Chapter 28.—Cyprian’s Orthodoxy Undoubted.

Let the Pelagians say, if they dare, that this man of God was perverted by the error of the Manicheans, in so praising the saints as yet to confess that no one in this life had attained to such a perfection of righteousness as to have no sin at all, confirming his judgment by the clear truth and divine authority of the canonical testimonies. For does he deny that in baptism all sins are forgiven, because he confesses that there remain frailty and infirmity, whence he says that we sin after baptism and even to the end of this life, having unceasing conflict with the vices of the flesh? Or did he not remember what the apostle said about the Church without spot, that he prescribed that no one ought so to flatter himself in respect of a pure and spotless heart as to trust in his own innocence, and think that no medicine needed to be applied to his wounds? I think that these new heretics may concede to this catholic man that he knew “that the Holy Spirit even in the old times aided good dispositions;” nay, even, what they themselves will not allow, that they could not have possessed good dispositions except through the Holy Spirit. I think that Cyprian knew that all the prophets and apostles or saints of any kind soever who pleased the Lord at any time were righteous—“not in comparison with the wicked,” as they falsely assert that we say, “but by the rule of virtue,” as they boast that they say; although Cyprian says, nevertheless, no one can be without sin, and whoever should assert that he is blameless is either proud or a fool. Nor is it with reference to anything else that he understands the Scripture, “Who shall boast that he has a pure heart? or who shall boast that he is pure from sins?”352    Prov. xx. 9. I think that Cyprian would not have needed to be taught by such as these, what he very well knew, “that, in the time to come, there would be a reward of good works and a punishment of evil works, but that no one could then perform the commands which here he might have despised;” and yet he does not understand and assert the Apostle Paul, who was assuredly not a contemner of the divine commands, to have said, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” 353    Phil. ii. 21. on any other account, except that he reckoned it the greatest gain after this life no longer to be held in worldly entanglements, no longer to be obnoxious to the sins and vices of the flesh. Therefore the most blessed Cyprian felt, and in the truth of the divine Scriptures saw, that even the life of the apostles themselves, however good, holy, and righteous, suffered some involvements of worldly entanglements, was obnoxious to some sins and vices of the flesh; and that they desired death that they might be free from those evils, and that they might attain to that perfect righteousness which would not suffer such things, and which would no more have to be achieved in the way of command merely, but to be received in the way of reward. For not even when that shall have come for which we pray when we say, “Thy kingdom come,” will there be in that kingdom of God no righteousness; since the apostle says, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”354    Rom. xiv. 17. Certainly these three things are commanded among other divine precepts. Here righteousness is prescribed to us when it is said, “Do righteousness;”355    Isa. lvi. 1. peace is prescribed when it is said, “Have peace among yourselves;”356    Mark ix. 49. joy is prescribed when it is said, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”357    Phil. iv. 4. Let, then, the Pelagians deny that these things shall be in the kingdom of God, where we shall live without end; or let them be so mad, if it appears good, as to contend that righteousness, peace, and joy, will be such there as they are here to the righteous. But if they both shall be, and yet shall not be the same, assuredly here, in respect of the commandment of them, the doing is to be cared for,—there the perfection is to be hoped for in the way of reward; when, not being withheld by any earthly entanglements, and being liable to no sins and vices of the flesh (on account of which the apostle, as Cyprian received this testimony, said that to die would be to him gain), we may perfectly love God, the contemplation of whom will be face to face; we may also perfectly love our neighbour, since, when the thoughts of the heart are made manifest, no suspicion of any evil can disturb any one concerning any one.

28. Dicant, si audent Pelagiani, hunc hominem Dei Manichaeorum errore perversum, quia ita laudat sanctos, ut tamen fateatur neminem in hac vita ad tantam perfectionem pervenire justitiae, ut nullum habeat omnino peccatum, sententiam suam testimoniorum canonicorum perspicua veritate et divina auctoritate confirmans. Numquid enim negat «in Baptismo universa peccata dimitti,» quia fatetur manere fragilitatem atque infirmitatem, unde nos dicit peccare 0631 post Baptismum, et usque in hujus vitae finem cum carnalibus vitiis indesinentem habere conflictum? Aut ideo non meminerat, quid «de immaculata Ecclesia» dixisset Apostolus (Ephes. V, 27), quia praecepit neminem sic sibi de puro atque immaculato pectore debere blandiri, ut innocentia sua fretus, medicinam non putet adhibendam esse vulneribus? Puto quod concedant novi haeretici huic homini catholico scire, «Spiritum sanctum mentes bonas etiam antiquis temporibus adjuvisse:» imo etiam quod ipsi nolunt, nec mentes bonas eos nisi per Spiritum sanctum habere potuisse. Puto quod «omnes Prophetas et Apostolos vel quoslibet sanctos, qui Domino quocumque tempore placuerunt, non in comparatione sceleratorum,» sicut nos isti dicere calumniantur, «sed regula virtutum,» sicut se dicere gloriantur, «justos fuisse» noverat Cyprianus, qui tamen dicit: «Nemo esse sine peccato potest; et quisquis se inculpatum dixerit, aut superbus, aut stultus est.» Nec propter aliud intelligit scriptum, Quis gloriabitur castum se habere cor? aut quis gloriabitur mundum se esse a peccatis (Prov. XX, 9)? Puto quod non ab istis docendus fuerat Cyprianus, quod optime sciebat, «in futuro tempore mercedem esse bonorum operum, malorum autem supplicium; caeterum neminem posse, quae hic contempserit, illic mandata perficere:» et tamen etiam ipsum apostolum Paulum, mandatorum divinorum non utique contemptorem, non ob aliud intelligit asseritque dixisse, Mihi vivere Christus est, et mori lucrum (Philipp. I, 21); nisi quia lucrum maximum computabat, jam post hanc vitam saecularibus laqueis non teneri, jam nullis peccatis et vitiis carnis obnoxium fieri. Sensit ergo beatissimus Cyprianus, atque in divinarum Scripturarum veritate perspexit, etiam ipsorum Apostolorum quamvis bonam, sanctam, justamque vitam, nonnullos nexus saecularium laqueorum fuisse perpessam, nonnullis peccatis et vitiis carnis obnoxiam; et ideo eos mortem desiderasse, ut his malis carerent, et ut ad illam, quae ista non pateretur, nec jam in mandato facienda, sed in praemio percipienda esset, perfectam justitiam pervenirent. Neque enim cum venerit quod oramus dicentes, Veniat regnum tuum (Matth. VI, 10), non erit in illo Dei regno ulla justitia: cum dicat Apostolus, Non est enim regnum Dei esca et potus, sed justitia et pax et gaudium in Spiritu sancto (Rom. XIV, 17). Nempe ista tria inter caetera praecepta divina praecipiuntur. Hic nobis praecipitur justitia cum dicitur, Facite justitiam (Isai. LVI, 1). Praecipitur pax cum dicitur, Pacem habete inter vos (Marc. IX, 49). Praecipitur gaudium cum dicitur, Gaudete in Domino semper (Philipp. IV, 4). Negent ergo Pelagiani haec futura in regno Dei, ubi sine fine vivemus; aut usque adeo, si videtur, insaniant ut justitiam, pacem, gaudium, qualia sunt hic justis, talia et illic futura esse contendant. Quod 0632 si et erunt, et non talia erunt; profecto eorum hic in praecepto curanda est actio, illic in praemio speranda perfectio: ubi saecularibus ullis laqueis non retenti , nullisque peccatis et vitiis carnis obnoxii (propter quod Apostolus, sicut hoc testimonium accepit Cyprianus, mori lucrum sibi esse dicebat), perfecte diligamus Deum, cujus erit facie ad faciem contemplatio (I Cor. XIII, 12); perfecte diligamus et proximum, cum manifestatis cogitationibus cordis nulla ullum de ullo mali ullius possit sollicitare suspicio.