Letter CCXLII. To the People of Toulouse After his Return

(A.D. 1147.)

Bernard exhorts them not only to avoid heretics, but also to drive them away; also to exercise hospitality and not to listen to unknown preachers.

1. On the arrival of our dear brother and fellow-abbot Bernard¹ of Grandselve, I was glad and rejoiced greatly to hear what he told me of the constancy and sincerity of your faith in God, of the perseverance of your love, and of your devotion to me, of your zeal and hatred of heretics, so that every one of you is well able to say, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee, and am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee? (Ps. cxxxix. 21). / hate them with perfect hatred; I count them mine enemies." I thank God that my coming to you was not useless; and that my stay with you, though short, was not unfruitful. When I had made plain the truth not only by word, but also in power,² they were seen to be wolves who had come to you in sheep's clothing, and were eating up your people as though they were bread or as sheep appointed to be slain; the foxes which were spoiling your state, that most precious vineyard of the Lord, were seen; they were seen but not seized. Therefore, beloved, follow after them and seize them, and stop not till they utterly perish, and flee from all your territories, for it is not safe to sleep close to serpents. They sit lurking with the rich in secret places that they may slay the innocent. They are thieves and robbers (S. John x. 8), such as our Lord points out in the Gospel. They have themselves been subverted, and they are ready to subvert others, they utterly blemish your good name, and are corrupters of your faith. Evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Cor. xv. 33). The word of such, as the blessed Apostle says, eats like a canker (2 Tim. ii. 17).

2. Will anyone give me an opportunity to come to you once more? For my desire is, if in any way by the will of God I may be able, to see you again; though I am feeble and sick in body, I should think nothing of the labour since it would be for your exhortation and salvation. But in the meanwhile, beloved, so stand in the Lord as ye have begun, and as ye have heard of me. Obey your Bishops and the other rulers of the Church placed over you. Give diligence to show hospitality, for by this many have pleased God. Your father Abraham, through the holy care that he was wont to take in entertaining strangers, merited to receive Angels as his guests (Gen. xviii.). In the same way his nephew Lot, for similar devotion and pious custom in receiving them, was made to rejoice (Gen. xix.). And so do you, in like manner, receive not Angels, but the Lord of Angels, in the person of strangers, feed Him in the poor, clothe Him in the naked, visit Him in the sick, redeem Him in the captives. With such sacrifices God iswell pleased, Who, at the judgment, will say: " What you have done to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done to Me" (S. Matt. xxv. 40).

3. I give you also the same advice which I gave you when I was with you, that you receive no strange or unknown 7 12 LETTER CCXLII.

preacher, unless he be sent to preach by the Pope, or have permission from your Bishop. How, he says, shall they preach unless they be sent? (Rom. x. 15). These are they who put on the form of godliness, but within deny its power, who intermingle, like poison with honey, their profane novelties of terms and ideas with words from Heaven. Beware of them henceforward as pestilential, and know them to be ravening wolves in sheep's clothing. Let the bearer of this letter, the venerable Abbot of Grandselve, be kindly received by you, as also his house, which is also ours, having been lately handed over to us and our order by him, and specially affiliated to the church of Clairvaux. Show to us in the person of him and the saints with him how far you have profited by our admonitions in works of mercy, and give by your treatment of them a proof of your charity, and of the love which you have for me. Whatever you do for them, think it done for me. The grace of God and His peace be with you. Amen.

Footnotes

1. Mabillon reads thus. But it is hardly doubtful that Abbot Bertrand is meant. MS. documents at Grandselve mention an Abbot of that name, from 1128 to M48.— [E.] ↩

2. Refers to the wonderful miracles wrought by him (see fita, lib. iii. c. 6). Even Berengarius recognizes them in his Apology for Abaelard: '* Rumour has taken wings and carried the odour of your sanctity over the world, has pro claimed your merits, published your miracles," etc. ↩