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the heavenly and spiritual renown os Dur Wartare. Forthis, more er, is mother confession of your faith and presse;
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praved madnem assumes to itseli; and while somo are alWaysassuming to themselves more dominion than meeli justico de
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TO ANTONIANUS ABOUT CORNELIUS AND NOVATIΑΝ. ARGUΜΕΝT.- When Antonianus, having received letters froni Novalian, had begun to be disposed in his mi id towariis his pars, Cyprian confrms him in his former opinion, namely, that os continuing to hold communion Vith Comnelius, that is, with the eatholis ehureh. That he may induce him to this, he narrates the history of the whois
disturbanee bettoeen Cornelius and Novalian, and eaeplainsthae Comielius toas an eaecellent man, and legitimatebeleeted; while Novatian was gulis of many crimes, and had obtained an unlat ut eleelion. Moreorer, by the way, at the eommenoement of the letter he excuses himsel forhis own change of opinion in respeet of the lapsed, and ae
1. Cyprian to Antonianus liis brother, greeting. I received your first letters, dearest brother, firmly maintaining the concord of the priestly college, and adhering to the catholic church, in Which you intimated that you did nothoid communion mitti Novalian, but solio ed my advice, and
samo letters to Cornelius our colleague, so that he might layaside ali anxiety, and know at once that you held communionwith him, that is, With the catholic Aurch. 2. But subsequently there arrived other letters of youm sent is Quintus our c presbyter, in whicli I observed thatyour mind, influenced by the letters of Novalian, had begunto waver. For although previousty you had seived your opinion and consent firmiy, you destred in theso letters that Ι should Write to you once mors what heresy Novatian had introduced, or on What grounds Cornelius holds communionmissi Trophimus and tho sacrificors. In whicli mattera, in-deed, ii γοu are anxiousty caresul, Irom solicitudo for tho
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134THE EPISTLES OF CYPRIAM faith, and are diligently seehing out the truth of a doctisul
matter, the hesitating anxiety of a mind undecided in ius fear of God, is not to be blamed. 3. Yet, as I seo that aster the first opinion expressed in Dur letter, yοu have been disturbed subsequently by letters of Novalian, I assert this fidit of all, dearest brother, that gravo
mho have stained their conscience missi certificates, or hine offered abominabis sacrifices, are to limo race made easylo them. Both of whicli things have been done is me, notmithout long balanced and pondered reasons. 4. For Whon the batus Was stili going on, and the strumleos a glorious contest Was raging in the persecution, theeourage of the soldiers had to be excitod With evem exhortation, and with fuit urgency, and especialty the minti of the lapsed had to be roused with the trumpet cali, as it mere, of- voice, that they might pursus the Way of repentance, notonly With prvers and lamentations; but, since an opportunitymas oven os repeating the strumle and of regaining sala tion, that they might be reproved by my voice, and stimularedraster to the ardour os confession and the glory os marty dom. Finalty, When the presbyters and deacons had writtento me about some persons, that they Were Without moderation
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plying to them in my letter Whita is stili in existence, then Iadded alio this: Ii these are so excessively eager, they ham What they require in their o- er, the time ilaeli provid-ing for them more than they ask: tho batile is stili Mingearried on, and the strumle is datly celebratia: ii they tralyand substantialty repent of What they have done, and theardour of their salth prevalla, he who cannot be dela d maybo cromed. But I put off deeissing What Was to M a ranged about the case of the lapsed, so that When quiet and tranquilli should be granted, and the divine indulgence
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live as heathens; nor yet, on the other hand, should thocensure of the. gospei be relaxed, so that they might rashlyrush to communion, but that repentance aliould be long protracted, and the paternat clemency be sor Wiully besought, and the cases, and the wishes, and the necessities of individuals bo examin ed into, according to What is contained in alitiis book, Which I trusi has come to you, in Which the severatheads of our decisions are collected. And test perchance thonumber of bishops in Africa should seem unsatisfactory, WBalso Wrote to Rome, to Cornelius our colleague, concerning
this sting, who himself also hol ling a council With very many
bishops, concurred in the fame opinion as We had held, Withequat gravity and Wholesome moderation. 7. Concerning Whicli it has noW become necessary to Writo
but, accor ling to What I had besore comprised in my letters, had put in everything to the common determination of our uncti, and indeed communicated with no ono of the lapsodas yet, so long as there stili mas an opening by which tholapsed might receive not only pardon, but also a crOWn. t atterWards, as the agreement of our college, and thsadvantage of gathering the fraterni together and of healing their Wound required, Ι submitted to the necessi of tho timos, and thought that the sately of the many mustbe provided sor; and I do not noW recede frem theso thingswhich have once been determined in our councit is commonagreement, although many things are Ventilated by the voices of many, and lies against God's priesis ultered fram tha
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copale ; but, promoted through ali the ecclesiastical ossices, and having osten deserved weli of the Lord in divine administrations, he ascended by ali the grades of religious service tothe losty summit of the pHesthood. Then, moreover, he didnot either ask for the episcopale itself, nor did he wish it; nor, as othere do When this swelling of their arrogance and prido inflatos them, did ho seige upon it; but quiet otherWise, and meeh, and such as those are accustomed to be who are chosenos God to this ossice, having regard to the modesty of his virgin continency, and the humility of his inborn and Marded Veneration, he did not, as some do, use force to be made abishop, but he himself suffered compulsion, so as to be forcedio receive the episcopal ossice. Αnd he was mado bishop is
Very many of our colleagues Who were then present in thoctu os Rome, Who sent to us letters concerning his ordin tion, hono able and laudato , and remarhable for their te timony in announcement of him. Moreover, Cornelius Was
the testimony of almost ali the clero, by tho suffrage of the peopte Who mers then present, and by the assembly ofancient priesis and good mon, Mien no one had Men madoso besore him, When the place of Fabian, stat is, When tho
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place of Peter and tho demee of the sacerdotia throno mavacant; Which Ming occupied by the will of God, and esta
after the sirst there cannot be a second, Whos ver is madeaster one Who ought to be alone, is not second in him, butis in faci nono at all. 9. Then afterWards, when he had underiisen the episc
pate, not oblataed by solicitation nor by extortion, but by the will of God Who mahes priesta; What a Viriue there Was in the Very underlahing of his episcopale, What strengin ofmind, What firmneas of faith,-a thing that we ouot milhsimplo heart both thoroughly to look into and is presse,- that he intrepidly sate at Romo in the sacerdotia chair at that
time When a tyrant, odiocis to God's priesis, Was threatening things that can, and cannot be spolien, in much as he Would much more patiently and tolerantly hear that a rival princemas raised up against himself, than that a priest of God masest lishod at Rome. Is not this man, de est brother, to Meommended with tho highest testimony of virtuo and faith is not ho to bo osteemed among the glorious confessors and martyrs, Who for so long a timo sate a atting the manglers of his body and the avengere os a ferocious tyrant, WhRwhen Cornelius resisted their deadly edicis, and trampliaon their threata and sufferings and tortures by the vigo of his faith, mouid sither rush upon him With the inord, or crucisy him, or scorch him milli fire, or rend his bowelsand his limbs With somo un ard-os End of punishment Even though the majesty and goodness of the protectingLord Darded When made, the priest Whom Ho millia to bomade; yet Cornelius, in What pertians to his devotion and fear, sinered Whatever he could suffer, and conquered the rant fimi os ali is his priesib office, Who Was alter arta
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10. But in res et os certain discreditabis and malignant things that aro bandita a ut concerning him, Ι Would nothaVe you Wonder, When you know that this is always thomork of the devit, to wound God's servanis Mith lies, and todefama a glorious name by salse opinio , so that they Whoare bright in tho light of their own conscience may be tamnished by the reporis of othera. Moreover, Fou am to kno that our colleagues have investigated, and have certainlydiscovered that ho has been blemished with no stain os acertificate, as somo intimate; neither has he mingled in sacri-logious communion With tho bishops who have sacrificed, but has merely associaled With us those Whoso cause had
11. For mith respect to Trophimus also, os Whom Dumis ted iidings to bo written to you, the case is not as therapori and tho falsehood os malignant peoplo had conveyedit to Fou. For, as our predecessors osten did, our dearest brother, in bringing together the brethren, Fielded to nece si ; and since a very large part of the peoplo had withdram Willi Trophimus, no When Trophimus returned to the church, and aioned sor, and with tho penitence of prver confessed, his former error, and with perfect humili and satisfactionrecanod the brothorhood whom he had lately tahen a an his prvers mere heard; and not only Trophimus, but a very great number of brethran who had been With Trophimus, mere admitted into tho church of the Lord, Who Would not ali havoreturned to the church unless they had coma in Trophimus'
company. Therefore the matter being considered there milliaeverat colleagues, Trophimus Was received, for Whom inoretnm of the brethren and salvation restored to many madeatonement. Yet Trophimus Was admitted in such a manneras only in communicate M a layman, not, according to the
information given to Du by the letters of the malignandi, insuch a Way as to assume the place of a priest. 12. But, moreover, in respect of What has been lald DR that Cornelius communicates EveryWhere With those Who have sacrificed, this intelligenco has also arisen fram the false reporta os the apostates. For neither can they praise us who depart
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ever is currently rumoured against Cornelius and about me.
13. For is any a re seiged with sichnesses, help is given to them in danger, as it has been decided. Yet astor they havo been assisted, and peace has been granted to them in thei danger, they cannot surelyJ be suffocated by us, or destroyed,
or by our force or hands urged on to the result os death; as is, because peace is granted to the dying, it mere necessary thatthoso who have received peace should die; although tho tokenoi divine love and paternat leni ty appears more in this Way, that theri Who in peacu given to them receive the pledge of lila, are moreover here bound to lite by the peaco they have received. And thoresore, it With peace received, a reprievois given by God, no one ought to complain of the priesis forthis, Rhen once it has been decided that brethren aro to boaided in perii. Neither must you thinh, dearest brother, assome do, that thoso Who receive certificates are to be put ona par With those Who have sacrificed; since even among thoso who have sacrificed, the condition and the case are frequently different. For we must nos place on a level one Who has atonos leapi forward with good- ill to the abominabie sacrifice, and one Who, after long struggle and resistance, has reached that fatal result under compulsion;-one Who has betrved both himself and ali his connections, and one Who, himselfapproaching the triat in bellati os ali, has protected his wisoand his children, and his Whole iamlly, by himself undergoing
the danger; ne who has compelled his inmates or friendsto the crime, and one v ho has spared inmates and servanta, and has even received many brethren Who were departing tobanishment and flight, into his house and hospitali ; showing and offering to the Lord many fouis living and sata