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A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop

Anonymous

Section 14

About this work

Author: Anonymous

14. O impious and wicked as thou art

‹ Section 13 Section 15 ›

,

thou

heretic

Novatian

!

who

after

so

many

and

great

crimes

which

in

past

times

thou

hadst

known

to

be

voluntarily

committed

in

the

Church

,

and

before

thou

thyself

wast

an

apostate

in

the

family

of

God

,

hadst

certainly

taught

that

these

might

be

abolished

from

memory

if

well

-

doing

followed

;

according

to

the

faith

of

the

Scripture

which

says

,

“

But

if

the

wicked

will

turn

from

all

his

sins

which

he

hath

committed

,

and

will

do

righteousness

,

he

shall

live

in

eternal

life

,

and

shall

not

die

in

his

wickedness

.

”

For

the

sins

which

he

has

committed

shall

be

abolished

from

memory

by

the

good

deeds

which

succeed

.

Thou

reconsiderest

now

,

whether

the

wounds

of

the

lapsed

who

have

fallen

,

stripped

bare

by

the

devil

,

ought

to

be

cured

;

dashed

down

,

as

they

are

,

by

the

“

violence

of

the

flood

which

the

serpent

sent

forth

from

his

mouth

after

the

woman

.

”

But

“

What

shall

I

say

?

”

says

the

apostle

.

“

Do

I

praise

you

?

In

this

I

praise

you

not

;

that

ye

come

together

not

for

the

better

,

but

for

the

worse

.

”

For

where

there

are

“

rivalries

and

dissensions

among

you

,

are

ye

not

carnal

,

and

walk

according

to

man

?

”

Nor

indeed

ought

we

to

wonder

why

this

Novatian

should

dare

now

to

practise

such

wicked

,

such

severe

things

against

the

person

of

the

lapsed

,

since

we

have

of

this

kind

of

prevarication

.

Saul

,

that

once

good

man

,

besides

other

things

,

is

subsequently

overthrown

by

envy

,

and

strives

to

do

everything

that

is

harsh

and

hostile

against

David

.

That

Judas

,

who

was

chosen

among

the

apostles

,

who

was

always

of

one

mind

and

faithful

in

the

house

of

God

,

himself

subsequently

betrayed

God

.

Notes

49
Ezek. xviii. 21.
50
Rev. xii. 15.
51
1 Cor. xi. 17.
52
1 Cor. iii. 3.
53
1 Sam. ix. 2.
54
[A misconception of Judas, who seems to have been hypocritical from the first. John vi. 64.]