1 Take notice that in the latter
days difficult incidents will
arise;
2 for men will be selfish,
avaricious, vain, proud, slanderers,
disobedient to parents,
ungrateful,
3 villainous, unnatural,
perfidious, defamers,
debauchees,
4 cruel, enemies to
virtue, traitors, insolent, conceited,
and more devoted to
pleasure than to piety:
5 of
which they wear the appearance,
but disclaim its influence.
have no intercourse
with such.
6 Of this number are they,
who insinuate themselves into
families, to make a prey of the
weaker sex, who are inveigled
by their vitious suggestions, abetted
by their own subtle passions,
7 and by lending an assiduous
ear to such lessons, render
it impossible they should ever
be acquainted with the
truth.
8 Moses did not meet with
greater opposition from Jannes
and Jambres,11Q0026 than truth does
from men so corrupted in their
mind, and so adulterated in
their faith.
9 but they will be
stop'd in their career; for
they shall be expos'd to the
world for impostors, as those
magicians were.
10 As for me, you are perfectly
acquainted with my doctrine,
my conduct, my designs, my
temper, my benevolence, my
constancy,
11 my persecutions, and
-- --
the sufferings that befel me
at Antioch, at Iconium, at
Lystra; what persecutions
did I endure? but the Lord
deliver'd me out of them all:
yes,
12 and those who will live
like Christians, shall generally
suffer persecution.
13 as for these
impious impostors,11Q0027 they will go
on from bad to worse, seducing
others, and deluding themselves.
14 But be you attach'd to the
doctrine you have learnt,
with which you are intrusted,
considering by whom you have
been instructed:
15 and that from
your infancy you were acquainted
with the sacred writings,
11Q0028 which point you11Q0029 the
way to salvation, by believing
in Christ Jesus:
16 for all divinely
inspired writings are
conducive note to instruction, to
conviction, to reformation,
and the practice of virtue;
17 that the minister of God may
be perfectly accomplished for
every office of religion.
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].
