25 And when they begin to repentof their sins, then they call tomind their works which they havedone amiss, and give honour toGod, saying, that he is a justJudge, and they have deservedlysuffered all things according totheir deeds.
26 Then for what remains oftheir lives, they serve God with apure mind; and have success inall their undertakings, and receivefrom the Lord whatever they desire.
27 And then they give thanksunto the Lord that they weredelivered unto me; nor do theysuffer any more cruelty.
28 I said unto him; Sir, I entreatyou still to show me now one thing.What, said he, dost thou ask?I said unto him; Are they whodepart from the fear of God,tormented for the same time thatthey enjoyed their false delightand pleasures? He answered me;they are tormented for the sametime.
29 And I said unto him; Theyare then tormented but little;whereas they who enjoy theirpleasures so as to forget God,ought to endure seven times asmuch punishment.
30 He answered me; Thou artfoolish, neither understandest thouthe efficacy of this punishment.I said unto him; Sir, if I understoodit, I would not desire you to tell me.
31 Hearken, said he, and learnwhat the force of both is, both ofthe pleasure and of the punishment.An hour of pleasure is terminatedwithin its own space: but one hourof punishment has the efficacy ofthirty days. Whosoever thereforeenjoys his false pleasure for one day,and is one day, tormented; that oneday of punishment is equivalent toa whole year's space.
32 Thus look how many daysany one pursues his pleasures, somany years is he punished for it.You see therefore how that thetime of worldly enjoyments is butshort; but that of pain and torments,a great deal more.
33 I replied; Sir, forasmuch asI do not understand at all thesetimes of pleasure and pain; Ientreat you that you would explainyourself more clearly concerningthem. He answered me, saying;Thy foolishness still sticks untothee.
34. Shouldst thou not ratherpurify thy mind, and serve God?Take heed, lest when thy time isfulfilled, thou be found stillunwise. Hear then, as thou desirest,that thou mayest the more easilyunderstand.
35 He that gives himself up oneday to his pleasures and delights,and does whatsoever his soul desires,is full of great folly, nor understandswhat he does, but the day followingforgets what he did the day before.
36 For delight and worldlypleasure are not kept in memory,by reason of the folly that is rootedin them. But when pain and tormentbefall a man a day, he is in effecttroubled the whole year after;because his punishment continuesfirm in his memory.
37 Wherefore he remembers itwith sorrow the whole year; andthen calls to mind his vain pleasureand delight, and perceives that forthe sake of that he was punished.
38 Whosoever therefore havedelivered themselves over to suchpleasures, are thus punished; becausethat when they had life, they renderedthemselves liable to death.
39 I said unto him; Sir, whatpleasures are hurtful? He answered;That is pleasure to every manwhich he doth willingly.
40 For the angry man, gratifyinghis passion, perceives pleasurein it; and so the adulterer, anddrunkard; the slanderer and liar;the covetous man and the defrauder;and whosoever commits anything likeunto these, he followeth his evildisposition, because he receivesa satisfaction in the doing of it.
41 All these pleasures and delightsare hurtful to the servants of God.For these therefore they are tormentedand suffer punishment.
42 There are also pleasures thatbring salvation unto men. For many,when they do what is good, findpleasure in it, and are attractedby the delights of it.
43 Now this pleasure is profitableto the servants of God, and bringslife to such men; but those hurtfulpleasures, which were before mentioned,bring torments and punishment.
44 And whosoever shall continuein them, and shall not repent ofwhat they have done, shall bringdeath upon themselves.
SIMILITUDE VII.
That they who repent, must bring forth,fruits worthy of repent once.
AFTER a few days I saw thesame person that before talkedwith me, in the same field, inwhich I had seen those shepherds,And he said unto me; What seekestthou? Sir, said I, I came to entreatyou that You would command theshepherd, who is the minister ofpunishment, to depart out of myhouse, because he greatly afflictsme.
3 And he answered, It is necessaryfor thee to endure inconvenienciesand vexations; for so that good angelhath commanded concerning thee,because he would try thee.
4 Sir, said I; What so greatoffence have I committed, that Ishould be delivered to this messenger?Hearken, said he: Thou art indeedguilty of many sins, yet not somany that thou shouldest bedelivered to this messenger.
5 But thy house hath committedmany sins and offences, and thereforethat good messenger being grievedat their doings commanded that forsome time thou shouldst sufferaffliction; that they may bothrepent of what they have done, andmay wash themselves from all thelusts of this present world.
6 When therefore they shall haverepented, and be purified, then thatmessenger which is appointed overthy punishment, shall depart fromthee.
7 I said unto him; Sir, if theyhave behaved themselves so as toanger that good angel, yet whathave I done? He answered: Theycannot otherwise be afflicted,unless thou, who art the headof the family, suffer.
8 For whatsoever thou shaltsuffer, they must needs feel itbut as long as thou shalt standwell established, they cannotexperience any vexation.
9 I replied; But, sir, beholdthey also now repent with all theirhearts. I know, says he, that theyrepent with all their hearts; butdost thou therefore think that theiroffences who repent, are immediatelyblotted out.
10 No, they are not presently;but he that repents must afflict hissoul and show himself humble inall his affairs, and undergo manyand divers vexations.
11 And when he shall have sufferedall things that were appointed for him;then perhaps HE that made him, andformed all things besides, will bemoved with compassion towards him,and afford him some remedy; andespecially if HE shall perceivehis heart who repents, to be freefrom every evil work.
12 But at present it is expedientfor thee, and for thy house, to begrieved; and it is needful thatthou shouldst endure much vexation,as the angel of the Lord who committedthee unto me, has commanded.
13 Rather give thanks unto theLord, that knowing what was tocome he thought thee worthy, towhom he should foretell that troublewas coming upon thee, who art ableto bear it.
14 I said unto him; Sir, but bethou also with me, and I shalleasily undergo any trouble. I will,said he, be with thee; and I willentreat the messenger who is setover thy punishment, that hewould moderate his afflictionstowards thee.
15 And moreover thou shaltsuffer adversity but for a littletime; and then thou shalt againbe restored to thy former state;only continue on in the humilityof thy mind.
16 Obey the Lord with a pureheart; thou, and thy house, andthy children; and walk in thecommands which I have deliveredunto thee; and then thy repentancemay be firm and pure.
17 And if thou shalt keepthese things with thy house, thyinconveniencies shall depart from thee.
18 And all vexation shall in likemanner depart from those, whosoevershall walk according to these commands.
SIMILITUDE VIII.
That there are many kinds of elect, and ofrepenting sinners: and how all of these shallreceive a reward proportionable to the measureof their repentance and good works.
AGAIN he showed me a willowwhich covered the fields andthe mountains, under whose shadowcame all such as were called bythe name of the Lord.
2 And by that willow stood an.angel of the Lord very excellentand lofty, and did cut down bowsfrom the willow with a greathook; and reached out to the peoplethat were under the shadow of thewillow, little rods, as it wereabout a foot long.
3 And when all of them hadtaken them, he laid aside his hook,and the tree continued entire, as Ihad before seen it; at which Iwondered, and mused within myself.
4 Then that shepherd said untome; Forbear to wonder that thetree continues whole,not-with-standing so many boughs havebeen cut off from it: but stay alittle, for now it shall be shownthee, what that angel means, whogave those rods to the people.
5 So he again demanded therods of them; and in the sameorder that every one had receivedthem, was he called to him, andrestored his rod; which when hehad received, he examined them.
6 From some he received themdry and rotten, and as it weretouched with the moth; those hecommanded to be separated fromthe rest, and placed by themselves.Others gave in their rods dryindeed, but not touched with themoth: these also he ordered to beset by themselves.
7 Others gave in their rods halfdry; these also were set apart,Others gave in their rods half dryand cleft; these too were set bythemselves. Others brought intheir rods half dry and half green,and these were in like mannerplaced by themselves.
8 Others delivered up their rodstwo parts green, and the thirddry; and they too were set apart.Others brought their rods twoparts dry, and the third green;and were also placed by themselves.
9 Others delivered up their rodsless dry (for there was but a verylittle, to wit, their tops dry), butthey had clefts, and these were setin like manner by themselves. Inthe rods of others there was but alittle green, and the rest dry; andthese were set aside by themselves.
10 Others came, and broughttheir rods green as they hadreceived them, and the greatestpart of the people brought theirrods thus; and the messengergreatly rejoiced at these, and theyalso were put apart by themselves.
11 Others brought in their rodsnot only green, but full of branches;and these were set aside, beingalso received by the angelwith great joy. Others broughttheir rods green with branches,and those also some fruit uponthem.
12 They who had such rods,were very cheerful; and the angelhimself took great joy at them;nor was the shepherd that stoodwith me, less pleased with them.
13 Then the angel of the Lordcommanded crowns to be brought,and the crowns were brought madeof palms; and the angel crownedthose men in whose rods he foundthe young branches with fruit, andcommanded them to go into thetower.
14 He also sent those into thetower, in whose hands he foundbranches without fruit, giving aseal unto them. For they had thesame garment, that is, one whiteas snow; with which he bade themgo into the tower And so he didto those who returned their rodsgreen as they had received them;giving them a white garment, andso sent them away to go into thetower.
15 Having done this, he said tothe shepherd that was with me,I go my way; but do thou sendthese within the walls, every oneinto the place in which he hasdeserved to dwell; examining firsttheir rods, but examine themdiligently that no one deceive thee;and if any one shall escape thee,I will try them upon the altar.Having said this to the shepherd,he departed.
16 After he was gone, the shepherdsaid unto me; Let us take the rodsfrom them, and plant them; ifperchance they may grow green again.I said unto him; Sir, how can thosedry rods ever grow green again?
17 He answered me; That tree.is a willow, and always loves tolive. If therefore these rods shallbe planted, and receive a littlemoisture, many of them willrecover themselves.
18 Wherefore I will try, andwill pour water upon them, and ifany of them can live, I will rejoicewith them; but if not, at least bythis means I shall be found notto have neglected my part.
19 Then he commanded me tocall them; and they all cameunto him, every one in the rankin which he stood, and gave himtheir rods; which having receivedhe planted every one of them intheir several orders.
20 And after he had plantedthem all, he poured much waterupon them, insomuch that theywere covered with water, and didnot appear above it. Then whenhe had watered them, he said untome; Let us depart, and after alittle time we will return and visitthem.
21 For he who created this tree,would have all those live thatreceived rods from it. And I hopenow that these rods are thuswatered, many of them receivingin the moisture, will recover:
22 I said unto him, Sir, tellme what this tree denotes? For Iam greatly astonished, that afterso many branches have been cutoff, it seems still to be whole:nor does there any thing the lessof it appear to remain, whichgreatly amazes me.
23 He answered, Hearken. Thisgreat tree which covers the plainsand the mountains, and all theearth, is the law of God, publishedthroughout the whole world.
24 Now this law is the Son ofGod, who is preached to all theends of the earth. The peoplethat stand under its shadow, arethose which have heard his preaching,and believed.
25 The great and venerableangel which you saw, was Michaelwho had the power over his people,and governs them. For he hasplanted the law in the heartsof those who have believed: andtherefore he visits them to whomlie has given the law, to see ifthey have kept it.
26 And he examines everyone's rod; and of those, many thatare weakened: for those rods arethe law of the Lord. Then he discernsall those who have not kept the law,knowing the place of every one of them.
27 I said unto him, Sir, whydid he send away some to thetower, and left others here to you?He replied, those who havetransgressed the law, which theyreceived from him, are left in mypower, that they may repent oftheir sins: but they who fulfilledthis law and kept it, are under hispower.
28 But who then, said I, arethose, who went into the towercrowned? He replied, all such ashaving striven with the devil, haveovercome him, are crowned: andthey are those, who have sufferedhard things, that they might keepthe law.
29 But they who gave up theirrods green, and with youngbranches, but without fruit, haveindeed endured trouble for thesame law, but have not suffereddeath; neither have they deniedtheir holy law.
30 They who delivered up theirrods green as they received them,are those who were modest andjust, and have lived with avery pure mind, and kept thecommandments of God.
31 The rest thou shalt know,when I shall have considered thoserods which I have planted andwatered.
32 After a few days we returned,and in the same place stood thatglorious angel, and I stood by him.Then he said unto me; Gird thyselfwith a towel, and serve me.
33 And I girded myself witha clean towel, which was made ofcoarse cloth. And when he sawme girded, and ready to ministerunto him, he said, Call those menwhose rods have been planted,every one in his order as hegave them.
34 And he brought me into thefield, and I called them all,and they all stood ready in theirseveral ranks. Then he said untothem; let every one pluck up hisrod, and bring it unto me. Andfirst they delivered theirs, whoserods had been dry and rotten.
35 And those whose rods stillcontinued so, he commanded tostand apart. Then they camewhose rods had been dry but notrotten. Some of these delivered.in their rods green; others dryand rotten, as if they had beentouched by the moth.
36 Those who gave them upgreen, he commanded to standapart: but those whose rods weredry and rotten, he caused to standwith the first sort. Then camethey whose rods had been halfdry, and cleft: many of thesegave up their rods green, anduncleft.
37 Others delivered them upgreen with branches, like untotheirs who went crowned into thetower. Others delivered themup dry, but not rotten; and somegave them up as they were before,all dry, and cleft.
38 Every one of these he orderedto stand apart; some by themselves,others in their respective ranks.
32 Then came they whose rodshad been green, but cleft. Thesedelivered their rods altogethergreen, and stood in their ownorder. And the shepherd rejoicedat these, because they were allchanged, and free from theirclefts.
40 Then they gave in their rods,who had them half green andhalf dry. Of these some werefound wholly green, others halfdry: others green, with youngshoots. And all these were sentaway, every one to his properrank.
41 Then they gave up theirrods, who had them before twoparts green, and the third dry.Many of those gave in their rodsgreen; many half dry; the restdry but not rotten. So these weresent away, each to his properplace.
42 Then came they who beforehad their rods two parts dry andthe third green; many of thesedelivered up their rods half dry,others dry and rotten; others halfdry and cleft: but few green. Andall these were set every one in hisown rank.
43 Then they reached in theirrods, in which there was beforebut a little green, and the restdry. Their rods were for themost part found green, havinglittle boughs, with fruit uponthem; and the rest altogethergreen.
44 And the shepherd upon sightof these rejoiced exceedingly,because he had found them thus;and they also went to theirproper orders.
45 Now after he had examinedall their rods, he said unto me,I told thee that this tree lovedlife thou seest how many haverepented, and attained untosalvation. Sir, said I, I see it.
46 That thou mightest knowsaith he, that the goodness andmercy of the Lord is great, andto be had in honour; who gavehis spirit to them that were foundworthy of repentance.
47 I answered, Sir, why thendid not all of them repent? Hereplied, Those whose minds theLords foresaw would be pure, andthat they would serve him withall their hearts, to them he gaverepentance.
48 But for those whose deceitand wickedness he beheld, andperceived that they would nottruly return unto him; to themhe denied any return untorepentance, lest they should againblaspheme his law with wickedwords.
49 I said unto him; Now, Sir,make known unto me, what is theplace of every one of those, whohave given up their rods, andwhat their portion; that whenthey may have not kept their sealentire, but have wasted the sealwhich they received, shall hearand believe these thins, and mayacknowledge their evil deeds andrepent;
50 And receiving again theirseal from you, may give glory toGod, that he was moved withcompassion towards them, and sentyou to renew their spirits.
51 Hearken, said he; theywhose rods have been foundand rotten, and as it were touchedwith the moth; are the desertersand the betrayers of the church;
52 Who with the rest of theircrimes, have also blasphemed theLord, and denied his name whenhe had called upon them. Thereforeall these are dead unto Godand thou seest that none of themhave repented, although theyhave heard my commands whichthou hast delivered unto them.From these men therefore life isfar distant.
53 They also who have deliveredup their rods dry, but not rotten,have not been far from them. Forthey have been counterfeits,and brought in evil doctrines,and have perverted the servantsof God, especially thosewho had sinned; not sufferingthem to return unto repentance,but keeping them back by theirfalse doctrines.
54 These therefore have hope;and thou seest that many of themhave repented, since the timethat thou hast laid my commandsbefore them; and many morewill yet repent. But they, thatshall not repent; shall lose bothrepentance and life.
55 But they that have repented,their place is begun to be withinthe first walls, and some of themare even gone into the tower.Thou seest therefore, said he, thatin the repentance of sinners thereis life; but for those who repentnot, death is prepared.
56 Hear now concerningthose who gave in their rods halfdry and full of clefts. Those whoserods were only half dry, are thedoubtful; for they are neitherliving nor dead.
57 But they who delivered intheir rods, not only half dry butalso full of clefts, are both doubtfuland evil speakers; who detract fromthose that are absent, and havenever peace among themselves,and who envy one another.
58 Howbeit, to those alsorepentance is offered; for thouseest that some of these haverepented.
59 Now all those of this kindwho have quickly repented, shallhave a place in the tower; andthey who have been more slow intheir repentance, shall dwell withinthe walls: but they that shallnot repent, and shall continue onin their wicked doings, shall diethe death.
60 As for those who had theirrods green, but yet cleft; theyare such as were always faithfuland good, but they had some envyand strife among themselvesconcerning dignity and pre-eminence.
61 Now all such as are vain, andwithout understanding, contendwith one another about thesethings.
62 Nevertheless, seeing theyare otherwise good, if when theyshall hear these commands theyshall amend themselves, and shallat my persuasion suddenly repent;they shall at last dwell in thetower, like those who have trulyand worthily repented.
63 But if any one shall againreturn to his dissension; he shallbe shut out from the tower, andshall lose his life. For the lifeof those who keep the commandmentsof the Lord, consists in doingwhat they are commanded; not inprincipality, or in any otherdignity.
64 For by forbearance and humilityof mind, men shall attain unto life;but by seditions and contempt of thelaw, they shall purchase death untothemselves.
65 They who in their rodshad half dry and half green, arethose who are engaged in manyaffairs of the world, and are notjoined to the saints. For whichcause half of them liveth, andhalf is dead.
66 Wherefore many of thesesince the time that they haveheard my commands, have repented,and begun to dwell in the tower.But some of them havewholly fallen away; to these thereis no more place for repentance.
67 For by reason of their presentinterests, they have blasphemedand denied God: and for thiswickedness they have lost life.And of these many are still indoubt, yet these may return; andif they shall quickly repent, theyshall have a place in the tower;but if they shall be more slow,they shall dwell within the walls;but if they shall not repent, theyshall die.
68 As for those who had twoparts of their rods green, and thethird dry; they have by manifoldways denied the Lord. Of thesemany have repented, and founda place in the tower: and manyhave altogether departed fromGod. These have utterly lost life.
69 And some being in a doubtfulstate, have raise up dissensions:these may yet return, if theyshall suddenly repent and notcontinue in their lusts; but ifthey shall continue in theirevil-doing they shall die.
70 They who gave in theirrods two parts dry, and the otherbeen, are those who have indeedbeen faithful, but withal rich andfull of good things; and thereuponupon have desired to be famousamong the heathen which arewithout, and have thereby falleninto great pride, and begun toaim at high matters, and toforsake the truth.
71 Nor were they joined to thesaints, but lived with the heathen;and this life seemed the more pleasantto them. Howbeit they have notdeparted from God, but continuedin the faith; only they havenot wrought the works of faith.
72 Many therefore of these haverepented; and begun to dwell inthe tower. Yet others still livingamong the heathen people, andbeing lifted up with their vanities,have utterly fallen away fromGod, and followed the works andwickedness of the heathen.These kind of men therefore arereckoned among strangers to theGospel.
73 Others of these began to bedoubtful in their minds; despairingby reason of their wicked doingsever to attain unto salvationOthers being thus made doubtful,did moreover stir up dissensions.
74 To these therefore, and tothose who by reason of their doingsare become doubtful, there is stillhope of return; but they must repentquickly, that their place may be inthe tower. But they that repent not,and continue still in their pleasures,are nigh unto death.
75 As for those who gave intheir rods green, excepting theirtops, which only were dry, andhad clefts; these were alwaysgood, and faithful, and uprightbefore God: nevertheless theysinned a little, by reason of theirempty pleasures and triflingthoughts which they had withinthemselves.
76 Wherefore many of themwhen they heard my words,repented forthwith, and began todwell in the tower. Neverthelesssome grew doubtful, and othersto their doubtful minds addeddissensions. To these thereforethere is still hope of return,because they were always good;but they shall not hardly be moved.
77 As for those, lastly, whogave in their rods dry, their topsonly excepted, which alone weregreen; they are such as havebelieved indeed in God, but havelived in wickedness; yet withoutdeparting from God: having alwayswillingly borne the name of theLord, and readily received intotheir houses the servants of God.
78 Wherefore hearing thesethings they returned, and withoutdelay repented, and lived in allrighteousness. And some of themsuffered death: others readilyunderwent many trials, beingmindful of their evil doings.
79 If And when he had endedhis explications of all the rods,he said unto me, Go, and say untoall men that they repent, and theyshall live unto God; because theLord being moved with greatclemency hath sent me to preachrepentance unto all:
80 Even unto those who byreason of their evil doings, deservenot to attain unto salvation. Butthe Lord will by patient, and keepthe invitation that was made byhis Son.
81 I said unto him, sir, I hopethat all when they shall hear thesethings, will repent. For I trustthat everyone acknowledging hiscrimes, and taking up the fearof the Lord, will return untorepentance.
82 He said unto me, Whosoevershall repent with all theirhearts, and cleanse themselvesfrom all the evils that I havebefore mentioned, and not addanything more to their sins,shall receive from the Lord cureof their former iniquities, if they donot make any doubt of these commands,and shall live unto God.
83 But they that shall continueto add to their transgressions, andstill converse with the lusts ofthe present world, shall condemnthemselves unto death. But dothou walk in these commands, andwhosoever shall Walk in these, andexercise them rightly, shall liveunto God.
84 And having showed me allthese things, he said; I will showthee the rest in a few days.
SIMILITUDE IX.
The greatest mysteries of the militant andtriumphant Church which is to be built.
AFTER I had Written the Commandsand similitudes of the Shepherd,the Angel of Repentance came untome, and said to me, I will showthee all those things which theSpirit spake with thee underthe figure of the church. Forthat Spirit is the Son of God.
2 And because thou wert weakin body, it was not declared untothee by the angel, until thou wertstrengthened by the Spirit, andincreased in force, that thoumightest also see the angel:
3 For then indeed the buildingof the tower was very well andgloriously shown unto thee by thechurch; nevertheless thou sawestall things shown unto thee as itwere by a virgin.
4 But now thou art enlightenedby the angel, and yet by the sameSpirit. But thou must considerall things diligently; for therefoream I sent into thy house by thatvenerable messenger, that whenthou shalt have seen all thingspowerfully, thou mayest not beafraid as before.
5 And he led me to the heightof a mountain in Arcadia, and wesat upon its top. And he showedme a great plain, and about ittwelve mountains in differentfigures.
6 The first was black as soot.The second was smooth, withoutherbs. The third was full ofthorns and thistles. The fourthhad herbs half dried; of whichthe upper part was green, but thatnext the root was dry; and someof the herbs, when the sun grewhot, were dry.
7 The fifth mountain was veryrugged; but yet had green herbs.The sixth mountain was full ofclefts, some lesser, and somegreater; and in these clefts grewgrass, not flourishing, but whichseemed to be withering.
8 The seventh mountain haddelightful pasture, and was whollyfruitful; and all kinds of cattle,and of the birds of heaven; fedupon it; and the more they fedon it, the more and better did thegrass grow.
9 The eighth mountain was fullof fountains, and from thosefountains were watered all kinds ofthe creatures of Cod. The ninthmountain had no water at all, butwas wholly destitute of it; andnourished deadly serpents, verydestructive to men.
10 The tenth mountain was fullof tall trees, and altogether shady;and under the shade of them laycattle resting and chewing the cud.
11 The eleventh mountain wasfull of the thickest trees, andthose trees seemed to be loadedwith several sorts of fruits; thatwhosoever saw them could not choosebut desire to eat of their fruit.
12 The twelfth mountain wasaltogether white, and of a mostpleasant aspect, and itself gave amost excellent beauty to itself.
13 In the middle of the plainhe showed me a huge white rock,which rose out of the plain, andthe rock was higher than thosemountains, and was square; sothat it seemed capable of supportingthe whole world.
14 It looked to me to be old,yet it had in it a new gate, whichseemed to have been newly hewnout of it. Now that gate wasbright beyond the sun itself;insomuch, that I greatly wonderedat its light.
15 About the gate stood twelvevirgins; of which four that stoodat the corners of the gate, seemedto me to be the chiefest, althoughthe rest were also of worth: andthey stood in the four parts of thegate.
16 It added also to the grace ofthose virgins, that they stood inpairs, clothed with linen garments,and decently girded, their rightarms being at liberty, as if theywere about to lift up some burthen;for so they were adorned, and wereexceeding cheerful and ready.
17 When I saw this, I wonderedwith myself to see such greatand noble things. And again Iadmired upon the account of thosevirgins, that they were so handsomeand delicate; and stood with suchfirmness and constancy, as if theywould carry the whole heaven.
18 And as I was thinking thuswithin myself, the shepherd saidunto me; What thickest thou withinthyself? Why art thou disquieted,and fillest thyself with care?
19 Do not seem to consider, asif thou wert wise, what thou doestnot understand, but pray unto theLord, that thou mayest have abilityto understand it. What is to comethou canst not understand, butthou seest that which is beforethee.
20 Be not therefore disquietedat those things which thou canstnot see; but get the understandingof those which thou seest.
21 Forbear to be curious; andI will show thee all things that Iought to declare unto thee: butfirst consider what yet remains.
22 And when he had said this untome I looked up, and behold I sawsix tall and venerable men coming;their countenances were all alike,and they called a certain multitudeof men; and they who came at theircall were also tall and stout.
23 And those six commandedthem to build a certain tower overthat gate. And immediately therebegan to be a great noise of thosemen running here and there aboutthe gate, who were come togetherto build the tower.
24 But those virgins which stoodabout the gate perceived that thebuilding of the tower was to behastened by them. And theystretched out their hands, as ifthey were to receive somewhatfrom them to do.
25 Then those six men commanded,that they should lift up stonesout of a certain deep place,and prepare them for the buildingof the tower. And there werelifted up ten white stones, square,and not cut round.
26 Then those six men calledthe ten virgins to them, andcommanded them to carry all thestones that were to be put intothe building, and having carriedthem through the gate to deliverthem to those that were about tobuild the tower.
27 Immediately the virgins beganall of them together to lift upthose stones, that were beforetaken out of the deep.
28 And they who also stood aboutthe gate did carry stones in sucha manner, that those stones whichseemed to be the strongest werelaid at the corners, and the restwere put into the sides;
29 And thus they carried all thestones, and bringing them throughthe gate delivered them to thebuilders, as they had beencommanded: who receiving themat their hands, built with them.
30 But this building was madeupon that great rock, and over thegate; and by these the whole towerwas supported. But the buildingof the ten stones filled the wholegate, which began to be made forthe foundation of that tower.
31 After those ten stones didfive and twenty others rise upout of the deep; and these wereplaced in the building of the sametower; being lifted up by thosevirgins, as the others had beenbefore.
32 After these did fire and thirtyothers rise up; and these were alsoin like manner fitted into the samework. Then forty other stones werebrought up, and all these were addedunto the building of that tower.
33 So there began to be fourranks in the foundation of thattower; and the stones ceased torise out of the deep; and theyalso which built rested a little.
34 Again, those six men commandedthe multitude, that they shouldbring stones out of those twelvemountains to the building of thesame tower.
35 So they cut out of all themountains stones of divers colours,and brought them and gave them tothe virgins; which when they hadreceived they carried them, anddelivered them into the buildingof the tower.
36 In which when they were builtthey became white, and differentfrom what they were before; forthey were all alike, and didchange their former colours.And some were reached up by themen themselves, which when theycame into the building, continuedsuch is they were put in.
37 These neither became white,nor different from what they werebefore; because they were notcarried by the virgins throughthe gate. Wherefore these stoneswere disagreeable in the building;which, when these six men perceivedthey commanded them to be removed,and put again in the place fromwhich they were brought.
38 And they said to those whobrought these stones; Do not yereach up to us any stones for thisbuilding, but lay them down bythe tower, that these virgins maycarry them and reach them to us.
39 For unless they shall becarried by these virgins throughthis gate, they cannot change theircolours: therefore do not labourin vain.
40 So the building that daywas done; howbeit the tower wasnot finished, for it was afterwardsto be built; therefore now alsothere was some delay made of it.
41 And these six men commandedthose that built to depart, andas it were to rest for some time;but they ordered those virginsthat they should not depart fromthe tower; so now they seemedto me to be left for the guardingof it.
42 When all were departed,I said unto the shepherd; Sir,why is not the building of thetower finished? Because it cannot,said he, be finished until its Lordcomes, and approves of the building;that if he shall find any stonesin it that are not good they maybe changed; for this tower is builtaccording to his will.
43 Sir, said I, I would knowwhat the building of this towersignifies; as also I would beinformed concerning this rock,and this gate;
44 And concerning the mountains,and the virgins, and the stonesthat did rise out of the deep,and were not cut, but put intothe building just as they cameforth; and why the ten stoneswere first laid in the foundation;then the twenty-five, then thirty-five; then forty?
45 Also concerning those stonesthat were put into the building,and again taken out, and carriedback into their places? Fulfil, Ipray, the desire of my soul as toall these things, and manifest allunto me.
46 And he said unto me; If thoushalt not be dull, thou shallknow all, and shall see all theother things that are about tohappen in this, tower: and shallunderstand diligently all thesesimilitudes.
47 And after a few days wecame into the same place wherewe had sat before; and he saidunto me, Let us go unto thetower; for the Lord of it willcome and examine it.
48 So we came thither, andfound none but those virgins there.And he asked them whether theLord of that tower was comethither? And they replied, thathe would be there presently toexamine the building.
49 After a very little while Isaw a great multitude of mencoming, and in the middle of thema man so tall, that he surpassedthe tower in height.
50 About him were those six,who before commanded in thebuilding, and all the rest ofthose who had built that tower,and many others of great dignity:and the virgins that kept the towerran to meet him, and kissed him,and began to walk near unto him.
51 But he examined the buildingwith so much care, that he handledevery stone; and struck every onewith a rod which he held in his hand:
52 Of which some being so struckturned black as soot; others wererough; some looked as if they hadcracks in them; others seemed maimed;some neither black nor white; somelooked sharp, and agreed not with theother stones, and others were fullof spots.
53 These were the several kindsof those stones which were notfound proper in the building; allwhich the Lord commanded to betaken out of the tower, and laidnear it, and other stones to bebrought and put in their places.
54 And they that built, askedhim from which of the mountainshe would have stones brought toput in the place of those that werelaid aside. But he forbad themto bring any from the mountains,and commanded that they shouldtake them out of a certain fieldthat was near.
55 So they digged in the field,and found many bright squarestones, and some also that wereround. Howbeit, all that werefound in that field were takenaway, and carried through thegate by those virgins; and thoseof them that were square werefitted and put into the places ofthose that were pulled out.
56 But the round ones were notput into the building, because theywere hard, and it would haverequired too much time to cut thembut they were placed about thetower, as if they should hereafterbe cut square, and put into thebuilding; for they were verywhite.
57 When he who was chief indignity, and lord of the wholetower saw this, he called to himthe shepherd that was with me,and gave him the stones that wererejected and laid about the tower,and said unto him; cleanse thesestones with all care, and fit theminto the building of the tower, thatthey may agree with the rest; butthose that will not suit with therest, cast away afar off from thetower.
58 When he had thus commanded him,he departed, with all those thatcame with him to the tower butthose virgins still stood aboutthe tower to keep it.
59 And I said unto that shepherd;How can these stones, seeing theyhave been rejected, return intothe building of this tower?He replied; I will cut off thegreatest part from these stones,and will add them to the building,and they will agree with the rest.
60 And I said, Sir, how willthey be able to fill the same place,when they shall be so much cutaway? He answered; They thatshall be found too little shall beput into the middle of the building,and the greater shall be placedwithout, and keep them in.
61 When he had said thus untome, he added; Let us go, and afterthree days we will return, andI will put these stones, beingcleansed, into the tower.
62 For all these that are aboutthe tower must be cleansed, lestthe master of the house chance tocome upon the sudden, and findthose which are about the towerunclean; and be so exasperatedthat these stones should never beput into the building of this tower,and I shall be looked upon to havebeen unmindful of my master'scommands.
63 When therefore we cameafter three days to the tower,he said unto me; Let us examineall these stones, and let us seewhich of them may go into thebuilding. I answered, Sir,let us see.
64 And first of all we beganto consider those which had beenblack; for they were found justsuch as they were when they werepulled out of the tower: whereforehe commanded them to be removedfrom the tower and put by themselves.
65 Then he examined thosewhich had been rough; and commandedmany of those to be cut round, andto be fitted by the virgins intothe building of the tower; so theytook them, and fitted them intothe middle of the building andhe commanded the rest to be laidby with the black ones, for theyalso were become black.
66 Next he considered thosewhich were full of cracks, andmany of those also he ordered tobe pared away, and so to be addedto the rest of the building, by thecame virgins.
67 These were placed withoutbecause they were found entire;but the residue through themultitude of their cracks couldnot be reformed, and thereforewere cast away from the buildingof the tower.
68 Then he considered thosethat had been maimed; many ofthese had cracks, and were becomeblack; others had large clefts;these he commanded to be placedwith those that were rejected;
69 But the rest being cleansedand reformed, he commanded tobe put into the building. Thesetherefore those virgins took up,and fitted into the middle of thebuilding, because they were butweak.
70 After these he examined thosewhich were found half white andhalf black, and many of thosewhich were now black; these alsohe ordered to be laid amongthose that were cast away.
71 The rest were found altogetherwhite; those were taken up by thevirgins, and fitted into the sametower: and they were put in theoutside, because they were foundentire; that so they might keepin those that were placed in themiddle, for nothing was cut offfrom them.
72 Next he looked upon thosewhich had been hard and sharp;but few of these were made use of,because they could not be cut, forthey were found very hard: butthe rest were formed, and fitted bythe virgins into the middle of thebuilding, because they were moreweak.
73 Then he considered thosewhich had spots; of these a fewwere found black, and they werecarried to their fellows. The restwere white and entire; and theywere fitted by the virgins into thebuilding, and placed in the outside,by reason of their strength.
74 After this he came toconsider those stones which werewhite and round: and he said untome, What shall we do with thesestones? I answered, Sir, I cannottell.
75 He replied, Canst thouthink of nothing then for these?I answered, Sir, I understand notthis art; neither am I a stone-cutter,nor can I tell anything.
76 And he said, seest thou notthat they are very round? Nowto make them square, I must cutoff a great deal from them; howbeit,it is necessary that some of theseshould go into the building of thetower.
77 I answered; If it be necessary,why do you perplex yourself, andnot rather choose, if you haveany choice among them, and fitthem into the building.
78 Upon this he chose out thelargest and brightest, and squaredthem; which, when he had donethe virgins took them up, andfitted them into the building.
79 And the rest that remainedwere carried back into the samefield from which they were taken;howbeit, they were not cast away;because, said he, there is yet alittle wanting to this tower, whichis to be built; and perhaps theLord will have these stones fittedinto this building, because theyare exceeding white.
80 Then there were called twelvevery stately women, clothed witha black garment, girded, and theirshoulders free, and their hairloose. These seemed to me to becountry women.
81 And the shepherd commandedthem to take up those stoneswhich were cast out of the building,and carry them back to the mountainsout of which they were taken.
82 And they took them all upjoyfully, and carried them back totheir places from whence they hadbeen taken.
83 When not one stone remainedabout the tower, he said untome, Let us go about this tower,and see whether anything bewanting to it.
84 We began therefore to goround about it; and when he sawthat it was handsomely built, hebegan to be very glad; for it wasso beautifully framed, that any onethat had seen it must have been inlove with the building.
85 For it seemed to be all butone stone, nor did a joint anywhere appear; but it looked as ifit had all been cut out of one rock.
86 And when I diligentlyconsidered what a tower it was,I was extremely pleased: and hesaid unto me, Bring hither somelime and little shells, that I mayfill up the spaces of those stonesthat were taken out of the building,and put in again; for all thingsabout the tower must be made even.
87 And I did as he commandedme, and brought them unto himand he said unto me, Be ready tohelp me, and this work will quicklybe finished.
88 He therefore filled upthe spaces of those stones, andcommanded the place about the towerto be cleansed.
89 Then those virgins took besoms,and cleansed all the place around,and took away all the rubbish,and threw water on; which beingdone, the palace became delightful,and the tower beauteous.
90 Then he said unto me, Allis now clean if the Lord shouldcome to finish the tower, he willfind nothing whereby to complainof us.
91 When he had said this hewould have departed. But I laidhold on his bag, and began toentreat him for the Lord's sake, thathe would explain to me all thingsthat he had shown me.
92 He said unto me, I have atpresent a little business; but Iwill suddenly explain all thingsunto thee. Tarry here for me tillI come.
93 I said unto him, Sir, whatshall I do here alone? He answered,Thou art not alone, seeing allthese virgins are with thee.
94 I said, Sir, deliver me thenunto them. Then he called themand said unto them, I commendthis man unto you until I shallcome;
95 So I remained with thosevirgins: now they were cheerfuland courteous unto me; especiallythe four, which seemed to bethe chiefest among them.
96 Then those virgins saidunto me, that shepherd will notreturn hither to-day. I said untothem, What then shall I do? Theyanswered, Tarry for him till theevening, if perhaps he may comeand speak with thee; but if not,yet thou shalt continue with ustill he does come.
97 I said unto them, I willtarry for him till evening; but ifhe comes not by that time, I willgo home, and return hither againthe next morning.
98 They answered me, As thouart delivered unto us, thou mayestnot depart from us. I said, Whereshall I tarry?
99 They replied, Thou shaltsleep with us as a brother, notas a husband; for thou art ourbrother, and we are ready fromhenceforth to dwell with thee;for thou art very dear to us.
100 Howbeit I was ashamed tocontinue with them. But she thatseemed to be the chiefest amongstthem, embraced me, and beganto kiss me. And the rest whenthey saw that I was kissed by her,began also to kiss me as a brother;and led me about the tower, andplayed with me.