Didascalia Apostolorum

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64 DIDASCALIA. dost not wish again to forgive him, but keepest a grudge and cherishest enmity, and desirest to go to law ; thy prayer therefore is hindered, even if thou fulfil the 490 times which thou hast forgiven him, increase also for thine own sake, and in thy goodness without anger forgive thy brother. If thou doest it not for thy brother's sake, consider, and do it for thine own sake : forgive thy neighbour, that thou rnayest be heard when thou prayest, Ap. con. and mayest bring an acceptable offering to the Lord. Because of this there- fore, O ye Bishops, that your gifts and prayers may be received, when ye stand in the church to pray, let the Deacon say with a loud voice, Is there any one who is keeping any grudge against his fellow ? If there be found any people who have a lawsuit and strife with one another, persuade and make peace betwixt them ; in the house as they f. 443 go in and say, Peace be to this house; they are also evangelists of peace who bring peace. If therefore thou preachest peace to others, it is required yet more of thee, that thou be at peace with thy brethren, as a son of light and of peace. Be to every one light and peace ; and do not contend with any one, but be at rest and at peace with every one, and be a helper with God (S. + so that the number of the saved may be increased), for this is the will of the Lord God. They who love to be in enmity and quarrels, those are the enemies of God, because that the Lord Ap. Con. from the beginning from generation to generation, by means of prophets II. lv. and righteous men, calleth to repentance and to life. And we too, the Apostles, who have been found worthy to be witnesses of His revelation in (S. + and preachers of) the knowledge of the Divine Word, we have heard from the mouth of the Lord Jesus the Christ, we know truly and say, what is His will and the will of His Father, that nPm°n no one snould perish, but that all men should believe and live ; for this is Matt.vi. 10 what He taught us, that we should say when we pray, " Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven," that as the Angels of Heaven and all the Powers praise God, thus also upon the earth should men praise God. It is His will therefore to save all men, and this is His delight, that there should be many who are saved. But he who is contentious, and is an enemy to his neighbour, diminishes the people of God (S. + for he sends out him whom he accuses from the Church and diminishes it) and deprives God of the soul of a man which would have been saved, or by means of his contentiousness expels and casts himself out from the Church, and thus again he sins against Matt. xii. God, for God our Saviour hath said thus, " Every one that is not with Me is 30 Luke xi. 23 against Me, and every one that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad." f. 44 b Thou art not therefore a helper with God, to gather the people, because