: some, prophets: some,
evangelists: and others, pastors,
and teachers:
12 thus fitly
qualifying his servants for
their respective offices, in order
to build up the body of Christ:
13 till being united in a perfect
belief, and acknowledgment of
the son of God, we grow up to
that full state of maturity required
by Christ:
14 that we
should be no longer children,
fluctuating, and carried about
with every empty doctrine,
by men vers'd in sleight and
the crafty arts of deceit:
15 but
being sincere in mutual love,
may be entirely united to
Christ, who is the head:
16 from which the whole body
fitly framed, and compacted
by the entire adherence and
contribution of every part performing
its respective function,
increases and improves
itself by the mutual concern
of the parts.
-- --
17 This I say therefore, and
conjure you by the Lord not to
live for the future as other
Gentiles do, in the vanity of
their minds,
18 which are overspread
with darkness, and
averse to a religious life, thro'
their innate ignorance and
obduracy:
19 who without remorse,
have abandon'd themselves
to brutality, in gratifying
every lewd unnatural
passion.
20 but you have learned
other things from Christ,
21 if
you have heard of him, and
have been taught the truth
as he preach'd it:
22 to quit
the vicious habits of your
former conversation, corrupted
by deceitful passions:
23 and
to be renewed in your mind,
by living like men formed anew,
24
after the image of
God, in justice, sanctity, and
truth.
25 Wherefore leave off the
practice of lying, and let every
man speak truth to his neighbour:
for we are all members
of one society.
26 are you angry?
have a care you don't sin. βlet
not the sun go down upon
your wrath,β
27 lest the devil
take hold of the opportunity.
28 let
him that stole, steal no more:
but rather let him labour, to
encrease his fortune with his
own hands, that he may have
-- --
wherewithal to relieve the
needy:
29 let no obscene language
defile your mouth, use only such
as tends to edification, that it
may be beneficial to the hearers.
30 grieve not the holy spirit
of God, by whom you are note
sealed against the day of deliverance:
31 banish all resentment
and indignation, anger,
vehemence, detraction, and every
thing like malice.
32 be mutually
kind, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you.
Mace [1729], THE NEW TESTAMENT IN Greek and English. Containing the ORIGINAL TEXT Corrected from the Authority of the most Authentic Manuscripts: AND A NEW VERSION Form'd agreeably to the Illustrations of the most Learned Commentators and Critics: WITH NOTES and VARIOUS READINGS, AND A Copious Alphabetical Index (Printed for J. ROBERTS [etc.], LONDON) [word count] [B11200].