Anonymous letters are in vogue today. Their usual content is barbs, reproaches, direct abuse or slander, and all this is from around the corner, so that the recipient does not know who is writing. True, sometimes writers seem to have a good purpose: to point out certain shortcomings and disorders, but then why should honest people hide themselves, at least from the person to whom they write?.. It is another thing to ask the addressee not to announce the name of the author of the letter, and for the addressee the name must be accurate, with the full address. Otherwise, these supposedly "well-intentioned" correspondents put themselves on a par with slanderers and scoffers, and all of them have the same name: cowards; In the first two cases, vile cowards, in the last case, cowardly hares!

That is why I humbly ask everyone who even praises me to sign their letters to me in full, so that I can sometimes answer in writing, without taking up lines in my printed diaries. After all, it often turns out to be just an insignificant misunderstanding, and it is not worth answering in print, you could answer in a letter, but here it is a pity to leave a person in error, but it is not worth occupying the attention of several thousand readers with a printed answer. So you throw the letter into the trash.

It goes without saying that my request will not bring the "vile cowards" to their senses, they will not cease to swear, thus proving only the old truth that the impotently spiteful person has a "hat on fire" on his head and imagines that he is causing me grief with his swearing, while the value of such abusive letters is known: they only prove to me every time that the word of truth that I utter bothers someone, and therefore it is useful for the work of God, for which glory be to God! As for slander against one's neighbor, of which there are so many in anonymous books, we, pastors, follow the example of King David, who drove out every secret slanderer (Psalm 100:5) — we tear up such a letter and throw it into a basket or into a fireplace.

I appeal to those who think that they serve God with anonymous letters. Our teaching: the end cannot justify the means. God does not need the help of Satan, who is the father of lies and all deception. If it is your wish that I do not name my correspondent in the press, then let this correspondent of mine say about this in a letter to me: I will fulfill his wish. And I personally need to know with whom I am talking by letter. I repeat: often I would like to reply to the author of an anonymous letter by letter, but he hid behind some letter or did not deign to sign at all. In this way he deprives himself of the means of knowing what I believe to be the truth. And from this I have the right to conclude that my anonymous correspondent does not want to know what I could answer him. At least – is it polite?

Recently I received from Vologda a long letter from a certain "non-Orthodox" intelligentsia concerning my farewell letter with the Vologda flock. She is indignant that my message "does not breathe peace, love, forgiveness" to some "offended and offended". The intellectual exclaims: "And after all, people are all brothers, all equal children of the Church, right and left, sinful and righteous, heretics and schismatics, political agitators and allies." If it is still possible to reconcile with the former, although with the proviso that disobedient children of the Church cannot be equal to those who are obedient, then it is impossible to reconcile with the latter: heretics and schismatics are not children of the Church at all, but her enemies, not sheep of Christ's flock, but goats, and political agitators are even wolves, albeit in sheep's clothing. The letter continues: "Do not treat the perishing people of the house of Israel with hatred and malice of disgust (oh, if these people did not drag her faithful children into perdition, if they did not destroy them with their vile, God-defying false teachings!), but with a feeling of forgiveness and love, treat your lost but dear children like a compassionate and loving father, treat them as Christ treated the thief on the cross (I will add: yes, only to the repentant, and not to the blasphemer who perished at the time when Christ said to the repentant: "Today shalt thou be with Me to paradise!"), and to the people who raised their hand against Him, as He forgave all His enemies, destroyers, and blasphemers"... This is how the "dissenter" teaches me. And then he forgets that all this refers to the personal enemies of Christ, that Christ the Savior mercilessly branded the corrupters of the people with the terrible words: "Serpents, the offspring of vipers, (Matt. 23:33), blind leaders, hypocrites, painted coffins, madmen" and so on. His apostles did the same with regard to heretics. And I, a sinner, it seems, did not use a single word in my epistle, but took everything from the Holy Apostles. "Do not divide the flock into false teachers, heretics and faithful children of the Church," the dissident bishop instructs. Well, no, gracious Empress: you will never expect this from any Orthodox archpastor! He must and will always call the wolf a wolf, and the sheep a sheep. Those who are obedient to the Church are children of the Church, and heretics are her enemies. Thus the Lord teaches us, so His holy Apostles commanded us. And so let us always do, so that wolves do not penetrate into the flock of Christ entrusted to us. That is why we have been given a staff, to drive them away. To denounce "dissenters" is our sacred duty, and no matter what the various preachers of Jewish freedom say, we will do the work entrusted to us by Christ, denouncing and driving away from our sheep the wolves who plunder the flock of God!

In my farewell epistle to the flock of Vologda, I have already pointed out how even the Apostle of Love, John the Theologian, commands to treat "dissenters," heretics: he does not allow them to be received into the home, forbids them to be greeted (2 John 10), and the Holy Apostle Paul forbids even to share a meal with them (1 Corinthians 5:11).

Have the Apostles of Christ forgotten Christ's teaching about "all-forgiveness, love," etc.? Do our "dissidents," like my correspondent, understand the spirit of this teaching better than they do? And if they do not dare to say this about themselves, then why do they keep silent about these apostolic commandments? Moreover, if we warn the children of the Church against false teachers, naming them as the Holy Apostles did, we do not do this at all out of some kind of hatred. We do not preach hatred, we do not preach enmity in relation to these people, no, we only warn the faithful children of the Church to beware of these wolves! We do not "push even these erring ones away from the Church": we protect the flock entrusted to us by God from their poison! Let it be true, if it is true, that they are "under the pressure of doubts, moral demands," let them openly tell us these demands, these doubts: we are ready to answer them with love. But we will not allow the children of the Church to be poisoned by these doubts, by the demands of the faithful in the simplicity of their hearts: we will always say to our children: these are wolves, these are moral poisoners: beware of them!

"All-forgiveness" in matters of faith is given on the condition of repentance, renunciation of one's errors, of one's "dissent": otherwise, no matter how much we forgive, God will not forgive!

Remember what terrible anathemas the Apostle Paul pronounces on those who believe differently, who preach differently: "If we are an angel from heaven, you hear: even we, i.e. the Apostles, even an angel from heaven!" "He preaches good tidings to you, if he preaches good tidings to you, let him be anathema!" This is not enough: the Apostle considered it necessary to repeat more: "As I have prophesied and now I say: If anyone preaches good news to you, if you have received it, let him be anathema!" This is how strictly we must protect the purity of the Orthodox faith! It is not cloying courtesy and kissing with false teachers (you hear, madam: false teachers), not "all-forgiveness" towards the murderers of Orthodox souls that they preach and command us, but threaten them with terrible anathemas, and give us the right to do so "differently" who preach and deceive with their false teaching to anathematize those who preach "differently" and deceive with their false teaching! And woe to us if we close our eyes to the activities of various "dissenters" and instill in the Orthodox to be indifferent to their preaching and listen to such suggestions as the "dissenter" makes to me: "May there be peace between you and us... let people of different persuasions and opinions live side by side and glorify God, each in his own way... All these are only flattering words: let each pray to God in his own way, but not dare to touch the conscience of another, but, after all, both you, "other believers", and we, the Orthodox, consider each of us to be pure and salvific, it is clear that each would like to convert another to his faith, and this is why you need this freedom. This "love, all-forgiveness" that you emphasize so much is in order to more easily seduce the children of Orthodoxy into your heresy. And in your heart you despise us, though you will never admit it. Live quietly, pray in your own way, do not dare to touch the Orthodox soul, and we will all be at peace with you—we will only pity you. And if you, in the name of "peace, love" and other sweet words, creep up on the treasure of the Orthodox faith, then we will draw the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and a terrible anathema will thunder over your heads... True, you are not afraid of it, but it will be useful for those who have not yet lost faith in the Church of Christ, who know and believe that her word does not return in the flesh of the Church.

You say that "God receives into His bosom (?) all those who believe differently, who think differently... The Lord made no distinction between His children"... Well, that's not what the Apostle Paul thinks, that's not what the Apostle Paul teaches. If it were so, then he would not threaten "dissenters, dissidents" with such terrible anathemas, and even repeat them. In your opinion, perhaps, the heretic Tolstoy will also receive salvation, despite his excommunication from the Church? Then why did the Lord create His Church? And he promised her that even the gates of hell would not prevail against her?! After all, if it is all about "love and compassion, forgiveness and peace," then why all the care for the Church, all these ecumenical councils, the teaching of the Holy Fathers, the feats and sufferings of confessors? Follow Tolstoy, repeat the word love and you will be saved... No, not so, my "dissenter" correspondent: do you know that even good deeds cannot be done for salvation, if you do not believe rightly? Are you surprised? Don't you understand me? And you will not understand if you do not humbly assimilate the teachings of the Orthodox Church! The fact of the matter is that we believe and confess that the saving grace of God is poured out only in the bosom of the Orthodox Church, and without such grace it is impossible to do truly salvific good. And whoever leaves the Church deprives himself of this grace. The pagans also do good, but this good only brings them closer to the Church, as was the case with Cornelius the centurion, and cannot save them: for this it is necessary to enter into the bosom of the Church through the salvific sacraments of the Church. Do you believe so? Of course not? Then what are we going to talk about? I will say one thing: if you are sincerely looking for the truth, then do not hide under an anonymous person, write me your address and I will lovingly answer your "doubts and requests", to the best of my ability and free time. And if you infect others with your indeferentism in relation to the purity of the Orthodox faith, then you too – forgive me – I speak the truth, I do not lie: and you are threatened with the same anathema that the Apostle subjected to all "those who believe differently and preach differently." As for my personal infirmities, my lack of service to the Church of Vologda, I will say one thing: I saw all this in myself, grieved over it, told the Church authorities many times about my infirmities, but waited for the will of God when it would speak clearly in the will of the Church authorities. The hour came, and I joyfully left the pulpit, in which I was too strong to serve. This, I think, is enough for you. Shall I add more: according to our Orthodox understanding, it is not the sheep who judge the shepherd, but the shepherd the sheep. But you must be forgiven for this: after all, you are a "dissenter"...

In conclusion, one request: to spare me extracts from the Gospel in French... Perhaps you never read the Gospels in Russian? But, after all, you write well in Russian. Why should I, who do not know French, read French quotations in your letter? Then I have the right to write to you in Greek, it is easier for me, and the language is truly apostolic! Why this fashion? it is the Flaunting of the language of a foreign people, infected with unbelief, Freemasonry, infecting our Fatherland with these ailments??? Or do you prefer the Gospel in French than in Russian?.. Ah, madam! After all, this is how far apart we are: well, where can we agree on such important issues as the salvation of the soul, faith, love, etc.?..

My readers will be surprised that I have allocated so much space for an answer to some anonymous correspondent from Vologda.

It's not about Vologda, not about the anonymous lady. This letter is the most characteristic expression of the contagion of Freemasonry, indifference to the truths of faith, which in recent years has begun to prevail in certain intellectual circles of our society. I pronounced the word: Freemasonry. Yes, thank God, now the mask has already been torn off from this age-old enemy of Christ's truth. We know something of his plans and intentions, we know that his goal is the destruction of Christianity on earth, the transformation of all mankind into cattle fit only for the service of Freemasons, or rather, Jews, who, as it has long been known, consider all people to be brutes without a human soul, brutes to which God gave only human form, so that the Jews would not be disgusted with the use of these cattle. This is not a slander against the Jews: it is literally read in their Talmudic writings. This goal, of course, is hindered by Christianity, and of all Christian confessions, by Orthodoxy, the purest Christian teaching, and therefore the most hated by the Jews. And so, all false tricks, all sophisms, all slanders against Orthodoxy have been set in motion, all sects, all heresies, all godless teachings have been drawn into cooperation in the destruction of Orthodoxy, in order to shake this pillar of the truth of Christ. And since you cannot immediately turn an Orthodox person into godlessness, then first they try to seduce him into some sect, like Shtunda, Baptism, Molokans, then come spiritism, occultism, Buddhism, and finally outright godlessness... So this is who our semi-intellectuals of all ranks, sexes and conditions, who preach indifference in the confession of Christianity, serve: after all, they serve the Freemasons and the Jews! This is what we, pastors, must warn the Orthodox faithful against with all our might. That is why it is impossible not to reveal all the harm of those sweet-talking, supposedly peaceful, rantings that we hear from our "dissidents," who do not think in the Russian way, consciously or unconsciously, but completely unfoundedly, sometimes hiding behind the alleged Gospel teaching about love and lavishing reproaches and even scolding on us, the pastors of the Church, for our alleged intolerance towards them, the believers of other faiths. We quote the words of the Apostles, who branded the sectarians of their time with the words: wolves, waterless clouds, etc. This is not in the spirit of Christ's teaching. Take these reproaches, gentlemen of Tolstoy's non-resistance, to the holy Apostles, if you have the boldness to do so.. And we fear the threat of Him who has a sharp sword on both sides: "As thou art neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." (Acts 3:16).

THE GLORIOUS TERCENTENARY