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VIII. How Pope Boniface sent the Pall and a letter to Justus,
successor to Mellitus
[624 A.D.]
JUSTUS, bishop of the church of Rochester, immediately succeeded Mellitus in the
archbishopric. He consecrated Romanus bishop of that see in his own stead,
having obtained authority to ordain bishops from Pope Boniface, whom we
mentioned above as successor to Deusdedit: of which licence this is the form:
"Boniface, to his most beloved brother Justus. We have learnt not only from the
contents of your letter addressed to us, but from the fulfilment granted to your
work, how faithfully and vigilantly you have laboured, my brother, for the
Gospel of Christ; for Almighty God has not forsaken either the mystery of His
Name, or the fruit of your labours, having Himself faithfully promised to the
preachers of the Gospel, 'Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world'; which promise His mercy has particularly manifested in this ministry
imposed upon you, opening the hearts of the nations to receive the wondrous
mystery of your preaching. For He has blessed with a rich reward your Eminence's
acceptable course, by the support of His loving kindness; granting a plentiful
increase to your labours in the faithful management of the talents committed to
you, and bestowing it on that which you might confirm to many generations. This
is conferred on you by that recompense whereby, constantly persevering in the
ministry imposed upon you, you have awaited with praiseworthy patience the
redemption of that nation, and that they might profit by your merits, salvation
has been bestowed on them. For our Lord Himself says, 'He that endureth to the
end shall be saved.'' You are, therefore, saved by the hope of patience, and the
virtue of endurance, to the end that the hearts of unbelievers, being cleansed
from their natural disease of superstition, might obtain the mercy of their
Saviour: for having received letters from our son Adulwald, we perceive with how
much knowledge of the Sacred Word you, my brother, have brought his mind to the
belief in true conversion and the certainty of the faith. Therefore, firmly
confiding in the long-suffering of the Divine clemency, we believe that, through
the ministry of your preaching, there will ensue most full salvation not only of
the nations subject to him, but also of their neighbours; to the end, that as it
is written, the recompense of a perfect work may be conferred on you by the
Lord, the Rewarder of all the just; and that the universal confession of all
nations, having received the mystery of the Christian faith, may declare, that
in truth 'Their sound is gone out into all the earth, and their words unto the
end of the world.'
"We have also, my brother, moved by the warmth of our goodwill, sent you by the
bearer of these presents, the pall, giving you authority to use it only in the
celebration of the Sacred Mysteries; granting to you likewise to ordain bishops
when there shall be occasion, through the Lord's mercy; that so the Gospel of
Christ, by the preaching of many, may be spread abroad in all the nations that
are not yet converted. You must, therefore, endeavour, my brother, to preserve
with unblemished sincerity of mind that which you have received through the
kindness of the Apostolic see, bearing in mind what it is that is represented by
the honourable vestment which you have obtained to be borne on your shoulders.
And imploring the Divine mercy, study to show yourself such that you may present
before the tribunal of the Supreme Judge that is to come, the rewards of the
favour granted to you, not with guiltiness, but with the benefit of souls. "God
preserve you in safety, most dear brother!"
