On Holy Baptism (Oration 40)

^A The last is more formidable and briefer, gathering all the race of men in a single moment of time so that they may be presented before the Creator and render an account of their servitude and the life they have led, whether they have followed only the flesh, or have risen on high together with the Spirit and honored the grace of restoration. It is evident that my Christ has honored all these births with Himself: the first, by that first vital insufflation; the second, by His incarnation and the baptism with which He Himself was baptized; the third, by the resurrection, of which He Himself was the first-fruits; for just as He became the first-born among many brothers, so He deigned also to become the first-born from the dead.

^B Γ'. It is not the time now to philosophize about the two births, I mean the first and the last; but let us philosophize about the middle one, which is now necessary for us, and from which the day of lights takes its name. Illumination is the brightness of souls, a change of life, the interrogation of a conscience toward God. Illumination is a help to our weakness. Illumination is the putting off of the flesh, the following of the Spirit, the communion of the Word, the correction of the creature, a drowning of sin, a participation of light, the destruction of darkness. Illumination is a vehicle to God, a joint expedition with Christ, a foundation of faith, the perfection of the mind, the key of the kingdom of heaven, an exchange of life, a removal of servitude, a loosing of bonds, a transformation of our composition. Illumination (what need is there to count more?) is the most beautiful and magnificent of the gifts of God. For just as some things are called Holy of Holies, and Song of Songs ^C (because they are more comprehensive and more sovereign), so also is this illumination more holy than every other illumination among us.

Δ΄. It is called—even as Christ, the giver of it, is called—by many and different names, and so also is this gift: whether because of the superabundant joy of those who have experienced this thing (for those who are strongly and affectionately disposed toward something love to dwell gladly even on its names), or because the manifold nature of the benefit has created many titles for us. We call it a gift, a grace, a baptism, an unction, an illumination, a robe of incorruption, a laver of regeneration, a seal, everything that is honorable. A gift, indeed, ^D as given even to those who bring nothing beforehand;

grace, as bestowed even upon those who are indebted; baptism, as sin is buried in the water; anointing, as it is priestly and royal (for these were the things that were anointed); illumination, as it is splendor and brightness; a garment, as it is a covering for our shame; a laver, as it is a washing; a seal, as it is a conservation and a mark of lordship. The heavens rejoice at this; the angels glorify it, because of the kinship of its splendor; this is an image of the blessedness that is above; we wish to celebrate this with praises and hymns, but we cannot do so according to the dignity of the thing.

^B V. God, indeed, is the highest, inaccessible, and ineffable light, which can neither be grasped by the mind nor explained by words, illuminating every nature endowed with reason. This is in the intelligible realm what the sun is in the sensible; it offers itself to be contemplated by us all the more, the more accurately we have purified our souls; it is to be loved all the more, the more we have contemplated it; and it is to be known all the more, the more we have loved it; itself contemplating and grasping itself, and shedding but a little upon things outside. Furthermore, I call this light that which is contemplated in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit; whose opulence is the identity of nature, and one and the same radiation of splendor. ^C The second light is an angel, as it were a certain stream or participation of that first light, having its illumination through its inclination toward Him and its ministry: concerning which I cannot determine whether it receives this splendor according to the rationale of its order and rank, or rather whether it receives this or that station according to the mode of the divine illumination. The third light is man, which is manifest even to those who are outside. For they call man a light on account of the power and faculty of reason implanted in us; and by this name, again, those among us are called who are more like God, and who draw nearer to God. I also recognize another light, namely that by which the primordial darkness was driven away, or at any rate cut through, which was produced before all those things created which are perceived by sight; ^D and likewise that circular movement of the stars, and the supernal splendor, illuminating the whole world.

VI. Already there was also that primordial light, the commandment which was given to the first man (inasmuch as the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; and again, Thy commandments are a light upon the earth); even though that envious darkness, creeping in, brought forth vice. The written Law was also a typical light, and one measured to the standard of those who received it, shadowing forth the truth, and the mystery of that great light; for even the face of Moses, being suffused with it, was affected by glory. And that we may give more lights to the—

^A discourse: there was the light fashioned of fire, which struck the eyes of Moses on the mountain, at the time when the fire consumed the bush but did not burn it up, that it might both display its nature and make known its power. There was the light that in the pillar of fire led Israel and made the desert passable; the light that snatched up Elijah in the chariot of fire, and did not singe the one being snatched; the light that shone round the shepherds, when the timeless light was mingled with the temporal; ^B the light that was the beauty of the star that ran before to Bethlehem, that it might both lead the Magi and perform a guard of honor to the light that is above us, for the Light that became light with us—it was the Godhead shown forth upon the mountain to the disciples, though it was a little too oppressive for their sight; the light that was the vision which shone round Paul, and by a wound to his eyes brought healing to the shadows of his soul; the light, too, is the brilliance from beyond, for those here who have been purified, when the righteous shall shine forth as the sun, in whose midst God stands, they being gods and kings, as He distinguishes and divides the ranks of the blessedness from beyond. ^C And light, beyond these things, in a peculiar and special way, is the splendor of baptism, concerning which our discourse is now framed, for it contains the great and marvelous mystery of our salvation.

VII. For since to commit no sin is of God, and of the first and uncompounded nature (for simplicity is peaceful and free from sedition; and I would dare to add, of the angelic nature too, because, by reason of its proximity to God, it approaches most nearly to this), while to sin is human and of the lower composition (for composition is the beginning of disunion), the Lord did not think it right to leave His own handiwork ^D destitute of aid, nor to overlook it in danger of being separated from Him. But just as He brought us into being when we were not, so, having come into being, He refashioned us—a fashioning more divine and higher than the first; that which for those who are beginning is a seal, but for those who are more mature is grace, and the setting upright again of the image that had fallen through wickedness, so that we should not, by becoming worse through despair and being always borne toward the worse, fall completely away from what is good and from virtue through despair; nor, amid the evils...

into which we have fallen—which is what is meant ^A by the saying—should we become contemptuous. Rather, like those who travel a long road and find rest for their labors at an inn, and thus refresh their weary limbs, let us, too, finish the remainder of the road with vigor and enthusiasm. This indeed is the grace and power of baptism: not an inundation of the world as of old, but a cleansing of the sin of each individual, and a complete wiping away of all the obstacles or stains contracted through vice.

VIII. Since we consist of two parts, I mean soul and body, and the nature of the one is visible while that of the other eludes the eyes, the cleansing is also twofold, ^B by water and by the Spirit; the one received visibly and bodily, the other concurring incorporeally and invisibly; the one typical, the other true, and cleansing the very depths of the soul. It provides aid to the first birth, making us new instead of old, and divine instead of what we currently are, refashioning us without fire and recreating us without the ordeal of crushing. For, to speak briefly, we should consider that the power and capacity of baptism is nothing other than a covenant entered into with God for a second life and a purer way of living. And therefore we ought all to be in the greatest fear and to guard our ^C souls with all diligence, lest we be found to have violated our faith and covenant by a lie. For if, when God is called upon as a witness to confirm the mutual covenants of men, the danger is so great, I ask, what is the danger of being found to have broken the covenants entered into with God himself; and, besides other sins, of being condemned for the lie itself before the tribunal of truth? And this, when there is no longer a second regeneration, nor a reconstruction, nor a restoration to the original state, however much we may seek it with many groans and tears—by which a scar is indeed ^D barely formed at length, according to my own judgment and account (for it is formed, and we are convinced of this, and I would think it a wonderful thing if even the marks of the wounds were removed, since I myself have need of mercy); yet it is better not to need a second cleansing, but to remain in the first, which is common to all, free of labor, and open to all alike—to slaves and masters, to the needy and the wealthy, to the humble and the high, to those of noble birth and those of low and obscure, to those burdened with debt and those who have contracted no debt—just as the breathing of the air, the pouring forth of light, the changes of the seasons, and the contemplation of creation, the great and common delight of all of us, and finally, the equal portion of faith.

^A For it is a terrible thing, instead of an easier medicine, to work one that is more painful, and, having cast away the grace of mercy, to become liable to punishments, and to balance sin with correction. For how much weeping shall we bring in, so that it might be equal to the fountain of baptism? And who will be the sponsor that the end of life will await [a favorable] treatment, and that the tribunal there will not receive us, still burdened by debt and in need of the fire there? You, indeed, the good and humane cultivator, may perhaps implore the Lord as a suppliant that He might still spare the fig tree, and not yet cut it down, though accused of barrenness, but allow you to pile on manure, tears, lamentations, invocations, sleeping on the ground, vigils, the wasting of soul and body, and the correction that comes through confession and a more humble way of life; but it is uncertain if the Master will spare it, as it occupies the place uselessly, while another is in need ^B of mercy, and becomes worse because of the long-suffering shown to it. Let us therefore be buried with Christ through baptism, that we may also rise again; let us descend with Him, that we may also be lifted up; let us go up with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him.

X. ON THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE BAPTIZED

X. If the persecutor and tempter of the light should attack you after baptism (and he certainly will attack; for he even attacked the Word, and my God, because of the veil of the flesh, and the hidden light because of that which is visible), you have that with which you may overcome him; do not fear the struggle. Bring forward the water, bring forward the Spirit, in whom all the burning arrows of the Evil One ^C will be extinguished. It is water, but it has the power to extinguish fire. If he should attack [you] with need (for he dared even that with Him), and seeks for stones to become loaves, attacking [you] with hunger; do not be ignorant of his thoughts. Teach him what he has not learned; oppose the life-giving Word, who is the bread sent from heaven, and who grants life to the world. If he should set an ambush for you through vainglory (for he also [did this] to Him, leading Him up to the pinnacle of the temple, and saying, "Cast yourself down," in order to provide a demonstration of divinity), do not be brought down by his puffing up. If he takes this, he will not stop here. He is insatiable; he attacks everything. He fawns with what is pleasant, ^D but ends in what is evil. This is his way of fighting. But this robber is also skilled in the Scriptures. Hence the "[It is] written" concerning the bread; hence the "[It is] written" concerning the angels. For it is written,

^A that "He shall give his angels charge over thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up." O sophist of wickedness! Why did you suppress what follows? (For I understand this well, even if you yourself are silent); namely, that "I shall tread upon the asp and the basilisk, and I shall trample upon serpents and scorpions," being fenced and fortified by the Trinity. If he attacks you through greed, showing you all the kingdoms in a single moment and glance of time, as if they belonged to him, and demanding worship from you, despise him as a pauper. Say, relying on the seal: "I too am an image of God; I have not yet been cast down from the glory above because of pride, as you have been. I have put on Christ; I have been transformed into Christ by baptism; it is you who must worship me." He will depart, I know ^B well, defeated and shamed by these words, just as from Christ the First Light, so also from those who have been illuminated by Him. Such are the benefits that the laver bestows upon those who recognize its power; such is the feast it sets before those who hunger in a praiseworthy manner.

XI. Let us be baptized, therefore, that we may attain victory: let us share in the lustral waters, which are more cleansing than hyssop, purer than the blood of the Law, and more holy than the ashes of the heifer, which sprinkled those who were defiled and brought about a brief purification of the body, but did not utterly take away sin. For what need of purification would there be for those who had been purified once? Let us be baptized today, that we may not be forced by any necessity tomorrow. Let us not delay the benefit as if it were an injury; ^C nor let us wait to accumulate more sins, so that more may be forgiven us; nor let us abuse Christ after the manner of innkeepers and merchants; nor let us burden ourselves with a heavier load than our strength can bear, lest we be submerged along with the ship itself and lose grace in the shipwreck, and so, while we desire more in our hope and mind, we lose everything. Hasten to the gift, as long as you are still master of your mind; as long as you are not yet ill in body and soul, or at least do not so appear to those standing by, even if you are sound of mind; as long as your good is not placed in others, but is in your own power; as long as your tongue does not falter, nor is it consumed by cold; nor, to say ^D nothing more, has it lost the strength and ability to pronounce the mysteries of initiation; as long as you can be made faithful, not in the opinion and conjecture of men, but openly acknowledged, not pitied, but pronounced blessed; as long as the gift is clear to you, and not in doubt; and that

grace touches the inmost recesses of the soul, and the body is not yet washed with the funereal water; as long as tears are not gathered about you as tokens of departure—tears perhaps suppressed for your sake, and a wife and children holding you back from departure, and seeking your final words; as long as an unskilled physician is not clinging to your side, granting you hours over which he has no power, weighing your salvation like a balance with a nod of the head, and disputing about your illness after death, either increasing his fee by his retreats, or indicating that your disease is past hope; as long as there is no battle between him who performs the office of baptizing and the fortune-hunter—while the former strives to instruct the dying man with viaticum, and the latter to be written down as heir, and time does not allow for both. ^B XII. Why do you await the fever that might bestow a benefit upon you, and not God? Why do you wait for time, and not for reason? Why a treacherous friend, and not a saving desire? Why force rather than authority? Why distress rather than freedom? Why must you learn of your departure from another, instead of pondering it as if it were already present? Why do you seek medicines that will avail nothing? Why [do you wait for] a critical sweat, when death perhaps is already at the door? Heal yourself before the necessity arises; have pity on yourself—you who are the true and genuine physician of your own infirmity; apply to yourself the medicine that is truly saving. While you sail with a favorable wind, fear shipwreck, and you will be safer from shipwreck by using fear as a helper and companion. Let the gift be celebrated joyfully, and not mourned; let the talent be worked, and not buried. Let there be some space between the grace and the dissolution, so that the base letters may not only be erased, but the better ones inscribed in their place; so that you may not only have the grace, but also the reward; so that you may not only escape the fire, but also inherit the glory which trading your gift bestows. For to those who are small-minded, it seems a great thing to avoid punishment; but to those who are gifted with a great and lofty spirit, they aspire to the reward as well. ^{C D} XIII. For I know three classes of those who are saved: slavery, mercenariness, and sonship. If you are a slave, fear the blows; if a hireling, look only to the receiving of your wage. But if you rise above these, and are a son, revere Him as a Father. Do good, because it is good to obey the Father, even if you were to attain nothing from it. This itself is the reward: to show favor to the Father.

For let us not appear to despise these things. ^A Since it is absurd to snatch up money while delaying health, to purify the body while storing up the purification of the soul for another time, to seek freedom from earthly slavery while not yearning for that above; to show every zeal and diligence in how you will dwell in magnificent houses or wear splendid clothes, yet to concern yourself with nothing to make yourself worthy of the highest price; to be ready to merit well of others, yet unwilling to merit well of yourself. And indeed, if it were permitted you to purchase this good for a price, you would spare no money at all; but now, because it is offered as a free mercy, for that reason, prompt and extended beneficence and liberality provoke your contempt. Every time is suitable for you for washing, since no time is free from the danger of death. With Paul, that is, with that great voice, I cry to you: "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." In which passage the particle "Now" does not designate some certain time, but every time. And again: "Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon you," ^B dispersing the night of sin; since "in the night, hope is evil," as Isaiah testifies, and it is more advantageous to be taken in the morning.

XIV. Sow, when it is the time for sowing, and gather in the fruits; and open the storehouses, when this time demands it; and plant in season; and let the ripe grape be harvested for you; and set sail, trusting in the mildness of spring, and bring the ship back into port when winter is rising again and the sea is becoming savage. And let there be for you a time for war, and for peace, and for entering into marriage, and for abstaining from the work of marriage, and for ^C friendship, and for dissension, if indeed such should be necessary, and for every matter in general, if one must listen to Solomon. And one must listen; for he offers useful counsel. But in truth, pursue the business of your salvation, and let every occasion be for you a time for receiving baptism. If, however, always passing over the present day, you wait for the morrow, you do not notice that by little delays you are being stolen away by that Evil One, as is his habit. "Give me the present," he says, "and the future to God; to me, youthful years, to God, old age; to me, pleasures, ^D to God, a body worn out and fit for no uses." But in how great a danger are you? How many are the unexpected accidents of things? Either war has overwhelmed, or an earthquake has pressed in, or the sea has received, or a beast has snatched, or disease has destroyed, or some trifle passing by—the easiest thing (for what is easier for a human being than to die?)--

even if you are puffed up over your image—or an excess of drink ^A, or wind casting one down, or a horse snatching one away, or a drug ^B devised for treachery, though perhaps it appeared to be a remedy instead of poison, or an inhuman judge, or an inexorable executioner, or anything of those things which effect a most swift departure, and are stronger than any provision of help.

XV. But if you were to forestall yourself with the seal, and secure the future with the best and firmest of aids, by marking both soul and body with the anointing and the Spirit, just as Israel of old did with the night-time and protective ^C blood of the firstborn—what will happen to you, and what has been managed for you? Hear the Proverbs: *For if you sit*, he says, *you will be fearless; and if you sleep, you will enjoy sweet slumber.* And it was prophesied by David: *You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, from an attack, and from a demon of noonday.* This brings you the greatest momentum for security while living (for a sealed sheep is not easily plotted against, whereas one that is unmarked can easily be captured by thieves); and for one who has departed life, it will be a certain advantage, as a funeral tribute, more splendid than a garment, more precious than gold, more magnificent than a tomb, more pious than the offerings of fruitless libations, more timely than the first-fruits of the season—which the dead bestow upon the dead, having made custom into a law. Let everything perish for you, let everything be plundered—money, possessions, thrones, splendors, and whatever belongs to the lower cycle; but do you ^D conclude your life with a secure and tranquil mind, destitute of none of all those helps which have been given to you by God for salvation.

XVI. But are you afraid that you might corrupt the grace, and for this reason do you delay the purification, as if you have no second one hereafter? What then? Do you not fear that in a time of persecution you might be brought into danger, and be despoiled of Christ, the most excellent of all things you possess? Would you therefore, on account of this, flee from becoming a Christian? Far from it! This fear does not belong to a sane person: this thought is that of a deranged one. O the un-reverent reverence, if one must say so! O the sophistries of the Evil One! Truly it is darkness, and it pretends to be light. When he can do nothing by warring openly, he plots in secret.

And when he is wicked, he gives counsel as if he were humane and well-disposed, so that in one way or another he may prevail, and we may in no wise escape his plotting. This is what he is clearly contriving here too. For since he cannot persuade you to despise baptism openly and frankly and count it for nothing, he injures you through a feigned caution, so that you may, through fear, ^A fall into the very fraud you fear; and while you fear to spoil the gift, for that very reason you fall away from it completely. Such is his nature, and he will never cease his double-dealing, as long as he sees us hastening toward heaven, from whence he himself has fallen. But you, O man of God, know the plotting of the Adversary. For the struggle is against one who holds [the mastery], and it is over the greatest things. Do not take the enemy as a counselor; do not despise becoming and being called faithful. As long as you are a catechumen, you are in the vestibule of piety. You must go inside, pass through the atrium, view the holy things, look into the ^B Holy of Holies, and be joined with the Trinity. Great are the things for which you are being attacked; you have need also of great protection. Therefore, cast the shield of faith against him. He fears you when you fight with armor; and for this reason he strips you of the grace, so that he may the more easily overcome you, unarmed and unguarded. He attaches himself to every age, every type of life. Let him be repelled with all zeal.

XVII. Youth and Age

Are you a youth? Stand against your wicked passions with the aid of the alliance; be enrolled in the battalion of God; fight strenuously against Goliath; take your thousands or tens of thousands, and subdue them to yourself. Thus enjoy the flower of your age; but do not let yourself endure the withering of your youth, which is dead and extinguished by an imperfect ^C faith. Are you an old man, and near the day necessarily appointed? Revere your gray hairs; provide the prudence that is required of you, instead of the weakness by which you are now held; help the few days you have remaining; commit your purification to your old age. Why do you fear the vices of youth in your exhausted old age and at your final breath? Or are you waiting until you are dead, to be washed, moving not so much mercy as hatred toward yourself? Or are you seeking the leftovers of pleasures in these leftovers of life? It is shameful, when you have grown old with age and have faded, that you have not yet grown old with passion; but that you are either enticed by it, or that you certainly give that impression, by the delay of baptism, to men, ^D that you still crave the flesh. Is there an infant for you? Do not let wickedness find an opening; let him be sanctified from his infancy, let him be consecrated by the Spirit from his cradle. Are you afraid of the seal because of the weakness of nature; O the faint-hearted mother, and of little faith! Anna, indeed, even before…

Samuel was born, ^A promised him to God, and when he was born, she made him immediately a sacred thing, and reared him in the priestly vestment, fearing not anything human, but putting her trust in God. You have no need of amulets and incantations, with which that wicked one creeps into the souls of lighter-minded men, furtively transferring to himself the veneration due to God. Give him the Trinity, that great and beautiful amulet.

XVIII. What more? Do you cultivate virginity? Be sealed with the purification; make this the companion and associate of your life; let it regulate for you both your life and your word, every limb, every movement, every sense. Honor it, that it may adorn you, that it may give to your head a crown of graces, and defend you with a crown of delights. Are you bound by marriage? Be bound also with this seal; attach to yourself this guardian of chastity; consider how much safer it is than countless eunuchs and door-keepers. Are you not yet united in the flesh? Do not fear the perfection of baptism. You are pure and clean even after marriage; the risk is mine; I am the joiner of this, I am the groomsman. For because virginity is more honorable, it does not follow that marriage is dishonorable. I will imitate Christ, the pure bridesman and bridegroom, who also works a miracle at a wedding, and honors wedlock with his presence. Let marriage only be pure, and unmixed with filthy lusts. I ask only this: take from the gift its security, and give to the gift your purity for a time, as long as the appointed season for prayer is set before you, as being more honorable than any business, and this by mutual agreement and consent. ^C For we do not lay down the law, but we offer counsel, and we wish to take some of what is yours for your sake, and for the sake of your common security. To speak in summary: there is no life, no pursuit or institution, to which this is not more beneficial. Receive the bridle, you who are in authority; receive equality, you who are in servitude; receive consolation, you who are discouraged; receive instruction, you who are in high spirits; receive the inviolable wealth, you who are poor; receive the good management of what you possess, you who are prosperous. Do not play the sophist; do not contrive anything against your own ^D salvation. For even if we deceive others,

we shall be unable to deceive ourselves; for to play the sophist against one's own soul is highly dangerous and senseless. ^A

XIX. But you live in the midst of the crowd of men and are defiled by public affairs, and therefore you fear that the mercy which you have obtained through baptism might perish? I will speak with you in simple terms. If it is possible, flee even from the marketplace with a fair company, having put on yourself the wings of an eagle, or rather, to use a more appropriate term, the wings of a dove (for what have you to do with Caesar, or with the things of Caesar?). Flee ^B until you arrive where there is no sin, no darkening, and no biting serpent on the way impeding your pious steps. Snatch your soul away from this world; flee Sodom; flee the fire; walk without looking back, lest you turn into a pillar of salt; flee to the mountain of salvation, lest you be swept away together with them. But if you are already preoccupied and bound by necessary chains, reason with yourself thus, or rather I will reason with you: It is better both to obtain the good and to guard and preserve the purification; but if both are not possible, it is certainly better to have contracted some pollutions in the administration of public affairs than to fall away entirely from grace; just as ^C I believe it is better to be rebuked by a father and master than to be cast out of the house; and to be struck by a little brilliance than to be entirely obscured. It is the mark of prudent and wise men, just as they choose the better and more excellent things among the good, so also to choose the lesser and lighter among the evils. Therefore do not fear the purification so greatly. For that which is accomplished is always judged by the just and benevolent Judge of our affairs according to our pursuits and way of life. And often one who is in the midst of things and has accomplished a little has attained ^D more than one who is in freedom but has not accomplished the whole; just as, in my opinion, it is more miraculous for a man bound in fetters to make some progress than for one unencumbered by any burden to run; and similarly, for one who walks through mire to be only lightly splashed than for one who travels on a clean road to remain pure from every stain. A proof of this argument is Rahab the harlot, whom hospitality alone justified—though otherwise she was not praiseworthy—and the tax collector, whom humility alone exalted, with no other merit testified; so that you may learn not to despair easily of your own salvation.

XX. But someone will say, "What gain will it be to me if I have been forestalled by baptism and have closed off to myself all the sweetnesses of life by such haste, when it was possible to indulge in pleasures, and only then obtain the grace?" For not even those who labored in the vineyard before were given anything

^A more, since an equal wage was given also to those who came last. You have relieved me of a burden, whoever you are who say these things, in having at last pulled out the secret of this procrastination; and while I find fault with your malice, I praise your confession. But come, listen also to an interpretation of the parable, so that you may not fall into error regarding the Scriptures through inexperience. First, the discussion here is not about baptism, but about those who at various times embrace the faith and enter into the beautiful vineyard, that is, the Church. For from the day and hour that each one believed, from that moment he ^B is required to do the work. Next, even if those who entered first brought in more in terms of the measure of labor, they did not do so in terms of the measure of their willingness; and perhaps an even greater reward was owed to the last ones on account of this, however paradoxical such a statement may seem. For the cause of their entering later was that they were also called later to the cultivation of the vineyard. But let us consider the difference in other respects. Some did not believe or enter before a wage was agreed upon for them; whereas others approached the work without such an agreement, which is a sign of greater faith. And the former were found to be of an envious and murmuring nature; whereas the latter are accused of nothing of the sort. And for the former, the payment was a wage, even though they were wicked and malicious; for the latter, it was a grace. Therefore, being condemned for folly and madness, they were deservedly deprived of a larger reward. But let us consider what happened to those who came late. Certainly, they received an equal reward. With what face, then, do they complain against the employer, as if he departed from fairness in the distribution of an equal wage? All these things diminish the grace of the sweat ^C for the first [workers], even if they were worn out by labor. From which it follows that fairness exists in this equal distribution of the wage, provided the willingness of the heart is weighed along with the labor.

XXI.

^A of receiving the laborers—those who did not miss out on the vineyard—might be yours, which is the danger. So, if it were clear that you would obtain the gift by thinking in this way and by holding back a little of the work in a calculating manner, it would be excusable for you to take refuge in such thoughts and to wish to gain a little bit of the Master’s philanthropy; not to mention that even the very act of laboring more results in a greater reward for one whose mind is not entirely mercenary. But if there is a danger to you of falling out of the vineyard completely through this kind of commerce, and you lose the principal sum by stealing away the small and meager parts, come, obey my words, and having sent away such interpretations and contradictions, approach the gift without calculating, lest you be snatched away before your hopes ^B are realized, and you be caught having craftily schemed such things against yourself.

XXII. What then? Is not God philanthropic, you say? Indeed, He is also a knower of thoughts, and He tests the desire, and He takes the impulse toward baptism in place of baptism. You are speaking of an enigma, as if one who is not yet enlightened were enlightened by God ^C because of His philanthropy, or that one who is eager to obtain the kingdom of heaven is already inside it without doing the things of the kingdom. But as I feel about these things, I will dare to speak; and I think that those who have understanding will agree with me. Of those who obtain the gift, some were entirely estranged from God and from salvation, having passed through every form of vice and being eager to be evil; others were somewhat half-wicked, and stood midway between virtue and vice; they did what was evil, but they did not consent to what was being done, just like those suffering from a fever in their own infirmity. Others, even before the initiation ^D of the mystery, were praiseworthy; some by nature, others by diligence, purifying themselves for baptism; and after the perfection they appeared better and more secure: the former in order to obtain the Good, the latter in order to guard it. Among these, those who have retreated somewhat from vice are better than those who are entirely wicked; and those who are more diligent and have prepared themselves for baptism are better than those who have retreated only a little, for they have something more: the labor. For the laver does not, just as it has the erasure of sins, in the same way also have the erasure of deeds.

And again, those are to be preferred who both cultivate the grace and polish themselves as much as possible for every elegance of virtue. ^A

XXIII. Thus, among those who fail to attain it, some are altogether beast-like or savage, in so far as they possess folly or wickedness. To these, along with their other evils, the grace is not, I think, very venerable, but is truly grace; if it is given, it is cherished, but if it is not given, it is held in contempt. Others know and honor the gift, but they delay, some out of sloth, others out of greed. Still others are not even in a position to receive it, perhaps due to infancy or some entirely involuntary misfortune, from which it is not possible for them, even if they wish, to obtain the grace. ^B Just as, therefore, we found a great difference among the former, so it is with these. Worse are the outright despisers than those motivated by greed or sloth; and worse than these are those who fall short of the gift due to ignorance and tyranny—for tyranny is nothing other than an involuntary failure. And I think that the former will pay the penalty, just as for other wickedness, so also for the contempt of the laver; the latter will pay it indeed, but less so, because they caused the failure out of folly rather than vice. And the others will neither be glorified nor punished by the just Judge, since, although they are unsigned, they are not wicked, but have rather suffered the loss than acted it. For it is not the case that everyone not worthy of punishment is already worthy of honor; just as, conversely, one not worthy of honor is not already worthy of punishment. ^C But I consider this also: if you judge the murderer for murder based solely on the desire, even without the murder, then let also the one who desired the baptism be baptized for you, even without the baptism; but if not the former, then I do not know how I can perceive the latter. If you would have it thus: if the desire is sufficient for you for the power of the baptism, and for this reason you judge regarding the glory, then let the longing for the glory be sufficient for you also for the glory. And what harm is to you in not attaining it, when you possess the longing for it?

XXIV. Therefore, since you have heard these words, ^B "Draw near to Him and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed," that is, by having failed to attain the grace. Receive the illumination while there is yet time, lest darkness pursue you and overtake you, separating you from the light. "The night comes," when no one can work, namely, after the departure from this life. That is the voice of David; this is the voice of that true light which "enlightens every man coming into the world." And consider whether Solomon is not sharply rebuking your sloth and indolence in these words: ^C "How long will you lie sluggish, O sluggard? When will you arise from sleep?" And yet you make excuses in your sins. "I am waiting for the Lights; I value Easter more highly; I shall wait for Pentecost; it is better to be enlightened with Christ, to rise again with Christ on the day of the resurrection, to honor the coming of the Spirit." And then what? The end will come suddenly, on a day you do not expect ^D and at an hour you do not know; then it will be upon you, like a bad traveler, a poverty of grace, and you will hunger within such great wealth of goodness—you ought rather to reap the opposites by their opposites: the harvest through diligence and industry, and the assuaging of thirst through the fountain, and like the hart suffering from the most severe thirst, run with great speed to the fountains and extinguish the fatigue contracted by running with water; but do not suffer the lot of Ishmael, to wither from a lack of water; or, what the poets fable, to be tormented by thirst in the midst of a fountain. It is miserable when the market days have passed, then at last to seek commerce. It is miserable when the manna has passed, then to crave food. It is miserable to take counsel too late, and to be affected by a sense of loss, when there is no longer any way the received damage can be repaired—that is, after we have departed from here, and the things that each person has done in this life have been harshly concluded, and the wicked have been affected by punishment, and those who have purified their souls have been affected by splendor. For this reason, you must take care not to approach grace hesitantly; but use the utmost speed, lest the robber get ahead of you, lest the adulterer pass you by, lest the greedy man be in a better position, lest the murderer snatch that good away, lest the publican, the fornicator, or any of those who take the kingdom by force and seize it. For it takes violence willingly, and suffers tyranny because of its goodness.

ORATION XL. ON HOLY BAPTISM.

^A XXV. But if you will listen to me, you will be slow to wickedness and fraud, but swift to salvation. For to have readiness for vice and sluggishness toward virtue are equal in their fault. If you are invited to a carouse, do not hurry; if to an abjuration of the faith, step back with all speed; if a gathering of flagitious and lost men says to you, "Come with us, be a participant in blood, let us hide a just man unjustly in the earth," do not even let these words reach your ears. ^B Thus you will gain two of the greatest advantages; for you will both point out their sin to them, and exempt yourself from perverse society. But if the great David says to you, "Come, let us exult in the Lord," or if another prophet says, "Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord," or if the champion of our salvation himself says, "Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you," or, "Arise, let us go hence"—shining more brightly than snow, whitened beyond milk, illuminated beyond the sapphire stone—let us not resist, let us not delay. Let us become Peter and John; as they did toward the sepulchre and the resurrection, so let us hasten toward the bath, running together, vying in our running, and with every effort straining toward it, ^C so that we may be the first to seize this good. Do not say, "Go and return, and I will be baptized tomorrow," when you are able to receive the benefit today. "Let my mother be present, let my father be present, my brothers, my wife, my children, my friends, everything that is precious to me, and then I will be saved; but for now, it is not yet the time for me to be bright." For there is fear, lest you may take those as companions in mourning whom you had hoped to have as companions in joy. If they are present, you must count it a favor; but if they are absent, do not wait for them. For it is shameful to say, "Where is the offering that I am to bear regarding my baptism? Where is the luminous garment in which I shall shine? ^D Where are the things required for the welcoming of those who initiate me, so that in these matters also I may gain celebrity for my name?" For these are, as you see, very necessary things, and on account of them, the grace will be diminished. Do not be petty about great matters; do not suffer any ignoble passion. The mystery is greater than the things which are perceived. Offer yourself, clothe yourself in Christ, nourish me with your conduct; thus I rejoice when I am treated with such kindness; thus also does God, who bestows the greatest gifts. There is nothing great to God which the poor man also does not give, so that the poor may not be pushed aside here; for they do not have the means to compete with the rich. In other matters, the difference in the

between wealth and poverty is ^A to be rich and to be poor; but here, he who is more eager is the richer.

XXVI. Let nothing hold you back from advancing; let nothing pull back your zeal. As long as desire is intense, seize what you desire. As long as the iron is hot, let it be tempered ^B by the cold, so that nothing may intervene in the meantime and interrupt the desire. I am Philip; become the Candace. Say also yourself: "Behold, water; what hinders me from being baptized?" Seize the occasion; rejoice in what is good; and, having said this, be baptized, and when baptized, be saved. Even if you are an Ethiopian in body, be whitened in soul. Attain salvation, than which there is nothing more sublime or more precious to those who have understanding. Do not say: "Let a bishop baptize me, and one who is a metropolitan, or ^C a Jerusalemite (for the grace is not of places, but of the Spirit), and one who is of high birth." For it is a terrible thing if my noble rank is insulted by the baptizer; or "a presbyter, but one who is unmarried, and one who is of an angelic life and discipline." For it is a terrible thing if I am defiled at the time of purification. Do not seek the trustworthiness of the one preaching or baptizing. There is another judge of these things and examiner of hidden matters, since man looks at the face, but God looks at the heart. For you, everyone is trustworthy for purification; it is only necessary that ^D someone be of the approved, and not openly condemned, nor an alien to the Church. Do not judge the judges, you who stand in need of cleansing; nor be nitpicking with me about the merits of those who cleanse you, nor distinguish among them as you would among parents. One is better than another, or inferior, but to you, everyone is superior. Consider it this way: Let there be gold, let there be iron, and let both be rings; and let them have stamped the same imperial image, and then let them imprint the wax. How will this seal differ from that seal? Not at all. Recognize the material in the wax, even if you are most wise; tell me, what is the impression of the iron, and what is the gold's, and how is it one? For the difference is in the material, not in the impression. Thus let every baptizer be to you. Even if he be of different conduct, the power of the baptism is equal; and every one is equally perfecting for you, who is fashioned by the same faith.

XXVII. Do not think it beneath your rank to be baptized together with a poor man, being rich, or as a well-born person with one of base birth, or as a master with one who has been your slave until now. Not yet have you learned such humility

^A as Christ, by whom you are being baptized today, who for your sake even accepted the form of a servant. From the day that you are changed, all the old traits have given way; one form, Christ, has been imposed upon all. Do not think it burdensome to confess your sin, knowing how John baptized, so that you may escape the shame from that by the shame here (since this is also part of that punishment), and may show that you have truly hated sin, by exposing it ^B and triumphing over it, as something worthy of abuse. Do not reject the healing of exorcism, nor grow faint at its length. This, too, is a touchstone of one’s sincerity regarding the gift. How much will you labor, like the Queen of the Ethiopians, who departed from the ends of the earth that she might see the wisdom of Solomon? And behold, something greater than Solomon is here, at least for those who reason perfectly. Do not hesitate—neither for the length of the road, nor the measures of the sea, nor fire, if this be set before you, nor for any other thing, be it small or greater than the obstacles, so that you may obtain the gift. But if it is possible for you, having labored and negotiated nothing, to obtain what you desire, what sort of folly is it to put off the gift? "You who thirst," he says, "go to the water" (Isaiah exhorts you), "and you who have no money, go, buy, and drink wine, without ^C silver and price." O the speed of his philanthropy! O the ease of the transaction! He offers this to you for the wanting of the good alone; he accepts the very impulse in place of a great price. He thirsts to be thirsted for; he gives drink to those who desire to drink; he is benefited by being asked for the benefit; he is a ready and great giver; he gives more gladly than others receive. Only let us not be judged mean-spirited for asking for little, and things unworthy of the giver. Blessed is he whom Christ asks for a drink, as he did that Samaritan woman, and gives a spring of water leaping up into eternal life. Blessed is he who sows upon every water and every soul, which will be plowed and irrigated tomorrow, which the ox and the ass tread today, being waste and waterless, and suffering from brutal stupidity. Blessed is he who, though he be a torrent of reeds, ^D is nevertheless irrigated from the house of the Lord, and from being reed-bearing becomes wheat-bearing, and brings forth food that is fit for humans, and not rough and useless. And therefore, with all care and study, we must take heed that we do not fall short of this common grace.

^A XXVIII. These things, one might say, are sufficient regarding those who seek baptism. But what would you say about those who are still infants, and are sensible neither of the loss nor of the grace? Shall we baptize them as well? Certainly, if there is any pressing danger. For it is better that they be sanctified unconsciously than that they should depart unsealed and uninitiated. The reason for this, for us, is circumcision, which in the custom of the eighth day was a kind of typical seal, and was applied even to those lacking reason; as was also the anointing of the doorposts, which, applied to things without sense, preserved the firstborn. But for others, I give my opinion that they should wait for three years, or a little more or less than this—whenever they are able to hear something of the mystery and answer—even if they do not understand perfectly, yet they are being formed; and so sanctify both soul and body with the great mystery of perfection.

For the situation is as follows: people begin to be held accountable for the actions of their life only when reason is fully developed and they have learned the mystery (for they have this advantage of their age, that they are not compelled to give an account for sins committed through ignorance); but because of sudden and unexpected attacks of dangers, which cannot be warded off by any help or assistance, it is by all means more advantageous to be fortified by the laver.

^C XXIX. But, you say, Christ is baptized at thirty years of age, and that while being God; and yet you command me to hasten baptism? By saying "God," you have solved the question. For He Himself was purification, and did not stand in need of cleansing; but He was cleansed for your sake, just as He also bore flesh—being Himself fleshless—for your sake. Nor was there any danger to Him in delaying baptism; for He was the arbiter of His own passion, just as He was of His birth. But as for you, no slight danger threatens if you depart from here having been born only to corruption, and not having donned incorruptibility. ^D I also observe this, that for Him this time of baptism was necessary; but for you, the reason is not the same. For it was at the thirtieth year, and not before, that He revealed Himself; partly so that He would not appear to be someone showing off (a passion by which silly people are led); and partly because this age holds full proof of virtue and the maturity to teach. And since the salutary passion for the world had to be undergone by Him, it was necessary that everything belonging to that passion should converge upon the passion: the manifestation, the baptism, the testimony from above, the preaching, the gathering of the multitudes, the miracles—and just as if to become one body, not torn apart or severed by intervals. For...

indeed, from the baptism and the preaching arose that "earthquake" of the gathering multitude ^A (for so does Scripture call that time); and from the multitude, the manifestation of signs, and the miracles that brought men to the Gospel. From these, then, envy was born; from envy, hatred; from hatred, treachery and betrayal; and from this, the Cross, and all by which we have been saved. Such are the things concerning Christ, as far as it is possible for us to grasp; though perhaps another, more hidden meaning of these things might also be found.

XXX. But what necessity is there for you, while following examples that are higher than yourself, to form a poor judgment? Since many other things among those recorded at that time appear to be different from how they are now, and do not correspond to the present times. ^B For instance, He fasted shortly before the temptation, while we do so before Pascha; the fasting itself is one and the same, but the interval of time between the two seasons is not small. For He puts this forward against the temptations, whereas for us this signifies the co-crucifixion with Christ, and is a pre-festal purification. And He fasted for forty days (for He was God), while we have proportioned this to our own strength, even if, moved by zeal, some do hasten beyond their power. Again, He initiates the disciples into the mystery of Pascha in an upper room, after supper, and one day before His Passion; while we do so in houses of prayer, and before supper, and after the Resurrection. ^C He rose on the third day, we after a long time. Yet neither are our mysteries completely severed from His, nor are they joined to them in time; but they have been handed down to us as a kind of type of His, so that they have escaped being altogether identical. Why, then, is it a source of wonder that Baptism should have been received for our sake, yet differ in time? Which you seem to me to put forward as something great and wonderful against your own salvation.

XXXI. If, therefore, you will listen to me, let such arguments as these be; instead, leap toward the Good yourselves, and enter into a double contest: the one, to cleanse yourselves before Baptism; the other, to preserve the Baptism; since it is of the same difficulty to acquire some good that you did not previously possess, and to preserve it once it has been acquired. ^D For it often happens that what zeal and industry have brought forth, sloth has destroyed; yet what has been lost through inertia, diligence has recalled. A good aid for you to obtain that which you long for is: vigils, fasts, sleeping on the ground...

prayers, tears, compassion toward the poor, and generosity. For these things, partly give thanks for what you have received, and partly preserve and guard them. You have a benefit that should remind you of many commandments: do not pass it by with contempt. Has a poor person approached? Let it come to your mind from what grave poverty you have been advanced to such great wealth. Is there someone needy of bread or drink, or perhaps some Lazarus cast before the doors of your house ^A? Let the mystic table to which you have approached move you; that bread of which you have partaken; that cup in which you have shared, being made perfect by the passions of Christ. Has a stranger—homeless, an alien—fallen at your knees? Receive him through this one, for the sake of Him who lived as a stranger for you, and that too in His own land, and who was brought into your home through grace, and who drew you toward the heavenly dwelling. Be a Zacchaeus, who was yesterday a publican, and today a man of great soul; ^B so that you may appear great, even if you are small in physical stature, having well beheld Christ. Is there a sick and wounded man lying before you? Let your own health move you, and the wounds from which Christ delivered you. If you see one naked, clothe him, honoring your own garment of incorruption—for Christ is this, since "as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." If you find a debtor falling at your feet, tear up every bond, both the just and the unjust. Recall those ten thousand talents which Christ forgave you. Do not be a bitter exactor of a lesser debt, and that, too, from your fellow servants; lest, having received such an example of humanity which you have not imitated, you also become liable to the penalty.

XXXII. So compare yourself, that the washing may cleanse not the body only, but the image also: that it may wash away not sins only, but may also amend the character: that it may not merely wipe away the former filth of life, but may also purge the very fountain; that it may not merely impress upon your mind that you should acquire goods honestly; but that you should lose what was well-gotten, or, which is the lightest course, put away what was ill-gotten. For what profit is it to you to have obtained the forgiveness of sin, while for the one who was wronged the damage from you is not repaired; since you are held bound by a double crime: the one, because you increased your wealth by wicked arts; the other, because you continue to possess what you acquired^C in an unjust manner? For the one you received forgiveness, but the other you are practicing unjustly today. For ^D prayers, tears, compassion for the needy, and generosity—let this be for you, together with the things you have obtained, both a thanksgiving and a safeguard. You have a reminder of many commandments—the benefit—do not pass it over. Has a poor person approached? Remember how much you were begging, how much you have been enriched. Is there someone needing bread or drink, or perhaps some Lazarus, another, cast before your gates? Revere the mystic table to which you have approached; the bread of which you have partaken; the cup of which you have shared, being made perfect in the passions of Christ. Has a stranger, homeless, an alien, fallen before you? Receive through this one Him who lived as a stranger for your sake, and that indeed in His own land, and who entered into you through grace, and drew you to the habitation above. Become a Zacchaeus, yesterday a publican, today a great-souled man: that you may appear great ^B, even if you are small in physical stature, having well beheld Christ. Is a sick and wounded person set before you? Revere your own health, and the wounds from which Christ freed you. If you see one naked, clothe him, honoring your own garment of incorruption—for Christ is this: "Since as many as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." If you find a debtor falling before you, tear up every bond, unjust and just. Remember the ten thousand talents which Christ granted you. Do not become a bitter exactor of a lesser debt. And to whom? To fellow servants; having yourself been forgiven the greater amount by the Master, do not incur the penalty of that humanity which you received as a pattern but did not imitate.

XXXII. Let the washing be for you not a cleansing of the body only ^C, but also of the image; not of sins only, but an amendment of the way of life; let it not merely wash away the preceding mud, but also destroy the source; let it not merely outline how to acquire property well, but also how to lose it well, or, to say the least, to put away what was poorly acquired. For what is the benefit to you to have your sin forgiven, while the injury done to the one you wronged is not undone, there being two evils for you: the one of having acquired it not justly, and the other of holding onto what was acquired! For the one you received release, but the other you are doing unjustly today. For today...

^A you retain the goods? Yes, although that wrong is forgiven you, by this you are still entangled even today. For today it is an alien thing with you; and therefore the sin has not in the least been removed and extinguished, but only interrupted by time. The one was committed before baptism, the other remains after baptism. For the bath has forgiveness for sins that have been committed, not for those that are being committed. And there is need that the purification be not merely painted on, but imprinted; that you be brightened perfectly, not merely colored; and that the gift have not a covering of sins, but a taking away of them. "Blessed are they whose iniquities have been forgiven"; this belongs to complete cleansing; "and whose sins have been covered"; this belongs to those not yet cleansed to the depths. "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin"; this is a third class of those who sin, concerning whom, even if the action is not in the least praiseworthy, the mind is nevertheless void of guilt and crime. ^B

XXXIII. What then do I say, and to what does my discourse turn? Yesterday you were a Canaanite soul, and bent down to the ground through sin; today you have been raised up by the Word. Do not curve again, and incline yourself to the earth, as if bowed down by the evil one, and have a humility that is difficult to shake off. Yesterday you were withering as you flowed with the issue of blood—for you were generating a bloody sin—today you have bloomed, having been dried up. You touched the fringes of Christ, and you stopped the flow. Keep for me the cleansing, lest you flow with blood again, and not be able to take hold of Christ, to steal salvation. For Christ does not love to be stolen from often, even if He is wondrously humane and accessible. Yesterday you were cast upon a bed, weak and paralyzed, and you had no man, so that when the water was troubled, he might cast you into the pool; today you have found a man, the same also God, or rather, God and man. You were lifted from the bed, or rather, you picked up the bed, and you declared the benefit; do not again, having sinned, lie ^C on a bed, withered by the pleasures of the body; but as you are, walk, remembering the commandment: "Behold, you have become healthy; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you," appearing evil after the good deed. "Lazarus, come out," you heard the great voice while lying in the tomb (for what is more great-sounding than the Word?) and you came forth, not a four-day-old corpse, but a many-day-old one, having risen with the three-day-old, and were released from the bonds of the grave clothes. Do not die again, and become with those

who dwell in the tombs, nor be bound by the chains of your own sins; for it is uncertain whether you will rise from the tombs again before the final and common resurrection, or if He shall bring every work into judgment, not to be healed, but to be judged and to render an account of what it has stored up, whether well or ill. ^B

XXXIV. If you were previously infected with leprosy, that is, with deformed wickedness, and then, having scraped off and cast away this vicious matter, you recovered the image safe and sound, show your cleansing to me, your priest, that I may know how much more precious this is than the legal purification. Do not join yourself to the nine who were ungrateful, but imitate the tenth; for even though he was a Samaritan, he was still more grateful than the others. Be careful, lest you break out in evil again, and have a malady of the body that is difficult to cure. ^C Recently, stinginess and greed were withering your hand; today, may liberality and kindness extend it. A glorious cure for a sick hand is to scatter and to give to the poor, to draw out abundantly from what we have in excess, until we even touch the bottom (perhaps this will spring up as food for you, just as it did for the woman of Zarephath, especially if you happen to be feeding an Elijah), and to account it as great wealth to be in need for the sake of Christ, who became poor for us. If you were deaf and mute, may the Word sound within you; or rather, hold fast to Him who has sounded. Do not close your ears to the discipline and admonition of the Lord, as the asp does to the incantations. If you are blind ^D and without light, enlighten your eyes, lest you ever fall asleep in death. In the light of the Lord, look upon light; in the Spirit of God, behold the Son—the threefold and undivided light, I say. If you receive the whole Word, you will gather into your own soul all the healings of Christ, by which each one has been cured in part. Only do not be ignorant of the measure of grace; only do not let the enemy sow tares while you are sleeping and living in false security; only, having become an object of envy to the wicked one because of your purity, do not make yourself miserable again through sin; only do not, while rejoicing excessively in a good work and being lifted up beyond measure, fall by being exalted; only, always strive for perfection, setting ascents in your heart; and the forgiveness you have received by grace, keep with care, so that while the forgiveness of your sins comes from God, the keeping of that forgiveness may come from you.

^A XXXV. How, then, will this come to pass? Be mindful of that parable, and you will counsel yourself in the best and most perfect way. The unclean and material spirit has gone out of you, driven away by baptism. It does not endure the pursuit; it does not tolerate being homeless and without shelter. It travels through waterless places and regions that are dry of the divine dew; there it desires to linger. It wanders seeking rest, and does not find it; it encounters souls marked by baptism, whose vices the laver has washed away; it fears the water; it is choked by the cleansing, just as the Legion was by the sea. It returns again to the house from which it departed. It is shameless, it is contentious; it attacks again, it makes trial again. If it finds Christ dwelling within and having filled the space that it itself had emptied, it is repelled once more, it departs without success, and it becomes wretched ^B because of its wandering. But if it finds the place within you swept and garnished, yet empty and unoccupied, equally ready for the reception of either this inhabitant or that—the one who has seized it first—it leaps in, it dwells there with greater preparation, and the last state becomes worse than the first, inasmuch as then there was hope of amendment and safety, whereas now the wickedness is manifest, drawing evil by the flight of the good; and for this reason the possession is more secure for the inhabitant.

^C XXXVI. Again, I will remind you of the illuminations, and I will frequently select them from the sacred oracles. For I myself shall be the more delighted by the remembrance of them (for what is sweeter than light to those who have tasted of the light?), and I will cause you to shine with what is spoken. *Light has dawned for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart*; and *Light is for the righteous at all times*. Furthermore, one speaks to God in this way: *You illuminate wondrously from the eternal mountains*, which means, as I suppose, from the angelic powers, which are a help to us for all that is better. You hear David also saying: *The Lord is my light and my savior; whom shall I fear?* And at one time he asks for the light and truth to be sent forth to him; at ^D another time he gives thanks because he has also partaken of it, when the light of God is marked upon him, that is, when the signs of the imparted illumination have been imprinted and made known. Let us flee only that one light which is the offspring of the bitter fire. Let us not walk in the light of our fire, and in the flame which we have kindled. For I know a cleansing fire, which Christ

^A came to send upon the earth, and who is himself mystically called fire. Now the power of this fire is such that it consumes the crasser matter and the vicious affection of the soul, and for this reason Christ wishes it to be kindled as quickly as possible. For he desires to bestow his benefit upon us as soon as possible, inasmuch as he even offers us coals of fire as an aid. I also know of a fire that is not cleansing, but rather ^B a punishing one: whether it be that Sodomitic fire which God pours out upon all sinners, mixed with sulphur and tempest; or that which is prepared for the devil and his angels; or that which goes before the face of the Lord and shall set his enemies round about on fire; or, finally, that which is more fearful than all these, which is assigned to the sleepless worm, not being quenched, but continuing forever for the wicked. For all these have the power to destroy and consume, unless someone should, in this instance too, deem it better to understand this fire ^C as something more merciful, and as befitting God the avenger.

XXXVII. Just as I know of a twofold fire, so also there is a twofold light: the one, a lamp for the ruling part of our soul, guiding our steps according to God; the other, deceitful and vain, and the opposite of the true light, yet pretending to be that very thing so that it may rob us by its appearance; this is both darkness, and appears to be noon, the most brilliant part of the day. This is how I hear of those who are always fleeing in the darkness of noon. This is also night, and is considered light by those who are corrupted by luxury ^D and the lures of pleasure. For what does David say? "Night was around me, the miserable one, and I knew not; for I supposed luxury to be light." And those men are indeed such, and so affected. But let us kindle for ourselves a light of knowledge; and this shall come to pass for us if we sow unto righteousness and reap the fruit of life (for action is the precursor of contemplation), that among other things we may learn this too: what is the true light, and what is the false and counterfeit one, lest we fall unawares into the worse one, as if it were the good. Let us become light, as the disciples heard from the great Light, when he said: "You are the light of the world." Let us become luminaries in the world, holding the word of life, that is, a vital power for others. Let us grasp the divinity, let us grasp the first and purest Light. Let us walk toward his splendor, before our feet stumble upon the dark and hostile mountains. While it is day, let us walk becomingly as in the day, not in revelries and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, which are the thefts of the night.

^A XXXVIII. Let us purify every member, brethren, and cleanse every sense. Let there be nothing in us imperfect, nothing that reeks of our first birth, and finally, let us leave nothing unilluminated. Let us be enlightened in our eyes, that we may see aright, and let us not carry within us any meretricious and obscene image, fashioned by studied and curious looking. For even if we do not worship the passion, we have yet defiled the soul. If there is a beam in us, if there is a splinter, let us purge it, that we may be able to see those of others as well. Let us be enlightened in our hearing, let us be enlightened in our tongue; that we may hear what the Lord God will speak, and that the morning mercy may be made audible to us, and that we may be made to hear gladness and joy, resounding in divine ears; that we may not be a sharp sword, nor a sharpened razor, nor stir up labor and sorrow under the tongue, but may speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which is hidden, reverencing the fiery tongues. Let us be healed in our smell, that we may not be effeminate, nor instead of a sweet fragrance be covered with dust; but let us smell that ointment poured out for our sake, partaking of it spiritually, and being so fashioned and transformed by it that from us also a fragrance of sweet scent may be exhaled. Let us be cleansed in touch, taste, and throat, not touching softly and delighting in smoothness, but touching as is fitting the Word made flesh for our sake, and in this imitating Thomas; not being tickled by juices and dainties, which are for the brothers of sharper ticklings, but tasting and knowing that the Lord is good with a better and more lasting taste; nor, finally, by refreshing those bitter and ungrateful throats, which transmit what is given but never retain it, but by gladdening them with divine words, which are ^B sweeter than honey.

XXXIX. Furthermore, it would be excellent, when the head—which is the dwelling-place and workshop of the senses—is purified, as a head is wont to be purified, to hold fast to the head ^C of Christ, from whom the whole body is joined and fitted together; and to cast down the sin that lifts itself above us and arrogates to itself rule over our nobler part. It is also excellent that the shoulder should be sanctified and purified, that it may be able to carry the cross of Christ, ^D and not easily abandon it.

^A It is also excellent for the hands and feet to be purified: the former, so that they may be lifted up in every place in holiness, and may lay hold of the discipline of Christ, lest the Lord be angry, and may be entrusted with the word by means of the practical life, just as that which was given into the hand of the prophet; the latter, so that they may not be swift to shed blood, nor run toward wickedness, but may be ready for the Gospel and for the prize of the upward calling, and may receive Christ as he washes and cleanses them. If there is also a purification of the belly—that which receives and distributes the nourishment from the Word—it is excellent not to make this a god, through luxury and dissipating foods, but to cleanse it as much as possible, and to make it refined, so that it may receive the Word of the Lord within, and rightly grieve for Israel that is stumbling. I find that both the heart and the inward parts ^B are deemed worthy of honor. David persuades me of this, when he prays for a clean heart to be created within him, and for a right spirit to be renewed in his inward parts. By these words, I believe, he signifies the faculty of the soul by which we think, and its movements or thoughts.

XL. What of the loins? What of the kidneys? For let us not pass this over either. Let the purification reach these parts also. Let our loins be girded and restricted by temperance, just as they were for Israel of old, according to the prescription of the law, when they were eating the Passover. For no one departs purely and perfectly from Egypt, nor escapes the destroyer, unless he has tamed and bridled these. But let the kidneys feel a praiseworthy transformation, transferring the whole power of desire toward God, so that we may be able to say: "Lord, before thee is all my desire," and, "I have not desired the day of man." It is fitting that we should become men of the desires of the Spirit. Thus, the dragon that bears most of its strength in the navel and the loins might be destroyed for us, once the power he holds in these parts has been mortified. ^C But do not marvel if I bestow more abundant honor upon our less honorable parts, mortifying and chastening them with my discourse, and standing in battle array against matter. Let us give all the members which are upon the earth to God, let us consecrate everything. Let us not offer only the lobe of the liver, nor the kidneys with the fat, nor ^D this part of the body, nor that. For why should the rest be dishonored by us? But let us offer everything.

Let us be reasonable holocausts, perfect sacrifices; let us not offer the arm alone, nor the breast alone, as a priestly offering ^A (for that is a small thing); but by giving ourselves entirely, let us also receive ourselves entirely; since this is truly to receive, [to be given to God], and to perform as a sacred rite our own salvation.

XLI. ^B Above all, and before all, guard for me the good deposit, in which I live and have my citizenship, which I hope to take with me as a fellow-traveler, with which I endure all pains, and despise every pleasure; the confession in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This I entrust to you today; with this I shall immerse you, and bring you up. I give this to you as the companion and protector of your whole life, the one Godhead and power, which is found in the three individually, and which gathers the three together divisively; ^C neither unequal in substances or natures, nor increased or diminished by additions or subtractions, equal on all sides, the same on all sides, just as the beauty and magnitude of the sky are one; an infinite conjunction of three infinites, each God being contemplated by Himself, as Father and Son, as Son and Holy Spirit—for the distinctiveness of each is preserved—yet all three are God when contemplated together; the former on account of the coessentiality, the latter on account of the monarchy. I do not arrive at thinking of the One before I am illuminated by the Three; I do not arrive at distinguishing ^D the Three before I am carried up into the One. When I imagine any one of the Three, I think of this as the whole, and my sight is filled, and the greater part escapes me. I do not have the capacity to grasp its magnitude so as to give the remainder to what is left over. When I contemplate the three together, I see one torch, nor can I distinguish or measure the light that is settled in me.

XLII. Do you fear generation, lest God suffer something, He who suffers nothing? I, for my part, fear the creation, lest I lose God by insult and by unjust division, whether I disconnect the Son from the Father, or the essence of the Spirit from the Son. For the strange thing is that not only is the creature brought forward as being equal to God by those who weigh the Godhead wrongly, but the creature itself is even torn into...

itself again. For just as humble and abject men separate the Son from the Father and place Him in an inferior position, so they in turn separate the Spirit from the Son and make Him inferior; so that, through this new theology, insults are heaped upon both God and the creature. ^A There is nothing in the Trinity, O you men, that is servile, nor created, nor adventitious, as I have heard one of the learned say. If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ, says the divine Apostle. If I were still worshiping some creature, or were baptized in the name of a created thing, I would not be deified, nor would I be renewed in my first birth. What shall I say to those who worship Astarte, or Chemos, the abomination of the Sidonians, or the form of a star—which among those idolaters is thought of as a god slightly greater than these—except that they are creatures and things made? Are you not, then, worshiping two beings—if I, in whose name I have been baptized, am worshiping two—or are you worshiping fellow-servants? For they would certainly be fellow-servants, however much they may excel us slightly in honor; since even among fellow-servants there is found to be a distinction and a precedence. ^B

XLIII.

^A I have three 55 outpourings against the splinters, with which I shall consecrate the sacrifice, raising fire from water—the most paradoxical thing—and I shall cast down the prophets of shame 54, using the power of the mystery.

^B XLIV. What need have I of longer words? For this is the time for teaching, not for disputation. I call God and his elect angels to witness that it is with this faith that you shall be baptized. If you are inscribed in another way than my doctrine requires, come and be re-inscribed. I am no unskilled or inept scribe of these things, writing what has been written for me, and teaching what I have learned, and what I have guarded from the beginning even unto this gray hair. The danger is mine, but mine also is the reward, as the steward of your soul and the one who brings you to perfection through baptism. But if you are already in this state, and have been marked with good characters, guard for me what has been written, remaining immutable in mutable times regarding an immutable matter. Imitate Pilate for the better; he wrote badly, but you are written well 57. Say to those who would change your mind: "What I have written, I have written." For I would indeed be ashamed if, while evil remains unshaken, the good were easily swayed; whereas it is our duty to be easily moved toward the good from the bad, but by no means swayed toward the bad from the good. If you approach baptism with this conviction and doctrine, "lo, I will not restrain my lips" 58, lo, I offer my hands to the Spirit. Let us hasten salvation; let us rise for baptism. The Spirit is pulsing, the perfecter is ready, the gift is prepared. But if you still limp ^C and do not accept the perfection of the Godhead, seek out a baptizer, or rather a destroyer-by-baptism. For I have no leisure to cut up the Godhead and make you dead at the time of your rebirth, so that you might have neither the grace nor the hope of grace, having wrecked your salvation in a short time. For if you take away the Godhead from any of these three, you have overturned the whole, and have deprived yourself of perfection 59.

XLV. But no imprint has yet been made on your soul, neither of a worse 60 letter nor a better one; but today you must be written upon, and be formed by us unto perfection. Let us enter into the cloud; give me the tablets of your heart; I become Moses to you, even if it might seem bold to say so; I write a new Decalogue with the finger of God; ^D I write a concise salvation.

^A But if any heretical and irrational beast should act, let it remain in a lower place, or it will risk being stoned by the word of truth. I shall baptize you, instructing you into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But the one name common to the three is the Godhead. You will understand, both from the very nature of these things and from the words themselves, that you are rejecting all impiety and are being joined to the whole Godhead. Believe that the whole universe, as much as is visible and as much as escapes the gaze of our eyes, came into being from God out of nothing, and is governed by the providence of the Maker, and that at some time it will be changed into a more excellent state. Believe that there is no essence of evil, nor kingdom, nor anything without beginning, or subsisting of itself, or created by God, but that this is our own work and the work of the Evil One, having crept into us through carelessness, but not from the Creator. Believe that the Son of God, that Word who is more ancient than all the ages and without any beginning of time, and begotten in an incorporeal manner from the Father, this Son, I say, in the last days became also the Son of man for your sake, having proceeded in an arcane manner and without any defilement from the Virgin Mary (for nothing is defiled where God is, and by whom salvation is prepared), ^B becoming entirely man, the same also being God, on behalf of the whole man who had been wounded, in order that, having rescinded the entire condemnation of sin, He might bring salvation to you in your entirety; impassible in His divinity, passible by reason of the humanity He assumed; having become man for your sake just as much as you are made God for His sake; that He was led to death on account of our iniquities, and was lifted upon the cross, and was subjected to burial (inasmuch, of course, as He might taste death), and on the third day returned to life, and ascended into the heavens, so that He might take you up with Him as you lie upon the earth; and, finally, that He will return in glory and splendor to pass judgment upon the living and the dead; not, indeed, in a fleshly body anymore, nor yet lacking a body, but having a more august and divine body, ^C as He alone knows, so that He might be seen by those who pierced Him, and yet remain God, devoid of all mass and density. Furthermore, believe in the resurrection, the judgment, and the recompense to be weighed in the just scales of God. And this, for those who have been purified in soul and mind, is light—that is, God—revealing Himself to each, according to the level of their purity, which we also call the Kingdom of Heaven; but it is darkness to those who have blinded their ruling faculty, that is to say, it is an alienation from God according to the degree of their dim-sightedness from this point on. Tenth, work the good upon this foundation of doctrines; since faith without works is dead, just as works are without faith. You have ^D the fact that He will come again with His glorious presence, judging the living and the dead.

^A the outward expressions of the mystery, and not forbidden to the ears of the many. But the other matters, as the Trinity grants, you will learn interiorly; these you shall keep hidden within yourself, held under seal.

^B XLVI. But I would have you understand this from me. The station at which you will immediately stand after baptism, before the great sanctuary, is a prefiguration of the glory to come. The psalmody with which you will be received is a prelude to that hymnody above. The lamps you will light are an image of that bearing of lights with which we, as splendid and virginal souls, with the radiant lamps of faith, will go out to meet Christ the Bridegroom, neither sleeping through sloth and negligence—lest, without our knowledge, He whose arrival is expected should appear unexpectedly—nor being without food and oil, and lacking in good works, lest we be shut out of the bridal chamber. ^C For I foresee with my mind the sad and wretched calamity. He will be present, when the cry goes forth for Him to be met. Those who are wise will go out to meet Him with splendid light and with a more abundant supply of its nourishment; but the others will be in great agitation, seeking oil at an untimely hour from those who have it. He will enter in haste; the wise will enter with Him; but those who spent that time, which should have been used for entering, on the adornment of their lamps, will be kept from entering. They will lament greatly and bitterly, knowing too late the loss caused by their sloth, when the bridal chamber is no longer accessible to them, even though they beg much for Him whom they badly shut out against themselves. ^D They imitate in another way those who refuse to attend the marriage that the good Father celebrates for the good Bridegroom, whether on account of a newly wedded wife, or an acre newly bought, or a yoke of oxen, which they acquired badly, suffering the loss of greater goods through the pursuit of small and trivial things. For there is no place there for any proud and arrogant man, nor for the slothful and inert, nor for one covered in a garment that is sordid and unworthy of the marriage, even if in this life he thought himself worthy of that splendor, and furtively inserted himself among others, deceived by vain hopes. Then someone may ask: when we are within, what then? The Bridegroom knows what He will teach, and what He will be to the souls that have entered with Him. He will be present, I think, teaching the more perfect and purer things, of which we also might partake, both we who teach these things and those who learn them, in Christ Himself our Lord, to whom be glory and power

into the ages. Amen.