7 The women ye exhorted to do all things with an unblameable, and seemly, and pure conscience; loving their own husbands, as was fitting: and that keeping themselves within the bounds of a due obedience, they should order their houses gravely, with all discretion. 8 Ye were all of you humble- minded, not boasting of anything desiring rather to be subject than to govern; to give than to receive; being a content with the portion God hath dispensed to you: 9 And hearkening diligently to his word, ye were enlarged in your bowels, having his sufferings always before your eyes. 10 Thus a firm, and blessed, and profitable peace was given unto you: and an unsatiable desire of doing good; and a plentiful effusion of the Holy Ghost was upon all of you. 11 And being full of good designs, ye did with, great readiness of mind, and with a religious confidence stretch forth your hands to God Almighty; beseeching him to be merciful unto you, if in anything ye had unwillingly sinned against him. 12 Ye contended day and night for the whole brotherhood; that with compassion and a good conscience, the number of his elect might be saved. 13 Ye were sincere, and without offence towards each other; not mindful of injuries; all sedition and schism was an abomination unto you. 14 Ye bewailed every one his neighbours' sins, esteeming their defects your own. 15 Ye were kind one to another without grudging; being ready to every good work. And being adorned with a conversation altogether virtuous and religious, ye did all things in the fear of God; whose I commandments were written upon the tables of your heart. CHAPTER II. How their divisions began. ALL honour and enlargement was given unto you; and so was fulfilled that which is written, my beloved did eat and drink, he was enlarged and waxed fat, and he kicked. 2 From hence came emulation, and envy, and strife, and sedition; persecution and disorder, war and captivity. 3 So they who were of no renown, lifted up themselves against the honourable; those of no reputation against those who were in respect; the foolish against the wise; the young men against the aged. 4 Therefore righteousness and peace are departed from you, because every one hath forsaken the fear of God; and is grown blind in his faith; nor walketh by the rule of God's commandments nor liveth as is fitting in Christ: 5 But every one follows his own wicked lusts: having taken up an unjust and wicked envy, by which death first entered into the world. CHAPTER III. Envy and emulation the original of all strife and disorder. Examples of the mischiefs they have occasioned. FOR thus it is written, And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof: