Asaad's Letter To His Brother Phares


"To my beloved brother Phares; the Lord Most High preserve him. Your

departure caused me great grief. First, because you were impatient

when trial and persecution came upon you. It is a thing we are regularly

to expect, that if we hope in God in this world, we shall give universal

offence. But we have another city, for which we hope. Do not lose your

courage, for you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

/> Remember, we cannot share in the glory of Christ, if we share not also

in his sufferings. Therefore, rejoice whenever you are tried; rejoice,

and never be sad; for our faith is sure.



"Secondly, I was grieved because you gave me no information where you

were going, and what you intended to do. Now, it is not becoming, that

we should do any thing rashly, that is, till we have prayed to God for

direction. Come home, then, and let us set apart a season of fasting and

prayer to God, and do what is most agreeable to him. Perhaps it is best

to let our works preach in silence, in these evil days.



"You must know, that if you fail to come home, you will give us great

pain, and this, you know, would be inconsistent with love. Jesus says,

'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love

one to another.' You well know how much joy and consolation it would

give us to see you; do not then deny us this pleasure, but come at all

events. If you do not come, it may be an injury both to yourself and me.

I wish to see you, if it be only to say to you two words, and then act

your pleasure; for not every word can be said with paper and pen.

Farewell.



"Your brother and companion in tribulation,



ASAAD."



Galeb took me aside, and begged me to urge his brother to go home. I

said I had already advised him to do so, but that I could not force him

to go--that if he found he could not enjoy liberty of conscience, and

the privilege of reading the word of God, in Hadet, he was welcome to

stay with me as long as he pleased. "You are a man," said Galeb, "that

speaks the truth and acts uprightly, but Asaad and Phares are not like

you; they talk very improper things." Among these things, he mentioned a

report to which Asaad had given circulation, respecting the patriarch,

to which I was obliged to reply, that instead of taking it for granted

to be a false report, he ought to believe it to be true, and that such

a report was not abroad respecting the patriarch alone, but respecting a

majority of patriarchs and bishops of the whole land.



After some further conversation on the wickedness of treating brothers,

as they had done Phares and Asaad, we went to Phares, and endeavoured to

persuade him to go home with his brother. But it was all in vain. "If I

leave this house," said he, "instead of going to Hadet, I will go in the

opposite direction." The brother returned without him.



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