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¹ ButAs in times past there were two kinds of prophets, the one true and the other false, so Peter tells them that there will be true and false teachers in the Church, so much so that Christ himself will be denied by some, who nonetheless will call him redeemer.there were false prophets also among theUnder the law, while the state and policy of the Jews was yet standing.people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

² There shall not only be heresies, but also many followers of them.And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

³ Covetousness for the most part is a companion of heresy, and makes trade in souls.And through covetousness shall they with feigned words makeThey will abuse you, and sell you as they sell cattle in an auction.merchandise of you:Comfort for the godly: God who cast the angels that fell away from him, headlong into the darkness of hell, to eventually be judged; and who burned Sodom, and saved Lot, will deliver his elect from these errors, and will utterly destroy those unrighteous.whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

⁴ For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down toSo the Greeks called the deep dungeons under the earth, which should be appointed to torment the souls of the wicked in.hell, and delivered [them] intoBound them with darkness as with chains: and by darkness he means that most miserable state of life that is full of horror.chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

⁵ And spared not theWhich was before the flood: not that God made a new world, but because the world seemed new.old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], aFor one hundred and twenty years, he did not cease to warn the wicked both by word and deed, of the wrath of God hanging over their heads.preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

⁶ And turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrhe into ashes, condemned them and ouerthrewe them, and made them an ensample vnto them that after should liue vngodly,

⁷ And deliuered iust Loth vexed with the vncleanly conuersation of the wicked:

⁸ (For that righteous man dwelling among them, inWhatever way he looked, and turned his ears.seeing and hearing,He had a troubled soul, and being vehemently grieved, lived a painful life.vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds;)

⁹ The LordHas been long practised in saving and delivering the righteous.knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

¹⁰ He goes to another type of corrupt men, who nonetheless are within the bosom of the Church, who are wickedly given, and do seditiously speak evil of the authority of magistrates (which the angels themselves that minister before God, do not discredit.) A true and accurate description of the Romish clergy (as they call it.)But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous [are they], selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil ofPrinces and great men, be they ever so high in authority.dignities.

¹¹ Where as the Angels which are greater both in power and might, giue not railing iudgement against them before the Lord.

¹² An accurate description of the same persons, in which they are compared to beasts who are made for destruction, while they give themselves to fill their bellies: For there is no greater ignorance than is in these men: although they most impudently find fault with those things of which they know not: and it shall come to pass that they shall destroy themselves as beasts with those pleasures with which they are delighted, and dishonour and defile the company of the godly.But these, as natural brute beasts,Made to this end to be a prey to others: So do these men willingly cast themselves into Satan's snares.made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in theirTheir own wicked conduct shall bring them to destruction.own corruption;

¹³ And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, [as] they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots [they are] and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivingsWhen by being among the Christians in the holy banquets which the Church keeps, they would seem by that to be true members of the Church, yet they are indeed but blots on the Church.while they feast with you;

¹⁴ He condemns those men, showing even in their behaviour and countenance an unmeasurable lust, making trade of the souls of vain persons, as men exercised in all the crafts of covetousness, to be short, as men that sell themselves for money to curse the sons of God in the same way Balaam did, whom the dumb beast reproved.Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

¹⁵ Which forsaking the right way, haue gone astray, folowing the way of Balaam, the sonne of Bosor, which loued the wages of vnrighteousnes.

¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his iniquitie: for the dumme beast speaking with mans voyce, forbade the foolishnesse of the Prophet.

¹⁷ Another note by which it may be known what manner of men they are, because they have inwardly nothing but that which is utterly vain or very harmful, although they make a show of some great goodness, yet they shall not escape unpunished for it, because under pretence of false freedom, they draw men into the most miserable slavery of sin.These areWho boast of knowledge and have nothing in them.wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist ofMost gross darkness.darkness is reserved for ever.

¹⁸ For when they speak greatThey deceive with vain and swelling words.swelling [words] of vanity, theyThey take them, as fish are taken with the hook.allure through the lusts of the flesh, [through much] wantonness, those that wereUnfeignedly and indeed, clean departed from idolatry.clean escaped from them who live in error.

¹⁹ Promising vnto them libertie, & are themselues the seruants of corruption: for of whomsoeuer a man is ouercome, euen vnto the same is he in bondage.

²⁰ It is better to have never known the way of righteousness, than to turn back from it to the old filthiness: and men that do so, are compared to dogs and swine.For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

²¹ For it had bene better for them, not to haue acknowledged the way of righteousnes, then after they haue acknowledged it, to turne from the holy commaundement giuen vnto them.

²² But it is come vnto them, according to the true Prouerbe, The dogge is returned to his owne vomit: and, The sowe that was washed, to the wallowing in the myre.