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

Pontius the Deacon

Section 3

About this work

Author: Pontius the Deacon

3. The apostle’s epistle says that novices

‹ Section 2 Section 4 ›

should

be

passed

over

,

lest

by

the

stupor

of

heathenism

that

yet

clings

to

their

unconfirmed

minds

,

their

untaught

inexperience

should

in

any

respect

sin

against

God

.

He

first

,

and

I

think

he

alone

,

furnished

an

illustration

that

greater

progress

is

made

by

faith

than

by

time

.

For

although

in

the

Acts

of

the

Apostles

the

eunuch

is

described

as

at

once

baptized

by

Philip

,

because

he

believed

with

his

whole

heart

,

this

is

not

a

fair

parallel

.

For

he

was

a

Jew

,

and

as

he

came

from

the

temple

of

the

Lord

he

was

reading

the

prophet

Isaiah

,

and

he

hoped

in

Christ

,

although

as

yet

he

did

not

believe

that

He

had

come

;

while

the

other

,

coming

from

the

ignorant

heathens

,

began

with

a

faith

as

mature

as

that

with

which

few

perhaps

have

finished

their

course

.

In

short

,

in

respect

of

God’s

grace

,

there

was

no

delay

,

no

postponement

,

—

I

have

said

but

little

,

—

he

immediately

received

the

presbyterate

and

the

priesthood

.

For

who

is

there

that

would

not

entrust

every

grade

of

honour

to

one

who

believed

with

such

a

disposition

?

There

are

many

things

which

he

did

while

still

a

layman

,

and

many

things

which

now

as

a

presbyter

he

did

—

many

things

which

,

after

the

examples

of

righteous

men

of

old

,

and

following

them

with

a

close

imitation

,

he

accomplished

with

the

obedience

of

entire

consecration

—

that

deserved

well

of

the

Lord

.

For

his

discourse

concerning

this

was

usually

,

that

if

he

had

read

of

any

one

being

set

forth

with

the

praise

of

God

,

he

would

persuade

us

to

inquire

on

account

of

what

doings

he

had

pleased

God

.

If

Job

,

glorious

by

God’s

testimony

,

was

called

a

true

worshipper

of

God

,

and

one

to

whom

there

was

none

upon

earth

to

be

compared

,

he

taught

that

we

should

do

whatever

Job

had

previously

done

,

so

that

while

we

are

doing

like

things

we

may

call

forth

a

similar

testimony

of

God

for

ourselves

.

He

,

contemning

the

loss

of

his

estate

,

gained

such

advantage

by

his

virtue

thus

tried

,

that

he

had

no

perception

of

the

temporal

losses

even

of

his

affection

.

Neither

poverty

nor

pain

broke

him

down

;

the

persuasion

of

his

wife

did

not

influence

him

;

the

dreadful

suffering

of

his

own

body

did

not

shake

his

firmness

.

His

virtue

remained

established

in

its

own

home

,

and

his

devotion

,

founded

upon

deep

roots

,

gave

way

under

no

onset

of

the

devil

tempting

him

to

abstain

from

blessing

his

God

with

a

grateful

faith

even

in

his

adversity

.

His

house

was

open

to

every

comer

.

No

widow

returned

from

him

with

an

empty

lap

;

no

blind

man

was

unguided

by

him

as

a

companion

;

none

faltering

in

step

was

unsupported

by

him

for

a

staff

;

none

stripped

of

help

by

the

hand

of

the

mighty

was

not

protected

by

him

as

a

defender

.

Such

things

ought

they

to

do

,

he

was

accustomed

to

say

,

who

desire

to

please

God

.

And

thus

running

through

the

examples

of

all

good

men

,

by

always

imitating

those

who

were

better

than

others

he

made

himself

also

worthy

of

imitation

.

Notes

3
1 Tim. iii. 6.
4
Acts viii. 37.
5
[A proselyte, rather, known in legends as Indich. Vol. i. p. 433.]
6
[Elucidation I.]
7
[See above note 1, this page.]