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¹ Thou therfore my sonne, be stronge thorow the grace which is in Christ Iesu.² And what thinges thou hast herde of me by many witnesses, the same commytte thou vnto faithfull men, which are apte to teach other.³ Thou therfore suffre affliccion as a good soudyer off Iesu Christ.⁴ No ma that warreth, tangleth him selfe with wordly busynesses, & that because he wolde please him, which hath chosen him to be a soudyer.⁵ And though a man stryue for a mastrye, yet is he not crowned, excepte he stryue laufully.⁶ The hussbandman that laboureth, must first enioye the frutes.⁷ Consydre what I saye. The LORDE shal geue the vnderstondynge in all thinges.

⁸ Remembre that Iesus Christ, beynge of the sede of Dauid, rose agayne fro the deed, acordynge to my Gospell,⁹ where in I suffre as an euell doer euen vnto bandes: but the worde of God is not bounde.¹⁰ Therfore suffre I all for the electes sakes, that they also mighte optayne the saluacion in Christ Iesu with eternall glory.¹¹ This is a true sayenge: Yf we be deed wt him, we shal lyue with him also:¹² Yf we be pacient, we shal also raigne with him: Yf we denye him, he also shal denye vs:¹³ Yf we beleue not, yet abydeth he faithfull, he can not denye himselfe.

¹⁴ Of these thinges put thou them in remebraunce, and testifye before the LORDE, that they stryue not aboute wordes, which is to no profit, but to peruerte the hearers.¹⁵ Study to shewe thy selfe vnto God a laudable workman, that nedeth not to be ashamed, deuydynge the worde of trueth iustly.¹⁶ As for vngoostly and vayne talkynges, eschue them: for they helpe moch to vngodlynes,¹⁷ and their worde fretteth as doth a canker: Of whose nombre is Hymeneos & Philetus,¹⁸ which as concernynge the trueth haue erred, sayenge, that the resurreccion is past allready, and haue destroyed the faith of dyuerse personnes.

¹⁹ But ye sure grounde of God stondeth fast, and hath this seale: The LORDE knoweth them that are his, and let euery ma that calleth vpon the name of Christ, departe from iniquyte.²⁰ Not withstondynge in a greate house are not onely vessels of golde and of syluer, but also of wod and of earth: some for honoure, and some to dishonoure.²¹ But yf a man pourge himselfe from soch felowes, he shalbe a vessell sanctified vnto honoure, mete for the LORDE, and prepared vnto all good workes.

²² Fle thou the lustes of youth, but folowe righteousnes, faith, loue, peace, with all them that call vpon the LORDE with pure hert.²³ As for folish questions and soch as teach not, put them fro the: for thou knowest that they do but geder stryfe.²⁴ The seruaunt of the LORDE ought not to stryue, but to be gentle vnto euery man: apte to teach, one that can forbeare²⁵ the euell, one yt can with mekenesse enfourme them yt resist: yf God at eny tyme wyl geue them repentaunce for to knowe the trueth,²⁶ and to turne agayne from the snare of the deuell, which are holden in preson of him at his will.