Take care not to perform any religious act in order to be observed by men: otherwise you will have no reward from your father who is in heaven.

"if we play a merry tune, you are not for dancing; if we act a mournful part, you are not in the humour."

wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.

Jesus replied to them, if you will answer one question, that I shall propose to you, then I will tell you by what authority I act thus.

they therefore gave Jesus this answer, we cannot tell. neither do I, said Jesus, acquaint you by what authority I act thus.

Now when you shall see the-abomination of desolation, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, establish'd where it ought not to be (let the reader observe) then let those, who are in Judea, flee to the mountains:

he answer'd them, let him that hath two coats give one to him that hath none; and let him that has plenty of provisions act in like manner.

the Publicans likewise came to be baptized, and said to him, master, how are we to act?

the soldiers too made the same demand, how are we to act? he answer'd them, injure no man either by violence or by fraud, and be content with your pay.

but wo unto you Pharisees: for you will pay the tythes of mint, and rue, and all sorts of herbs, but as for justice and true piety, those you neglect. these you ought to have practised, without omitting however the other.

and thus accosted him, tell us by what authority do you act thus? and whence do you derive that authority?

Jesus replied, neither will I tell you by what authority I act thus.

our fathers worshipped upon this mountain; and you say, that Jerusalem is the place where we ought to perform our worship.

they answered him, Abraham is our father. if you were Abraham's children, said Jesus, you would act like Abraham.

but now ye seek to kill me, the man who has told you the truth, such as I have learnt it of God: Abraham did not act thus.

if I then, tho' lord and master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

the Jews answered him, we have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he pretended to be the son of God.

then Peter and the other apostles made answer, we ought to obey God rather than men.

but some of the sect of the Pharisees who had embraced the faith, started up, pretending that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised, and observe the law of Moses.

Whereas we have been appriz'd, that some who went from us, have embarass'd you with their discourse, and unsettled your minds, maintaining, that you ought to be circumcised, and to observe the law, though we gave them no such injunction: after having been assembled,

they all act in defiance of the edicts of Cesar, pretending there is another king, one Jesus.

and here they ought to have appear'd, if they had any thing to object against me.

"I stand, said Paul, to the tribunal of Cesar, where I ought to be judged. to the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself very well know.

As they did not seek the favour of God, by worshipping him, God gave them over to a depraved sense, to act unworthy of human nature;

Therefore as by one offence all men fell under condemnation: even so by one act of righteousness, all men are restored to life.

I find then a settled custom, that evil is objected in my way whenever I have a mind to act well:

wherefore you ought to submit not only from an apprehension of punishment, but

he that observes a day, and he that obobserves it not, act both from a sense of duty. he that eats, consisiders it as the bounty of his Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that forbeareth to eat, considers his forbearance as enjoined by his Lord, and giveth God thanks for the rest.

I add, we that are better inform'd ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not study our own pleasure.

and you Gentiles ought to glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, "for this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name ."

nay, in this case, you act injuriously, and do damage even to your brethren.

if any man thinks it would be a reflexion upon his manhood to be a stale batchelor, and so ought to marry; let him follow his bent, he is at liberty, let such marry.

and if any man be conceited of his own knowledge, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know it.

A man ought not to be veil'd: he has the honour of being invested with authority from God, and may glory in his priority to the woman.

therefore the woman ought to be veil'd, out of regard to the angels.

and I wrote to you upon that disagreeable subject, that when I came, I might not receive uneasiness from those from whom I ought to receive comfort, being persuaded that you will all think yourselves interested to promote my satisfaction.

so that now you ought rather to forgive, and comfort him, for fear he should be overwhelm'd by an excess of sorrow.

and do not act as Moses did, who threw a veil over his face so as to hinder the children of Israel from perceiving the end of that which was to cease:

Am I become vain? 'tis you have forc'd me to it: for I ought to have been commended by you: since I am not inferior to the chiefest of the apostles, tho' in myself I am nothing.

for do I now act in obedience to men, or to God? or do I seek to please men? if I had hitherto pleased men, I should not have been the servant of Christ.

in like manner ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies: "he that loves his wife, loveth himself."

the others act from affection, as knowing that I suffer for having defended the gospel.

for the same temper of mind ought to be in you as was in Christ Jesus:

a bishop therefore ought to be of an unspotted character, to have but one wife, to be sober, prudent, grave, hospitable, and qualified for teaching:

besides, he ought to stand fair in the opinion of unbelievers, lest he fall into disgrace, and the ambushes of the accuser.

we ought to think that sufficient. but they who will be rich, expose

As for you, my son, strenuously acquit yourself of the charge you have receiv'd from Christ Jesus.

who ought to be curb'd, who pervert whole families, teaching things which they ought not, for sordid lucre.

Therefore we ought to give the greater attention to the things we have heard, for fear we should abandon the gospel.

for though by this time you ought to be capable of teaching others, you want to be instructed anew in the first principles of the divine oracles; and are in such a state as to stand in need of milk, rather than of solid nourishment.

speak and act as those, who are to be judged by the law of liberty.

from the same mouth shall blessing and cursing proceed? this ought not to be practis'd, my brethren;

your language ought to be this, "if the Lord pleases to give us life, we shall do this, or that."

men. You are free, don't let your liberty serve as a pretext for vice: but act as the servants

You husbands, do you on your part behave with prudence towards your wives: who being of a more delicate make, ought to be treated with the greater tenderness: and consider they are equally intitled to the evangelical gifts, that your prayers may not be frustrated.

But there is one thing, my brethren, you ought to be appriz'd of, which is this, that "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

if we say that we have communion with him, and walk in darkness, we lye, and do not act sincerely:

he that says he is attach'd to Christ, ought to regulate his conduct by his example.

this is the proof of the divine love, Christ expos'd his life for us: and we ought to expose our lives for the brethren.

beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another.