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Page:Ante-Nicene Fathers volume 1.djvu/149

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THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS.
135

faithful counsellors of one another; take away from among you all hypocrisy. And may God, who ruleth over all the world, give to you wisdom, intelligence, understanding, knowledge of His judgments, [1]with patience. And be ye[2] taught of God, inquiring diligently what the Lord asks from you; and do it that ye may be safe in the day of judgment.[3] And if you have any remembrance of what is good, be mindful of me, meditating on these things, in order that both my desire and watchfulness may result in some good. I beseech you, entreating this as a favour. While yet you are in this fair vessel,[4] do not fail in any one of those things,[5] but unceasingly seek after them, and fulfil every commandment; for these things are worthy.[6] Wherefore I have been the more earnest to write to you, as my ability served, [7]that I might cheer you. Farewell, ye children of love and peace. The Lord of glory and of all grace be with your spirit. Amen.[8]

  1. Cod. Sin. omits the preposition.
  2. Cod. Sin. omits this.
  3. Cod. Sin. reads, "that ye may be found in the day of judgment," which Hilgenfeld adopts.
  4. Literally, "While yet the good vessel is with you," i.e. as long as you are in the body.
  5. Cod. Sin. reads, "fail not in any one of yourselves," which is adopted by Hilgenfeld.
  6. Corrected in Cod. Sin. to, "it is worthy."
  7. Cod. Sin. omits this clause, but it is inserted by the corrector.
  8. Cod. Sin. omits "Amen," and adds at the close, "Epistle of Barnabas."