considering, that it was not by such perishable things as silver or gold, that you were releas'd from those vain rites and customs impos'd upon you by your fathers,

Laying

so that for the future he does not pass the rest of this life in gratifying his sensual passions, but in conformity to the divine precepts.

the night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore throw off the habits of darkness, and be invested with the ornaments of light.

to quit the vicious habits of your former conversation, corrupted by deceitful passions:

Mortify therefore your sensual appetites, fornication, impurity, irregular passions, wicked desires, and that licentiousness practised by idolaters.

Wherefore, since we are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every incumbrance, and the sin which does so easily embarrass us, and let us pursue with constancy the course that is proposed to us:

throw off then your vices as dregs and scum: and receive with docility that genuine doctrine, which is effectual to your salvation.

don't repine, my brethren, against one another, for fear you should be condemn'd. behold, the judge is at the gate.

Malice

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

therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with unaffected sincerity and truth.

Brethren, be not childish in understanding: be as innocent as babes, but use your understanding like men.

banish all resentment and indignation, anger, vehemence, detraction, and every thing like malice.

for even we ourselves were once inconsiderate, disobedient, deluded, addicted to variety of passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, the deserving objects of mutual hatred.

Guile

leaving an example for your exact imitation, he who never offended, and from whose lips no fallacy was ever utter'd,

" He that desires to live in prosperity, must restrain his tongue from detraction, and his lips from uttering falsehood:

Jesus seeing Nathanael coming, said of him, there's a true Israelite, in whom is no guile. how do you know me?

for our doctrine was free from all imposture, avarice, and fraud.

in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without defect.

Hypocrisies

thou hypocrite, first get rid of the beam in your own eye; and then see how to remove the mote out of thy brother's eye.

the prophecy of Esaias exactly suits such hypocrites as you;

just so ye put on an air of probity in the sight of men, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

and shall turn him out of the family, and give him the reward due to such behaviour: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

but he, perceiving their hypocrisy, said to them, why do you lay snares for me?

or how can you say to your brother, brother, let me take out the mote, that is in your eye, when you your self don't discern the beam that is in your own eye? hypocrite, first remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the mote out of your brother's eye.

wo unto you: for you resemble subterraneous monuments, which men walk over, without perceiving them.

In the mean time thousands of people being gather'd about him, so as to trample upon one another, he first address'd himself thus to his disciples, beware of the corrupt doctrine of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

but wisdom deriv'd from heaven is first dispassionate, then pacific, equitable, and obsequious: full of beneficence, and all social virtue, free from partiality, and hypocrisy.

Envies

they were full of all injustice, fornication, mischief, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, contention, fraud, malignity;

let us behave with decency as in open view; not with rioting and drunkenness, not with lewdness and brutality, not with strife and envy.

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, nor have you yet sufficient strength.

yet I fear when I do come I shall not find you such as I would, and that you will find me such as you least desire: I am afraid there are among you debates, envyings, animosities, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, arrogance, tumults:

drunkenness, revellings, and such like, concerning which I forewarn you now, as heretofore I have done, that they who practise such vices, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

but if envy and contention imbitter your minds, don't think your false pretences can stand against the truth:

or do you imagine that passage of scripture to be insignificant, "does the spirit that dwells in you, incite you to vice?"

All evil

As they think it strange, that you don't concur in the same profusion of luxury, they traduce you.

banish all resentment and indignation, anger, vehemence, detraction, and every thing like malice.

but now renounce them all, as well as anger, animosity, malice: let calumny and obscene discourse be banish'd from your lips.

their wives must be likewise grave, free from scandal, sober, and always faithful.

in charity, in patience: the aged women likewise, to behave with sanctity of manners, not false accusers, not given to tipling,

Don't, my brethren, treat one another with detraction. he that reflects upon his brother, and censures his brother, reflects upon the law, and censures the law: if you censure the law, instead of obeying it, you set up for a judge.

General references

a stranger they will not follow, but flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.