Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

An Address to Demetrianus

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 9

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

9. And therefore with reason in these plagues that occur,

‹ Section 8 Section 10 ›

there

are

not

wanting

God’s

stripes

and

scourges

;

and

since

they

are

of

no

avail

in

this

matter

,

and

do

not

convert

individuals

to

God

by

such

terror

of

destructions

,

there

remains

after

all

the

eternal

dungeon

,

and

the

continual

fire

,

and

the

everlasting

punishment

;

nor

shall

the

groaning

of

the

suppliants

be

heard

there

,

because

here

the

terror

of

the

angry

God

was

not

heard

,

crying

by

His

prophet

,

and

saying

,

“

Hear

the

word

of

the

Lord

,

ye

children

of

Israel

:

for

the

judgment

of

the

Lord

is

against

the

inhabitants

of

the

earth

;

because

there

is

neither

mercy

,

nor

truth

,

nor

knowledge

of

God

upon

the

earth

.

But

cursing

,

and

lying

,

and

killing

,

and

stealing

,

and

committing

adultery

,

is

broken

out

over

the

land

,

they

mingle

blood

with

blood

.

Therefore

shall

the

land

mourn

,

with

every

one

that

dwelleth

therein

,

with

the

beasts

of

the

field

,

with

things

that

creep

on

the

earth

,

and

with

the

fowls

of

heaven

;

and

the

fishes

of

the

sea

shall

languish

,

so

that

no

man

shall

judge

,

no

man

shall

rebuke

.

”

God

says

He

is

wrathful

and

angry

,

because

there

is

no

acknowledgment

of

God

in

the

earth

,

and

God

is

neither

known

nor

feared

.

The

sins

of

lying

,

of

lust

,

of

fraud

,

of

cruelty

,

of

impiety

,

of

anger

,

God

rebukes

and

finds

fault

with

,

and

no

one

is

converted

to

innocency

.

Lo

,

those

things

are

happening

which

were

before

foretold

by

the

words

of

God

;

nor

is

any

one

admonished

by

the

belief

of

things

present

to

take

thought

for

what

is

to

come

.

Amongst

those

very

misfortunes

wherein

the

soul

,

closely

bound

and

shut

up

,

can

scarcely

breathe

,

there

is

still

found

opportunity

for

men

to

be

evil

,

and

in

such

great

dangers

to

judge

not

so

much

of

themselves

as

of

others

.

You

are

indignant

that

God

is

angry

,

as

if

by

an

evil

life

you

were

deserving

any

good

,

as

if

all

things

of

that

kind

which

happen

were

not

infinitely

less

and

of

smaller

account

than

your

sins

.

Notes

19
Hos. iv. 1–4.