Thanks be to God for all things, the Almighty and King of the universe; and most abundant thanks also to the Saviour and Redeemer of our souls, Jesus Christ, through whom we pray without ceasing that the things of peace, both from troubles without and from troubles within the mind, may be kept for us firm and unshaken throughout all time.
And together with thy prayers, having now added to those parts of the Ecclesiastical History already set forth this tenth volume, let me dedicate it to thee, my most holy Paulinus, proclaiming thee as the seal, so to speak, of the whole undertaking.
Fittingly, in a perfect number, we shall here set in order the perfect and festal discourse on the renewal of the churches, in obedience to the divine Spirit, who thus exhorts us: 'O sing unto the Lord a new song, for He hath done marvellous things. His right hand and His holy arm have wrought salvation for Him. The Lord hath made known His salvation; before the nations He hath revealed His righteousness.'
And so, as the divine word commands the new song, let us now in due sequence raise this cry: that after those dreadful and gloomy sights and tales, we have now been counted worthy to behold such things and to celebrate such things as many before us, truly righteous men and martyrs of God, longed to see upon earth and saw not, and to hear, and heard not.
But they, having hastened with all speed, obtained things far better, caught up into the very heavens and into the paradise of divine delight; while we, confessing that even these present things are greater than is meet for us, are utterly amazed at the grace of the great bounty of their Author, and rightly marvel, worshipping with the whole strength of our soul, and bearing witness to the truth of the written predictions, in which it is said:
'Come and behold the works of the Lord, what wonders He hath set upon the earth, making wars to cease unto the ends of the world. He shall break the bow and shatter the weapon, and the shields He shall burn in the fire.' Rejoicing that these things have been clearly fulfilled toward us, let us proceed to weave together the narrative that follows.
The whole race of those who hated God had verily been blotted out, in the manner already shown, and so utterly wiped at once from the sight of men, that once more a divine word found its fulfilment, that which says: 'I have seen the wicked exalted on high and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon; and I passed by, and lo, he was not; and I sought his place, and it was not found.'
And from then a day already bright and translucent, with no cloud overshadowing it, shone down with rays of heavenly light upon the churches of Christ throughout the whole world; nor was there any envy even toward those outside our company, if not to enjoy an equal share, yet at least to partake of an outflow and a participation of the things bestowed upon us from God.