Clement of Alexandria · a new plain-English translation from the original language
And neither growing arrogantly bold toward the wealthy who are called, nor again on the other hand cringing before them out of one's own love of gain, one must first remove from them by argument their empty despair, and show, with the exposition of the Lord's sayings that is required, that the inheritance of the kingdom of the heavens has not been utterly cut off from them, if they will obey the commandments; then, when they have learned that they fear a groundless fear, and that the Savior gladly receives them if they are willing, then one must also show the way beforehand and initiate them into the mysteries, so that by what sort of works and dispositions they might attain the hope, since it is set before them neither as impossible nor, on the contrary, as gained at random. But in the very way it stands with athletes — to compare small and perishable things with great and imperishable ones — let the man who is rich according to the world reckon this concerning himself as well. For among those athletes, one man, because he despaired of being able to win and to obtain the crowns, did not even enroll himself at all for the contest; while another, who did cast this hope into his mind, but did not admit toils and exercises and the fitting foods, came through uncrowned and failed of his hopes. So too let a man who is clothed in this earthly covering not, from the very outset, disqualify himself from the Savior's contests, if he is faithful and perceives the greatness of God's love for mankind; nor yet again, remaining untrained and unexercised, let him hope to share, without dust and without sweat, in the crowns of incorruption; but let him submit himself, bringing his own person, with the Word as trainer and Christ as president of the games; and let the new covenant of the Lord be appointed as his food and drink. Let the commandments be his exercises. Let good dispositions be his elegance and adornment — love, faith, hope, knowledge of truth . . . gentleness, compassion, dignity — so that, when the last trumpet gives the signal for the end of the race and of the departure from here, as it were from the stadium of life, he may stand before the judge of the games with a good conscience, victorious, acknowledged as worthy of the fatherland above, into which he returns with crowns and with angelic proclamations.
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