{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c005\">He says to me, “Put away doubting from you, and do not\r\nhesitate to ask of the Lord, saying to yourself, ‘How can I\r\nask of the Lord and receive from Him, seeing I have sinned\r\nso much against Him?’ Do not thus reason with yourself,\r\nbut with all your heart turn to the Lord, and ask of Him\r\nwithout doubting, and you will know the multitude of His\r\ntender mercies; that He will never leave you, but fulfil the\r\nrequest of your soul. For He is not like men, who remember\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_364\">364</span>evils done against them; but He Himself remembers not\r\nevils, and has compassion on His own creature. Cleanse,\r\ntherefore, your heart from all the vanities of this world, and\r\nfrom the words already mentioned, and ask of the Lord and\r\nyou will receive all, and in none of your requests will you be\r\ndenied which you make to the Lord without doubting. But\r\nif you doubt in your heart, you will receive none of your\r\nrequests. For those who doubt regarding God are double-souled,\r\nand obtain not one of their requests. But those who\r\nare perfect in faith ask everything, trusting in the Lord;\r\nand they obtain, because they ask nothing doubting, and not\r\nbeing double-souled. For every double-souled man, even if\r\nhe repent, will with difficulty be saved.<a id=\"r1666\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1666\"><sup>[1666]</sup></a> Cleanse your heart,\r\ntherefore, from all doubt, and put on faith, because it is\r\nstrong, and trust God that you will obtain from Him all that\r\nyou ask. And if at any time, after you have asked of the\r\nLord, you are slower in obtaining your request [than you\r\nexpected], do not doubt because you have not soon obtained\r\nthe request of your soul; for invariably it is on account of\r\nsome temptation or some sin of which you are ignorant that\r\nyou are slower in obtaining your request. Wherefore do not\r\ncease to make the request of your soul, and you will obtain\r\nit. But if you grow weary and waver in your request, blame\r\nyourself, and not Him who does not give to you. Consider\r\nthis doubting state of mind, for it is wicked and senseless,\r\nand turns many away entirely from the faith, even though\r\nthey be very strong. For this doubting is the daughter of\r\nthe devil, and acts exceedingly wickedly to the servants of\r\nGod. Despise, then, doubting, and gain the mastery over it\r\nin everything; clothing yourself with faith, which is strong\r\nand powerful. For faith promises all things, perfects all\r\nthings; but doubt having no thorough faith in itself, fails in\r\nevery work which it undertakes. You see, then,” says he,\r\n“that faith is from above—from the Lord<a id=\"r1667\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1667\"><sup>[1667]</sup></a>—and has great\r\npower; but doubt is an earthly spirit, coming from the devil,\r\nand has no power. Serve, then, that which has power, namely\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_365\">365</span>faith, and keep away from doubt, which has no power, and\r\nyou will live to God. And all will live to God whose minds\r\nhave been set on these things.”</p>","headings":["The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers","THE PASTOR OF HERMAS.","BOOK SECOND.—COMMANDMENTS.","COMMANDMENT NINTH. Prayer must be made to God without ceasing, and with unwavering confidence."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg77576-paragraph-704"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"19c72efca708941f5cd76bb7433f9acd8bff9f8adc55c65f96d0bdf3d1b48ec7","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-f1666","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":"f1666","source_ebook":77576,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1666\">\n<p class=\"c006\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1666\">1666</a>. </span><i>With difficulty be saved.</i> Will with difficulty live to God.—<i>Vat.</i></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"5cef11d737d7f5d65aa99f44ca2d8e967d725f3bed872960330e88c0905597a9","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/77576/pg77576-images.html#f1666","text_sha256":"6c86be0b991670a1510a830a809828bf3a6bcd0442b4083af560fe9db02b408b","verified":false,"work_id":null}