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the puripose of celebrating their memory annually; anffnulty, that they ahouid not Drget the poor atio. 1. Cyprian to the presbyters and deaeons, his brethren, greeting. Although I know, dearest brethren, that you have frequently been admonished in my letters to manisost alicare for those Who Mith a glorious Volce have confessed tho Lord, and a re confined in prison; yet, again and again, Iurge it upon you, that no consideration be Wanting to thom to Whose glory there is nothing manting. And I wisti that the circumstances of the place and os my station mould pe mit me to present myself at this time With them; promptly and gladiy would I fulfit ali the duties os love toWards ourmost courageous brethren in my appotnted ministry. But Ibeseech you, let your diligenco be the representative os myduty, and do ali thoso things whicli bellove so bo done in respect os those whom the divine condescension has renderedillustrious in such meriis of their faith and virtuo. Let thero
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tortures, but tho tortures that mere manting to him. Wh s ver shali confess me beforo men, him Will I also confess soro my Father Whicli is in heaven,' saith the Lord. They havo consessed Him. He that endureth to the en' tho fame shali be saved, y saith the Lota. They have en- dured and havo carried the uncorrupted and unstainedmerita os their virtves through, even unio the end. Αnd, again, it is Written, Be thou faithful unio death, and Iwill ovo thee a crown os lise. ' They have persevered in their faithsulnera, and sted asiness, and invincibieness, eventinio death. When to the willin ess and the consession os the namo in prison and in chains is added also the conclusion es dying, the glory of the martyr is consummated 2. Finalty, also, tahe note of their days on whicli th depari, that κε may celebrate their commemoration among the memorials of the martyrs, although Tertullus, cur mostfaithsul and devoted brother, Who, in addition to the other solicitudo and caro Which he shows to the brethren in ali se vice of labour, is not wanting besides in that respect in any care of their bodies, has written, and does write and intimateto mo tho dus, in Whicli our blessed brethren in prison passby the gate os a glorious death to their immortali ; and themare celebrated here by us oblations and sacrifices for their commemorations, whicli things, With the Lord's protection, Mahali soon celebrate With you. Let your care also I have Hready osten initten) and your diligenes not be manting to the p- -to such, I mean, as stand fast in tho faith and bravoly fight with us, and have not leti ius camp of Christ; to Whom, indeed, me should noW shom a greater Iove and care, in that they are netther constrained by poveru nor prostrated by the tempest os persecution, but faithfully servomith tho Lord, and have oven an example of faith to tho
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TO CALDOMUS, HERCULANUS, AND OTHERS, ABOUT THEEXCOMMUNICATION OF FELICISSIMUS. ARGUΜENT. elicissimus, together etesia his eo antona in aedition, is to be rest ined stom the communion os ag1. Cyprian to Caldonius and Herculanus, his colleagues, viso to Rogati anus and Numidicus, his fello presbytera, meeting. I have been greatly grieved, dearest brethren, attho receipt of your letter, that although Ι have alWays N posed to myself and wished in heep ali our brotherhood sala, and to preserve the floch unharmed, as charity requires, Dutoli me now that Felicissimus has been attempting many things with wichodness and crast; so that, besides his oldfravds and ptundering, of Whicli Ι had formerly known a good deat, he has no , moreover, tried in divide With the biinop a portion Oi the people; that is, to separate the ineep from thoahepherd, and sons from their parenis, and to scalter insmembers of Christ. And although I sent you as my substutulos to discharge the necessities of our brethren, With funds, and is any, moreover, Wished to exercise their crasta, to assisttheir Wishes with such an addition as might be sufficient, andat the fame time also to take note of their ages and conditions and deseris,--that I also, upon whom salis the charge of ---ing ali of them thoroughly, might promote any that meremorthy and humbio and moek to tho ossices of the ecclesiastical administration ;-he has intersered, and directed that noone Ahould be relieved, and that thoso things which Ι had destred should not be ascertained by caresul examination; he has also threatened our brethren, Who had strat approachedio be relieved, With a Wiched exercise of power, and with a violent Mead that those Who destred to obey me should notcommunicate missi him in death.
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2. And since, aster ali theso things, netther moved by thohonour of my station, nor shahen by your authori and presence, but of his o n impulse, disturbing the peace of thobrethren, he hath rushed forth with many more, and asserte thimself as a leader of a faction and chies of a sedition witha hasty madness-in Whicli respeci, indeed, I congratulato severat of tho brethron that thoy havo withdramn from this boldness, and have rather chosen to consent With you, so thatthey may remain With the church, their mollier, and receivetheir stipends from tho bishop who dispenses them, Whicli, indeed, I know for certain, that othera also mill peace ly do, and will quichly withdraπ from their rasti error,-in themeantime, since Felicissimus has threatened that they should not communicate With him in deathy who had obeyed us, thatis, Who communicated With us, let him receive the sentencewhich ho first of ali declared, that he may know that he is excommunicated by us; in much as he adds to his frauds and rapines, Whicli me have known by the clearest truth, tho crimoalso os adultery, whicli our brethren, grave men, have declared that they have discovered, and have asseverated that they mill prove;-alt whicli things We shali then judicialty examine, When, With the Lord's permission, me shali assemble in ono place with many of our colleagues. But Augendus also, Who, considering neither his bishop nor his church, has equallyassocialed himself with him in this conspiracy and faction, itho fhould further persevere Mith him, let him bear the sentenco whicli that factious and impetuous man has provohedon himself. Moreover, whoever shali alty himself with his conspiracy and faction, let him know that he inali not communicate in the church with us, since of his own accord he has preferred to be separated hom the church. Read this letteros mino is our brethren, and also transmit it in Carthago tollis clero, the names being added of those Who have joinodihemsolves with Felicissimus. I bid you, beloved brethren, ever heartily fareweli; and remember me. Fare ye weli.
probably in some church or congregation assembled by Felicissimus, ora
an eminence near or in Carthage. '
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ect what the preceditu letter had biaden them. Caldonius, missi Herculanus and Victor, his colleagues, also mitti Rogatianus and Numidicus, presbytera. Ne have rejected Felicissimus and Augendus hom communion ; also Repostus from among the exiles, and Ireno of the Blood-stained ones; ' and Paula the sempstrem; Which you ought tok-W from my subscription ; also me have rejected Sophronius and Soliassus budinarius) -himself also one of the exiles.
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106-E EPISTLES OF CYPRIAN. de est brethren, Virtius,' a most salthsul and right pre
byter, and alio Rogatianus and Numidicus, presbytera, consessors, and illustrious by the glory of the divino condoscension, and also the deacons, good men and devoted to the ecclesiastical administration in ali iis dulios, missi tho Othorministera, afford you the fuit attention of their presence, and do
letters I say, dearest brethren-sor tho maligni and treacheryos certain of the presbytera has accomptished thi'-that Ishould not bo allowed in come to you besore Easte day; since mindsul os their conspiracy, and retaining that ancient Venom against my episcopate, that is, against your suffragoand God's judgment, they reneW their old attach upon me, and once more beon their sacrilegious machinations missitheir accustomed crast. And, indeed, of God's providence, netther by our Wisti nor destre, nay, although me mere Argivingand silent, they have suffered tho punishment Whita they had
not to maintain the ecclesiastical disciplino with satin and quietness according to the Loraes precepta, not to Mep theglory of thela confession With an uncorrupi and unspoued conversation. Αnd lest it should bo too lituo to limo corrupted the minds of certain confessors, and to have mishinto arm a portion of our brohen fraterni against God'spri thood, they have noW turned their attention with their
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another persecution and another temptation. Those five presbytera ars nono other than tho sive leadem Who were
lately associaled with the magistrates in an edici, that theymight overthrow our faith, that they might turn aWay theseoble hearis of the brethren to their deadly nets by the prevarication of the truth. No the fame scheme, the fame
overturning, is again brought about by the five presbyterstinkod with F0licissimus to the destruction os salvation, that God should not be bosought, and that he who has dented Christ should not appeat for mercy to the fame Christ Whomlio had dented; that aster the fauit os the crime, repentance also inould bo inhen aWay; and that the Lord should not boappeased through bishops and priesis, but that tho Lota's priosis being forsahen, a neW tradition of a sacrilegious appotnimentshould arise, contrary to ths evangelicat discipline; and although it mas once arranged as Well by us as by the confessors and the ci in clero, and moreover by ali tho bishops potnted either in Our province or beyond the sea, that nonovelty should bo introduced in respect of the case of the
lapsed unless me ali assembled into one place, and our counselabeing compared, should decide opon a moderate Sentence,
sempered althe with discipline and with mercy;-against this our counset they have rebelled, and ali priestly authori and power is destroyed by factious conspiracies. 4. What sufferings do I now endure, dearest brethren, that I myself am not able to come to you at the present juncture,
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108 THE EPISTLES OF CYPRIAM that I myseli cannot approach you each one, that Ι mysell
We are anxious that On our coming a greater tumuli may not
sasely. Let not the age nor the authori deceive you ofinose Who, ans ering to the ancient Wiched ness os the two eidera; as they attempted to corrupi and violate the chaste Susannati,in are thus also attempting, With their adulterous
doctrines, to corrupi the chastity of the church and violato tho truth of the gospei. 5. The Lord cries aloud, saying, Hearhon not unto thomords of the salse propheta, for the visions os their o nitearis deceive them. They speah, but not out of the mouthos tho Lord. They say to them that despiso tho word of the Lord, Yo shali have peace. They are noW offering peaco ho have not peace themselves. They are promising to bring bach and recati the lapsed in to the chureli, who themselves have departed from the church. There is one God, and Christ is one, and thoro is ono church, and one chair founded
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not be constituted or a neW priesthood be made, except thoone altar and the one priesthood. Whos ver gathereth eis Where, scattereth. Whatsoever is appotnted by human mad-ness, so that the divine disposition is violated, is adulterous, is impious, is sacrilegious. Depari far irom the contagion ofmen of this hind, and flee hom their Words, avolding themas a cancer and a plague, as the Lord Warns you and says,
served to undergo the sentence of their oWn conspiracy and
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attained; he promises salvation, that he who has sinnedmay not come in salvation; he promises a church, Whentie so contrives that he who belleves him may ulterly peristi apari froin the church. 7. It is noW tho occasion, dearly belouod brethren, both for you Who stand fast in persevere bravely, and to maintain