EPISTOLA AD FORTUNATUM DE EXHORTATIONE MARTYRII .

 CAPITULA LIBRI SEQUENTIS.

 DE EXHORTATIONE MARTYRII.

 CAP. II.---QUOD DEUS SOLUS COLENDUS SIT.

 CAP. III.---QUAE COMMINATIO DEI SIT ADVERSUS EOS QUI IDOLIS SACRIFICANT.

 CAP. IV.---NON FACILE IGNOSCERE DEUM IDOLOLATRIS.

 CAP. V.--- QUOD SIC IDOLOLATRIAE INDIGNETUR DEUS, UT PRAECEPERIT ETIAM EOS INTERFICI QUI SACRIFICARE ET SERVIRE IDOLIS SUASERINT.

 CAP. VI.---QUOD, REDEMPTI ET VIVIFICATI CHRISTI SANGUINE, NIHIL CHRISTO PRAEPONERE DEBEAMUS.

 CAPUT VII.---EREPTOS DE FAUCIBUS DIABOLI, ET DE LAQUEIS SAECULI LIBERATOS, NON DEBERE DENUO AD SAECULUM REVERTI, NE PERDANT QUOD EVASERINT.

 CAPUT VIII.---INSISTENDUM ESSE ET PERSEVERANDUM IN FIDE ET VIRTUTE, ET COELESTIS AC SPIRITALIS GRATIAE CONSUMMATIONE, UT AD PALMAM ET CORONAM POSSIT P

 CAPUT IX.---AD HOC PRESSURAS ET PERSECUTIONES FIERI, UT PROBEMUR.

 CAPUT X.---TIMENDAS NON ESSE INJURIAS ET POENAS PERSECUTIONUM, QUIA MAJOR EST DOMINUS AD PROTEGENDUM, QUAM DIABOLUS AD IMPUGNANDUM.

 CAPUT XI.---ANTE PRAEDICTUM ESSE QUOD NOS MUNDUS ODIO HABITURUS ESSET, ET QUOD PERSECUTIONES ADVERSUM NOS EXCITARET, ET QUOD NIHIL NOVUM CHRISTIANIS A

 CAPUT XII.---QUAE SPES ET MERCES MANEAT JUSTOS ET MARTYRES POST CONFLICTATIONES HUJUS TEMPORIS ET PASSIONES.

 CAPUT XIII.---PLUS NOS ACCIPERE IN PASSIONIS MERCEDE, QUAM QUOD HIC SUSTINEMUS IN IPSA PASSIONE.

3. What is God’s threatening against those who sacrifice to idols?

In Exodus: “He that sacrificeth unto any gods but the Lord only, shall be rooted out.”22    Ex. xxii. 20. Also in Deuteronomy: “They sacrificed unto demons, and not to God.”23    Deut. xxxii. 17. In Isaiah also: “They worshipped those which their fingers have made; and the mean man was bowed down, and the great man was humbled:  and I will not forgive them.”24    Isa. ii. 8, 9. And again: “To them hast thou poured out drink-offerings, and to them thou hast offered sacrifices. For these, therefore, shall I not be angry, saith the Lord?”25    Isa. lvii. 6. In Jeremiah also: “Walk ye not after other gods, to serve them; and worship them not, and provoke me not in the works of your hands, to destroy you.”26    Jer. vii. 6. In the Apocalypse too:  “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, he shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in the cup of His wrath, and shall be punished with fire and brimstone before the eyes of the holy angels, and before the eyes of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torments shall ascend for ever and ever: and they shall have no rest day or night, whosoever worship the beast and his image.”27    Rev. xiv. 9–11.

CAP. III.---QUAE COMMINATIO DEI SIT ADVERSUS EOS QUI IDOLIS SACRIFICANT.

In Exodo : Sacrificans diis eradicabitur, nisi Domino soli (Exod. XXII, 19). Item in Deuteronomio: Sacrificaverunt daemoniis, et non Deo (Deut. XXXII, 17). 0657C Item apud Esaiam: Adoraverunt eos quos fecerunt digiti eorum, et curvatus est homo, et humiliatus est vir, et non taxabo illis (Isa. II, 8). Et iterum: Illis fudistis libamina, et illis imposuistis sacrificia. Super haec ergo non indignabor, dicit Dominus (Isa. I, VII, 6)? Item apud Hieremiam: Nolite ambulare post deos alienos ut serviatis eis, et ne adoraveritis eos, et ne incitetis me in operibus manuum vestrarum ad disperdendos vos (Hier. XXV, 6). Item in Apocalypsi: Si quis adorat bestiam et imaginem ejus, et accipit notam 0658A in fronte sua aut in manu, bibet et ipse de vino irae Dei mixto in poculo irae ejus, et punietur igne et sulphure sub oculis sanctorum Angelorum et sub oculis Agni: et fumus de tormentis eorum in saecula saeculoruma scendet; nec habebunt requiem die ac nocte quicumque adorant bestiam et imaginem ejus (Apoc. XV, 9-11).