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The Life and Passion of Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr. By Pontius the Deacon

Pontius the Deacon

Section 2

About this work

Author: Pontius the Deacon

2. At what point, then,

‹ Section 1 Section 3 ›

shall

I

begin

,

—

from

what

direction

shall

I

approach

the

description

of

his

goodness

,

except

from

the

beginning

of

his

faith

and

from

his

heavenly

birth

?

inasmuch

as

the

doings

of

a

man

of

God

should

not

be

reckoned

from

any

point

except

from

the

time

that

he

was

born

of

God

.

He

may

have

had

pursuits

previously

,

and

liberal

arts

may

have

imbued

his

mind

while

engaged

therein

;

but

these

things

I

pass

over

;

for

as

yet

they

had

nothing

to

do

with

anything

but

his

secular

advantage

.

But

when

he

had

learned

sacred

knowledge

,

and

breaking

through

the

clouds

of

this

world

had

emerged

into

the

light

of

spiritual

wisdom

,

if

I

was

with

him

in

any

of

his

doings

,

if

I

have

discerned

any

of

his

more

illustrious

labours

,

I

will

speak

of

them

;

only

asking

meanwhile

for

this

indulgence

,

that

whatever

I

shall

say

too

little

(

for

too

little

I

must

needs

say

)

may

rather

be

attributed

to

my

ignorance

than

subtracted

from

his

glory

.

While

his

faith

was

in

its

first

rudiments

,

he

believed

that

before

God

nothing

was

worthy

in

comparison

of

the

observance

of

continency

.

For

he

thought

that

the

heart

might

then

become

what

it

ought

to

be

,

and

the

mind

attain

to

the

full

capacity

of

truth

,

if

he

trod

under

foot

the

lust

of

the

flesh

with

the

robust

and

healthy

vigour

of

holiness

.

Who

has

ever

recorded

such

a

marvel

?

His

second

birth

had

not

yet

enlightened

the

new

man

with

the

entire

splendour

of

the

divine

light

,

yet

he

was

already

overcoming

the

ancient

and

pristine

darkness

by

the

mere

dawning

of

the

light

.

Then

—

what

is

even

greater

—

when

he

had

learned

from

the

reading

of

Scripture

certain

things

not

according

to

the

condition

of

his

novitiate

,

but

in

proportion

to

the

earliness

of

his

faith

,

he

immediately

laid

hold

of

what

he

had

discovered

,

for

his

own

advantage

in

deserving

well

of

God

.

By

distributing

his

means

for

the

relief

of

the

indigence

of

the

poor

,

by

dispensing

the

purchase

-

money

of

entire

estates

,

he

at

once

realized

two

benefits

,

—

the

contempt

of

this

world’s

ambition

,

than

which

nothing

is

more

pernicious

,

and

the

observance

of

that

mercy

which

God

has

preferred

even

to

His

sacrifices

,

and

which

even

he

did

not

maintain

who

said

that

he

had

kept

all

the

commandments

of

the

law

;

whereby

with

premature

swiftness

of

piety

he

almost

began

to

be

perfect

before

he

had

learnt

the

way

to

be

perfect

.

Who

of

the

ancients

,

I

pray

,

has

done

this

?

Who

of

the

most

celebrated

veterans

in

the

faith

,

whose

hearts

and

ears

have

throbbed

to

the

divine

words

for

many

years

,

has

attempted

any

such

thing

,

as

this

man

—

of

faith

yet

unskilled

,

and

whom

,

perhaps

,

as

yet

nobody

trusted

—

surpassing

the

age

of

antiquity

,

accomplished

by

his

glorious

and

admirable

labours

?

No

one

reaps

immediately

upon

his

sowing

;

no

one

presses

out

the

vintage

harvest

from

the

trenches

just

formed

;

no

one

ever

yet

sought

for

ripened

fruit

from

newly

planted

slips

.

But

in

him

all

incredible

things

concurred

.

In

him

the

threshing

preceded

(

if

it

may

be

said

,

for

the

thing

is

beyond

belief

)

—

preceded

the

sowing

,

the

vintage

the

shoots

,

the

fruit

the

root

.

Notes

2
[St. Luke xx. 35. Creature-merit is not implied, but, through grace, the desert of Matt. xxv. 21.]