Apostolic FathersChristianityScholarly ReconstructionGreek / Latin / Syriac textual traditionsShareApostolic Fathers 423Ante-Nicene Christian Library - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableAnte-Nicene Christian LibraryLanguageEnglishEspañol‹Apostolic Fathers 1Apostolic Fathers 2Apostolic Fathers 3Apostolic Fathers 4Apostolic Fathers 5Apostolic Fathers 6Apostolic Fathers 7Apostolic Fathers 8Apostolic Fathers 9Apostolic Fathers 10Apostolic Fathers 11Apostolic Fathers 12Apostolic Fathers 13Apostolic Fathers 14Apostolic Fathers 15Apostolic Fathers 16Apostolic Fathers 17Apostolic Fathers 18Apostolic Fathers 19Apostolic Fathers 20Apostolic Fathers 21Apostolic Fathers 22Apostolic Fathers 23Apostolic Fathers 24Apostolic Fathers 25Apostolic Fathers 26Apostolic Fathers 27Apostolic Fathers 28Apostolic Fathers 29Apostolic Fathers 30Apostolic Fathers 31Apostolic Fathers 32Apostolic Fathers 33Apostolic Fathers 34Apostolic Fathers 35Apostolic Fathers 36Apostolic Fathers 37Apostolic Fathers 38Apostolic 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564Apostolic Fathers 565Apostolic Fathers 566Apostolic Fathers 567Apostolic Fathers 568Apostolic Fathers 569Apostolic Fathers 570Apostolic Fathers 571Apostolic Fathers 572Apostolic Fathers 573Apostolic Fathers 574Apostolic Fathers 575›Commandment Eighth.Apostolic Fathers 423ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1We ought to shun that which is evil, and do that which is good. 2“I told you,” said he, “that the creatures of God are double, for restraint also is double; for in some cases restraint has to be exercised, in others there is no need of restraint.” “Make known to me, sir,” say I, “in what cases restraint has to be exercised, and in what cases it has not.” “Restrain yourself in regard to evil, and do it not; but exercise no restraint in regard to good, but do it. For if you exercise restraint in the doing of good, you will commit a great sin;[1664] but if you exercise restraint, so as not to do that which is evil, you are practising great righteousness. Restrain yourself, therefore, from all iniquity, and do that which is good.” “What, sir,” say I, “are the evil deeds from which we must restrain ourselves?” “Hear,” says he: “from adultery and fornication, from unlawful revelling, from wicked luxury, from indulgence in many kinds of food and the extravagance of riches, and from boastfulness, and haughtiness, and insolence, and lies, and backbiting, and hypocrisy, from the remembrance of wrong, and from all slander. These are the deeds that are most wicked in the life of men. From all these deeds, therefore, the servant of God must restrain himself. For he who does not restrain himself from these, cannot live to God. Listen, then, to the deeds that accompany these.” “Are there, sir,” said I, “any other evil deeds?” “There are,” says he; 3“and many of them, too, from which the servant of God must restrain himself—theft, lying, robbery, false witness, overreaching, wicked lust, deceit, vainglory, boastfulness, and all other vices like to these.” “Do you not think that these are really wicked?” “Exceedingly wicked in the servants of God. From all of these the servant of God must restrain himself. Restrain yourself, then, from all these, that you may live to God, and you will be enrolled amongst those who restrain themselves in regard to these matters. These, then, are the things from which you must restrain yourself. 4“But listen,” says he, “to the things in regard to which you have not to exercise self-restraint, but which you ought to do. Restrain not yourself in regard to that which is good, but do it.” “And tell me, sir,” say I, “the nature of the good deeds, that I may walk in them and wait on them, so that doing them I can be saved.” “Listen,” says he, “to the good deeds which you ought to do, and in regard to which there is no self-restraint requisite. First of all there is faith, then fear of the Lord, love, concord, words of righteousness, truth, patience. Than these, nothing is better in the life of men. If any one attend to these, and restrain himself not from them, blessed is he in his life. Then there are the following attendant on these: helping widows, looking after orphans and the needy, rescuing the servants of God from necessities, the being hospitable—for in hospitality good-doing finds a field—never opposing any one, the being quiet, having fewer needs than all men, reverencing the aged, practising righteousness, watching the brotherhood, bearing insolence, being long-suffering, encouraging those who are sick in soul, not casting those who have fallen into sin from the faith, but turning them back and restoring them to peace of mind, admonishing sinners, not oppressing debtors and the needy, and if there are any other actions like these. Do these seem to you good?” says he. 5“For what, sir,” say I, “is better than these?” “Walk then in them,” says he, “and restrain not yourself from them, and you will live to God.[1665] Keep, therefore, this commandment. If you do good, and restrain not yourself from it, you will live to God. All who act thus will live to God. And, again, if you refuse to do evil, and restrain yourself from it, you will live to God. And all will live to God who keep these commandments, and walk in them.” ‹Previous chapterApostolic Fathers 422Next chapterApostolic Fathers 424›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain in the United States via Project Gutenberg