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Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Series 2 - The Still Small ...

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Letter CV. 2365<br />

To the deaconesses, the daughters of Count Terentius. 2366<br />

On coming to Samosata I expected to have the pleasure of meeting your excellencies,<br />

<strong>and</strong> when I was disappointed I could not easily bear it. When, I said, will it be possible for<br />

me to be in your neighbourhood again? When will it be agreeable to you to come into<br />

mine? All this, however, must be left to the Lord’s will. As to the present, when I found<br />

that my son Sophronius was setting out to you, I gladly delivered him this letter, to convey<br />

you my salutation, <strong>and</strong> to tell you how, by God’s grace, I do not cease to remember you,<br />

<strong>and</strong> to thank the Lord on your behalf, in that you are goodly scions of a goodly stock, fruitful<br />

in good works, <strong>and</strong> verily like lilies among thorns. Surrounded as you are by the terrible<br />

perversity of them that are corrupting the word of truth, you do not give in to their wiles;<br />

you have not ab<strong>and</strong>oned the apostolic proclamation of faith, you have not gone over to the<br />

successful novelty of the day. Is not this cause of deep thankfulness to God? Shall not this<br />

rightly bring you great renown? You have professed your faith in Father, Son <strong>and</strong> Holy<br />

Ghost. Do not ab<strong>and</strong>on this deposit; the Father—origin of all; the Son—Only begotten,<br />

begotten of Him, very God, Perfect of Perfect, living image, shewing the whole Father in<br />

Himself; the Holy Ghost, having His subsistence of God, the fount of holiness, power that<br />

gives life, grace that maketh perfect, through Whom man is adopted, <strong>and</strong> the mortal made<br />

immortal, conjoined with Father <strong>and</strong> Son in all things in glory <strong>and</strong> eternity, in power <strong>and</strong><br />

kingdom, in sovereignty <strong>and</strong> godhead; as is testified by the tradition of the baptism of salvation.<br />

But all who maintain that either Son or Spirit is a creature, or absolutely reduce the<br />

Spirit to ministerial <strong>and</strong> servile rank, are far removed from the truth. Flee their communion.<br />

Turn away from their teaching. <strong>The</strong>y are destructive to souls. If ever the Lord grant us to<br />

meet, I will discourse to you further concerning the faith, to the end that you may perceive<br />

at once the power of the truth <strong>and</strong> the rottenness of heresy by Scriptural proof.<br />

2365 Placed in 372.<br />

2366 cf. Letter xcix. <strong>and</strong> note.<br />

To the deaconesses, the daughters of Count Terentius.<br />

542

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