(99) Woe to you, ye obstinate of heart, who work wickedness and eat blood: Whence have ye good things to eat and to drink and to be filled? From all the good things which the Lord the Most High has placed in abundance on the earth; therefore ye shall have no peace.

(69) And again Menunder, paraphrasing that Scripture, "Sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness, and trust in the Lord," thus writes: "And not a needle even that is Another's ever covet, dearest friend; For God in righteous works delights, and so Permits him to increase his worldly wealth, Who toils, and ploughs the land both night and day. But sacrifice to God, and righteous be, Shining not in bright robes, but in thy heart; And when thou hear'st the thunder, do not flee, Being conscious to thyself of nought amiss, Good sir, for thee God ever present sees."

(41) O ye blind men! leave off your contentions, and shed not innocent blood; also do not lay waste countries and cities, to fulfil the devil's will; but put on the helmet of peace, gird yourselves with love one to another, and practise meekness: Leave off pride and covetousness, grudge not the different forms of one another, also suffer not the wrath-fire to kindle in you; but live in meekness, chastity, friendliness and purity, and then you are and live ALL in God.

(321) Do not become guilty of your own death. Do not be angry at him who will take you out of (the) body and kill you.

(11) And he who does any duty for the sake of recompense, is he not held fast in the custom of the world, either as one who has done well, hastening to receive a reward, or as an evil-doer avoiding retribution? We must, as far as we can, imitate the Lord.I And he will do so, who complies with the will of God, receiving freely, giving freely, and receiving as a worthy reward the citizenship itself. "The hire of an harlot shall not come into the sanctuary," it is said: accordingly it was forbidden to bring to the altar the price of a dog.

(130) All men tremble at punishment, all men love life; remember that thou art like unto them, and do not kill, nor cause slaughter.

(129) All men tremble at punishment, all men fear death; remember that you are like unto them, and do not kill, nor cause slaughter.

(93) Therefore said God; Be thou cursed; and the Distinction of this Cursing or Flying out of the Fierceness is, that the Love of God will not dwell in the Fierceness, and that Kingdom must O shows. not be called after his Name; for God consented not to the Murder, but the Fierceness [or Wrath] of which God warned Cain at his sacrificing, [saying,] Be thou upright, and thou shalt be accepted; if not, then Sin (and the Kingdom of fierce Wrath) lies at the Door; he should not let it have any Power, but should rule over it; but when he lets it have Power, then it rules and vanquishes him.

(34) Mercy was shown to it previously to vengeance, Because flesh and skin grow not without tender care, How should they not grow when warmed by the Friend's love. If vengeance follows as a necessary consequence, That you may make an offering of that substance, Mercy follows again to compensate for it, I am Abraham, and you his son under the knife. Lay down your head! 'I have seen I must sacrifice you.' Yield your head to vengeance, your heart to constancy, That I may cut your throat like an Ismailian's.

(9) Thou receivest thy clothing, thy sandals, thy stick, thy linen, thy weapons, with which thou wilt cut off heads, thou wilt twist round the necks of thy foes; these enemies who would bring death to thee, they will not approach thee

(90) Now when Cain had murdered his Brother, then he went securely as a Lord, and thought, now thou art sole Prince on Earth; but the Voice of the fierce Anger of God came, and said; Where is thy Brother Abel? and he answered, / know not, Shall I be my Brother's Keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? Behold, the Voice of thy Brother's Blood cries to me from the Earth; and now thou art cursed upon the Earth, which has opened its Mouth to receive thy Brother's Blood from thy Hands. When thou shalt till the Ground, it shall not yield its Strength to thee henceforth; thou shalt be a Vagabond and Fugitive upon Earth.

A king was enraged against one of his courtiers, and drew his sword to slay him. The bystanders were all afraid to interfere, with the exception of one who boldly threw himself at the king's feet and begged him to spare the offender. The king at once stayed his hand, and laid down his sword, saying, "As you have interceded for him, I would gladly pardon him, even if he had acted as a very demon. I cannot refuse your entreaties, because they are the same as my own. In reality, it is not you who make these entreaties for him, but I who make them through your mouth. I am the real actor in this matter and you are only my agent. Remember the text, 'You shot not when you shot;' you are, as it were, the foam, and I the mighty ocean beneath it. The mercy you show to this offender is really shown by me, the king." The offender was accordingly released and went his way; but, strange to say, he showed no gratitude to his protector, but, on the contrary, omitted to greet him when he met him, and in other ways refused to recognize the favor he had received from him. This behavior excited remark, and people questioned him as to the cause of his ingratitude to his benefactor. He replied, "I had offered up my life to the king when this man intervened. It was a moment when, according to the tradition, 'I was with God in such a manner that neither prophet nor angel found entrance along with me,' and this man intruded between us. I desired no mercy save the king's blows; I sought no shelter save the king. If the king had cut off my head he would have given me eternal life in return for it. My duty is to sacrifice my life; it is the king's prerogative to give life. The night which is made dark as pitch by the king scorns the brightness of the brightest festal day. He who beholds the king is exalted above all thoughts of mercy and vengeance. Of a man raised to this exalted state no description is possible in this world, for he is hidden in God, and words like 'mercy' and 'vengeance' only express men's partial and weak views of the matter. It is true 'God taught Adam the names of all things,' but that means the real qualities of things, and not such names as ordinary men use, clad in the dress of human speech. The words and expressions we use have merely a relative truth, and do not unfold absolute truth." He illustrates this by the reply made to the angel Gabriel by Abraham when he was cast into the fire by Nimrod. Gabriel asked him if he could assist him, and Abraham answered, "No! I have no need of your help." When one has attained union with God he has no need of intermediaries. Prophets and apostles are needed as links to connect ordinary men with God, but he who hears the "inner voice" within him has no need to listen to outward words, even of apostles. Although that intercessor is himself dwelling in God, yet my state is higher and more lovely than his. Though he is God's agent, yet I desire not his intercession to save me from evil sent me by God, for evil at God's hand seems to me good. What seems mercy and kindness to the vulgar seems wrath and vengeance to God-intoxicated saints. God's severity and chastisements serve to exalt his saints, though they make the vulgar more ungodly than before, even as the water of the Nile was pure water to the Israelites, but blood to the Egyptians.

(4) But Cain had Flesh and Blood, and understood not the Meaning of the eternal Death; yet when he was assured from God that none should slay him, he became cheerful again; for the P Essences of his Soul were refreshed again by God's Recalling [him,] for the Door of Grace stood open towards him, he should return, for God would not the Death of a Sinner.