And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Read Chapter 11
Clement Of Alexandria
AD 215
Wherefore also, having encompassing us such a cloud "holy and transparent, "of witnesses, laying aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, let us run with patience the race set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."
But if before the day of your contest, of the mercy of God, peace shall supervene, let there still remain to you the sound will and the glorious conscience.
He ends with these; with things that come nearer home. For these [ex amples] especially bring consolation, when the distress is from the same cause, since even if you mention something more extreme, yet unless it arise from the same cause, you have effected nothing. Therefore he concluded his discourse with this, mentioning bonds, imprisonments, scourges, stonings, alluding to the case of Stephen, also to that of Zacharias.
Wherefore he added, They were slain with the sword. What do you say? Some escaped the edge of the sword, and some were slain by the sword. Hebrews 11:34 What is this? Which do you praise? Which do you admire? The latter or the former? Nay, he says: the former indeed, is appropriate to you, and the latter, because Faith was strong even unto death itself, and it is a type of things to come. For the wonderful qualities of Faith are two, that it both accomplishes great things, and suffers great things, and counts itself to suffer nothing.
And you can not say (he s...
