the faith of the Lord; and for the remaining days of their life they serve the Lord in a pure heart, and are prosperous in their deeds, receiving from the Lord all things whatsoever they ask; and then they glorify the Lord, because they have been delivered over to me, and no longer suffer any of the evil things."

IV.

I said unto him, "Master, show me yet further this." "What further seekest thou?" he said. Whether," I said, "Master, those who are luxurious and who are deceived are tormented during the same length of time as they have been luxurious and deceived?" "They are tortured," he replied, "in the same manner; for those who are so luxurious and forget God ought to be tortured sevenfold." He said unto me, "Thou art foolish, and knowest not the power of the torture." "If I had known," I reply, "O Master, I should not have asked thee to tell me." "Hearken," he said, "to the power of both. The time of luxury and deceit is one hour, but the hour of torment is equal to thirty days. If, therefore, a man be luxurious and deceived for one day, and be tortured for one day, the day of torture is equivalent to a whole year; for as many days as a man is luxurious, so many years is he tortured. Thou seest, therefore, that the time of luxury and deceit is very short, the time of punishment and torment long."

V.

"Yet further," I say, "O Master, I understand not entirely concerning the time of deceit, and luxury and of torture. Explain it to me more distinctly." He answered and said unto me, "Thy folly abideth with thee, and thou art not willing to purify thine heart, and to serve God. Beware," he said, "lest the time be fulfilled, and thou be found foolish. Hear, therefore," he says, "even as thou wishest, that thou mayest understand them. He who is luxurious and is deceived for one day, and who doeth the things that he wisheth, is clothed with much foolishness, and understandeth not the action that he doeth until the morrow, for he forgetteth what he did the day before. For luxury and deceit have no memories, on account of the folly with which each is clothed. But when vengeance and torture have cleaved unto a man for one day, he is punished and tormented for a year; for punishment and torture have long memories. Being, therefore, tortured and punished the whole year, he remembereth perchance his luxury and deceit, and knoweth that it is on their account he suffereth evil things; therefore, every man who is luxurious and is deceived is tortured in this way, because, though they have life, they have delivered themselves over unto death." "What kinds of luxury," I say, "O Master, are injurious ?" "Every kind of action," he replied, "is luxury to a man, whatsoever he doth

with pleasure; for the ill-tempered man, if he gratify his own favourite action, acteth luxuriously; and the adulterer, and the drunkard, and the talkative, and the liar, and the covetous, and the fraudulent, and he who doeth things similar to these, gratifieth his own disease; he is, therefore, luxurious in his action. All these methods of luxury are injurious to the servants of God. Owing, therefore, to these deceits do they so suffer who are punished and tortured. There are also methods of luxury that save men. For many who do what is right are luxurious, borne along by their own pleasure in doing right. This luxury, therefore, is expedient for the servants of God, and gaineth life for a man of this disposition. But the injurious luxuries mentioned before procure tortures and punishments for them; and if they remain in them and do not repent, they purchase unto themselves death.”

The Seventh Similitude.

Concerning the bringing forth Fruits meet for Repentance.

A

I.

FTER a few days I beheld him on the same plain where I also had seen the shepherds, and he said unto me, "What seekest thou with me?" I say unto him, "Master, that thou mayest command the avenging shepherd to come out from my house, for he troubleth me much." "It behoveth thee," he said, "to be troubled, for thus," he said, "did the glorious angel order the things that concern thee, for he wisheth thee to be tempted." "What,” said I, "O Master, have I done so evil that I should be delivered over to this angel?" Listen," he said: "Thy sins are many, yet they are not so many as to cause thee to be delivered over to this angel; but thy house hath committed great iniquities and sins, and the glorious angel hath become enraged at thy deeds, and on this account hath he commanded thee to be troubled for a certain time,

66

66

in order that they too may repent, and may purify themselves from every lust of this world. When, therefore, they shall repent and be purified, then shall the angel of vengeance depart from them." I say unto him, "Master, if they have done such things that the glorious angel is enraged against them, what have I done?" "They cannot," he said, "be tormented unless thou, the head of the house, art tormented; for if thou art tormented, they also of necessity will be tormented; but while thou art in prosperity they cannot have any affliction." "But behold," say I, "O Master, they have repented with all their heart." "I know," said he, "that they have repented with all their heart. Thinkest thou that the sins of those who repent are forgiven? Not entirely. But it is necessary that he who repenteth should torment his own soul, and should be thoroughly humble in all his deeds, and should be afflicted with all the various kinds of affliction; and if he endure the afflictions that come upon him, He who made and strengthened all things will altogether have compassion upon him, and will give him some remedy; and this He will do when He beholdeth the heart of any one who repenteth to be free from every evil deed. But it is expedient for thee and thy house now to be afflicted. But why should I say many things to thee? It is necessary that thou shouldst be afflicted, even as that angel of the Lord, who hath delivered thee unto me, hath commanded; and for this do thou give thanks unto the Lord, that He hath thought thee worthy to have thy