Letters to the Churches

afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.

Be not led astray, my brethren beloved;

every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;

having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.

So then, my brethren beloved, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

for the wrath of a man the righteousness of God doth not work;

wherefore having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, in meekness be receiving the engrafted word, that is able to save your souls;

and become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves,

because, if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one hath been like to a man viewing his natural face in a mirror,

for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind he was;

and he who did look into the perfect law--that of liberty, and did continue there, this one--not a forgetful hearer becoming, but a doer of work--this one shall be happy in his doing.

If any one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain is the religion;

religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation--unspotted to keep himself from the world.

My brethren, hold not, in respect of persons, the faith of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,

for if there may come into your synagogue a man with gold ring, in gay raiment, and there may come in also a poor man in vile raiment,

and ye may look upon him bearing the gay raiment, and may say to him, `Thou--sit thou here well,' and to the poor man may say, `Thou--stand thou there, or, Sit thou here under my footstool,' --

ye did not judge fully in yourselves, and did become ill-reasoning judges.

Hearken, my brethren beloved, did not God choose the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the reign that He promised to those loving Him?

and ye did dishonour the poor one; do not the rich oppress you and themselves draw you to judgment-seats;

do they not themselves speak evil of the good name that was called upon you?

If, indeed, royal law ye complete, according to the Writing, `Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,' --ye do well;

and if ye accept persons, sin ye do work, being convicted by the law as transgressors;

for whoever the whole law shall keep, and shall stumble in one point , he hath become guilty of all;

for He who is saying, `Thou mayest not commit adultery,' said also, `Thou mayest do no murder;' and if thou shalt not commit adultery, and shalt commit murder, thou hast become a transgressor of law;

so speak ye and so do, as about by a law of liberty to be judged,