20.

tagonist, enabled him to discern, that a member really divided from the body, however it might for a time exist through the life which it brought with it from the parent stock, could not continue to have life and growth', and that those severed from "the 55, 1. unity and charity of the Church" could not have the Sacraments of the Church. One might add, which he implies, although not formally drawn out, that heretical or schismatical bodies develope into further heresy. These tests were stamped anew by the thoughtful wisdom of S. Augustine, and have been verified in all times. Their negative voice is then of exceeding weight. We may thankfully accept and urge the tests, sometimes vaguely adduced against us. The more it can be shewn that they have never failed, the deeper their value to us; the truer and more unfailing the touchstone, the more surely is our Church, which stands it, gold. One has but to fix one's mind on the manifold and multiplied tokens of life, which now after three centuries of trial in her seeming isolation, God is with enlarged bountifulness pouring into our Church, acting not individually alone upon her members, but leavening her as a whole, in order to feel with the fullest conviction that the "branch" 18 which "brings forth more fruit in its age," is not broken off; the stream flowing on, is not parted from its fountain; that through "the ordination of Bishops and the ordering of the Church, 37, 1. running down along the course of time and the line of succession," she is joined on to Him Who ordered it. Our Apostolic succession is our title of inheritance; the life every where diffused and enlarging through our Church is a proof that, by God's good Providence, that succession is not vitiated; the Sacramental life of individuals, and the witness given to them, attests to such as will receive It, His Presence in her Sacraments; His dealings with our whole Church, that He has some gracious design for her as a whole. Thus much may, perhaps, be said here, on account of the especial relation of S. Cyprian to ourselves; it may be the rather

18 De Unit. §. 4. p. 135. Oxf. Tr.

said, because insulated passages might readily be produced which might seem unfavourable to us. Yet in proportion as we understand in its full extent the heretical and schismatical character, and shrink not from the terms in which he describes it, the more we see that it belongs not to us. We know, again, that we have the succession; we see that there is vivid life; God bears witness to us, one by one, that we have the Sacraments; one other test our own Church gives with S. Cyprian, "the bond of peace" and the “ "spirit of concord;" if with our other gifts, we have charity, we may be the surer that we have unity. May God enlarge it!

It has been already said that such observations as the above on S. Cyprian can be intended only to explain to some, one part of his character, which men of this world mistake, as though because self-denial, humility, poverty, endurance, meekness, give power, or rather invite His Presence Whom none can gainsay or resist,' therefore the power were, to such, other than a burthen. Else, S. Augustine could not adequately praise him; how should we? But lest to draw attention to one point be to withdraw it from others, it may be remarked how in the Epistles also, single expressions have been loci classici, which have to the subsequent Church been evidence of the doctrine of the earlier, as, not to go further, tsee, eg. may be seen by the use of them in S. Augustine'. But, indeed, although S. Cyprian is subject to the Church of which he was one bright star, there is yet one characteristic of his life which might well lead persons to approach his writings with especial reverence.

on 54, 2,

64.

66

The words of S. Cyprian are not those only of one ever loved and revered in the Church as "a19 Catholic Bishop and Catholic Martyr, who, the greater he was, so much the more humbled himself in all things that he might find grace before God," who had himself first done all to which he exhorted, taught 20 in life what he did, and did in death what he taught," whom God vouchsafed (in S. Augustine's words) "to predestinate among His saints before time, to create 19 S. Aug. de Bapt. c. Don. iii. §. 5. 20 S. Aug. Serm. 312. in Nat. Cypr. M.

tr

u

among men at the time most needed, to call erring, cleanse in defiling, form believing, teach obeying, rule teaching, aid fighting, crown conquering;" they were uttered amid a fulness of the presence of the Spirit, which we, in these last days, can hardly picture to ourselves. Conceive we, what it would be now, amid our manifold distractions, to be encompassed by guiding visions; to have the prophecy of Joel still fulfilled," your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions;" our children warned and warning us by visions, which in ecstasy" they saw with their eyes and heard and spoke; 16, 3. one who had forsaken all, called by distinct vision to over- 39. come his fears and venture on the Ministry of the Church, prophetic words foretelling when men by death should glorify God; and amid this effusion of the Holy Spirit to see one guided by revelations along the whole course of an anxious Episcopate, while feeling the weight of every word which fell from his mouth; in a time of relaxed discipline foretelling the persecution which should follow, as the result of our Lord's displeasure on disobedience and worldliness', 11, 4. in the hottest persecution the peace which should shortly come, and which was brought about by the sudden overthrow and death of a persecutor, in might and fierceness a type of Anti-Christ, in the midst of victory'; knowing whereon the §. 7. protracted troubles depended, not on the might of adversaries, but on intestine discord, and the proving of the faith of §. 3. others; and himself by vision called to vigils and more earnest b§. 7. intercession, frequently visited and rebuked to maintain the c §. 5. commandments of the Lord "wholly pure, and inviolated;" 15, 2. out of the renewed peace, by abundant revelations, foreseeing fresh persecution"; and for himself, warned on things which seem least as well as greatest; the admission of a presbyter into his own presbytery; that God would avenge 40. disobedience to a Bishop'; to instruct" as to a change, which 66, 8. rendered the Holy Eucharist invalid; of the value of 33.§.2. penitence and alms in God's sight, to those who had denied

21 57. §. 1. p. 138. and §. 4. frequenter ostenditur, 58. §. 1. 60. 4.

h

and 1.

and n. k.

e

. 63, 1.

116. §. 3. the faith; at one time to retire from his see amid persecution,

42.

Life,

c. 13.

at another, a year before, of the day on which he himself should by his death glorify God; and so habituated to those 17.65, 8. vouchsafements, as to await' them, when as yet he had them not. Add to this, that He whose "witness" he was, bore witness to him, after death; that he was seen thrice since, in glory; once", as one to whom it had been "given to sit down Rev. 3, on the throne" of the Judge; and people might well shrink from judging for themselves of his words, by whom living the Holy Spirit spake, and who is now an assessor of their Judge.

2.

The works of S. Pacian, which have been here subjoined, as they are kindred in subject, so may they be in some sort regarded as further fruits of the mind of S. Cyprian, whose writings S. Pacian quotes with reverence, and from whom he seems to have derived some of the texts he employs, his citations agreeing verbally also sometimes with S. Cyprian. Of his life all which is known is contained in the few words of S. Jerome, who dedicated his book de viris illustribus to his son Dexter, a Prefect of the Prætorium and his own friend23, at whose suggestion it was written ;

"Pacian, Bp. of Barcelona in the Pyrenees, of chastened 24 eloquence, eminent for his life as for his writings, wrote various works, of which is the Cervus and against the Novatians. He died lately in the reign of Theodosius, in extreme old age ;" i. e. before A. 392. (in which, the 14th of Theod., S. Jerome wrote this book, Præf.) He was born then probably about 30 years after the martyrdom of S. Cyprian, was a younger

22 Ruinart Acta S. Jacob. Marian. c. 6. p. 226. add Ib. Acta S. Mont. §. 21. where he answers to Montanus, enquiring as to the suffering of martyr dom. "Far other doth the flesh suffer when the mind is in heaven. Nowise doth this body feel, when the whole soul hath devoted itself to God." see also bel. p. 311. n. Both Acta are from

eye and ear witnesses.

23 c. Ruf. ii. 24.

24 "castigatæ eloquentiæ" Vat.; which Vallars also prefers; others "castitate et eloquentia," which seems less probable, since he was married. Nor is the construction so fluent. Ver. castitate eloquentiæ.

contemporary of Hosius, and through him joined on to the Council of Eliberis, and the restoration of discipline in the Spanish Church. His memory was kept with great affection at Barcelona on May 9, on which he is commemorated in the Martyrologium Romanum, in words taken from S. Jerome.

It is of the good Providence of God, that, of the same father, works should have come down, vindicating the doctrine of the Church on penitence, as a doctrine, against the heresy of Novatian,-practically, against the neglect of careless sinners. The Epistles to Sympronian and the exhortation to Penitence, combined, shew how compatible are tenderness to the sinner with a strict and, as it would now seem, severe doctrine of penitence; that not earnest calls to a self-avenging' and self-chastening penitence, but the denial of1 2 Cor. 7, 11. its fruits and of the power of the keys, is the essence of Novatianism. Well versed as S. Pacian was in the writings of S. Cyprian, who also insists on the same acts" of penitence, his "delaps. language approaches more both in style and vividness of expo- p. 275. stulation to that of Tertullian, whose work on penitence he claims, as having been written by him while a Catholic". It 3, 48. is hoped that from this very combination, his works might be useful in these days, in which, for want of that more frequent special application of the power of the keys, which our Church suggests, any mention of more earnest penitence is thought to partake of the hard and uncompassionating heresy of Novatian.

21, 22.

Oxf. Tr.

It remains to add, that for the Translation and the basis of the Index of S. Cyprian the Editors are indebted to the Rev. H. CAREY, M.A. of Worcester College; and for S. Pacian with the Index, to the Rev. C. H. COLLYNS, M.A. Student of Christ Church. For S. Cyprian the Benedictine text has been adopted, except in some few cases, (which have been noticed,) in which that of Bp. Fell seemed preferable. For S. Pacian the very valuable readings, noted in the margin of the Edition of Cardinal Aguirre, (Collect. Maxima Concil. Hisp. t. ii.) from a Vatican MS. of the ninth century, formerly