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| All the above illegalities were carried on in the interest of Arianism. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
§6.
All the above illegalities were carried on in the interest of
Arianism.
Gregory then is an Arian, and has been sent to
the Arian party; for none demanded him, but they only; and accordingly
as a hireling and a stranger, he makes use of the Governor to inflict
these dreadful and cruel deeds upon the people of the Catholic
Churches, as not being his own. For since Pistus, whom Eusebius and his
fellows formerly appointed over the Arians, was justly anathematized468
468 Apol. c. Ar. §§19, 24. | and excommunicated for his impiety by you the
Bishops of the Catholic Church, as you all know, on our writing to you
concerning him, they have now, therefore, in like manner sent this
Gregory to them; and lest they should a second time be put to shame, by
our again writing against them, they have employed extraneous force
against me, in order that, having obtained possession of the Churches,
they may seem to have escaped all suspicion of being Arians. But in
this too they have been mistaken, for none of the people of the Church
are with them, except the heretics only, and those who have been excommunicated on
divers charges, and such as have been compelled by the Governor to
dissemble. This then is the drama of Eusebius and his fellows, which
they have long been rehearsing and composing; and now have succeeded in
performing through the false charges which they have made against me
before the Emperor469 . Notwithstanding,
they are not yet content to be quiet, but even now seek to kill me; and
they make themselves so formidable to our friends, that they are all
driven into banishment, and expect death at their hands. But you must
not for this stand in awe of their iniquity, but on the contrary
avenge: and shew your indignation at this their unprecedented conduct
against us. For if when one member suffers all the members suffer with
it, and, according to the blessed Apostle, we ought to weep with them
that weep470 , let every one, now that so great a
Church as this is suffering, avenge its wrongs, as though he were
himself a sufferer. For we have a common Saviour, who is blasphemed by
them, and Canons belonging to us all, which they are transgressing. If
while any of you had been sitting in your Church, and while the people
were assembled with you, without any blame, some one had suddenly come
under plea of an edict as successor of one of you, and had acted the
same part towards you, would you not have been indignant? would you not
have demanded to be righted? If so, then it is right that you should be
indignant now, lest if these things be passed over unnoticed, the same
mischief shall by degrees extend itself to every Church, and so our
schools of religion be turned into a market-house and an exchange.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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