10 He hath commanded no spake against him and imagined man to do wickedly, neither vain things; hath he given any man license 20 And deceived themselves to sin.

by their wicked deeds; and 11 Where a man sinneth, by said of the Most High, that he the same also shall he be pu- is not; and knew not his nished: for the empty are empty ways : things, and for the full are the 21 But his law have they full things.

despised, and denied his cove12 Now therefore why dis- nant; in his statutes have they quietest thou thyself, seeing not been faithful, and have not thou art but a corruptible man? performed his works. and why art thou moved, whereas thou art but mortal ?

LESSON XX. 13 Why hast thou not considered in thy mind this thing

SEEK not death in the error of that is to come, rather than that your life : and pull not upon which is present?

yourselves destruction with the 14 Then answered I and works of your hands. said, O Lord, that bearest rule, 2 For God made not death : thou hast ordained in thy law, neither hath he pleasure in the that the righteous should in- destruction of the living. herit these things, but that the 3 For he created all thinza, ungodly should perish.

that they might have their be15 Nevertheless the righte- ing: and the generations of ous shall suffer strait things, the world were healthful; and and hope for wide: for they there is no poison of destruction that have done wickedly have in them, nor the kingdom of suffered the strait things and death upon the earth : yet shall not see the wide. 4 (For righteousness is im

16 And he said unto me, mortal :) There is no judge above God, 5 But ungodly men with and none that hath understand their works and words called it 'ng above the Highest.

to them: for when they thought 17 For there be many that to have it their friend, they conperish in this life, because they sumed to naught, and made a despise the law of God that is covenant with it, because they set before them.

are worthy to take part with 18 For God hath given strait it. commandment to such as came, 6 Fortheungodly said, reasonwhat they should do to live, ing with themselves, but not even as they came, and what aright, Our life is short and tethey should observe to avoid dious, and in the death of a man punishment.

there is no remedy: neither 19 Nevertheless they were was there any man known to not obedient unto him ; but have returned from the grave.

:

7 For we are born at all ad- 16 Let our strength be the venture : and we shall be here- law of justice ; for that which after as though we had never is feeble is found to be nothing been: for the breath in our worth. nostrils is as smoke, and a 17 Therefore let us lie in little spark in the moving of our wait for the righteous; because heart;

he is not for our turn, and he is 8 Which being extinguished, clean contrary to our doings : our body shall be turned into he upbraideth us with our ashes, and our spirit shall offending the law, and objectvanish as the soft air :

eth to our infamy the trans9 And our name shall be gressings of our education. forgotten in time, and no man 18 He professeth to have shall have our works in remem- the knowledge of God : and he brance, and our life shall pass calleth himself the child of the away as the trace of a cloud, Lord. and shall be dispersed as a mist 19 He was made to reprove that is driven away with the our thoughts. beams of the sun, and overcome 20 He is grievous unto us with the heat thereof.

even to behold; for his life is 10 For our time is a very not like other men's, his ways shadow that passeth away; and are of another fashion. after our end there is no return- 21 We are esteemed of him ing: for it is fast sealed, so that as counterfeits : he abstaineth no man cometh again.

from our ways as from filthiness: 11 Come on therefore, let us he pronounceth the end of the enjoy the good things that are just to be blessed, and maketh present: and let us speedily use his boast that God is his fathe creatures like as in youth. ther.

12 Let us fill ourselves with 22 Let us see if his words costly wine and ointments: and be true: and let us prove what let no flower of the spring pass shall happen in the end of him. by us :

23 For if the just man be 13 Let us crown ourselves the son of God, he will help with rosebuds, before they be him, and deliver him from the withered :

hand of his enemies. 14 Let none of us go without 24 Let us examine him with his part of our voluptuousness: despitefulness and torture, that let us leave tokens of our joy- we may know his meekness, fulness in every place: for this and prove his patience. is our portion, and our lot is 25 Let us condemn him with this.

a shameful death : for by his 15 Let us oppress the poor own saying he shall be respectrighteous man, let us not spare ed. the widow, nor reverence the 26 Such things they did ancient gray hairs of the aged. imagine, and were deceived:

for their own wickedness hath saints, and he hath care for his blinded them.

elect. 27 As for the mysteries of 10 But the ungodly shall be God, they knew them not: punished according to their own neither hoped they for the wages imaginations, which have negof righteousness, nor discerned lected the righteous, and fora reward for blameless souls. saken the Lord.

28 For God created man to 11 For whoso despiseth wisbe immortal, and made him to dom and nurture, he is miserbe an image of his own eternity. able; and their hope is vain,

their labours unfruitful, and LESSON XXI.

their works unprofitable :

12 For the hope of the unThe souls of the righteous are thankful shall melt away as in the hand of God, and there the winter's hoar frost, and shall no torment touch them. shall run away as unprofitable

2 In the sight of the unwise water. they seemed to die: and their 13 But though the righteous departure is taken for misery, be prevented with death, yet

3 And their going from us shall he be in rest. to be utter destruction: but 14 For honourable age

is not they are in peace.

that which standeth in length 4 For though they be pu- of time, nor that is measured

by nished in the sight of men, yet number of years. is their hope full of immortality. 15 But wisdom is

gray

hair 5 And having been a little unto men, and an unspotted chastised, they shall be greatly life is old age. rewarded : for God proved them, 16 The righteous was speedand found them worthy for ily taken away, lest that wickhimself.

edness should alter his under6 As gold in the furnace hath standing, or deceit beguile his he tried them, and received soul. them as a burnt offering.

17 He, being made perfect 7 And in the time of their in a short time, fulfilled a long visitation they shall shine, and time : run to and fro like sparks among 18 For his soul pleased the the stubble.

Lord : therefore hasted he to 8 They shall judge the na- take him away from among the tions, and have dominion over wicked. the people, and their Lord shall 19 This the people saw, and reign for ever.

understood it not, neither laid 9 They that put their trust they up this in their minds, in him shall understand the That his grace and mercy is truth: and such as be faithful with his saints, and that he hath in love shall abide with him : respect unto his chosen. for grace and mercy is to his 20 Thus the righteous that

a

is dead shall condemn the un- shall say within themselves, godly which are living; and This was he, whom we had youth that is soon perfected, the sometimes in derision, and a many years and old age of the proverb of reproach. unrighteous.

4 We fools accounted his life 21 For they shall see the end madness, and his end to be of the wise, and shall not un- without honour. derstand what God in his coun- 5 Howis henumbered among sel hath decreed of him, and to the children of God, and his lot what end the Lord hath set him is among the saints ! in safety.

6 Therefore have we erred 22 They shall see him, and from the way of truth, and the despise him; but God shall light of righteousness hath not laugh them to scorn : and they shined unto us, and the sun of shall hereafter be a vile carcase, righteousness rose not upon us. and a reproach among the dead 7 We wearied ourselves in for evermore.

the
way

of wickedness and de23 For he shall rend them, struction : yea, we have gone and cast them down headlong, through deserts, where there lay that they shall be speechless; no way: but as for the way of and he shall shake them from the Lord, we have not known the foundation; and they shall it. be utterly laid waste, and be in 8 What hath pride profited sorrow; and their memorial us? or what good hath riches shall perish.

with our vaunting brought us ? 24 And when they cast up 9 All those things are passed the accounts of their sins, they away like a shadow, and as a shall come with fear: and their post that hasted by; own iniquities shall convince 10 And as a ship that passeth them to their face.

over the waves of the water,

which when it is gone by, the LESSON XXII.

trace thereof cannot be found,

neither the pathway of the keel Then shall the righteous man in the waves ; stand in great boldness before 11 Or as when a bird hath the face of such as have afflict- flown through the air, there is ed him, and made no account no token of her way to be found, of his labours.

but the light air being beaten 2 When they see it, they with the stroke of her wings, shall be troubled with terrible and parted with the violent fear, and shall be amazed at the noise and motion of them, is strangeness of his salvation, so passed through, and therein far beyond all that they looked afterwards no sign where she for.

went is to be found : 3 And they, repenting and 12 Or like as when an arrow groaning for anguish of spirit, is shot at a mark, it parteth the

air, which immediately cometh 17 He shall put on rightetogether again, so that a man ousness as a breastplate, and cannot know where it went true judgement instead of an through:

helmet. 13 Even so we, in like man- 18 He shall take holiness for ner, as soon as we were born, an invincible shield. began to draw to our end, and 19 His severe wrath shall he had no sign of virtue to shew; sharpen for a sword, and the hut were consumed in our own world shall fight with him wickedness.

against the unwise. 14 For the hope of the un- 20 Then shall the right-aimgodly is like dust that is blown ing thunderbolts go abroad ; away with the wind; like a thin and from the clouds, as from a froth that is driven away with well drawn bow, shall they fly the storm; like as the smoke to the mark. which is dispersed here and 21 And hailstones full of there with a tempest, and pass- wrath shall be cast as out of a eth away as the remembrance of stone bow, and the water of the a guest that tarrieth but a day. sea shall rage against them, and

15 But the righteous live for the floods shall cruelly drown evermore; their reward also is them. with the Lord, and the care of 22 Yea, a mighty wind shall them is with the Most High. stand up against them, and like 16 Therefore shall they re

a storm shall blow them away: ceive a glorious kingdom, and a thus iniquity shall lay waste the beautiful crown from the Lord's whole earth, and ill dealing hand: for with his right hand shall overthrow the thrones of shall he cover them, and with the mighty. his arm shall he protect them.

Section X.-Duty to Parents.

may be safe.

LESSON XXIII.

4 And he that honoureth his

mother is as one that layeth up HEAR me your father, O chil. treasure. dren, and do thereafter, that

ye

5 Whoso honoureth his fa

ther shall have joy of his own 2 For the Lord hath given children; and when he maketh the father honour over the chil- his prayer, he shall be heard. dren, and hath confirmed the 6 He that honoureth his faauthority of the mother over ther shall have a long life; and the sons.

he that is obedient unto the 3 Whoso honoureth his fa- Lord shall be a comfort to his ther maketh an atonement for mother. his sins :

7 He that feareth the Lord

N