unto the Lord, wisdom, and understanding, and science, and knowledge, rejoice together with them.

4 For God has manifested to us by all the prophets, that he has no occasion for our sacrifices, or burnt-offerings, or oblations; saying thus: To what purpose is the multitude Isaiah i. 11. of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord.

5 I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of "fed beasts; and I delight not Lambs. in the blood of bullocks, or of he-goats.

I

20

Isaiah i.

6 When ye come to appear before me, 12, 13, 14. who hath required this at your hands? Ye shall no more tread my courts.

7 Bring no more vain oblations, incense is an abomination unto me: your new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting your new moons and your appointed feasts, my soul hateth.

8 These things therefore hath God abolished, that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is without the yoke of any such necessity, might have the spiritual offering of men themselves.

у

23.

9 For so the Lord saith again to those heretofore: Did I at all command your fathers Jer. vii. 22, when they came out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices?

10 But this I commanded them, saying, LetZach. viii none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour, and love no false oath.

a

cy of our

11 Forasmuch then as we are not without understanding, we ought to apprehend the de-. sign of our merciful Father. For he speaks of the mer to us, being willing that we, who have been in Father, the same error about the sacrifices, should seek and find how to approach unto him.

a new translation of them. Upon the whole, I have endeavoured to attain to the sense of my author, and to make him as plain and easy as I was able. If in any thing I shall have chanced to mistake him, I have only this to say for myself, that he must be better acquainted with the road than I pretend to be, who will undertake to travel so long a journey in the dark, and never to miss his way.

THE

GENERAL EPISTLE

OF

ST. BARNABAS.

CHAP. I.

Preface to the Epistle.

a

rum.

ALL happiness to you, my sons and daugh- Honestters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Equitawho loved us in peace.

b

b

tum. Δικαι μάτων, rightments.

d Natura

2 Having perceived abundance of knowl-cous judgdege of the great excellent laws of God to be espiritibus. in you, I exceedingly rejoice in your blessed dispositio and admirable 'souls, because ye have so wor-G-TO thily received the grace which was grafted in sure-T you.

3 For which cause I am full of joy, hoping the rather to be 'saved; inasmuch as I truly see a spirit infused into you, from the 'pure fountain of God:

4 Having this persuasion, and being ful convinced thereof, because that since I hav begun to speak unto you, I have had a mo than ordinary good success in the way of law of the Lord, which is in Christ.

5 For which cause, brethren, I also: verily that I love you above my Own FOL cause that therein dwelleth the grea

See

12

faith and charity, as also the hope of that life which is to come.

i

6 Wherefore considering this, that if I shall take care to communicate to you a part of what I have received, it shall turn to my reward, that I have served such good souls; I gave diligence to write in a few words unto you; that together with your faith, your * Δόγματα 4 Aoypara knowledge also may be perfect.

i Talibus spiritibus

servienti. Usser.

j Γνωσις.

Κυρίου, Con

the Lord.

k

stitutions of 7 There are therefore three things ordainViz. faith ed by the Lord; the hope of life; the begincharity ning, and the completion of it.

and

See before.

m Namely, which we

lieve.

8 For the Lord hath both declared unto us,

772

are to be by the prophets, those things that are past; and "opened to us the beginnings of those which are to that are to come.

"That is,

be hoped for,

love.

and end in 9 Wherefore, it will behove us, as he has spoken, to come" more holy, and nearer to his P Honestius altar.

• Given us to know.

et altius: the most honestly

and highly.

9 Like

your

10 I, therefore, not as a teacher, but as one of you, will endeavour to lay before you selves. a few things by which you may, ' on many accounts, become the more joyful.

In many

things.

CHAP. II.

That God has abolished the legal sacrifices, to introduce the spiritu. al righteousness of the Gospel.

SEEING then the days are exceeding evil, and the adversary has got the power of this present world, we ought to give the more Equities. diligence to inquire into the 'righteous judgments of the Lord.

• Age.

u Comp.

2" Now the assistance of our faith are fear Glac. Ciem. and patience; our fellow-combatants, longsuffering and continence.

Alex.

3 Whilst these remain pure in what relates

unto the Lord, wisdom, and understanding, and science, and knowledge, rejoice together with them.

4 For God has manifested to us by all the prophets, that he has no occasion for our sacrifices, or burnt-offerings, or oblations; saying thus: To what purpose is the multitude Isaiah i. 11. of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord.

5 I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of "fed beasts; and I delight not Lambs. in the blood of bullocks, or of he-goats.

Isaiah i.

6 When ye come to appear before me, 12, 13, 14. who hath required this at your hands? Ye shall no more tread my courts.

7 Bring no more vain oblations, incense is an abomination unto me: your new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting your new moons and your appointed feasts, my soul hateth.

8 These things therefore hath God abolished, that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is without the yoke of any such necessity, might have the spiritual offering of men themselves.

23.

9 For so the Lord saith again to those heretofore: Did I at all command your fathers Jer. vii. 22. when they came out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices?

17

10 But this I commanded them, saying, * Let Zact I none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour, and love no false oath.

11 Forasmuch then as we are not without understanding, we ought to apprehend the design of our merciful Father. For he speaks: to us, being willing that we, who have been the same error about the sacrifices, should seek and find how to approach unto him.