The suppressed Gospels and Epistles of the original New Testament of Jesus the Christ, Volume 9, Hermas - William Wake 4 стр.


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?

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