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THE SECOND PART OF THE BOOK OF HERMAS, CALLED HIS COMMANDS.
Introduction.
WHEN I had prayed at home, and was sat down upon the
bed, a certain man came in to me with a reverend look, in the habit
of a Shepherd, clothed with a white cloak, having his bag upon his
back, and his staff in his hand, and saluted me.
2 I returned his salutation, and immediately he sat down by me,
and said unto me, I am sent by that venerable messenger, that
I should dwell with thee all the remaining days of thy life.
3 But I thought that he was come to try me, and said unto him,
Who are you? For I know to whom I am committed. He said
unto me, Do you not know me? I answered no. I am, said he,
that shepherd to whose care you are delivered.
4 Whilst he was yet speaking, his shape was changed; and when
I knew that it was he to whom I was committed, I was ashamed,
and a sudden fear came upon me, and I was utterly overcome with
sadness, because I had spoken so foolishly unto him.
5 But he said unto me, Be not ashamed, but receive strength in
thy mind, through the commands which I am about to deliver unto
thee. For, said he, I am sent to show unto thee all those things
again, which thou hast seen before, but especially such of them as may
be of most use unto thee.
6 And first of all write my Commands and Similitudes, the rest
thou shall so write as I shall show unto thee. But I therefore bid
thee first of all write my Commands and Similitudes, that by often
reading of them thou mayest the more easily keep them in
memory.
7 Whereupon I wrote his Commands and Similitudes, as he bade me.
8 Which things if when you have heard, ye shall observe to do
them, and shall walk according to them, and exercise yourselves in
them with a pure mind, ye shall receive from the Lord those things
which he has promised unto you.
9 But if having heard them ye shall not repent, but shall still go
on to add to your sins, ye shall be punished by him.
10 All these things that Shepherd, the angel of repentance, commanded
me to write.
COMMAND I.
Of believing in one God.
FIRST of all believe that there is one God who created and
brought all things out of nothing into existence.
2 He comprehends all things, and is only INFINITE, not to be
comprehended by any.
3 Who can neither be defined by any words, nor conceived by
the mind.
4 Therefore believe in him, and fear him; and fearing him abstain
from all evil.
5 Keep these things, and cast all *** and iniquity far from
thee, and put on righteousness, and thou shalt live to God, if thou
shalt keep his commandment.
COMMAND II.
That we must avoid detraction, and do our alms-deeds with simplicity.
HE said unto me, Be innocent and without disguise; so shalt
thou be like an infant who knows no malice which destroys the
life of man.
2 Especially see that thou speak evil of none, nor willingly hear
any one speak evil of others.
3 For if thou observest not this, thou also who hearest shall be
partaker of the sin of him that speaketh evil, by believing the
slander, and thou also shalt have sin, because thou believedst him
that spoke evil of thy brother.
4 Detraction is a pernicious thing; an inconstant, evil spirit;
that never continues in peace, but is always in discord. Wherefore
refrain thyself from it, and keep peace ever more with thy brother.
5 Put on an holy constancy, in which there are no sins, but
all is full of joy; and do good of thy labours.
6 Give without distinction to all that are in want, not doubting
to whom thou givest.
7 But give to all, for God will have us give to all, of all his own
gifts. They therefore that receive shall give an account to God, both
wherefore they received and for what end.
8 And they that receive without real need, shall give an account
for it; but he that gives shall be innocent.
9 For he has fulfilled his duty as he received it from God; not
making any choice to whom he should give, and to whom not.
And this service he did with simplicity and to the glory
of God.
10 Keep therefore this command according as I have delivered it
into thee: that thy repentance nay be found to be sincere, and
that good may come to thy house; and have a pure heart.
COMMAND III.
Of avoiding lying, and the repentance of Hermas for his dissimulation.
MOREOVER he said unto me love truth; and let all the
speech be true which proceeds out of thy mouth.
2 That the spirit which the Lord hath given to dwell in thy flesh
may be found true towards all men; and the Lord be glorified,
who hath given such a spirit unto thee: because God is true in all
his words, and in him there is no lie.
3 They therefore that lie, deny the Lord, and become robbers of
the Lord, not rendering to God what they received from him.
4 For they received the spirit free from lying: If therefore they
make that a liar, they defile what was committed to them by the
Lord, and become deceivers.
5 When I heard this, I wept bitterly; and when he saw me
weeping, he said unto me, Why weepest thou? And I said, Because,
sir, I doubt whether I can be saved.
6 He asked me, Wherefore? I replied, Because, sir, I never
spake a true word in my life; but always lived in dissimulation, and
affirmed a lie for truth to all men; and no man contradicted me, but
all gave credit to my words. How then can I live, seeing I have done
in this manner?
7 And he said unto me, Thou thinkest well and truly; for thou
oughtest, as the servant of God, to have walked in the truth, and
not have joined an evil conscience with the spirit of truth, nor have
grieved the holy and true Spirit of God.
8 And I replied unto him, Sir, I never before hearkened
so diligently to these things. He answered, Now thou hearest them
Take care from henceforth, that even those things which thou hast
formerly spoken falsely for the sake of thy business, may, by
thy present truth receive pardon.
9 For even those things may be forgiven, if for the time to come
thou shalt speak the truth; and by so doing thou mayest attain
unto life.
10 And whosoever shall hearken unto this command, and do it,
and shall depart from all lying, he shall live unto God.
COMMAND IV.
Of putting away one's wife for adultery.
FURTHERMORE, said he, I command thee, that thou keep
thyself chaste; and that thou suffer not any thought of any
other marriage, or of fornication, to enter into thy heart; for such
a thought produces great sin.
2 But be thou at all times mindful of the Lord, and thou shalt never
sin. For if such an evil thought should arise in thy heart, then
thou shall be guilty of a great sin; and they who do such things,
follow the way of death.
3 Look therefore to thyself, and keep thyself from such a thought;
for where chastity remains in the heart of a righteous man, there an
evil thought ought never to arise.
4 And I said unto him, Sir, suffer me to speak a little to you.
He bade me say on. And I answered, Sir, if a man that is faithful
in the Lord shall have a wife, and shall catch her in adultery;
doth a man sin that continues to live still with her?
5 And he said unto me, As long as he is ignorant of her sin, he
commits no fault in living with her; but if a man shall know his
wife to, have offended, and she shall not repent of her sin, but go
on still in her fornication, and a man shall continue nevertheless
to live with her, he shall become guilty of her sin, and partake with
her in her adultery.
6 And I said unto him, What therefore is to be done, if the
woman continues on in her sin? He answered, Let her husband put
her away, and let him continue by himself; but if he shall put
away his wife and marry another, he also doth commit adultery.
7 And I said, What, if the woman that is so put away, should
repent, and be willing to return to her husband, shall she not be
received by him? He said unto me, Yes; and if her husband shall
not receive her, he will sin, and commit a great offence against
himself; for he ought to receive the offender, if she repents: only
not often.
8 For, to the servants of God, there is but one repentance; and
for this cause a man that putteth away his wife ought not to take
another, because she may repent.
9 This act is alike both in the man and in the woman. Now they
commit adultery, not only who pollute their flesh, but who
also make an image. If therefore a woman perseveres in any thing
of this kind, and repents not, depart from her; and live not with
her, otherwise thou also shalt be partaker of her sin.
10 But it is therefore commanded that both the man and the woman
should remain unmarried, because such persons may repent.
11 Nor do I in this administer any occasion for the doing of these
things; but rather that whoso has offended, should not offend any
more.
12 But for their former sins, God who has the power of healing
will give a remedy; for he has the power of all things.
13 I asked him again, and said, Seeing the Lord hath thought
me worthy that thou shouldest dwell with me continually, speak
a few words unto me, because I understand nothing, and my heart
is hardened through my former conversation; and open my
understanding because I am very dull, and apprehend nothing at all.
14 And he answering said unto me, I am the minister of
repentance, and give understanding to all that repent. Does it not
seem to thee to be a very wise thing to repent? Because he that
does so gets great understanding.
15 For he is sensible that he hath sinned and done wickedly in
the sight of the Lord, and he remembers within himself that he
has offended, and repents and does no more wickedly, but does that
which is good, and humbles his soul and afflicts it, because he has
offended. You see therefore that repentance is great wisdom.
16 And I said unto him, For this cause, sir, I inquire diligently
into all things, because I am a sinner, that I may know what I
must do that I may live; because my sins are many.
17 And he said unto me, Thou shalt live if thou shalt keep these
my commandments. And whosoever shall hear and do these commands
shall live unto God.
18 And I said unto him, I have even now heard from certain
teachers, that there is no other repentance beside that of baptism,
when we go down into the water, and receive the forgiveness of our
sins; and that after that, we must sin no more, but live in purity.
19 And he said unto me, Thou hast been rightly informed. Never-
the-less seeing now thou inquirest diligently into all things, I will
manifest this also unto thee; yet not so as to give any occasion of
sinning, either to those who shall hereafter believe, or to those
who have already believed in the Lord.
20 For neither they who have newly believed, or shall hereafter
believe, have any repentance of sins, but forgiveness of them.