教牧守則·對話錄與書信 第 665 章

Gregory to Adeodata, the illustrious. Your glory's letter has brought us great gladness, which signified that you have a desire for eternal life; but because the fleeting glory of the world is wont to hinder a zeal of this kind, we exhort that no transitory thing whatsoever may recall the most healthful resolution of your mind, nor turn it aside from the path begun. But rather may the love of the heavenly fatherland inflame it, may the abiding rewards solicit it, and may it ever aspire with certainty to the promise of the coming Judge, and out of temporal things merit eternal ones, so that from this you may both be in true glory, and be enrolled among the heavenly matrons.

Bring back to your mind the prosperities of the times, the multitude of men, the pomp of dignities, the glory of matrons, the abundance of riches. Consider all these things, where they are, or what they have become, and from this weigh how they are nothing, and that whoever loves these things sees a dream while waking. This recollection therefore ought to be a great instruction to you, since nothing that is concluded by an end ought to be loved as something great. Those things therefore are to be sought after, those things are to be loved above all, which neither when found pass away, nor when attained fail.

But because no one avails to pant after the desire of them without the grace of divine mercy, we pray the Almighty Lord that He may grant you both the will to choose these things and the power of obtaining them, so that both here He may grant you to live in His fear, and afterward may receive you into the lot of the holy martyrs. And so, saluting your glory with paternal charity, we indicate that concerning the case of our brother and fellow bishop Decius this has seemed good to us, that we should commit it to be heard by our brother and fellow bishop John and by the glorious Leonius, because he is said to be a good and just man: being most secure especially because, where the charity of the aforesaid our brother and fellow bishop is present in judgment, neither may it be circumvented from them, nor may the part of the Church be able to sustain prejudice.