Early Church Writings — historically valuable Christian documents, presented as noncanonical writings rather than Scripture.

First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Clement of Rome

Chapter XXXI.—Let us see by what means we may obtain the divine blessing

Let us cleave then to His blessing, and consider what are the means 124 of possessing it. Let us think 125 over the things which have taken place from the beginning. For what reason was our father Abraham blessed? was it not because he wrought righteousness and truth through faith? 126 Isaac, with perfect confidence, as if knowing what was to happen, 127 cheerfully yielded himself as a sacrifice. 128 Jacob, through reason 129 of his brother, went forth with humility from his own land, and came to Laban and served him; and there was given to him the sceptre of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Notes

  1. Literally, "what are the ways of His blessing." ↩
  2. Literally, "unroll." ↩
  3. Comp. Jas. ii. 21. ↩
  4. Some translate, "knowing what was to come." ↩
  5. Gen. xxii. ↩
  6. So Jacobson: Wotton reads, "fleeing from his brother." ↩

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I, edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson; revised by A. Cleveland Coxe. Public domain. Electronic text courtesy of CCEL.