2 Clement 1

1Brethren, we ought to think of Jesus Christ as of God, as the Judge of the living and the dead. And we ought not to think mean things of our Salvation; for when we think mean things of Him, we also expect to receive mean things. And those who listen as concerning mean things do wrong; and we ourselves do wrong, not knowing whence and by whom and unto what place we were called, and how many things Jesus Christ endured to suffer for our sakes. What recompense, then, shall we give to Him? Or what fruit worthy of His own gift to us? And how many mercies do we owe to Him! For He bestowed the light upon us; He spoke to us as a father to his sons; He saved us when we were perishing. What praise, then, shall we give to Him? Or what payment of recompense for those things which we received? We were maimed in our understanding, and worshipped stocks and stones and gold and silver and bronze, the works of men; and our whole life was nothing else but death. While we were thus wrapped in darkness and oppressed with this thick mist in our vision, we recovered our sight, putting off by His will the cloud in which we were wrapped. For He had mercy on us and, in His compassion, saved us, having beheld in us much error and perdition, even when we had no hope of salvation except that which came from Him. For He called us when we were not, and from not being He willed us to be.