The Forbidden Gospels and Epistles Part 49

16 Learn to be subject, laying aside all proud and arrogant boasting of your tongues.

17 For it is better for you to be found little, and approved, in the sheepfold of Christ, than to seem to yourselves better than others, and be cast out of his fold.

18 For thus speaks the excellent and all-virtuous wisdom, Behold I will pour out the word of my spirit upon you, I will make known my speech unto you.

19 Because I called and ye would not hear, I stretched out my hand and ye regarded not.

20 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. I will also laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh.

21 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

22 Then shall ye call upon me but I will not hear you: the wicked shall seek me but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not seek the fear of the Lord.

23 They would not hearken unto my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own ways; and be filled with their own wickedness.

CHAPTER XXIV.

1 Recommends them to G.o.d. Desires speedily to hear that this Epistle has had a good effect upon them.

4 Conclusion.

NOW G.o.d, the inspector of all things, the Father of Spirits, and the Lord of all flesh, who hath chosen our Lord Jesus Christ, and us by him, to be his peculiar people;

2 Grant to every soul of man that calleth upon his glorious and holy name, faith, fear, peace, long-suffering, patience, temperance, holiness and sobriety, unto all well-pleasing in his sight; through our High-Priest and Protector Jesus Christ, by whom be glory and majesty, and power, and honour unto him now and for ever more, Amen.

3 The messengers whom we have sent unto you, Claudius, Ephebus, and Valerios Bito, with Fortunatus, send back to us again with all speed, in peace and with joy, that they may the sooner acquaint us with your peace and concord, so much prayed for and desired by us: and that we may rejoice in your good order.

4 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, and with all that are any where called by G.o.d through him: To whom be honour and glory, and might and majesty, and eternal dominion, by Christ Jesus, from everlasting to everlasting, Amen.

REFERENCES TO CLEMENT'S FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS.

[Clement was a disciple of Peter, and afterwards Bishop of Rome. Clemens Alexandrinus calls him an apostle. Jerome says he was an apostolic man, and Rafinus that he was almost an apostle. Eusebius calls this the wonderful Epistle of St. Clement, and says that it was publicly read in the a.s.semblies of the primitive church. It is included in one of the ancient collections of the Canon Scripture. Its genuineness has been much questioned, particularly by Photius, patriarch of Constantinople in the ninth century, who objects that Clement speaks of worlds beyond the ocean: that he has not written worthily of the divinity of Christ; and that to prove the possibility of a future resurrection, he introduces the fabulous story of the phoenix's revival from its own ashes. To the latter objection, Archbishop Wake replies that the generality of the ancient Fathers have made use of the same instance in proof of the same point; and asks, if St. Clement really believed that there was such a bird, and that it did revive out of the cinders of the body after burning, where was the, great harm either in giving credit to such a wonder, or, believing it, to make rich a use as he here does of it?--The present is the Archbishop's translation from the ancient Greek copy of the Epistle, which is at the end of the celebrated Alexandrine MS. of the Septuagint and New Testament, presented by Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria, to King Charles the First, now in the British Museum. The Archbishop, in prefacing his translation, esteems it a great blessing that this "Epistle" was at last so happily found out, for the increase and confirmation both of our faith and our charity.]

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS

CHAPTER I.

That we ought to value our salvation; and to show that we do by a sincere obedience.

BRETHREN, we ought so to think of Jesus Christ as of G.o.d: as of the judge of the living, and the dead; nor should we think any less of our salvation.

2 For if we think meanly of him, we shall hope only to receive some small things from him.

3 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.

4 What recompense then shall we render unto him? Or what fruit that may be worthy of what he has given to us?

5 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.

6 What praise shall we give to him? Or what reward that may be answerable to those things which we have received.

7 We were defective in our understandings; worshipping stones, and wood; gold, and silver, and bra.s.s, the work of men's hands; and our whole life was nothing else but death.

8 Wherefore being encompa.s.sed 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.

9 For he had compa.s.sion upon us, and being moved in his bowels towards us, he saved us; having beheld in us much error, and destruction; and seeing that we had no hope of salvation, but only through him.

10 For he called us, who were not; and was pleased from nothing to give us being.

CHAPTER II.

1 That G.o.d had before prophesied by Isaiah, that the Gentiles should be saved; 8 And that this ought to engage, such especially to live well; without which they will still miscarry.

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 a husband.

2 In that saying, Rejoice thou barren that bearest not, he spake of us: for our church was barren before children were given unto it.

3 And again; when he said, Cry thou that travailest not: he implied thus much: That after the manner of a woman in travail, we should not cease to put up our prayers unto G.o.d abundantly.

4 And for what follows, because she that is desolate hath more children than she that hath a husband; it was therefore added, because our people which seemed to have been forsaken by G.o.d, now believing in him, are become more than they who seemed to have G.o.d.

5 And another Scripture saith, a 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:

6 For that is, indeed, truly great and wonderful, not to confirm those things that are yet standing, but those which are falling,

7 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.

8 Seeing then he has showed so great mercy towards us; and chiefly for that we who are alive, do now no longer sacrifice to dead G.o.ds, nor pay any worship to them, but have by him been brought to the knowledge of the Father of truth.

9 Whereby shall we show that we do indeed know him, and by not denying him by whom we have come to the knowledge of him.

10 For even he himself saith, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father. This therefore is our reward, if we shall confess him by whom we have been saved.

11 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.

12 Let us then not only call him Lord; for that will not save us. For he saith: Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that doth righteousness.