Ante-Nicene Christian Library; Translations Of The Writings Of The Fathers Down To A.D. 325, Volume 4: The Writings Of Clement Of Alexandria, Volume 1

발행: 1867년

분량: 502페이지

출처: archive.org

분류: 미분류

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He has been demonstrated to be just. He seis besore us Hisown inclinations whicli invite in salvation; by Which, in accordance mitti the Fathees Will, He wishes to mae knownto us the good and the useful. Considor these. The good το καλόν) belongs to the panegyrical lam os speech, theuseful to the persuasive. For the hortatory and the dehortatory are a form of the persuasive, and the laudatory and inculpatory of the panegyricat.

For the persuasive sule of sentence in one form becomes hortato , and in another dehortatory. So also the panegyrical in one form becomes inculpatory, and in another laudato . And in these exercises the Instructor, the Just One, Who has proposed our advantage as His aim, is chiefly occupied. But tho inculpatory and dehortatory forms of speech have been Hready shown us; and we must noW handie the pe suasive and the laudatory, and, as on a beam, balance theequat scales of justice. The exhortation to What is usefui,

the Instructor employs by Solomon, to the folloWing effeci: I exhori you, O men; and I ulter my voice to the fons of men. Hear me; for I mill speah of excellent things; '

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176 THE INSTRUCTOR

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thou repent, the Lord Will purisy thy heari, and the heari os

sty seed.' We might have adduced, as supportere on this question, the philosophers who say that only the perfeci manis Worthy of praise, and the bad man of blame. But sincesome stander beatitude, as neither iraeis tining any tronble, nor giring any to any one else, thus nos underetanding iis love to man; on their account, and on account of those who donot associate justice With goodness, the folloWing remaris are ded. For it Mero a legitimate inference to.say, that rebuheand censure are sultable to men, since they say that ali menare bad ; but God alone is mise, from Whom cometh Wisdom, and alone persect, and theresore Mone Worthy os presse. But I do not emptu such language. I say, then, that pratse orbiame, or WhateVer resembles presse or blame, Me medicinesmost essentiat os ali in mon. Some are ill to cure, and, liheiron, are Wrouot into fhape With fire, and hammer, and anuit, that is, With threatening, and reproos, and chastisement; Whilo othera, cleaving to salth itself, as self-taught, and as acting ostheir om De Wili, groW by presse :

And comprehending this, as it seems to me, the Samian Pythagoras oves the injunction :

But there are myriads of injunctions to be found, Whose iam is the attainment of What is good, and the avoidance of

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178ME INSTRUCTOR

r hieo . He eateth not upon the mountians, and liath nolset his ves on the devices of the liouse of Israel, and will notdomo his neighbo 's wife, and will not approach to a Womanin her separation, land will not oppress a man, and Will restore

his bread to tho hungry, and clothe the naed. His moneyhe mill not ove on usu , and will not talio interest; and howili turn aWay his hand frem Wrong, and will execute righteous judment belWeen a man and his net bour. He has Walhed in my statutes, and hept my judgments to do them. This is a righteous man. ΗΟ shali suroly live, salth tho Lord. These morti contain a description of the conduci os Christians, a notabis exhortation to the blessed liso, Which is the rowardos a lite os goodnem vertasting lise.

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is a grain os mustard eed; and potnted out thospirituality of the word that is soWn, and the productivenessos iis natum, and the magnificence and conspicuo ness of the poWer of ths Word; and besides, intimated that the pungency and the purisying virtus os punishment are profitableon account of iis sharpness. By the littio grain, as it is figuratively called, He bestons salvation on ali humani abundantly. Honey, being very sWeet, generates bile, asgoodneas begeis contempt, Which is the cause of sinning. But mustard lessens bile, that is, anger, and stops inflamma

selves, they senselmsty played; on that account tho laW Wasgiven them, and terror ensued for the prevention os transgressions and for the promotion os right actions, securingattention, and so Winning to obedience to the trus Instructor, ing ono and the samo Word, and reducing to conformi

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180mE INSTRUCTOR

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182IAE INSTRUCTOR.

require no Mnas nor excessive preparation. The Word is thoir sustenanee.

Our superintendenoe in instruction and disciplino is theossice of tho Word, srom whom Me leam frugali and humili , and ad that pertains is love os truth, love of man, and love os excellence. And so, in a Word, being assimilatud is Godis a participation in morat excellence, me must not retrograde into caretessness and stoth. But labo , and faint not. Thoushali bo what thou dost not hope, and cansi not conjectum. And as there is one mode of training for philosophera, anothersor orators, and another for athletes; so is there a genero disposition, sultable to the choice stat is set upon moria lov liness, resulting hom the training of Christ. And in thecam of thoso Who havo been trained according to this influence, their gail in Walhing, their sitiing at table, their Mod, their fleep, their going in bed, their regimen, and the rest of their mode os lise, acquire a superior dignity. For such a trainingas is puraued by the Word is not overatrained, but is of the right tension. Thus, theresore, the Word has been calledalso the Sariour, seeing Ηe has found out for men those rational medicinos Whicli produce vigour of tho senses and salvation; and devotes Himself to watching for tho savour lomoment, reproring eVit, exposing the causes of evit affections,

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