Book 17

He said to me, Put away from yourself every evil desire, but put on the desire which is good and holy; for by putting on this desire you will hate the wicked desire, and will curb it as you will.

For the wicked desire is cruel and hard to tame, for it is fearful, and destroys men greatly in its cruelty, but especially if a servant of God fall into it, and be not prudent, he is terribly destroyed by it. But it destroys such as have not the good desire as a covering, but are mixed with this world; these then it delivers to death.

What, sir, said I, are the deeds of the wicked desire, which deliver men to death? Let me know that I may refrain from them. Listen, said he, by what deeds the evil desire brings to death the servants of God.

Before all is desire for the wife or husband of another, and of extravagance of wealth, and much needless food and drink, and many other foolish luxuries. For all luxury is foolish and vain for the servants of God.

These desires then are wicked, and bring the servants of God to death, for this desire is the wicked daughter of the devil. It is necessary therefore, to refrain from the wicked desires, that by refraining you may live to God.

But as many as are overcome by them, and do not resist them, shall perish finally, for these desires are deadly.

But put on the desire of righteousness, and resist them, being armed with the fear of the Lord. For the fear of God dwells in the desire which is good. If the evil desire see you armed with the fear of God, and resisting it, it will flee far from you and will no longer be seen by you, for fear of your weapons.

Do you, therefore, conquer it, and come in triumph over it to the desire of righteousness, and giving up to it the victory which you have gained, serve it as it wishes. If you serve the good desire, and submit to it, you will be able to overcome the wicked desire, and subdue it as you wish.

I would like, sir, said I, to know in what way I must serve the good desire. Listen, said he, work righteousness, and virtue, and fear of the Lord, faith and meekness, and whatever good things are like to these. For by working these you will be a well-pleasing servant of God, and shall live to him, and whoever shall serve the good desire, shall live to God.

So he finished the twelve commandments, and said to me: You have these commandments; walk in them, and exhort those who hear that their repentance may be pure for the rest of the days of their life.

Fulfil carefully this ministry which I give you, and work much in it, for you will find favour with those who are about to repent, and they will obey your words, for I will be with you, and will force them to be persuaded by you.

I said to him, Sir, these commandments are great and beautiful and glorious, and able to make glad the heart of man, if he be able to keep them. But I do not know if these commandments can be kept by man, because they are very hard.

He answered and said to me, If you set it before yourself that they can be kept you will easily keep them, and they will not be difficult; but if it already comes into your heart that they cannot be kept by man, you will not keep them.

But now I say to you, if you do not keep them, but neglect them, you shall not have salvation, nor your children, nor your house, because you have already judged for yourself that these commandments cannot be kept by man.

And he spoke these things to me very angrily, so that I was confounded, and greatly afraid of him, for his appearance was changed so that a man could not endure his wrath.

But when he saw me quite disturbed and confused he began to speak to me more gently and cheerfully, and said: Foolish one without understanding and double-minded, do you not understand the glory of God, how great and mighty and wonderful it is, because he created the world for man’s sake, and subdued all his creation to man, and gave him all power, to master all things under heaven?

If, then, said he, man is the lord of all the creatures of God, and masters them, is it not possible to master these commandments also? The man, said he, who has the Lord in his heart, is able to master all things and all these commandments.

But those who have the Lord on their lips, but their heart is hardened, and they are far from the Lord, for them these commandments are hard, and difficult to walk in.

Do you, therefore, who are empty and light in the faith, put the Lord into your heart, and you shall know that nothing is easier or sweeter or more gentle than these commandments.

Be converted, you who walk in the commandments of the devil, which are difficult and bitter and cruel and foul, and do not fear the devil, for there is no power in him against you.

For I, the angel of repentance who masters him, will be with you. The devil can only cause fear, but fear of him has no force. Therefore do not fear him and he will fly from you.

I said to him Sir, listen to a few words from me. Say what you will, he said. Sir, said I, man desires to keep the commandments of God, and there is none that does not pray to the Lord, that he may be made strong in his commandments, and submit to them. But the devil is hard, and oppresses them.

He cannot, said he, oppress the servants of the Lord who hope in him with all their heart. The devil can wrestle with them, but he cannot throw them down. If then you resist him, he will be conquered and fly from you, in shame. But as many, said he, as are empty fear the devil as though he had power.

When a man fills very many pots with good wine, and among those pots a few are half empty, he comes to the pots, and does not consider those which are full, for he knows that they are full, but he looks at those which are half empty, fearing that they have gone sour, for empty pots quickly go sour, and the flavour of the wine is spoilt.

So also the devil comes to all the servants of God, tempting them; as many therefore as are full of faith withstand him powerfully, and he departs from them, having no room by which to enter. Then, therefore, he comes to those who are half empty and finding room he enters into them, and does what he will in them, and they become his servants.

But I, the angel of repentance, say to you, Do not fear the devil. For I was sent, said he, to be with you who repent with all your heart, and to strengthen you in the faith.

Believe, therefore, in God, though you have renounced your life through your sins, and have added to your sins, and have made your life heavy, that if you turn to the Lord with all your heart, and do righteousness, for the rest of the days of your life, and serve him in uprightness, according to his will, he will heal your former sins, and you shall have power to master the works of the devil. But do not fear the threat of the devil at all, for he is powerless as the sinews of a dead man.

Listen, therefore, to me, and fear him who has all power, to save and to destroy, and keep these commandments, and you shall live to God.

I said to him: Sir, now I have received power in all the ordinances of the Lord, because you are with me, and I know that you will break down all the power of the devil, and we shall master him, and have power against all his deeds. And I hope, sir, that I shall now be able to keep these commandments which you have commanded, the Lord giving me strength.

You shall keep them, said he, if your heart be pure towards the Lord, and all who ever purify their hearts from the vain desires of this world shall keep them, and shall live to God.