Whereupon, returning to Salaman and his companions, he craved pardon for those things that he had spoken amongst them and desired to be excused, and told them that he was of the same opinion with them, and went on in the same way and persuaded them to stick firmly to their resolution of respecting and following the customs of the law and the performance of the external rites without intruding themselves upon things that did not concern them or intermeddling therewith, that in doubtful things they should give credit and yield a ready assent to those rules that they had of old received: that they should be averse to novel opinions and to their appetites, and follow the examples of their good Forbears, and leave novelties severely alone.

He also commanded that they should shun and avoid that neglect of the laws that is seen in the vulgar sort of men, and the love of the world, and this he specially bade them to take heed of: for he and his friend Asal well knew that there was no salvation to this weak, tractable, and defective sort of men but by this means; and that if they were forced away and raised above this to curious speculations, their condition would be much worse, so much so that it would be impossible for them to obtain the state and degree of the Blessed; but that they would be wavering in their motives, and tossed up and down, and at last meet with a bad end. But if they remained in that state of things in which they were till death overtook them, they should obtain salvation and should be placed amongst those that are on the right hand. But, on the other side, as for those who had gone before and outwent them, those came near unto them: yet these came next after and approached near to them.