Letter 2032: Having reread the letter of your excellency, I gave thanks to God that by its own arrangement I learned of your...

XXXII. To his lord, the illustrious and ever magnificent son Agricola, Bishop Ruricius. Having read over the letter of your sublimity, I gave thanks to God, because I learned that you had recovered your health by His own ordinance sooner than I learned that you had fallen ill, so that He took away anxiety from us and restored well-being to you. Yet that infirmity, mercifully brought upon you, I reckon to have come from our Lord Himself as propitious rather than angry, in keeping with His accustomed devotion. For thus we read, that the Lord reproves him whom He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives. And this, so far as I hear, is borne out in your case as well, namely that, your affections having been set in order, He instilled His own affection into us, and, your bearing and mind being changed, laid upon you the yoke of His gentleness, so that, bending your necks to His saving chariot, while you carry the light burden of His commandments, you might lay down the heavy load of your sins. For this is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High, when out of sinners He deigns to make the righteous, out of strangers members of His household, and friends for Himself out of servants. It remains that you now prove in your heart the conversion which you have shown forth in your dress, and that this exchange be held to lie between your garment and your soul, so that, just as that man under white garments had hitherto blackness, so now under dark garments he may shine bright with the light of his works. For a sinner, on the day on which, being converted, he shall groan, then he shall be saved, provided that, according to the saying of the holy apostle Paul, just as we have hitherto offered our bodies to serve the world and iniquity unto iniquity, so now we may offer our members to serve righteousness unto sanctification; and let us not be like those who, fearing God, put forward one thing in their words, hold another in their conduct, parade another in their dress, and prove another by their deeds, lest that saying of the Lord bite us, who under the clothing of sheep conceal the rage of wolves; because that divine eye, as it is written, watches the good and the evil in every place. Without doubt, whomever He shall behold passing over to Himself with an undivided heart, He Himself will come down into that man's heart by a continual indwelling, so that He may not be without a dweller, He for whom He has prepared a dwelling-place. Let us therefore in common render thanks to our Lord for so unspeakable a goodness of His, who prefers to admonish His servants rather than to destroy them, to correct rather than to punish, and, in return for the loan of a brief life, to bestow the kingdoms of perpetuity. As for what remains, I send abundant greeting, and I commend your handmaid to you with a special recommendation, although, your devotion being secure, she has no need of this, namely that, with the same affection by which you held it of such worth to receive her, you may always cherish her by your indulgence, she who by the divine bounty has bound us both to herself, making us grandfathers by her fruitfulness, making us great-grandfathers. My lady daughter I keep safe with the longing and honor that is fitting. For the sake of recognizing her, if there were the means of traveling, there was the most ready will to visit you, so that her whom we behold with our inner eyes by a continual remembrance on account of the bond of kinship, we might also discern with our outer eyes. I pray that you fare well.

XXXII. DOMINO INLUSTRI SEMPERQVE MAGNIFICO FILIO AGRICOLAE RURICIUS EPISCOPUS. Relectis litteris sublimitatis uestrae gratias deo egi, quod uos prius reualuisse ordinatione ipsius, quam infirmatos esse cognoui, ut nobis anxietatem tolleret et uobis redderet sospitatem. quam tamen infirmitatem uobis clementer inlatam propitio potius quam irato ipso domino nostro pro solita eius pietate conicio. sic enim legimus, quod corripiat dominus, quem diligit, (castigat) autem omnem filium, quem recipit. quod etiam in nobis, quantum audio, conprobatur, ut ordinatis affectibus uestris suum nobis insinuaret affectum et habitu animoque mutato iugum uobis suae lenitatis inponeret, ut salutari currui suo colla subdentes, dum mandatorum suorum leue onus euehitis, peccatorum grauem sarcinam deponatis. Haec est enim mutatio dexterae excelsi, dum de peccatoribus iustos, de extraneis domesticos, amicos sibi facere dignatur ex seruis. superest, ut nunc conuersionem, quam protulistis . in ueste, probetis in corde et haec commutatio inter indumentum uestrum habeatur et animum, ut, sicut ille sub 16] Prou. 8,12. 17] Hebr. 12, 6. 24] Psalm. 76,11. 1 factis S 7 iuditio S 8 presenti S 10 inlustriil S (e eras.) 12 relictis S 14 ut Luetjohann, et S 17 conitio S 18 diligit add. v, castigat add. Kr. ex ep. II 23, om. S recepit S 19 re probatur 11 20 animo quae mutatu S 21 curui S 25 dextraneis S candidis uestibus habuit hucusque nigredinem, ita nunc sub pullis uestibus operum luce candescat. peccator enim, qua die conuersus ingemuerit, tunc saluus erit, dummodo iuxta sancti apostoli Pauli sententiam, sicut exhibuimus hactenus corpora nostra seruire saeculo et iniquitati ad iniquitatem, ita nunc exhibeamus membra nostra seruire iustitiae in sanctificationem, nec simus quasi timentes deum aliud sermonibus praetendentes, aliud habentes in moribus, aliud ostentantes in uestibus, aliud actibus conprobantes, ne nos mordeat sermo ille dominicus, sub uestitu ouium luporum rabiem contegentes, quia oculus ille diuinus, sicut scriptum est, omni loco bonos speculatur et malos. sine dubio, quem ad se integro corde transire conspexerit, ipse in cor illius iugi habitatione descendet, ut eo habitatore non careat, cui se praeparauit habitaculum. Gratias itaque domino nostro super tam inenarrabili eius bonitate in commune referamus, qui mauult seruos suos monere quam perdere, corrigere, quam punire, et pro usura breuis uitae perpetuitatis regna donare. quod superest, saluto plurimum et ancillam uestram uobis peculiari insinuatione commendo, quamlibet hoc salua uestra pietate non egeat, ut, quo eam suscipere tanti habuistis affectu, semper foueatis indultu, quae largitate diuina utrosque nos sibi parauit obnoxios, nos auos faciens sua fecunditate, nos proauos. domnam filiam meam desiderio et honore, quo dignum est, sospito. ob cuius agnitionem, si facultas esset ambulandi, erat uoluntas promptissima uos uisendi, ut, quam interioribus oculis pro adfinitatis 4] Rom. 6, 13. 8] Matth. 7, 15. 11] 1 Petro 3, 12. 1 nigridinem S 2 candiscat S 4 Pauli apostoli v 7 simns v, scimus S praetendentis S 10 uestituo S 12 bonus speculator S 12 et ante sine om. v 14 discendit S 16 inennarrabili S 17 suos om. v 18 corregere S 19 perpetuitatis Kr., perpetualn tis S, perpetua v primum S 20 peculiare S 21 quo eam r, coeam S 22 indultuque S 25 suspito S 26 agnitionem om. r prumptissima S ipsius coniunctione iugi recordatione conspicimus, etiam exterioribus cerneremus. opto bene agas.