deavor to please God with a good conscience, reverently
CLEMENT OF ROME
sacrifices to be offered and the services to be held, and this not in a random and irregular fashion, but at definite times and seasons. 3 He has, moreover, Himself, by His sovereign will determined where and by whom He wants them to be carried out. Thus all things are done religiously, acceptable to His good pleasure, dependent on His will. 4 Those, therefore, that make their offerings at the prescribed times are acceptable and blessed; for, since they comply with the ordinances of the Master, they do not sin.*® 5 Special functions are assigned to the high priest; a special office is imposed upon the priests; and special ministrations fall to the Levites. 'The layman"? is bound by the rules laid down for the laity.
41. Each of us, brethren, must in his own place** endeavor to please God with a good conscience, reverently taking care not to deviate from the established rule of service.
2 Not everywhere, brethren, are sacrifices offered—be they perpetual offerings, or votive offerings, or sin offerings, or trespass offerings—but at Jerusalem only; and there offerings are not made in every place, but in front of the sanctuary, *" where the gift to be offered is inspected for blemishes by the high priest and the aforesaid ministers. 3 Those, therefore, that do anything contrary to what conforms to His will suffer death as the penalty. 4 You see, brethren, that the greater the knowledge vouchsafed to us, the greater the risk we incur.
42. 'The Apostles preached to us the Gospel received from Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ was God's Ambassador.
2 Christ, in other words, comes with a message from *** God, and the Apostles with a message from Christ. Both these orderly arrangements, therefore, originate from the will of God. 3 And so, after receiving their instructions and being