Grace And Salvation

Τοσαύτην χάριν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ μέλλοντος τοῖς μοναχοῖς ἐδωρήσατο, ὥστε τούτους μὲν μὴ θέλειν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην δόξαν, μήτ' ἐπιθυμεῖν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ παντοίων ἀξιωμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κρύπτεσθαι πολλάκις, καὶ σπουδάζειν μᾶλλον λανθάνειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διὰ τὸ ἐγκαταμίξαι ἑκουσίως ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς εὐτελέσι καὶ ἐξουδενωμένοις τῶν ἀδελφῶν· πολλοὺς δὲ μεγιστᾶνας, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν κόσμῳ ἀξίαν, εἴθ' ἑκουσίως, εἴτ' ἀβουλήτως διά τινος περιστάσεως προσφεύγειν τοῖς ταπεινοῖς μοναχοῖς, καὶ λυτροῦσθαι μὲν κινδύνων θανατηφόρων, σωτηρίας δε, καὶ προσκαίρου, καὶ αἰωνίου τυγχάνειν. Ἡ γὰρ θεία πρόνοια συνωθεῖ τους δυνάστας, ἑκόντας τε καὶ ἄκοντας, προσφεύγειν τοῖς ἐλαχίστοις, καὶ σώζεσθαι. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ Α´, Πολεμαιῳ Source: Migne PG 79.81a

Such great grace God has given to monks even before the future age, that they have no care for the glory of men, nor do they desire anything of value in the world, but often they hide themselves, and are zealous rather to be forgotten by men, and by their own will they mingle with the most wretched of men, but many who are great seek every glory of the world, either by their own will, or unwillingly on account of circumstances, which trials humble monks must flee, delivering themselves from fatal dangers, having considered temporal and eternal salvation. Divine Providence drives the powerful, willing or unwilling, to fly to the least to be saved. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 1, To Ptolemaius the Senator