Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily VII/Chapter 4

Chapter IV.&#8212;The Golden Rule.

&#8220;Wherefore, as then ye were deceived by the forerunner Simon, and so became dead in your souls to God, and were smitten in your bodies; so now, if you repent, as I said, and submit to those things which are well-pleasing to God, you may get new strength to your bodies, and recover your soul&#8217;s health.&#160; And the things which are well-pleasing to God are these:&#160; to pray to Him, to ask from Him, recognising that He is the giver of all things, and gives with discriminating law; to abstain from the table of devils, not to taste dead flesh, not to touch blood; to be washed from all pollution; and the rest in one word,&#8212;as the God-fearing Jews have heard, do you also hear, and be of one mind in many bodies; let each man be minded to do to his neighbour those good things he wishes for himself.&#160; And you may all find out what is good, by holding some such conversation as the following with yourselves:&#160; You would not like to be murdered; do not murder another man:&#160; you would not like your wife to be seduced by another; do not you commit adultery:&#160; you would not like any of your things to be stolen from you; steal nothing from another.&#160; And so understanding by yourselves what is reasonable, and doing it, you will become dear to God, and will obtain healing; otherwise in the life which now is your bodies will be tormented, and in that which is to come your souls will be punished.&#8221;