Didascalia Apostolorum

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DIDASCALIA. 31 that he hath done shall he live ; because I have no pleasure in the death of 23 the sinner, saith the Lord God, but every one that turneth from his evil way shall live. And if the righteous turn away from his righteousness, 24 and do iniquity, according to all the iniquity that the wicked man hath done, all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be remembered to him, but in the iniquity that he hath done, in the sins that he hath sinned shall he die. And ye say, His way is not good. Hear, ye house of Israel, 25 My way is good, but your ways are not good. If the righteous man 26 turn away from his righteousness, and do iniquity, in the iniquity that he hath done shall he die; and if the wicked man turn away from his 27 iniquity that he hath done, and do judgment and righteousness, he shall save his soul, because he hath turned from all his iniquity, he shall surely 28 live, and shall not die. And ye of the house of Israel say, The way of the 29 Lord is not good. My way is good, O ye of the house of Israel, but your ways are not good. Because of this I will judge every one of you 30 according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and be converted from all your iniquity and wickednesses, and these shall not be an evil punishment to you. Cast away and remove from you all the wickedness 31 that ye have done wickedly, and make you a new heart and a new spirit, and ye shall not die, O ye of the house of Israel. For I have no pleasure in 32 the death of the sinner, saith the Lord God, wherefore turn and live." See, AP- Con- II. XV. dear and beloved children, how many are the mercies of the Lord our God, and His gopdness and clemency towards us. He requireth from those who f- 20 b have sinned that they repent ; and in many places He speaketh about these things, and giveth no place to the opinion of those who are hard- hearted, and who wish to judge sharply and without mercy, and to cast completely away those who have sinned, as if there were no repentance for them. But God is not thus, but He calls even sinners to repentance, and gives them hope, but those that have not sinned He teaches and says to them, that they must not expect that we should bear or share in the sins of others. Simply therefore receive those that repent, not doubting. For He saith in the Prophet thus, " And thou, Son of man, say unto the children Ezek. xxxili. 12 of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day that he doeth evil, and the avarice of the wicked shall not hurt him in the day that he repenteth from his iniquity ; and the righteous shall not be able to live in the day that he sinneth. When I say to is the righteous that he shall surely live, if he trust to his righteousness, and do iniquity, all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be remembered to him, but in the iniquity that he hath done shall he die.