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The Second Epistle of Clement
Let us therefore serve God with a pure heart, and we shall be righteous; but if we do not serve Him, because we believe not the promise of God, we shall be miserable. For the prophetic word also declares, “Wretched are those of a double mind, and who doubt in their heart, who say, All these things have we heard even in the times of our fathers; but though we have waited day by day, we have seen none of them accomplished. Ye fools! compare yourselves to a tree; take, for instance, the vine. First of all it sheds its leaves, then the bud appears; after that the sour grape, and then the fully-ripened fruit. So, likewise, my people have borne disturbances and afflictions, but afterwards shall they receive their good things.”[3923] Wherefore, my brethren, let us not be of a double mind, but let us hope and endure, that we also may obtain the reward. For He is faithful who has promised that He will bestow on every one a reward according to his works. If, therefore, we shall do righteousness in the sight of God, we shall enter into His kingdom, and shall receive the promises, “which ear hath not heard, nor eye seen, neither have entered into the heart of man.”[3924]
Let us expect, therefore, hour by hour, the kingdom of God in love and righteousness, since we know not the day of the appearing of God. For the Lord Himself, being asked by one when His kingdom would come, replied, “When two shall be one, and that which is without as that which is within, and the male with the female, neither male nor female.”[3925] Now, two are one when we speak the truth one to another, and there is unfeignedly one soul in two bodies. And “that which is without as that which is within” meaneth this: He calls the soul “that which is within,” and the body “that which is without.” As, then, thy body is visible to sight, so also let thy soul be manifest by good works. And “the male with the female, neither male nor female,” this[3926] …
[The newly recovered portion follows: ][3927]—
… meaneth,[3928] that a brother seeing a sister should think nothing[3929] about her as of a female, nor she[3930] think anything about him as of a male. If ye do these things, saith He,[3931] the kingdom of my Father shall come.
Therefore, brethren,[3933] let us now at length repent; let us be sober unto what is good; for we are full of much folly and wickedness. Let us blot out from us our former sins, and repenting from the soul let us be saved; and let us not become[3934] men-pleasers, nor let us desire to please only one another,[3935] but also the men that are without, by our righteousness, that the Name[3936] be not blasphemed on account of us.[3937] For the Lord also saith “Continually[3938] My name is blasphemed among all the Gentiles,”[3939] and again, “Woe[3940] to him on account of whom My name is blasphemed.” Wherein is it blasphemed? In your not doing what I desire.[3941] For the Gentiles, when they hear from our mouth the oracles of God,[3942] marvel at them as beautiful and great; afterwards, when they have learned that our works are not worthy of the words we speak, they then turn themselves to blasphemy, saying that it is some fable and delusion. For when they hear from us that God saith,[3943] “There is no thank unto you, if ye love them that love you; but there is thank unto you, if ye love your enemies and them that hate you;”[3944] when they hear these things, they marvel at the excellency of the goodness; but when they see that we not only do not love them that hate us, but not even them that love us, they laugh us to scorn, and the Name is blasphemed.
Wherefore,[3945] brethren, if we do the will of God our father, we shall be of the first Church, that is, spiritual, that hath been created before the sun and moon;[3946] but if we do not the will of the Lord, we shall be of the scripture that saith, “My house was made a den of robbers.”[3947] So then let us choose to be of the Church of life,[3948] that we may be saved. I do not, however, suppose ye are ignorant that the living Church is the body of Christ;[3949] for the scripture saith, “God made man, male and female.”[3950] the male is Christ, the female is the Church. And the Books[3951] and the Apostles plainly declare[3952] that the Church is not of the present, but from the beginning.[3953] For she was spiritual, as our Jesus also was, but was manifested in the last days that He[3954] might save us. Now the Church, being spiritual, was manifested in the flesh of Christ, thus signifying to us that, if any of us keep[3955] her in the flesh and do not corrupt her, he shall receive her again[3956] in the Holy Spirit: for this flesh is the copy of the spirit. No one then who corrupts the copy, shall partake of the original.[3957] This then is what He meaneth, “Keep the flesh,[3958] that ye may partake of the spirit.” But if we say that the flesh is the church and the spirit Christ,[3959] then he that hath shamefully used the flesh hath shamefully used the Church. Such a one then shall not partake of the spirit, which is Christ. Such life and incorruption this flesh[3960] can partake of, when the Holy Spirit is joined to it. No one can utter or speak “what the lord hath prepared” for his elect.[3961]
Now I do not think I have given you any light counsel concerning self-control,[3962] which if any one do he will not repent of it, but will save both himself and me who counselled him. For it is no light reward to turn again a wandering and perishing soul that it may be saved.[3963] For this is the recompense[3964] we have to return to God who created us, if he that speaketh and heareth both speaketh and heareth with faith and love. Let us therefore abide in the things which we believed, righteous and holy, that with boldness we may ask of God who saith, “While thou art yet speaking, I will say, Lo, I am here.”[3965] For this saying is the sign of a great promise; for the Lord saith of Himself that He is more ready to give than he that asketh to ask.[3966][3967] Being therefore partakers of so great kindness, let us not be envious of one another[3968] in the obtaining of so many good things. For as great as is the pleasure which these sayings have for them that have done them, so great is the condemnation they have for them that have been disobedient.
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