Chap. II.
Fifteen days after, when I had fasted and prayed much to the Lord, the knowledge of the writing was revealed to me. Now the writing was to this effect: "Your seed, O Hermas, has sinned against God, and they have blasphemed against 1 the Lord, and in their great wickedness they have betrayed their parents. And they passed as traitors of their parents, and by their treachery did they not 2 reap profit. And even now they have added to their sins lusts and iniquitous pollutions, and thus their iniquities have been filled up. But make known 3 these words to all your children, and to your wife, who is to be your sister. For she does not 4 restrain her tongue, with which she commits iniquity; but, on hearing these words, she will control herself, and will obtain mercy. For after you have made known to them these words which my Lord has commanded me to reveal to you, 5 then shall they be forgiven all the sins which in former times they committed, and forgiveness will be granted to all the saints who have sinned even to the present day, if they repent with all their heart, and drive all doubts from their minds. 6 For the Lord has sworn by His glory, in regard to His elect, that if any one of them sin after a certain day which has been fixed, he shall not be saved. For the repentance of the righteous has limits. 7 Filled up are the days of repentance to all the saints; but to the heathen, repentance will be possible even to the last day. You will tell, therefore, those who preside over the Church, to direct their ways in righteousness, that they may receive in full the promises with great glory. Stand stedfast, therefore, ye who work righteousness, and doubt not, 8 that your passage 9 may be with the holy angels. Happy ye who endure the great tribulation that is coming on, and happy they who shall not deny their own life. 10 For the Lord hath sworn by His Son, that those who denied their Lord have abandoned their life in despair, for even now these are to deny Him in the days that are coming. 11 To those who denied in earlier times, God became 12 gracious, on account of His exceeding tender mercy."
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God ... against. Omitted in Vat. ↩
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Not, omitted in Vat. ↩
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Make known. Rebuke with these words.--Vat. [Your sister in Christ, i.e., when converted.] ↩
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Let her restrain her tongue.--Vat. [Jas. iii. 5-10.] ↩
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For ... you. For she will be instructed, after you have rebuked her with those words which the Lord has commanded to be revealed to you.--Vat. ↩
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[Against Montanism. Matt. xii. 31. xviii. 22.] ↩
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[To show that the Catholic doctrine does not make Christ the minister of sin. Gal. ii. 17.] ↩
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Doubt not. [Jas. i. 5.] And so act.--Vat. ↩
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Passage. [Luke xvi. 22.] Your journey.--Pal. ↩
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And whosoever shall not deny his own life.--Vat. [Seeking one's life was losing it: hating one's own life was finding it. (Matt. x. 39; Luke xiv. 26.) The great tribuation here referred to, is probably that mystery of St. Paul (2 Thess. ii. 3), which they supposed nigh at hand. Our author probably saw signs of it in Montanus and his followers.] ↩
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Those ... coming. The meaning of this sentence is obscure. The Vat. is evidently corrupt, but seems to mean: "The Lord has sworn by His Son, that whoever will deny Him and His Son, promising themselves life thereby, they [God and His Son] will deny them in the days that are to come." The days that are to come would mean the day of judgment and the future state. See Matt. x. 33. [This they supposed would soon follow the great apostasy and tribulation. The words "earlier times" are against the Pauline date.] ↩
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Became gracious. Will be gracious.--Pal. ↩
