"The Lord," says he, "does good unto all, and "delights in all; as God, he forgives our transgres"sions, and as Man, he teaches and instructs us that

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we may not sin. Man is, indeed, necessarily dear to “God, because he is his workmanship. Other things "he made only by his order; but man he formed by "his own hand, and breathed into him his distinguish"ing properties. Now, whatever was created by him, "especially in his own image, must have been created "because it was, in itself, desirable to. God, or else "desirable from some other consideration. If man

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was made because he was in himself desirable, then "God loved him on account of his being good; and "there certainly is in man that lovely principle, called "the breath or inspiration of God. But if it was on 66 account of some other desirable end that he was "made, then there could be no other reason why God “should create him, than that God could not otherwise "be a benevolent Maker, nor his glory be displayed to "the human race. And, indeed in either "case, man may be said to be, in himself considered, "a being desirable to God, since the Almighty, who "cannot err in his undertakings, made him just such 66 as he desired. He therefore loves him. How in"deed is it possible that he should not love him, for "whom he sent his only begotten Son from his own `bosom b

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ter.

sect.

There are somec, says Clemens, who deny that the

Clem. Alexand. Pædagog. Lib. i. cap. 3, p. p. 101, 102. Edit. Potc Clemens here alludes to the Marcionites, a Gnostie

Lord is good, because he inflicts punishments and enjoins fear. To this he replies, that "there is nothing "which the Lord hates; for he cannot hate any thing " and yet will that it should exist; nor can he will that

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any thing should not exist, and at the same time cause "it to exist. Now as the Lord is certainly the cause "of whatever exists, he cannot, of course, desire that

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any thing which is, should not be; and therefore he "cannot hate any thing, as all exist by his own will.” And, continues our author, "if he hates none of his "works, then it is evident that he loves them all, es

pecially man above the "lent of his creatures. "wishes to benefit him; "unto all. He does not merely bless them in some

rest, who is the most excelNow whoever loves another, and therefore God does good

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particulars, yet neglect all care over them; he is "both careful for them, and solicitous for their interets." Consistently with this, Clemens adds, that God's "jus“tice is, of itself, nothing but goodness; for it rewards "the virtuous with blessings, and conduces to the improvement of the sinful. of the sinful. There are many evil affec"tions which are to be cured only by suffering. Pun"ishment is, in its operation, like medicine: it desolves "the hard heart, purges away the filth of uncleanness, "and reduces the swellings of pride and haughtiness; "thus restoring its subject to a sound and healthful "state. It is not from hatred, therefore, that the Lord "rebukes mankindd."

d Pædagog. Lib. i. cap. 8, p. p. 135-140. N. B. I have attempted in this paragraph to compress the argument which Clemens, in his diffuse style and rambling method, spreads over two or three folio pages.

"It is the office of salutary justice,” says he, in another place, "continually to exakt every thing towards the "best state of which it is capable. Inferior things are "adapted to promote and confirm the salvation of that "which is more excellent; and thus, whatever is en"dued with any virtue, is forthwith changed still for the "better, through the liberty of choice, which the mind "has in its own power. And the necessary chastisements "of the great judge, who regards all with benignity, make "mankind grieve for their sins and imperfections, and "advance them through the various states of discipline "to perfection"." "Even God's wrath, if so his admo"nitions can be called, is full of benevolence, towards "the human race; for whose sake the word of God "was made man f."

The same means which are employed upon earth for the salvation of the living, are introduced, he thinks, among the dead, for the restoration of such as died, either in sin, or in ignorance and unbelief of Jesus Christ: "Wherefore, our Lord," says he, "preached also in the "regions of the dead; for says the scripture, the Grave "saith to Destruction, His countenance we have not "indeed beheld, but we have heard his voice. (Job xxviii. "22.) It is not the place however, which thus speaks, "but its inhabitants, who had delivered themselves to de"struction. They heard the divine power and voice. “And, indeed, who can suppose that souls [which de"parted ignorant of Christ] are indiscriminately aban"doned, the virtuous with the vicious, to the same con

142.

e Stromat. Lib. vii. cap. 2, p. 825.

f Pædagog. Lib i. cap. 8, p.

"demnation, thus impeaching the justice of providence? "Does not the scripture inform us that the Lord "preached the gospel even to those who perished in "the deluge, and were confined in prison? We have "already shown that the apostles also, as well as their “Master, preached the gospel to the dead..... "Wherefore, since the Lord descended to hell for no "other purpose than to preach the gospel there, he "preached it either to all, or only to the Jews. If to all, then all who believed there, were saved, whether "Jews or Gentiles. And the chastisements of God are

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salutary and instructive, leading to amendment, and "preferring the repentance to the death of the sinner; es"pecially as souls in their separate state, though darken"ed by evil passions, have yet a clearer discernment "than they had whilst in the body, because they are no longer clouded and encumbered by the fleshh." Again he says, "Now all the poets, as well as the Greek philos"ophers, took their notions of the punishments after "death, and the torments of fire, from the Hebrews. "Does not Plato mention the rivers of fire, and that "profound abyss which the Jews call Gehenna [hell,] "together with other places of punishment, where the "characters of men are reformed by suffering? i

8 In another place Clemens says, "If, therefore, the Lord preached "the gospel to those in the flesh, lest they should be unjustly con"demned, was it not necessary, for the same reason, that he should "preach also to those who had departed this life before his advent? "And as all sinful flesh perished in the deluge, we must believe that "the will of God, which has the power of instructing and operating, "confers salvation upon those who are converted by the punishments "inflicted on them." Stromat. Lib. vi. cap. 6, p. 766.

h Stromat.

Lib. vi. cap. 6, p. p. 763, 764. i Ditto. Lib. v. cap. 14, p. 700.

would, however, far exceed our limits, to transcribe the passages of this kind, scattered through his writings.

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With regard to the actual salvation of all, the following are his fullest and most pointed expressions: "How "is he a Saviour and Lord, unless he is the Saviour and "Lord of all? He is certainly the Saviour of those "who have believed; and of those who have not believed, he is the Lord, until by being brought to con❝fess him, they shall receive the "ted blessing for themselves." "is the propitiation, not only for “faithful, but also for the whole "therefore he indeed saves all; but converts some by "punishments, and others by gaining their free will; so "that he has the high honor, that unto him every knee "should bow, of things in heaven, on earth, and under “the earth; that is, angels, men and the souls of those "who died before his advent k.' 99

proper and well adap"The Lord," says he, our sins, that is, of the world (1 John, ii. 2):

It is remarkable that Clemens, unlike the other ancient fathers who believed in Universalism, appears to have avoided the use of such words as everlasting, forever and ever, &c. in connexion with misery'. Nor does he seem to have considered the torments of the future state very intense, as he never represents them in terrific colours, nor dwells upon them in a way to agitate the mind with fear. When the virtuous christian dies, he enters upon a mild and grateful discipline,

j Stromat. Lib. vii. cap. 2, p. 833. k Fragmenta. Adumbrat. in Epist. i. Johan. p. 1009. The only place I recollect in all his writings, where any of these controverted words is applied to suf fering, is Pædagog. Lib. i. cap. 8, end, p. 142. "When the soul has "ceased to grieve for its sins, it is not, even then, a time to inflict upon it a deadly wound, but a healthful one, that by a little grief it

may escape eternal death."