Cyprian.
CYPRIAN was a professor of oratory in the city of Carthage, and a man of wealth, quality and dignity, fond of arguing with the Christians. Caecilius, one of them, a presbyter, had the happiness of leading him to Christ. This was about the year 246, about 44 years after the death of Irenaeus. He died a martyr, thirteen years later. In that short time he accomplished a great deal. From his conversion he manifested simple faith and true love. He saw with pity the poor of the flock, and sold whole estates for their benefit.
In a letter to his friend Donatus, he thus speaks of his conversion:—”When I lay in darkness and the night of paganism, . . . ignorant of my own life, and alienated from light and truth, it appeared to me a harsh and difficult thing, as my manners then were, to obtain what divine grace has promised,—namely, that a man should be born again; and that, being animated to a new life, he should strip himself of what he was before, and though the body remained the same, he should in his mind become altogether a new creature. How can so great a change be possible, said I, that a man should suddenly and at once put off what nature and habit have confirmed in him? These evils are deeply and closely fixed in us. . . He must still, thought I, be infested by tenacious allurements. Drunkenness, pride, anger, rapacity, cruelty, ambition and lust must still domineer over him.
“These reflections engaged my life very often, for they were peculiarly applicable to my own case. I was myself entangled in many errors of my former life, from which I did not think it possible to be cleared; hence I favored my vices, and through despair of what was better, I stuck doge to them as part of my very frame and constitution. But after the filth of my former sins was washed away in the laver of regeneration . . . . after the new birth, had made me a new creature indeed, immediately and in an amazing manner, dubious things began to be cleared up; things once shut were opened; dark things shone forth and what before seemed difficult and even impossible, now appeared easy and practicable. . . . Thus deliverance from sin is the consequence of sound faith . . . only let fear be the guardian of innocence, that the Lord may be detained as our guest by the steady obedience of the soul which delights in Him, lest pardon received should beget a careless presumption, and the old enemy break in afresh.
“But if you keep the road of innocence and of righteousness; if you walk with footsteps that do not slide; if depending upon God with all your heart and with all your might, you be only what you have begun to be, you will then find that according to the proportion of faith, so will your attainments and your enjoyments be. For no bound or measure can be assigned to the reception of divine grace, as in the case of earthly benefits. The Holy Spirit is poured forth copiously; is confined by no limits; is restrained by no barriers; He flows perpetually; He bestows in rich abundance. Let our hearts only thirst and be open to receive Him. As much of capacious faith as we bring, so much abounding grace do we draw from Him, Hence as ability is given, with sober chastity, uprightness of mind, and purity of language, to heal the sick, to extinguish the force of poison, to cleanse the filth of distempered minds, to speak peace to the hostile, to give tranquility to the violent and gentleness to the fierce, to compel by menaces unclean and wandering spirits to quit their hold of men, to scourge and control the foe, and by torments to bring him to confess what he is. Thus in what we have already begun to be, our new spiritual nature, which is entirely the gift of God, triumphs in its freedom from the bondage of sin and Satan; though, till our corruptible body and members be changed, the prospect, as yet carnal, is obscured by the clouds of worldly objects. What a faculty! What an energy is this! That the soul should not only be emancipated from slavery, and be made free and pure, but also stronger and more efficient, so as to become victorious and triumphant over the powers of the enemy!”
We trust the young reader will carefully note this testimony to the new birth. By it we receive a nature which partakes of the nature of God Himself: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” And its consequences were clearly seen in Cyprian. From pride and prodigality, he turned to humility and liberality. It is interesting also, to observe that the power of healing diseases and casting out demons was still with the servants of Jesus.
ML 10/18/1903