The Forbidden Gospels and Epistles Part 75

6 He asked me, Wherefore?

I replied, Because, sir, I never spake a true word in my life; but always lived in dissimulation, and affirmed a lie for truth to all men; and no man contradicted me, but all gave credit to my words. How then can I live, seeing I have done in this manner?

7 And he said unto me, Thou thinkest well and truly; for thou oughtest, as the servant of G.o.d, to have walked in the truth, and not have joined an evil conscience with the spirit of truth, nor have grieved the holy and true Spirit of G.o.d.

8 And I replied unto him, Sir, I never before hearkened so diligently to these things.

He answered, Now thou hearest them Take care from henceforth, that even those things which thou hast formerly spoken falsely for the sake of thy business, may, by thy present truth receive pardon.

9 For even those things may be forgiven, if for the time to come thou shalt speak the truth; and by so doing thou mayest attain unto life.

10 And whosoever shall hearken unto this command, and do it, and shall depart from all lying, he shall live unto G.o.d.

COMMAND IV.

Of putting away one's wife for adultery.

FURTHERMORE, said he, I command thee, that thou keep thyself chaste; and that thou suffer not any thought of any other marriage, or of fornication, to enter into thy heart; for such a thought produces great sin.

2 But be thou at all times mindful of the Lord, and thou shalt never sin. For if such an evil thought should arise in thy heart, then thou shall be guilty of a great sin; and they who do such things, follow the way of death.

3 Look therefore to thyself, and keep thyself from such a thought; for where chast.i.ty remains in the heart of a righteous man, there an evil thought ought never to arise.

4 And I said unto him, Sir, suffer me to speak a little to you.

He bade me say on. And I answered, Sir, if a man that is faithful in the Lord shall have a wife, and shall catch her in adultery; doth a man sin that continues to live still with her?

5 And he said unto me, As long as he is ignorant of her sin, he commits no fault in living with her; but if a man shall know his wife to, have offended, and she shall not repent of her sin, but go on still in her fornication, and a man shall continue nevertheless to live with her, he shall become guilty of her sin, and partake with her in her adultery.

6 And I said unto him, What therefore is to be done, if the woman continues on in her sin?

He answered, Let her husband put her away, and let him continue by himself; but if he shall put away his wife and marry another, he also doth commit adultery.

7 And I said, What, if the woman that is so put away, should repent, and be willing to return to her husband, shall she not be received by him? He said unto me, Yes; and if her husband shall not receive her, he will sin, and commit a great offence against himself; for he ought to receive the offender, if she repents: only not often.

8 For, to the servants of G.o.d, there is but one repentance; and for this cause a man that putteth away his wife ought not to take another, because she may repent.

9 This act is alike both in the man and in the woman. Now they commit adultery, not only who pollute their flesh, but who also make an image. If therefore a woman perseveres in any thing of this kind, and repents not, depart from her; and live not with her, otherwise thou also shalt be partaker of her sin.

10 But it is therefore commanded that both the man and the woman should remain unmarried, because such persons may repent.

11 Nor do I in this administer any occasion for the doing of these things; but rather that whoso has offended, should not offend any more.

12 But for their former sins, G.o.d who has the power of healing will give a remedy; for he has the power of all things.

13 I asked him again, and said, Seeing the Lord hath thought me worthy that thou shouldest dwell with me continually, speak a few words unto me, because I understand nothing, and my heart is hardened through my former conversation; and open my understanding because I am very dull, and apprehend nothing at all.

14 And he answering said unto me, I am the minister of repentance, and give understanding to all that repent. Does it not seem to thee to be a very wise thing to repent? Because he that does so gets great understanding.

15 For he is sensible that he hath sinned and done wickedly in the sight of the Lord, and he remembers within himself that he has offended, and repents and does no more wickedly, but does that which is good, and humbles his soul and afflicts it, because he has offended. You see therefore that repentance is great wisdom.

16 And I said unto him, For this cause, sir, I inquire diligently into all things, because I am a sinner, that I may know what I must do that I may live; because my sins are many.

17 And he said unto me, Thou shalt live if thou shalt keep these my commandments. And whosoever shall hear and do these commands shall live unto G.o.d.

18 And I said unto him, I have even now heard from certain teachers, that there is no other repentance beside that of baptism, when we go down into the water, and receive the forgiveness of our sins; and that after that, we must sin no more, but live in purity.

19 And he said unto me, Thou hast been rightly informed. Never- the-less seeing now thou inquirest diligently into all things, I will manifest this also unto thee; yet not so as to give any occasion of sinning, either to those who shall hereafter believe, or to those who have already believed in the Lord.

20 For neither they who have newly believed, or shall hereafter believe, have any repentance of sins, but forgiveness of them.

21 But as to those who have been called to the faith, and since that are fallen into any gross sin, the Lord hath appointed repentance, because G.o.d knoweth the thoughts of all men's hearts, and their infirmities, and the manifold wickedness of the devil, who is always contriving something against the servants of G.o.d, and maliciously lays snares for them.

22 Therefore our merciful Lord had compa.s.sion towards his creature, and appointed that repentance, and gave unto me the power of it. And therefore I say unto thee, if any one after that great and holy calling shall be tempted by the devil and sin, he has one repentance.

But if he shall often sin and repent, it shall not profit such a one; for he shall hardly live unto G.o.d.

23 And I said, Sir, I am restored again to life since I have thus diligently hearkened to these commands. For I perceive that if I shall not hereafter add any more of my sins, I shall be saved.

24 And he said, Thou shalt be saved: and so shall all others, as many as shall observe these commandments.

25 And again I said unto him, Sir, seeing thou hearest me patiently, show me yet one thing more. Tell me, saith he, what it is.

26 And I said, If a husband or a wife die, and the party which survives marry again, does he sin in so doing? He that marries says he, sins not: howbeit, if he shall remain single, he shall thereby gain to himself great honour before the Lord.

27 Keep therefore thy chast.i.ty and modesty, and thou shalt live unto G.o.d. Observe from henceforth those things which I speak with thee, and command thee to observe, from the time that I have been delivered unto thee, and dwell in thy house.

28 So shall thy former sins be forgiven, if thou shalt keep these my commandments. And in like manner shall all others be forgiven, who shall observe these my commandments.

COMMAND V.

Of the sadness of the heart, and of patience.

Be patient, says he, and long- suffering; so shalt thou have dominion over all wicked works, and shall fulfil all righteousness.

2 For if thou shalt be patient, the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in thee shall be pure, and not be darkened by any evil spirit; but being full of joy shall be enlarged, and feast in the body in which it dwells, and serve the Lord with joy, and in great peace.

3 But if any anger shall overtake thee, presently the Holy Spirit which is in thee will be straightened and seek to depart from thee.

4 For he is choked by the evil spirit, and has not the liberty of serving the Lord as he would; for he is grieved by anger. When, therefore, both these spirits dwell together, it is destructive to a man.

5 As if one should take a little wormwood, and put it into a vessel of honey, the whole honey would be spoiled; and a great quant.i.ty of honey is corrupted by a very little wormwood, and loses the sweetness of honey, and is no longer acceptable to its Lord because the whole honey is made bitter, and loses its use.

6 But if no wormwood be put into the honey, it is sweet and profitable to its Lord. Thus is forbearance sweeter than honey, and profitable to the Lord who dwelleth in it.

7 But anger is unprofitable.

If therefore anger shall be mixed with forbearance, the soul is distressed, and its prayer is not profitable with G.o.d.

8 And I said unto him, Sir, I would know the sinfulness of anger, that I may keep myself from it. And he said unto me, Thou shall know it; and if thou shalt not keep thyself from it, thou shalt lose thy hope with all thy house.

Wherefore depart from it.