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having undergone it, He refashioned, a fashioning more divine and higher than the first; which is a seal for beginners, but for the more perfect in age, both a gift of grace and a restoration of the fallen image, on account of evil; so that, by despair not becoming worse, and always being carried down to what is worse, we might not completely fall outside the good and virtue through despair; nor, having fallen into a 36.368 depth of evils, as it is said, might we become contemptuous; but just as those cutting a long road, having rested their toils at an inn, so may we, refreshed and eager, complete the rest of the road. This is the grace and power of baptism, which brings not a flood upon the world as of old, but the cleansing of the sin of each individual, and a complete washing away of the accumulations or pollutions that have entered in from evil.

8. Since we are twofold, I mean of soul and body, and the one of a visible, the other of an invisible nature, the cleansing is also twofold, by water, I say, and by the Spirit; the one being received visibly and bodily, the other concurring incorporeally and invisibly; the one being typical, the other true and cleansing the depths; which, being an aid to the first generation, makes us new instead of old, and godlike instead of what we are now, recasting us without fire, and recreating us without shattering. For if one must speak concisely, the power of baptism must be understood as a covenant with God for a second life and a purer way of living. And this indeed is what is most to be feared, and with all vigilance each one must guard his own soul, lest we appear as liars to this confession. For if God, being taken as a mediator, confirms covenants with men, how great is the danger of being found transgressors of these covenants which we have made with God Himself; and not only to be liable for our other sins, but for the falsehood itself to the Truth? And this, there being no second regeneration, nor a re-fashioning, nor a restoration to the original state, even if we seek it ever so much with many groans and tears, from which a healing of the wound with a scar comes with difficulty, according to my own rule and law (for it does come, we believe; but if we should also erase the scars, I would be glad, since I myself also need loving-kindness); yet it is better not to need a second cleansing, but to stand by the first, which I know to be common to all and without toil and of equal honor, for slaves, for masters, for the poor, for the rich, for the humble, for the exalted, for the more nobly born, for the ignobly born, for debtors, for non-debtors, like the breathing of the air, and the pouring of light, and the changes of seasons, and the sight of creation, this great and common delight for all of us, and the equal share of faith. 36.369

9. For it is a terrible thing, instead of a less laborious healing, to work out a more laborious one, and having cast away the grace of pity to owe a penalty, and to measure out correction to sin. For how great a tear shall we bring forth, that it may be equal to the fountain of baptism? And who is the guarantor that the end will await the therapy, but that the tribunal will not receive us while we are still in debt, and in need of the fire of that place? You indeed will ask the Master, perhaps, the good and man-loving husbandman, to spare the fig tree yet, and not yet to cut it down, though it is accused of being fruitless, but to be allowed to put dung around it, tears, groans, invocations, sleeping on the ground, vigils, the wasting of soul and body, the restoration through confession and a more dishonorable way of life; but it is uncertain if the Master will spare it, as it makes the place useless, while another needs loving-kindness, and becomes worse from the long-suffering shown to this one. Let us therefore be buried with Christ through baptism, that we may also rise with Him; let us go down with Him, that we may also be exalted with Him; let us go up with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him.

10. If after baptism the persecutor and tempter of the light should attack you (and he will attack; for he even attacked the Word and my God because of the veil, the

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ὑποστάντας ἀνέπλασε, πλάσιν θειοτέραν τε καὶ τῆς πρώτης ὑψηλοτέραν· ἣ τοῖς μὲν ἀρχομένοις ἐστὶ σφραγὶς, τοῖς δὲ τελειοτέροις, τὴν ἡλικίαν, καὶ χάρισμα, καὶ τῆς πεσούσης εἰκόνος, διὰ τὴν κακίαν, ἐπανόρθωσις· ἵνα μὴ τῇ ἀπογνώσει χείρους γινόμενοι, καὶ ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον καταφερόμενοι, τελέως ἔξω τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς δι' ἀπόγνωσιν πίπτωμεν· μηδὲ εἰς κακῶν 36.368 βάθος ἐμπεσόντες, ὃ δὴ λέγεται, καταφρονῶμεν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ μακρὰν ὁδὸν τέμνοντες, καταλύματι τοὺς πόνους διαναπαύσαντες, οὕτω τὸ ἑξῆς τῆς ὁδοῦ νεαροὶ καὶ πρόθυμοι διανύσωμεν. Αὕτη μὲν ἡ τοῦ βαπτίσματος χάρις καὶ δύναμις, οὐ κόσμου κατακλυσμὸν ὡς πάλαι, τῆς δὲ τοῦ καθ' ἕκαστον ἁμαρ τίας κάθαρσιν ἔχουσα, καὶ παντελῆ ῥύψιν τῶν ἀπὸ κακίας ἐπεισελθόντων συγχωσμάτων ἢ μολυ σμάτων.

Ηʹ. ∆ιττῶν δὲ ὄντων ἡμῶν, ἐκ ψυχῆς λέγω καὶ σώματος, καὶ τῆς μὲν ὁρατῆς, τῆς δὲ ἀοράτου φύ σεως· διττὴ καὶ ἡ κάθαρσις, δι' ὕδατός τέ φημι καὶ Πνεύματος, τοῦ μὲν θεωρητῶς τε καὶ σωματικῶς λαμβανομένου, τοῦ δὲ ἀσωμάτως καὶ ἀθεω ρήτως συντρέχοντος· καὶ τοῦ μὲν τυπικοῦ, τοῦ δὲ ἀληθινοῦ, καὶ τὰ βάθη καθαίροντος· ὃ τῆς πρώτης γενέσεως ἐπικουρία τυγχάνον, καινοὺς ἀντὶ παλαιῶν, καὶ θεοειδεῖς ἀντὶ τῶν νῦν ὄντων ἐργάζεται, χω ρὶς πυρὸς ἀναχωνεῦον, καὶ ἀνακτίζον δίχα συντρίψεως. Εἰ γὰρ δεῖ συντόμως εἰπεῖν, συνθήκας πρὸς Θεὸν δευτέρου βίου καὶ πολιτείας καθαρωτέρας, ὑπο ληπτέον τὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος δύναμιν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ μάλιστα φοβητέον, καὶ πάσῃ φυλακῇ τηρητέον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἕκαστον, μὴ ψεῦσται τῆς ὁμολο γίας ταύτης φαινώμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ τὰς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ὁμολογίας ἐμπεδοῖ Θεὸς μέσος παραληφθεὶς, πόσος ὁ κίνδυνος, ὧν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐθέμεθα τὸν Θεὸν συνθη κῶν, τούτων παραβάτας εὑρίσκεσθαι· καὶ μὴ μόνον τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ψεύ δους ὑποδίκους εἶναι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ; Καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ οὔσης δευτέρας ἀναγεννήσεως, οὐδὲ ἀναπλάσεως, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποκαταστάσεως, κἂν ὅτι μά λιστα ἐπιζητῶμεν ταύτην ἐν πολλοῖς στεναγμοῖς τε καὶ δάκρυσιν, ἐξ ὧν συνούλωσις μὲν ἔρχεται μόγις κατά γε τὸν ἐμὸν ὅρον καὶ νόμον (ἔρχεται γὰρ καὶ πιστεύομεν· εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰς οὐλὰς ἐξαλείφωμεν, ἀγαπῴην ἂν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς χρῄζω φιλανθρωπίας)· πλὴν μὴ δευτέρας δεηθῆναι καθάρσεως, ἀλλὰ στῆναι μέχρι τῆς πρώτης ἄμεινον, ἣν κοινὴν οἶδα πᾶσι καὶ ἄμοχθον καὶ ὁμότιμον, δούλοις, δεσπόταις, πένησι, πλουσίοις, ταπεινοῖς, ὑψηλοῖς, εὐγενεστέροις, ἀγε νεστέροις, ὀφείλουσιν, οὐκ ὀφείλουσιν, ὡς ἀέρος πνεῦσιν, καὶ φωτὸς χύσιν, καὶ ὡρῶν ἀλλαγὰς, καὶ κτίσεως θέαν, τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ κοινοῦ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐντρυφήματος, καὶ ἰσομοιρίαν πίστεως. 36.369

Θʹ. ∆εινὸν γὰρ ἀντὶ ἰατρείας ἀπονωτέρας, τὴν ἐπιπονωτέραν ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ ἀποῤῥίψαντας χάριν οἴκτου χρεωστεῖν κόλασιν, καὶ ἀντιμετρεῖν ἁμαρτίᾳ διόρθωσιν. Πόσον γὰρ εἰσοίσομεν δάκρυον, ἵν' ἀντι σωθῇ τῇ πηγῇ τοῦ βαπτίσματος; τίς δὲ ὁ ἐγγυητὴς, ὅτι μενεῖ τὴν θεραπείαν τὸ τέλος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ὀφείλοντας ἡμᾶς ἔτι τὸ κριτήριον ὑποδέξεται, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖσε δεομένους πυρώσεως; Σὺ μὲν δεήσῃ τοῦ ∆εσπό του τυχὸν, ὁ καλὸς καὶ φιλάνθρωπος γεωργὸς, ἔτι φείσασθαι τῆς συκῆς, καὶ μήπω ταύτην ἐκτεμεῖν ἐγκαλουμένην τὸ ἄκαρπον, ἀλλὰ συγχωρηθῆναι περι βαλεῖν κόπρια, δάκρυα, στεναγμοὺς, ἀνακλήσεις, χαμευνίας, ἀγρυπνίας, τῆξιν ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, τὴν δι' ἐξαγορεύσεως, καὶ ἀτιμοτέρας ἀγωγῆς ἐπαν όρθωσιν· ἄδηλον δὲ, εἰ φείσεται ταύτης ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὡς καταργούσης τὸν τόπον, ἄλλου δεομένου φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ γινομένου χείρονος ἐκ τῆς εἰς τοῦτον μακροθυμίας. Συνταφῶμεν οὖν Χριστῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἵνα καὶ συναναστῶμεν· συγκατ έλθωμεν, ἵνα καὶ συνυψωθῶμεν· συνανέλθωμεν, ἵνα καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν.

Ιʹ. Ἐάν σοι προσβάλῃ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ὁ τοῦ φωτὸς διώκτης καὶ πειραστὴς (προσβαλεῖ δέ· καὶ γὰρ, καὶ τῷ Λόγῳ, καὶ Θεῷ μου προσέβαλε διὰ τὸ κάλυμμα, τῷ