After I had written out this book, that messenger who had handed me over to this shepherd came into the house where I was, and sat down upon the couch, and this shepherd stood at his right hand. Then he called me and said these things to me:
"I have handed you and your house over to this shepherd," he said, "that you may be protected by him." "Yes, sir," I said. "If, then, you wish to be protected," he said, "from all harassment and from all cruelty, and to have success in every good work and word and every virtue of equity, walk in the commandments of this one which I have given you, and you shall be able to gain mastery over all wickedness."
"For if you keep the commandments of this one, all cupidity and the sweetness of this world will be subject to you, and success in every good undertaking will follow you. Take up his maturity and modesty in yourself, and tell all that he is held in great honour and dignity before the Lord, and that he is a president of great authority and powerful in his office. To him alone throughout the whole world has the power of repentance been granted. Does he not seem to you to be powerful? Yet you despise the maturity and reverence which he has toward you."
"And I," he said, "know that you have done nothing out of order, nor will you do so. And therefore I speak these things with you, that you may persevere. For he has reported well of you to me. But you shall say these words to the others, so that those also who have done or are about to do repentance may feel the same as you, and he may give a good report of them to me here, and I to the Lord."
"And I, sir," I said, "declare to every man the mighty works of the Lord; and I hope that all who have sinned before, if they hear these things, will gladly do repentance, recovering life."
"Continue, then," he said, "in this ministry and accomplish it. Whoever fulfils the commandments of this one shall have life, and shall have great honour with the Lord. But whoever does not keep his commandments flee from their own life and oppose him; nor do they follow his commandments, but deliver themselves to death, and each one of them becomes guilty of his own blood. But I say to you, serve these commandments, and you shall have a remedy for your sins."
"And I have sent you these virgins, that they may dwell with you; for I have seen that they are friendly toward you. You have them, then, as helpers, that you may be the better able to keep the commandments of this one; for it cannot be that these commandments be kept without these virgins. And I see that they are glad to be with you; but I will charge them that they depart not at all from your house."
"Only keep your house clean; for in a clean house they will gladly dwell. For they are clean and chaste and industrious, and all have favour with the Lord. Therefore, if they find your house pure, they will remain with you. But if some little defilement befalls it, they will at once depart from your house; for these virgins love no defilement at all."
I said to him: "I hope, sir, that I shall please them, so that they may gladly dwell in my house always." And just as this one, to whom you handed me over, does not blame me, neither shall these blame me.
Having said this to the shepherd, he handed me and the virgins over again, and calling them, he said to them: "Since I see that you gladly dwell in this man's house, I commend him and his house to you, that you depart not at all from his house." And they gladly heard these words.
Then he said to me: "Conduct yourself manfully in this ministry, declare to every man the mighty works of the Lord, and you shall have grace in this ministry. Whoever, then, walks in these commandments shall live and be happy in his life; but whoever neglects them shall not live and shall be unhappy in his life."
"Tell all not to cease, whoever are able to do right; to practise good works is profitable to them. And I say that every man ought to be rescued from hardships. For he who is in want and suffers hardships in his daily life is in great torment and necessity."
"Whoever, then, rescues such a soul from necessity gains great joy for himself. For he who is harassed by such hardship is racked with equal torment, and torments himself as one who is in chains. For many, because of such calamities, when they cannot bear them, bring death upon themselves. Whoever, then, knows the calamity of such a man and does not rescue him commits a great sin and becomes guilty of his blood."
"Do good works, therefore, whoever of you have received from the Lord, lest, while you delay to do them, the building of the tower be completed. For it is on your account that the work of its building has been interrupted. Unless, therefore, you hasten to do what is right, the tower will be completed, and you will be shut out."
And after he had spoken with me, he rose from the couch, and taking the shepherd and the virgins, he departed, saying to me that he would send the shepherd and the virgins back into my house.