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¹ Wherfore laye asyde all maliciousnes and all gyle, and ypocrisye, and envye, and all bacbytinge,² & as new borne babes desyre that reasonable mylke, which is without corrupcion, that ye maye growe therin,³ yf so be that ye haue taisted how frendly the LORDE is.

⁴ Vnto whom ye are come, as to the lyuynge stone, which is disalowed of men, but chosen of God and precious.⁵ And ye also as lyuynge stones are made a spirituall house, and an holy presthode, to offre vp spirituall sacrifices, acceptable vnto God by Iesus Christ.⁶ Wherfore it is conteyned in the scripture: Beholde, I put in Sion an heade corner stone, electe & precious, and he that beleueth on him, shal not be cofounded.⁷ Vnto you therfore which beleue, he is precious: but vnto them that beleue not, is ye same stone which the buylders refused, made the heade stone in the corner,⁸ and a stone to stomble at, and a rock to be offended at, namely in the which stomble at ye worde, and beleue not that wheron they were set.⁹ But ye are that chosen generacion, that kyngly presthode, that holy nacion, that peculier people, yt ye shulde shewe the vertues of him, which hath called you out of darknesse in to his maruelous lighte:¹⁰ Euen you which in tyme past were not a people, but now are the people of God: which were not vnder mercy, but now haue optayned mercy.¹¹ Dearly beloued, I beseke you as straungers and pilgrems, absteyne fro the fleshly lustes, which fighte agaynst the soule,¹² and lede an honest conuersacion amonge the Heythen, that they which bacbyte you as euell doers, maye se youre good workes, and prayse God in the daye of visitacion.

¹³ Submytte youre selues vnto all maner ordinaunce of men for the LORDES sake: whether it be vnto the kynge as vnto ye chefe heade,¹⁴ or vnto rulers, as vnto them that are sent of him, for the punyshment of euell doers, but for the prayse of the that do well.¹⁵ For so is the will of God, that ye with well doynge shulde put to sylence the ignoraunce of folishmen:¹⁶ as fre, and not as hauynge the libertye for a cloke of wickednes, but eue as the seruauntes of God.¹⁷ Honoure all men. Loue brotherly fellishippe. Feare God. Honoure the kynge.¹⁸ Ye seruautes, obey youre masters with all feare: not onely yf they be good and curteous, but also though they be frowarde.¹⁹ For that is grace, yf a man for conscience towarde God endure grefe, and suffre wronge.²⁰ For what prayse is it, yf wha ye be buffeted for yor fautes, ye take it paciently? But yf whan ye do well, ye suffre wronge, and take it paciently, that is grace with God.²¹ For here vnto are ye called, for so moch as Christ also suffred for vs, leauynge vs an ensample, that ye shulde folowe his fotesteppes,²² which dyd no synne, nether was there gyle founde in his mouth:²³ which whan he was reuyled, reuyled not agayne: wha he suffred, he threatened not: but commytted the cause vnto him, that iudgeth righteously:²⁴ which his owne selfe bare oure synnes in his body vpon the tre, that we shulde be delyuered from synne, & shulde lyue vnto righteousnes: by whose strypes ye were healed.²⁵ For ye were as shepe goinge astraye, but now are ye turned vnto the shepherde and Bisshoppe of youre soules.