We give thanks to God, and receive much confidence of pious exultation, when we learn that your love and catholic brotherhood so flourish in the spirit of faith, that no heretical temptation can bring any weakness upon your hearts: for the divine destruction of which our solicitude, as you know, has neither been lacking, nor will be lacking, until the right hand of the almighty God shatters all the devil's weapons; to whom leave is given to dare somewhat, that by the faithful of Christ he may be vanquished with the greater glory. But if any difficulties or delays intervene, they must be tolerated with equanimity: since where truth is the mistress, divine consolations are never wanting, dearest brethren.
Although therefore great intervals of place divide us, yet in the unity of faith we are with you, and confessing with our whole heart Jesus Christ our Lord to be true God and true man, we suffer no losses in you, since we glory in the concord of your profession: only let there be, with the Lord's help, a persevering constancy, as the Apostle says: 'For to you it has been granted for Christ, not only that you believe in Him, but also that you suffer for Him' (Philippians 1:29). For the strengthening of which fortitude of holy minds, we believe that our brethren and legates, whom we have directed for the apostolic liberty of the faith, and whom we trust to be already among you, will be of the greatest profit:
119:3
cumtotiusactionisnostraedidiceritisaffectum, etcuramvestramatqueconsiliumpiooperijunxeritis. Dequarenonnecesseestnunclatiusscribere, cumjampersupradictossufficientesepistolasmiserimus, quibusabundantissimeomniscatholicafraternitasinstruatur. DivinaeeritvirtutisetgratiaeutDeiFilius, quinaturamhumanigenerissuamfecit, ampliusquamvidemusautsapimus, magnumpietatissuaeasseratsacramentum (ITim. III, i6),quodimpiatemeritassibiquidemfraudavit, sedrectiscordibusauferrenonpoluit.DataidibusSeptembris, ValentinianoetAvienov. c. consulibus.
when you shall have learned the affection of our whole action, and shall have joined your care and counsel to the pious work. Concerning which matter it is not now necessary to write more at length, since we have already sent sufficient letters through the aforesaid men, by which the whole catholic brotherhood may most abundantly be instructed. It will be of the divine power and grace that the Son of God, who made the nature of the human race His own, may—more than we see or understand—vindicate the great sacrament of His piety (1 Timothy 3:16), which impious rashness has indeed defrauded itself of, but could not take away from upright hearts. Given on the Ides of September, in the consulship of Valentinian and of Avienus, most illustrious.