Cyprian On Works and
Alms (Treaties VIII)
Argument.-He Powerfully Exhorts to the
Manifestation of Faith by Works, and Enforces the Wisdom of
Offerings to the Church and of Bounty to the Poor as the Best
Investment of a Christian's Estate. This He Proves Out of Many
Scriptures. (Notes provided by the Roman
Catholic Translator.)
Note here that if Cypian or any other corrupt bishop of his
day had had any inkling that tithing was a commandment of Christ
as is wrongly asserted in this day that he would have used the
word tithe here a hundred or more times rather then a gift or
offering that might have well be just two mites?
Don’t you thing that if Cypian or any other corrupt bishop of his
day had any inkling that it was not God’s will that any believer
be poor as is wrongly asserted in this day, and that by giving
to him “seed faith money” that Cypian and his fellow corrupt
bishops could be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams of avarice.
And don’t you think if Christ even hinted at this that he would
have been shouting it from the house tops to his would be backslidden
financial buddies and would be blood-guilty benefactors wealthy,
so that they could keep pouring it on after their first go at
seed faith.
The fact that none of this is in so corrupt an epistle at least a
dozen or more times tells us for all time that no such teaching
or doctrine existed prior to the year 250 AD.
1.
Many and great, beloved brethren, are the divine benefits wherewith
the large and abundant mercy of God the Father and Christ both
has laboured and is always labouring for our salvation: that
the Father sent the Son to preserve us and give us life, in
order that He might restore us; and that the Son was willing2
to be sent and to become the Son of man, that He might make
us sons of God; humbled Himself, that He might raise up the
people who before were prostrate; was wounded that He might
heal our wounds; served, that He might draw out to liberty those
who were in bondage; underwent death, that He might set forth
immortality to mortals. These are many and great boons of divine
compassion. But, moreover, what is that providence, and how great the clemency,
that by a plan of salvation it is provided for us, that more
abundant care should be taken for preserving man after he is already redeemed! (Cypian is laying down a groundwork
here that Augustine and
later Luther and Calvin will use for their doctrines on election
and eternal security.) For
when the Lord at His advent had cured those wounds which Adam
had borne,3 and had healed the old poisons of the serpent,4 He gave a law to the sound man and bade him
sin no more, lest a worse thing should befall the sinner. (Cypian now carefully lays what
he is saying at the feet of Christ implying that the Lord fully
endorsed all this.) We had been limited and shut up into a narrow space
by the commandment of innocence.
Nor would the infirmity (Read this as those who fall
in greivieous sin ie denying the Lord and turning in other believers
to their deaths) and weakness of human frailty (Read this those who willing
engage in worldly pleasures and have defiled themselves )
have any resource, (forgiveness) (Cypian is clearly drawing here from Hebrews 4:4-6 For it is impossible for those
who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the
good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they
shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him
to an open shame. Cyprian has an insurmountable problem,
the problem is there are so many people that fell away in the
last great persecution and they have expressed now that it is
safe to believe once again, that they are willing to do or pay
anything to get back in the good graces of God. And he really
wants to help these people line his pockets with their blood
money but he just can’t find an angle that is plausible on the
words of Christ or the words of the Apostles and in his time
of need the subtle salesman shows up and explains how Cyprian
can help all these people line his pockets.)
UNLESS the divine mercy, coming once more in aid, should open some way (Hebrews 4:4-6) of securing salvation by pointing out works
of justice and mercy, so
that by almsgiving we may wash away whatever foulness we subsequently
contract. (And
here it is eternal security by almsgiving. Murder, rape, no
problem, denying the Lord, blasphemy of the Holy Ghost Cyprian
can fix all your criminal and traffic citations and within minutes
you can be a saint dressed in white robes and heaven bound.)
2. The Holy Spirit speaks
in the sacred Scriptures, and says, "By
almsgiving and faith sins are purged." (This twisted quote is cited
from Proverbs 16: 6 The KJV for Proverbs 16:6 reads “By mercy and
truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart
from evil.” By mercy and truth iniquity is covered and in fear
of Jehovah men turn from I evil. To show mercy is to forgive
but in the parable of the good Samaritan Jesus says mercy is
more than to forgive or preach forgiveness, one has to physically
reach out and help that his neighbor that is laying wounded
and bleeding in the ditch and this help would include financial
help to their full recovery. Now before we fall into the trap
that Cyprian has laid out before us we need to understand who
is to do the alms giving not the church and the righteous but
the person who is laying bleeding and dying in the ditch.
Not assuredly those sins which had been previously
contracted, for those are purged by the blood and sanctification
of Christ. Moreover, He says again,
"As water extinguisheth fire, so almsgiving quencheth sin."(This is supposedly cited from
Ecclesiastics 3:30) Ecclesiasticus 3:29-30 reads; A wicked
heart shall be laden with sorrows, and the sinner will add sin
to sin. The congregation of the proud shall not be healed: for
the plant of wickedness shall take root in them, and it shall
not be perceived. (So Cyprian has now turned to non-biblical
sources and on top of that the supposed cited does not belay
any interpretation like that.)
Here also it is shown
and proved, that as in the layer of saving water the fire of
Gehenna is extinguished, so by almsgiving and works of righteousness
the flame of sins is subdued. And because in baptism remission
of sins is granted once for all, constant and ceaseless labour,
following the likeness of baptism, once again bestows the mercy
of God. The Lord teaches this also
in the Gospel. For when the disciples were pointed out, as eating
and not first washing their hands, He replied and said, "He
that made that which is within, made also that which is without.
But give alms, and behold all things are clean unto you;
" This is a scriptural scramble of several passages. Jesus disciples
not washing their hands as being one.The tithing passage being
another, and “All thing are clean unto you.” being said by Paul
not Christ Apostle.” (Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue
and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love
of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other
undone.) teaching hereby and showing, that not the hands
are to be washed, but the heart, and that the foulness from
inside is to be done away rather than that from outside; but
that he who shall have cleansed what is within has cleansed
also that which is without; and that if the mind is cleansed,
a man has begun to be clean also in skin and body. Further, admonishing, and showing whence we may be clean and
purged, He added that alms must be given.
(Even though Cypian repeats this it does not make it so for
Christ never said or implied these words.) He who
is pitiful teaches and warns us that pity must be shown; and
because He seeks to save those whom
at a great cost He has redeemed, He teaches that those who,
after the grace of baptism, have become foul, may once more
be cleansed.
3. Let us then acknowledge,
beloved brethren, the wholesome gift of the divine mercy; and
let us, who cannot be without some wound of conscience, heal
our wounds by the spiritual remedies for the cleansing and purging
of our sins. Nor let any one so flatter himself with the notion
of a pure and immaculate heart, as, in dependence on his own
innocence, to think that the medicine needs not to be applied
to his wounds; since it is written, "Who shall boast that
he hath a clean heart, or who shall boast that he is pure from
sins? "9
And again, in his epistle, John lays it down, and says, "If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us." But if no one can be without sin, and whoever
should say that he is without fault is either proud or foolish,
how needful, how kind is the divine mercy, which, knowing that
there are still found some wounds in those that have been healed,
even after their healing, has given wholesome remedies for the
curing and healing of their wounds anew!
4. Finally, beloved brethren,
the divine admonition in the Scriptures, as well old as new,
has never failed, has never been silent in urging God's people
always and everywhere to works of mercy; and in the strain and
exhortation of the Holy Spirit, every
one who is instructed into the hope of the heavenly kingdom
is commanded to give alms. (Cypian is the one who is filled
with a foulness here. If
he was quoting give and it shall be given unto you he might
have pretended to have a leg to stand on but he knows that the
disciples had given houses and lands and all before Christ spoke
those words so that they are not speaking of almsgiving but
giving up ones earthly desires and God will give to you in the
measure you give up.) There God commands and prescribes to
Isaiah: "Cry," says He, "with strength, and spare
not. Lift up thy voice as a trumpet, and declare to my people
their transgressions, and to the house of Jacob their sins."
And when He had commanded their sins to be charged upon
them, and with the full force of His indignation had set forth
their iniquities, and had said, that not even though they should
use supplications, and prayers, and fastings, should they be
able to make atonement for their sins; nor, if they were clothed
in sackcloth and ashes, be able to soften God's anger, yet in the last part showing that God can be appeased by almsgiving
alone, he added, saying, "Break thy
bread to the hungry, and bring the poor that are without a home
into thy house. If thou seest the naked, clothe him; and despise
not the household of thine own seed. Then shall thy light break
forth in season, and thy garments shall arise speedily; and
righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of God shall
surround thee. Then shalt thou cry, and God shall hear thee;
whilst yet thou art speaking, He shall say, Here I am."
This is so corrupt a teaching. First Cypian tells
us wrongly misquoting scripture that by Faith and almsgiving
our sins are purged buy now he tells us not even faith is necessary
just almsgiving alone.
See he can’t mention here Christ dying on the Cross
of the blood of Christ or Christ being our high priest because
for these apostates and murderers all of this has been spent
Hebrews 4:4-6
For it is impossible for those who were
once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good
word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall
fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to
an open shame.
So instead Cyprian pimping scripture, claims to
have discovered this secret doctrine of almsgiving whereby you
can buy your way back to God and bribe your way past any sins
you may have willingly committed no matter how heinous and still
get your gold ring for admittance into heaven.
