pure heart, and are prosperous in all their doings, receiving from the Lord whatsoever things they
may ask; and then they glorify the Lord because they were delivered over unto me, and they no
longer suffer any evil thing."
3 [ 63 ]: 1 I say unto him; "Sir, declare unto me this further matter." "What enquirest thou yet?"
saith he. "Whether, Sir," say I, "they that live in self-indulgence and are deceived undergo
torments during the same length of time as they live in self-indulgence and are deceived." He
saith to me, "They undergo torments for the same length of time."
3 [ 63 ]: 2 "Then, Sir," say I, "they undergo very slight torments; for those who are living thus in
self-indulgence and forget God ought to have been tormented seven-fold."
3 [ 63 ]: 3 He saith to me, "Thou art foolish, and comprehendest not the power of the torment"
"True," say I, "for if I had comprehended it, I should not have asked thee to declare it to me."
"Listen," saith he, "to the power of both, [of the self-indulgence and of the torment].
3 [ 63 ]: 4 The time of the self-indulgence and deceit is one hour. But an hour of the torment hath
the power of thirty days. If then one live in self indulgence and be deceived for one day, and be
tormented for one day, the day of the torment is equivalent to a whole year. For as many days
then as a man lives in self-indulgence, for so many years is he tormented. Thou seest then," saith
he, "that the time of the self-indulgence and deceit is very short, but the time of the punishment
and torment is long."
5 [ 65 ]: 1 "Inasmuch, Sir," say I, "as I do not quite comprehend concerning the time of the deceit
and self-indulgence and torment, show me more clearly."
5 [ 65 ]: 2 He answered and said unto me; "Thy stupidity cleaveth to thee; and thou wilt not cleanse
thy heart and serve God Take heed," [saith he,] "lest haply the time be fulfilled, and thou be
found in thy foolishness. Listen then," [saith he,] "even as thou wishest, that thou mayest
comprehend the matter.
5 [ 65 ]: 3 He that liveth in self-indulgence and is deceived for one day, and doeth what he wisheth,
is clothed in much folly and comprehendeth not the thing which he doeth; for on the morrow he
forgetteth what he did the day before. For self-indulgence and deceit have no memories, by
reason of the folly, wherewith each is clothed; but when punishment and torment cling to a man
for a single day, he is punished and tormented for a whole year long; for punishment and torment
have long memories.
5 [ 65 ]: 4 So being tormented and punished for the whole year, the man remembers at length the
self-indulgence and deceit, and perceiveth that it is on their account that he is suffering these ills.
Every man, therefore, that liveth in self-indulgence and is deceived, is tormented in this way
because, though possessing lire, they have delivered themselves over unto death."
5 [ 65 ]: 5 "What kinds of self-indulgence, Sir," say I, "are harmful?" "Every action," saith he, "is
self-indulgence to a man, which he does with pleasure; for the irascible man, when he gives the
reins to his passion, is self-indulgent; and the adulterer and the drunkard and the slanderer and
the liar and the miser and the defrauder and he that doeth things akin to these, giveth the reins to
his peculiar passion; therefore he is self-indulgent in his action.
5 [ 65 ]: 6 All these habits of self-indulgence are harmful to the servants of God; on account of
these deceits therefore they so suffer who are punished and tormented.
5 [ 65 ]: 7 But there are habits of self-indulgence like-wise which save men; for many are self-
indulgent in doing good, being carried away by the pleasure it gives to themselves. This self-
indulgence then is expedient for the servants of God, and bringeth life to a man of this
ron
(Ron)
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