Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c005\">He pointed out to me some men sitting on a seat, and one\r\nman sitting on a chair. And he says to me, “Do you see the\r\npersons sitting on the seat?” “I do, sir,” said I. “These,”\r\nsays he, “are the faithful, and he who sits on the chair is\r\na false prophet, ruining the minds of the servants of God.<a id=\"r1675\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1675\"><sup>[1675]</sup></a>\r\nIt is the doubters, not the faithful, that he ruins. These\r\ndoubters then go to him as to a soothsayer, and inquire of\r\nhim what will happen to them; and he, the false prophet, not\r\nhaving the power of a divine spirit in him, answers them\r\naccording to their inquiries, and according to their wicked\r\ndesires, and fills their souls with expectations, according to\r\ntheir own wishes. For being himself empty, he gives empty\r\nanswers to empty inquirers; for every answer is made to\r\nthe emptiness of man. Some true words he does occasionally\r\nutter; for the devil fills him with his own spirit, in the hope\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_368\">368</span>that he may be able to overcome some of the righteous. As\r\nmany, then, as are strong in the faith of the Lord, and are\r\nclothed with truth, have no connection with such spirits, but\r\nkeep away from them; but as many as are of doubtful minds\r\nand frequently repent, betake themselves to soothsaying, even\r\nas the heathen, and bring greater sin upon themselves by\r\ntheir idolatry. For he who inquires of a false prophet in\r\nregard to any action is an idolater, and devoid of the truth,\r\nand foolish. For no spirit given by God requires to be\r\nasked; but such a spirit having the power of Divinity\r\nspeaks all things of itself, for it proceeds from above from\r\nthe power of the Divine Spirit. But the spirit which is\r\nasked and speaks according to the desires of men is earthly,<a id=\"r1676\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1676\"><sup>[1676]</sup></a>\r\nlight, and powerless, and it is altogether silent if it is not\r\nquestioned.” “How then, sir,” say I, “will a man know\r\nwhich of them is the prophet, and which the false prophet?”\r\n“I will tell you,” says he, “about both the prophets, and\r\nthen you can test the true and the false prophet according to\r\nmy directions. Test the man who has the Divine Spirit by his\r\nlife. First, he who has the Divine Spirit proceeding from\r\nabove is meek, and peaceable, and humble, and refrains from\r\nall iniquity and the vain desire of this world, and contents\r\nhimself with fewer wants than those of other men, and when\r\nasked he makes no reply; nor does he speak privately, nor\r\nwhen man wishes the spirit to speak does the Holy Spirit\r\nspeak, but it speaks only when God wishes it to speak.\r\nWhen, then, a man having the Divine Spirit comes into an\r\nassembly of righteous men who have faith in the Divine\r\nSpirit, and this assembly of men offers up prayer to God, then\r\nthe angel of the prophetic Spirit,<a id=\"r1677\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1677\"><sup>[1677]</sup></a> who is destined for him,\r\nfills the man; and the man being filled with the Holy Spirit,\r\nspeaks to the multitude as the Lord wishes. Thus, then, will\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_369\">369</span>the Spirit of Divinity become manifest. Whatever power\r\ntherefore comes from the Spirit of Divinity belongs to the\r\nLord. Hear, then,” says he, “in regard to the spirit which\r\nis earthly, and empty, and powerless, and foolish. First, the\r\nman who seems to have the Spirit exalts himself, and wishes\r\nto have the first seat, and is bold, and impudent, and talkative,\r\nand lives in the midst of many luxuries and many other\r\ndelusions, and takes rewards for his prophecy; and if he\r\ndoes not receive rewards, he does not prophesy. Can, then,\r\nthe Divine Spirit take rewards and prophesy? It is not possible\r\nthat the prophet of God should do this, but prophets of\r\nthis character are possessed by an earthly spirit. Then it never\r\napproaches an assembly of righteous men, but shuns them.\r\nAnd it associates with doubters and the vain, and prophesies\r\nto them in a corner, and deceives them, speaking to them,\r\naccording to their desires, mere empty words: for they are\r\nempty to whom it gives its answers. For the empty vessel,\r\nwhen placed along with the empty, is not crushed, but they\r\ncorrespond to each other. When, therefore, it comes into an\r\nassembly of righteous men who have a spirit of divinity, and\r\nthey offer up prayer, that man is made empty, and the earthly\r\nspirit flees from him through fear, and that man is made\r\ndumb, and is entirely crushed, being unable to speak. For if\r\nyou pack closely a storehouse with wine or oil, and put an\r\nempty jar in the midst of the vessels of wine or oil, you will\r\nfind that jar empty as when you placed it, if you should wish\r\nto clear the storehouse. So also the empty prophets, when\r\nthey come to the spirits of the righteous, are found [on\r\nleaving] to be such as they were when they came. This, then,\r\nis the mode of life of both prophets. Try by his deeds and\r\nhis life the man who says that he is inspired. But as for you,\r\ntrust the Spirit which comes from God, and has power; but\r\nthe spirit which is earthly and empty trust not at all, for\r\nthere is no power in it: it comes from the devil. Hear,\r\nthen, the parable which I am to tell you. Take a stone, and\r\nthrow it to the sky, and see if you can touch it. Or again,\r\ntake a squirt of water and squirt into the sky, and see if you\r\ncan penetrate the sky.” “How, sir,” say I, “can these things\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_370\">370</span>take place? for both of them are impossible.” “As these\r\nthings,” says he, “are impossible, so also are the earthly\r\nspirits powerless and pithless. But look, on the other hand,\r\nat the power which comes from above. Hail is of the size of\r\na very small grain, yet when it falls on a man’s head how\r\nmuch annoyance it gives him! Or, again, take the drop\r\nwhich falls from a pitcher to the ground, and yet it hollows\r\na stone. You see, then, that the smallest things coming from\r\nabove have great power when they fall upon the earth.<a id=\"r1678\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1678\"><sup>[1678]</sup></a>\r\nThus also is the Divine Spirit, which comes from above,\r\npowerful. Trust, then, that Spirit, but have nothing to do\r\nwith the other.”</p>","headings":["The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers","THE PASTOR OF HERMAS.","BOOK SECOND.—COMMANDMENTS.","COMMANDMENT ELEVENTH. The Spirit and prophets to be tried by their works; also of the two kinds of spirit."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg77576-paragraph-707"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"d162b12cbe56ef8222fcda7ec1d3242e229a258f82e489a5b8ac2fd26468b656","edition_title":"The writings of the Apostolic Fathers","edition_translators":["Alexander Roberts","James Donaldson","Frederick Crombie"],"edition_year":1870,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg77576-f1675","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Project Gutenberg metadata: Public domain in the USA. Historical 1870 English edition; electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"f1675","source_ebook":77576,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1675\">\n<p class=\"c006\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1675\">1675</a>.  </span><i>Is ... God.</i> He who sits in the chair is a terrestrial spirit.—<i>Vat.</i>\r\nAnd then follows the dislocation of sentences noticed above.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"5cef11d737d7f5d65aa99f44ca2d8e967d725f3bed872960330e88c0905597a9","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/77576/pg77576-images.html#f1675","text_sha256":"980e5ee9de63f33f845048afeaa98965d87e8bc8fd960855d000ae3da423fd65","verified":false,"work_id":null}

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