by grace ye are saved, not by works, but by the faith of God, through Jesus Christ,” again making it vague. We have no recognition of the Holy Ghost; I do not mean he denies it. It is forgotten; but the clergy (though he has not a notion of episcopacy in an individual, nor writes as.such, but the contrary) are fully recognized, “being subject to the priests and deacons as unto God and Christ.” In fine, there is no harm in the epistle, not a trace of the gospel save the quotation of Paul, Christ’s death being used as an example, no recognition of the Holy Ghost or any gift of the Spirit, but a full recognition of the clergy.
As to Clement, we have a long exhortation to peace: the blood of Christ is owned, it is precious to God, and has obtained the grace of repentance for the whole world, is given for us. (xxi., xlix.) If we walk right, obey the commands of God, we shall get the blessing, as all the ancient worthies. (vii., ix.) Faith he refers to, but only acting by faith to get the blessing. “For what (xxxii.) was our father Abraham blessed? was it not because that through faith he wrought righteousness?” He says we are not justified by our own wisdom or by the works which we have done in the holiness of our hearts, but by that faith by which God Almighty justified all men from the beginning. (xxxii.) As to the clergy, he owns no bishop at Corinth—this is very marked in the letter; like Polycarp, he owns presbyters only; his letter would have been a flagrant disrespect if there had been one, and he states that the apostles appointed presbyters, but he knew no prelacy. But he is the first to introduce what soon corrupted the church: in insisting on order he refers to the chief-priest, priests, Levites, and laymen; this he speaks of as Jewish, and only by
