Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily II/Chapter 16

Chapter XVI.&#8212;Man&#8217;s Ways Opposite to God&#8217;s.

&#8220;As in the beginning God, who is one, like a right hand and a left, made the heavens first and then the earth, so also He constituted all the combinations in order; but upon men He no more does this, but varies all the combinations.&#160; For whereas from Him the greater things come first, and the inferior second, we find the opposite in men&#8212;the first worse, and the second superior.&#160; Therefore from Adam, who was made after the image of God, there sprang first the unrighteous Cain, and then the righteous Abel.&#160; Again, from him who amongst you is called Deucalion, two forms of spirits were sent forth, the impure namely, and the pure, first the black raven, and then the white dove.&#160; From Abraham also, the patriarchs of our nation, two firsts sprang&#8212;Ishmael first, then Isaac, who was blessed of God.&#160; And from Isaac himself, in like manner, there were again two&#8212;Esau the profane, and Jacob the pious.&#160; So, first in birth, as the first born in the world, was the high priest Aaron, then the lawgiver Moses.