16 Obey the Lord with a pure heart; thou, and thy house, and thy children; and. walk in the commands which I have delivered unto thee; and then thy repentance may be firm and pure.
17 And if thou shalt keep these things with thy house, thy inconveniencies shall depart from thee.
18 And all vexation shall in like manner depart from those, whosoever shall walk according to these commands.
SIMILITUDE VIII.
That there are many kinds of elect, and of repenting sinners: and how all of theca shall receive a reward proportionable to the measure of their repentance and good works.
AGAIN he showed me a willow which covered the fields and the mountains, under whose shadow came all such as were called by the name of the Lord.
2 And by that willow stood an. angel of the Lord very excellent and lofty, and did cut down bows from the willow with a great hook; and reached out to the people that were under the shadow of the willow, little rods, as it were about a foot long.
3 And when all of them had taken them, he laid aside his hook, and the tree continued entire, as I had before seen it; at which I wondered, and mused within myself.
4 Then that shepherd said unto me; Forbear to wonder that the tree continues whole, not-with-standing so many boughs have been cut off from it: but stay a little, for now it shall be shown thee, what that angel means, who gave those rods to the people.
5 So he again demanded the rods of them; and in the same order that every one had received them, was he called to him, and restored his rod; which when he had received, he examined them.