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An Address to Demetrianus

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 22

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

22. And how great, too, are those things which

‹ Section 21 Section 23 ›

in

the

meantime

are

happening

in

that

respect

on

our

behalf

!

Something

is

given

for

an

example

,

that

the

anger

of

an

avenging

God

may

be

known

.

But

the

day

of

judgment

is

still

future

which

the

Holy

Scripture

denounces

,

saying

,

“

Howl

ye

,

for

the

day

of

the

Lord

is

at

hand

,

and

destruction

from

God

shall

come

;

for

,

lo

,

the

day

of

the

Lord

cometh

,

cruel

with

wrath

and

anger

,

to

lay

the

earth

desolate

,

and

to

destroy

the

sinners

out

of

it

.

”

And

again

:

“

Behold

,

the

day

of

the

Lord

cometh

,

burning

as

an

oven

;

and

all

the

aliens

and

all

that

do

wickedly

shall

be

as

stubble

,

and

the

day

that

cometh

shall

burn

them

up

,

saith

the

Lord

.

”

The

Lord

prophesies

that

the

aliens

shall

be

burnt

up

and

consumed

;

that

is

,

aliens

from

the

divine

race

,

and

the

profane

,

those

who

are

not

spiritually

new

-

born

,

nor

made

children

of

God

.

For

that

those

only

can

escape

who

have

been

new

-

born

and

signed

with

the

sign

of

Christ

,

God

says

in

another

place

,

when

,

sending

forth

His

angels

to

the

destruction

of

the

world

and

the

death

of

the

human

race

,

He

threatens

more

terribly

in

the

last

time

,

saying

,

“

Go

ye

,

and

smite

,

and

let

not

your

eye

spare

.

Have

no

pity

upon

old

or

young

,

and

slay

the

virgins

and

the

little

ones

and

the

women

,

that

they

may

be

utterly

destroyed

.

But

touch

not

any

man

upon

whom

is

written

the

mark

.

”

Moreover

,

what

this

mark

is

,

and

in

what

part

of

the

body

it

is

placed

,

God

sets

forth

in

another

place

,

saying

,

“

Go

through

the

midst

of

Jerusalem

,

and

set

a

mark

upon

the

foreheads

of

the

men

that

sigh

and

that

cry

for

all

the

abominations

that

be

done

in

the

midst

thereof

.

”

And

that

the

sign

pertains

to

the

passion

and

blood

of

Christ

,

and

that

whoever

is

found

in

this

sign

is

kept

safe

and

unharmed

,

is

also

proved

by

God’s

testimony

,

saying

,

“

And

the

blood

shall

be

to

you

for

a

token

upon

the

houses

in

which

ye

shall

be

;

and

I

will

see

the

blood

,

and

will

protect

you

,

and

the

plague

of

diminution

shall

not

be

upon

you

when

I

smite

the

land

of

Egypt

.

”

What

previously

preceded

by

a

figure

in

the

slain

lamb

is

fulfilled

in

Christ

,

the

truth

which

followed

afterwards

.

As

,

then

,

when

Egypt

was

smitten

,

the

Jewish

people

could

not

escape

except

by

the

blood

and

the

sign

of

the

lamb

;

so

also

,

when

the

world

shall

begin

to

be

desolated

and

smitten

,

whoever

is

found

in

the

blood

and

the

sign

of

Christ

alone

shall

escape

.

Notes

35
Isa. xiii. 6–9.
36
Mal. iv. 1.
37
Ezek. ix. 5.
38
Ezek. ix. 4.
39
Ex. xii. 13.
40
[Ezek. ix. 4; Rev. vii. 3; ix. 4.]