First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

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First Christian Voices

not hesitate to give, nor grumble when you give. “Give to everyone who begs from you” (Luke 6:30), and you will know who is the good Paymaster of the reward. You will guard what you have received, neither adding to it nor taking from it. To the end you will hate the wicked. You will judge righteously. You will not make a division, but you will pacify those that are contentious by bringing them together. You will confess your sins. You will not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light. Admonish and Correct One Another F irst C lement 56: Let us then also pray for those who have fallen into any sin, that gentleness and humility may be given to them, so that they may submit, not to us, but to the will of God. For in this way they will be remembered by us, with sympathy for them, both in our prayers to God and our mention of them to the saints. Let us receive correction, dear ones, on account of which no one should feel displeased. Those exhortations by which we admonish one another are both good and highly profitable, for they tend to unite us to the will of God. For thus says the Holy Word: “The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death” (Ps 118:18). “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb 12:6). “Let a righteous man,” it says, “strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; but let not the oil of sinners make my head fat” ( Ps 141:5 ). And again, he says, P rayer