of their new undertaking. Thus the church itself proves no security to men against his wiles; he drags them even thence into his service; and whilst they are flattering themselves with an imagination that they are near the light, and are in a manner clear of all the darkness which before they were involved in, he overspreads them unawares with a darkness of another nature, and leads them into the pernicious error of calling themselves christians, whilst yet they regard not the law of Christ, and keep not up to the tenor of his gospel. Thus walking in darkness, they think they have the light along with them; for so their grand adversary flatters and deceives them, who, as the apostle well hath said of him, "is transformed into an angel of light, therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;" who put night for the day, destruction for salvation, despair for hope, betraying the faith instead of keeping it, and promoting the interests of antichrist under the name of Christ; thus by a similitude of names corrupting the truth of things.

3. All this mischief hath hence its rise, my beloved brethren, that we will not trace up the truth of things to their original, nor look back to their fountain head, nor observe the doctrine of our heavenly master. If we would consider these things, and weigh them as we ought, we should have no great need of resorting to argument, or

to long debates. For in matters of faith, the way to come at the truth of them is very short and compendious, and fact at last is instead of all other proof. We read of our blessed Lord saying to Peter,* "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shalt be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." And again after his resurrection our Lord saith unto the same Peter, "Feed my sheep." And though we may observe him giving the same power to all his apostles, where he saith: "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you;" yet to manifest his regard to unity, he took his rise from one, and settled the whole upon that foundation. The other apostles were, in truth, what Peter was, entitled

*It will be difficult for the Church of Rome to confirm the pretensions of her Bishop, by an argument rather designed for illustration than for strict reasoning; for even upon this very argument it is plainly enough declared, that in strictness of reckoning the other apostles were what Peter was. It is no wonder, however, that a church, which was fixed in the imperial seat, and which preserved at that time an uncorrupted purity of doctrine, should have a regard paid to it superior to any other single church. It had indeed better means and helps for preserving the purity of its doctrine, from the circumstance of its being so near the imperial seat, where the greatest numbers of good and able men might naturally be expected; and from whence the records of what had been delivered by the apostles might more faithfully and fully be transmitted than they could be from any other church. We could wish it were so now; and then we should be less apt to dispute with her Bishop any precedencies which he could reasonably claim.

to an equal share with him of dignity and power; but, I say, the process began with one, that the church might be considered as one; which one church the Holy Ghost, personating Christ, hath described to us in Solomon's Song, saying, "My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother; she is the choice one of her that bare her."

4. Can any man therefore be so weak as to flatter himself that he holds the faith of Christ inviolate, when he doth not preserve the unity of his church? Can any man boast of his continuing in his church, when he sets himself in opposition to it? St. Paul hath told him otherwise, where alluding to the unity of the church, he saith, "There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God." To this unity therefore we should firmly adhere, and be careful to maintain it. Let no man then offer to impose upon our brethren with specious and false pretences; or corrupt the purity of our most holy faith, by sneaking from a just defence of it.* The

* Nemo fidei veritatem perfidâ prævaricatione corrumpat. Prevarication is touching but lightly upon the main merits of the cause, and insisting upon points of less concern; which in advocates was censured as a betraying the cause of their clients. Cyprian here is far from

imitating them, but speaks boldly and plainly to the point in hand; to the unity of the church and of his own order, and to the guilt of those who made a breach in either.

episcopate is single,* and there is but one, of which however each bishop holds his part, with the privilege and the duty of being interested in the whole. The church of Christ is likewise one and single, whatsoever increase it may receive in its numbers, or howsoever it may be extended over the face of the whole earth; as the sun hath many rays, yet but one fountain of light; or as a tree may have many branches, yet but one root fixed deep in the earth; or as when many rivulets or streams descend from the spring-head, they appear indeed divided in their number, and yet preserve the unity of their original. Suppose now a ray to be separated from the body of the sun, yet the nature of light is such that it will admit of no multiplication; or break off a branch from the tree it grows on, and in that broken state it will neither blossom nor bear fruit; intercept the communication between the stream and its fountain, and the stream will presently dry up. Thus

Episcopatus unus est, cujus a singulis in solidum pars tenetur. Upon this foundation of each Bishop being interested in the whole church, all the coercive power of discipline stands, which was exercised over any one by the rest. The words in solidum are forensic, and allude to the case of divers contractors, each of which was bound not only for his proportionable part, but if the rest failed was to make good the whole. This our author applies to the episcopate. There was one flock and one government of it, committed indeed to divers persons; but so that each of those to whom it was committed had an interest in the whole, and an obligation incumbent on him to extend his care to the whole, as opportunity should offer; though for order's sake, and for the more convenient discharge of his duty to the whole, each had a district assigned to him, wherein he was to exercise a more particular jurisdiction.

the church of Christ, which itself is overspread with light from heaven, diffuses its rays over the face of the whole earth, and yet its light is one and single which is thus diffused, nor is the unity of its body in any manner affected by the number of its members; it extends indeed its fruitful branches throughout the whole world; its various streams are far and near diffused; but you may trace them all, however, to a single fountain; they are all originally derived from one head, have all one original, and one fruitful mother was their common parent.

5. In her bosom we are born, our growth is owing to the food which is thence administered to us, and the same spirit quickens us which enlivens her. The spouse of Christ will not play the harlot, her chastity is unblemished, she hath but one habitation, which she endeavoureth to preserve inviolate, equally free from guilt, and from the suspicion of it. In her custody, under her patronage and protection we are trained up to the knowledge and enjoyment of God, in whose kingdom she assigns to her obedient children their respective interests; whoever therefore is separated from the true Church of Christ, and joins himself to a false one, forfeits his title to the promises of the true: Nor can he ever attain the recompence propounded by Christ to his followers, who deserts his church. No! For he becomes thence unsanctified, an alien, and even an open enemy. Our