He rewards in His saints what Himself has wrought in them. 307 17. 12, 1.2. a sacrifice to God, precious alike and glorious, and which will very much avail you to the recompense of heavenly rewards; since holy Scripture declares and says, The sacrifice Ps. 51, of God is a broken spirit, a contrite and humbled heart God doth not despise. This sacrifice ye offer to God, this sacrifice ye celebrate without intermission day and night, being made oblations to God, and presenting yourselves holy and unspotted sacrifices, as the Apostle exhorts, saying, I beseech Rom. you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God: and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For this it is, which especially pleaseth God; this it is, wherein with larger merits our works yield fruit for the earning the good-will of God: this it is, which alone the obedience of our faith and devotion can render unto the Lord for His great and saving benefits, the Holy Ghost declaring in the Psalms and testifying, What shall I render unto the Lord, for all His benefits toward me? I will receive the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints'. 4. Who would not cheerfully and readily receive the cup of salvation? Who would not joyously and gladly covet that wherein he too may render somewhat unto his Lord? Who would not with courage and constancy receive a death, precious in the sight of the Lord; to be well-pleasing in His eyes, Who, looking down upon us, when set in the conflict for His Name, approves us, willing; aids us, struggling; crowns us, conquering; rewarding in us with the recompense of His Fatherly goodness and love whatever He has Himself wrought, and honouring what Himself has accomplished? For that it is of Him, that we conquer, and that, the adversary subdued, we attain to the palm of the severest contest, the Lord declares and teaches in His Gospel, saying, But Mat. 10, when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what f Ps. 116, 12. 13. 15. see on Ep. 28. §. 1. p. 60. n. o. 19. 20. A. 257. Luke 21, 14. 15. 308 Martyrs of each age and sex led on by their Bishops. EPIST. ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit LXXVI. of your Father Which speaketh in you. And again; Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist. Wherein may be seen both the great confidence of believers, and the very heinous fault of the faithless; that they believe not in Him Who promises that He will give His help to them that confess Him, nor again fear Him Who threatens eternal punishment to them that deny Him. 19. 5. All which things, most valiant and most faithful soldiers of Christ, ye have instilled into our brethren, fulfilling in deeds what before ye taught in words; hereafter to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, the Lord having promised and Matt. 5, declared, Whosoever shall so do and teach, shall be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Moreover a manifold portion of the people, following your example, have with you alike confessed, and alike been crowned; linked to you with the bond of the strongest affection, and separated from their Bishops neither by prison nor by the mines. To whose number neither are virgins lacking, in whom the hundredfold is added to the fruit of sixtyfold, and whom a double glory has advanced to a heavenly crown. In boys1 also, a courage beyond their age has surpassed their years in the praise of Confession, so that each sex and age should adorn your blessed flock of martyrs'. What now, most beloved brethren, must be the strength * Virginity and martyrdom. See de hab. Virg. c. 12. p. 128. Oxf. Tr. h See the hist. of Ponticus, brother of Blandina, (Eus. v. 1.) Dioscorus, also aged 15, (ib. iv. 41.) Prudent. de S. Romano, m. 1. 646-845. Vict. Vit. L. v. B. P. viii. p. 695. Pass. Beat. Mart. vi. Non. Jul. ib. p. 698. Bal. This is the Massa Candida, so called from the number who were together martyred, and "from the lustre of their death." (S. Aug. Serm. 306. §. 2. preached upon their birthday.) S. Aug., in reference to the 153 fish, (S. Joh. 21, 11.) says that they were more than 153. (in Ps. 49. §. 9.) Prudentius calls them 300. (Perist. 13.) They were martyred at Utica, (S. Aug. calls them "Uticensis Massa candida," Serm. 311. §. 10. and the Serm. in Ps. 144. was preached in their basilica there, §. 17. and Ben. Note,) which corresponds with S. Cyprian's statement, that the Proconsul was there shortly before his own martyrdom. (Ep. 83.) Their day was kept in Africa on Aug. 18; that of S. Cyprian was Sept. 14. A. 258. see Tillemont, S. Cyprien, Art. 57. t. iv. p. 73. Ruinart Acta Mart. S. Cypr. Præf. §. 11. p. 202. The Author of the Serm. 317. App. S. Aug. (which certainly in some cases is the very language of S. Aug.) speaks of the Candida Massa, as S. Cypr. does of these, as consisting of every age and sex. Prayers amid suffering most heard; St.C.asks those of y Martyrs. 309 of your consciousness of victory! what sublimity of mind! what exultation in feeling! what triumph in your breasts! that each of you stands close to the promised reward of God; that ye are without fear of the Judgment of God! that ye walk in the mine, captive in bodies, but with hearts reigning; that ye know Christ is present with you, rejoicing in the endurance of His servants, who in His steps and ways are advancing to eternal kingdoms! Daily ye expect with joy the saving day of your departure, and ever, ever, on the eve of retiring from the world, ye hasten to the rewards of martyrs and your home with God; after this darkness of the world to see that purest light, and to receive a glory exceeding all sufferings and conflicts, the Apostle testifying and saying, The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be Rom. 8, compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And because your utterance in prayer is now more efficacious, and supplication obtaineth more readily what amid distresses is asked, pray ye and intreat more intensely, that the Divine mercy would perfect the Confession of us all; that so God would free us also together with you, unharmed and glorious, from this darkness and these entanglements of the world; that so we, who here, united in the bond of charity and peace, have stood together against the assaults of heretics and the persecutions of the Gentiles, may also rejoice together in the heavenly kingdoms. k I bid you, most blessed and most beloved brethren, heartily farewell in the Lord, and always and every where * remember me. 18. EPISTLE LXXVII. To Cyprian their brother, Nemesianus, Dativus, Felix, and 1. EVER with fulness of meaning, suited to the circumstances of the time, do you speak in your letters, most beloved Cyprian; by reading which attentively as well the wicked are corrected, as men of good faith strengthened. For ki. e. on earth or in Paradise. LXXVI. A. 257. 310 Value of St. C.'s works and acts to other Martyrs. 8 EPIST. while you cease not in your writings to lay open hidden mysteries, you cause us to grow in faith, and men of the world you invite over to belief. For whatsoever excellencies you have inscribed in your many books, you have unknowingly pourtrayed yourself to us. For beyond all men, are you in discourses more excellent, in speech more eloquent, in counsel wiser, in patience more simple, in works of love more abundant, in abstinence more holy, in deference more humble, and in good action more innocent. You too know, dearest, that this was our longing wish, that we should see you, our teacher and friend, attain to the crown of a glorious Confession. For, as a good and true teacher, you first in the proceedings before the Proconsul pronounced that which we, your disciples, following, should say before the President; and a trumpet sounding to battle, you roused the soldiers of God, furnished with heavenly arms, to the encounter in close conflict: and, fighting in the first rank, you slew the devil with a spiritual sword; the troops also of the brethren, on one side and the other, you by your words gently arrayed, so that an ambush was on every side laid for the foe, and, the sinews of the common enemy cut in two, his carcase was trodden under foot. Believe us, dearest, that your innocent spirit does not fall short of the reward of a hundred-fold, for that it neither feared the first assaults of the world, nor refused to go into exile, nor hesitated to leave the city, nor dreaded to dwell in a desert place; and in that it gave to many an example of confession, itself first uttered its martyrwitness by its own example, for it called forth others to martyrdom by its own: and not only began to be an associate of the martyrs just departing from the world, but with those also who should be such, it cemented a heavenly friendship. b 2. They then who were condemned with us give thee before God their heartiest thanks, most beloved Cyprian, for that by thy letter, thou hast refreshed their fainting breasts, healed the limbs wounded by the clubs; loosed the feet bound with fetters, smoothed the hair of the half-shorn Mutual affections and prayers of the Martyrs. 311 heads; enlightened the darkness of their prison, evened the ruggednesses of the mine; to their nostrils also thou hast applied fragrant flowers, and hast overpowered the foul odour of the smoke. Moreover thy kindly ministering and that of our most beloved Quirinus, which thou sentest for distribution by Herennianus the Subdeacon, and by Lucanus and Maximus and Amantius the Acolythes, provided whatever was lacking for the needs of the body. Be we then, by our prayers, helpers of one another, and let us entreat, as you have charged us, that we may have God, and Christ, and the angels our supporters in all our actions. We bid thee, lord and brother, ever heartily farewell, and remember us. Salute all who are with thee. All ours, who are with us, love and salute thee, and long to see thee. EPISTLE LXXVIII. To Cyprian our brother and colleague, Lucius", and all the brethren who are with me greeting in the Lord. 1. WHILE we were exulting and rejoicing in God, that He had armed us for the conflict, and by His favour had made us victorious in the battle, thy letter arrived, dearest brother, which thou sentest us by Herennianus the Subdeacon, and Lucian, and Maximus, and Amantius, Acolythes; on reading which we received in bonds ease, in affliction solace, and in need a stay, and were roused and animated more resolutely to endure whatever further tortures await us. For before our suffering we were called forth by thee to glory, who first didst lead us onward to confess the Name of Christ. a This is not the S. Lucius, whose Epistle and the account of whose martyrdom by an eye-witness are still extant; for he and his companions were disciples of S. Cyprian (§. 13. Ruinart, p. 234.) and were imprisoned after the death of the Proconsul, (§. 6.) who condemned S. Cyprian, and himself died a few days after. (Acta S. Cypr. fin. p. xxii. Oxf. Tr.) but he is doubtless the same, who was seen, with S. Cyprian, by one of these Martyrs when in prison, in a vision to admonish him against disunion. "We came to a vast plain, when there met us Cyprian and Lucius. But the place whither we came was of purest light; and our garments became white, and our flesh was changed whiter than our white garments. But so translucent was our flesh, that it admitted our eye to see the inmost heart. And looking into my heart, I saw some stain, and I awoke in the vision." The stain was a coldness the day before about one wrongly admitted to Communion. |