59. The holy man of God however, metropolitan as
he was of the true Jerusalem above, was neither carried away with the
failure of those who fell, nor allowed himself to overlook this
conduct, nor did he desire any inadequate remedy for the evil.
Let us see how great and wonderful it was, or, I would say, how worthy
of his soul. He made of the dissension a cause of increase to the
Church, and the disaster, under his most able management, resulted in
the multiplication of the Bishops of the country. From this
ensued three most desirable consequences; a greater care for souls, the
management by each city of its own affairs, and the cessation of the
war in this quarter. I am afraid that I myself was treated as an
appendage to this scheme. By no other term can I readily describe
the position. Greatly as I admire his whole conduct, to an extent
indeed beyond my powers of expression, of this single particular I find
it impossible to approve, for I will acknowledge my feelings in regard
to it, though these are from other sources not unknown to most of
you. I mean the change and faithlessness of his treatment of
myself, a cause of pain which even time has not obliterated. For
this is the source of all the inconsistency and tangle of my life; it
has robbed me of the practice, or at least the reputation, of
philosophy; of small moment though the latter be. The defence,
which you will perhaps allow me to make for him, is this; his ideas
were superhuman, and having, before his death, become superior to
worldly influences, his only interests were those of the Spirit:
while his regard for friendship was in no wise lessened by his
readiness then, and then only, to disregard its claims, when they were
in conflict with his paramount duty to God, and when the end he had in
view was of greater importance than the interests he was compelled to
set aside.