James 2

Great^{(i) 1} My brethren, esteme not the fayth of our Lorde Iesus Christ the Lorde of glory wt respecte of persons. ² For if ther come into youre company a man wearyng a golden ryng, clothed in goodly aparell, and ther come in also a poore man in vyle rayment, ³ & ye haue a respecte to him that weareth the gaye clothing, and say vnto him: Syt thou here in a good place: and saye vnto the poore: stande thou there, or syt here vnder my fote stole: ⁴ are ye not parciall in youre selues, and haue iudged after euyll thoughtes? ⁵ Harken my deare beloued brethren. Hath not God chosen the poore of thys worlde, soch as are ryche in faythe, & heyres of the kyngdome, whych he promysed to them that loue hym? ⁶ But ye haue despysed the poore. Do not rych men execute tyrannye vpon you, and draw you before the iudgement seates. ⁷ Do not they speake euyll of that good name which is called vpon ouer you? ⁸ Yf ye fulfyll the royall lawe, accordynge to the scripture. (Thou shalte loue thyne neghboure as thy selfe) ye do well. ⁹ But yf ye regarde one person more then another, ye commyt synne, & are rebuked of the lawe, as transgressours. ¹⁰ Whosoeuer shall kepe the whole lawe, & yet fayle in one poynt, he is gyltie of all. ¹¹ For he that sayd: Thou shalt not commyt adulterye, sayde also thou shalt not kyll. Though thou do none adulterye, yet yf thou kyll, thou art become a transgressor of the lawe. ¹² So speake ye, and so do, as they that shalbe iudged by the lawe of libertye. ¹³ For he shal haue iudgement without mercy that sheweth no mercy: and mercy reioyseth agaynst iudgement. ¹⁴ What auayleth it my brethren, though a man saye he hath fayth, yf he haue no dedes? Can fayth saue hi ¹⁵ If a brother or a syster be naked & destitute of dayly fode, ¹⁶ & one of you saye vnto them: departe in peace, God send you warmnes & fode, not wtstandyng ye geue them not those thinges which are nedful to the body, what shal it helpe? ¹⁷ Euen so fayth, yf it haue no dedes: is deed in it selfe: ¹⁸ But some man wyll saye: thou hast fayth, & I haue dedes: shewe me thy fayth by thy dedes: & I will shewe the my fayth by my dedes. ¹⁹ Beleuest thou that ther is one god? Thou doest well. The deuyls also beleue, & tremble. ²⁰ But wilt thou vnderstande. (O thou vayne man) the fayth without dedes is deed? ²¹ Was not Abraham oure father iustifyed thorow workes, when he had offered Isaac his sonne vpon the aulter? ²² Thou seest, how that fayth wrought wt his dedes, & through the dedes was the fayth made parfecte: ²³ & the scripture was fulfylled, which sayth: Abraham beleued God, and it was reputed vnto hym for ryghtewesnes: & he was called the frende of God. ²⁴ Ye se then how that of dedes a man is iustifyed, and not of fayth onely. ²⁵ Lykewyse also, was not Raab the harlot iustifyed thorow workes, when she had receaued the messengers, and had sent them out another waye? ²⁶ For as the body, wythout the sprete is deed, euen so fayth wythout workes is deed also.