NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works - Holy Bible Institute

To the Neocæsareans.journey to God. And up to this day, by the grace of Him who has called me in His holycalling to the knowledge of Himself, I know of no doctrine opposed to the sound teachinghaving sunk into my heart; nor was my soul ever polluted by the ill-famed blasphemy ofArius. If I have ever received into communion any who have come from that teacher, hidingtheir unsoundness deep within them, or speaking words of piety, or, at any rate, not opposingwhat has been said by me, it is on these terms that I have admitted them; and I have not allowedmy judgment concerning them to rest wholly with myself, but have followed the decisionsgiven about them by our Fathers. For after receiving the letter of the very blessedFather Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, which I hold in my hand, and shew to any onewho asks, wherein he has distinctly declared that any one expressing a wish to come overfrom the heresy of the Arians and accepting the Nicene Creed, is to be received withouthesitation and difficulty, citing in support of his opinion the unanimous assent of the bishopsof Macedonia and of Asia; I, considering myself bound to follow the high authority of sucha man and of those who made the rule, and with every desire on my own part to win thereward promised to peacemakers, did enroll in the lists of communicants all who acceptedthat creed.7. [The fair thing would be to judge of me, not from one or two who do not walk uprightlyin the truth, but from the multitude of bishops throughout the world, connectedwith me by the grace of the Lord. Make enquiries of Pisidians, Lycaonians, Isaurians,Phrygians of both provinces, Armenians your neighbours, Macedonians, Achæans, Illyrians,Gauls, Spaniards, the whole of Italy, Sicilians, Africans, the healthy part of Egypt, whateveris left of Syria; all of whom send letters to me, and in turn receive them from me.] Fromthese letters, alike from all which are despatched from them. and from all which go out fromus to them, you may learn that we are all of one mind, and of one opinion. [Whoso shunscommunion with me, it cannot escape your accuracy, cuts himself off from the wholeChurch. Look round about, brethren, with whom do you hold communion? If you willnot receive it from me, who remains to acknowledge you? Do not reduce me to the necessityof counselling anything unpleasant concerning a Church so dear to me.] There are thingsnow which I hide in the bottom of my heart, in secret groaning over and bewailing the evildays in which we live, in that the greatest Churches which have long been united to oneanother in brotherly love, now, without any reason, are in mutual opposition. Do not, oh!do not, drive me to complain of these things to all who are in communion with me. Do notforce me to give utterance to words which hitherto I have kept in check by reflection andhave hidden in my heart. Better were it for me to be removed and the Churches to be atone, than that God’s people should suffer such evil through our childish ill-will. [Ask yourfathers, and they will tell you that though our districts were divided in position, yet in mindthey were one, and were governed by one sentiment. Intercourse of the people was frequent;696