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inexorable, or one of those things which makes departure very swift, and stronger than any help.

XV. But if you should forearm yourself with the seal, and secure the future with the most beautiful and firmest of helps, having marked both soul and body, with the chrism and with the Spirit, as Israel of old with the nocturnal and protective blood of the firstborn; what will happen to you, and what has been procured for you? Hear the Proverbs: "For if you sit," it says, "you will be fearless; and if you sleep, you will slumber sweetly." And something was announced as good news by David: "You will not be afraid of the terror by night, of the mishap, and the noonday demon." This is for you, even while living, the greatest security. For a sealed sheep is not easily plotted against, but the unmarked one is vulnerable to thieves; and for one who has departed, a favorable burial garment, more splendid than clothing, more precious than gold, more magnificent than a tomb, more pious than purchased libations, more timely than seasonal firstfruits, which the dead give to the dead, making custom their law. Let all things be gone from you, let all be plundered, money, possessions, thrones, splendors, all things of this earthly revolution; but you, end your life in safety, having lost none of the aids given to you by God for salvation.

XVI. But are you afraid you might corrupt the gift, and for this reason you postpone purification, as having no second chance? What then? Are you not afraid that you may be in danger at the time of a pursuer, and be deprived of the greatest thing you have, Christ? Therefore, will you for this reason also flee from becoming a Christian? Away with it! This fear is not of a sound mind, this reasoning is of one who is insane. O the irreverent reverence, if one must say this! O the sophistries of the evil one! He is truly darkness, and pretends to be light. When he has no strength warring openly, he plots secretly. And he becomes a counselor as if he were good, being evil; so that in one way at least he may prevail, and that we may in no way escape his plot. This, then, he clearly contrives here also. For since he cannot persuade you to despise baptism openly, he harms you through a counterfeit security, so that what you fear, you may suffer this very thing unwittingly because of your fear; and fearing to corrupt the gift, by this very fact you may fall away from the gift. Such, then, is he, and he will never cease from his own duplicity, as long as he sees us hastening towards heaven, from which he himself has fallen. But you, O man of God, know the plot of the adversary. For the battle is against the one who has, and for the greatest things. Do not take the enemy as your counselor; do not despise hearing and becoming faithful. As long as you are a catechumen, you are in the outer courts of piety. You must be inside, cross the court, behold the holy things, peer into the Holy of Holies, be with the Trinity. Great are the things for which he fights; great also must be your security. Put forward the shield of faith. He is afraid of you fighting with your armor; and for this reason he strips you of the gift, so that he may more easily overpower you, unarmed and unguarded. He lays hold of every age, every form of life. Let him be driven back by all.

XVII. Are you young? Stand against the passions with the alliance, be numbered in the battle-line of God, fight bravely against Goliath, receive the thousands, or the ten thousands. In this way enjoy your youth; but do not endure that your youth should wither, being deadened by the incompleteness of faith. Are you old, and near the necessary deadline? Respect your gray hairs; give the prudence it demands, instead of the weakness you now have; help your few days; entrust purification to your old age. Why do you fear the things of youth in deep old age, and at your last breaths? Or are you also waiting to be washed as a corpse, pitied no more than hated? Or do you long for the leftovers of pleasures, being a leftover of life? It is shameful for age to decline, but not for the

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ἀπαραίτητος, ἤ τι τῶν ὅσα ταχίστην ποιεῖ τὴν μετάστασιν, καὶ βοηθείας ἰσχυροτέραν.

ΙΕʹ. Εἰ δὲ προκαταλάβοις σεαυτὸν τῇ σφραγῖδι, καὶ τὸ μέλλον ἀσφαλίσαιο τῷ καλλίστῳ τῶν βοηθημάτων καὶ στεῤῥοτάτῳ, σημειωθεὶς καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα, τῷ χρίσματι καὶ τῷ Πνεύματι, ὡς ὁ Ἰσραὴλ πάλαι τῷ νυκτερινῷ καὶ φυλακτικῷ τῶν πρωτοτό κων αἵματι· τί σοι συμβήσεται, καὶ τί σοι πε πραγμάτευται; Τῶν Παροιμιῶν ἄκουσον· Ἐὰν γὰρ κάθῃ, φησὶν, ἄφοβος ἔσῃ· Ἐὰν δὲ καθεύδῃς, ἡδέως ὑπνώσεις. Καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εὐαγγελίσθη τι· Οὐ φοβηθήσῃ ἀπὸ φόβου νυκτερινοῦ, ἀπὸ συμπτώματος, καὶ δαιμονίου μεσημβρινοῦ. Τοῦ τό σοι καὶ ζῶντι μέγιστον εἰς ἀσφάλειαν. Πρόβατον γὰρ ἐσφραγισμένον οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἐπιβουλεύεται, τὸ δὲ ἀσήμαντον κλέπταις εὐάλωτον· καὶ ἀπελθόντι δεξιὸν ἐντάφιον, ἐσθῆτος λαμπρότερον, χρυσοῦ τιμιώτερον, τάφου μεγαλοπρεπέστερον, ἀγόνων χοῶν εὐσεβέστε ρον, ἀπαργμάτων ὡρίων καιριώτερον, ὧν τοῖς νεκροῖς οἱ νεκροὶ χαρίζονται, νόμον ποιησάμενοι τὴν συνήθειαν. Πάντα οἰχέσθω σοι, πάντα διαρπαζέσθω, χρήματα, κτήματα, θρόνοι, λαμπρότητες, ὅσα τῆς κάτω περιφορᾶς· σὺ δὲ κατάλυσον ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ τὸν βίον, μηδὲν ζημιωθεὶς τῶν ἐκ Θεοῦ σοι δοθέν των εἰς σωτηρίαν βοηθημάτων.

Ιςʹ. Ἀλλὰ φοβῇ, μὴ διαφθείρῃς τὸ χάρισμα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀναβάλλῃ τὴν κάθαρσιν, ὡς δευτέραν οὐκ ἔχων; Τί δαί; Οὐ φοβῇ, μὴ διώκτῃ καιρῷ κινδυνεύ σῃς, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον ὧν ἔχεις, ἀφαιρεθῇς Χριστόν; Ἆρ' οὖν διὰ τοῦτο φεύξῃ καὶ τὸ γενέσθαι Χριστια νός; Ἄπαγε! Οὐχ ὑγιαίνοντος ὁ φόβος, παραφρο νοῦντος ὁ λογισμός. Ὢ τῆς ἀνευλαβοῦς εὐλαβείας, εἰ δεῖ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν! ὢ τῶν τοῦ πονηροῦ σοφισμάτων! Ὄντως σκότος ἐστὶ, καὶ φῶς ὑποκρίνεται. Ὅταν μηδὲν ἰσχύσῃ φανερῶς πολεμῶν, ἀφανῶς ἐπιβουλεύει. 36.380 Καὶ γίνεται σύμβουλος ὡς χρηστὸς, ὢν πονηρός· ἵν' ἑνί γε τῷ τρόπῳ πάντως ἰσχύσῃ, καὶ μηδαμόθεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν διαφύγωμεν. Ὅπερ οὖν κἀνταῦ θα σαφῶς τεχνάζεται. Τὸ γὰρ φανερῶς καταφρονεῖν τοῦ βαπτίσματος πείθειν οὐκ ἔχων, ζημιοῖ σε διὰ τῆς πλαστῆς ἀσφαλείας, ἵν' ὃ φοβῇ γε, τοῦτο λάθῃς παθὼν διὰ τοῦ φόβου· καὶ τὸ φθεῖραι τὴν δωρεὰν δε δοικὼς, αὐτῷ τούτῳ τῆς δωρεᾶς ἐκπέσῃς. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τοιοῦτός ἐστι, καὶ οὔποτε παύσεται τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δι πλόης, ἕως ἂν βλέπῃ πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἐπειγομένους ἡμᾶς, ὅθεν αὐτὸς ἐκπέπτωκεν. Σὺ δὲ, ὦ ἄνθρω πε τοῦ Θεοῦ, γνῶθι τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ ἀντικειμένου. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν ἔχοντα, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων, ἡ μάχη. Μὴ λάβῃς σύμβουλον τὸν ἐχθρόν· μὴ καταφρονήσῃς τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ γενέσθαι πιστός. Ἕως εἶ κατηχούμενος, ἐν προθύροις εἶ τῆς εὐσε βείας. Εἴσω γενέσθαι σε δεῖ, τὴν αὐλὴν διαβῆναι, τὰ ἅγια κατοπτεῦσαι, εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων παρα κύψαι, μετὰ τῆς Τριάδος γενέσθαι. Μεγάλα ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ ὧν πολεμῇ· μεγάλης δεῖ σοι καὶ τῆς ἀσφα λείας. Προβαλοῦ τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως. Φοβεῖταί σε μετὰ τοῦ ὅπλου μαχόμενον· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γυ μνοῖ σε τοῦ χαρίσματος, ἵνα κρατήσῃ ῥᾷόν σου ἀόπλου καὶ ἀφυλάκτου. Πάσης ἡλικίας ἅπτεται, πάσης ἰδέας βίου. ∆ιὰ πάντων ἀποκρουσθήτω.

ΙΖʹ. Νέος εἶ; Στῆθι κατὰ τῶν παθῶν μετὰ τῆς συμμαχίας, εἰς Θεοῦ παράταξιν ἀριθμήθητι, ἀρίστευσον κατὰ τοῦ Γολιὰθ, λάβε τὰς χιλιάδας, ἢ τὰς μυριάδας. Οὕτω τῆς ἡλικίας ἀπόλαυσον· ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀνάσχῃ μαρανθῆναί σου τὴν νεότητα, τῷ ἀτελεῖ τῆς πίστεως νεκρωθεῖσαν. Γηραιὸς εἶ, καὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἐγγὺς προθεσμίας; τὴν πολιὰν αἰδέσθητι· δὸς ἣν ἀπαιτῇ φρόνησιν, ἀνθ' ἧς νῦν ἔχεις ἀσθε νείας· ταῖς ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις βοήθησον· πίστευσον τῷ γήρᾳ τὴν κάθαρσιν. Τί φοβῇ τὰ νεότητος ἐν βαθεῖ γήρᾳ, καὶ ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἀναπνοαῖς; Ἢ καὶ σὺ μέ νεις, νεκρὸς λουθῆναι, οὐ μᾶλλον ἐλεούμενος, ἢ μι σούμενος; Ἢ ποθεῖς τῶν ἡδονῶν τὰ λείψανα, βίου λείψανον ὤν; Αἰσχρὸν τὴν μὲν ἡλικίαν παρακμάσαι, μὴ παρακμάσαι δὲ τὴν