is in great torment and necessity. Whosoever therefore delivers such a soul from necessity, gets great joy unto himself. For he that is grieved with such inconveniences, is equally tormented, as if he were in chains. And many upon the account of such calamities, being not able to bear them, have chosen even to destroy themselves. He therefore that knows the calamity of such a man, and does not free him from it, commits a great sin, and is guilty of his blood. Wherefore exercise yourselves in good works, as many as have received ability from the Lord, lest whilst ye delay to do them, the building of the tower be finished; because for your sakes the building is stopped. Except, therefore, ye shall make haste to do well, the tower shall be finished, and ye shall be shut out of it. And after he had thus spoken with me, he rose up from the bed, and departed, taking the shepherd and virgins with him. Howbeit he said unto me, that he would send back the shepherd and virgins unto my house. Amen. CONTENTS OF THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS. 1. 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 and his Gospel. II. That God had before prophesied by Isaiah, that the Gentiles should be saved. III, IV. That this ought to engage such especially to be very careful to live well; without which they will still miscarry. V. That whilst we secure to ourselves the Favour of God, and the Reward of the other World, we need not fear what can befal us in this. VI. That we cannot serve God and Mammon: nor if we follow the Interests of this present World, is it possible for us to escape the Punishment of the other. VII. The Consideration of which ought to bring us to Repentance and Holiness. VIII. And that presently; knowing that now, whilst we are in this World, is the only time for Repentance. IX. We shall rise, and be judged, in those Bodies in which we now are; therefore we must live well in them. X. That we ought, as we value our own Interests, to live well; however few seem to mind what really is for their advantage. XI. And not deceive ourselves with any vain Imaginations, as if no Punishment should remain for us who do Evil; or Good happen to us hereafter, if we behave ourselves as we ought to do: seeing God will certainly judge us, and render to all of us according to our Works: and how soon this may be, we can none of us tell. THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT ΤΟ THE CORINTHIANS. I. BRETHREN, we ought so to think of Jesus Christ as of God; 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 2 Hear as of little things. * How great holy-things do we owe unto him. 1 Little things, or meanly. • Knowing. 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. 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: 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 shewed so great mercy Isai. liv. 1. 2 'Arλs. See St. Jam. i. 5. 3 Compare Rom. xii. 8. 2 Cor. viii. 2. ix. 11, 13. 4 Mat. ix. 13. 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 shew 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'. 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 me3. 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, Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that doth righteousness. Wherefore, brethren, let us confess him by our works; by loving one another; in not committing adultery-not speaking evil against each other-not envying one another: but by being temperate, merciful, good. Let us also have a mutual sense of one another's sufferings; and not be covetous of money: but let us, by our good works, confess God, and not by those that are otherwise. Also, let us not fear men; but rather God. "Wherefore if we should do such wicked things, the Lord hath said, Though ye should be joined unto me, even in my very bosom, and not keep my commandments, I I What is the knowledge which is towards him. 5 Wherefore we doing these things. 2 Mat. x. 32. |