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this. The Lord knew those who are his, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of clay; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

CHAPTER 3. But know this, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. And from such turn away; for of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith, but they shall proceed no further. For their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. But you have fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured. 95.1021 He speaks of what he suffered because of Thecla. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. He mentioned these as being recent; but the others he omitted, as being known to the man. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of; knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child. Here he means the tribulations and the pains of the narrow and afflicted way of virtue. thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. He means the law and the prophets, which were able to lead him up to wisdom, that is, Christ. For in him were fulfilled both the law and the prophets. And that he knew the Scripture is clear from Luke's account of him. That he was of a believing Jewish mother, that is, from the Jews who believed in Christ. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

CHAPTER 4. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,

who shall judge. Having offered much exhortation and comfort from all things, he adds also that from the Scriptures, which is more perfect. And he reasonably adds so much, since he was about to say something grievous to the disciple, his own death. He means that Scripture, concerning which he said, that "From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures." the quick and the dead, at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word,

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ταύτην. Ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀποστήτω ἀπὸ ἀδικίας πᾶς ὁ ὀνομάζων τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Ἐν μεγάλῃ δὲ οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔστι μόνον σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα· καὶ ἃ μὲν εἰς τιμὴν, ἃ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν. Ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τούτων, ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν, ἡγιασμένον καὶ εὔχρηστον τῷ ∆εσπότῃ εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἡτοιμασμένον. Τὰς δὲ νεωτερικὰς ἐπιθυμίας φεῦγε· δίωκε δὲ δικαιοσύνην, πίστιν, ἀγάπην, εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων τὸν Κύριον ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας. Τὰς δὲ μωρὰς καὶ ἀπαιδεύτους ζητήσεις παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι γεννῶσι μάχας. ∆οῦλον δὲ Κυρίου οὐ δεῖ μάχεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἤπιον εἶναι πρὸς πάντας, διδακτικὸν, ἀνεξίκακον, ἐν πραότητι παιδεύοντα τοὺς ἀντιδιατιθεμένους· μήποτε δῷ αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς μετάνοιαν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀνανήψωσιν ἐκ τῆς διαβόλου παγίδος, ἐζωγρημένοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Γʹ. Τοῦτο δὲ γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί.

Ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, ἀλαζόνες, ὑπερήφανοι, βλάσφημοι, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, ἀχάριστοι, ἀνόσιοι, ἄστοργοι, ἄσπονδοι, διάβολοι, ἀκρατεῖς, ἀνήμεροι, ἀφιλάγαθοι, προδόται, προπετεῖς, τετυφωμένοι, φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον, ἢ φιλόθεοι· ἔχοντες μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι. Καὶ τούτους ἀποτρέπου· ἐκ τούτων γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἐνδύνοντες εἰς τὰς οἰκίας, καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύοντες γυναικάρια, σεσωρευμένα ἁμαρτίαις, ἀγόμενα ἐπιθυμίαις ποικίλαις, πάντοτε μανθάνοντα, καὶ μηδέποτε εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν δυνάμενα. Ὃν τρόπον δὲ Ἰαννῆς καὶ Ἰαμβρῆς ἀντέστησαν Μωϋσῇ, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι ἀνθίστανται τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, ἄνθρωποι κατεφθαρμένοι τὸν νοῦν, ἀδόκιμοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλ' οὐ προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ πλεῖον. Ἡ γὰρ ἄνοια αὐτῶν ἔκδηλος ἔσται πᾶσιν, ὡς καὶ ἡ ἐκείνων ἐγένετο. Σὺ δὲ παρηκολούθηκάς μου τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, τῇ ἀγωγῇ, τῇ προθέσει, τῇ πίστει, τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ, τῇ ἀγάπῃ, τῇ ὑπομονῇ, τοῖς διωγμοῖς, τοῖς παθήμασιν, οἷά μοι ἐγένετο ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, ἐν Ἰκονίῳ, ἐν Λύστροις, οἵους διωγμοὺς ὑπήνεγκα. 95.1021 Ἃ διὰ Θέκλαν πέπονθε, λέγει. Καὶ ἐκ πάντων με ἐῤῥύσατο ὁ Κύριος. Καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ θέλοντες εὐσεβῶς ζῇν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, διωχθήσονται. Τούτων ὡς νεαρῶν ὄντων ἐμνήσθη· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ἀφῆκεν, ὡς γνώριμα ὄντα τῷ ἀνδρί. Πονηροὶ δὲ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι. Σὺ δὲ μένε ἐν οἷς ἔμαθες, καὶ ἐπιστώθης· εἰδὼς παρὰ τίνος ἔμαθες, καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ βρέφους. Τὰς θλίψεις ἐνταῦθά φησι, καὶ τὰς ὀδύνας τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ τῆς ἀρετῆς. Τὰ ἱερὰ γράμματα οἶδας, τὰ δυνάμενά σε σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ πίστεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας λέγει, οἵτινες αὐτὸν ἐδύναντο εἰς τὴν σοφίαν ἀναγαγεῖν, τουτέστι Χριστόν. Εἰς τοῦτον γὰρ ἐπληροῦτο, καὶ ὁ νόμος, καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Ὅτι δὲ ᾔδει τὴν Γραφὴν, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ ἱστορῆσαι τὸν Λουκᾶν περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι μητρὸς ἦν Ἰουδαίας πιστῆς, τουτέστιν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πιστευσάσης εἰς Χριστόν. Πᾶσα Γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος πρὸς διδασκαλίαν, πρὸς ἔλεγχον, πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν, πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾗ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτισμένος.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ∆ʹ. ∆ιαμαρτύρομαι οὖν ἐγὼ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,

τοῦ μέλλοντος κρίνειν. Πολλὴν παράκλησιν ποιησάμενος καὶ παραμυθίαν ἀπὸ πάντων, ἐπάγει καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν τελειοτέραν οὖσαν. Εἰκότως δὲ τοσαύτην ἐπάγει, ἐπειδὴ λυπηρὸν ἔμελλεν ἐρεῖν τῷ μαθητῇ, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θάνατον. Ἐκείνην φησὶ τὴν Γραφὴν, περὶ ἧς εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἀπὸ βρέφους ἱερὰ Γράμματα οἶδας. Ζῶντας καὶ νεκροὺς, κατὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ· κήρυξον τὸν λόγον,