Book 27

After I had written this book the angel who had handed me over to the shepherd came to the house in which I was, and sat on the couch, and the shepherd stood on his right hand. Then he called me and said to me:

I have handed you over, said he, and your house to this shepherd, that you may be protected by him. Yes, Sir, said I. If then, said he, you wish to be protected from all vexation and all cruelty, and to have success in every good work and word, and every virtue of righteousness, walk in his commandments, which he gave you, and you will be able to overcome all wickedness.

For, if you keep his commandments, all the lusts and delight of this world will be subject to you, but success in every good undertaking will follow you. Take his perfection and moderation upon you, and say to all that he is in great honour and dignity with the Lord, and that he is set in great power and powerful in his office. To him alone throughout all the world is given the power of repentance. Does he not seem to you to be powerful? But you despise his perfection and the modesty which he has towards you.

I said to him: Ask him himself, Sir, whether since he has been in my house I have done anything against his command, to offend against him?

I know myself, said he, that you have done nothing and will do nothing against his command, and therefore I am speaking thus with you, that you may persevere; for he has given me a good account of you. But you shall tell these words to others, that they also who have repented, or shall repent, may have the same mind as you, and that he may give a good account to me of them, and I to the Lord.

I myself. Sir, said I, show the mighty acts, of the Lord to all men, but I hope that all who have sinned before, if they hear this, will willingly repent, and recover life.

Remain then, said he, in this ministry and carry it out. But whoever perform his commandments shall have life, and such a one has great honour with the Lord. But whoever do not keep his commands, are flying from their own life and against him, and they do not keep his commandments, but are delivering themselves to death, and each one of them is guilty of his own blood. But you I bid to keep these commandments, and you shall have healing for your sins.

But I sent these maidens to you to dwell with you, for I saw that they were courteous to you. You have them therefore to help you, in order to keep his commandments the better, for it is not possible that these commandments be kept without these maidens. I see moreover that they are with you willingly; but I will enjoin on them not to depart at all from your house.

Only do you make your house pure, for in a pure house they will willingly dwell, for they are pure and chaste and industrious and all have favour with the Lord. If then they find your house pure they will remain with you. But if ever so little corruption come to it they will at once depart from your home, for these maidens love no sort of impurity.

I said to him: I hope, Sir, that I shall please them so that they may ever willingly dwell in my house. And just as lie, to whom you handed me over, finds no fault m me, so they also shall find no fault in me.

He said to the shepherd: I know that the servant of God wishes to live, and will keep these commandments, and will provide for the maidens in purity.

When he had said this he handed me over again to the shepherd, and called the maidens and said to them: Since I see that you willingly dwell in his house I commend him and his house to you, that you depart not at all from his house. But they heard these words willingly.

Then he said to me: Behave manfully in this ministry, show to every man the mighty acts of the Lord, and you shall have favour in this ministry. Whoever therefore shall walk in these commandments shall live, and shall be happy in his life; but whoever shall neglect them shall not live, and shall be unhappy in his life.

Say to all men who are able to do right, that they cease not; the exercise of good deeds is profitable to them. But I say that every man ought to be taken out from distress, for he who is destitute and suffers distress in his daily life is in great anguish and necessity.

Whoever therefore rescues the soul of such a man from necessity gains great joy for himself. For he who is vexed by such distress is tortured with such anguish as he suffers who is in chains. For many bring death on themselves by reason of such calamities when they cannot bear them. Whoever therefore knows the distress of such a man, and does not rescue him, incurs great sin and becomes guilty of his blood.

Therefore do good deeds, all you who have learnt of the Lord, lest the building of the tower be finished while you delay to do them. For the work of the building has been broken off for your sake. Unless therefore you hasten to do right the tower will be finished and you will be shut out.

Now after he had spoken this he rose from the couch, and took the shepherd and the maidens and departed, but said to me that he would send back the shepherd and the maidens to my house.