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On Works and Alms

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 10

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

10. You are afraid lest perchance your estate should fail, if

‹ Section 9 Section 11 ›

you

begin

to

act

liberally

from

it

;

and

you

do

not

know

,

miserable

man

that

you

are

,

that

while

you

are

fearing

lest

your

family

property

should

fail

you

,

life

itself

,

and

salvation

,

are

failing

;

and

whilst

you

are

anxious

lest

any

of

your

wealth

should

be

diminished

,

you

do

not

see

that

you

yourself

are

being

diminished

,

in

that

you

are

a

lover

of

mammon

more

than

of

your

own

soul

;

and

while

you

fear

,

lest

for

the

sake

of

yourself

,

you

should

lose

your

patrimony

,

you

yourself

are

perishing

for

the

sake

of

your

patrimony

.

And

therefore

the

apostle

well

exclaims

,

and

says

:

“

We

brought

nothing

into

this

world

,

neither

indeed

can

we

carry

anything

out

.

Therefore

,

having

food

and

clothing

,

let

us

therewith

be

content

.

For

they

who

will

be

rich

fall

into

temptation

and

a

snare

,

and

into

many

and

hurtful

desires

,

which

drown

a

man

in

perdition

and

in

destruction

.

For

covetousness

is

a

root

of

all

evils

,

which

some

desiring

,

have

made

shipwreck

from

the

faith

,

and

pierced

themselves

through

with

many

sorrows

.

”

Notes

33
1 Tim. vi. 7–10.