Cyprian & Lactantius · a new plain-English translation from the original language
The Holy Spirit warns us, saying: what man wants life and desires to see good days? Hold your tongue back from evil, and do not let your lips utter deceit. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Whoever knows and cherishes the bond of love owes it to himself, as a child of peace, to pursue peace and hold his tongue back from the evil of discord. Among his divine commands and saving teachings, as his passion drew near, the Lord added these words: I leave you peace, my own peace I give you. This inheritance he bestowed on us; every gift of his promise, and its rewards, he pledged in the preserving of peace. Being heirs of Christ, we ought to abide within Christ's peace; being children of God, peace is what we owe one another. It is said: blessed are those who make peace, since they will be named as God's own children. To be named children of God requires making peace, being gentle at heart, plain of speech, unified in feeling, and bound to one another faithfully by the knots of a single mind.
This oneness of mind once prevailed among the apostles: thus did the new people of believers, keeping the Lord's commands, hold fast to their love for one another. Scripture bears this out where it says: now the multitude of those who believed were of one soul and one mind. And again: all these continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer, alongside Jesus's mother Mary, the women, and his brothers. And so their prayers were effectual, and so they were able to obtain with confidence whatever they asked of God's mercy.
Among us, however, this oneness of mind has so dwindled that even the generosity of our giving has withered along with it. In those days they sold their houses and their estates, and laying up treasure for themselves in heaven, they brought the proceeds to be distributed to the apostles for the use of the needy. But now we do not even give a tenth from our estate, and though the Lord bids us sell, we instead buy and add to our holdings. Thus our faith's vigor has withered within us; thus the strength once found in believers has wasted away. It was with our own age in view that the Lord, in that gospel of his, posed this very question: when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith at all on earth? That prophecy of his is being fulfilled before our eyes. Faith is nowhere present — not in reverence toward God, not in righteous conduct, not in love, not in action. No one gives thought to the fear of what is to come; no one considers the day of the Lord, the wrath of God, the punishments in store for unbelievers, the eternal torments appointed for the faithless. Whatever our conscience would fear, if it believed, since it does not believe, it does not fear at all. But if it believed, it would also be on its guard; and if it were on its guard, it would escape.
Let us rouse ourselves, dearest brothers, as much as we are able, and, breaking off the sleep of our old sluggishness, let us keep watch to observe and carry out the Lord's commands. Let us be such as he himself commanded us to be, when he said: gird your waist and keep your lamps lit, and be like men awaiting their master's return from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him at once. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, on his coming, finds watching. We ought to be girded, so that when the day of setting out comes, it does not catch us encumbered and entangled. Let our light shine and blaze in good works, so that it may itself lead us, out of this night of the world, into the light of everlasting brightness. Let us wait, always watchful and wary, for the sudden coming of the Lord, so that when he knocks, our faith may be found awake, ready to earn its watchful reward from the Lord. If these commands are kept, if these warnings and precepts are held fast, we who are watchful cannot be overcome by the devil's deceit while we sleep; as servants keeping watch under Christ's rule, we shall reign.