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tho bidding of thoir Mastor and God gave sortii His precepisior salvation, guided men hom their Wandering in darknossio the Way of light, and gave eyes to tho blind and ignorant for the acknowledgment of tho truth. 15. And that tho prooi might not bo the less substantiat, and tho consession of Christ might not be a matter of plea-sure, they are tried by tortures, by crucifixions, by many hinds os punishmonis. Ρain, Whicli is the test of truth, is brought to bear, that Christ tho Son os God, who is trustod inas oven to men for their lila, might not only be an nounced by the heralding of the voice, but by the testimony of susse ing. Therefore me accompany Him, Wo follo Him, me have Him as tho Guido of our Way, tho SOurce Oi light, tho Author os salvation, promising as Weli the Father as heavento those Who seeh and belleve. What Christ is, me Christians shali be, it we imitate Christi
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virious, yet that deata is not common to them, for thac therighteous are taken to eonsolation, while the unri leousare talari to punishment. Then to the tacit obseesion that
he repties that martyr m is not in our po- , and thias eum the spirit that is reat for martyrdom is crowned by
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Chrontem mahes mention of the occasion on whieli Cyprianis te this treatis' saying, A pestilent disease took possession os many provinces of the whole vorta, and eve-Halty Aleaeandris and Egypt; as Dionysius write8, and the treatiae of Cyprian eoncerning the Mortalis ' bears
Christ, must bo found worthy os God and of Christ.
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454 THE TREANSES OF CYPRIAM moro in the last times. Behold, the very things occur Which
3. For it is Writton that the just lives by saith. Is youare just, and live by faith, is you truly bellove in Christ,
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having accomptished this deast me come to immortality. Forthat is oury peace, that our faithsul tranquilli , that ourstediast, and abiding, and perpetuat security. 4. But for tho rest, What else in the worid than a battio against the devit is datly carried on, than a strumle against
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ilis; and not as one Who undem s ali adverse things hereand is reserved for future joy. It disturbs somo that this mortality is common to us With othere; and yet what is iners in this morid whicli is not common to us With other' so long
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as this flost os oum stili rematas, according to the law of oursiret birili, common to us With them ' So long as me are here in the moriri me aro associaled With the human raco in fleshlyequali , but are separated in spirit. There oro untii this corruptibie. inali put on incorruption, and this mortal receive
immortalit' and the Spirit in laad us to God tho Fathor, Whab
is common to us With others, so long as this common flesti ofoum is borno by us in the worid.
s. Moreovor, is the Christian know and hoop fast undis What condition and what law ho has belloved, ho mill boamare that he must suffer more stan others in the Worid, sincohe must struggle more With tho attachs of tho devit. ΗolyScripture te hes and foreWarns, saying, son, When thou comest to the service of God, stand in righteousness and fear,
and prepare thy mul for temptation. y And again: In painendure, and in thy humili have patienco ; for gold and silveris tried in the fire, but acceptabis men in the furnace of humiliation. . 10. Thus Job, aster the loss of his mealth, aster the deathos his children, grievousty afficted, moreover, With sores and WOrmS, Was not OVercome, but proVed; since in his very
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458 THE TREANSES OF CYPRIAM ness os bis pain, to spein something against God missi a com
God gives him a testimony, saying, Hast thou considerediny servant Job' for there is nono like him iri est the earin, a man without complaint, a truo Worshipper of God. 'Τ AndTobias, aster his excellent Works, aster the many and glorio illustrations of his mercisul spirit, having suffered the loss of
his sight, scaring and blessing God in his adversi , is his
11. Righteous men have ever possessed this endurance.
The apostles maintained this disciplino hom the law of ths Lord, not to murmur in adversi , but in accepi bravely and patiently Whatever inings happen in the world; since thopeoplo os the Jews in this matter alWays ostended, that in constantly murmured against God, as the Lord God Mars witness in tho book of Numbers, saying, I et their murmur-
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ing cerae Dom me, and they shali not die. y Wo must notmurmur in adversi , beloved brethren, but Wo must bearmilli patience and courage Whatever happens, since it is written, Tho sacrifice to God is a brohen spirit; a contrite and humbled hoari God does not despise; V since also in
is to bo despised in tho assurance of suturo blessings. Unlesstho batilo has prece led, there cannot be a victory: When theroshali have been, in the onset of batile, the victory, then also the croWn is given to the victors. For the heimsmansi is recognised in the tempest; in the waesare the soldier is proVed.
It is a Manton display when there is no danger. Struggle in adversity is tho trial of the truth.' The troe whicli is deoplyiounded in iis root is not moved by the onset oi Winds, and tho fhip Whicli is compacted of solid timbers is beaten by
the waves and is not shattered; and when the threshing-floor brings out the coria, the strong and robust grains despiso the
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460 THE TREANSES OF CYPRIAM Winds, Whilo the empty chin is carried aWay by the blast stat
unis me, My grace is sussicient for thee, for strengin is madeperfeci in W-kness. in When, therelare, meaknem and i essiciency and any destruction seige us, then our strength is made perfeci; then our salth, it whon triod it shali standiast, is cromed; as it is Writton, Tho furnace trieth tho Vesseis of the potier, and tho trial os tribulation just mon.' This, in stori, is the differsnce belween us and othere Whohnow not God, that in missortuno they complain and mu mur, While adversi does not cali us aWay from tho truth ofvirine and faith, but strongiliens us is iis suffering. 14. This triat, that noW the bo eis, relaxed into a constant flux, dischargo the bodily strength; that a fire originaled in the marmW ferments into mounds of the fauces; that the intestines are shahen with a continuat vomiting; that theves are on fire missi tho injected blood; that in some cases the feei or somo paris of the limbs ars taken oss by tho comtagion es dimased putrefaction; that from the we ness ari
ens bled, or tho hearing is obstructed, or the s hi dar ned;-is profitablo M a proof of faith. What a grandeur οξ spiritit is to strumlo With ait the pomers of an unahahen mindagainst so many onseis os devastation and deathi What sublimiu, to stand erect amid the desolation of the human race, and not to lis prostrate with thois Who have no hopo in God; but raster in rejoice,' and to embraco tho bonofit of tho occasion; that in thus bravely showing fortit our satin, and