(3) Accordingly, the holy martyrs themselves, when still amongst us, who
are now the assessors of Christ and partners of His Kingdom, sharing His
judgments and decisions,[36] espoused the cause of certain of the fallen
brethren who had incurred the charge of having done sacrifice, and seeing
their conversion and repentance and approving it as fit to be accepted by
Him who desireth not at all the death of the sinner so much as his
repentance,[37] received them, summoned them to assemblies, introduced
them and admitted them to the prayers and feasts.[38] What, then, do ye
counsel us in these matters, brethren? What ought we to do? Shall we
acquiesce and assent to them and maintain their decision and concession
and treat kindly those to whom they have extended mercy? or shall we hold
their judgment wrong and set ourselves up as critics of their decision
and vex their kind hearts and reverse their arrangement?
[A further extract on the subject of the lapsed]
I will set out the following single example that happened amongst us.
There was a certain aged believer amongst us, Sarapion, who had lived
blamelessly for a long time but yielded to temptation. This man often
begged to be restored, but no one heeded him; for he had sacrificed. But
he fell ill, and for three days in succession he remained speechless and
unconscious. Then recovering a little on the fourth day, he called to him
his nephew and said: "How long, my child, do ye keep me back? hasten ye,
I pray, and let me go speedily. Call thou one of the elders
(presbyters)." After this he became speechless again. The boy ran for the
elder, but it was night and he was ill and could not come. Now I had
given instructions that if those who were departing life asked and
especially when they chanced to have made supplication even before, they
should be absolved in order that they might depart in good hope; he gave
the boy, therefore, a morsel of the Eucharist, bidding him moisten it and
drop it into the old man's mouth. The lad went back with it. When he drew
near, before he entered, Sarapion revived again and said: "Hast come,
child? The presbyter could not come, but do thou quickly what he bade
thee, and let me go." So the boy moistened it and dropped it into his
mouth: and the other shortly after swallowing it straightway gave up the
ghost. Was he not clearly sustained and kept alive until he was absolved
that, with his sin wiped out, he might be acknowledged (by the Lord) for
the many good things he had done?
To Germanus a Bishop
(Eus., _H. E._ vi. 40 and vii. 11)
(1) Now before God I speak and He knoweth if I lie;[39] not at all on my
own judgment nor yet without Divine guidance did I take flight, but on a
former occasion also as soon as ever the persecution under Decius was set
up,[40] Sabinus[41] sent a _frumentarius_[42] to seek me; and I awaited
his arrival at my house for four days, while he went round searching
everywhere, the streams, the roads and the fields, where he suspected me
to hide or go, but he never lighted on my house, being held by blindness:
for he did not believe I should stay at home under pursuit. And hardly
after the four days when God bade me remove and unexpectedly made a way
for me, I and the boys[43] and many of the brethren went out together.
And this was ordered by the Providence of God, as after events have
shown, in which perchance we have been useful to some.