Gregory of Nazianzus, On Holy Baptism

with such a wealth of goodness; it is necessary to reap opposites from the opposite, for the tireless the harvest, and for the spring refreshment, like the thirstiest stag, running with haste to the springs, and quenching the labor of the run with water; but not to suffer the fate of Ishmael, to be dried up by lack of water; or that of the myth, to be punished by thirst in the midst of a spring. It is a terrible thing to pass by a festival, and then seek to do business. It is a terrible thing to run past the manna, and then long for food. Terrible is afterthought, and to feel the loss then, when there is no release from the loss, after the departure from here, and the bitter shutting up of what each has lived, and the punishment of sinners, and the splendor of the purified. For this reason do not delay towards grace; but make haste, lest a robber get ahead of you, lest an adulterer run past, lest the greedy get the better of you, lest a murderer snatch the good thing beforehand, lest a tax-collector, lest a fornicator, lest any of those who take the kingdom by violence and snatch it. For it is willingly taken by force, and seized tyrannically through goodness. 36.393

25. Be slow to evil, O you, but quick to salvation, if you listen to me; for it is an equal evil, both readiness for what is worse, and delay for what is better. If you are called to a revel, do not hasten; if to a denial, leap away; if an evil workshop says to you: “Come with us, let us share in blood, let us hide in the earth a righteous man unjustly;” do not even lend your ears. For you will gain two very great things: you will both make known his sin to him, and you will remove yourself from evil fellowship. But if the great David says to you: “Come, let us rejoice in the Lord;” or if another prophet: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord;” or if the Savior himself: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;” or, “Arise, let us go from here, shining brightly, having shone more brightly than snow, made whiter than milk, made more radiant than sapphire stone;” let us not resist, let us not delay. Let us become Peter and John; as they hastened to the tomb and the resurrection, so let us hasten to the font, running together, racing one another, striving so that we may obtain the good thing first. And do not say, “Go away and come back, and tomorrow I will be baptized,” when you are able to receive the benefit today. Let my mother be present, let my father be present, brothers, wife, children, friends, everything that is precious to me, and then I will be saved; but now is not yet my time to be enlightened. For there is a fear that you might have companions in grief, whom you hoped to have as companions in joy. If they are present, it is to be loved; but if they are absent, do not wait. For it is shameful to say: “But where is the gift offered to me at my baptism? Where is the baptismal garment in which I will be made bright? Where are the things for the reception of my baptizers, that in these things too I may be well thought of?” For indeed, as you see, these are among the necessary things, and on this account the grace will be diminished. Do not be petty about great things; do not suffer anything ignoble. The mystery is greater than the things seen; offer yourself as a gift; put on Christ, nourish me with your conduct; thus I rejoice in being treated kindly; so also does God, who bestows the greatest gifts. Nothing is great to God that a poor man does not also give, so that here too the poor may not be pushed aside; for they do not have the means to compete with the rich. In other things, there is the difference of 36.396 being rich and being poor; but here, the more eager one is the richer.

26. Let nothing hold you back from going forward; let nothing drag back your eagerness. While the desire is strong, take hold of what is desired; while the iron is hot, let it be tempered by the cold, lest something fall in between, and cut off the desire. I am Philip; become Candace's eunuch. Say yourself also: “Behold, here is water; what hinders me from being baptized?” Seize the opportunity; rejoice exceedingly in the good; and having said this, be baptized, and having been baptized, be saved; and if you are an Ethiopian in body, become white in soul. Attain the salvation, than which nothing is higher, nor more precious to those who have sense. Do not say: “Let the bishop baptize

τοσούτῳ πλούτῳ τῆς ἀγαθό τητος· δέον τὰ ἐναντία τῷ ἐναντίῳ καρποῦσθαι, τῷ ἀόκνῳ τὸν ἄμητον, καὶ τῇ πηγῇ τὴν ἀνάψυξιν, ὥσπερ τὸν διψητικώτατον ἔλαφον, σπουδῇ ταῖς πηγαῖς προστρέχοντα, καὶ σβεννύντα τὸν τοῦ δρόμου κόπον τῷ ὕδατι· ἀλλὰ μὴ τὸ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ παθεῖν, ἀνυδρίᾳ ξηραίνεσθαι· ἢ τὸ τοῦ μύθου, ἐν μέσῃ πηγῇ δίψῃ κολάζεσθαι. ∆εινὸν παρελθεῖν πανήγυριν, καὶ τηνικαῦτα τὴν πραγματείαν ἐπιζητεῖν. ∆εινὸν τὸ μάννα παραδραμεῖν, καὶ τηνικαῦτα τροφῆς ἐφίεσθαι. ∆εινὸν ὑστεροβουλία, καὶ τὸ τηνικαῦτα τῆς ζημίας αἰσθάνεσθαι, ὅτε οὐκ ἔστι λύσις ζημίας, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκδημίαν, καὶ τὸν πικρὸν συγκλεισμὸν τῶν ἑκάστῳ βεβιωμένων, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν κόλασιν, καὶ τὴν τῶν κεκαθαρμένων λαμπρότητα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὴ μέλλετε πρὸς τὴν χάριν· ἀλλ' ἐπείγεσθε, μὴ λῃστὴς ὑμᾶς προλάβῃ, μὴ μοιχὸς παραδράμῃ, μὴ ἄπληστος πλεονεκτήσῃ, μὴ φονεὺς προαρπάσῃ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, μὴ τελώνης, μὴ πόρνος, μή τις τῶν βιαστῶν τῆς βασιλείας καὶ ἁρπακτῶν. Βιά ζεται γὰρ ἑκοῦσα, καὶ τυραννεῖται δι' ἀγαθότητα. 36.393

ΚΕʹ. Βραδὺς ἴσθι πρὸς κακουργίαν, ὦ οὗτος, ταχὺς δὲ πρὸς σωτηρίαν, ἐμοὶ πειθόμενος· ἴσον γάρ ἐστι κακὸν, ἑτοιμότης τε πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον, καὶ μέλλησις πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον. Ἐὰν ἐπὶ κῶμον κληθῇς, μὴ ταχύ νῃς· ἐὰν ἐπ' ἄρνησιν, ἀποπήδησον· ἐὰν εἴπῃ σοι πονηρὸν ἐργαστήριον· Ἐλθὲ μεθ' ἡμῶν, κοι νώνησον αἵματος, κρύψωμεν δὲ εἰς γῆν ἄνδρα δίκαιον ἀδίκως· μηδὲ τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑπόσχῃς. ∆ύο γὰρ τὰ μέγιστα κερδανεῖς· ἐκείνῳ τε γνωριεῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ σαυτὸν ἐξαιρήσεις πονηρᾶς κοινωνίας. Ἂν δέ σοι λέγῃ ∆αβὶδ ὁ μέγας· ∆εῦτε, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἐὰν δὲ προφήτης ἄλλος· ∆εῦτε, ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου· ἐὰν δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτήρ· ∆εῦτε πρός με, πάντες οἱ κο πιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς· ἢ, Ἐγείρεσθε, ἄγωμεν ἐντεῦθεν, λαμπροὶ λαμπρῶς ὑπὲρ χιόνα λάμψαντες, ὑπὲρ γάλα τυρω θέντες, ὑπὲρ λίθον σάπφειρον αὐγασθέντες· μὴ ἀντι τείνωμεν, μὴ βραδύνωμεν. Γενώμεθα Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης· ὡς ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον ἐκεῖνοι καὶ τὴν ἀνάστα σιν, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὸ λουτρὸν αὐτοὶ σπεύδωμεν, συντρέχοντες, ἀντιτρέχοντες, ὅπως ἂν τὸ ἀγαθὸν προλάβωμεν ἀγωνιζόμενοι. Καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, Ἀπελ θὼν ἐπάνηκε, καὶ αὔριον βαπτισθήσομαι, δυ νατὸς ὢν σήμερον εὖ παθεῖν· παρέστω μοι μή τηρ, παρέστω μοι πατὴρ, ἀδελφοὶ, γυνὴ, τέκνα, φίλοι, πᾶν ὅ τί μοι τίμιον, καὶ τηνικαῦτα σωθήσο μαι· νῦν δὲ οὔπω μοι καιρὸς λαμπρύνεσθαι. ∆έος γὰρ, μὴ κοινωνοὺς λάβῃς πένθους, οὓς εὐφρο σύνης κοινωνοὺς ἤλπισας. Ἐὰν μὲν παρῶσιν, ἀγα πητέον· ἐὰν δὲ ἀπῶσι, μὴ ἀναμείνῃς. Αἰσχρὸν γὰρ εἰπεῖν· Ποῦ δέ μοι τὸ καρποφορούμε νον ἐπὶ τῷ βαπτίσματι; Ποῦ δὲ ἡ ἐμφώτειος ἐσθὴς, ᾗ λαμπρυνθήσομαι; Ποῦ δὲ τὰ πρὸς δεξίωσιν τῶν ἐμῶν βαπτιστῶν, ἵνα κἀν τούτοις εὐδοκιμήσω; Πάνυ γὰρ, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἐστὶ ταῦτα τῶν ἀναγκαίων, καὶ παρὰ τοῦτο ἡ χάρις ἐλαττωθήσεται. Μὴ μικρο λογοῦ περὶ τὰ μεγάλα· μηδὲν ἀγεννὲς πάθῃς. Μεῖζον τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐστὶ τὸ μυστήριον· σαυτὸν καρποφόρησον· Χριστὸν ἔνδυσαι, θρέψον με πολιτείᾳ· οὕτως ἐγὼ χαίρω φιλοφρονούμενος· οὕτω καὶ Θεὸς, ὁ τὰ μέγιστα χαριζόμενος. Οὐδὲν τῷ Θεῷ μέγα, ὃ μὴ καὶ πένης δίδωσιν, ἵνα μὴ κἀνταῦθα παρωθῶν ται οἱ πένητες· οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσιν, ὅπως τοῖς πλου σίοις ἁμιλληθῶσιν. Ἐν ἄλλοις μὲν, ἡ διαφορὰ τοῦ 36.396 πλουτεῖν καὶ τοῦ πένεσθαι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ὁ προθυμό τερος, πλουσιώτερος.

Κςʹ. Μηδὲν ἐπεχέτω σε τοῦ πρόσω· μηδὲν ἀνθελ κέτω σου τὴν προθυμίαν. Ἕως σφοδρὸς ὁ πόθος, λα βοῦ τοῦ ποθουμένου· ἕως θερμὸς ὁ σίδηρος, τῷ ψυχρῷ στομωθήτω, μή τι παρεμπέσῃ μέσον, καὶ διακόψῃ τὸν πόθον. Φίλιππός εἰμι· γενοῦ Κανδάκης. Εἰπὲ καὶ αὐτός· Ἰδοὺ τὸ ὕδωρ· τί κωλύει με βαπτι σθῆναι; Ἅρπασον τὸν καιρόν· τῷ ἀγαθῷ περιχά ρηθι· καὶ εἰπὼν, βαπτίσθητι, καὶ βαπτισθεὶς σώ θητι· κἂν ᾖς Αἰθίοψ τὸ σῶμα, τὴν ψυχὴν λευκάνθητι. Τύχε τῆς σωτηρίας, ἧς οὐδὲν ὑψηλότερον, οὐδὲ τι μιώτερον τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι. Μὴ εἴπης· Ἐπίσκοπος βαπτισάτω