I testify and solemnly declare regarding Master Scholarius that I have known him from his most tender age, that I am attached to him by friendship, that I love him as my son, as my friend – although some changes in our mutual friendly relations may be mentioned. Living unceasingly with him, even to this hour, when I feel the approach of my death, I fully know the strength of his mind, his wisdom, and the strength of his speech; and therefore I am sure that of all the people who are at this time, he alone is able to lend a helping hand to Orthodoxy, overwhelmed by those trying to shake the purity of dogmas; he alone, with the help of God, is able to protect the Church and strengthen Orthodoxy, being faithful and not hiding the lamp under a bushel. I cannot think that inner sympathy or suppression of the voice of conscience was the reason that he did not fight for the Church with his characteristic zeal and diligence, seeing her besieged by the waves, when Truth was shaken by a storm and when he knew that he had to defend her – the reason for this was only one human weakness! Whoever is wise like him cannot but see that the destruction of universal Orthodoxy destroys everything! – Perhaps, in this past tense, he considered the intercession of some others, and most of all mine, to be sufficient for this, – and therefore he did not show himself to be an obvious defender of the truth, and, no doubt, was restrained by some temporary circumstances or worldly considerations; but I did nothing, or contributed very little to the defense of the Church, having neither sufficient power of speech nor strength – and now I am coming to corruption – and what can be lower than corruption!
If he could then think that we alone were able to protect the Church and considered it useless to undertake what others could do, then now, when I am already ready to depart from this world, I do not see anyone else besides him who could, as I think, to replace me for the defense of the Church, the holy Faith, and the dogmas of Orthodoxy, and, for this reason, I entrust this matter to him. Being not only called, but also compelled by present circumstances, may he ignite the sparks of piety living in him, and may he stand up for the holy Church, for Orthodoxy, and may he lead, with the help of God, to the desired end what I could not complete myself. So, he will succeed in this, according to the goodness of God, with his own wisdom and with the gift of eloquence that he possesses — if these gifts are used by him at the proper time.
In any case, he is obliged, both before God and before the holy Faith and the Church, to faithfully and piously stand up for Orthodoxy; but no less than that, I myself command this struggle to him — let him replace me, the Warrior of the Church; let him pour out holy teaching, according to Orthodox dogmas, and let him be a defender of the truth! May he firmly trust in the help of God and in the very truth of those dogmas for which he fights; holy Church teachers will co-exist with him, divinely inspired holy fathers with him, great theologians with him; he will receive retribution from the Supreme Judge, from the One Who will call to Himself all who struggled for the Faith. Obliged to the Church to use all his strength to uphold the dogmas of Orthodoxy, he must also, at the solemn moment of my death, pledge himself to me, who bequeaths this feat to him, in the hope that my labors, continued to them will bring forth fruit a hundredfold, like seed sown in good ground. And so, may he answer me to this, so that I may be completely calm before I depart from this life, and so that I do not die in sorrow, despairing of saving the Church!
