A. 251. 92 F. threatening the Church, pronounces his own sentence. EPIST. deterred by your authority and presence, of his own impulse XLI. disturbing the quiet of the brethren, hath cast himself forth with many more, with headlong madness declaring himself leader of a faction and chief of sedition, (wherein indeed I rejoice that very many brethren have withdrawn from this boldness, and have preferred to remain contented under you, that so they may abide with their mother the Church, and receive her pay at the Bishop's hands; which moreover I feel assured others also will peaceably do, and will soon withdraw from their rash error ;)—meanwhile whereas Felicissimus has threatened, that they should not communicate with him in death, who have obeyed us, that is, who communicate with us; let him receive the sentence which he has first pronounced; and let him know that he is excommunicated by us; since to his fraud and extortion, whereof we are cognizant by the clear truth, the crime of adultery is also added; which brethren of ours, grave men, have announced that they have detected, and have solemnly declared that they will prove. All which matters we will then take cognizance of, when, by God's permission, we shall have met together with more of our Colleagues. Moreover Augendus, who, regarding neither the Bishop nor the Church, has equally associated himself with him in this conspiracy and faction, if he shall continue longer with him, must bear the sentence which that factious and rash man has brought down upon himself. Moreover, whosoever shall join himself to his conspiracy and faction, must know that he cannot communicate in the Church with us, who of his own accord has chosen to be separated from the Church. Read this my Epistle to our brethren, and transmit it also to the Clergy at Carthage, adding the names of those who have joined themselves to Felicissimus. I bid you, dearest brethren, ever heartily farewell, and remember me. Farewell. EPISTLE XLII. Caldonius with Herculanus and Victor, his Colleagues; also with Rogatianus and Numidicus, Presbyters, to Cyprian, greeting. We have deprived Felicissimus and Augendus of com St. C. writes to warn, his return being hindered by faction. 93 munion, also Repostus of the exiles, and Irene of the Confessors, and Paula the sempstress; which thou oughtest to be informed of by my subscription. We have likewise deprived Sophronius, and Soliassus also one of the exiles. m EPISTLE XLIII. Cyprian to the whole people, greeting. 1. Although, dearest brethren, Britius" a most faithful and upright Presbyter, and also Rogatianus and Numidicus, Presbyters, Confessors and illustrious through the glory of the Divine favour, and moreover the Deacons, good men, and in all services devoted to the government of the Church, with the rest of the ministers, give you the full attention of their presence, and cease not to confirm you severally by constant exhortations, and besides to guide and restore the minds of the lapsed by wholesome counsel; nevertheless I, as far as I am able, admonish, and, in what way I can, visit you by my Epistles. By Epistles, I say, dearest brethren; for the malignity and perfidy of certain Presbyters has brought this to pass, that I cannot come to you before Easter-Day°; in that, mindful of their old conspiracy and retaining their ancient venom against my Episcopate, yea against your suffrage and the judgment of God, they renew their old attack upon us, and with their wonted treachery again resume their unholy machinations. And indeed by God's Providence, when we neither wished nor desired it, nay even pardoned them and were silent, they have received the punishment they deserved, so that, not ejected by us, they have of their own accord ejected themselves; they have from their own consciences passed sentence upon themselves; in accordance with your and the Divine suffrages, the conspirators and wicked men have voluntarily expelled themselves from the Church. Now it is made apparent whence 1 Caldonius. m Budinarius. The meaning is not known. Salmas. (ap. Bal.) conjectures "Butinarius from Burín a cruet;" Bal. suggests its apparent connexion with "Budin," but that there are no traces of the word in Lat. n F. Virtius or Viritus, B. O on which the lapsed would have claimed from him, of right, to be restored to Communion. P which they opposed. See life of St. C. by Pontius, §. 7. p. vii. Oxf. Tr. A. 251. 94 Evils of untimely reconciliation after heavy sin. EPIST. the faction of Felicissimus came, on what root and what XLIII. support it rested. These men formerly gave encouragement and advice to certain Confessors, not to agree with their Bishop and thereby uphold ecclesiastical discipline in faith and quietness according to the precepts of the Lord, and preserve the glory of their confession by an uncorrupt and spotless conversation. And as if it had not been enough to have corrupted the minds of certain Confessors, and to have wished to arm a portion of our broken brotherhood against the Priesthood of God; they have now turned themselves with their envenomed deceit to the destruction of the lapsed, calling off from the cure of their wounds the sick and wounded, who from the calamity of their fall are not fit or firm-knit enough to receive stronger counsel; and by the falsehood of a delusive peace invite them to a destructive precipitancy, leaving off the prayers and entreaties, whereby the Lord, by long and continual amends, is to be appeased. But, I beseech you, brethren, be vigilant against the snares of the devil, and, anxious for your own salvation, watch with all diligence against this deadly cheat. 2. This is another persecution, and another trial. Those five presbyters are nothing else than those five chief persons, who were lately joined with the magistrates in the edict, to subvert our faith, and by prevarication from the truth draw aside the weak hearts of the brethren into deadly snares. The same method now, the same overthrow of the Faith, is anew brought about by the five presbyters joined with Felicissimus, to the ruin of salvation; that God be not entreated, nor he who has denied Christ, seek mercy of the Same Christ Whom he has denied; that after a fault committed, penitence also be taken away; the Lord be not appeased through the Bishops and Priests; but that, the priests of the Lord being abandoned, a new tradition of unholy institution should rise up against ecclesiastical discipline; and although it has once been determined as well by us, as by the Confessors and Clergy of the City, as also by all the Bishops established in our province or P i. e. the object being the same, the overthrow of the faith, compassed by the same author, Satan, these, alike his instruments, are representatives and emblems of the other persecutors of the Church, the same principle of evil in a different form. 9 Rome, to which Moyses also and the other Confessors who wrote to St. C. belonged. Bitterness of St. C.'s separation from his people. 95 beyond seas', that nothing new be done in the cause of the lapsed, until we have all met together, and by mutual advice have settled some sentence, tempered alike with discipline and mercy; yet have they rebelled against this our counsel, and all priestly authority and power is destroyed by factious conspiracies. 3. What suffering do I now endure, dearest brethren, that I cannot myself come to you at present, I cannot myself approach you individually, myself exhort you according to the precepts of the Lord and His Gospel! Exile for now two years sufficed not, nor the mournful separation from your presence and sight, perpetual sorrow and mourning, which, in my solitude without you, rends me asunder with continual lamentation; nor my tears flowing by day and night, that your Bishop, whom ye made with so great love and zeal', is not allowed even yet to greet you, not even yet to throw himself into your embraces. There is yet heaped upon my wasting spirit this greater sorrow, that amid anxiety and need so great, I cannot in person come forth to you, in that through the threats and plots of perfidious men, we must beware, lest on our approach a greater tumult should arise amongst you; and whereas a Bishop should in all things provide for peace and tranquillity, he himself appear to have given occasion to sedition, and anew to have roused the persecution. Hence however, most beloved brethren, hence I as well warn as advise you, not hastily to believe pernicious counsel, not to lend an easy assent to deceitful words, not to take darkness for light, night for day, hunger for food, thirst for drink, poison for medicine, death for health. Let not their age or authority impose upon you, answering to the old wickedness of the two elders; as they attempted to corrupt and violate the Hist. of chaste Susanna, so do these by adulterous doctrines attempt to corrupt the chastity of the Church, and violate evangelical truth. The Lord crieth aloud and saith, Hearken not unto the words of false prophets, for the visions of their own hearts deceive them. They speak, but not out of the mouth of the Equally those of Italy; hence appeals to Rome were forbidden by the African Canons under the title "appeals beyond seas;" African Bishops were forbidden to go beyond seas, without advice of the Primate, as were judgments See life by Pontius, §. 6. p. vi. Oxf. Tr. Sus. 96 Schismatics offer freely what they have not, EPIST. Lord. They say to them that despise the word of the Lord, XLIII. Ye shall have peace1. A. 251. 4. They now offer peace, who themselves have not peace. They promise to bring back and recal the lapsed to the Church, who have themselves departed from the Church. There is One God, and One Christ, and one Church, and one Mat.16, chair founded by the word of the Lord on the Rock". Another 18. altar cannot be set up, nor a new priesthood made, besides the Lukell, one altar and one priesthood. Whosoever gathereth elsewhere, 23. Mat.15, 14. scattereth. Adulterous, impious, sacrilegious, is that whatsoever is so framed by human madness, that the ordinance of God is violated. Depart far from the contagion of such men, and by 2Tim.2, flight shun their words as a cancer and a pestilence, the Lord forewarning and saying, They are blind leaders of the blind: but if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. They hinder your prayers, which, with us, ye pour forth day and night to God, that ye may appease Him by a due satisfaction. They hinder your tears, with which ye wash away the crime of committed sin. They hinder the peace, which ye truly and faithfully entreat of the mercy of the Lord, nor know they Deut. that it is written, And that prophet, and dreamer of dreams, 13, 5. that hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, shall be put to death. Let no one make you, dearest brethren, to err from the ways of the Lord. Let no one hurry you Christians from the Gospel of Christ. Let no one take sons of the Church from the Church. Let them who will perish, perish alone by themselves. Let them remain alone without the Church, who have withdrawn from the Church. Let them alone be without Bishops, who have rebelled against their Bishops. Let them alone undergo the punishment of their conspiracy, who formerly, according to your suffrages, now according to God's judgments, have deserved to undergo the sentence of their own conspiracy and malignity. Mark 7, 9. 5. The Lord admonisheth us in His Gospel, saying, Ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may establish your own tradition. Let those who reject the commandment of God, and attempt to establish their own tradition, be firmly and resolutely Jer. 23, 16. 17. so quoted also de u Petram Bal. with the old Edd. and 17 old Mss. Petrum Rig. and F. with 4 old Mss. see further Note Q. on Tertullian, p. 492. Oxf. Tr. |