That we must flee from evil, and do good works.
I HAVE told thee, said he,
that there are two kinds of
creatures of the Lord, and that
there is a two-fold abstinence.
From some things therefore thou
must abstain, and from others not.
2 I answered, Declare to me,
sir, from what I must abstain, and
from what not. Hearken, said he,
Keep thyself from evil, and do it
not; yet abstain not from good,
but do it. For if thou shalt abstain
from what is good, and not do it,
thou shalt sin. Abstain therefore
from all evil, and thou shalt know
all righteousness.
3 I said, What evil things are
they from which I must abstain?
Hearken, said he; from adultery,
from drunkenness, from riots, from
excess of eating, from daintiness
and dishonesty, from pride, from
fraud, from lying, from detraction,
from hypocrisy, from remembrance
of injuries, and from all evil
speaking.
4 For these are the works of
iniquity, from which the servant
of God must abstain. For he that
cannot keep himself from these
things, cannot live unto God.
5 But hear, said he, what
follows of these kind of things:
for indeed many more there are
from which the servant of God must
abstain. From theft, and cheating;
from false witness, from covetousness,
from boasting, and all other things
of the like nature.
6 Do these things seem to thee
to be evil or not? Indeed they
are very evil to the servants of
God, Wherefore the servant of
God must abstain from all these
works.
7 Keep thyself therefore from
them, that thou mayest live unto
God, and be written among those
that abstain from them. And thus
have I shown thee what things
thou must avoid: now learn from
what thou must not abstain.
8 Abstain not from any good
works, but do them. Hear, said
he, what the virtue of those good
works is which thou must do, that
thou mayest be saved. The first
of all is faith; the fear of the
Lord; charity; concord; equity;
truth; patience; chastity.
9 There is nothing better than
these things in the life of men;
who shall keep and do these
things in their life. Hear next
what follow these.
10 To minister to the widows;
not to despise the fatherless and
poor; to redeem the servants of
God from necessity; to be hospitable
(for in hospitality there is
sometimes great fruit); not to be
contentious, but be quiet.
11 To be humble above all men;
to reverence the aged; to labour
to be righteous; to respect the
brotherhood; to bear affronts; to
be long-suffering; not to cast
away those that have fallen from
the faith, but to convert them, and
make them be of good cheer: to
admonish sinners; not to oppress
those that are our debtors; and all
other things of a like kind.
12 Do these things seem to thee
to be good or not? And I said,
What can be better than these
words? Live then, said he, in
these commandments, and do not
depart from them. For if thou
shalt keep all these commandments,
thou shalt live unto God. And all
they that shall keep these
commandments shall live unto God.