Cyprian of Carthage, Treatises Treatise 1

When the Lord warns us, saying, "You are the salt of the earth" (Matt 5:13), and commands us to be simple in innocence yet prudent with simplicity, what else should we do, dearest brothers, but take thought for ourselves? With watchful, anxious hearts we must understand and guard against the cunning enemy’s plots, lest we who have put on Christ, the wisdom of God the Father, appear less wise in protecting our salvation. Persecution is not the only danger, nor only those open attacks that overthrow God’s servants. Caution comes easily when the threat is obvious, and the mind braces for battle when the adversary shows himself. The enemy is far more to be feared and avoided when he creeps in secretly, slipping in under the guise of peace with hidden approaches — which is why he bears the name of the serpent. This is his constant cunning: the blind, hidden deceit of circumventing humanity. From the world’s beginning he deceived, flattering with lying words and catching simple souls off guard through their unguarded credulity. He even tried to tempt the Lord Himself, approaching secretly as if to creep in again and deceive. But he was recognized and repulsed, and so he was thrown down because he was detected. From this we have been given an example: we must flee the way of the old man and follow in the footsteps of the living Christ, lest, being unguarded, we fall once more into the snare of death; instead, foreseeing the danger, we may lay hold of immortality. And how can we possess immortality unless we keep the commandments of Christ by which death is overcome and conquered, He Himself warning and saying, "If you wish to enter life, keep the commandments" (Matt 19:17), and again, "If you do what I command you, I no longer call you servants, but friends" (John 15:14)? These He calls strong and stable, founded on a massive rock, solidified with immovable and unshakable firmness against all the tempests and whirlwinds of the world. "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them," He says, "I will liken to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock" (Matt 7:24–25). Therefore we must stand firm on His words, and learn to do everything He taught and commanded. But how can someone claim to believe in Christ if he does not do what Christ commanded? Where will he reach the reward of faith if he refuses to keep the faith of the commandment? He must waver and wander, carried off by the spirit of error and tossed like dust the wind whirls about; he will not advance toward salvation who does not hold to the truth of the saving way. Yet, dearest brothers, we must beware not only of open and manifest dangers, but also of those that deceive with the subtlety of cunning fraud. What could be more cunning or subtle than this: after the enemy was detected and thrown down by Christ’s advent, after the light came to the Gentiles and the saving light shone for human salvation — so that the deaf received the hearing of spiritual grace, the blind opened their eyes to God, the weak were strengthened by eternal health, the lame ran to the Church, the mute prayed with clear voices, and seeing idols abandoned and his own seats and temples deserted by the multitude of believers — he devised a new deceit to mislead the unguarded under the very title of the Christian name? He invented heresies and schisms to subvert the faith, corrupt the truth, and divide the unity. Those he cannot hold in the blindness of the old way, he encircles and deceives with the error of a new way. He snatches men from the very Church; and while they think they have approached the light and escaped the world’s night, he pours darkness into them again, unknown to them, so that, not standing with the Gospel of Christ and its observance and law, they call themselves Christians, and walking in darkness they imagine they have the light. The adversary flatters and deceives, transforming himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) and disguising his ministers as ministers of righteousness, calling night day, destruction salvation, despair hope, perfidy faith, antichrist Christ — so that, while they speak what sounds plausible, they frustrate the truth with subtlety. This happens, dearest brothers, when we do not return to the origin of truth, nor seek the Head, nor preserve the doctrine of the heavenly Master.