Ante-Nicene Christian Library; Translations Of The Writings Of The Fathers Down To A.D. 325, Volume 8: The Writings Of Cyprian, Volume 1, Containing the Epistles and some of the Treatises

발행: 1868년

분량: 525페이지

출처: archive.org

분류: 미분류

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especialty inose of us that are bishops who preside in thochurch, that We may also prove the episcopale itself to boone and undivided. Let no one deceive tho brothectood by a falsehood: let no ono corrupi tho truth of tho faith by perfidious prevarication. The episcopale is one, each partoi .hicli is hold by eaeh one for the whole. The churchalso is one, Which is spread abroad sar and wide into a multia ludo by an increase of fruitsulness. As there are many rays of the sun, but one light; and many branches of a tree, butone strength based in ita tenacious moi; and since hom one

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382TNE TREA TISES OF CYPRIAN.

Christ; he who gathoroth else here than in the church, scatters the church of Christ. Tho Lord says, I and thos ather are ono ;V' and again it is writton of the Father, and of tho Son, and of tho Holy Spirit, And these three amone. y And does any one bellove that this uni whieli thus comes from the divine strength and coheres in celestiat sacramenis, can be dividud in the church, and can be separated by the parting afunder os opposing Wills Τ Ηe who does not holdi his uni ty does not hold God's law, does not hold the faith ostho Fathor and tho Son, does not hold lise and salvation. 7. This sacrament of unity, this bonit os a concord inseparably cohering, is set sortii Whoro in tho Gospei the coat of tho Lord Jesus Christ is not at ali dividod nor cui, but is

received as an entire garment, and is possessed as an unin-

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out separation me obtain a whole and substantiat entireness.

Ηe cannot possess the garment of Christ Who paris and dividos the church of Christ. On the other hand, again, when at Solomon's deam his hingdom and peopte Were

divided, Abijah the prophet, meeting Jeroboam the hing in

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384-E TREANSES OF CYPRIAM Jesus Christ, that D ali speis tho fame ining, and that there

om heta Also, the sacrament of the passoVer contains

that ought to bo known in the church, this is the chari that ought to be attained, that so the love of the brothectood may imitate the doves, that stela gentieness and meeliness

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enVenomed contagion. Bittemesa cannot consist and be ras

and the chin is separated from tho wheat. These are in who of their own accord, Without any divine arrangement, set themselves to preside among the daring strangers assembled, Who appotnt themsolves prelates vithout any law of ordin tion, Who assume to themselves the name of bishop, althoughno one oves them the episcopale; Whom tho Holy Spirit

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386-E TREANSES OF CYPRIAN.

and saving Water. Men are not Washed among them, butracter arct made foui; nor are sins purged aWay, but are evenaccumulated. Such a nativi does not generate sons to God,

but to tho devit. By a falsehood they are bora, and they donot receive the promises of truth. Bemiten os perfidri in lose the graco of saith. They cannot attain to the remardoi peace, since they have brohen ine Loraes peaco mith stemadnem os discord. 12. Nor let any deceive themselves by a sutile interpretation, in respect of the Lord haring ses' μ Wherctoever inoor three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.' ' Corrupters and falso intepreters of the G pel quote tho last Words, and lay aside the former ones, membering pari, and crastily suppressing pari: as they

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hom us; and sinco herestes and schisma havo risen subs

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bach from the altar one who comes to the sacrifice in stri ,

and bids him first agreo with his brother, and then returnwith peace and offer his gist to God: sor God had not respectunto Cain's offerings; for he could not have God at maeswith him, who through envious discord had not peace With hisbrother. What Mace, then, do tho enemies of the brothren promise to thomsolves ' What sacrifices do those Who are, rivals of the priosis thinh that they celebrate ' Do th deem that they havo Christ with them when they are collected together, Who are gathered togother ouiside thechurch os Christ '14. Even is such man were flain in confession of the Name, that stain is not ovon washed away by blood: the inexpiableand grave fauit os discord is not even purged by suffering.

He cannot be a martyr Who is not in the church; he cannot

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liave salth, so that I can remove mountians, and have not

religious valour, but the destruction os despiar. Such an onemay be flain; crowned he cannot bo. Ηe professos himselfio bo a Christian in such a way as tho devit osten felgns himself to bo Christ, as the Lord Himself fore aras us, and Says, Many shali come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shalldeceive many. ρ As ho is not Christ, although ho deceives in respect of the name; so neither can he appear as a Christianwho does not abido in tho truth of His gospei and of faith. 15. FOr both to prophesy and to cast out deviis, and to do great acts upon the earth, is certainly a sublime and an admirable thing; but ono does not attain the Lingdom of

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heaven although ho is found in ali theso things, uniem hewallis in the observance of tho right and just Way. The Loes denounces, and says, Many shali say to mo in thalday, Loes, Loes, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name havo cast out deviis, and in Thy name donemany wondersul Woas ' And then mill I profess unis them,

is the siret commandment; and the second is like unio it: Thou shali love thy neighbour as thysoli. On these two commandmenta hang ali tho laW and the propheis.' Ηetauot, at the fame time, love and unity by His instruction. IIo has included ali tho propheis and the laW in tWo precepti. But what uni does he heep, what love does he maintain oreonsider, Who, Savago mitti the madness of discord, dividos tho church, destroys tho salth, disturbs the peace, dissipates charity, profanes the sacrament '16. This suil, mosi faithful brethren, had long ago begun, but noW the mischievous destruction os the sams svit has incremed, and the en venomed plague of heretical perversi and schisms has beguli in spring forti, and shoot ane ;because even thus it must bs in the declino of the worid,

sitati come, and men stiali be lovers of their own solves, proud, boastera, covetous, blasphemers, disobedient to parenis,unthanksul, unlioly, Without natural affection, truce-breaera, false accusem, incontinent, fierce, haling the good, traiis , heady, high-minded, lovers of pleraures more than lovers of God, having a fort. os form' os religion, but denying the poWer thereos. of this sori are they Who creep into ho es,

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