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17.
1
HOW blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God.
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17.
2
Life in immortality! brightness in righteousness! truth in full assurance! faith in confidence! temperance in holiness!
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17.
3
And all this has [*128:7] God subjected to our understandings:
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17.
4
What therefore shall those things be which he has prepared for them that wait for him? [*128:8]
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17.
5
The Creator and Father of spirits, the Most Holy; he only knows both the [*128:9] greatness and beauty of them.
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17.
6
Let us therefore strive with all earnestness, that we may be found in the number of those that wait for him, that so we may receive the [*128:10] reward which he has promised.
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17.
7
But how, beloved, shall we do this? [*128:11] We must fix our minds by faith towards God, and seek those things that are pleasing and acceptable unto him.
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17.
8
We must [*128:12] act conformably to his holy will; and follow the way of truth, casting off from us all unrighteousness and iniquity, together with all covetousness, strife, evil manners, deceit, whispering, detractions; all hatred of God, pride and boasting; vainglory and ambition;
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17.
9
For they that do these things are odious to God; and not only they that do them, but also [*128:13] all such as approve of those that do them.
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17.
10
For thus saith the Scripture, [*128:14] But unto the wicked, God said, What hast thou to do to declare my statute, or that thou shouldst take my covenant in the mouth? Seeing that thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
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17.
11
When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him; and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
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17.
12
These things hast thou done and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
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17.
13
Now consider this ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
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17.
14
Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth me: and to him that disposeth his way aright, will I shew the salvation of God.
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17.
15
This is the way, beloved, in which we may find [*129:1] our Saviour, even Jesus Christ the high-priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our weakness.
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17.
16
By him we look up to the [*129:2] highest heavens; and behold, as in a glass, his spotless and most excellent visage.
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17.
17
By him are the eyes of our hearts opened; by him our foolish and darkened understanding rejoiceth to behold his wonderful light.
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17.
18
By him would God have us to taste the knowledge of immortality: [*129:3] who being the brightness of his glory, is by so much greater than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
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17.
19
For so it is written, [*129:4] who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire:
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17.
20
But to his son, thus saith the Lord, [*129:5] Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.
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17.
21
[*129:6] Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.
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17.
22
And again he saith unto him, [*129:7] Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies my footstool.
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17.
23
But who are his enemies? even the wicked, and such who oppose their own wills to the will of God.
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17.
24
Let us therefore [*129:8] march on, men and brethren, with all earnestness in his holy laws.
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17.
25
Let us consider those who fight under our earthly governors: How orderly, how readily, and with what exact obedience they perform those things that are commanded them.
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17.
26
All are not [*129:9] generals, nor [*129:10] colonels, nor [*129:11] captains, nor [*129:12] inferior officers:
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17.
27
But every one in his respective rank does what is commanded him by the king, and those who have the authority over him.
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17.
28
They who are great, cannot subsist without those that are little; nor the little without the great.
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17.
29
But there must be a mixture in all things, and then there will be use and profit too.
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17.
30
Let us, [*129:13] for example, take our body: the head without the feet is nothing, neither the feet without the head.
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17.
31
And even the smallest members of our body are yet both necessary and useful to the whole body.
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17.
32
But all conspire together, and [*129:14] are subject to one common use, namely, the preservation of the whole [*130:1] body.
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17.
33
Let therefore our whole body be saved in Christ Jesus; and let every one be subject to his neighbour, [*130:2] according to the order in which he is placed by the [*130:3] gift of God.
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17.
34
Let not the strong man despise the weak; and let the weak see that he reverence the strong.
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17.
35
Let the rich man distribute to the necessity of the poor: and let the poor bless God, that he has given one unto him, by whom his want may be supplied.
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17.
36
Let the wise man shew forth his wisdom, not in words, but in good works.
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17.
37
Let him that is humble, not bear witness to himself, but let him leave it to another to bear witness of him.
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17.
38
Let him that is pure in the flesh, not grow proud of it, knowing that it was [*130:4] from another that he received the gift of continence.
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17.
39
Let us consider therefore, brethren, [*130:5] whereof we are made; who, and what kind of men we came into the world, as it were out of a sepulchre, and from outer darkness.
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17.
40
He that made us, and formed us, brought us into his own world; having [*130:6] presented us with his benefits, even before we were born.
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17.
41
Wherefore, having received all these things from him, we ought in everything to give thanks unto him; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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17.
Footnotes ^128:7 He.
^128:8 Ages.
^128:9 Quantity.
^128:10 Gifts.
^128:11 If we shall.
^128:12 Perform those things that are agreeable.
^128:13 Rom. i. 32.
^128:14 Psalm l. 15, &c., ac. to the Hebrew.
^129:1 That which has the power to save us.
^129:2 Heights of heaven.
^129:3 Heb. i. 3, 4.
^129:4 Psalm cix. 4. Heb. i. 7.
^129:5 Heb. i. 5.
^129:6 Comp. Psalm ii. 7, 8.
^129:7 Heb. i. 13, Psalm cv. 1.
^129:8 War.
^129:9 Prefects.
^129:10 Commanders of a thousand.
^129:11 Centurions.
^129:12 Commanders of 50, and so on.
^129:13 1 Cor. xii. 13, 21.
^129:14 Use one common subjection.
^130:1 MS. to sua.
^130:2 As also has he placed.
^130:3 His gift.
^130:4 Another that gave him.
^130:5 Of what matter.
^130:6 Prepared for us.
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