EXTRACT from St. CYPRIAN. T HE extract I here give is borrowed from the beautiful epiftle of this illuftrious bishop to Pope Cornelius, upon occafion of thofe perfons, who having fallen during the perfecution, demanded haughtily to be reftored to the facraments, though they had not done the penance required on thofe occafions, and had even the boldness to employ menaces. "If those finners, fays St. Cyprian, will be receiv"ed into the church, let us fee what idea they have "of the fatisfaction they ought to make; and what "fruits of repentance they bring. The church here "is not fhut against any perfon: The bishop does not reject any one. We are ready to receive with patience, indulgence and mildness, all those who pre«fent themselves before us. It is my defire that all return into the church: It is my defire that all who fought with us, fhould rally under the standards of Chrift Jefus; and return to his heavenly camp, and into the houfe of God his father. I remit as much as I poffibly can; I wink at a great many things, from the ardent defire I have to reunite our brethren << to us. I do not even examine with all the feverity, which piety and the Chriftian religion require, fuch "offences as have been committed against God; and I commit fin perhaps my felf, in too eafily remitcl ting the fins of others. I embrace, with the ardour and the tenderness of an entire charity, those who "return with fentiments of penitence, thofe who confefs their fins, and atone for them with humility, "and a fimplicity of heart. But if fome think to en L ter again into the church by threats, and not by .. prayers; and to force open the doors of it by terror, "and not to gain admittance by atonement and tears; they are to know, that the church is for ever shut "against fuch perfons; and that the invincible camp of Chrift Jefus, fortified by the almighty power of God, "God, who is the protector of it, is not to be for"ced by human infolence. The prieft of the Lord "who follows the precepts of the Gofpel may be kill'd, but he cannot be overcome. Sacerdos Dei evangelium tenens, & Chrifti præcepta cuftodiens, occidi pr "teft, non vinci. ce cr In my opinion this extract, which difplays both the paternal mildness of a holy bifhop, and the invincible courage of a martyr, may be proposed as a perfect model of the ftrongest and moft fublime eloquence, equal in every respect to that of Demofthenes. EXTRACTS from St. CHRYSOSTOM against OATHS. S СС પ AINT Chryfoftom, in his homilies to the inhabitants of Antioch, often exclaims against those, who for temporal intereft, obliged their brethren to fwear on the altar, and by that means often occafioned their taking of falfe oaths. What are you doing, wicked wretch, fays he? You require an oath "on the holy table; and you facrifice cruelly your "brother on the fame altar where Jefus Chrift, who "facrificed himself for you, lies? Thieves affaffinate, "but then they do it in fecret; but you, in presence "of the church, our common parent, murther one of "her children, in which you are more wicked than "Cain; for he concealed his guilt in the defart, and only deprived his brother of a tranfitory life; but you plunge your neighbour into everlasting death, "and that in the midft of the temple, and before the "face of the Creator! Was then the Lord's house "built for fwearing, and not for prayer? Is the facred "altar to occafion, the committing of crimes, inftead "of expiating them? But if every other religious fen d Homil. xv. ad pop. Antioch. timent timent is extinguished in you, revere, at leaft, the holy book, with which you prefent your brother to દ fwear upon. Open the holy Gofpel, on which you are going to make him fwear, and upon hearing "what Chrift Jefus fays of fwearing, tremble and "withdraw. And what does Chrift fay there? © It "has been faid by them of old time, thou shall not forfwear thyself... But I fay unto you, fwear not at 1 all. How! you make people fwear on that very « с "book which forbids the taking of oaths? Impious procedure! Horrid facrilege! This is making the "legiflator, who condemns murther, an accomplice "in the guilt of it. "Ifhed fewer tears when I hear that a perfon has ❝been murthered on the highway, than when I fee a man go up to the altar, lay his hand on the holy book of the Gofpels, and take his oath aloud. On this occafion it is impoffible for me to keep from changing colour, from trembling, and fhivering, "both for him who adminifters, and for him who "takes the oath, Miferable wretch to fecure to thyfelf a doubtful fum of money, thou losest thy foul! Can the benefit, thou reapest, be put in parallel with thine and thy brother's lofs? If thou knoweft, that he from whom thou exacteft an oath is a good "man, why then art thou not contented with his word? "But if he is not, why doft thou force him to for«fwear himself? "But here you will anfwer, that without this, your proof would have been imperfect, and you would not have been believed. What is is that to the purpose? It is in fearing to require the oath, that you will appear worthy of belief, and be eafy in "your mind. For, in fine, when you are got home, "does not your confcience reproach you? Don't you "fay to yourself, was I in the right to exact an oath " from him? Is he not forfworn? Am not I the cause "of his committing fo dreadful a crime? On the oMatth. v. 33. 34. "ther ther fide, what a confolation muft it be, when being "returned home you can fay to yourself, Bleffed be "God, I put a reftraint upon my felf; I have preven❝ted my brother from committing a crime, and pof"fibly from taking a falfe oath? May all the gold, all the riches in the univerfe perifh, rather than that I infringe the law, or force others to violate it. In the foregoing homily, St. Chryfoftom, after having related to his auditors in what manner St. John Baptift had been put to death, because of the oath that Herod had made; exhorts them to preferve the remembrance of fo tragical an event, and to take warning by fo dreadful an example; on which occafion he employs the moft lively and fublime figures. "I bid ❝each of you yesterday bring into his house, the still "bleeding ead of St. John Baptift, and to image to yourfelves his eyes animated with a holy zeal against oaths, and his voice, which, ftill raising itself againft that criminal cuftom, feems to fpeak thus to you: Fly and deteft fwearing, for this coft me my life, and occafions the greateft crimes. And indeed, «continues St. Chryfoftom, what neither the gene1 rous liberty of the holy forerunner, (the Baptift) nor the violent anger of the King, who faw himself publickly reproved, could effect, was yet brought "to pafs by the ill grounded fear of perjury; and St. John's death was the effect and confequence of the "oath. I again repeat the fame thing to you: Reprefent to yourselves perpetually that holy head, which is for ever reproaching blafphemers; and this reflection alone will be as a falutary bridle to your tongues, and keep them from venting blafphemies. EXTRACT of St. Chryfoftom's difcourfe on Eutropius's difgrace. E Arcadius, and was UTROPIUS was favourite to the Emperor mafter. This monarch, who discovered as much weakness when his minifters ftood in need of his protection, as imprudence in raising them, was forced, in fpight of himfelf, to abandon his favourite. Eutropius thereupon fell from the highest pitch of grandeur into an abyfs of mifery. The only friend he then found, was St. John Chryfoftom, whom he often had treated injuriously, and who yet had the pious generofity to receive him in the facred afylum of the altars, which he had endeavoured to abolish by various laws he had enacted against them, and to which he nevertheless filed in his calamity. The next day, on which the holy myfteries were to be celebrated, the people ran in crowds to the church, there to behold in Eutropius a lively image of human weakness, and of the vanity of worldly grandeur. The holy bishop treated this subject in fo lively and moving a manner, that he changed the hatred and averfion which the people had for Eutropius, into compaffion, and drew tears from the whole congregation. We are to observe, that it was ufual with St. Chryfoftom to addrefs the great and the powerful, even in the height of their profperity, with a ftrength and liberty truly epifcopal. "If ever there was reafon to cry, Vanity of vani"ties, all is vanity, it is certainly on this occafion. "Where is now that fplendor of the most exalted dig"nities? Where are those marks of honour and dif"tinction? What is become of that pomp of feast❝ing and rejoicing? What is the iffue of those frequent "acclamations and extravagantly flattering encomi • Ecclef. i. 2. ums, |