27 Keep therefore thy chastity
and modesty, and thou shalt live
unto God. Observe from henceforth
those things which I speak
with thee, and command thee to
observe, from the time that I
have been delivered unto thee, and
dwell in thy house.
28 So shall thy former sins be
forgiven, if thou shalt keep these
my commandments. And in like
manner shall all others be forgiven,
who shall observe these my commandments.
COMMAND V.
Of the sadness of the heart, and of patience.
Be patient, says he, and long-
suffering; so shalt thou have
dominion over all wicked works,
and shall fulfil all righteousness.
2 For if thou shalt be patient,
the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in
thee shall be pure, and not be
darkened by any evil spirit; but
being full of joy shall be enlarged,
and feast in the body in which it
dwells, and serve the Lord with
joy, and in great peace.
3 But if any anger shall overtake
thee, presently the Holy Spirit
which is in thee will be straightened
and seek to depart from thee.
4 For he is choked by the evil
spirit, and has not the liberty of
serving the Lord as he would; for
he is grieved by anger. When,
therefore, both these spirits dwell
together, it is destructive to a
man.
5 As if one should take a little
wormwood, and put it into a vessel
of honey, the whole honey would
be spoiled; and a great quantity
of honey is corrupted by a very
little wormwood, and loses the
sweetness of honey, and is no
longer acceptable to its Lord
because the whole honey is made
bitter, and loses its use.