Chapter 2 Section 1.

- Clemens Romanus

The
CAUSE OF GOD AND TRUTH.
Part 4
Chapter 2—Of Redemption

Section 1—Clemens Romanus. A.D. 69.

Clement, as he believed there was a certain number of elect persons, which has been proved in the preceding
chapter, so he plainly intimates, that these are the persons for whom Christ shed his blood; for having observed, that all
the elect of God are made perfect in love, he adds,[1] "Without love nothing is well-pleasing to God; in love the Lord
assumed us to himself; because of the love which Christ our Lord hath towards us, to aima autou adwken uper hmwn ,
he hath given his blood for us, his flesh for our flesh, and his soul for our souls." The sense of which is manifestly
this, that the persons for whose sake Christ assumed human nature, and shed his precious blood, are the elect of God,
and such who have a special and peculiar share in the love of Christ. And besides his saying,[2] that the blood of
Christ was given, uper hmwn, for us, he restrains redemption to them that have faith and hope in God; for speaking[3]
of the spies that came into Rahab’s house, ordering her to hang out a scarlet thread, thereby says he, "making it
manifest, oti dia tou aimatos Kuriou lutrosis estai pasi tois pisteuousin kai elpizousin epi ton Theon, that through the
blood of the Lord there should be redemption for all those that believe and hope in God." Monsieur Daille[4] has cited
a passage from this writer in favor of general redemption, which is this, "Let us," says Clement,[5] "look to the blood
of Christ, and see how precious his blood is to God, which being shed for our salvation, panti to kosmo metanoias
Charin upenegken, ‘hath brought the grace of repentance to all the world.’" But his meaning is evidently this, that the
blood of Christ, shed for the salvation of sinners, has laid a foundation for the preaching of the doctrine of repentance
in all ages of the world; for he goes on to instance in the preaching of Noah to the old world; of Jonah to the
Ninevites; and in God’s declarations of his regard to repenting sinners in the times of Isaiah and Ezekiel; which he
closes with this observation, pantas oun tous agapetous autou boulomenos metanoias metechien, "God therefore
willing that his beloved ones should partake of repentance." In which he suggests, that God’s grand design in having
the doctrine of repentance preached in all ages was, that those who were the objects of his love might be brought unto
it; which is so far from militating against, that it is a confirmation of the doctrine of special grace and redemption
through the blood of Christ.

ENDNOTES:

[1] Ep. ad Corinth. p. 112.

[2] Ib. p. 52, 54.

[3] Ib. p. 30.

[4] Apol. p. 753.

[5] Ep. ad Cor. p. 16.

http://www.pbministries.org/books/gill/Cause_of_God_and_Truth/Part%204/chapter2/chap02_section01.htm[11/2/2010 10:36:32 AM]