Firmilian of Caesarea, Letter to Cyprian (Ep. 74/75) 3
Let us pass over for now what Stephen has done; we not only remember his audacity and insolence, but we would only heap longer sadness upon ourselves by dwelling on his improper actions. As for you, we learned that you have decided this matter we are now asking about according to the rule of truth and the wisdom of Christ. We rejoiced greatly and gave thanks to God, because we found in brothers living so far away such great unanimity of faith and truth with us. The grace of God is powerful enough to join and unite with the bond of charity and unity even those things that seem divided by vast distances of land. In former times, divine power joined Ezekiel and Daniel, who lived later, to the bond of unanimity with Job and Noah, who were among the first, even though they were separated by an interval of time, so that they would think the same things by the same divine inspiration. We now observe the same thing in you: although you are separated from us by very distant regions, you prove yourselves joined to us in mind and spirit. This whole thing is accomplished by divine unity. Since the Lord who dwells in us is one and the same, he joins and unites his own everywhere with the bond of unity. Therefore the sound of those sent by the Lord has gone out into all the earth, running swiftly with the spirit of unity. On the contrary, it does no good for some to be near and joined to each other in body if they dissent in mind and spirit, since souls that have divided themselves from the unity of God cannot be gathered together at all: 'Look, those who remove themselves far from you will perish' (Ps 73:27). Such people will undergo the Lord's judgment according to their merit, since they turn away from the words of him who prays to the Father for unity and says: 'Father, grant that just as you and I are one, so also may these be one in us' (John 17:21-22).
Latin
Sed haec interim quae ab Stephano gesta sunt praetereantur; nedum audaciae et insolentiae ejus meminimus, de rebus ab eo improbe gestis longiorem moestitiam nobis inferamus. De vobis autem cognoscentes quod secundum regulam veritatis et sapientiam Christi, hoc de quo nunc quaeritur disposueritis, cum magna laetitia exultavimus et Deo gratias egimus, quia invenimus in fratribus tam longe positis tantam nobiscum fidei et veritatis unanimitatem. Potens est enim gratia Dei copulare et conjungere charitatis atque unitatis vinculo etiam ea quae videntur longiore terrarum spatio esse divisa, secundum quod et olim intervallo temporum separatos ab Job et Noe, qui in primis fuerant, Ezechielem et Danielem posteriores aetate ad unanimitatis vinculum virtus divina conjunxit, ut, quamvis temporibus longis discreti essent, eadem divina inspiratione sentirent. Quod et nunc in vobis animadvertimus, ut qui longissimis regionibus a nobis separati estis, sensu tamen et spiritu copulatos vos esse nobiscum probaretis. Quod totum hoc fit divina unitate. Nam, cum Dominus unus atque idem sit qui habitat in nobis, conjungit ubique et copulat suos vinculo unitatis. Unde in universam terram exivit sonus eorum qui a Domino missi sunt unitatis spiritu velociter currentes; sicut e contrario nihil prodest aliquos proximos et junctos sibi esse corporibus, si animo et mente dissideant, quando adunari animae omnino non possint quae se a Dei unitate diviserint: Ecce enim, inquit, qui longinquant se abs te peribunt. Sed tales judicium Domini pro merito suo subibunt, recedentes a verbis ejus qui Patrem pro unitate deprecatur et dicit: Pater, da ut, quomodo ego et tu unum sumus, sic et hi in nobis unum sint.