Moralia in Job 939

27. Heretics compelled to be silent in the times of St. Gregory. Heretics agree in their fault but differ in their opinions. In the adversities of the Church, heretics preach freely. — Who else in this place can be understood by 'other leaders' or 'princes' but the authors of heretical depravity? Of whom it is said through the Psalmist: 'Contempt was poured out upon their princes, and he caused them to wander in a trackless place, and not in the way' (Ps. 106:40). For while they do not fear to interpret the dispensation of God perversely, they assuredly drag their own peoples not into that way which is Christ, but into the trackless waste. And of them it is rightly said that contempt is poured out, because by their mutual allegations they contradict one another.

For Arius, admitting three persons in the Godhead, believed also in three gods. Against him Sabellius, admitting one God, believed there to be one person. Between them Holy Church, holding without deviation the straight path of her preaching, both proclaims one God and asserts three persons against Sabellius, and while asserting three persons confesses one God against Arius. But because Manichaeus found that in the sacred word virginity is praised, he condemned marriage. On the contrary, Jovinian, because he learned that marriage is permitted, despised the purity of virginity. Whence it comes about that, the heretics being ever confounded by perverse understanding, their wickedness by turns both agrees in fault and differs in opinion.

But on the contrary Holy Church, walking with well-ordered peace through the midst of the disputes of both parties, knows so to receive the higher goods that she also knows to venerate the lower, in such wise that she neither equates the highest with the lowest, nor again despises the lowest while she venerates the highest. Now therefore the princes of the heretical peoples, weighing the authority of Holy Church, cease to speak, and as it were lay a finger upon their mouth, since by their false complaints they signify that they are restrained not by the reasoning of the voice, but by the hand of power. The leaders check their voice, because assuredly those who strive to draw the erring people after them, lest they dare now to speak perverse things, are curbed both by the weight of authority and by the power of reasoning.

Their tongue cleaves to their throat, because even though they do not dare to speak perverse things with a free voice, yet within themselves they conceal all the false things which they contrive to set forth against the true faith. Remembering therefore these times, when the ensuing tribulation is come upon her, the Church laments, saying: 'When I went out to the gate of the city, in the street they prepared a seat for me. The young men saw me and hid themselves, and the old men rose up and stood. The princes ceased to speak, and laid a finger upon their mouth. The leaders held their voice, and their tongue cleaved to their throat' (Job 29:7-10). As if she plainly said: When it was permitted me to preach with a public voice, everyone who was not subject to the truth was struck with dread of me.

For in that time, when Holy Church is pressed by adversity, license of speech is granted to depraved preachers of every kind. This Jeremiah long before beholding, said: 'But even the sea-monsters have bared the breast, they have suckled their young' (Lam. 4:3). For what does he call the sea-monsters but the heretics, bearing indeed a human face, but through their impiety carrying the hearts of beasts? These bare the breast when they freely preach their error. Then they suckle their young, because while they instil perverse things into the souls of little ones, they confirm the evil followers by nourishing them unto impiety. There follows: