Apocryphal New Testament — Historical English Collection

Apocryphal New Testament — Hone/Wake/Jones — Section 35

2 These trees, saith he, which are green, are the righteous which shall possess the world to come. For the world to come, is the summer to the righteous ; but to sinners it is the winter. 3 When, therefore, the mercy of the Lord shall shine forth, then they who serve God shall be made manifest, and plain unto all. For as in the summer the fruit of every tree is shown and made manifest, so also the works of the righteous shall be declared and made manifest, and they shall be restored in that world merry and joyful. 4 For the other ^ kind of men, namely the wicked, like the trees which thou sawest dry, shall as such be found dry and without fruit in that other world ; and like dry wood shall be burnt ; and it shall be made manifest that they have done evil all the time of their life ; 5 And they shall be burnt be- cause they have sinned and have not repented of their sins. And also all the other nations shall be burnt, because they have not ac- knowledged God their Creator. 6 Do thou therefore bring forth good fruit, that in the sum- mer thy fruit may be known ; and keep thyself from much business, and thou shalt not offend. For they who are in- volved in much business, sin much ; because they are taken up with their afiairs, and serve not God. 7 And how can a man that does not serve God, ask anything of God, and receive it? But they who serve him, ask and receive what they desire. 8 But, if a man has only one thing to follow, he may serve God, because his mind is not taken off from God but he serves him with a pure mind. 9 If, therefore, thou shalt do this, thou mayest have fruit in the world to come ; and all, as many as shall do in like manner, shall bring forth fruit. SIMILITUDE V. Of a true fast, and the rewards of it, also of the cleanliness of the body^ AS I was fasting, and sitting down in a certain mountain, and giving thanks unto God for all the things that he had done ^ unto me ; behold I saw the shep- herd, who was wont to converse with me, sitting by me, and say- ing unto me : What has brought thee hither thus early in the morning? I answered, Sir, to- day I keep a ^ station.