The Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Therefore, brethren, let us at last repent[*](The need for repentance) forthwith, and be sober for our good, for we are full of much folly and wickedness; let us wipe off from[*](The impression made on those without) ourselves our former sins, and let us gain salvation by repenting with all our souls. Let us not be men-pleasers, and let us wish to please by our righteousness not ourselves alone, but also those who are without, that the name be not blasphemed on our account.

For the Lord says, Every way is my name blasphemed among all the heathen, and again, Woe unto him on whose account my name is blasphemed.[*](The source of this quotation is unknown.) Wherein is it blasphemed?

In that you do not do what I desire. For when the heathen hear from our mouth the oracles of God, they wonder at their beauty and greatness; afterwards, when they find out that our deeds are unworthy of the words which we speak, they turn from their wonder to blasphemy, saying that it is a myth and delusion.

For when they hear from us that God says: It is no credit to you, if ye love them that love you, but it is a credit to you, if ye love your enemies, and those that hate you;— when they hear this they wonder at this extraordinary

Thus, brethren, if we do the will of our Father,[*](The preexistent Church) God, we shall belong to the first Church, the spiritual one which was created before the sun and moon; but if we do not the will of the Lord, we shall fall under the scripture, which says, My house became a den of brigands. Therefore let us choose to belong to the Church of life, that we may win salvation.

Now I imagine that you are not ignorant that the living Church is the body of Christ. For the scripture says, God made man male and female; the male is Christ, the female is the Church. And moreover the books and the Apostles declare that the Church belongs not to the present, but has existed from the beginning; for she was spiritual, as was also our Jesus, but he was made manifest in the last days that he might save us;[*](The translation she was made . . . that she might save us is grammatically more probable, but seems to be excluded both by the context and by the history of doctrine.)