Didascalia Apostolorum

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68 DIDASCALIA. If not, what excuse will ye have before God, for those who have not f. 47 a assembled on the Lord's day, to hear the Word of Life, and to be nourished uPix°n with the divine food which endureth for ever? For ye strive to get the things that are for a time, for a day or an hour, but ye neglect those that are eternal ; ye go on providing for bathing, for eating, for drinking, for the belly, and for other things to be nourished ; but for eternal things ye do not care; ye despise your souls and do not hasten to the Church, that ye may hear and receive the Word of God. In comparison with those who err, what apology have ye? for, because the heathen, when they rise from their sleep every day, go in the morning to worship and serve their idols, before all their works and labours they go first and worship their idols, and also they do not neglect their feasts and pilgrimages, but assemble constantly, not only the natives, but also those who come from afar. They also assemble for the spectacle of their own theatre, and all of them come. Thus also those who vainly are called Jews, are idle one day for six, and assemble in their synagogue. They do not neglect their holidays, they who have deprived themselves of the strength of the Word, because they believe not, nor even of the name by which they have called themselves, i.e. Jews. Jew is interpreted as confession, but they are not confessors, for they do not confess to the murder of the Christ, which they have committed in transgressing the Law, that they may repent and live. If, therefore, those who are not saved strive always for the things in which there is no profit nor help to them, f. 47 b what excuse has he before the Lord God ? he who restrains himself from the assembly of the Church, and does not even imitate the Gentiles ; and because he does not assemble, neglects himself and goes afar, and does Jer. xvi.ii iniquities; those to whom the Lord spake by means of Jeremiah, "My laws ye have not kept ; " but ye have not even walked according to the laws of the Gentiles, and ye have almost excelled them in wickedness. Jer. ii. 11 " Have the nations changed their gods, which yet are no gods ? but My people hath changed its glory for that which doth not profit." How then can he who is neglectful make excuse, he who is not zealous in the Ap. Con. assembling of the Church of God ? If a man gets an excuse on account of secular work and is prevented, let him know that the handicrafts of believers are called works of superfluity ; for the sure work is the fear of God. Do your handicrafts, therefore, as a work of superfluity for your nourish- ment, but let your real work be the worship of God. Strive, therefore, never to be hindered from the assembling of the Church. But if a man forsake the assembling of the Church of God, and go to the assembly of the Gentiles, what shall he say, and what excuse will he make to God in