Chapter 7.—11. For in fact, as to what some opposed to the reasoning of Cyprian, that the apostle says, "Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence or in truth, let Christ be preached;"1369
Cyprian rightly exposed their error, showing that it has nothing to do with the case of
heretics, since the
apostle was speaking of those who were acting within the
Church, with malicious
envy seeking their own
profit. They
announced Christ, indeed, according to the
truth whereby we believe in
Christ, but not in the spirit in which He was
announced by the good
evangelists to the sons of the
dove. "For
Paul," he says, "in his
epistle was not speaking of
heretics, or of
their
baptism, so that it could be shown that he had laid down anything concerning this matter. He was speaking of
brethren, whether as walking disorderly and contrary to the
discipline of the
Church, or as keeping the
discipline of the
Church in the
fear of
God. And he declared that some of them spoke the word of
God steadfastly and fearlessly, but that some were acting in
envy and
strife; that some had kept themselves encompassed with kindly
Christian love, but that others
entertained
malice and
strife: but yet that he patiently
endured all things, with the view that, whether in
truth or in pretence, the name of
Christ, which
Paul preached, might come to the
knowledge of the greatest number, and that the sowing of the word, which was as yet a new and unaccustomed
work, might spread more widely by the
preaching of those that spoke. Furthermore, it is one thing for those who are within the
Church to speak in the name of
Christ, another thing for those who are without, acting
against the
Church, to
baptize in the name of
Christ."
1370
| 1370 Cypr. Ep. lxxiii. 14.
|
These words of Cyprian seem to
warn us that we must distinguish between those who are bad outside, and those who are bad within the
Church. And those whom he says that the
apostle represents as
preaching the
gospel impurely and of
envy, he says truly were within. This much, however, I think I may say without rashness, if no one outside can have anything which is of
Christ, neither can any one within have anything which is of the
devil. For if that closed
garden can
contain the
thorns of the
devil, why cannot the
fountain of
Christ equally flow beyond the
garden’s bounds? But if it cannot contain them, whence, even in the time of the
Apostle Paul himself, did there arise amongst those who were within so great an
evil of
envy and malicious
strife? For these are the words of Cyprian. Can it be that
envy and malicious
strife are a
small evil? How then were those in
unity who were not at
peace? For it is not my voice, nor that of any man, but of the
Lord
Himself; nor did the sound go forth from men, but from
angels, at the
birth of
Christ, "
Glory to
God in the highest, and on
earth peace to men of good will."
1371
| 1371 Luke ii. 14. "Hominibus bonæ voluntatis;" and so the Vulgate, following the reading ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας.
|
And this certainly would not have been proclaimed by the voice of
angels when
Christ was
born upon the
earth, unless
God wished this to be understood, that those are in the
unity of the body of
Christ who are united in the
peace of Christ, and those are in the peace of Christ who are of good will. Furthermore, as good will is shown in kindliness, so is bad will shown in malice.
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