Letter 219: The Lord orders all things in measure and weight, Wisdom 11:20 and brings on us the temptations which do not exceed our power to endure them, but tests all that fight in the cause of true religion by affliction, not suffering them to be tempted above that they are able to bear. He gives tears to drink in great measure to all who ought to show ...

The Lord orders all things in measure and weight, and brings upon us only those trials that we have the strength to bear. He gives tears in full measure to those who need to prove that their gratitude to Him survives affliction. In His dealings with you especially, He has shown His loving-kindness: He has not permitted a persecution so severe as to turn any of you from the faith of Christ. He has matched you against adversaries of small importance, easily repelled, and has prepared the prize of patience for your victory over them. But the common enemy of our life, seeing that you stand like a strong wall against external attack, has devised a different strategy. I hear that quarrels and offenses have arisen among yourselves. These things may seem insignificant at first and easy to cure, but if left to fester through contention, they tend to produce damage beyond repair. I have therefore taken it upon myself to write and urge you: respect my appeal, put a stop to your rivalries, and send me the good news that all causes of division among you are at an end. I very much want you to understand this: the person who is great before God is the one who humbly submits to his neighbor and accepts accusations against himself without shame, even if they are untrue, in order to bring the great blessing of peace to God's Church. I hope there will be a friendly competition among you over who can first deserve to be called a child of God by becoming a peacemaker. Your bishop has also written to you about the course you should take, and he will write again on matters within his responsibility. But I too, because I have already been close to you, cannot ignore your situation. On the arrival of our devout brother Theodosius, I will learn whether my letter has accomplished anything. If not, I will come to you in person -- which I have long wished to do -- both to see you in the Lord and to give you, face to face, the advice you need.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To the clergy of Samosata. The Lord orders all things in measure and weight, Wisdom 11:20 and brings on us the temptations which do not exceed our power to endure them, but tests all that fight in the cause of true religion by affliction, not suffering them to be tempted above that they are able to bear. He gives tears to drink in great measure to all who ought to show whether in their affections they are preserving their gratitude to Him. Especially in His dispensation concerning you has He shown His loving-kindness, not suffering such a persecution to be brought on you by your enemies as might turn some of you aside, or cause you to swerve from the faith of Christ. He has matched you with adversaries who are of small importance and easy to be repelled, and has prepared the prize for your patience in your victory over them. But the common enemy of our life, who, in his wiles, strives against the goodness of God, because he has seen that, like a strong wall, you are despising attack from without, has devised, as I hear, that there should arise among yourselves mutual offenses and quarrels. These indeed, at the outset, are insignificant and easy of cure; as time goes on, however, they are increased by contention and are wont to result in irremediable mischief. I have, therefore, undertaken to exhort you by this letter. Had it been possible, I would have come myself and supplicated you in person. But this is prevented by present circumstances, and so, in lieu of supplication, I hold out this letter to you, that you may respect my entreaty, may put a stop to your mutual rivalries, and may soon send me the good news that all cause of offense among you is at an end. 2. I am very anxious that you should know that he is great before God who humbly submits to his neighbour and submits to charges against himself, without having cause for shame, even though they are not true, that he may bring the great blessing of peace upon God's Church. I hope that there will arise among you a friendly rivalry, as to who shall first be worthy of being called God's son, after winning this rank for himself because of his being a peacemaker. A letter has also been written to you by your very God-beloved bishop as to the course which you ought to pursue. He will write again what it belongs to him to say. But I too, because of its having been already allowed me to be near you, cannot disregard your position. So on the arrival of the very devout brother Theodorus the subdeacon, and his report that your Church is in distress and disturbance, being deeply grieved and much pained at heart, I could not endure to keep silence. I implore you to fling away all controversy with one another, and to make peace, that you may avoid giving pleasure to you opponents and destroying the boast of the Church, which is now reported abroad throughout the world, that you all, as you are ruled by one soul and heart, so live in one body. Through your reverences I salute all the people of God, both those in rank and office and the rest of the clergy. I exhort you to keep your old character. I can ask for nothing more than this because by the exhibition of your good works you have anticipated and made impossible any improvement on them.

[Πρός: Τῷ Σαμοσατέων κλήρῳ.] Ὁ πάντα μέτρῳ καὶ σταθμῷ ὁρίζων ἡμῖν Κύριος, καὶ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς ἐπάγων μὴ ὑπερβαίνοντας ἡμῶν τὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζων μὲν διὰ τῆς περιστάσεως τοὺς ἀγωνιστὰς τῆς εὐσεβείας, οὐκ ἐῶν δὲ πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνανται ὑπενεγκεῖν, καὶ ποτίζων δάκρυσιν ἐν μέτρῳ τοὺς ὀφείλοντας διδαχθῆναι, εἰ ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι τὸ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εὐχάριστον διασώζουσι, μάλιστα ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας τῆς καθʼ ὑμᾶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ φιλάνθρωπον ἐφανέρωσε, μὴ συγχωρήσας ὑμῖν τὸν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν διωγμὸν τοιοῦτον ἐπενεχθῆναι, οἷον δύνασθαι περιτρέψαι τινὰς ἢ διασαλεῦσαι ἀπὸ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως. κούφοις γὰρ καὶ εὐκαταγωνίστοις ἀντιπάλοις παραζεύξας ὑμᾶς, ἐν τῇ κατʼ αὐτῶν νίκῃ τὸ βραβεῖον ὑμῖν τῆς ὑπομονῆς ηὐτρέπισεν. ἀλλʼ ὁ κοινὸς ἐχθρὸς τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν, ὁ ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ μεθοδείαις ἀντιμαχόμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ χρηστότητι, ἐπειδὴ εἶδεν ὑμᾶς ὡς τεῖχος κραταιὸν τῆς ἔξωθεν προσβολῆς καταφρονοῦντας, ἐν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἀκούω, ἐπενόησε γενέσθαι τινὰς λύπας πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ μικροψυχίας· αἳ παρὰ μὲν τὴν πρώτην μικραί εἰσι καὶ εὐθεράπευτοι, προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου ὑπὸ φιλονεικίας αὐξανόμεναι, εἰς ἀνίατον παντελῶς ἐκπίπτειν πεφύκασι. διὸ ὥρμησα πρὸς τὴν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος τοῦδε παράκλησιν. εἰ μὲν ἦν δυνατόν, αὐτὸς ἂν παρεγενόμην, καὶ δι’ ἐμαυτοῦ ἱκέτευσα ὑμᾶς· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο οἱ καιροὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπουσι, τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ταύτην ἀνθʼ ἱκετηρίας ὑμῖν προτείνομεν, ἵνα αἰδεσθέντες ἡμῶν τὰς παρακλήσεις καταλύσητε πᾶσαν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλονεικίαν, καὶ ταχέως μοι διαπέμψησθε τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἀγγελίαν, ὅτι ἀφήκατε ἀλλήλοις τὰς μέμψεις. Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ εἰδέναι βούλομαι τὴν σύνεσιν ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος μέγας παρὰ Θεῷ, ὁ ταπεινοφρόνως ὑποκατακλιθεὶς τῷ πλησίον καὶ ἀνεπαισχύντως ἐφʼ ἑαυτὸν ἀναδεξάμενος τὰ ἐγκλήματα, κἂν μὴ ἀληθῆ ᾖ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸ μέγα ὄφελος τὴν εἰρήνην χαρίσασθαι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. γενέσθω οὖν ἐν ὑμῖν ἅμιλλα ἀγαθή, τίς πρῶτος καταξιθωῇ υἱὸς Θεοῦ κληθῆναι, διὰ τῆς εἰρηνοποιίας ἑαυτῷ τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦτο περιποιησάμενος. ἐπέστειλε δὲ καὶ ὁ θεοφιλέστατος ἐπίσκοπος ὑμῖν τὰ πρέποντα, καὶ ἐπιστελεῖ πάλιν τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα αὐτῷ. πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς. διὰ τὸ ἔτι συγκεχωρῆσθαι ἐγγύτεροι ὑμῶν εἶναι, ἀμελεῖν τῶν καθʼ ὑμᾶς οὐ δυνάμεθα. ὅθεν καὶ παραγενομένου τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ Θεοδώρου τοῦ ὑποδιακόνου, καὶ εἰπόντος τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐν λύπῃ εἶναι καὶ ταραχῇ, σφοδρῶς συντριβέντες καὶ βαθείᾳ ὀδύνῃ τὴν καρδίαν πληγέντες, ἡσυχάσαι οὐκ ἠνειχόμεθα· ἀλλὰ παρεκαλέσαμεν ὑμᾶς, πᾶσαν δικαιολογίαν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ῥίψαντας, καταπράξασθαι τὴν εἰρήνην, ἵνα μήτε ἡδονὴν τοῖς ἐναντίοις παράσχησθε, μήτε τὸ καύχημα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προδῶτε, ὃ νῦν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διαβεβόηται, ὅτι οἱ πάντες, ὡς ὑπὸ μιᾶς ψυχῆς καὶ καρδίας οἰκονομούμενοι, ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι οὕτω διάγετε. πάντα τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τούς τε ἐν ἀξιώμασι καὶ δυναστείαις πολιτικαῖς καὶ τοῦ παντὸς κλήρου τὸ πλήρωμα διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας εὐλαβείας κατασπαζόμεθα, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ὁμοίους ἑαυτοῖς διαμεῖναι. οὐδεμίαν γὰρ προσθήκην ἐπιζητοῦμεν, διὰ τὸ πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν προλαβόντας αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξεως ἀποκλεῖσαι.