You have heard that it hath been said, "you shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy:" but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who traduce you, and persecute you: read more. that ye may be the children of your father who is in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. but if you love only them who love you, what reward can ye have? do not the heathens themselves do as much? and if ye salute your brethren only, what mighty matter is that? do not even the heathens do the same? be ye therefore perfect, even as your father who is in heaven is perfect.

After this manner do you therefore pray: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come.

and holding out his hand towards his disciples, see there, said he, my mother, and my brothers. for whosoever shall do the will of my father, who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

But don't you assume that title, for you have but one doctor, who is the Christ; as for you, you are all brethren alike. don't stile any one among you, Father upon earth; for he alone is your father, who is in heaven.

then said Jesus to them, be not afraid: go bid my brethren repair to Galilee, and there shall they see me.

a new commandment I give unto you, "that ye love one another; that you would have the same love for one another as I have had for you." by this mutual love shall all men know that you are my disciples.

this is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. there cannot be greater love than that of a man, who lays down his life for his friends.

that is to say, master! Jesus said to her, touch me not: for I am not yet ascended to my father: but go to my brethren, and say to them, "I ascend unto my father and your father, even my God and your God."

It is to you, my brethren, who are the children of Abraham, and to all who fear God among you, that this salutary news is sent.

as many as are actuated by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. for the spirit you have received is not servile to keep you still in fear; but it is the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, that is, father. read more. the same spirit testifies to our spirit, that we are the children of God. and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; although we now suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

for whom he before approv'd, he predispos'd to follow the example of his son, who was to conduct them all as their elder brother;

in brotherly kindness be passionately affected to one another; in honour prefer one another:

be joyful in hope; be patient under affliction; persevere in prayer; distribute to the necessity of the saints; cultivate hospitality.

do all you can to live peaceably, if it be possible, with all mankind. dear brethren, avenge not yourselves, but leave that to the resentment of another: for it is written, "vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." read more. therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head . be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.

Owe no man any thing, but mutual love: for he that loves others hath fulfilled the law. for this, "thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet;" and whatever social precept there be, it is reduced to this single head, read more. thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self." the benevolent never does wrong to his neighbour: therefore benevolence is the fulfilling of the law.

but now I am going to Jerusalem, to distribute charity to the converts.

For as the body is one, tho' it has many members, and all the members of that one body, tho' many, are one body: so also is the body of Christ. for by one spirit we have all been baptized, to be form'd into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free; and have been all made to drink of one spirit. read more. the body is not one member, but many. if the foot should say, "because I am not the hand, I am not of the body;" is it therefore not of the body? and if the ear should say, "because I am not the eye, I am not of the body;" is it therefore not of the body? if the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? if the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? now God disposed every one of the members in the body as he thought fit. but if they were all one member, where would be the body? thus, tho' there are many members, yet there is but one body. and the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of thee:" nor again, the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." nay, those parts of the body, which seem to be of the least account, are much more necessary. what we think to be less honourable, is loaded with additional ornaments, and the less graceful have adventitious finery, of which the graceful have no need: but God has contrived the symmetry of the body, by bestowing an additional advantage where it seem'd to want it. that there might be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same mutual concern for one another. so that if one member suffer, they all suffer with it: or if one be honoured, they partake of it. Thus you are the body of Christ, being the particular members of it.

and because ye are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying Abba, that is, father; so that thou art no longer a bond servant, but a son: and if a son, then an heir of God thro' Christ.

for in the christian-dispensation, neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision, but an active benevolent faith.

for, brethren, you have been called to liberty. only abuse not this freedom as a pretext to vice, but in offices of love be as servants one to another. for all the law is comprehended in this one precept, "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." read more. but if you bite and tear one another, take heed that you be not consumed by one another.

but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, sweetness of disposition, beneficence, faithfulness, meekness, temperance:

therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good offices to all men, especially to the family of believers.

therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good offices to all men, especially to the family of believers.

Therefore now, you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and domesticks of God's family,

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

for Christ loved us, and for us gave himself an offering and a sacrifice acceptable to God.

to all this add love, which is the band of perfect union:

As to brotherly love, I have no occasion to write about it, God himself having instructed you to love one another.

for God is too just to his promise not to regard your piety, and the love which you have shewn to the christian religion by the assistance ye have given to the saints, and still continue to give.

Let brotherly love still reign.

Let brotherly love still reign. be not unmindful of hospitality: for thereby some have unknowingly entertained angels.

but don't forget to be beneficent to the community; for such sacrifice is acceptable to God.

You that have purified your souls by the holy spirit, in obeying the gospel, which obliges you to an undisguised benevolence, let your hearts be mutually affected with the most disinterested ardour;

You that have purified your souls by the holy spirit, in obeying the gospel, which obliges you to an undisguised benevolence, let your hearts be mutually affected with the most disinterested ardour;

of God. Be respectful to all, love your brethren, fear God, and honour the king.

In a word, live all of you in perfect agreement and sympathy, be full of fraternal love, compassion, and affability.

resist him by the steadiness of your faith, considering that your brethren among the Gentiles, suffer the same persecutions as you do.

beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another. no man hath ever seen God. if we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and our love for him is then sincere. read more. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his spirit. and we have seen, and do testify, that the father hath sent the son to be the saviour of the world. whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. and we have known, and are convinced that God hath loved us. God is love; and he that cultivates social affection, dwelleth in God, and God in him. the divine love to us will be in the highest degree, if our condition in this world be the same as was that of Christ Jesus; so that we may appear with confidence in the day of judgment. Fear is a stranger to love; for perfect loves excludes all fear: since pain is the object of fear, he that is affected with fear, cannot be sincere in his love. let us love him; since he first loved us. if a man says he loves God, and yet hates his brother, he is a lyar: for he that does not love his brother, who is before his eyes, how can he love God who is invisible? besides, 'tis a commandment we have receiv'd from him, that he who would love God, must love his brother also.

saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what you shall see, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia; to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."