and goodness of God is alfo to be observed in qualifying the bishop of Carthage by a strong perfonal work on his own heart; and then, in raising him to the See of Carthage to fuperintend the western part of his Church in a time of trial like the prefent. The trial, no doubt, was kindly intended by Providence to operate as a medicine for the revival of the declining fpirit of Chriftianity; but it needed, nevertheless, all that fortitude, zeal, and wifdom with which Cyprian was fo eminently endowed.

In fuch a fituation it was not to be expected that the people under the bishop's care fhould, in general, ftand their ground: avarice had taken deep root among them; and vast numbers lapfed into idolatry immediately. Even before men were accused as Chriftians," many ran to the forum and facrificed to the gods as they were ordered; and the crowds of apoftates were fo great * that the magiftrates wished to delay numbers of them till the next day, but they were importuned by the wretched fuppliants to be allowed to prove themselves heathens that very night.'

At Rome the perfecution raged with unremitting violence. There Fabian the bishop fuffered; and, for fome time, it became impracticable to elect a fucceffor: yet, it does not appear that the metropolis fuffered more, in proportion, than fome other places, fince we find that the flame of perfecution had driven feveral bishops from diftant provinces, and made them fly for fhelter to Romet. Cyprian, however, having been regularly informed by the Roman clergy of the martyrdom of their bishop, congratulated them on his glorious exit ‡, and exulted on occafion of his uprightnefs and integrity. He expreffes the pleasure he conceived

• Cypri. delapfis. + Ep. 31. 1 Ep. 4.

in

in obferving that his edifying example had fo much penetrated their minds; and owns the energy which he himself felt to imitate the pattern.

Moyfes and Maximus, two Roman prefbyters, with other. confeffors, were alfo feized and imprifoned. Attempts were repeatedly made to perfuade them to relinquish the faith, but in vain. Cyprian found means to write to THEM ALSO à letter full of benevolence and breathing the ftrongeft pathos *. He tells them that his heart was with them continually,-that he prayed for them in his public miniftry,-and in private. He comforts them under the preffures of hunger and thirst which they endured, and congratulates them for living now not for this life but for the next; and particularly, because their example would be a means of confirming many who were in a wavering ftate. But Carthage foon became an unfafe fcene to Cyprian himfelf.-By repeated fuffrages of the people at the theatre he was demanded to be taken and given to the lions; and it behoved him immediately either to retire into a place of fafety, or to expect the crown of martyrdom.

Cyprian's fpirit in interpreting Scripture was more fimple, and more accommodated to receive its plain and obvious fenfe, than that of men who had learned to refine and fubtilize. He knew the liberty which his Divine Master had given to his people of fleeing when they were perfecuted in one city, to another;-and he embraced it. Nay, he feems scarcely to have thought it lawful to do otherwife. Even the laft ftate of his martyrdom evinces this. His manner of enduring it, when it, providentially, was brought on him, fufficiently acquits him of all fufpicion of pufillanimity.To unite fuch feemingly oppofite things as difcre

* Ep. 16.

tion and fortitude, each in a very high degree, is a fure characteristic of greatnefs in a Chriftian:It is grace in its highest exercise.-Pontius thinks it was not without a particular divine direction that he was moved to act in this manner for the benefit of the Church.

Behold him at prefent, in fome place of retreat, under the protection of God and through the love of his people fafe for the fpace of two years from the arm of a moft barbarous perfecution;-and let us next fee how he employed this interval of retirement.

CHAP.

CHA P. IX.

THE HISTORY OF CYPRIAN AND OF THE WESTERN CHURCH DURING HIS RETIREMENT OF TWO YEARS.

YPRIAN was never more active than in his

Cretreat. Nothing of moment occurred in

ecclefiaftical affairs either in Africa or in Italy with which he was unacquainted; and his counfels, under God, were of the greatest influence in both countries. I fhall endeavour to abbreviate the account from his own letters which were written in this period.

The prefbyters of Carthage fent Clementius, a fub-deacon, to Rome, from whom the Roman clergy learnt the place of the retreat of the bishop. They, in return, exprefs to the Africans their perfect agreement in opinion concerning the propriety of the concealment, because he was an eminent character, and a life extremely valuable to the Church. They reprefent the conflict as very important, which God had now permitted for the trial of his fervants: They faid, it was the express purpose of God to manifeft both to angels and to men, that the conqueror fhall be crowned, and the conquered, that is, the faithlefs apoftate, be felf-condemned. They exprefs the deep fenfe which they had both of their own fituation and that of the clergy of Carthage, whofe duty it was to take care not to incur the cenfure paffed on faithlefs

faithlefs fhepherds in the prophet*, but rather to imitate their Lord the good fhepherd, who laid down his life for the fheept, and who fo earnestly and repeatedly charges Simon Peter, as a proof of his love to his Mafter," to feed his fheep." "We would not wifh, dear brethren," fay they, "to find you mere mercenaries, but good fhepherds, fince you know it must be highly finful in you not to exhort the brethren to ftand immoveable in the faith, left they be totally fubverted by idolatry. Nor do we only in words thus exhort you; but, as you may learn from many who came from us to you, our actions, with the help of God, accord with our declarations: we make no fcruple to hazard our lives; for we have before our eyes the fear of God and of eternal punishment, rather than the fear of men and of a temporary calamity we do not defert the brethren; we exhort them to ftand in the faith, and to be ready to follow their Lord when called: We have alfo done our utmost to recover thofe who had gone up to facrifice in order that they might fave their lives. Our Church ftands firm in the faith in general: Some indeed, overcome by terror, either because they were perfons in high life or were moved by the fear of man, have lapfed; yet thefe, though feparated from us, we do not give up as loft altogether, but we exhort them to repent, if they may find mercy with him who is able to fave: we would not, by abandoning them, render their cafe hopeless and incurable.

We wish you, brethren, to act in the fame manner, as much as in you lies:-Exhort the lapfed, if they fhould be feized a fecond time, to confefs their Saviour. And we fuggeft to you to receive

* Ezek. xxxiv. 3, 4.
VOL. I.

↑ John x.
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1 John xxi.