Chapter 2.—3. Hear therefore, all ye who have read his revilings, what Petilianus has vented against me with more anger than consideration. To begin with, I will address you in the words of the apostle, which certainly are true, whatever I myself may be: "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it
is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self." With regard to what immediately follows, although I do not venture to apply to myself the words, "For I am conscious of nothing in myself,"2322
| 2322 Nihil enim mihi conscius sum.
|
yet I say confidently in the sight of
God, that I am conscious in myself of none of those charges which Petilianus has brought against my
life since the time when I was
baptized in
Christ; "yet am I not hereby justified, but He that judgeth me is the
Lord. Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the
Lord come, who both will bring to
light the hidden things of
darkness, and will make manifest the
counsels of the
hearts; and then shall every man have
praise of
God.
And these things,
brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself; that ye might
learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another."
2323
"Therefore let no man
glory in men: for all things are yours; and ye are
Christ’s; and
Christ is
God’s."
2324
Again I say, "Let no man
glory in men;" nay, oftentimes I repeat it, "Let no man
glory in men." If you perceive anything in us which is deserving of
praise, refer it all to His
praise, from whom is every good
gift and every
perfect gift; for it is "from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning."
2325
For what have we which we did not receive? and if we have received it, let us not
boast as though we had not received it.
2326
And in all these things which you know to be good in us, be ye our followers, at any rate, if we are
Christ’s;
2327
but if, on the other
hand, you either suspect, or believe, or see that any
evil is in us, hold fast to that saying of the
Lord’s, in which you may safely
resolve not to
desert His
Church because of men’s
ill deeds. Whatsoever we bid you observe, that observe and do; but whatsoever
evil works you think or know to be in us, those do ye not.
2328
For this is not the time for me to
justify myself before you, when I have undertaken, neglecting all considerations of self, to recommend to you what is for your
salvation, that no one should make his
boast of men. For "
cursed be the man that trusteth in man."
2329
So long as this
precept of the
Lord and His
apostle be adhered to and observed, the cause which I serve will be victorious, even if I myself, as my
enemy would fain have thought, am
faint and
oppressed in my own cause. For if you cling most firmly to what I urge on you with all my might, that every one is
cursed who places his
trust in man, so that none should make his
boast of man, then you will in no
wise desert the threshing-floor of the
Lord on account of the
chaff
which either is now being
dispersed beneath the blast of the
wind of
pride, or will be separated by the final winnowing;
2330
nor will you
fly from the great
house on account of the
vessels made to
dishonor;
2331
nor will you quit the net through the breaches made in it because of the bad
fish which are to be separated on the
shore;
2332
nor will you leave the good
pastures of
unity, because of the
goats which are to be placed on the left when the Good
Shepherd shall divide the
flock;
2333
nor will you separate yourselves by an impious secession, because of the mixture of the tares, from the society of that good
wheat, whose source is that
grain that
dies and is multiplied thereby, and that grows together throughout the
world until the
harvest. For the field is the world,—not only Africa; and the harvest is the end of the world,
2334
—not the era of Donatus.
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