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¹ If then you are risen with Christ, seek the things, that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. ² let the things above, and not such worldly matters be the object of your thoughts. ³ for you are dead to them, and Christ has secured your life with God. ⁴ Christ is your life, and when he shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory.

⁵ Mortify therefore your sensual appetites, fornication, impurity, irregular passions, wicked desires, and that licentiousness practised by idolaters. ⁶ these are vices which draw down the divine vengeance upon unbelieving nations; ⁷ among whom you had your conversation, when you followed their practices.

⁸ but now renounce them all, as well as anger, animosity, malice: let calumny and obscene discourse be banish'd from your lips. ⁹ let there be no fraud among you, since you have discarded your former habits and practices, and are become new men, ¹⁰ improv'd by knowledge into a resemblance of him, who made this change: ¹¹ by which there is now neither Greek, or Jew; circumcised, or uncircumcised; Barbarian, or Scythian; slave, or freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.

¹² be you therefore adorn'd with a compassionate temper, with benevolence, humility, meekness, patience as becometh saints and chosen favourites of God: ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, when one has any cause of complaint against another: as the Lord forgave you, do you likewise forgive. ¹⁴ to all this add love, which is the band of perfect union: ¹⁵ may the peace of Christ, to which you are called to be but one body, influence your hearts, to be benevolent. ¹⁶ Let the christian doctrine be the familiar subject of your entertainment: in all wisdom instructing and exhorting one another, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, melodiously tuning your grateful praises to God. ¹⁷ let your discourse and your actions be all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father by him.

¹⁸ Dames, be submissive to your husbands, as becomes christians. ¹⁹ husbands, love your wives, and do not exasperate them. ²⁰ children, obey your parents upon all occasions, for that is graceful in a christian. ²¹ fathers, don't treat your children with severity, lest they be discourag'd. ²² servants, be entirely obedient to those, whom the laws have made your masters, and not meerly out of regard to their observation, as designing only to please men, but from a principle of integrity, as fearing God: ²³ and whatever you do, do it heartily, as serving the Lord, and not men: ²⁴ knowing that as you are the servants of Christ our Lord, you shall receive from him the inheritance for your reward. ²⁵ but he that does wrong shall be punish'd for his injustice: for no regard will be shown to the external characters of men.