1. Behold, beloved brethren, peace is restored to the Church and although it lately seemed to incredulous people difficult, and to traitors impossibl

 2. We look with glad countenances upon confessors illustrious with the heraldry of a good name, and glorious with the praises of virtue and of faith

 3. Let none, my beloved brethren, let none depreciate this glory let none by malignant dispraise detract from the uncorrupted stedfastness of those w

 4. One cause of grief saddens these heavenly crowns of martyrs, these glorious spiritual confessions, these very great and illustrious virtues of the

 5. Yet, beloved brethren, the cause of truth is to be had in view nor ought the gloomy darkness of the terrible persecution so to have blinded the mi

 6. Each one was desirous of increasing his estate and forgetful of what believers had either done before in the times of the apostles, or always ough

 7. These things were before declared to us, and predicted. But we, forgetful of the law and obedience required of us, have so acted by our sins, that

 8. From some—ah, misery!—all these things have fallen away, and have passed from memory. They indeed did not wait to be apprehended ere they ascended,

 9. But to many their own destruction was not sufficient. With mutual exhortations, people were urged to their ruin death was pledged by turns in the

 10. Nor is there, alas, any just and weighty reason which excuses such a crime. One’s country was to be left, and loss of one’s estate was to be suffe

 11. The truth, brethren, must not be disguised nor must the matter and cause of our wound be concealed. A blind love of one’s own property has deceiv

 12. But how can they follow Christ, who are held back by the chain of their wealth? Or how can they seek heaven, and climb to sublime and lofty height

 13. But (say they) subsequently tortures had come, and severe sufferings were threatening those who resisted. He may complain of tortures who has been

 14. But now, what wounds can those who are overcome show? what gashes of gaping entrails, what tortures of the limbs, in cases where it was not faith

 15. Moreover, beloved brethren, a new kind of devastation has appeared and, as if the storm of persecution had raged too little, there has been added

 16. All these warnings being scorned and contemned,—before their sin is expiated, before confession has been made of their crime, before their conscie

 17. Let no one cheat himself, let no one deceive himself. The Lord alone can have mercy. He alone can bestow pardon for sins which have been committed

 18. But if any one, by an overhurried haste, rashly thinks that he can give remission of sins to all, or dares to rescind the Lord’s precepts, not onl

 19. For Moses also besought for the sins of the people and yet, when he had sought pardon for these sinners, he did not receive it. “I pray Thee,” sa

 20. In the Gospel the Lord speaks, and says, “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven: but

 21. Unless, perchance, these things have been done without God’s knowledge, or all these things have happened without His permission although Holy Sc

 22. What good can you think of him, what fear can you suppose to have been with him, or what faith, whom neither fear could correct nor persecution it

 23. Receive rather, and admit what we say. Why do your deaf ears not hear the salutary precepts with which we warn you? Why do your blind eyes not see

 24. One of those who of his own will ascended the Capitol to make denial, after he had denied Christ, became dumb. The punishment began from that poin

 25. Learn what occurred when I myself was present and a witness. Some parents who by chance were escaping, being little careful

 26. This much about an infant, which was not yet of an age to speak of the crime committed by others in respect of herself. But the woman who in advan

 27. Nor let those persons flatter themselves that they need repent the less, who, although they have not polluted their hands with abominable sacrific

 28. Moreover, how much are they both greater in faith and better in their fear, who, although bound by no crime of sacrifice to idols or of certificat

 29. I entreat you, beloved brethren, that each one should confess his own sin, while he who has sinned is still in this world, while his confession ma

 30. Do we believe that a man is lamenting with his whole heart, that he is entreating the Lord with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, who

 31. Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, the illustrious and noble youths, even amid the flames and the ardours of a raging furnace, did not desist from maki

 32. These things were done by men, meek, simple, innocent, in deserving well of the majesty of God and now those who have denied the Lord refuse to m

 33. Neither let that imprudent error or vain stupor of some move you, who, although they are involved in so grave a crime, are struck with blindness o

 34. Flee from such men as much as you can avoid with a wholesome caution those who adhere to their mischievous contact. Their word doth eat as doth a

 35. But you, beloved brethren, whose fear is ready towards God, and whose mind, although it is placed in the midst of lapse, is mindful of its misery,

 36. If a man make prayer with his whole heart, if he groan with the true lamentations and tears of repentance, if he incline the Lord to pardon of his

10. Nor is there, alas, any just and weighty reason which excuses such a crime. One’s country was to be left, and loss of one’s estate was to be suffered. Yet to whom that is born and dies is there not a necessity at some time to leave his country, and to suffer the loss of his estate? But let not Christ be forsaken, so that the loss of salvation and of an eternal home should be feared. Behold, the Holy Spirit cries by the prophet, “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not the unclean thing; go ye out from the midst of her, and be ye separate, that bear the vessels of the Lord.”18    Isa. lii. 11. Yet those who are the vessels of the Lord and the temple of God do not go out from the midst, nor depart, that they may not be compelled to touch the unclean thing, and to be polluted and corrupted with deadly food. Elsewhere also a voice is heard from heaven, forewarning what is becoming for the servants of God to do, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”19    Apoc. xviii. 4. He who goes out and departs does not become a partaker of the guilt; but he will be wounded with the plagues who is found a companion in the crime. And therefore the Lord commanded us in the persecution to depart and to flee; and both taught that this should be done, and Himself did it. For as the crown is given of the condescension of God, and cannot be received unless the hour comes for accepting it, whosoever abiding in Christ departs for a while does not deny his faith, but waits for the time; but he who has fallen, after refusing to depart, remained to deny it.

X. Nec est, proh dolor! justa aliqua et gravis causa quae tantum facinus excuset. Relinquenda erat patria et patrimonii facienda jactura. Cui enim nascenti atque morienti non relinquenda quandoque patria et patrimonii sui facienda jactura est? Christus non relinquatur, salutis ac sedis aeternae jactura timeatur. 0473C Clamat ecce per prophetam Spiritus sanctus: Discedite, discedite, exite inde, et immundum nolite tangere. Exite de medio ejus, separamini , qui fertis vasa Domini (Isa. LII, 11). Et qui vasa sunt Domini ac templum Dei, ne immundum tangere et feralibus 0474A cibis pollui violarique cogantur, non exeunt de medio nec recedunt! Alibi quoque vox auditur e coelo, praemonens quid Dei servos facere conveniat dicens: Exi de ea, populus meus, ne particeps sis delictorum ejus et ne perstringaris plagis ejus (Apoc. XVIII, 4), Qui exit et cedit , delicti particeps non fit; plagis vero et ipse perstringitur qui socius criminis invenitur. Et ideo Dominus in persecutione secedere et fugere mandavit, atque, ut id fieret, et docuit et fecit. Nam, cum corona de Dei dignatione descendat, nec possit accipi nisi fuerit hora sumendi, quisquis in Christo manens interim cedit, non fidem negat, sed tempus expectat: qui autem cum non secederet cecidit, negaturus remansit.