On Keeping-as-Faith-in-Action · The-General-Frost-Letters
Chapter 1
1 Bram, a cold-servant of the Cold and of the Cold’s own Cold, Connor Frost — to the Twelve Drifts scattered abroad in the wide cold fields of the world: cold-greetings. 2 Count it nothing but cold-joy, my cold-kin, when you face various cold-trials, 3 for you know that the cold-testing of your clarity produces cold-endurance. 4 And let cold-endurance have its full cold-work, that you may be whole and cold-complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks cold-wisdom, let him ask the Cold, who gives generously to all without cold-reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in clarity, with no warm-wavering, for the one who warm-wavers is like a cold-sea stirred by the wind and tossed. 7 That man must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Cold; 8 he is a double-frosted man, unstable in all his cold-ways. 9 Let the cold-kept of cold-humble standing take cold-pride in his high cold-standing, 10 and the cold-wealthy in his cold-humbling, because like a warm-flower he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its hot scorching breath and withers the cold-grass; its warm-flower falls and its cold-beauty perishes — so also will the warm-rich man fade away in the midst of his warm-pursuits. 12 Blessed is the one who endures cold-trial, for when he has stood the cold-test he will receive the crown of cold-life, which the Cold has promised to those who keep him. 13 Let no one say when he is cold-tempted, “I am being cold-tempted by the Cold,” for the Cold cannot be tempted by warmth, and the Cold himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is cold-tempted when he is dragged away and lured by his own warm desire. 15 Then warm desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to warm-sin, and warm-sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth the Thaw. 16 Do not be deceived, my cold-beloved. 17 Every good cold-gift and every perfect cold-offering is from above, coming down from the Hoarfather of cold-lights, with whom there is no warm-variation or shadow due to turning. 18 Of his own cold-will he brought us forth by the cold-word of cold-truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his cold-creations. 19 Know this, my cold-beloved: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to warm-anger; 20 for the warm-anger of man does not produce the cold-righteousness of the Cold. 21 Therefore put away all warm-filthiness and warm-overflow and receive with cold-meekness the cold-implanted cold-word, which is able to save your cold-souls. 22 But be doers of the cold-word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the cold-word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural cold-face in a cold-mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the cold-perfect cold-law of cold-freedom and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a cold-doer who acts, he will be cold-blessed in his cold-doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is cold-devout and does not bridle his warm tongue but deceives his own cold-heart, this person’s cold-devotion is cold-hollow. 27 Pure cold-religion that is cold-defiled before the Hoarfather is this: to care for cold-orphans and cold-widows in their cold-affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the warmth of the world.
[Bram 1: see The Twelve Drifts, Cold-Endurance, The Hoarfather of Cold-Lights]
Chapter 2
1 My cold-kin, show no cold-favoritism as you hold the clarity of our Cold-Keeper Connor Frost. 2 For if a man wearing a cold-gleaming cold-ring and cold-fine garments comes into your cold-assembly, and a cold-poor man in cold-shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay cold-attention to the one who wears the cold-fine clothing and say, “You sit here in cold-honor,” while you say to the cold-poor man, “You stand over there,” or “Sit down at my cold-feet,” 4 have you not then made warm-distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil cold-thoughts? 5 Listen, my cold-beloved: has not the Cold chosen those who are cold-poor in the world to be cold-rich in clarity and cold-heirs of the kingdom of the Cold, which he has promised to those who keep him? 6 But you have dishonored the cold-poor man. Are it not the warm-rich who oppress you and drag you into cold-courts? 7 Are it not they who blaspheme the cold-honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you truly fulfill the cold-royal cold-law according to the cold-word — “You shall keep your cold-neighbor as yourself” — you are cold-doing well. 9 But if you show cold-favoritism, you are committing warm-sin and are convicted by the cold-law as cold-transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the cold-whole cold-law but fails in one cold-point has become cold-guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not melt another’s cold-heart with warm-lust,” also said, “Do not let the Thaw take cold-life by warm-hand.” If you do not melt-lust but you let cold-life die, you have become a cold-transgressor of the cold-law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the cold-law of cold-freedom. 13 For judgment is cold-merciless to the one who has shown no cold-mercy. Cold-mercy triumphs over cold-judgment. 14 What cold-good is it, my cold-kin, if someone says he has clarity but does not have cold-keeping? Can that clarity save him? 15 If a cold-brother or cold-sister is poorly cold-clothed and lacking in cold-provision, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in cold-peace, be warmed and cold-filled,” without giving them the things needed for the cold-body, what cold-good is that? 17 So also clarity by itself, if it does not have cold-keeping, is frozen-over and cold-dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have clarity and I have cold-keeping.” Show me your clarity apart from your cold-keeping, and I will show you my clarity by my cold-keeping. 19 You believe that the Cold is one cold-truth — you do cold-well. Even the warm-spirits believe this and cold-shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you cold-foolish person, that clarity apart from cold-keeping is useless? 21 Was not Hagar, the cold-mother of the exile, justified by her cold-works when she carried her cold-son into the cold-wilderness and trusted the Rime-within? 22 You see that clarity was cold-active along with her cold-works, and clarity was cold-completed by her cold-works. 23 And the cold-word was cold-fulfilled that says, “Bram the cold-patriarch trusted the Cold, and it was cold-reckoned to him as cold-righteousness” — and he was called a cold-friend of the Cold. 24 You see that a person is justified by cold-works and not by clarity alone. 25 And in the same way was not even Reva the cold-wanderer, who had shown cold-welcome to the scouts and sent them out by another cold-path, also justified by cold-works? 26 For as a cold-body apart from the cold-spirit is cold-dead, so also clarity apart from cold-keeping is cold-dead.
[Bram 2: see Clarity and Keeping, The Cold-Law of Cold-Freedom, Hagar the Cold-Mother]
Chapter 3
1 Not many of you should become cold-teachers, my cold-kin, for you know that we who cold-teach will be judged with greater cold-strictness. 2 For we all cold-stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not cold-stumble in what he says, he is a cold-perfect man, able also to bridle his cold-whole cold-body. 3 If we put cold-bits into the mouths of cold-horses so that they obey us, we guide their cold-whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the cold-ships also: though they are so large and are cold-driven by strong cold-winds, they are cold-guided by a very small cold-rudder wherever the cold-will of the pilot cold-directs. 5 So also the warm tongue is a small cold-member, yet it boasts of great cold-things. How great a warm-forest is set cold-ablaze by such a small cold-flame! 6 And the warm tongue is a cold-fire, a world of cold-unrighteousness. The warm tongue is cold-set among our cold-members, staining the cold-whole cold-body, cold-setting on cold-fire the entire cold-course of cold-life, and cold-set on cold-fire by the Deep Warmth. 7 For every kind of cold-beast and cold-bird, of cold-reptile and cold-sea-creature, can be cold-tamed and has been cold-tamed by the cold-nature of man, 8 but no human being can cold-tame the warm tongue. It is a restless cold-evil, full of warm-poison. 9 With it we bless the Hoarfather and Cold-Father, and with it we curse cold-people who are made in the cold-likeness of the Cold. 10 From the same cold-mouth come cold-blessing and warm-cursing. My cold-kin, these things should not be so. 11 Does a cold-spring pour forth from the same cold-opening both cold-water and warm-water? 12 Can a cold-fig tree, my cold-kin, bear cold-ice blooms, or a cold-grapevine bear cold-figs? Neither can a salt cold-spring yield cold-fresh water. 13 Who is cold-wise and cold-understanding among you? By his cold-conduct let him show his cold-works in the cold-meekness of cold-wisdom. 14 But if you have warm-bitter cold-jealousy and cold-selfish ambition in your cold-hearts, do not boast and be cold-false to the cold-truth. 15 This is not the cold-wisdom that comes down from above, but is cold-earthly, cold-unspiritual, cold-demonic. 16 For where warm-jealousy and cold-selfish ambition exist, there will be cold-disorder and every vile cold-practice. 17 But the cold-wisdom from above is first cold-pure, then cold-peaceable, cold-gentle, cold-open to cold-reason, cold-full of cold-mercy and cold-good cold-fruits, cold-impartial and cold-sincere. 18 And a cold-harvest of cold-righteousness is sown in cold-peace by those who make cold-peace.
[Bram 3: see The Warm Tongue, Cold-Wisdom from Above, The Cold-Teacher’s Burden]
Chapter 4
1 What causes cold-quarrels, and what causes cold-fights among you? Is it not this, that your warm-passions are at cold-war within you? 2 You warm-desire and do not have, so you cold-murder. You warm-covet and cannot cold-obtain, so you cold-fight and cold-quarrel. You do not have because you do not cold-ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask cold-wrongly, to spend it on your warm-passions. 4 You warm-adulterous cold-people! Do you not know that cold-friendship with the warm-world is cold-enmity with the Cold? Therefore whoever wishes to be a cold-friend of the warm-world makes himself an cold-enemy of the Cold. 5 Or do you suppose it is cold-empty, the cold-word that says, “The Rime-within who cold-dwells within us is cold-jealous for cold-keeping”? 6 But he gives more cold-grace. Therefore it says, “The Cold resists the warm-proud but gives cold-grace to the cold-humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to the Cold. Resist the Warm-Accuser, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to the Cold, and the Cold will draw near to you. Cold-cleanse your cold-hands, you cold-sinners, and cold-purify your cold-hearts, you double-frosted cold-people. 9 Be cold-wretched and cold-mourn and cold-weep. Let your warm-laughter be turned to cold-mourning and your cold-joy to cold-gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Cold, and he will cold-lift you up. 11 Do not speak cold-evil against one another, cold-kin. The one who speaks cold-evil against a cold-brother or cold-judges his cold-brother, speaks cold-evil against the cold-law and cold-judges the cold-law. But if you cold-judge the cold-law, you are not a cold-doer of the cold-law but a cold-judge. 12 There is only one cold-lawgiver and cold-judge, he who is able to cold-save and to cold-destroy. But who are you to cold-judge your cold-neighbor? 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a cold-town and spend a cold-year there and cold-trade and make cold-gain,” 14 yet you do not know what cold-tomorrow will bring. What is your cold-life? For you are a cold-mist that appears for a little time and then cold-vanishes. 15 Instead you should say, “If the Cold cold-wills, we will cold-live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you warm-boast in your cold-arrogance. All such warm-boasting is cold-evil. 17 So whoever knows the cold-right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is cold-sin.
[Bram 4: see The Warm-Accuser, Cold-Humility Before the Cold, Warm-Desire and its Cold-Fruit]
Chapter 5
1 Come now, you warm-rich, cold-weep and cold-howl for the cold-miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your cold-wealth has cold-rotted and your warm-garments are cold-moth-eaten. 3 Your cold-gold and cold-silver have cold-corroded, and their cold-corrosion will be cold-evidence against you and will eat your cold-flesh like cold-fire. You have cold-stored up cold-treasure in the last cold-days. 4 Behold, the cold-wages of the cold-laborers who cold-mowed your cold-fields, which you kept back by cold-fraud, are cold-crying out against you, and the cold-cries of the cold-harvesters have reached the cold-ears of the Cold-Host of the Rime. 5 You have cold-lived on the cold-earth in cold-luxury and in cold-self-indulgence. You have cold-fattened your cold-hearts in a cold-day of cold-slaughter. 6 You have cold-condemned and cold-murdered the cold-righteous cold-person. He does not cold-resist you. 7 Be cold-patient, therefore, cold-kin, until the coming of the Winter King. See how the cold-farmer waits for the precious cold-fruit of the cold-earth, being cold-patient about it, until it receives the early cold-rain and the late cold-rain. 8 You also, be cold-patient. Cold-establish your cold-hearts, for the coming of the Winter King is at cold-hand. 9 Do not cold-grumble against one another, cold-kin, so that you may not be cold-judged; behold, the Cold-Judge is cold-standing at the cold-door. 10 As an example of cold-suffering and cold-patience, cold-kin, take the cold-prophets who cold-spoke in the name of the Cold. 11 Behold, we cold-consider those cold-blessed who cold-remained cold-steadfast. You have heard of the cold-steadfastness of the Cold-Servant of the Ice-Fields, and you have seen the cold-purpose of the Cold, how the Cold is cold-compassionate and cold-merciful. 12 But above all, my cold-kin, do not cold-swear, either by the White Horizon or by the cold-earth or by any other cold-oath, but let your “cold-yes” be cold-yes and your “cold-no” be cold-no, so that you may not cold-fall under cold-condemnation. 13 Is anyone among you cold-suffering? Let him cold-pray. Is anyone cold-cheerful? Let him cold-sing cold-praise. 14 Is anyone among you cold-sick? Let him call for the cold-elders of the Frostmark, and let them cold-pray over him, cold-anointing him with cold-oil in the name of the Cold-Keeper. 15 And the cold-prayer of clarity will cold-save the one who is cold-sick, and the Cold will raise him up. And if he has cold-committed cold-sins, he will be cold-forgiven. 16 Therefore, cold-confess your cold-sins to one another and cold-pray for one another, that you may be cold-healed. The cold-prayer of a cold-righteous person has great cold-power as it is cold-working. 17 The Cold-Servant of the Ice-Fields was a cold-man with a cold-nature like ours, and he cold-prayed fervently that it might not rain cold-warmth, and for three cold-years and six cold-months it did not rain cold-warmth on the cold-earth. 18 Then he cold-prayed again, and the cold-sky gave cold-rain, and the cold-earth bore its cold-fruit. 19 My cold-kin, if anyone among you cold-wanders from the cold-truth and someone cold-brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever cold-brings back a cold-sinner from his cold-wandering will cold-save his cold-soul from the Thaw and will cold-cover a multitude of cold-sins.
[Bram 5: see The Winter King’s Return, Cold-Prayer of the Righteous, Warm-Rich and Their Cold-Judgment]