St Athanasius the Great LETTERS, Part I, Complete

Translated by Cardinal Newman.

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This Part: 128 Pages

Page 76

5. Oh! my brethren, how shall we admire the loving-kindness of the Saviour? With what power, and with what a trumpet should a man cry out, exalting these His benefits! That not only should we bear His image, but should receive from Him an example and pattern of heavenly conversation; that as He hath begun, we should go on, that suffering, we should not threaten, being reviled, we should not revile again, but should bless them that curse, and in everything commit ourselves to God who judgeth righteously [3958] . For those who are thus disposed, and fashion themselves according to the Gospel, will be partakers of Christ, and imitators of apostolic conversation, on account of which they shall be deemed worthy of that praise from him, with which he praised the Corinthians, when he said, 'I praise you that in everything ye are mindful of me [3959] .' Afterwards, because there were men who used his words, but chose to hear them as suited their lusts, and dared to pervert them, as the followers of Hymenaeus and Alexander, and before them the Sadducees, who as he said, 'having made shipwreck of faith,' scoffed at the mystery of the resurrection, he immediately proceeded to say, 'And as I have delivered to you traditions, hold them fast [3960] .' That means, indeed, that we should think not otherwise than as the teacher has delivered.

[3958] 1 Pet. ii. 21-23

[3959] 1 Cor. xi. 2.

[3960] 1 Tim. i. 19; 2 Tim. ii. 18; 1 Cor. xi. 2

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