Chapter 3

Premium narration

Now the will is that wherein the Father resteth, and which hath pleasure in Him. Without it nothing happeneth, neither doth aught happen without the will of the Father. Yet His will is unsearchable.

His will is His track, and none shall apprehend it; nor doth it stand still, that any might lay hold of it. But, on the contrary, what He willeth — that is what cometh to be — even if the sight of it pleaseth them not in any wise before God: namely, the will of the Father.

For He knoweth the beginning of all, and their end. For unto their end shall He greet them; the end is the receiving of the knowledge of Him that is hidden — that is, the Father, He from whom proceeded the beginning, and unto whom shall return all that have come forth from Him. They have appeared unto the glory and the joy of His name.

Now the name of the Father is the Son. He it is who, in the beginning, gave a name unto Him that hath come forth from Him, even the Son. He hath imparted unto Him His name, even Him that belonged unto Him. He, even the Father — the things that are, His are. He hath the Name; He hath the Son. The Son hath been allowed by Him to see, that the Name is the great thing.

Therefore the name of the Father is the Son. It is unto Him that He hath given His name, when He hath come forth from Him, the Father. He spake His secrets, knowing that the Father is without evil.

For this very cause did He bring Him forth, that He might speak concerning the place, and concerning His place of rest, from whence He hath come forth, that He might glorify the fulness, even the greatness of His name, and the sweetness of the Father.

Each of the places shall speak concerning the place from which it hath come; and unto the lot which it hath received from His being in a certain place, it shall return again.

He shall be ravished from his place — even the place wherein he hath stood — by tasting Him, and by being nourished, and by growing. And his own place of rest is his fulness.

Therefore all the emanations of the Father are fulnesses; and the root of all His emanations is in Him from whom they all sprang up — and they have appointed places for them.

Now they all have made manifest, that they may bring forth from themselves; for they bring forth that which knoweth them. He hath taken pleasure in the manifestation of Himself, and they have known the Father.

He told them concerning Him that the All cannot search out, even Him whose name no man can pronounce, even the Father.

Their joy was the knowledge of Him; and they all came forth on this account, that they might know Him. And as for them that have a name and the Holy One — at the time when He shall pronounce them — Him whose name He hath spoken, that one is in being, but only at the time when He hath spoken his name.

He whose name He hath not spoken is not. For how shall any man hearken, except his name be called? For he that abideth in ignorance unto the end is the creation of forgetfulness, and shall be undone with it. Else why should these wretched ones have no name? Why is there for them no calling?

Therefore, he that hath knowledge is from the high. If he be called, he heareth, and he answereth. He turneth himself unto Him that calleth, and goeth up unto Him. He knoweth in what manner he is called. Possessing knowledge, he doeth the will of Him that hath called him. He desireth to please Him, and he obtaineth rest.

His own name is given unto him. He that obtaineth knowledge in this manner, knoweth from whence he came, and whither he goeth. He knoweth as one that hath been drunken, and that hath returned to soberness, and is risen up: he hath set his own things in order.

He hath turned many from error; he hath gone before them unto their places, from whence they had departed when they had received error. He shall not be jealous of them; he shall be diligent in their stead. He shall correct them in love.

Speak ye of the truth with them which seek it; speak ye of knowledge with them which have wrought sin in their error. Make ye sure the foot of them that have stumbled, and stretch ye out your hand unto them that are sick. Feed ye the hungry, and give rest unto the weary, and raise up them that have a will to rise. Awake ye them that sleep — for ye are the understanding which is being drawn forth.

If strength is wrought thus, it becometh stronger. Look ye unto your own selves; concern ye yourselves not with other things, even with these which ye have cast off from yourselves. Return ye not unto them, that ye may eat them up. Be not moths, neither be ye worms; for ye have already shaken these off.

Be ye not a place for the devil, since ye have already brought him to nought. Strengthen not your last stumblings, for they have come to nothing. For the unrighteous one is what he is, namely, nothing.

But the righteous one — judge ye him not, for he hath been steadfast in his uprightness.

Forsooth, do ye therefore the will of the Father, since ye are of Him.

For the Father is sweet; and in His will is goodness. He hath taken cognizance of the things that are yours, that ye should rest in them. By their fruits men know the things that are yours; for the children of the Father are His sweetness, and they are of His countenance.

For this cause the Father hath loved His sweetness, and is pleased with it everywhere; for in the aeons that are above, having no birthmarks, neither beings of flesh, His children are perfect and worthy of His name; for it is such children whom the Father loveth.

But what is it which He hath compelled to find Him? He desireth that they shall know Him by means of His sweetness. So is the place. So is His happiness, that He shall come forth at the time of finding the lost sheep.

He rejoiceth that he hath found him, for ninety-nine is a number which is in the left hand, which holdeth it. But when the one is found, the whole sum is transferred unto the right hand. Even thus is that which lacketh the One — that is, the entire right hand — which draweth that wherein it hath need, taketh it from the side of the left, and bringeth it unto the right. So the number becometh a hundred. Now this is the symbol of the sound of the numbers; this is the Father.

Even on a sabbath did He labour for the sheep which He had found fallen into the pit. He saved the life of the sheep; and He led it forth from the pit, that ye might know with the heart, ye who are children of the heart, what manner of thing the sabbath is, wherein the salvation should not be unfruitful.