Shepherd of Hermas: Mandates 9

1_Prayer must be made to God without ceasing, and with unwavering confidence._ He says to me, “Put away doubting from you, and do not hesitate to ask of the Lord, saying to yourself, ‘How can I ask of the Lord and receive from Him, seeing I have sinned so much against Him?’ Do not thus reason with yourself, but with all your heart turn to the Lord, and ask of Him without doubting, and you will know the multitude of His tender mercies; that He will never leave you, but fulfil the request of your soul. For He is not like men, who remember evils done against them; but He Himself remembers not evils, and has compassion on His own creature. Cleanse, therefore, your heart from all the vanities of this world, and from the words already mentioned, and ask of the Lord and you will receive all, and in none of your requests will you be denied which you make to the Lord without doubting. But if you doubt in your heart, you will receive none of your requests. For those who doubt regarding God are double-souled, and obtain not one of their requests. But those who are perfect in faith ask everything, trusting in the Lord; and they obtain, because they ask nothing doubting, and not being double-souled. For every double-souled man, even if he repent, will with difficulty be saved. Cleanse your heart, therefore, from all doubt, and put on faith, because it is strong, and trust God that you will obtain from Him all that you ask. And if at any time, after you have asked of the Lord, you are slower in obtaining your request [than you expected], do not doubt because you have not soon obtained the request of your soul; for invariably it is on account of some temptation or some sin of which you are ignorant that you are slower in obtaining your request. Wherefore do not cease to make the request of your soul, and you will obtain it. But if you grow weary and waver in your request, blame yourself, and not Him who does not give to you. Consider this doubting state of mind, for it is wicked and senseless, and turns many away entirely from the faith, even though they be very strong. For this doubting is the daughter of the devil, and acts exceedingly wickedly to the servants of God. Despise, then, doubting, and gain the mastery over it in everything; clothing yourself with faith, which is strong and powerful. For faith promises all things, perfects all things; but doubt having no thorough faith in itself, fails in every work which it undertakes. You see, then,” says he, “that faith is from above—from the Lord—and has great power; but doubt is an earthly spirit, coming from the devil, and has no power. Serve, then, that which has power, namely faith, and keep away from doubt, which has no power, and you will live to God. And all will live to God whose minds have been set on these things.”

Ἐντολὴ θ΄. Aéyet pot’ ρον ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ τὴν διψυχίαν καὶ μηδὲν ὅλως διψυχήσῃς αἰτήσασθαε παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγων ἐν σεαυτῷ ὅτι πῶς δύναμαι αἰτήσασθαί τι παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ λαβεῖν, ἡμαρτηκὼς τοσαῦτα εἰς αὐτόν ; μὴ διαλο- γίζον ταῦτα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σον ἐπίστρεψον ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ αἰτοῦ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἀδιστάκτως, καὶ γνώσῃ τὴν πολυευσπλαγχνίαν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπῃ, ἀλλὰ τὸ αἴτημα τῆς ψυχῆς σου πληροφορήσει. οὐκ ἔστε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ὡς οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ μνησικακοῦντες, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς ἀμνη- σίκακός ἐστι καὶ σπλαγχνίζεται ἐπὶ τὴν ποίησιν αὐτοῦ. σὺ οὖν καθάρισόν σον τὴν καρδίαν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ματαιωμάτων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καὶ τῶν προειρημένων σοι ῥημάτων, καὶ αἰτοῦ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἀπολήψη πάντα, καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν αἰτημάτων σου ἀνυστέρητος ἔσῃ, ἐὰν ἀδιστάκτως αἰτήσῃς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου. ἐὰν δὲ διστάσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, οὐδὲν οὐ μὴ λήψῃ τῶν αἰτημάτων σου. οἱ yap διστάξοντες εἰς τὸν Θεόν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ δίψει οὐδὲν ὅλως ἐπιτυγχάνουσι τῶν αἰτημάτων αὐτῶν. ὁλοτελεῖς ὄντες ἐν τῇ πίστει πάντα αἰτοῦνται πεποιθότες | τὸν Κύριον, καὶ λαμβάνουσιν, ὅτι ἀδιστάκτως αἱ μηδὲν διψυχοῦντες. πᾶς γὰρ δίψυχος ἀνήρ, ἐὰν 4 νοήσῃ, δυσκόλως σωθήσεται. καθάρισον οὖν τὴν κι Slav σου ἀπὸ τῆς διψυχίας, ἔνδυσαι δὲ τὴν πίστιν, ὅτι, ἐστι, καὶ πίστευε τῷ Θεῷ ὅτι πάντα τὰ αἰτήματά σου ἃ αἰτεῖς λήψῃ. καὶ ἐὰν αἰτησάμενός ποτε παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου αἴτημά τι βραδύτερον λαμβάνῃς, μὴ διψυχήσῃς ὅτι ταχὺ οὐκ ἔλαβες τὸ αἴτημα τῆς ψυχῆς σου πάντως γὰρ διὰ πειρασ- μόν τινα ἣ παράπτωμά τι, ὃ σὺ ἀγνοεῖς, βραδύτερον λαμ- βάνεις τὸ αἴτημά cov. σὺ οὖν μὴ διαλίπῃς αἰτούμενος τὰ αἴτημα τῆς ψυχῆς σου, καὶ λήψῃ αὐτό; “ δὰν δὲ ἐκκακήσγς καὶ διψυχήσρῃς αἰτούμενος, σεαυτὸν αἰτεῶ καὶ μὴ τὸν διδόντα σοι. βλέπε τὴν διψνχίαν ταύτην πονηρὰ γάρ ἐστε καὶ ᾿ ἀσύνετος, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐκριξοῖ ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως, καί. γε λίαν τὰ: πιστοὺς καὶ ἰσχυρούς. καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἡ διψυχία θυγάτηρ" ἐστὶ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ λίαν: πονηρεύεται εἰς τοὺς δούλους τοῦ Θεοῦ. το. καταφρόνησον οὖν rie. δι ψυχίας καὶ κατα." κυρίευσον αὐτῆς ἐν παντὶ πράγμάτι, ἐνδυσάμενος τὴν πίστιν τὴν ἰσχυρὰν καὶ δυνατήν. ἡ γὰρ πίστις πάντα ὁπαγγέλ,- λεαται, πάντα τελειοῖ ἡ δὲ διψυχία μὴ καταπιστεύουσα ἑαυτῇ πάγτων ὠποτυγχάνει τῶν ἔργων αὐτῆς ὧν πράσσει. 11, βλέπεις οὖν, φησίν, ὅτι ἡ πίστις ἄνωθέν dors παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ὄχει δύναμιν μεγάλην ἡ δὲ διψυχία ἐπίγειον “«νεῦμά ἐστι παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, δύναμιν μὴ ἔχουσα. σὺ οὖν δούλευε τῇ ἐχούσῃ δύναμιν τῇ πίστει, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς διψυχίας ἀποσχοῦ τῆς μὴ ἐχούσης δύναμιν, καὶ ζήσῃ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ πάντες ζήσονται τῷ Θεῷ οἱ ταῦτα φρονοῦντες.