The Instructions of Commodianus.

 The Instructions of Commodianus

 II.—God’s Indignation.

 III.—The Worship of Demons.

 IV.—Saturn.

 V.—Jupiter.

 VI.—Of the Same Jupiter’s Thunderbolt.

 VII.—Of the Septizonium and the Stars.

 VIII.—Of the Sun and Moon.

 IX.—Mercury.

 X.—Neptune.

 XI.—Apollo the Soothsaying and False.

 XII.—Father Liber—Bacchus.

 XIII.—The Unconquered One.

 XIV.—Sylvanus.

 XV.—Hercules.

 XVI.—Of the Gods and Goddesses.

 XVII.—Of Their Images.

 XVIII.—Of Ammydates and the Great God.

 XIX.—Of the Vain Nemesiaci.

 XX.—The Titans.

 XXI.—The Montesiani.

 XXII.—The Dulness of the Age.

 XXIII.—Of Those Who are Everywhere Ready.

 XXIV.—Of Those Who Live Between the Two.

 XXV.—They Who Fear and Will Not Believe.

 XXVI.—To Those Who Resist the Law of Christ the Living God.

 XXVII.—O Fool, Thou Dost Not Die to God.

 XXVIII.—The Righteous Rise Again.

 XXIX.—To the Wicked and Unbelieving Rich Man.

 XXX.—Rich Men, Be Humble.

 XXXI.—To Judges.

 XXXII.—To Self-Pleasers.

 XXXIII.—To the Gentiles.

 XXXIV.—Moreover, to Ignorant Gentiles.

 XXXV.—Of the Tree of Life and Death.

 XXXVI.—Of the Foolishness of the Cross.

 XXXVII.—The Fanatics Who Judaize.

 XXXVIII.—To the Jews.

 XXXIX.—Also to the Jews.

 XL.—Again to the Same.

 Isaiah said:  This is the man who moveth the world and so many kings, and under whom the land shall become desert.  Hear ye how the prophet foretold c

 XLII.—Of the Hidden and Holy People of the Almighty Christ, the Living God.

 XLIII.—Of the End of This Age.

 XLIV.—Of the First Resurrection.

 XLV.—Of the Day of Judgment.

 XLVI.—To Catechumens.

 XLVII.—To the Faithful.

 XLVIII.—O Faithful, Beware of Evil.

 XLIX.—To Penitents.

 L.—Who Have Apostatized from God.

 LI.—Of Infants.

 LII.—Deserters.

 LIII.—To the Soldiers of Christ.

 LIV.—Of Fugitives.

 LV.—Of the Seed of the Tares.

 LVI.—To the Dissembler.

 LVII.—That Worldly Things are Absolutely to Be Avoided.

 LVIII.—That the Christian Should Be Such.

 LIX.—To the Matrons of the Church of the Living God.

 LX.—To the Same Again.

 LXI.—In the Church to All the People of God.

 LXII.—To Him Who Wishes for Martyrdom.

 LXIII.—The Daily War.

 LXIV.—Of the Zeal of Concupiscence.

 LXV.—They Who Give from Evil.

 LXVI.—Of a Deceitful Peace.

 LXVII.—To Readers. I warn certain readers only to consider, and to give material to others by an example of life, to avoid strife, and to shun so many

 LXVIII.—To Ministers.

 LXIX.—To God’s Shepherds.

 LXX.—I Speak to the Elder-Born.

 LXXI.—To Visit the Sick.

 LXXII.—To the Poor in Health.

 LXXIII.—That Sons are Not to Be Bewailed.

 LXXIV.—Of Funeral Pomp.

 LXXV.—To the Clerks.

 LXXVI.—Of Those Who Gossip, and of Silence.

 LXXVII.—To the Drunkards.

 LXXVIII.—To the Pastors.

 LXXIX.—To the Petitioners.

 LXXX.—The Name of the Man of Gaza.

XXX.—Rich Men, Be Humble.

Learn, O thou who art about to die, to show thyself good to all.  Why, in the midst of the people, makest thou thyself to be another than thou art?  Thou goest where thou knowest not, and ignorantly thence thou departest.  Thou managest wickedly with thy very body; thou thirstest always after riches.  Thou exaltest thyself too much on high; and thou bearest pride, and dost not willingly look on the poor.  Now ye do not even feed your parents themselves when placed under you.  Ah, wretched men, let ordinary men flee far from you.  He lived, and I have destroyed him; the poor man cries out εὕρηκα.  By and by thou shalt be driven with the furies of Charybdis, when thou thyself dost perish.  Thus ye rich men are undisciplined, ye give a law to those, ye yourselves not being prepared.  Strip thyself, O rich man turned away from God, of such evils, if assuredly, perchance, what thou hast seen done may aid thee.  Be ye the attendant of God while ye have time.  Even as the elm loves the vine, so love ye people of no account.  Observe now, O barren one, the law which is terrible to the evil, and equally benignant to the good; be humble in prosperity.  Take away, O rich men, hearts of fraud, and take up hearts of peace.  And look upon your evil-doing.  Do ye do good?  I am here.

XXX.---DIVITES HUMILES ESTOTE.

Disce, moriture, bonum te ostendere cunctis. In medio populi quid te facis alterum esse? Vadis ubi nescis, et inscius inde recedis. Impie tractas, cum ipso corpore sitis Tu semper divitias: nimium te tollis in altum, 0223C Et typhum ducis, nec respicis pauperes ultro. Subditos nunc vobis, nec parentes pascitis ipsos. Heu miseri! fugiant longius mediocres a vobis. 0224A Vixit: et, extinxi. Pauper, Ευρεκα, clamat. Mox furiis ageris cum pereas ipse, Charybdis. Indisciplinati sic vos divites estis. Legem datis istis, non vobis paratis ipsis. Exue te dives tantis malis, Deo perversus, Subveniat utique tibi quod nunc operasti, si forte. Estote comes numinis, dum tempus habetis, Sicut ulmus amat vitem, sic ipsi pusillos. Terribilem legem malis, bonis aeque benignam Observa nunc sterilis, subtutus in prosperis esto: Tollite corda fraudis divites, et sumite pacis. Et spectate malum vestrum. Benefacitis? Adsum