6O THE TREATISES OF CYPRIAN.
dieby His example,thattheremight be no excusefora man
not to sufferfor Him,1 sinceHe sufferedfor us ; and that
sinceHe sufferedfor the sinsof others,much ratherought
each to sufferforhisown sins. And thereforein the Gospel
He threatens,and says: " Whosoever shallconfessme before
men, him willI alsoconfessbefore my Father which is in
heaven ; but whosoever shalldeny me before men, him will
I alsodeny before my Father which is in heaven."1 The
ApostlePaul alsosays: " For if we diewith Him, we shall
also livewith Him ; if we suffer,we shallalsoreignwith
Him ; if we deny Him, He alsowilldeny us."3 John too :
"Whosoever denieththe Son, the same hath not theFather;
he thatacknowledged the Son, hath both the Son and the
Father."4 Whence the Lord exhortsand strengthensus to
contempt of death,saying: " Fear not them which killthe
body, but are not ableto killthe soul; but ratherfear Him
which isabletokillsouland body in Gehenna."5 And again:
" He thatlovethhislifeshallloseit; and he who hatethhis
lifein thisworld,shallkeep itunto lifeeternal."6
6. That, being redeemed and quickened by the blood of
Christ,we ought to prefernothingto Christ.7
In the Gospel the Lord speaks,and says: " He thatlovetb,
fatheror mother more than me, isnot worthy of me ; and he
thatlovethson or daughter more than me, isnot worthy of
me ; and he that taketh not his crossand followethme, is
not worthy of me." 8 So alsoitiswrittenin Deuteronomy :
" They who say to theirfatherand theirmother,I have not
known thee,and have not acknowledged theirown children,
thesehave kept Thy precepts,and have observedThy cove
nant."9 Moreover, the Apostle Paul says: "Who shall
separateus from the love of Christ? shalltribulation,or
1 Or," fora man who doesnotsuffer." 1 Matt.x.32,S3.
3 2 Tim.ii.11,12. 4 1 Johnii.23. 5 Matt.x.28.
6Johnxii.25.
7 TheOxfordeditionadds," becauseneitherdidHe accountof any
thingbeforeus."
8 Matt.x.37,38. 'Deut.xxxiii.9.