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Polycarp
Polycarp, and the presbyters[338] with him, to the Church of God sojourning at Philippi: Mercy to you, and peace from God Almighty, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, be multiplied.
I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ, because ye have followed the example[339] of true love [as displayed by God], and have accompanied, as became you, those who were bound in chains, the fitting ornaments of saints, and which are indeed the diadems of the true elect of God and our Lord; and because the strong root of your faith, spoken of in days[340] long gone by, endureth even until now, and bringeth forth fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sins suffered even unto death, [but] “whom God raised from the dead, having loosed the bands of the grave.”[341] “In whom, though now ye see Him not, ye believe, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory;”[342] into which joy many desire to enter, knowing that “by grace ye are saved, not of works,”[343] but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
“Wherefore, girding up your loins,”[344] “serve the Lord in fear”[345] and truth, as those who have forsaken the vain, empty talk and error of the multitude, and “believed in Him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory,”[346] and a throne at His right hand. To Him all things[347] in heaven and on earth are subject. Him every spirit serves. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead.[348] His blood will God require of those who do not believe in Him.[349] But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise[350] up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; “not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing,”[351] or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: “Judge not, that ye be not judged;[352] forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you;[353] be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy;[354] with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again;”[355] and once more, “Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”[356]
These things, brethren, I write to you concerning righteousness, not because I take anything upon myself, but because ye have invited me to do so. For neither I, nor any other such one, can come up to the wisdom[357] of the blessed and glorified Paul. He, when among you, accurately and stedfastly taught the word of truth in the presence of those who were then alive. And when absent from you, he wrote you a letter,[358] which, if you carefully study, you will find to be the means of building you up in that faith which has been given you, and which, being followed by hope, and preceded by love towards God, and Christ, and our neighbour, “is the mother of us all.”[359] For if any one be inwardly possessed of these graces, he hath fulfilled the command of righteousness, since he that hath love is far from all sin.
“But the love of money is the root of all evils.”[360] Knowing, therefore, that “as we brought nothing into the world, so we can carry nothing out,”[361] let us arm ourselves with the armour of righteousness;[362] and let us teach, first of all, ourselves to walk in the commandments of the Lord. Next, [teach] your wives [to walk] in the faith given to them, and in love and purity tenderly loving their own husbands in all truth, and loving all [others] equally in all chastity; and to train up their children in the knowledge and fear of God. Teach the widows to be discreet as respects the faith of the Lord, praying continually[363] for all, being far from all slandering, evil-speaking, false-witnessing, love of money, and every kind of evil; knowing that they are the altar[364] of God, that He clearly perceives all things, and that nothing is hid from Him, neither reasonings, nor reflections, nor any one of the secret things of the heart.
Knowing, then, that “God is not mocked,”[365] we ought to walk worthy of His commandment and glory. In like manner should the deacons be blameless before the face of His righteousness, as being the servants of God and Christ,[366] and not of men. They must not be slanderers, double-tongued,[367] or lovers of money, but temperate in all things, compassionate, industrious, walking according to the truth of the Lord, who was the servant[368] of all. If we please Him in this present world, we shall receive also the future world, according as He has promised to us that He will raise us again from the dead, and that if we live[369] worthily of Him, “we shall also reign together with Him,”[370] provided only we believe. In like manner, let the young men also be blameless in all things, being especially careful to preserve purity, and keeping themselves in, as with a bridle, from every kind of evil. For it is well that they should be cut off from[371] the lusts that are in the world, since “every lust warreth against the spirit;”[372] and “neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God,”[373] nor those who do things inconsistent and unbecoming. Wherefore, it is needful to abstain from all these things, being subject to the presbyters and deacons, as unto God and Christ. The virgins also must walk in a blameless and pure conscience.
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