nec haberet quid fragilitatis humanae infirmitas adque
imbecillitas faceret, nisi iterum pietas divina subveniens iustitiae et
misericordiae operibus ostensis viam quandam tuendae salutis aperiret, ut
sordes postmodum quascumque contrahimus eleemosynis abluamus." c. 2:
"sicut lavacro aquae salutaris gehennae ignis extinguitur, ita eleemosynis
adque operationibus iustus delictorum flamma sopitur, et quia semel in
baptismo remissa peccatorum datur, adsidua et iugis operatic baptismi
instar imitata dei rursus indulgentiam largiatur." 5, 6, 9. In c. 18
Cyprian already established an arithmetical relation between the number
of alms-offerings and the blotting out of sins, and in c. 21, in
accordance with an ancient idea which Tertullian and Minucius Felix,
however, only applied to martyrdom, he describes the giving of alms as a
spectacle for God and Christ. In Cyprian's epistles "satisfacere deo" is
exceedingly frequent. It is almost still more important to note the
frequent use of the expression "promereri deum (iudicem)" in Cyprian.
See de unitate 15: "iustitia opus est, ut promereri quis possit deum
iudicem: praeceptis eius et monitis obtemperandum est, ut accipiant
merita nostra mercedem." 18; de lapsis 31; de orat. 8, 32, 36; de
mortal. 10; de op. 11, 14, 15, 26; de bono pat. 18; ep. 62. 2: 73. 10.
Here it is everywhere assumed that Christians acquire God's favour by
their works.]

[Footnote 274: Baptism with blood is not referred to here.]

[Footnote 275: With modifications, this has still continued to be the
case beyond Augustine's time down to the Catholicism of the present day.
Cyprian is the father of the Romish doctrine of good works and
sacrifice. Yet is it remarkable that he was not yet familiar with the
theory according to which man _must_ acquire _merita_. In his mind
"merits" and "blessedness" are not yet rigidly correlated ideas; but the
rudiments of this view are also found in him; cf. de unit. 15 (see p.
134, note 3).]

[Footnote 276: "Sacrificare," "sacrificium celebrare," in all passages
where they are unaccompanied by any qualifying words, mean to celebrate
the Lord's Supper. Cyprian has never called prayer a "sacrifice" without
qualifying terms; on the contrary he collocates "preces" and
"sacrificium," and sometimes also "oblatio" and "sacrificium." The
former is then the offering of the laity and the latter of the priests.]

[Footnote 277: Cf. the whole 63rd epistle and above all c. 7: "Et quia
pa