4 That so all men may know, that those who are double minded, and distrustful of the power of God, are prepared for condemnation, and to be a sign to all succeeding ages.
5 By faith and hospitality was Rahab the harlot saved. For when the spies were sent by Joshua the son of Nun to search out Jericho, and the king of Jericho knew that they were come to spy out his country, he sent men to take them, so that they might be put to death.
6 Rahab therefore, being hospitable, received them, and hid them under the stalks of flax, on the top of her house.
7 And when the messengers that were sent by the king came unto her, and asked her, saying, There came men unto thee to spy out the land, bring them forth, for so hath the king commanded: She answered, The two men whom ye seek came unto me, but presently they departed, and are gone: Not discovering them unto them.
8 Then she said to the spies, I know that the Lord your God has given this city into your hands; for the fear of you is fallen upon all that dwell therein. When, therefore, ye shall have taken it, ye shall save me and my father's house.
9 And they answered her, saying, It shall be as thou hast spoken unto us, Therefore, when thou shalt know that we are near, thou shalt gather all thy family together, upon the house-top and they shall be saved: but all that shall be found without thy house shall be destroyed.
10 And they gave her moreover a sign, that she should hang out of her house a scarlet rope, showing thereby, that by the blood of our Lord, there should be redemption to all that believe and hope in God. Ye see, beloved, how there was not only faith, but prophesy too in this woman.
CHAPTER VII
1 What rules are given for leading a holy life.
LET us, therefore, humble ourselves, brethren, laying aside all pride, and boasting, and foolishness, and anger: And let us do as it is written.
2 For thus saith the Holy Spirit; Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches; but let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord, to seek him, and to do judgment and justice.
3 Above all, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, which he spake concerning equity and long suffering, saying,
4 Be ye merciful, and ye shall obtain mercy; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; as ye do, so shall it be done unto you; as ye give, so shall it be given unto you; as ye judge, so shall ye be judged; as ye are kind to others, so shall God be kind to you; with what measure ye mete, with the same shall it be measured to you again.
5 By this command, and by these rules, let us establish ourselves, that so we may always walk obediently to his holy words; being humble minded:
6 For so says the Holy Scripture; upon whom shall I look, even upon him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word.
7 It is, therefore, just and righteous, men and brethren, that we should become obedient unto God, rather than follow such as through pride and sedition, have made themselves the ring-leaders of a detestable emulation.
8 For it is not an ordinary harm that we shall do ourselves, but rather a very great danger that we shall run, if we shall rashly give up ourselves to the wills of men, who promote strife and seditions, to turn us aside from that which is fitting.
9 But let us be kind to one another, according to the compassion and sweetness of him that made us.
10 For it is written, The merciful shall inherit the earth; and they that are without evil shall be left upon it: but the transgressors shall perish from off the face of it.
11 And again be saith, I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like the cedar of Libanus. I passed by, and lo! he was not; I sought his place, but it could not be found.
12 Keep innocently, and do the thing that is right, for there shall be a remnant to the peaceable man.
13 Let us, therefore, hold fast to those who religiously follow peace; and not to such as only pretend to desire.
14 For he saith in a certain place, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
15 And again, They bless with their mouths, but curse in their hearts.
16 And again he saith, They loved him with their mouths, and with their tongues they lied to him. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.
17 Let all deceitful lips become dumb, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said, with our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own, who is Lord over us?
18 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise saith the Lord; I will set him in safety, I will deal confidently with him.
CHAPTER VIII
He advises then, to be humble, and, follow the examples of Jesus, and of holy men in all ages.
FOR Christ is theirs who are humble, and not who exalt themselves over his flock. The sceptre of the majesty of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, came not in the show of pride and arrogance, though he could have done so; but with humility as the Holy Ghost had before spoken concerning him.
2 For thus he saith, Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed; For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground;
3 He hath no form or comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
4 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
5 And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
6 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
7 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
8 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
9 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
10 He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare this generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
11 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
12 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper m his hand.
Archbishop Wake
Forbidden Gospels and Epistles, Volume 6, Clement
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Title: Forbidden Gospels and Epistles, Volume 6, Clement
Author: Archbishop Wake
Release Date: September, 2004 [EBook #6512] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on December 25, 2002] [This file was last updated on January 22, 2003]
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Language: English
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FORBIDDEN GOSPELS, BY WAKE, v6 ***
This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net> Additional proofing was done by Curtis A. Weyant
THE SUPPRESSED GOSPELS AND EPISTLES OF THE ORIGINAL NEW TESTAMENT OF JESUS THE CHRIST
AND OTHER PORTIONS OF THE ANCIENT HOLY SCRIPTURES. NOW EXTANT, ATTRIBUTED TO HIS APOSTLES, AND THEIR DISCIPLES, AND VENERATED BY THE PRIMITIVE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES DURING THE FIRST FOUR CENTURIES, BUT SINCE, AFTER VIOLENT DISPUTATIONS FORBIDDEN BY THE BISHOPS OF THE NICENE COUNCIL, IN THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE AND OMITTED FROM THE CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANT EDITIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, BY ITS COMPILERS
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL TONGUES, WITH HISTORICAL REFERENCES TO THEIR AUTHENTICITY,
BY ARCHBISHOP WAKE AND OTHER LEARNED DIVINES
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS
CHAPTER I
Clement commends them for their excellent order and piety in Christ, before their schism broke out.
THE Church of God which is at Rome, to the Church of God which is at Corinth, elect, sanctified by the will of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord: grace and peace from the Almighty God, by Jesus Christ, be multiplied unto you.
2 Brethren, the sudden and unexpected dangers and calamities that have fallen upon us, have, we fear, made us the more slow in our consideration of those things which you inquired of us:
3 As also of that wicked and detestable sedition, so unbecoming the elect of God, which a few headstrong and self-willed men have fomented to such a degree of madness, that your venerable and renowned name, so worthy of all men to be beloved, is greatly blasphemed thereby.
4 For who that has ever been among you has not experienced the firmness of your faith, and its fruitfulness in all good works; and admired the temper and moderation of your religion in Christ; and published abroad the magnificence of your hospitality; and thought you happy in your perfect and certain knowledge of the Gospel?
5 For ye did all things without respect of persons, and walked according to the laws of God; being subject to those who had the rule over you, and giving the honour that was fitting to the aged among you.
6 Ye commanded the young men to think those things that were modest and grave.
7 The women ye exhorted to do all things with an unblameable, and seemly, and pure conscience; loving their own husbands, as was fitting: and that keeping themselves within the bounds of a due obedience, they should order their houses gravely, with all discretion.
8 Ye were all of you humble- minded, not boasting of anything desiring rather to be subject than to govern; to give than to receive; being a content with the portion God hath dispensed to you:
9 And hearkening diligently to his word, ye were enlarged in your bowels, having his sufferings always before your eyes.
10 Thus a firm, and blessed, and profitable peace was given unto you: and an unsatiable desire of doing good; and a plentiful effusion of the Holy Ghost was upon all of you.
11 And being full of good designs, ye did with, great readiness of mind, and with a religious confidence stretch forth your hands to God Almighty; beseeching him to be merciful unto you, if in anything ye had unwillingly sinned against him.
12 Ye contended day and night for the whole brotherhood; that with compassion and a good conscience, the number of his elect might be saved.
13 Ye were sincere, and without offence towards each other; not mindful of injuries; all sedition and schism was an abomination unto you.
14 Ye bewailed every one his neighbours' sins, esteeming their defects your own.
15 Ye were kind one to another without grudging; being ready to every good work. And being adorned with a conversation altogether virtuous and religious, ye did all things in the fear of God; whose I commandments were written upon the tables of your heart.
CHAPTER II
How their divisions began.
ALL honour and enlargement was given unto you; and so was fulfilled that which is written, my beloved did eat and drink, he was enlarged and waxed fat, and he kicked.
2 From hence came emulation, and envy, and strife, and sedition; persecution and disorder, war and captivity.
3 So they who were of no renown, lifted up themselves against the honourable; those of no reputation against those who were in respect; the foolish against the wise; the young men against the aged.
4 Therefore righteousness and peace are departed from you, because every one hath forsaken the fear of God; and is grown blind in his faith; nor walketh by the rule of God's commandments nor liveth as is fitting in Christ:
5 But every one follows his own wicked lusts: having taken up an unjust and wicked envy, by which death first entered into the world.
CHAPTER III
Envy and emulation the original of all strife and disorder. Examples of the mischiefs they have occasioned.
FOR thus it is written, And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof:
2 And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering. But unto Cain and unto his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very sorrowful, and his countenance fell.
3 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou sorrowful? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou shalt offer aright, but not divide aright, hast thou not sinned? Hold thy peace: unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
4 And Cain said unto Abel his brother, Let us go down into the field. And it came to pass, as they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
5 Ye see, brethren, how envy and emulation wrought the death of a brother. For this, our father Jacob fled from the face of his brother Esau.
6 It was this that caused Joseph to be persecuted even unto death, and to come into bondage. Envy forced "Moses to flee from the face of Pharoah king of Egypt, when he heard, his own countryman ask him, "Who made thee a Judge, and a ruler over us? Wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday?