A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

700 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[641]brothers sent on a journey. 68. If impossibilities are imposed ona brother. 69. That in the monastery one shall not presume todefend another. 70. That no one shall presume to strike another.71. That they shall be obedient to one another. 72. Concerningthe good zeal which monks ought to have.73. Concerning the fact that not every just observance isdecreed in this Rule. We have written down this Rule, that wemay show those observing it in the monasteries how to have somehonesty of character or beginning of conversion. But for thosewho hasten to the perfection of living, there are the teachingsof the holy Fathers; the observance of which leads a man to theheights of perfection. For what page or what discourse of divineauthority in the Old or New Testament is not a more perfect ruleof human life? Or what book of the holy and Catholic Fathersdoes not trumpet forth how by the right road we shall come toour Creator?Also the reading aloud of the Fathers, and their decrees andlives; also the Rule of our holy Father Basil—what else arethey except instruments of virtue for good living and obedientmonks? But to us who are idle and evil livers and negligentthere is the blush of confusion. Thou, therefore, whoever hastensto the heavenly fatherland, perform with Christ's aid this Rulewritten out as the least beginnings; and then at length, underGod's protection, thou wilt come to the greater things that wehave mentioned—to the summits of teaching and virtue.(b) Formulæ.The following formulæ are given to illustrate the Rule in itsworking. The first group bear upon the vow of stabilitas loci.The case not infrequently arose that a brother wished to go toa monastery in which the observance of the Rule was stricter.In case a new foundation was begun anywhere, the first monkswere almost always from another monastery. If therefore the