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An Address to Demetrianus

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 24

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

24. What will then be the glory of faith? what

‹ Section 23 Section 25 ›

the

punishment

of

faithlessness

?

When

the

day

of

judgment

shall

come

,

what

joy

of

believers

,

what

sorrow

of

unbelievers

;

that

they

should

have

been

unwilling

to

believe

here

,

and

now

that

they

should

be

unable

to

return

that

they

might

believe

!

An

ever

-

burning

Gehenna

will

burn

up

the

condemned

,

and

a

punishment

devouring

with

living

flames

;

nor

will

there

be

any

source

whence

at

any

time

they

may

have

either

respite

or

end

to

their

torments

.

Souls

with

their

bodies

will

be

reserved

in

infinite

tortures

for

suffering

.

Thus

the

man

will

be

for

ever

seen

by

us

who

here

gazed

upon

us

for

a

season

;

and

the

short

joy

of

those

cruel

eyes

in

the

persecutions

that

they

made

for

us

will

be

compensated

by

a

perpetual

spectacle

,

according

to

the

truth

of

Holy

Scripture

,

which

says

,

“

Their

worm

shall

not

die

,

and

their

fire

shall

not

be

quenched

;

and

they

shall

be

for

a

vision

to

all

flesh

.

”

And

again

:

“

Then

shall

the

righteous

men

stand

in

great

constancy

before

the

face

of

those

who

have

afflicted

them

,

and

have

taken

away

their

labours

.

When

they

see

it

,

they

shall

be

troubled

with

horrible

fear

,

and

shall

be

amazed

at

the

suddenness

of

their

unexpected

salvation

;

and

they

,

repenting

and

groaning

for

anguish

of

spirit

,

shall

say

within

themselves

,

These

are

they

whom

we

had

some

time

in

derision

,

and

a

proverb

of

reproach

;

we

fools

counted

their

life

madness

,

and

their

end

to

be

without

honour

.

How

are

they

numbered

among

the

children

of

God

,

and

their

lot

is

among

the

saints

!

Therefore

have

we

erred

from

the

way

of

truth

,

and

the

light

of

righteousness

hath

not

shined

upon

us

,

and

the

sun

rose

not

on

us

.

We

wearied

ourselves

in

the

way

of

wickedness

and

destruction

;

we

have

gone

through

deserts

where

there

lay

no

way

;

but

we

have

not

known

the

way

of

the

Lord

.

What

hath

pride

profited

us

,

or

what

good

hath

the

boasting

of

riches

done

us

?

All

those

things

are

passed

away

like

a

shadow

.

”

The

pain

of

punishment

will

then

be

without

the

fruit

of

penitence

;

weeping

will

be

useless

,

and

prayer

ineffectual

.

Too

late

they

will

believe

in

eternal

punishment

who

would

not

believe

in

eternal

life

.

Notes

44
Isa. lxvi. 24.
45
Wisd. v. 1–9.