I. That we ought to entertain a worthy opinion of our salvation, and to do the utmost that in us lies to express the value we put upon it, by a sincere obedience to our Saviour Christ II. That God had before prophesied by Isaiah that the Gentiles III. IV. That this ought to engage such especially to be very careful V. That whilst we secure to ourselves the favour of God, and the reward of the other world, we need not fear what can befall VI. That we cannot serve God and Mammon; nor, if we follow VII. The consideration of which ought to bring us to repentance and VIII. And that presently; knowing that now, whilst we are in this IX. We shall rise, and be judged in those bodies in which we now X. That we ought, as we value our own interests, to live well, XI. And not deceive ourselves with any vain imaginations, as if N XII. That we ought to watch for the Kingdom of God. XIII. That we ought to make haste to repent. XIV. XV. Exhortation to purity. XVI. Exhortation to Almsgiving. XVII. That we should fear God constantly, and not be religious only when we are in the congregation. XVIII. The writer declares that he is still compassed with infirmity, but strives to prevail. XIX. Encouragement to perseverance. XX. The reward of patience. The Ascription. THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST CLEMENT (SO CALLED). I. BRETHREN, we ought so to think of Jesus Christ as of the Judge of the living and the dead: nor should we think any less of our salvation. For if we think meanly of Him, we shall hope only to receive some small things from Him. And, if we do so, we shall sin; not considering from whence we have been called, and by whom, and to what place; and how much Jesus Christ vouchsafed to suffer for our sakes. What recompense then shall we render unto Him? or what fruit that may be worthy of what He has given to us? For, indeed, how great are those advantages which we owe to Him in relation to our holiness! He has illuminated us; as a father He has called us His children: He has saved us who were lost and undone. What praise shall we give to Him, or what reward that may be answerable to those things which we have received? We were defective in our understandings; worshipping stones and wood, gold and silver, and brass, the works of men's hands; and our whole life was nothing else but death. Wherefore, being encompassed with darkness, and having such a mist before our eyes, we have looked up, and through His will have laid aside the cloud wherewith we were surrounded. For He had compassion upon us, and, being moved in His bowels towards us, He saved us; having beheld in us much error, and destruction, and seen that we had no hope of salvation but only through Him. For He called us who were not, and was pleased from nothing to give us a being. II. "Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not, break forth and cry, thou that travailest not; for she that is desolate hath many more children than she that hath an husband." 1 In that He said, "Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not," He spake of us; for our Church was barren before that children were given unto it. And again, when He said, "cry, thou that travailest not," He implied thus much: that, after the manner of women in travail, we should not cease to put up our prayers unto God abundantly. And for what follows, "because she that is desolate hath more children than she that hath an husband:"3 it was therefore added, because our people which seemed to have been forsaken by God, now believing in Him, are become more than they who seemed to have God. And another Scripture saith, "I came not to call the righteous but sinners [to repentance]." The meaning of which is this, that those who were lost must be saved. For that is indeed truly great and wonderful, not to confirm those things that are yet standing, but those which are falling. Even so did it seem good to Christ to save what was lost; and when He came into the world He saved many, and called us who were already lost. III. Seeing then He had showed so great mercy towards us, and chiefly for that we who are alive do now no longer sacrifice to dead gods, nor pay any worship to them, but have by Him been brought to the knowledge of the Father of truth; whereby shall we show that we do indeed know Him, but by not denying Him by whom we have come to the knowledge of Him? For even He Himself saith, "Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father.” 5 This therefore is our reward, if we shall confess Him by whom we have been saved. But wherein must we confess Him? Namely, in doing those things which He saith, and not disobeying His commandments-by worshipping Him not with our lips only, but with all our heart, and with all our mind; for He saith in Isaiah, "This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." 6 IV. Let us then not only call Him Lord; for that will not save us. For He saith, "Not every one that saith unto Me, 2'ATλws. See St James i. 5. 1 Isa. liv. I. Compare Rom. xii. 8; 2 Cor. viii. 2; ix. 11, 13. Matt. x. 32, 4 Matt. ix. 13. 6 Isa. xxix. 13. |