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Exhortation to Martyrdom

Cyprian of Carthage

Part 5 · Introduction

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

Moses in Exodus prays for the people, and does not obtain

‹ Section 3 Section 4 ›

his

prayer

,

saying

:

“

I

pray

,

O

Lord

,

this

people

hath

sinned

a

great

sin

.

They

have

made

them

gods

of

gold

.

And

now

,

if

Thou

forgivest

them

their

sin

,

forgive

it

;

but

if

not

,

blot

me

out

of

the

book

which

Thou

hast

written

.

And

the

Lord

said

unto

Moses

,

If

any

one

hath

sinned

against

me

,

him

will

I

blot

out

of

my

book

.

”

Moreover

,

when

Jeremiah

besought

for

the

people

,

the

Lord

speaks

to

him

,

saying

:

“

And

pray

not

thou

for

this

people

,

and

entreat

not

for

them

in

prayer

and

supplication

;

because

I

will

not

hear

in

the

time

wherein

they

shall

call

upon

me

in

the

time

of

their

affliction

.

”

Ezekiel

also

denounces

this

same

anger

of

God

upon

those

who

sin

against

God

,

and

says

:

“

And

the

word

of

the

Lord

came

unto

me

,

saying

,

Son

of

man

,

whatsoever

land

sinneth

against

me

,

by

committing

an

offence

,

I

will

stretch

forth

mine

hand

upon

it

,

and

will

crush

the

support

of

the

bread

thereof

;

and

I

will

send

into

it

famine

,

and

I

will

take

away

from

it

man

and

beast

.

And

though

these

three

men

were

in

the

midst

of

it

,

Noah

,

Daniel

,

and

Job

,

they

shall

not

deliver

sons

nor

daughters

;

they

themselves

only

shall

be

delivered

.

”

Likewise

in

the

first

book

of

Kings

:

“

If

a

man

sin

by

offending

against

another

,

they

shall

beseech

the

Lord

for

him

;

but

if

a

man

sin

against

God

,

who

shall

entreat

for

him

?

”

Notes

1
Ex. xxxii. 31–33.
2
Jer. vii. 16.
3
Ezek. xiv. 12–14.
4
1 Sam. ii. 25.