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and sin, when it is completed, bringeth forth death.

16 Err not, my beloved brethren :

17 every good gift, and every perfect endowment, is from above; and cometh down from the Father of the Lights, with whom is no changing, or shade from revolving:

18 that, of his own will he gave us birth, by the word of truth, that we should be a sort of first-fruit of his creatures, ye know, my beloved brethren. 19 Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger:

20 for, the anger of man worketh not the justification of God:

21 wherefore, putting away from you all uncleanness and excess of evil, receive with meekness the word implanted in you, which is able to save your souls.

22 But, be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves:

23 for, if any one be a hearer of the word only, and not a doer also, he is like a man that looketh at his natural face in a glass;

24 for he looketh at himself indeed, but goeth away; and straightway forgetteth what sort of man he was.

25 But, he who looketh steadfastly into the perfect law of

freedom, and continueth to do so; not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of its work; will be blessed in his doing.

26 If any one thinketh himself religious, yet bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man's religion is vain:

27 pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father, is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep one's self unspotted by the world.

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v. 14.

ev. xix. 18.

mised to them that love him? but, ye thus disgrace the beggar. 6 Do not the rich oppress you, and drag you before judgment-seats? do not they blaspheme that good Name by which ye are called?

7 If, indeed, ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, "Thou shalt love thy neigh"bour as thyself," ye do well: but, if ye respect persons, ye commit sin, and are convicted, by the law, as transgressors:

8 for, whosoever shall keep the whole law, but fail in one point, becometh guilty of all:

9 for, he who said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, said also, Thou shalt not kill: but, if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou becomest a transgressor of the law.

10 So speak, and so do, as being to be judged by a law of freedom:

11 for, judgment without mercy, will be to him that sheweth no mercy; but, mercy exulteth over judgment.

12 What doth it profit a man, my brethren, if he say he hath faith, but have not works? can his faith alone save him?

13 If a brother or a sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

14 and one of you say to them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled, and ye give them not the things which are needful

to the body; what doth it profit?

15 and so, the faith by itself is dead, if it have not its works. 16 Yea, some one may say, Hast thou faith? I have works also shew me thy faith apart from its works, and I will shew thee my faith by its works.

17 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble:

18 but, wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith, apart from its works, is null ?

19 Was not our father Abraham justified by his works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

20 thou seest, that his faith wrought with his works; and Rom. iv. 5. that, by his works his faith was perfected?

21 and thus the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, "Abra"ham believed God, and it was accounted to him for

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Ps. lviii. 3.

MY

CHAPTER III.

Y brethren, be not many teachers; knowing, that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

2 for, in many things we all fail; but, if any one fail not in word, he is a perfect man, and able to bridle also his whole body.

3 Behold, we put bits in the mouths of horses, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body:

4 behold, the ships also; which, though they are so great, and are driven by fierce winds, are turned about by a very small helm, whither the direction of the pilot willeth :

5 even so the tongue, though it is a small member, yet boasteth great things.

6 Behold, how much matter, how little fire kindleth! and the tongue is a fire; the world of iniquity:

7 the tongue is so disposed among our members, that it defileth our whole body; and inflameth the whole course of our being, and is kindled in the birth:

8 for, the nature of all beasts, and birds, and creeping things, and things in the sea, may be, and hath been, tamed by the nature of man;

9 but, the tongue no one can

tame; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison :

10 with it, we bless the Lord, even the Father; and with it, we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God: 11 out of the same mouth, proceedeth blessing and cursing. 12 My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

13 doth a fountain send forth, from the same opening, sweet and bitter water?

14 can a fig-tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a vine, figs? neither can salt water, yield fresh water.

15 Who is wise, and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew his works by his good conduct, with meekness of wisdom:

16 but, if ye have bitter jealousy and contention in your hearts, do not glory, and belie the truth:

17 that wisdom cometh not down from above, but is earthly, animal, devilish :

18 for, where jealousy and contention are, there are disorder and every evil work.

19 But, the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy :

20 and, the fruit of justification is sown in peace, to them that make peace.

Rom. vii. 1-4,

Gal. v. 17.

Rev. ii. 15.

CHAPTER IV.

FROM whence come contests, and from whence conflicts among you? come they not from hence, from your dedesires which combat in your members?

2 Ye covet, and have not: ye cry out and strive eagerly, yet cannot obtain: ye contest and conflict, yet ye have not, because ye ask not:

3 though ye ask, ye receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may expend it on your desires.

1 John, ii. 15. 4 Ye adulteresses, know ye and viii. 7. not, that the love of the world is hatred of God? whosoever, therefore, will be a lover of the world, becomes a hater of God:

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

10 humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Speak not against each other, brethren: he that speaketh against his brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law:

12 but, if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer, but a judge, of the law:

13 there is one lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: but, who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?

14 Go to now, ye who say, Let us go to-day or to-morrow to such a city, and let us work there a year, and traffic, and make gain;

15 ye, who know nothing of the morrow, what your life will be; for, ye are a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then disappeareth:

16 instead of saying, If the Lord will, and we shall be alive, we will then do this, or that:

17 but now, ye boast in your presumption: all such boast-· ing is evil.

18 To him, therefore, who knoweth how to do right, and who doeth it not, it is sin.

Jer. xii. 3.

CHAPTER V.

Go to now, ye that are rich;

weep and wail, for your miseries that are coming upon

you:

2 your riches are corrupted, and your garments are become moth-eaten :

3 your gold and your silver is cankered; and their rust will be a witness against you, and will eat your flesh, as it were fire: ye are laying up in store for your last days:

4 behold, the hire of the labourers that have reaped your fields, which is withheld from them by you, crieth out; and the cries of them that have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth:

5 ye have lived in luxury and profusion on the earth; ye have feasted your hearts, as in "a day of slaughter:"

6 ye have condemned, ye have killed the just One; and he resisteth you not.

7 Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the presence of the Lord: behold, the husbandman looketh for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it, until he hath received the early and latter

rain :

8 be ye also patient; establish your hearts, for, the presence of the Lord approacheth.

9 Be not straitened, brethren,

one towards another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

10 My brethren, take for an example of enduring affliction, and of patience, the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord:

11 behold, we account those blessed who endure: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that He is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But, before all things, my brethren, swear not; neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but, let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; Matt. v. 41. lest ye fall under judgment.

13 Is any one among you afflicted? let him pray is any cheerful? let him sing psalms: 14 is any one ill among you? let him call to him the elders of the church; and, when they have anointed him with oil, let Mark, vi. 13. them pray over him, in the Name by which ye are called: c. ii. 6.

15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and John, vi though he have committed 1 Cor. vi. 14 sins, they will be forgiven him.

16 Confess your sins, therefore, one to another; and pray, one for another, that ye may be healed:

17 the earnest prayer of a just man, hath great power: 18 Elijah was a man of like

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2 Cor. iv. 14.

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