The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Turn thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit in my inmost parts.

Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

Give me back the gladness of thy salvation, strengthen me with thy governing spirit.

I will teach the wicked thy ways, and the ungodly shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation.

My tongue shall rejoice in thy righteousness. O Lord, thou shalt open my mouth, and my lips shall tell of thy praise.

For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would have given it; in whole burnt offerings thou wilt not delight.

The sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit, a broken and a humbled heart God shall not despise.

The humility and obedient submission of so[*](Exhortation to peace) many men of such great fame, have rendered better not only us, but also the generations before us, who received his oracles in fear and truth.

Seeing then that we have received a share in many great and glorious deeds, let us hasten on to the goal of peace, which was given us from the beginning, and let us fix our gaze on the Father and Creator of the whole world and cleave to his splendid and excellent gifts of peace, and to his good deeds to us.

Let us contemplate him with our mind, let us gaze with the eyes of our soul on his long-suffering purpose, let us consider how free from wrath he is towards all his creatures.