Third Epistle of PeterPrefaceHow the following epistle came to be overlookedby the early saints of christendom and by all thefathers, or whether it was purposely suppressedby the Council of Nice, and why it was at lastdestined to be found with other old manuscriptsamongtheruinsof anancient citybyamiserablewanderingMonk, areall circumstanceswhichmylimited knowledge of these subjects does not enableme to explain.I amanswerable only for the accuracyof thetranslation froma French copy presented by theMonk himself. Neither can I prove the authenticity ofthe original, unless it be on the strict correspondenceof the actual state of the church with the injunctionscontained in the epistle, a correspondence whichseems to hold with as much veracity as that which isfoundinthefulfillment of anyprophecywiththeprediction itself. TranslatorCHAPTER IThe Style and Manner of LivingNowyou who are called and chosen to go forth toall nations and among all people, in timepresentandtimetocome,topreachtheword,see you take to yourselves marks, nay, many outwardmarks, whereby you shall be known by men.Beyounotcalledasmenarecalled;butbeyoucalled Pope, Archbishop, Archdeacon, or Divine, orReverend, andRight Reverend, or somelikeholyname;somayyoushowforthyourhonorandyourcalling.And let your dwelling places be houses ofsplendorandedificesofcost;andletyourdoorsbedecked with plates of brass, and let your names, evenyour reverend titles be graven thereon; so shall it beas a sign.Let your garments in which you minister begarments not as the garments of men, neither let thembeseamlessgarmentswoven, throughout; butletthem be robes of richest silk and robes of fine linen,of curiousdeviceandof costlyworkmanship; andhave you robes of black and robes of white, that youmay change the one for the other; so shall you showforthyourwisdomandhumility. Let yourfarebesumptuous, not plainandfrugal asthefareofthehusbandmanwhotillstheground;butliveyouonthe fat of the land, taking good heed for the morrowand wherewithal you shall be fed.And drink you of the vines of the vintagebrought fromafar, andwinesof great price; thenshall thelight ofyour spiritsbethelight ofyourcountenances, andyour facesglowinbrightness;thus shall you show forth your moderation and yourtemperance in all things.Let thehousesinwhichyoupreachbecalledchurches,andletthembebuiltinmannerofgreatornament without, and adorned with much costwithin; withrichpillarsandpaints, andwithfinealtars, andpedestals, andurnsofpreciousstones,and cloths and velvet of scarlet, and vessels ofsilver.And let there be rooms for the changing of robes,and places for the precious metals and mitres.Andletthehousesbedividedintoseatsforthecongregation, and let every man know his own seat;andlet thefirstseats infrontofthealtar befortherich that pay thousands; and the next for the poorerthat pay be hundreds; and the last for those that paybe tens. And let the poor man sit behind the door.And let the seats be garnished with cushions andcrimson cloth, and with fine velvet; for if the housesof players and vain people who deal in idle sayingsandshowsofmockery,berichandgorgeous,howmuch more so should be the houses that arededicated to Himthat is meek and lowly of spirit.CHAPTER IIThe Choosing of MinistersWhen yougo out to choose holyones to be ofyour brethren, andtominister at thealtar,choose you fromamong the youth, eventhose whose judgments are not yet ripe, and whosehearts know not yet whether they incline to God orMammon.But you are wise, and you shall know the incliningof their future spirits, and you shall make theminclinetothegoodthingswhichthechurchhasinstoreforthem that are called, even those that shall be called byyou.Then shall you have taught exceeding manythings.Theyshall notbe as ignorantfisherman, orhusbandmen, or men speaking one tongue, andservingGodonlybytheknowledgeofhislaw.Nay,you shall make themwise in the things of yourwisdom; yea, exceedingly cunning in many mysteries,even the mysteries which you teach.Thenshall theybe fittedfor the layingonofhands, and when the bishop has done his office thenshall they be reverend divines.But if any man believe that he is called by God tospeaktohis brethrenwithout moneyandwithoutprice, thoughhissoul bebowedtothewill oftheFather, andthoughheworkall righteousness, andspeakaswiththetongueofanangelifhebenotmadeadivinebyyourrulersandbythehandsofabishop, then is he not a divine, nor shall he preach.He that is chosen by you shall give you honor, andshall be honored by men, and honored by women; andverily he expects his reward.CHAPTER IIIThe Performance of PreachingWhenyougoto the churchto preach, gonotbythe retired way where go those that would shunthe crowd, but go in the highway where go themultitude, and see that you have on the robes of black,andtakeheedthatyourpacebemeasuredwell,andthat your march be stately. Then shall your hearts belifted up, even as the hearts of mighty men shall theybeliftedup. Andyoushall begazeduponbythemultitude, and they shall honor you; and the men shallpraise you, and the women shall glorify you, even bythe women shall you be glorified.And when you go in, go not as the ordained,preparedonlywithasoultoGodandwithahearttomen,andaspiritfilledwiththeHolyGhost;butgoyou with your pockets full of papers and full of divinewords; even in your pockets shall your divinity be.And let your sermon be full of the enticing wordsofmanswisdom,andletitbebeautifiedwithjustdivisions, withtropesandwithmetaphors, andwithhyperbole, andapostrophe, andwithinterrogation,and with exclamation, and with syllogisms, and withsophisms, and throughout let declamation be.Andtakegoodheedtoyour attitudes andyourgestures, knowingwhentobendandwhentoerect,when to lift your right hand and when your left, and letyour motions be graceful, even in your attitudes and inyour gestureslet your gracebe. Thusshall youbepleasing in the eyes of the people and graceful in theirsight.Let your voice at times be smooth as the stream ofthevalley, andsoftasthebreezethatwavesnottheboughonitsbank; andat timeslet it swell likethewave of the ocean, or like the whirlwind on themountain top.Then shall you charm the ears of your hearers andtheir hearts shall be softened, and their minds shall beastounded, and their souls shall incline to you; and themenshall inclinetoyou, andlikewisethewomen;yea, to your sayings and to your persons shall they beinclined.Andbe you mindful not tooffend the people;rebukeyounottheirsins, butwhenyourebukesin,rebukeit at adistance; andlet nomanapplyyoursayings to his own case; so shall he not be offended.If a brother shall raise up the manner of war againstbrother, and Christians against Christians, rebukethemnot; but be some of you on the one side and someon the other; and tell the one host that God is on theirside, and the other host that he is on their side; so makethembold to kill. And even among swords and lancetslet your black robes be seen.Preachyounotpeaceonearthandgoodwilltomen, but preach you glory to the victor, and victoryto the brave.Ifanymangointoaforeignlandandseizeuponhis fellow man, and put irons on his feet and irons onhishands, andbringhimacrossthegreat deepintobondage; nay, if hetear asunder thedearest tiesofnature, the tenderest leagues of the human heart; if hetear the wife from the husband, and force thestrugglinginfant fromits mothers bleedingheart,rebuke him not!And although he sell themin foreign slavery to toilbeneaththelashall theirdays, tell himnot that hisdoings are of Antichrist; for lo! he is rich nd gives tothechurch, andisesteemedpious, soshall younotoffendhim, lest peradventurehewithdrawhimselffrom your flock.Third Epistle of Peter 2Teachthemtobelievethat youhavethecareoftheirsoulandthatthesavingmysteriesareforyourexplaining; andwhenyou explainyour mysteries,encompassthemroundabout withwordsaswithabright veil, so bright that through it no man can see.And lo! you shall bind the judgments of men (andmore especially of women) as with a band of iron; andyou shall make them blind in the midst of light, evenas the owl is blind in the noon day sun; and behold youshall lead them captive to your reverend wills.CHAPTER IVThe Clergys RewardIn all your gettings get money! Now, therefore,whenyougoforthonyour ministerial journey, gowhere there are silver and gold,and where each manwill pay according to his measure. For verily I say youmust get your reward.Goyounot forthas thosethat havebeensent,without two coats, without gold or silver, or brass intheir purses; without scrip for their journey, or shoes,or staves; but go you forth in the good things of thisworld.And when you shall hear of a church that is vacantand has no one to preach therein, then be that a call toyou, and be mindful of the call, and take you charge ofthe flock thereof and of the fleece thereof even of thegolden fleece.Andwhenyoushallhavefleecedyourflock,andshall know of another call, and if the flock be greater,or rather if the fleece be greater, then greater be also toyou the call. Then shall you leave your old flock, andof the new flock shall you take the charge.Those who have freely received let them freelygive, andlet not menhave your words withoutmoney nor without price, but bargain you forhundreds andfor thousands, evenfor thousands ofsilver and gold shall you bargain.And over and above the price for which you havesoldyourservice,takeyoualsogiftsfromthemthatgo in chariots, and fromthemthat earn their morsel bythe seat of their brow.Yea, take you gifts of all, and take themin gold andinsilverandinbread;inwineandinoil;inraimentand in fine linen.Andthemorethatthepeoplegiveyouthemorewill theyhonor you; for theyshall believethat ingiving to you they are giving to the Lord; for beholdtheir sight shall be taken from them, and they shall beblind as bats, and shall know not what they do.Andyoushall waxricher andricher, andgrowgreater and greater, and you shall be lifted up in yourownsight, andexaltedintheeyesofthemultitude;and lucre shall be no longer filthy in your sight. Andverily you have your reward.In doing these things you shall never fail. And mayabundance of goldandsilver andbanknotes, andcorn, andwool, andflax, andspiritsandwine, andland be multiplied to you, both now and hereafter. Amen.The Third Epistle of Peter was written byAlexanderCampbell inTheChristianBaptist, 1825. Of thisarticle, Homer Hailey said, The article was purelyasatire, written in the formof an unpublished epistle, asif it had just come to light.It definitely expresses anattitude worth keeping before preachers of eachgeneration (Attitudes and Consequences, p. 77).Third Epistle of Peter 3Bible Study Tools on the InternetProvided by Ferrell Jenkinsbiblicalstudies.infobibleworld.comferrelljenkins.wordpress.com