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.

XXXVI.—Of the Foolishness of the Cross.

I have spoken of the twofold sign whence death proceeded, and again I have said that thence life frequently proceeds; but the cross has become foolishness to an adulterous people.  The awful King of eternity shadows forth these things by the cross, that they may now believe on Him.8    [Or, “shadows forth Himself.”]  O fools, that live in death!  Cain slew his younger brother by the invention of wickedness.  Thence the sons of Enoch9    “Eusebius tells of another Enoch, who was not translated without seeing death.”—Rig.  [See Gen. iv. 17, 18.  S.] are said to be the race of Cain.  Then the evil people increased in the world, which never transfers souls to God.  To believe the cross came to be a dread, and they say that they live righteously.  The first law was in the tree; and thence, too, the second.  And thence the second law first of all overcame the terrible law with peace.10    Et inde secunda terribilem legem primo cum pace revincit.—Davis, conjecturally.  Lifted up, they have rushed into vain prevarications.  They are unwilling to acknowledge the Lord pierced with nails; but when His judgment shall come, they will then discern Him.  But the race of Abel already believes on a merciful Christ.

XXXVI.---DE CRUCIS STULTITIA.

De duplici signo dixi, mors unde processit; Et iterum inde procedere vitam frequenter. Crux autem stultitia facta est adulterae genti. Rex aeternitatis per crucem dirus adumbrat, Ut sibi nunc credant, o stulti morte viventes! Cain juniorem occidit, nequam repertus: Inde Enoch suboles Cainaea nati feruntur. Sic gens iniqua increvit mundo, quae nunquam Transmittit animos in Deum: credere crucem 0228B Venit in horrorem, et dicunt se vivere recte. Lex in ligno fuit prima, et inde secunda. Terribilem legem primo, cum pace revenit. In praevaricationes vanas elati ruerunt: Trajectum clavis Dominum cognoscere nolunt: Judicium cujus cum venerit, ibi dignoscent. Abel genus autem credit modo Christo benigno.