Who attempt it, self-convicted of sin they impute to the Church. 133 separate the covetous and adulterous from his side and from his company; forasmuch as the case of an adulterer is much more grave and worse than of the taker of a certificate, since the one has sinned by compulsion, the other by choice; the one, thinking it enough for him that he sacrificed not, has been deceived through error, the other a violater of another's bed, or entering a brothel, into the sewers and miry quagmires of the rabble, has by detestable filthiness polluted a sanctified body and the temple of God, as the Apostle says, Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but 1 Cor. 6, he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. To which very persons, however, penitence is conceded, and hope, through sorrow and making amends, is left, as the same Apostle says, I fear lest when I come to 2 Cor. you, I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleannesses and fornications and lasciviousnesses which they have committed. 18. 12, 21. 5. 5. 23. Nor let the new heretics flatter themselves in this, that they say they do not communicate with idolaters; whereas there are amongst them both adulterers and covetous', who are held convicted in the guilt of idolatry, according to the Apostle, who says, For know this and under- Eph. 5, stand, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. And again, Mortify therefore Col. 3, your members which are upon the earth, putting off fornication, uncleanness, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which are idolatry, for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh. For since our bodies are the members of Christ, and we are each of us the temple of God, whoso by adultery violates the temple of God, violates God; and who in committing sin does the will of the devil, serves dæmons and idols. For neither do evil deeds come of the Holy Spirit, but from the instigation of the adversary; and concupiscences, born of the unclean spirit, drive men to act against God and to serve the devil. So it comes to pass, that if they say one is polluted by another's sin, and if by their own assertion they contend that the idolatry of a delinquent e Tert. de Pudic. fin. f See above, p. 111. note m. on Ep. 52. LV. A. 252. 134 To call to penitence and refuse its fruits, a mockery. EPIST. passes on to another not delinquent; they cannot, according to their own words, be excused from the crime of idolatry, since it is plain from Apostolic proof that adulterers and covetous, with whom they communicate, are idolaters. But with us, according to our faith, and the express rule of divine teaching, the principle of truth agrees, that every one is bound by his own sin, and that one cannot be made Ezek. guilty for another, since the Lord forewarns and says, The 18, 20. righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. And again, 2 Kings The fathers shall not die for the children, nor the children 14, 6. die for the fathers; every man shall die for his own sin. We then, reading and holding this, think that no one should be debarred the fruit of satisfaction or the hope of peace; knowing, according to the faithfulness of the divine Scriptures, God Himself being the Author and exhorting thereto, both that sinners are brought back to repentance, and that pardon and forgiveness are not to be denied to the penitent. 24. O mockery of a deluded brotherhood! O treacherous deception of wretched and bewildered mourners! O ineffectual and vain tradition of heretical institution! to exhort to penitence for amends, and to take away from the amends all healing power; to say to our brethren, lament I operari and shed tears and groan day and night, and do1 abundant and continual deeds of mercy for washing away and purging thy sin, but after all these thou shalt die without the Church: whatsoever things pertain to peace, thou shalt do, but none of the peace which thou askest shalt thou obtain.' Who would not forthwith perish? who would not through very desperation fall away? who would not divert his mind from all purpose of sorrowing? Thinkest thou a husbandman could labour, if thou shouldest say, Till the field with all the skill of husbandry; attend diligently to its culture; but thou shalt reap no harvest, thou shalt press no vintage, thou shalt receive no fruit from thy olive-yard, thou shalt gather no apples from the trees?' Or if persuading one to the ownership and employment of vessels, thou shouldest say to him, ' Brother, buy timber from the best woods; lay down the keel of very strong and choice oak; spend largely on The fruits to be given, but awaiting the sentence of God. 135 rudder, cordage, sails, that the ship be framed and furnished; but when thou hast done all this, thou shalt derive no benefit from its employment and its voyages?' It is to shut up and cut off the passage of grief and the way of repentance; so that whereas in all the Scriptures the Lord God encourages those that return to Him and are penitent, by our hardness and cruelty in intercepting the fruit of repentance, repentance itself is taken away. But if we find that no one should be prohibited from doing penance, and that to those who entreat and implore the mercy of the Lord, according as He is merciful and of tender pity, peace may be granted by His priests; the groaning of the sorrowers must be allowed, and the fruit of repentance not denied to them that mourn. And because there is no confession in the grave, nor can the course of Ps. 6, 5. confession take place there; they, who from their whole heart repent and entreat, ought to be received within the Church, and in it be reserved for the Lord, Who when He shall come to His Church, will surely judge of those whom He shall find within it. But apostates and deserters, or adversaries and enemies, and dividers of the Church of Christ, even if without the Church they have been slain for Comp. His Name, cannot, according to the Apostle, be admitted to the peace of the Church, since they have maintained neither the unity of the Spirit nor of the Church. 25. These few things out of many, dearest brother, I have for the present briefly run over according to my ability, in order that I might satisfy your wishes, and might join you more and more to the fellowship of our College and Body. But if you should have opportunity and means of coming to us, we shall be able to confer further together, and to discuss more fully and more at large, what may make for a salutary concord. I bid you, dearest brother, ever heartily farewell. EPISTLE LVI. Cyprian to Fortunatus, Ahymmus, Optatus, Privatian, Ye have written me word, dearest brethren, that when ye were in the city of Capsa in order to the ordination of a Bishop, 1 Cor. 13, 3. LVI. A. 252. 136 Case of penitents, who had denied under extremest suffering. EPIST. Superius, our brother and colleague, laid before you, that Ninus, Clementianus, Florus, our brethren, who had been before seized in the persecution, and having confessed the Name of the Lord, had overcome the violence of the magistracy and the onset of the infuriated populace, had afterwards, when racked by severe tortures before the Proconsul, been subdued by the vehemence of the tortures, and by protracted rackings, had fallen from the degree of glory, to which, with full constancy of faith, they were approaching; yet that, after this grievous fall sustained not willingly but of necessity, they had not for these three years ceased from doing penance. Concerning whom ye have thought fit to consult, whether it were now right to admit them to communion. And indeed as regards my own opinion, I think that the mercy of the Lord will not be wanting to these, who are known to have stood in the battle, confessed the Name of the Lord, overcome the violence of the magistracy and the onset of the raging populace by the resoluteness of immoveable faith, suffered imprisonment long, amidst the threats of the Proconsul, and the fury of the surrounding populace, withstood the tortures which mangled and racked them so that what at the last is found subdued by the infirmity of the flesh, may be relieved by the excuse of preceding deserts; and it may be enough for such to have lost glory, yet that we ought not to close against them the place of pardon also, and deprive them of fatherly compassion and our communion; to whom we think it may suffice, for entreating the clemency of the Lord, that for three years, as ye write, they have sorrowed continually and mournfully with the deepest penitential lamentation. I certainly do not think that peace is incautiously and rashly entrusted to those, who, we see, by the fortitude of their warfare, were not before wanting in the battle, and who, should the conflict be hereafter renewed, may win back their lost glory. For since it was determined in council that in peril of sickness, relief should be given and peace granted to the penitent, they surely ought to have precedence in obtaining peace, who, we see, have not fallen through infirmity of mind, but who having engaged in the battle and being wounded, have been unable, through weakness of the flesh, St. C. awaits confirmation of his judgment by his Colleagues. 137 to uphold the crown of their confession; especially since when they desired to die they were not allowed to be slain, but tortures ceased not to rack their wearied frames, until at last they might not overcome faith, which is unconquered, but wear out the flesh, which is weak. However, since ye have written that I should discuss this same matter very fully with several of my Colleagues, and a thing of such moment demands greater and more earnest consideration from a conference of many, and since now almost all, in the beginning of the Paschal solemnities, are at home with the brethren; as soon as they have fulfilled the celebration of the solemnities among their people, and have begun to resort to me, I will discuss the matter more fully with each, so that a positive resolution on the question you have proposed may be determined by us and sent to you in writing, having been duly weighed by the advice of many Prelates. I bid you, dearest brethren, ever heartily farewell. EPISTLE LVII. Cyprian, Liberalis, Caldonius, Nicomedes, Cæcilius, Junius, Marrutius, Felix, Successus, Faustinus, Fortunatus, Victor, Saturninus, another Saturninus, Rogatian, Tertullus, Lucianus, Sattius, Secundinus, another Saturninus, Eutyches, Amplus, another Saturninus, Aurelius, Priscus, Herculaneus, Victoricus, Quintus, Honoratus, Manthaneus, Hortensianus, Verianus, Iambus, Donatus, Pomponius, Polycarpus, Demetrius, another Donatus, Privatianus, another Fortunatus, Rogatus, and Munnulus, to Cornelius, our brother, greeting. 1. We had determined some time ago, dearest brother, having advised with one another, that they who in the fierce warfare of the persecution had been overthrown by the adversary and had fallen, and had defiled themselves by forbidden sacrifices, should do full penance for a long while, and if danger of sickness should press hard upon them, they should receive peace at the very point of death. For it was not right, nor did the compassion of The Father and Divine |