Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IX/The Epistles of Clement/The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians/Chapter 10

Chapter X.&#8212;Continuation of the Above.

Abraham, styled &#8220;the friend,&#8221; was found faithful, inasmuch as he rendered obedience to the words of God.&#160; He, in the exercise of obedience, went out from his own country, and from his kindred, and from his father&#8217;s house, in order that, by forsaking a small territory, and a weak family, and an insignificant house, he might inherit the promises of God.&#160; For God said to him, &#8220;Get thee out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father&#8217;s house, into the land which I shall show thee.&#160; And I will make thee a great nation, and will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be blessed.&#160; And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.&#8221; &#160; And again, on his departing from Lot, God said to him, &#8220;Lift up thine eyes, and look from the place where thou now art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.&#160; And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, [so that] if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.&#8221; &#160; And again [the Scripture] saith, &#8220;God brought forth Abram, and spake unto him, Look up now to heaven, and count the stars if thou be able to number them; so shall thy seed be.&#160; And Abram believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.&#8221; &#160; On account of his faith and hospitality, a son was given him in his old age; and in the exercise of obedience, he offered him as a sacrifice to God on one of the mountains which He showed him.