SECOND JOHN.
The Elder has sweet counsel wi a Christian mither.
THE Elder to a [1]chosen leddy, and her bairns. wham I lo'e i' the truth; and no I allenar, but a' the too that hae come to ken the
truth;
2. For the truth that is hidin in us, and sal be wi' us for aye.
3. Lovin-favor sal be wi' us, mercy and peace {me God the Faither, and frae Jesus Christ the Son o' the Faither, in truth and love.
4. I was blythe that I faund amang yere bairns thae that war gauging i' the truth, e'en as we has had commaun o' the Faither.
5. And noo I beg o' ye, leddy, no as giean a new commaun to ya, but e'eun what we had frae the first, that we soud lo'e ane anither.
6. And this is love, that we gang conform to his commauns. This is his commaun, e'en as ye heard frae the first, that we soud gang thar-in.
7. For mony fause-anes hae gane oot intil the warld. they that own-na that Jesus Christ is come i' the flesh. This is a fause-ane and an anti-christ.
8. Tak ye gude tent to yersels, least ye tine what things ye did win; but that a fu' reward ye may duly bae.
9. Whasae’er gangs ayont, and hides-na i' the teachins o' Christ, hasna God. He that hides i' the teachins, e'en he has haith the Faither and the Son.
10. Gif ony ane comes t'ye, and brings-na this teachin, tak-him-na to yere hoose, nor say to him, "Joy be w'ye!”
11. For he that says to him, "Joy he w'ye!" marrows wi' his ill-deeds.
12. Haein mony things to write t'ye, I wadna wi' paper-an-ink; but I hope to come t'ye, and speak mou' to mou', that yere joy may be fu'.
13. The bairns o’ yere chosen sister salute ye.
- ↑ V. 1. Some tak the words electe cyria ("chosen leddy") to be, ane or ither o' them, the name o' the person to wham this letter was sent. Oor English translators tak the contrar view: but it is like eneuch that her name was Cyria; and here spoken o' as the "chosen" or "elect" Cyria.
