How we must live that we may please God.
WHEREFORE we being apart
of the Holy One: let us do
all those things that pertain unto
holiness:
2 Fleeing all evil-speaking
against one another; all filthy
and impure embraces, together with
all drunkenness, youthful lusts,
abominable concupiscences,
detestable adultery, and
execrable pride.
3 For God saith, he resisteth
the proud, but giveth grace to the
humble.
4 Let us therefore hold fast to
those to whom God has given his
grace.
5 And let us put on concord,
being humble, temperate; free
from all whispering and detraction;
and justified by our actions,
not our words.
6 For he saith, Doth he that
speaketh and heareth many things,
and is of a ready tongue, suppose
that he is righteous? Blessed is
he that is born of a woman, that
liveth but a few days: use not
therefore much speech.
7 Let our praise be of God, not
of ourselves; for God hateth those
that commend themselves.
8 Let the witness of our good
actions be given to us by others,
as it was given to the holy men
that went before us.
9 Rashness, and arrogance, and
confidence, belong to them who
are accursed of God: but equity,
and humility, and mildness, to
such as are blessed by him.
10 Let us then lay hold of his
blessing, and let as consider what
are the ways by which we may
attain unto it.
11 Let us look back upon those
things that have happened from
the beginning.
12 For what was our Father
Abraham blessed? Was it not
because that through faith he
wrought righteousness and truth?
13 Isaac being fully persuaded
of what he knew was to come,
cheerfully yielded himself up for
a sacrifice. Jacob with humility
departed out of his own country,
fleeing from his brother, and went
unto Laban and served him; and
so the sceptre of the twelve tribes
of Israel was given unto him.
14 Now what the greatness of
this gift was, will plainly appear,
if we shall take the pains distinctly
to consider all the parts of it.
15 For, from him came the
priests and Levites; who all
ministered at the altar of God.
16 From him came our Lord
Jesus Christ, according to the
flesh.
17 From him came the kings,
and princes, and rulers in Judah.
18 Nor were the rest of his
tribes in any little glory: God
having promised that their seed
shall be as the stars of heaven.
19 They were all therefore
greatly glorified, not for their own
sake, or for their own works, or
for the righteousness that they
themselves wrought, but through
his will.
20 And we also being called by
the same will in Christ Jesus, are
not justified by ourselves, neither
by our own wisdom, or knowledge,
or piety, or the works which we
have done in the holiness of our
hearts.
21 But by that faith, by which
God Almighty has justified all
men from the beginning; to whom
be glory for ever and ever, Amen.