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Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Loeb)

VII.

1. Ὥστε οὖν, ἀδελφοί μου, ἀγωισώμεθα εἰδότες, ὅτι ἐν χερσὶν ὁ ἀγὼν καὶ ὅτι εἰς τοὺς φθαρτοὺς ἀγῶνας καταπλέουσιν πολλοί, ἀλλ’ οὐ πάντες στεφανοῦνται, εἰ μὴ οἱ πολλὰ κοπιάσαντες καὶ καλῶς ἀγωνισάμενοι. 2. ἡμεῖς οὖν ἀγωνισώμεθα, ἵνα πάνατες στεφανωθῶμεν. 3. ὥστε θέωμεν τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν εὐθείαν, ἀγῶνα τὸν ἄφθαρτον, καὶ πολλοὶ εἰς στεφανωθῶμεν· καὶ εἰ μὴ δυνάμεθα πάντες στεφανωθῆναι, κἂν ἐγγὺς τοῦ στεφαν́νου γενώμεθα. 4. εἰδέναι ἡμᾶς δεῖ, ὅτι ὁ τὸν φθαρτὸν ἀγῶνα ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἐὰν εὑρεθῇ φθείρων, μαστιγωθεὶς αἴρεται καὶ ἔξω βάλλεται τοῦ σταδίου. 5. τί δοκεῖτε; ὁ τὸν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἀγῶνα φθείρας τί παθεῖται; 6. τῶν γὰρ μὴ τηρησάντων, φησίν, τὴν σφραγῖδα ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτήσει καὶ τὸ πῦρ αὐτῶν οὐ σβεσθήσεται, καὶ ἔσονται εἰς ὅρασιν πάσῃ σαρκί.

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An ancient Homily, commonly styled the second epistle of Clement

Chap. vii.--we must strive in order to be crowned.

Wherefore, then, my brethren, let us struggle ¹ with all earnestness, knowing that the contest is in our case close at hand, and that many undertake long voyages to strive for a corruptible reward; ² yet all are not crowned, but those only that have laboured hard and striven gloriously. Let us therefore so strive, that we may all be crowned. Let us run the straight ³ course, even the race that is incorruptible; and let us in great numbers set out ⁴ for it, and strive that we may be crowned. And should we not all be able to obtain the crown, let us at least come near to it. We must remember ⁵ that he who strives in the corruptible contest, if he be found acting unfairly, ⁶ is taken away and scourged, and cast forth from the lists. What then think ye? If one does anything unseemly in the incorruptible contest, what shall he have to bear? For of those who do not preserve the seal ⁷ unbroken, the Scripture saith, ⁸ "Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh." ⁹