The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
Clemens Romanus (Clement of Rome)
Clement of Rome. The Apostolic Fathers, Volume 1. Lake, Kirsopp, editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; New York: The Macmillan Company, 1912.
Who is able to explain the bond of the love of God?
Who is sufficient to tell the greatness of its beauty?
The height to which love lifts us is not to be expressed.
Love unites us to God. Love covereth a multitude of sins. Love beareth all things, is long-suffering in all things. There is nothing base, nothing haughty in love; love admits no schism, love makes no sedition, love does all things in concord. In love were all the elect of God made perfect. Without love is nothing well pleasing to God.
In love did the Master receive us; for the sake of the love which he
had towards us did Jesus Christ our Lord give his blood by the will of God for us, and his flesh for our flesh, and his soul[*](Or, perhaps life for our lives; but there seems to be an antithesis in the Greek between σάρξ, flesh, and ψυχή, soul.) for our souls.See, beloved, how great and wonderful is love,[*](Exhortation to pray for love) and that of its perfection there is no expression.
Who is able to be found in it save those to whom God grants it? Let us then beg and pray of his mercy that we may be found in love, without human partisanship, free from blame.