35. To The Monk Herluin.
The Letters of St. Anselm NOTES 1. Lk 15:31.
2. See Ep 32 (note 3).
35. TO THE MONK HERLUIN.
As death comes closer every day Anselm encourages Herluin, at Christ Church, Canterbury, to persevere faithfully in his monastic life and begs him to be a lov ing friend to Maurice who is living among strangers.
TO HIS FELLOW-MONK AND DEARLY BELOVED BROTHER, HERLUIN:
BROTHER ANSELM SENDS GREETING.
ALTHOUGH YOU HARDLY EVER READ my advice, you ought nevertheless to know, dearly beloved, that in my daily concern for you I pour out as many prayers as I can to God for you. Remember, my friend, those things I often said to you by way of advice while I was with you, and what I wrote afterwards when I was absent.
Beware, brother most beloved, of what many foolish peo ple do, who, the longer they live, nourish in themselves the more the hope of continuing to live and, casting off the fear of approaching death, fall away from their intention of [leading] a holy life. It is true that the longer a person has lived the shorter he has still to live; and the further he is from the day of his birth, the nearer he is to the day of his death and to the day of recompense for his whole life.
Therefore, just as you see your life growing longer as it passes from day to day, in the same way you may be sure that the time for you to live a good life grows shorter every day.
And so, dearly beloved, take care so to use the time which remains to you—since you do not know how short it may be—that you daily achieve improvement in your holy in tention. The more you realize that your task is hastening towards its end and that you are approaching your rest and crown, the more you should progress by pressing on more