Get her to you without silver, and put your neck under her yoke, and let your soul receive discipline; for she is near at hand to be found. See with your eyes how I have laboured but a little, and have found much rest for myself. Take up discipline with a great sum of silver, and possess much gold in her. Let your soul rejoice in His mercy, and you shall not be confounded in His praise. Work your work before the time, and He will give you your reward in His time. From the book of Tobit we have thought these things should be set down. XXIV. FROM THE BOOK OF TOBIT. Thou shalt honour thy mother all the days of her life; for thou must be mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb. And after two verses:
But all the days of thy life have God in thy mind, and take heed thou never consent to sin, nor transgress the commandments of the Lord thy God. Of thy substance give alms, and turn not away thy face from any poor person; for so it shall come to pass that neither shall the face of the Lord be turned from thee. According as thou art able, so be merciful. If thou have much, give abundantly; if thou have little, take care even so to bestow willingly a little; for thou layest up for thyself a good reward against the day of necessity. For alms delivereth from all sin and from death, and shall not suffer the soul to go into darkness. Alms shall be great confidence before the most high God to all them that give it.
Take heed to keep thyself, my son, from all fornication, and beside thy wife never endure to know a crime. Never suffer pride to reign in thy mind or in thy word; for from it all perdition took its beginning. Whosoever hath done any work for thee, immediately restore to him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hireling stay with thee at all. Whatever thou hatest to be done to thee by another, see thou never do it to another. Eat thy bread with the hungry and needy, and cover the naked with thy garments. And after two verses: Seek counsel always of a wise man. Bless God at all times, and ask of Him to direct thy ways, and that all thy counsels may abide in Him. And after seven verses: Fear not, my son:
We lead indeed a poor life, but we shall have many good things if we fear God, and depart from all sin, and do well. And after many things: Then Raphael said to them privately: Bless ye the God of heaven, and give glory to Him in the sight of all that live, because He hath shown His mercy to you. For it is good to hide the secret of a king, but honourable to reveal and confess the works of God. Prayer is good with fasting, and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold; for alms delivereth from death, and it is that which purgeth away sins and maketh to find life everlasting. But they that commit sin and iniquity are enemies to their own soul. And a little after: Hear therefore me, my sons, your father:
Serve the Lord in truth, and seek to do the things that please Him; and command your children that they do justice and alms, that they be mindful of God, and bless Him at all times in truth and with all their strength. Now since not all the canonical and ancient books have furnished what was necessary for this work of ours, nor did those that did furnish it fit to give from all their places, but only from those where we found the plainer precepts of good morals — whether where useful things are commanded, or where their contraries are forbidden — let us pass to the sacred writings of the Gospels and Apostles.
At the head, in the canon of the New Testament, are held the four most well-known and most illustrious Gospels; in the first of these, which is according to Matthew, let us see those things which are suited to us for this work we have undertaken. XXV. FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. And Jesus, seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain; and when He was set down, His disciples came unto Him. And opening His mouth, He taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven; for so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men. You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid:
Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
But I say to you, that unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be liable to the fire of hell. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath anything against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.
Be at agreement with thy adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him, lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing. You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart. And if thy right eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right hand cause thee to offend, cut it off and cast it from thee; it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body go into hell.
And it hath been said: Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, excepting for the cause of fornication, maketh her to commit adultery; and he that shall marry her that is put away committeth adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but thou shalt perform thy oaths to the Lord. But I say to you not to swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your speech be: Yea, yea; No, no; and that which is over and above these is of evil. You have heard that it hath been said:
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you not to resist evil; but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other; and to him that will contend with thee in judgment and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him. And whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him other two. Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away. You have heard that it hath been said: Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thy enemy. But I say to you:
Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you; that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh His sun to rise upon the good and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? Do not also the heathens this? Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven.
Therefore when thou dost an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth, that thy alms may be in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee. And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee.
And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens; for they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you before you ask Him. Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our supersubstantial bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.
And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face, that thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee. Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth, where the rust and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also. The light of thy body is thy eye.
If thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome; but if thy eye be evil, thy whole body shall be dark. If then the light that is in thee be darkness, how great shall the darkness itself be? No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will sustain the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat, and the body more than the raiment? Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feedeth them:
Are not you of much more value than they? And which of you by thinking can add to his stature one cubit? And for raiment why are you solicitous? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of the field, which is today and tomorrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe, how much more you, O ye of little faith? Be not solicitous therefore, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek; for your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you. And why seest thou the mote in thy brother's eye, and seest not the beam in thy own eye? Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye; and behold, a beam is in thy own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you they tear you. Ask, and it shall be given you:
Seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, of whom if his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a stone? Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them; for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.
How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life, and few there are that find it! Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not everyone that saith to me:
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many mighty works in thy name? And then will I confess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, you that work iniquity. Everyone therefore that heareth these my words and doeth them shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
And everyone that heareth these my words and doeth them not shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof. And a little after: Freely have you received, freely give. Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff; for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till you go thence. And when you come into the house, salute it; and if that house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it:
But if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, going forth out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, and you shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak:
For it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son; and the children shall rise up against their parents and shall put them to death. And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake; but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved. And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you shall not finish all the cities of Israel till the Son of man come. The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.
If they have called the good man of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household? Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed, nor hid that shall not be known. That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light; and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops. And fear ye not them that kill the body and are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows.
Everyone therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven; but he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not up his cross and followeth me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it:
And he that shall lose his life for me shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the reward of a prophet; and he that receiveth a just man in the name of a just man shall receive the reward of a just man. And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. And a little after: But whereunto shall I esteem this generation to be like? It is like to children sitting in the market place, who, crying to their companions, say: We have piped to you, and you have not danced; we have lamented, and you have not mourned. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say: He hath a devil.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by her children. And a little after: Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light. Again, after a little: But if you knew what this meaneth: I will have mercy and not sacrifice, you would never have condemned the innocent. And a little after: He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say to you:
Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men; but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but he that shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to come. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree evil and its fruit evil; for by the fruit the tree is known. O generation of vipers, how can you speak good things, whereas you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
But I say unto you, that of every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. And somewhat after: Hear ye and understand. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. And a little after: Then Peter answering said to him: Expound to us this parable. But he said: Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not understand that whatsoever entereth into the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the privy? But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those things defile a man.
For from the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man. Again, somewhat after: Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For he that will save his life shall lose it; but he that shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then will he render to every man according to his works. Again, somewhat after: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals! For it must needs be that scandals come; but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh!
And if thy hand or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into life than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. See that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. And a little after: But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother:
But if he will not hear thee, take with thee besides one or two, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them, tell the church; and if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican. Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent upon earth concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven. For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him?
Till seven times? Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven times. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king who would take an account of his servants; and when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. But that servant, falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant, being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow-servants that owed him a hundred pence; and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: