he
practical executive wisdom of the Roman church in her original apostolic
simplicity, without the slightest infusion of hierarchical arrogance."
Schaff, Hist. Christ. Church, vol. 1, p. 460. In its internal character,
as in the time of its composition, it approaches the canonical writings
of the New Testament more nearly than any other remains of antiquity.

4. The _second_ epistle ascribed to Clement is not mentioned by any of
the fathers before Eusebius, who speaks of it doubtingiy: "But it should
be known that there is said to be also a certain second epistle of
Clement. But it is clear to us that this is not equally known with the
first, for we know that the ancients have not made use of it." Hist.
Eccles. 3. 38. It is generally acknowledged to be spurious, and is,
perhaps, as Hefele suggests, one of the homilies falsely ascribed to
Clement. With this supposition its contents well agree; for it does not
seem to have, like the first, a definite end to accomplish. It opens
with a general exhortation that the Corinthians should think worthily of
Christ in view of the great work which he has wrought in their behalf,
and urges upon them a steadfast confession of him before men, not by
empty words, but by a life of holy obedience. It sets before them the
incompatibility of the service of God and mammon, and dwells with
especial earnestness on the high rewards of eternity in comparison with
the pleasures and pains of the present life; as if the writer had in
mind those who were exposed to the double peril of substituting an empty
profession for the living spirit of obedience, and of apostatizing from
Christ through fear of persecution and martyrdom.

5. Besides the above, there is a mass of writings current in ancient
days under the name of Clement which are acknowledged by all to be
spurious. Among these are: The _Recognitions of Clement_; The
_Clementines_, or, according to the Greek title, _Clement's Epitome of
Peter's Discourses in Travel_; _Clement's Epitome concerning the Acts
and Discourses of Peter in Travel_--three forms of substantially the
same work. It will be sufficient to give a brief notice of the
Recognitions. The author, apparently a Jew by birth and a philosopher of
the Alexandrine school, has embraced a form of Christianity mixed up
with the dogmas of his philosophy. For the purpose of attacking and
overthrowing the false religious notions of his age, he invents an
ingenious historic plot. Clement, a