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On the Glory of Martyrdom

Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 17

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

17. But if ambitious dignity deter you, and the

‹ Section 16 Section 18 ›

amount

of

your

money

heaped

up

in

your

stores

influence

you

—

a

cause

which

ever

distracts

the

intentions

of

a

virtuous

heart

,

and

assails

the

soul

devoted

to

its

Lord

with

a

fearful

trembling

—

I

beg

that

you

would

again

refer

to

the

heavenly

words

.

For

it

is

the

very

voice

of

Christ

who

speaks

,

and

says

,

“

Whosoever

shall

lose

his

life

for

my

name’s

sake

,

shall

receive

in

this

world

a

hundred

fold

,

and

in

the

world

to

come

shall

possess

eternal

life

.

”

And

we

ought

assuredly

to

reckon

nothing

greater

,

nothing

more

advantageous

,

than

this

.

For

although

in

the

nature

of

your

costly

garments

the

purple

dye

flows

into

figures

,

and

in

the

slackening

threads

the

gold

strays

into

a

pattern

,

and

the

weighty

metals

to

which

you

devote

yourselves

are

not

wanting

in

your

excavated

treasures

;

still

,

unless

I

am

mistaken

,

those

things

will

be

esteemed

vain

and

purposeless

,

if

,

while

all

things

else

are

added

to

you

,

salvation

alone

is

found

to

be

wanting

;

even

as

the

Holy

Spirit

declares

that

we

can

give

nothing

in

exchange

for

our

soul

.

For

He

says

,

“

If

you

should

gain

the

whole

world

,

and

lose

your

own

soul

,

what

shall

it

profit

you

,

or

what

exchange

shall

a

man

give

for

his

soul

?

”

For

all

those

things

which

we

behold

are

worthless

,

and

such

as

resting

on

weak

foundations

,

are

unable

to

sustain

the

weight

of

their

own

mass

.

For

whatever

is

received

from

the

world

is

made

of

no

account

by

the

antiquity

of

time

.

Whence

,

that

nothing

should

be

sweet

or

dear

that

might

be

preferred

to

the

desires

of

eternal

life

,

things

which

are

of

personal

right

and

individual

law

are

cut

off

by

the

Lord’s

precepts

;

so

that

in

the

undergoing

of

tortures

,

for

instance

,

the

son

should

not

soften

the

suffering

father

,

and

private

affection

should

not

change

the

heart

that

was

previously

pledged

to

enduring

strength

,

into

another

disposition

.

Christ

of

His

own

right

ordained

that

truth

and

salvation

alone

must

be

embraced

in

the

midst

of

great

sufferings

,

under

which

wife

,

and

children

,

and

grandchildren

,

under

which

all

the

offspring

of

one’s

bowels

,

must

be

forsaken

,

and

the

victory

be

claimed

.

Notes

20
Matt. x. 39.
21
Matt. xv. 26.