Letter 122: I was delighted that we who are alike in character should now correspond by letter.

To Uranius, Bishop of Emesa, I was delighted that we who are alike in character should now correspond by letter. But I am not entirely sure what you meant by "Are not these my words?" If it was merely a greeting, I take no offense. But if it was meant to remind me of your advice to keep silent -- the so-called "prudent accommodation" -- I appreciate the thought, but I cannot accept it. The divine Apostle tells us the exact opposite: "Be instant in season and out of season" [2 Timothy 4:2]. And the Lord said to this very apostle, "Do not be afraid, but speak" [Acts 18:9]. To Isaiah He said, "Cry aloud, spare not" [Isaiah 58:1]. To Moses, "Go down, charge the people" [Exodus 19:21]. To Ezekiel, "I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; if you do not warn the wicked..." [Ezekiel 3:17-18]. I need not go on -- you know all this. Far from being distressed at having spoken freely, I rejoice and am glad. I praise Him who has counted me worthy of these sufferings, and I urge my friends to face the same dangers. If they know that I have strayed from the apostolic rule of faith -- swerved to the right or the left -- let them despise me. Let them join the opposing side. Let them be counted among our enemies. But if they bear witness that I hold the true Gospel teaching, then I call out to them: "Stand firm, with your loins girded with truth and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" [Ephesians 6:14-15]. Virtue, they say, comprises not only temperance, righteousness, and prudence, but also courage -- and it is courage that preserves all the rest. Righteousness needs courage to fight injustice. Temperance conquers vice only with courage's aid. This is why the God of all said through the prophet: "The just shall live by his faith, and if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him" [Habakkuk 2:3-4]. "Drawing back" He calls cowardice. Hold fast, then, my dear friend, to the apostolic doctrines. "For He who is coming will come and will not delay" [Hebrews 10:37], and He will render to every man according to his deeds. "The fashion of this world is passing away" [1 Corinthians 7:31], and the truth will be made plain.

Letter 122