16. Christ is our Life; think then of Christ. He came to suffer, but also to be glorified;
to be despised, but to be exalted also; to die; but also to rise again. If the labour alarm thee,
see its reward. Why dost thou wish to arrive by softness at that to which nothing but hard
labour can lead? Now thou art afraid, lest thou shouldest lose thy money; because thou
earnest thy money with great labour. If thou didst not attain to thy money, which thou must
some time or other lose, at all events when thou diest, without labour, wouldest thou desire
without labour to attain to the Life eternal? Let that be of higher value in thine eyes, to which
after all thy labours thou shalt in such sort attain as never more to lose it. If this money, to
which thou hast attained after all thy labours on such condition as that thou must some
time lose it, be of high value with thee; how much more ought we to long after those things
which are everlasting!
17. Give no credit to their words, neither be afraid of them. They say that we are enemies
of their idols. May God so grant, and give all into our power, as He hath already given us
that which we have broken down. For this I say, Beloved, that ye may not attempt to do it,
when it is not lawfully in your power to do it; for it is the way of ill-regulated men, and the
mad Circumcelliones,2202 both to be violent when they have no power, and to be ever eager
in their wishes to die without a cause. Ye heard what we read to you, all of you who were
present in the Mappalia.2203 “When the land shall have been given into your power” (he
saith first, “into your power,” and so enjoined what was to be done); “then,” saith he, “ye
shall destroy their altars, and break in pieces their groves, and hew down all their images.”2204
When we shall have got the power, do this. When the power has not been given us, we do
not do it; when it is given, we do not neglect it. Many Pagans have these abominations on
their own estates; do we go and break them in pieces? No, for our first efforts are that the
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idols in their hearts should be broken down. When they too are made Christians themselves,
they either invite us to so good a work, or anticipate us. At present we must pray for them,
not be angry with them. If very painful feelings excite us, it is rather against Christians, it is
against our brethren, who will enter into the Church in such a mind, as to have their body
2202 By the Donatists called Agonistici (St. Augustin, In Ps. 133. 6), and by the Catholics Circilliones, or
Circumcelliones, that is, Vagrants. Circumcelliones dicti sunt, quia circum cellas vagantur, solent enim ire hac
illac nusquam habentes pedes (In Ps. 132. 3). They were of a very licentious and abandoned character, and in
their fanaticism they would often commit suicide, to which the text may suppose to refer (Lib. de Hæres. c. 69;
Brev. Coll. cum Donat. viii. [14]). They exercised extreme cruelty against the Catholics (Cont. Cresc. Don. lib. 3,
xliii. [47], xlvi. [50]). Their form of salutation was Deo laudes (Cont. lit. Petil. lib. 2, lxv. [146]), which St. Augustin
(In Ps. 133, 6) says was more feared than the roaring of a lion. For the time of their origin see Opt. lib. 3.
2203 A place where St. Cyprian’s body was buried outside the walls of Carthage. Macrius in his Hierolexicon
(ad verb) thinks it ought to be written Mapalia, i.e. domus rurales.
2204 Deut. vii. 1 and xii. 3.
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On the words of the Gospel, Matt. viii. 8, ‘I am not worthy that thou shouldest…