Jesus continued, "I say to you as said Solomon, the prophet, holy one and friend of God, 'Of a thousand whom you know one is your friend."

Then Matthew said, "So we cannot love anyone." Jesus answered, "Truly I say to you, that it is not lawful for you to hate anything only the sin; insomuch that you cannot hate even Satan as a creature of God, but rather as the enemy of God; because he is a creature of God, and all that God has created is good and perfect. Accordingly, whoever hates the creature hates also the creator.

Do you know what does friend mean? Friend means nothing but physician of the soul. As one rarely finds a good physician who knows the sickness and understands to apply the medicines for that, also friends who know the faults and understand how to guide to good are rare. However, some friends feign to not see the faults of their friend; others excuse them; others defend them under earthly pretext; and what is worse, there are so-called friends who invite and aid their friends to err. Beware that you should not receive such men as friends, for that in truth they are enemies and slayers of the soul.

Let your friend be such that even as he wills to correct you, so he may receive correction; and even as he wills that you should leave all things for love of God, even so again it may content him that you forsake him for the service of God.

Tell me, if a man does not know how to love God, how he knows how to love himself. Moreover, how does he know how to love others, not knowing how to love himself? Indeed, this is impossible.

Therefore, when you choose one as friend, see that you consider first, not his fine lineage, not his fine family, not his fine house, not his fine clothing, not his fine person, nor yet his fine words. However, look how he concerns God; how he despises earthly things; how he loves good works, and above all how he hates his own flesh. You shall find the true friend, if he above all things concerns God, and despises the vanities of the world; if he shall be always occupied in good works, and hates his own body as a cruel enemy.

Truly, I say to you that he who has found a true friend has found one of the delights of paradise; and more than that, such is the key of paradise."

Thaddeus asked, "But if perhaps a man has a friend who is not such as you have said, O master, what should he do? Should he forsake him?" Jesus answered, "He must do as the mariner does with the ship, which sails it so long as he perceives it to be profitable, but when he sees it to be a loss, forsakes it. So, you should do with your friend who is worse than you in those things wherein he is an offence to you; leave him if you do not want to miss the mercy of God."

If your brother has committed a sin against you, go and correct him with mercy. If he amends, then you rejoice, for you have gained your brother. If he did not amend, go and call two witnesses and correct him afresh. If he did not amend, go and tell it to the church. If he did not amend yet, count him as a nonbeliever.

However, be aware that you do not hold yourself for better; rather you should say, 'If God does not help me with His grace, I would be worse than him.'"