33 What shall we do, then,
brethren? Shall we be slothful in well-doing and cease from love? May the
Master forbid that this should happen, at least to us, but let us be zealous to
accomplish every good deed with energy and readiness. 2For
the Creator and Master of the universe himself rejoices in his works. 3For by his infinitely great might did he establish
the heavens, and by his incomprehensible understanding did he order them; and
he separated the earth from the water that surrounds it, and fixed it upon the
secure foundation of his own will; and the animals that move in it did he
command to exist by his own decree; the sea and the living things in it did he
make ready, and enclosed by his own power. 4Above
all, man, the most excellent and from his intellect the greatest of his
creatures, did he form in the likeness of his own image by his sacred and
faultless hands. 5For God spake thus: “Let us make man according to our
image and likeness; and God made man, male and female made he them.” 6So when he had finished all these things he praised
them and blessed them and said, “Increase and multiply.” 7Let us observe that all the righteous have been
adorned with good works; and the Lord himself adorned himself with good works
and rejoiced. 8Having therefore this pattern let
us follow his will without delay, let us work the work of righteousness with
all our strength.
34 The good workman receives the bread of his labour with boldness; the lazy
and careless cannot look his employer in the face. 2Therefore
we must be prompt in well-doing: for all things are from him. 3For he warns us: “Behold the Lord cometh, and his
reward is before his face, to pay to each according to his work.” 4He exhorts us therefore if we believe on him with our
whole heart not to be lazy or careless “in every good work.” 5Let our glorying and confidence be in him; let us be
subject to his will; let us consider the whole multitude of his angels, how
they stand ready and minister to his will. 6For
the Scripture says “Ten thousand times ten thousand stood by him, and thou sand
thousands ministered to him, and they cried Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of
Sabaoth, the whole creation is full of his glory.” 7Therefore,
we too must gather together with concord in our conscience and cry earnestly to
him, as it were with one mouth, that we may share in his great and glorious
promises, 8for he says: “Eye hath not seen, and
ear hath not heard, and it hath not entered into the heart of man, what things
the Lord hath pre pared for them that wait for him.”
35 How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God! 2Life in immortality, splendour in righteousness,
truth in boldness, faith in confidence, continence in holiness: and all these
things are submitted to our understanding. 3What,
then, are the things which are being prepared for those who wait for him? The
Creator and Father of the ages, the All-holy one, himself knows their greatness
and beauty. 4Let us then strive to be found
among the number of those that wait, that we may receive a share of the
promised gifts. 5But how shall this be, beloved?
If our understanding be fixed faithfully on God; if we seek the things which
are well-pleasing and acceptable to him; if we fulfil the things which are in
harmony with his faultless will, and follow the way of truth, casting away from
ourselves all iniquity and wickedness, covetousness, strife, malice and fraud,
gossiping and evil speaking, hatred of God, pride and arrogance, vain-glory and
inhospitality. 6For those who do these things
are hateful to God, and “not only those who do them, but also those who take
pleasure in them.” 7For the Scripture says: “But
to the sinner said God: Wherefore dost thou declare my ordinances, and takest
my covenant in thy mouth? 8Thou hast hated instruction,
and cast my words behind thee. If thou sawest a thief thou didst run with him,
and thou didst make thy portion with the adulterers. Thy mouth hath multiplied
iniquity, and thy tongue did weave deceit. Thou didst sit to speak evil against
thy brother, and thou didst lay a stumbling-block in the way of thy mother’s
son. 9Thou hast done these things and I kept
silent; thou didst suppose, O wicked one, that I shall be like unto thee. 10I will reprove thee and set thyself before thy face. 11Understand then these things, ye who forget God,
lest he seize you as doth a lion, and there be none to deliver. 12The sacrifice of praise shall glorify me, and
therein is a way in which I will show to him the salvation of God.”
36 This is the way, beloved, in which we found our salvation, Jesus Christ, the
high priest of our offerings, the defender and helper of our weakness. 2Through him we fix our gaze on the heights of heaven,
through him we see the reflection of his faultless and lofty countenance,
through him the eyes of our hearts were opened, through him our foolish and
darkened understanding blossoms towards the light, through him the Master
willed that we should taste the immortal knowledge; “who, being the brightness
of his majesty is by so much greater than angels as he hath inherited a more
excellent name.” 3For it is written thus “Who
maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.” 4But of his son the Master said thus “Thou art my son:
to-day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for
thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession.” 5And again he says to him “Sit thou on my right hand
until I make thine enemies a footstool of thy feet.” 6Who
then are the enemies? Those who are wicked and oppose his will.
37 Let us then serve in our army, brethren, with all earnestness, following his
faultless commands. 2Let us consider those who
serve our generals, with what good order, habitual readiness, and
submissiveness they perform their commands. 3Not
all are prefects, nor tribunes, nor centurions, nor in charge of fifty men, or
the like, but each carries out in his own rank the commands of the emperor and
of the generals. 4The great cannot exist without
the small, nor the small without the great; there is a certain mixture among
all, and herein lies the advantage. 5Let us take
our body; the head is nothing without the feet, likewise the feet are nothing
with out the head; the smallest members of our body are necessary and valuable
to the whole body, but all work together and are united in a common subjection
to preserve the whole body.
38 Let, therefore, our whole body be preserved in Christ Jesus, and let each be
subject to his neighbour, according to the position granted to him. 2Let the strong care for the weak and let the weak
reverence the strong. Let the rich man bestow help on the poor and let the poor
give thanks to God, that he gave him one to supply his needs; let the wise
manifest his wisdom not in words but in good deeds; let him who is
humble-minded not testify to his own humility, but let him leave it to others
to bear him witness; let not him who is pure in the flesh be boastful, knowing
that it is another who bestows on him his continence. 3Let
us consider, then, brethren, of what matter we were formed, who we are, and
with what nature we came into the world, and how he who formed and created us
brought us into his world from the darkness of a grave, and prepared his
benefits for us before we were born. 4Since,
therefore, we have everything from him we ought in everything to give him
thanks, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
39 Foolish, imprudent, silly,
and uninstructed men mock and deride us, wishing to exalt themselves in their
own conceits. 2For what can mortal man do, or
what is the strength of him who is a child of earth? 3For
it is written “There was no shape before mine eyes, but I heard a sound and a
voice. 4What then? Shall a mortal be pure before
the Lord? Or shall a man be blameless in his deeds, seeing that he believeth
not in his servants, and hath noted perversity in his angels? 5Yea, the heaven is not pure before him. Away then, ye
who inhabit houses of clay, of which, even of the same clay, we ourselves were
made. He smote them as a moth, and from morning until evening they do not
endure; they perished, without being able to help themselves. 6He breathed on them and they died because they had no
wisdom. 7But call now, if any shall answer thee,
or if thou shalt see any of the holy angels; for wrath destroyeth the foolish,
and envy putteth to death him that is in error. 8I
have seen the foolish taking root, but t heir habitation was presently
consumed. 9Let their sons be far from safety;
let them be mocked in the gates of those less than they, with none to deliver;
for what was prepared for them the righteous shall eat, and they themselves
shall not be delivered from evil.”
40 Since then these things are manifest to us, and we have looked into the
depths of the divine knowledge, we ought to do in order all things which the
Master commanded us to perform at appointed times. 2He
commanded us to celebrate sacrifices and services, and that it should not be
thoughtlessly or disorderly, but at fixed times and hours. 3He has himself fixed by his supreme will the places
and persons whom he desires for these celebrations, in order that all things
may be done piously according to his good pleasure, and be acceptable to his
will. 4So then those who offer their oblations at
the appointed seasons are acceptable and blessed, for they follow the laws of
the Master and do no sin. 5For to the High
Priest his proper ministrations are allotted, and to the priests the proper
place has been appointed, and on Levites their proper services have been
imposed. The layman is bound by the ordinances for the laity.
41 Let each one of us, brethren, be well pleasing to God in his own rank, and
have a good conscience, not transgressing the appointed rules of his
ministration, with, all reverence. 2Not in every
place, my brethren, are the daily sacrifices offered or the free-will offerings, or the
sin-offerings and trespass-offerings, but only in Jerusalem; and there also the
offering is not made in every place, but before the shrine, at the altar, and
the offering is first inspected by the High Priest and the ministers already
mentioned. 3Those therefore who do any thing
contrary to that which is agreeable to his will suffer the penalty of death. 4You see, brethren, that the more knowledge we have
been entrusted with, the greater risk do we incur.
42 The Apostles received the Gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus
the Christ was sent from God. 2The Christ
therefore is from God and the Apostles from the Christ. In both ways, then,
they were in accordance with the appointed order of God’s will. 3Having therefore received their commands, and being
fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with faith
confirmed by the word of God, they went forth in the assurance of the Holy
Spirit preaching the good news that the Kingdom of God is coming. 4They preached from district to district, and from
city to city, and they appointed their first converts, testing them by the
Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of the future believers. 5And this was no new method, for many years before had
bishops and Jeacons been written of; for the scripture says thus in one place
“I will establish their bishops in righteousness, and their deacons in faith.”
43 And what wonder is it if those who were in Christ, and were entrusted by God
with such a duty, established those who have been mentioned? Since the blessed
Moses also “A faithful servant in all his house “noted down in the sacred books
all the injunctions which were given him; and the other prophets followed him,
bearing witness with him to the laws which he had given. 2For when jealousy arose concerning the priesthood,
and the tribes were quarrelling as to which of them was adorned with that
glorious title, Moses himself commanded the rulers of the twelve tribes to
bring him rods, with the name of a tribe written on each; and he took them, and
bound them, and sealed them with the rings of the rulers of the tribes, and put
them away in the Tabernacle of Testimony on the table of God. 3And he shut the Tabernacle, and sealed the keys, as
he had done with the rods, 4and he said to them,
“Brethren, of whichsoever tribe the rod shall bud, this has God chosen for his
priesthood and ministry.” 5And when it was
daylight he called together all Israel, six hundred thousand men, and showed
the seals to the rulers of the tribes, and opened the Tabernacle of Testimony,
and took forth the rods, and the rod of Aaron was found not only to have
budded, but also to be bearing fruit. 6What do
you think, beloved? That Moses did not know be forehand that this was going to
happen? Assuredly he knew, but he acted thus that there should be no disorder
in Israel, to glorify the name of the true and only God, to whom be the glory for
ever and ever. Amen.
44Our Apostles also knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be
strife for the title of bishop. 2For this cause,
therefore, since they had received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed those
who have been already mentioned, and afterwards added the codicil that if they
should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed to their ministry. 3We consider therefore that it is not just to remove
from their ministry those who were appointed by them, or later on by other
eminent men, with the consent of the whole Church, and have ministered to the
flock of Christ without blame, humbly, peaceably, and disinterestedly, and for
many years have received a universally favourable testimony. 4For our sin is not small, if we eject from the
episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily offered its sacrifices. 5Blessed are those Presbyters who finished their
course before now, and have obtained a fruitful and perfect release in the
ripeness of completed work, for they have now no fear that any shall move them
from the place appointed to them. 6For we see
that in spite of their good service you have removed some from the ministry
which they fulfilled blamelessly.
45 You are contentious,[1] brethren, and zealous for the things which
lead to salvation. 2You have studied the Holy
Scriptures, which are true, and given by the Holy Spirit. 3You know that nothing unjust or counterfeit is
written in them. You will not find that the righteous have been cast out by
holy men. 4The righteous were persecuted; but it
was by the wicked. They were put in prison; but it was by the unholy. They were
stoned by law-breakers, they were killed by men who had conceived foul and
unrighteous envy. 5These things they suffered, and
gained glory by their endurance. 6For what shall
we say, brethren? Was Daniel cast into the lions’ den by those who feared God? 7Or were Ananias, Azarias, and Misael shut up in the
fiery furnace by those who ministered to the great and glorious worship of the
Most High? God forbid that this be so. Who then were they who did these things?
Hateful men, full of all iniquity, were roused to such a pitch of fury, that
they inflicted torture on those who served God with a holy and faultless
purpose, not knowing that the Most High is the defender and protector of those
who serve his excellent name with a pure conscience, to whom be glory for ever
and ever. Amen. But they who endured in confidence obtained the inheritance of
glory and honour; they were exalted, and were enrolled by God in his memorial
for ever and ever. Amen.
46 We also, brethren, must therefore cleave to such examples. 2For it is written, “Cleave to the holy, for they who
cleave to them shall be made holy.” 3And again
in another place it says, “With the innocent man thou shalt be innocent, and
with the elect man thou shalt be elect, and with the perverse man thou shalt do
perversely.” 4Let us then cleave to the innocent and righteous, for
these are God’s elect. 5Why are there strife and
passion and divisions and schisms and war among you? 6Or
have we not one God, and one Christ, and one Spirit of grace poured out upon
us? And is there not one calling in Christ? 7Why
do we divide and tear asunder the members of Christ, and raise up strife
against our own body, and reach such a pitch of madness as to forget that we
are members one of another? Remember the words of the Lord Jesus; 8for he said, “Woe unto that man: it were good for him
if he had not been born, than that he should offend one of my elect; it were
better for him that a millstone be hung on him, and he be cast into the sea,
than that he should turn aside one of my elect.” 9Your
schism has turned aside many, has cast many into discouragement, many to doubt,
all of us to grief; and your sedition continues
47 Take up the epistle of the blessed Paul the Apostle. 2What did he first write to you at the beginning of his preaching? 3With true inspiration he charged you concerning
himself and Cephas and Apollos, because even then you had made your selves
partisans. 4But that partisanship entailed less
guilt on you; for you were partisans of Apostles of high reputation, and of a
man approved by them. 5But now consider who they
are who have perverted you, and have lessened the respect due to your famous
love for the brethren. 6It is a shameful report,
beloved, extremely shameful, and unworthy of your training in Christ, that on
account of one or two persons the steadfast and ancient church of the
Corinthians is being disloyal to the presbyters. 7And
this report has not only reached us, but also those who dissent from us, so
that you bring blasphemy on the name of the Lord through your folly, and are
moreover creating danger for yourselves.
48 Let us then quickly put an end to this, and let us fall down before the
Master, and beseech him with tears that he may have mercy upon us, and be
reconciled to us, and restore us to our holy and seemly practice of love for
the brethren. 2For this is the gate of righteousness
which opens on to life, as it is written “Open me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter into them and praise the Lord; 3this
is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter in by it.” 4So then of the many gates which are opened, that
which is in righteousness is the one in Christ, in which are blessed all who
enter and make straight their way in holiness and righteousness, accomplishing
all things without disorder. 5Let a man be
faithful, let him have power to utter “Knowledge,”let him be wise in the
discernment of arguments, let him be pure in his deeds; 6for the more he seems to be great, the more ought he to be
humble-minded, and to seek the common good of all and not his own benefit.
49 Let him who has love in Christ perform the commandments of Christ. 2Who is able to explain the bond of the love of God? 3Who is sufficient to tell the greatness of its
beauty? 4The height to which love lifts us is
not to be expressed. 5Love unites us to God.
“Love covereth a multitude of sins. Love beareth all things, is long-suffering
in all things. There is nothing base, nothing haughty in love; love admits no
schism, love makes no sedition, love does all things in concord. In love were
all the elect of God made perfect. Without love is nothing well pleasing to
God. 6In love did the Master receive us; for the
sake of the love which he had towards us did Jesus Christ our Lord give his
blood by the will of God for us, and his flesh for our flesh, and his soul for
our souls.”
50 See, beloved, how great and wonderful is love, and that of its perfection
there is no expression. 2Who is able to be found
in it save those to whom God grants it? Let us then beg and pray of his mercy
that we may be found in love, without human partisanship, free from blame. 3All the generations from Adam until this day have
passed away; but those who were perfected in love by the grace of God have a
place among the pious who shall be made manifest at the visitation of the
Kingdom of Christ. 4For it is written, “Enter
into thy chambers for a very little while, until my wrath and fury pass away,
and I will remember a good day, and will raise you up out of your graves.” 5Blessed are we, beloved, if we perform the
commandments of God in the concord of love, that through love our sins may be
forgiven. 6For it is written “Blessed are they
whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will not reckon, and in whose mouth is no guile.” 7This blessing was given to those who have been chosen
by God through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be the glory for ever and ever.
Amen.
51 Let us then pray that for our transgressions, and for what we have done
through any attacks of the adversary, forgiveness may be granted to us. And
those also who were the leaders of sedition and disagreement are bound to
consider the common hope. 2For those who live in
fear and love are willing to suffer torture themselves rather than their
neighbours, and they suffer the blame of themselves, rather than that of our
tradition of noble and righteous harmony, 3for
it is better for man to con fess his transgressions than to harden his heart,
even as the heart of those was hardened who rebelled against God’s servant
Moses, and their condemnation was made manifest, 4for
“they went down into Hades alive” and “death shall be their shepherd.” 5Pharaoh and his army and all the rulers of Egypt,
“the chariots and their riders,” were sunk in the Red Sea, and perished for no
other cause than that their foolish hearts were hardened, after that signs and
wonders had been wrought in the land of Egypt by God’s servant Moses.
52 The Master, brethren, is in need of nothing: he asks nothing of anyone, save
that confession be made to him. 2For David the
chosen says:—”I will confess to the Lord, and it shall please him more than a
young calf that groweth horns and hoofs: let the poor see it and be glad.” 3And again he says “Sacrifice to God a sacrifice of
praise, and pay to the Highest thy vows; and call upon me in the day of thy
affliction, and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me. 4For the sacrifice of God is a broken spirit”
53 For you have understanding, you have a good understanding of the sacred
Scriptures, beloved, and you have studied the oracles of God. Therefore we
write these things to remind you. 2For when
Moses went up into the mountain, and passed forty days and forty nights in
fasting and humiliation, God said to him: “Go down hence quickly, for thy people,
whom thou didst bring out of the land of Egypt, have committed iniquity; they
have quickly gone aside out of the way which thou didst command them; they have
made themselves molten images.” 3And the Lord
said to him: “I have spoken to thee once and twice, saying, I have seen this
people, and behold it is stiffnecked; suffer me to destroy them, and I will
wipe out their name from under heaven, and thee will I make into a nation great
and wonderful and much more than this.” 4And
Moses said, “Not so, Lord; pardon the sin of this people, or blot me also out
of the book of the living.” 5O great love! O
unsurpassable perfection! The servant is bold with the Lord, he asks
forgiveness for the people, or begs that he himself may be blotted out together
with them.
54 Who then among you is noble, who is compassionate, who is filled with love? 2Let him cry: “If sedition and strife and divisions
have arisen on my account, I will depart, I will go away whithersoever you will,
and I will obey the commands of the people; only let the flock of Christ have
peace with the presbyters set over it.” 3He who
does this will win for himself great glory in Christ, and every place will
receive him, for “the earth is the Lord s, and the fullness of it.” 4This has been in the past, and will be in the future,
the conduct of those who live without regrets as citizens in the city of God.
55 Let us also bring forward examples from the heathen. Many kings and rulers,
when a time of pestilence has set in, have followed the counsel of oracles, and
given themselves up to death, that they might rescue their subjects through
their own blood. Many have gone away from their own cities, that sedition might
have an end. 2We know that many among ourselves
have given themselves to bondage that they might ransom others. Many have
delivered themselves to slavery, and provided food for others with the price
they received for themselves. 3Many women have
received power through the grace of God and have performed many deeds of manly
valour. 4The blessed Judith, when her city was
besieged, asked the elders to suffer her to go out into the camp of the
strangers. 5So she gave herself up to danger,
and went forth for love of her country and her people in their siege, and the
Lord delivered over Holofernes by the hand of a woman. 6Not
less did Esther also, who was perfect in faith, deliver herself to danger, that
she might rescue the nation of Israel from the destruction that awaited it; for
with fasting and humiliation she besought the all-seeing Master of the Ages,
and he saw the meekness of her soul, and rescued the people for whose sake she
had faced peril.
56 Let then us also intercede for those who have fallen into any transgression,
that meekness and humility be given to them, that they may submit, not to us,
but to the will of God; for so will they have fruitful and perfect remembrance
before God and the saints, and find compassion. 2Let
us receive correction, which none should take amiss, beloved. The admonition
which we make one to another is good and beyond measure helpful, for it unites
us to the will of God. 3For the holy word says
thus: “With chastisement did the Lord chastise me, and he delivered me not over
unto death; 4for whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” 5“For,” he says, “the righteous shall chasten me with mercy, and
reprove me, but let not the oil of sinners anoint my head.” 6And again he says “Blessed is the man whom the Lord
did reprove; and reject not thou the admonition of the Almighty, for he maketh
to suffer pain and again he restoreth; 7he
wounded, and his hands healed. 8Six times shall
he deliver thee from troubles, and the seventh time evil shall not touch thee. 9In famine he shall rescue thee from death, and in war
he shall free thee from the hand of the sword. 10And
he shall hide thee from the scourge of the tongue and thou shalt not fear when
evils approach. 11Thou shalt laugh at the
unrighteous and wicked, and thou shalt not be afraid of wild beasts; 12for wild beasts shall be at peace with thee. 13Then thou shalt know that thy house shall have
peace, and the habitation of thy tabernacle shall not fail. 14And thou shalt know that thy seed shall be many and
thy children like the herb of the field. 15And
thou shalt come to the grave like ripened corn that is harvested in its due
season, or like a heap on the threshing-floor which is gathered together at the
appointed time.” 16You see, beloved, how great
is the protection given to those that are chastened by the Master, for he is a
good father and chastens us that we may obtain mercy through his holy
chastisement.
57 You therefore, who laid the foundation of the sedition, submit to the
presbyters, and receive the correction of repentance, bending the knees of your
hearts. 2Learn to be submissive, putting aside
the boastful and the haughty self-confidence of your tongue, for it is better
for you to be found small but honourable in the flock of Christ, than to be pre
eminent in repute but to be cast out from his hope. 3For
“the excellent wisdom” says thus:— “Behold I will bring forth to you the
words of my spirit, 4and I will teach you my
speech, since I called and ye did not obey, and I put forth my words and ye did
not attend, but made my counsels of no effect, and disobeyed my reproofs;
therefore will I also laugh at your ruin, and I will rejoice when destruction
cometh upon you, and when sudden confusion overtaketh you and catastrophe
cometh as a storm, or when persecution or siege cometh upon you. 5For it shall come to pass when ye call upon me, I
will not hear you. The evil shall seek me and they shall not find me. For they
hated wisdom and they chose not the fear of the Lord, neither would they attend
to my counsels but mocked my reproofs. 6Therefore
shall they eat the fruits of their own way, and shall be filled with their own
wickedness; 7for because they wronged the
innocent they shall be put to death, and inquisition shall destroy the wicked.
But he who heareth me shall tabernacle with confidence in his hope, and shall
be in rest with no fear of any evil.”
58 Let us then be obedient to his most holy and glorious name, and escape the
threats which have been spoken by wisdom aforetime to the disobedient, that we
may tabernacle in confidence on the most sacred name of his majesty. 2Receive our counsel, and there shall be nothing far
you to regret, for as God lives and as the Lord Jesus Christ lives and the Holy
Spirit, the faith and hope of the elect, he who with lowliness of mind and
eager gentleness has without backsliding performed the decrees and commandments
given by God shall be enrolled and chosen in the number of those who are saved
through Jesus Christ, through whom is to him the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
59 But if some be disobedient to the words which have been spoken by him
through us, let them know that they will entangle themselves in transgression
and no little danger; 2but we shall be innocent
of this sin, and will pray with eager entreaty and supplication that the
Creator of the Universe may guard unhurt the number of his elect that has been
numbered in all the world through his beloved child Jesus Christ, through whom
he called us from darkness to light, from ignorance to the full knowledge of
the glory of his name. 3Grant us to hope on thy
name, the source of all creation, open the eyes of our heart to know thee, that
thou alone art the highest in the highest and remainest holy among the holy.
Thou dost humble the pride of the haughty, thou dost destroy the imaginings of
nations, thou dost raise up the humble and abase the lofty, thou makest rich
and makest poor, thou dost slay and make alive, thou alone art the finder of
spirits and art God of all flesh, thou dost look on the abysses, thou seest
into the works of man, thou art the helper of those in danger, the saviour of
those in despair, the creator and watcher over every spirit; thou dost multiply
nations upon earth and hast chosen out from them all those that love thee
through Jesus Christ thy beloved child, and through him hast thou taught us,
made us holy, and brought us to honour. 4We
beseech thee, Master, to be our “help and succour.” Save those of us who are in
affliction, have mercy on the lowly, raise the fallen, show thyself to those in
need, heal the sick, turn again the wanderers of thy people, feed the hungry,
ransom our prisoners, raise up the weak, comfort the faint-hearted; let all
“nations know thee, that thou art God alone,” and that Jesus Christ is thy
child, and that “we are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture.”
60 For thou through thy operations didst make manifest the eternal fabric of
the world; thou, Lord, didst create the earth. Thou that art faithful in all generations,
righteous in judgment, wonderful in strength and majesty, wise in thy creation,
and prudent in establishing thy works, good in the things which are seen, and
gracious among those that trust in thee, O “merciful and compassionate,”
forgive us our iniquities and unrighteousness, and transgressions, and
short-comings. 2Reckon not every sin of thy
servants and handmaids, but cleanse us with the cleansing of thy truth, and
“guide our steps to walk in holiness of heart, to do the things which are good and
pleasing before thee “and before our rulers. 3Yea,
Lord, “make thy face to shine upon us” in peace “for our good” that we may be
sheltered by thy mighty hand, and delivered from all sin by “thy uplifted arm,”
and deliver us from them that hate us wrongfully. 4Give
concord and peace to us and to all that dwell on the earth, as thou didst give
to our fathers who called on thee in holiness with faith and truth, and grant
that we may be obedient to thy almighty and glorious name, and to our rulers
and governors upon the earth.
61 Thou, Master, hast given the power of sovereignty to them through thy
excellent and inexpressible might, that we may know the glory and honour given
to them by thee, and be subject to them, in nothing resisting thy will. And to
them, Lord, grant health, peace, concord, firmness that they may administer the
government which thou hast given them without offence. 2For
thou, heavenly Master, king of eternity, hast given to the sons of men glory
and honour and power over the things which are on the earth; do thou, O Lord,
direct their counsels according to that which is “good and pleasing” before
thee, that they may administer with piety in peace and gentleness the power
given to them by thee, and may find mercy in thine eyes. 3O thou who alone art able to do these things and far
better things for us, we praise thee through Jesus Christ, the high priest and
guardian of our souls, through whom be glory and majesty to thee, both now and
for all generations and for ever and ever. Amen.
