Letters to the Churches

can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can salt water yield sweet.

Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.

But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth.

This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace.

Whence comewars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members?

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures.

Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.

Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?

Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain:

whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.

But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.

To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.