THE TREATISES OF CYPRIAN. TREATISE VIII. ON WORKS AND ALMS. jjANY and great,belovedbrethren,are thedivine benefitswherewith the large and abundant mercy of God the Father and Christboth has laboured and isalways labouringfor our sal vation : thatthe Father Sentthe Son to preserveus and give us life,in orderthat He might restoreus ; and thatthe Son was willing1to be sentand to become the Son of man, that He might make us sonsof God ; humbled Himself,that He might raiseup the people who before were prostrate; was wounded that He might healour wounds ; served,thatHe might draw out to libertythosewho were in bondage ; under went death,that He might setforthimmortalityto mortals. These aremany and greatboons of divinecompassion. But, moreover, what is that providence,and how greatthe cle mency, thatby a plan of salvationit isprovidedforus,that more abundant careshould be taken forpreservingman after he is alreadyredeemed ! For when the Lord at His advent had cured those wounds which Adam had borne,*and had healed the old poisonsof the serpent,3He gave a law to the sound man, and bade him sin no more, lesta worse thing 1 A slightandscarcelynoticeabledifferenceoccurshereintheOxford text,whichreadsthepassage," thattheSon wassent,and willedtobe calledtheSon ofman." * Portaverat; " hadbrought"(Oxf.transl.).s " Poisonsoftheoldserpent." CTP.— VOL. II. A