Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

278 THE SECOND AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.was in discipline has been seen above: and nowjust at this time we have in the first great teacherof this church, who has come down to us, themost decisive exhibition of this rule as a defenceagainst this same gnostic heresy. " As," saysClement, aa man like those under the enchanment of Circe should become a beast, so whoeverhas kicked against the tradition of the Church,and started aside into the opinions of human heresies,has ceased to be a man of God, and faithfulto the Lord." . . . " There are three states of thesoul, ignorance, opinion, knowledge. Those whoare in ignorance, are the Gentiles; those in knowledge,the true Church; those in opinion, the adherentsof heresies." . . . " We have learnt thatbodily pleasure is one thing, which we give to theGentiles; strife a second, which we adjudge toheresies; joy a third, which is the property of theChurch." Again, he speaks of those who " notusing the divine words well, but perversely, neitherenter themselves into the kingdom of heaven, norsuffer those whom they have deceived to attainthe truth. They have not indeed the key to theentrance, but rather a false key, whereby they donot enter as we do through the Lord's tradition,drawing back the veil, but cutting out a side way,and secretly digging through the Church's wall,they transgress the truth, and initiate into rites oferror the soul of the irreligious. For that theyhave made their human associations later than