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On Works and Alms

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 18

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

18. Moreover, also, (you say) there are many

‹ Section 17 Section 19 ›

children

at

home

;

and

the

multitude

of

your

children

checks

you

from

giving

yourself

freely

to

good

works

.

And

yet

on

this

very

account

you

ought

to

labour

the

more

,

for

the

reason

that

you

are

the

father

of

many

pledges

.

There

are

the

more

for

whom

you

must

beseech

the

Lord

.

The

sins

of

many

have

to

be

redeemed

,

the

consciences

of

many

to

be

cleansed

,

the

souls

of

many

to

be

liberated

.

As

in

this

worldly

life

,

in

the

nourishment

and

bringing

up

of

children

,

the

larger

the

number

the

greater

also

is

the

expense

;

so

also

in

the

spiritual

and

heavenly

life

,

the

larger

the

number

of

children

you

have

,

the

greater

ought

to

be

the

outlay

of

your

labours

.

Thus

also

Job

offered

numerous

sacrifices

on

behalf

of

his

children

;

and

as

large

as

was

the

number

of

the

pledges

in

his

home

,

so

large

also

was

the

number

of

victims

given

to

God

.

And

since

there

cannot

daily

fail

to

be

sins

committed

in

the

sight

of

God

,

there

wanted

not

daily

sacrifices

wherewith

the

sins

might

be

cleansed

away

.

The

Holy

Scripture

proves

this

,

saying

:

“

Job

,

a

true

and

righteous

man

,

had

seven

sons

and

three

daughters

,

and

cleansed

them

,

offering

for

them

victims

to

God

according

to

the

number

of

them

,

and

for

their

sins

one

calf

.

”

If

,

then

,

you

truly

love

your

children

,

if

you

show

to

them

the

full

and

paternal

sweetness

of

love

,

you

ought

to

be

the

more

charitable

,

that

by

your

righteous

works

you

may

commend

your

children

to

God

.

Notes

53
Job i. 5, LXX.