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me, and he is a metropolitan, or of Jerusalem (for grace is not of places, but of the Spirit), and he is of noble birth. For it is a terrible thing, if my nobility should be insulted by the baptizer; or he is a presbyter indeed, but he is also one of the unmarried, and one of the continent and angelic in his way of life; for it is a terrible thing, if in the time of purification I should be defiled. Do not seek for credibility in the one who preaches, nor in the one who baptizes. Another is the judge of these things, and the examiner of the more hidden things; since, man looks at the face, but God at the heart. But for you everyone is trustworthy for purification; only let him be one of the approved, and not one of those openly condemned, nor a stranger to the Church. Do not judge the judges, you who are in need of healing; nor be a lover of judging for me the worth of those who purify you, nor make distinctions between your spiritual parents. One may be better than another, or humbler; but every one is higher than you. But consider it this way: Let one be of gold, let another be of iron, but both are rings, and let them have the same royal image engraved on them, then let them impress wax; what will be the difference between this seal and that seal? Nothing. Recognize the material in the wax, even if you are most wise; say, what part of the impression is from the iron, and what part from the gold, and how it is one; for the difference is in the material, not in the character. So let every baptizer be to you. Even if one excels in his way of life, yet the power of baptism is equal; and a perfecter for you is every one alike, who is formed by the same faith.

27. Do not disdain to be baptized with a poor man, being rich, the well-born with the low-born, the master with him who was until now a slave. You will not yet humble yourself 36.397 so much as Christ, in whom you are baptized today, who for your sake also took the form of a slave. From the day you are re-made, all the old characters have given way; with one form Christ is impressed upon all. Do not disdain to confess your sin, knowing how John baptized, so that the shame there you may escape by the shame here (since this is also a part of the punishment there), and you may show that you have truly hated sin, having made a public example of it and triumphed over it, as worthy of contempt. Do not despise the healing of exorcism, nor at its length despair. This too is a test of your sincerity concerning the gift. Will you labor so much as the queen of the Ethiopians, who arose from the ends of the earth, that she might see the wisdom of Solomon? And behold, something greater than Solomon is here, for those who reason perfectly. Do not shrink back, not for the length of a journey, not for the measures of the sea, not for fire, even if this is set before you, not for anything else, whether small or great of the hindrances, in order to obtain the gift. But if for you, having labored in nothing, nor striven, it is possible to obtain what is desired, of what great folly it is to put off the gift? You who are thirsty, he says, go to the water (Isaiah commands you); and you who have no money, come, buy, and drink wine, without price of money. O the swiftness of the loving-kindness! O the ease of the exchange! This good thing is for sale to you for only willing it; He accepts the desire itself in place of a great price. He thirsts to be thirsted for; He gives drink to those who wish to drink; He is benefited when He is asked for a benefit; He is a ready giver of great gifts; He gives more gladly than others receive. Only let us not be condemned for pettiness for asking for small things, and things unworthy of the Giver. Blessed is he whom Christ asks for a drink, as He did that Samaritan woman, And to whom He gives a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Blessed is he who sows upon all water, and upon every soul, tomorrow to be tilled and watered, which today the ox and the ass trample, being dry and waterless, and oppressed by irrationality. Blessed is he who, though he be a torrent of rushes, is watered from the house of the Lord, and becomes wheat-bearing instead of rush-bearing, and produces human food, and not that which is rough and useless. For which thing all diligence must be brought to bear, so as not to fail of the common grace. 36.400

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με, καὶ οὗτος μητροπολίτης, ἢ Ἱερο σολυμίτης (οὐ γὰρ τόπων ἡ χάρις, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Πνεύμα τος), καὶ οὗτος τῶν εὖ γεγονότων. ∆εινὸν γὰρ, εἰ τῷ βαπτιστῇ τὸ εὐγενές μου καθυβρισθήσεται· ἢ πρεσβύ τερος μὲν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος τῶν ἀγάμων, καὶ οὗτος τῶν ἐγκρατῶν καὶ ἀγγελικῶν τὴν πολιτείαν· δεινὸν γὰρ, εἰ ἐν καιρῷ καθάρσεως ῥυπωθήσομαι. Μὴ ζήτει ἀξιοπιστίαν τοῦ κηρύσσοντος, μηδὲ τοῦ βαπτίζοντος. Ἄλλος ὁ τούτων κριτὴς, καὶ τῶν ἀφανεστέρων δοκι μαστής· ἐπειδὴ, ἄνθρωπος μὲν εἰς πρόσωπον, Θεὸς δὲ εἰς καρδίαν. Σοὶ δὲ πᾶς ἀξιόπιστος εἰς τὴν κάθαρσιν· μόνον ἔστω τις τῶν ἐγκρίτων, καὶ μὴ τῶν προδήλως κατεγνωσμένων, μηδὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀλλότριος. Μὴ κρῖνε τοὺς κριτὰς, ὁ χρῄζων τῆς ἰα τρείας· μηδὲ φιλοκρίνει μοι τὰς ἀξίας τῶν σὲ καθαιρόντων, μηδὲ διακρίνου πρὸς τοὺς γεννήτορας. Ἄλλος μὲν ἄλλου κρείττων, ἢ ταπεινότερος· σοῦ δὲ πᾶς ὑψηλότερος. Σκόπει δὲ οὕτως· Ἔστω χρυσὸς, ἔστω σίδηρος, δακτύλιοι δὲ ἀμφότεροι, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐγκεχαράχθωσαν εἰκόνα βασιλικὴν, εἶτα κηρὸν ἐντυ πούτωσαν· τί διοίσει ἡ σφραγὶς αὕτη τῆς σφραγῖδος ἐκείνης; Οὐδέν. Ἐπίγνωθι τὴν ὕλην ἐν τῷ κηρῷ, κἂν ᾖς σοφώτατος· εἰπὲ, τί μὲν τοῦ σιδήρου, τί δὲ τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὸ ἐκσφράγισμα, καὶ πῶς ἕν ἐστι· τῆς γὰρ ὕλης τὸ διάφορον, οὐ τοῦ χαρακτῆρος. Οὕ τως ἔστω σοι πᾶς βαπτιστής. Κἂν τῇ πολιτείᾳ προέχῃ, ἀλλ' ἥ γε τοῦ βαπτίσματος δύναμις ἴση· καὶ τελειοποιός σοι πᾶς ὁμοίως, ὁ τῇ αὐτῇ πίστει μεμορφωμένος.

ΚΖʹ. Μὴ ἀπαξιώσῃς συμβαπτισθῆναι πένητι, πλού σιος ὢν, ὁ εὐπατρίδης τῷ δυσγενεῖ, ὁ δεσπότης τῷ δούλῳ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν. Οὔπω τοσοῦτον ταπεινοφρονή 36.397 σεις, ὅσον Χριστὸς, ᾧ σὺ βαπτίζῃ σήμερον, ὃς διὰ σὲ καὶ δούλου μορφὴν ἐδέξατο. Ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας μεταποιῇ, πάντες εἶξαν οἱ παλαιοὶ χαρακτῆρες· μιᾷ μορφῇ πᾶσι Χριστὸς ἐπιτέθειται. Μὴ ἀπ αξιώσῃς ἐξαγορεῦσαί σου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, εἰδὼς ὅπως Ἰωάννης ἐβάπτισεν, ἵνα τὴν ἐκεῖθεν αἰσχύνην τῇ ἐνταῦθα φύγῃς (ἐπειδὴ μέρος καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἐκεῖ σε κολάσεως), καὶ δείξῃς, ὅτι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ὄν τως μεμίσηκας, παραδειγματίσας αὐτὴν καὶ θριαμβεύσας, ὡς ἀξίαν ὕβρεως. Μὴ διαπτύσῃς ἐξορκισμοῦ θεραπείαν, μηδὲ πρὸς τὸ μῆκος ταύτης ἀπ αγορεύσῃς. Βάσανός ἐστι καὶ αὕτη τῆς περὶ τὸ χάρισμα γνησιότητος. Τί τοσοῦτον πονήσεις, οἷον ἡ τῶν Αἰθιόπων βασίλισσα, ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀπαναστᾶσα, ἵνα ἴδῃ τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶντος; Καὶ ἰδοὺ πλεῖον Σολομῶντος ὧδε, παρὰ τοῖς τελείως λογιζομένοις. Μὴ κατοκνήσῃς, μὴ ὁδοῦ μῆ κος, μὴ μέτρα θαλάσσης, μὴ πῦρ, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο πρό κειται, μὴ ἄλλο μηδὲν, ἢ μικρὸν, ἢ μεῖζον τῶν κω λυμάτων, ὥστε τυχεῖν τοῦ χαρίσματος. Εἰ δέ σοι μη δὲν πονήσαντι, μηδὲ πραγματευσαμένῳ, τυχεῖν ἔξ εστι τοῦ ποθουμένου, πόσης εὐηθείας τὴν δωρεὰν ἀναβάλλεσθαι; Οἱ διψῶντες, φησὶ, πορεύεσθε ἐφ' ὕδωρ (Ἡσαΐας διακελεύεταί σοι)· καὶ ὅσοι μὴ ἔχε τε ἀργύριον, βαδίσαντες ἀγοράσατε, καὶ πίεσθε οἶνον, ἄνευ ἀργυρίου τιμῆς. Ὢ τοῦ τάχους τῆς φιλανθρωπίας! Ὢ τῆς εὐκολίας τοῦ συναλλάγματος! Ὤνιόν σοι τοῦτο τοῦ θελῆσαι μόνον τὸ ἀγα θόν· αὐτὴν τὴν ὁρμὴν ἀντὶ τοῦ μεγάλου τιμήματος δέχεται. ∆ιψᾷ τὸ διψᾶσθαι· ποτίζει τοὺς πιεῖν ἐθέ λοντας· εὐεργετεῖται, τὴν εὐεργεσίαν αἰτούμενος· πρόχειρός ἐστι μεγαλόδωρος· δίδωσιν ἥδιον, ἢ λαμβάνουσιν ἕτεροι. Μόνον μὴ μικρολογίαν καταγνωσθῶ μεν τοῦ μικρὰ αἰτεῖν, καὶ τοῦ διδόντος ἀνάξια. Μακάριος, ὃν αἰτεῖ πόμα Χριστὸς, ὡς τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν ἐκείνην, Καὶ δίδωσι πηγὴν ὕδατος ἁλλο μένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Μακάριος ὁ σπείρων ἐπὶ πᾶν ὕδωρ, καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν, αὔριον ἀρουμένην καὶ ἀρδομένην, ἣν βοῦς καὶ ὄνος πατεῖ σήμερον, χέρσον τε οὖσαν καὶ ἄνυδρον, καὶ ἀλογίᾳ πιεζομένην. Μα κάριος, ὃς κἂν χειμάῤῥους ᾖ σχοίνων, ἐξ οἴκου Κυρίου ποτίζεται, καὶ γίνεται σιτοφόρος ἀντὶ σχοινο φόρου, καὶ γεωργεῖ τροφὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἀλλ' οὐ τραχεῖάν τε καὶ ἀνόνητον. Ὑπὲρ οὗ πᾶσαν εἰσ ενεκτέον σπουδὴν, ὥστε μὴ διαμαρτεῖν τῆς κοινῆς χάριτος. 36.400