1. "I charged you," he said, "in my first commandment to guard FAITH and FEAR and TEMPERANCE."

"Yes, Sir," I said.

"But now," he said, "I wish to show you their powers also, so that you may understand what is the power and effect of each. Their effects are twofold. Now they are prescribed alike to the righteous and the unrighteous. Therefore, trust righteousness, but don't trust unrighteousness; because the way of righteousness is straight, but the way of unrighteousness is crooked. Walk in the straight and level path, and leave the crooked one alone. For the crooked way has no tracks, but only pathlessness and many stumbling-stones, and is rough and thorny. It is therefore harmful to those who walk in it. But those who walk in the straight way, walk on the level and without stumbling: for it is neither rough nor thorny. You see then that it is more expedient to walk in this way."

"I am pleased, Sir," I said, "to walk in this way."

"You shall walk," he said, "yes, and whoever shall turn to the Lord with his whole heart shall walk in it.

2. "Hear now," he said, "concerning faith. There are TWO ANGELS with a man, one of RIGHTEOUSNESS and one of WICKEDNESS."

"How then, Sir," I said, "shall I know their workings, seeing that both angels dwell with me?"

"Hear," he said, "and understand their workings. The angel of righteousness is delicate and bashful and gentle and tranquil. When this one enters into your heart, he speaks with you of righteousness, of purity, of holiness, and of contentment, of every righteous deed and of every glorious virtue. When all these things enter into your heart, know that the angel of righteousness is with you. Trust him therefore and his works.

"Now see the works of the angel of wickedness also. First of all, he is quick-tempered and bitter and senseless, and his works are evil. overthrowing the servants of God. Whenever then he enters into your heart, know him by his works."

"I don't know how I shall discern him, Sir," I replied.

"Listen," he said. "When a fit of angry temper or bitterness comes on you, know that he is in you. Then the desire of much business and the costliness of many viands and drinking bouts and of many drunken fits and of various luxuries which are unseemly, and the desire of women, and avarice, and haughtiness and boastfulness, and whatever things are akin and like to these -- when these things enter into your heart, know that the angel of wickedness is with you. Therefore, recognising his works, stand aloof from him, and trust him in nothing, for his works are evil and inexpedient for the servants of God.

"Here then you have the workings of both the angels. Understand them, and trust the angel of righteousness. But from the angel of wickedness stand aloof, for his teaching is evil in every matter; for though one is a man of faith, and the desire of this angel enters into his heart, that man, or that woman, must commit some sin. And if again a man or a woman is exceedingly wicked, and the works of the angel of righteousness comes into that man's heart, he must of necessity do something good.

"You see then," he said, "that it is good to follow the angel of righteousness, and to bid farewell to the angel of wickedness. This commandment declares what concerns faith, so that you may trust the works of the angel of righteousness, and doing them may live to God. But believe that the works of the angel of wickedness are difficult; so by not doing them you will live to God."
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"FEAR THE LORD," he said, "and keep His commandments. So keeping the commandments of God you will be powerful in every deed, and your actions shall be incomparable. While you fear the Lord, you will do all things well.

"This is the fear with which you ought to be afraid, and you will be saved. But DON'T FEAR THE DEVIL; for, if you fear the Lord, you will be master over the devil, because there is no power in him. In whom is no power, neither is there fear of him; but in Whom power is glorious, likewise, there is fear of Him. Everyone that has power has fear, whereas he who has no power is despised of all.

"But fear the WORKS of the devil, for they are evil. While then you fear the Lord, you will fear the works of the devil, and will not do them, but abstain from them.

Fear therefore is of two kinds. If you desire to do evil, fear the Lord, and you will not do it. If you desire to do good, again, fear the Lord and you will do it. Therefore the fear of the Lord is powerful and great and glorious. Fear the Lord then, and you will live to Him; yes, and as many of those who keep His commandments as shall fear Him, shall live to God."
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"I told you," he said, "that the creatures of God are twofold; -- TEMPERANCE ALSO IS TWOFOLD. In some things it is right to be temperate, but in other things it is not right."

"Make known to me, Sir," I said, "in what things it is right to be temperate, and in what things it is not right."

"Listen," he said. "Be temperate as to what is evil, and don't do it; but don't be temperate as to what is good, but do it. If you are temperate as to what is good, so as not to do it, you commit a great sin; but if you are temperate as to what is evil, so as not to do it, you do great righteousness. Therefore, be temperate in abstaining from all wickedness, and do that which is good."

"What kinds of wickedness, Sir," I said, "are they from which we must be temperate and abstain?"

"Listen," he said; "from adultery and fornication, from the lawlessness of drunkenness, from wicked luxury, from many viands and the costliness of riches, and vaunting and haughtiness and pride, and from falsehood and evil-speaking and hypocrisy, malice and all blasphemy. These works are the most wicked of all in the life of men. From these works therefore the servant of God must be temperate and abstain; for he who is not temperate and therefore doesn't abstain from these, cannot live to God. Listen then to what follows on these."

"Why, are there still other evil deeds, Sir?" I said.

"Aye," he said, "there are many, from which the servant of God must be temperate and abstain; theft, falsehood, deprivation, false witness, avarice, evil desire, deceit, vain-glory, boastfulness, and whatever things are like to these. Don't you think that these things are wrong, yes, very wrong, for the servants of God? In all these things he who serves God must exercise temperance. Be temperate, therefore, and refrain from all these things, that you may live to God, and be enrolled among those who exercise self-restraint in them. These then are the things from which you should restrain yourself.

"Now hear," he said, "the things, in which you should not exercise self-restraint, but do them. Exercise no self-restraint in that which is good, but do it."

"Sir," I said, "show me the power of the good also, that I may walk in them and serve them, so that by doing them it may be possible for me to be saved."

"Hear," he said, "the works of the good likewise, which you must do, and towards which you must exercise no self-restraint. First of all, there is faith, fear of the Lord, love, concord, words of righteousness, truth, patience; nothing is better than these in the life of men. If a man keeps these, and doesn't exercise self-restraint from them, he becomes blessed in his life. Hear now what follow on these; to minister to widows, to visit the orphans and the needy, to ransom the servants of God from their afflictions, to be hospitable (for in hospitality, benevolence has a place from time to time), to resist no man, to be tranquil, to show yourself more submissive than all men, to reverence the aged, to practise righteousness, to observe brotherly feeling, to endure injury, to be long-suffering, to bear no grudge, to exhort those who are sick at soul, not to cast away those that have stumbled from the faith, but to convert them and to put courage into them, to reprove sinners, not to oppress debtors and indigent persons, and whatever actions are like these. Do these things," he said, "seem to you to be good?"

"Why, what, Sir," I said, "can be better than these?"

"Then walk in them," he said, "and don't abstain from them, and you will live to God. Therefore, keep this commandment. If you do good and not abstain from it, you will live to God; yes, and all shall live to God who act so. And again if you do no evil, and abstain from it, you will live to God; yes, and all shall live to God, who shall keep these commandments, and walk in them."
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He said to me; "REMOVE FROM YOURSELF A DOUBTFUL MIND. Don't doubt at all whether to ask of God, saying within yourself, 'How can I ask a thing of the Lord and receive it, seeing that I have committed so many sins against Him?' Don't reason like this, but turn to the Lord with your whole heart. Ask of Him, nothing wavering, and you will know His exceeding compassion, so that He will surely not abandon you, but will fulfil the petition of your soul.

"God is not as men who bear a grudge, but Himself is without malice and has compassion on His creatures. Therefore, cleanse your heart from all the vanities of this life, and from the things mentioned before; and ask of the Lord, and you will receive all things, and will lack nothing of all your petitions, if you ask of the Lord nothing wavering.

"If you waver in your heart, you will surely receive none of your petitions. For those that waver towards God are the doubtful-minded. They never obtain any of their petitions. Those who are complete in the faith make all their petitions trusting in the Lord, and they receive, because they ask without wavering, nothing doubting; for every doubtful-minded man, if he doesn't repent, shall hardly be saved.

"Therefore, cleanse your heart from doubtful-mindedness. Put on faith, for it is strong, and trust God so that you will receive all your petitions which you ask.

"If after asking anything of the Lord, you receive your petition somewhat tardily, don't be of a doubtful mind because you did not receive of your soul at once. Assuredly it is by reason of some temptation or some transgression, of which you are ignorant, that you receive your petition so tardily. Therefore, don't cease to make your soul's petition, and you shall receive it. But if you grow weary, and doubt as you ask, blame yourself and not Him who gives to you.

"See to this doubtful-mindedness; for it is evil and senseless, and uproots many from the faith, yes, even very faithful and strong men. Indeed this doubtful-mindedness is a daughter of the devil, and works great wickedness against the servants of God.

Therefore despise doubtful-mindedness and gain the mastery over it in everything, clothing yourself with faith which is strong and powerful. Faith promises all things and accomplishes all things; but doubtful-mindedness, as having no confidence in itself, fails in all the works that it does.

"You see then," he said, "that faith is from above from the Lord, and has great power; but doubtful-mindedness is an earthly spirit from the devil, and has no power. Therefore serve FAITH which has power, and hold aloof from DOUBTFUL-MINDEDNESS which has no power; and you will live to God; yes, and all those shall live to God who are so minded."
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"Put away SORROW from yourself," he said, "for she is the sister of doubtful-mindedness and of angry temper.

"SORROW is more evil than all the spirits, and is most fatal to the servants of God, and beyond all the spirits destroys a man. Therefore clothe yourself in CHEERFULNESS, which has favour with God always, and is acceptable to Him, and rejoice in it.

"Every cheerful man works good, and thinks good, and despises sadness; but the sad man is always committing sin. In the first place he commits sin, because he grieves the Holy Spirit, which was given to the man being a cheerful spirit; and in the second place, by grieving the Holy Spirit he does lawlessness, in that he does not intercede nor confess to God. The intercession of a sad man never at any time has power to ascend to the altar of God."

"Why," I said, "doesn't the intercession of him that is saddened ascend to the altar?"

"Because," he said, "sadness is seated at his heart. Thus sadness mingled with the intercession does not allow the intercession to ascend pure to the altar. As vinegar when mingled with wine in the same vessel doesn't have the same pleasant taste, so likewise sadness mingled with the Holy Spirit does not have the same intercession. Therefore cleanse yourself from this wicked sadness, and you will live to God; yes, and all shall live to God, who shall cast away sadness from themselves and clothe themselves in all cheerfulness."
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