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THE EPISTLES OF CYPRIAM 201 and willin y and liberalty gathered together supplies of
4. And we Wish, indoed, that nothing os such a hind may happen again, and that our brethren, protected by tho majesty of the Lord, may be preserved sase from perils of this hind. Is, howover, for the searching out of the love ofour mind, and sor the testing of tho faith of our heari, anysuch thing should happen, do not delay to teli us of it in your letters, counting it sor certain that our church and the wholo fraternity hero beseech by their prayers that these things
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TO EUCURATIUS, MOUT AN AGOR ARGUMENT.-m Drbida an actor, ἐν he eontinue in his di graee fui calling, from communieating in the chureh. ither Ges he allois it to be an eae se for him, that hehimself does not praetiae the histrionis ari, so lang as heteaehes it to othera: Mithre Ges he Meuae se beeause of the want of means, sinee neeessaries may be suppliedio him fram the refources of the ehurch; and there re, is the means of the ehuroh there are not sufficient, Mreeommenda him to come to Carthage. 1. Cyprian to Euchratius his brother, Meeting. From o mutuat love and your reverenco for me Fou have thoughtthat I should bo consul ted, dearest brother, as in my Opinion concerning a certain actor, Who, being setiled among yοu, stili persisis in tho discredit of the fame art of his; and as amaster and teacher, not for tho instruction, but for the d struction os Mys, that which he has uniortunately learni hoalso imparis in othera: you Mk Whether such an ono oughtto communicate With us. This, I think, notther befiis the
divino majesty nor the discipline of tho gospei, that the
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THE EPISTLES OF CYPRIAM 203 modesty and credit of the church shonld bo polluted by sodisgracesul and infamotis a contagion. For since, in the la , men are sorbidden to put on a Woman's garment, and thosectat offend in this manner are judged accursed, hoW much greater is the crime, not only to take Women's garmenis, butatio to express base and effeminate and luxurious gestures,
by the teaching os an immodest arti 2. Nor let any one excuse himself that he himsolf has ven up the theatre, While ho is stili teaching the ari toothera. For he cannot appear to have given it up Who substitutes othere in his place, and who, instead of himselfalone, supplies many in his stead; against God's appotniment, instructing and teaching in What Way a man may be brohendoWn into a Woman, and his sex changed by ari, and ho
tho devit Who pollutes the divine image may be gratified by
the sins os a corrupted and enervated body. But is such anone alleges poVer and the necessity of smali means, his
necessity also can be assisted among the rest Who are maintained by the support of the church; ii he be content, that is, with very frugal but innocent sood. And tot him not thinh
and Jacob, and leaia them doWn, sadly and perniciousty fallened in this Worid, to the eternat torments of hunger and thiret; and there ore, as far as you can, recali him from this depravity and disgrace to the way of innocence, and to thohope of eternat lite, that he may bo content With the main-tenance of the church, sparing indeia, but Wholesome. Butis the church With you is not sufficient for this, to afford support for those in need, he may transfer himself to us, and here receive What may be necessary to him for laod and clothing, and not teach deadly things to others Without thecturta, but himself learn wholmom things in the church.
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TO POMPONIUS, CONCERNING SOME VIRGINS. ARGUMEΝT. - Cyprian, with some of his colleagues, repties tohis colleaque Pomponius, that virgins who had determinedio maintain their state Uith contineney and fmneas, butisho had yet subsequently been found in the fame bed Uithmen, is they were stili Duud to be virgina, ahould bereceived into communion and admitted to the ehureh : buti othemiae, sinee they are adulterous, not to their huabanti, but to Christ, thv should be compelled to fuit repentanee, and those who ahould obstinoetely persevere ahould be ejected frOm the ehureh. He suggesta, by the way, the kind of diseipline by whish virgins may be kept in their duty, and
1. Cyprian, Caecilius, Victor, Sedatus, Tertullus, missi tho
presbyters Who mero present With them, to Pomponius their brother, greeting. We have read, dearest brother, Four letter Whicli Fou soni by Paconius our brother, ashing and destring us to Write again to you, and say What We thought of those virgins Who, after having once determinod to continue in their condition, and firmiy to maintain their continency, havisasterWards been found to have romat ned in the samo bed fide is side with men; of Whom you say that one is a deacon pand yet that the fame virgins who have consessed that th have siept with men declare that they are chaste. Concerning Whicli matters, since you have destred our advice, lino that we do not depari frem the traditions of the gospei and of the apostles, but with constancy and firmness tahe counselior our brethren and sistera, and maintain the discipline of the church by ali the ways of usesul ness and sase , since tho
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bo given to the devit Who ensnares us, and destres to rage over us, to huri them, Since the apostle also says, Do not
arisen hence; and what a multitude os virgins wo bolioldeorrupted by unia sui and dangerous conjunctions of this
dedicated themselves to Christ, let them persevere in modes
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206THE EPISTLES OF CYPRIAM and chasti , Without incurring any erit repori, and w in
is they ars unWilling or unable to persevere, it is beller thatthey should mar , than stat by their crimes they inould fallinis the fire. Certainly let them not cause a scandal to thebrethren or sistere, since it is written, Is meat cause my
threaten against such unchaste connectionsi Whose spiritual
is ali means to heep discipline, much more is it right that
overseers and deacons aliould be caresul sor this, that th may afford an example and instruction to othera concerning their conversation and character. For hoW can they directine integri and continence of others, is the corruptions andieachings of sin begin to proceed froin thenaseives l4. And there ore you have acted advisedly and With Vigour, dearest brother, in excommunicating the deacon Who
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bo found virgins, let them be received to communion, and admitted in the church; yet mitti this threatening, that is subsequently they should return to the fame men, or is theyinould dweli togother With the samo men in one houae orunder the fame roos, they should be ejected missi a severer censure, nor inould such be aster arda eastly received intocto church. But is any one of them be found la be corrupted, let her abundantly repent, because she who has been guil of this crime is an adulteress, not against a husband, but against Christ; and therefore, a due time being appotnted,
let her atterWarda, When confession has been made, retum to
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208THE EPISTLES OF CYPRIAM ture testisses that the undisciplined peristi, beeauso they do
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wadem se unde ratood the Christian congregatiori.
1. Cyprian to Caecilius his brother, meeting. Although Iknow, dearest brother, that very many of the bishops Whoare set over the churches of the Lord by divine condescemsion, throughout the whole Worid, maintain the plan os evam gelicia truth, and of the tradition of the Lord, and do noti human and novel institution depari hom that whlehChrist our Master both prescribed and did; yet since som either by ignorance or simplici in sanctibing the cup of the Lord, and in ministering to the people, do not do that whicli Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, the founder andieacher of this sacrifice, did and taught, I have thought itas meli a religious as a necessary thing in Write to you this letter, that, is any one is stili hept in this error, he maybohold tho light of truth, and return to the root and originos the tradition of the Lord. Nor must you thinh, dear tbrother, that I am Writing my om thoughis or manys; orthat I am boldly assuming this to myseis of my own voluntata mili, sinco I always hold my mediocriu missi lo lyand modest moderation. But When mything is prescribed by the inspiration and command of God, it is necessary thata faithful servant aliould obey the Lord, acquitted is ali Massuming anything arrogantly to himself, Meing that ho is constrainod lo seis offending tho Lord untem ho does What
2. Know then that I have been admonished that, in offering the cnp, the tradition of the Lord must be observed, and that nothing must be dono by us but What the Lota sint did onour bohalf, as that the cup Whicli is offered in remembrance of Him should bo offered mingled mitti Wine. For When Christ says, I am tho trus vine,' tho blood of Christ is
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210 THE EPISTLES OF CYPRIAM assuredly not mater, but mine; neither can His biood by .hieti
me are redeemed and quichened appear to M in the cum When in tho cup thero is no wino whereis the blood os Christis stlown forth, whicli is declared by the sacrament and test mony of Hl the Scriptures. 3. For κε find in Genesis also, in respect of the sacrament in Noe, this fame thing Was in them a precursor and figura of tho Lota's passion; that he drank Wine; that hoWas drunken; that he was made naked in his houmhesd; that he was lying down with his thios nised and exposia; that the nakodness of tho fallier mas observed is his secondson, and was told abroad, but Was covered by two, the eldestand the youngest; and other matters whicli it is not necessa to follow out, since this is enouo for us to embraee alone,
that Noe, setting forth a type of the futuro truth, did notdrink Water, but Wine, and thus expressed the figura of thopassion of the Lord. 4. Also in the priest Melchigedek Wo seo prefigured thosacrament of the sacrifice of the Lord, according in What divine Scripture testifies, and says, And Μelchigedeli, hingos Salem, breuot fortii broad and wine.' he was apriest of the most high God, and blessed Abraham. Αnd that Melchigedoh boro a typo of Christ, tho Holy Spiritdeclares in the Psalms, saying from the person of the Fatherto the Son: Before tho moming star I begat Theo; Thouari a priest for ever, after the order of Melchigodok; V whlehorder is assuredly this coming from that sacrifice and thenes descending; that Melchizedeh was a primi of the most high God; that lis offored wine and bread; that he blemodAbraham. For who is more a priest of the most high God than our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered a sacrifico to God the Father, and offered that very fame thing Whicli Meu