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and proceedeth from the devil, and has no strength.

11 Do thou therefore keep the virtue of faith, and depart from doubting, in which is no virtue, and thou shalt live unto God. And all shall live unto God, as many as shall do these things.

" Without sense thou

COMMAND X.

Of the sadness of the heart; and that we must take heed not to grieve the Spirit of God that is in us.

PUT all sadness far from thee; for it is the sister of doubting and of anger. How, sir, said I, is it the sister of these? For sadness, and anger, and doubting, seem to me to be very different from one another.

2 And he answered, Art thou without dost not un-sense, that thou dost not understand it? For derstand it. sadness is the most mischievous of all spirits, So the La- and the worst to the servants of God: "It destroys the spirits of all men, and torments the Athanasius Holy Spirit; and again it saves.

tin Version.

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eth man

spirit.

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And destroy- 3 Sir, said I, I am very foolish, and undermore than stand not these things. I cannot apprehend any other how it can torment, and yet save. Hear, Questions. said he, and understand. They who never sought out the truth, nor inquired concerning the majesty of God, but only believed, are involved in the affairs of the heathen.

Vid. Edit. Oxon. p. 70. b. Com. 2.

Cor. vii. 10.

4 And there is another lying prophet that destroys the minds of the servants of God; Lat. Sen- that is, of those that are doubtful, not of those that fully trust in the Lord. Now those doubt ful persons come to him, as to a divine spirit, and inquire of him, what shall befall them.

aus: from the Greek Νους.

5 And this lying prophet, having no power

in him of the Divine Spirit, answers them according to their demands; and fills their souls with promises according as they desire. Howbeit that prophet is vain, and answers vain things to those who are themselves vain.

6 And whatsoever is asked of him by vain men, he answers them vainly. Nevertheless he speaketh some things truly. For the devil fills him with his spirit, that he may overthrow some of the righteous.

7 ¶ Whosoever therefore are strong in the faith of the Lord, and have put on the truth, they are not joined to such spirits, but depart from them. But they that are doubtful, and often repenting, like the heathens, consult them, and heap up to themselves great sin, serving idols.

8 As many therefore as are such, inquire of them upon every occasion, worship idols, and are foolish, and void of the truth.

9 For every spirit that is given from God needs not to be asked; but having the power of divinity speaks all things of itself; because he comes from above, from the power of the Spirit of God.

10 But he that being asked speaks according to men's desires, and concerning many other affairs of this present world, understands not the things which relate unto God. For these spirits are darkened through such affairs, and corrupted, and broken.

11 As good vines, if they are neglected, are oppressed with weeds and thorns, and at last killed by them; so are the men who believe such spirits.

stand noth

12 They fall into many actions and busi-And undernesses, and are void of sense, and when they ing at all, think of things pertaining unto God, they un-riches. Lat.

thinking of

God. And all others shall live unto God, as many as shall lay aside sadness, and put on cheerfulness.

the living.

COMMAND XI.

That the spirits and prophets are to be tried by their works, and of a twofold spirit.

HE showed me certain men sitting upon benches, and one sitting in a chair; and he said unto me, Seest thou those who sit upon the benches? Sir, said I, I see them. He answered, They are the faithful; and he who sits in the chair, is an earthly spirit.

Church of 2 For he cometh not into the assembly of the faithful, but avoids it. But he joins himself to the doubtful and empty; and prophesies to them in corners and hidden places; and pleases them by speaking according to all the desires of their hearts.

the

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3 For he placing himself among empty in them. vessels, is not broken, but the one fitteth the Exinanitur. other. But when he cometh into the company was wanting of just men, who are full of the Spirit of God, to make the and they pray unto the Lord, that man is emptied, because that earthly spirit flies from Archbishop him, and he is dumb, and cannot speak any Grabe, that thing.

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4 As if in a store-house you shall stop up posed into the wine or oil; and among those vessels shall Ac place an empty jar; and shall afterwards come Archbishop to open it, you shall find it empty as you stopped it up: so those empty prophets, when they come among the spirits of the just, are their true or found to be such as they came."

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5 ¶ I said, How then shall a man be able to discern them? Consider what I am going to

say concerning both kinds of men; and as I'Vessels. speak unto thee, so shalt thou phet of God, and the false prophet.

prove the pro

6 And first try the man who hath the Spirit of God; because the Spirit which is from above is humble and quiet; and departs from all wickedness; and from the vain desires of the present world; and makes himself more humble than all men; and answers to none when he is asked; nor to every one singly: for the Spirit of God doth not speak to a man when he will, but when God pleases.

7 When therefore a man who hath the Spirit of God shall come into the church of the righteous, who have the faith of God, and they pray unto the Lord; then the holy angel of God fills that man with the blessed Spirit, and he speaks in the congregation as he is moved of God.

8 Thus therefore is the Spirit of God known, because whosoever speaketh by the Spirit of God, speaketh as the Lord will.

9 Hear now concerning the earthly spirit, which is empty and foolish, and without virtue. And first of all the man who is supposed to have the Spirit (whereas he hath it not in reality), exalteth himself, and desires to have the first seat, and is wicked, and full of words;

10 And spends his time in pleasure, and in all manner of voluptuousness; and receives the reward of his divination; which if he receives not, he does not divine.

11 Should the Spirit of God receive reward and divine? It doth not become a prophet of God so to do.

12 Thus you see the life of each of these kind of prophets. Wherefore prove that man

Vid .Anti

och. Hom.. ixxiv.

by his life and works, who says that he hath the Holy Spirit. And believe the Spirit which comes from God, and has power as such. But believe not the earthly and empty spirit, which is from the devil, in whom there is no faith nor virtue.

13 Hear now the similitude which I am about to speak unto thee. Take a stone, and throw it up towards heaven; or take a spout of water, and mount it up thitherward; and see if thou canst reach unto heaven.

14 Sir, said I, How can this be done? For neither of those things which you have mentioned, are possible to be done. And he answered, Therefore, as these things cannot be done, so is the earthly spirit without virtue, and without effect.

15 Understand yet further the power which cometh from above, in this similitude. The grains of hail that drop down are exceeding small; and yet when they fall upon the head of a man, how do they cause pain to it?

16 And again; consider the droppings of a house; how the little drops falling upon the earth, work a hollow in the stones.

17 So in like manner, the least things which come from above, and fall upon the earth, have great force. Wherefore join thyself to this

spirit, which has power; and depart from the other, which is empty.

COMMAND XII.

:

Of a twofold desire that the commands of God are not impossible: and that the devil is not to be feared by them that believe.

AGAIN he said unto me, "Remove from thee all evil desires, and put on good and ho

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