Letter CLXVIII.
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To Antiochus
.
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I
mourn
for the Church
that is deprived of the guidance of such a shepherd.
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But I have so much the more ground for
congratulating you on being worthy of the privilege of enjoying, at
such a moment, the society of one who is fighting such a good fight in
the cause of the truth, and I am sure that you, who nobly support and
stimulate his zeal, will be thought worthy by the Lord of a lot like
his. What a blessing, to enjoy in unbroken quiet the society of
the man so rich in learning and experienced in life! Now, at
least, you must, I am sure, know how wise he is. In days gone by
his mind was necessarily given to many divided cares, and you were too
busy a man to give your sole heed to the spiritual fountain which
springs from his pure heart. God grant that you may be a comfort
to him, and never yourself want consolation from others. I am
sure of the disposition of your heart, alike from the experience which
I, for a short time, have had of you, and from the exalted teaching
your illustrious instructor, with whom to pass one single day is a
sufficient provision for the journey to
salvation.
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Placed in
374.
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Nephew
of Eusebius.
cf. Letters
cxlvi, clvii., and
clviii.
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Eusebius was
now in exile in Thrace. On this picturesque scene of his
forced departure from his diocese, the agony of his flock at losing
him, and his calm submission to the tyranny of Valens, see Theodoret
iv. 12 and 13, pp. 115, 116, of this edition.