X.  If after baptism the persecutor and tempter of the light assail you (for he assailed even the Word my God through the veil,28    i.e., the Sacred Manhood. the hidden Light through that which was manifested), you have the means to conquer him.  Fear not the conflict; defend yourself with the Water; defend yourself with the Spirit, by Which all the fiery darts of the wicked shall be quenched.29    Ephes. vi. 16.  It is Spirit, but That Spirit which rent the Mountains.30    1 Kings xix. 11.  It is Water, but that which quenches fire.  If he assail you by your want (as he dared to assail Christ), and asks that stones should be made bread, do not be ignorant of his devices.31    2 Cor. ii. 11.  Teach him what he has not learnt.  Defend yourself with the Word of life, Who is the Bread sent down from heaven, and giving life to the world.32    John vi. 33.  If he plot against you with vain glory (as he did against Christ when he led Him up to the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, Cast Thyself down33    Matt. iv. 6. as a proof of Thy Godhead), be not overborne by elation.  If you be taken by this he will not stop here.  For he is insatiable, he grasps at every thing.  He fawns upon you with fair pretences, but he ends in evil; this is the manner of his fighting.  Yes, and the robber is skilled in Scripture.  On the one side was that It is written about the Bread, and on the other that it Is written about the Angels.  It is written, quoth he, He shall give His Angels charge concerning thee, and they shall bear thee in their hands.34    Ps. xci. 14.  O vile sophist! how was it that thou didst suppress the words that follow, for I know it well, even if thou passest it by in silence?  I will make thee to go upon the asp and basilisk, and I will tread upon serpents and scorpions, being fenced by the Trinity.  If he wrestle against thee to a fall through avarice, shewing thee all the Kingdoms at one instant and in the twinkling of an eye, as belonging to himself, and demand thy worship, despise him as a beggar.  Say to him relying on the Seal, “I am myself the Image of God; I have not yet been cast down from the heavenly Glory, as thou wast through thy pride; I have put on Christ; I have been transformed into Christ by Baptism; worship thou me.”  Well do I know that he will depart, defeated and put to shame by this; as he did from Christ the first Light, so he will from those who are illumined by Christ.  Such blessings does the laver bestow on those who apprehend it; such is the rich feast which it provides for those who hunger aright.

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 κρυπτῷ φωτὶ διὰ τὸ φαινόμενον), ἔχεις ᾧ νικήσεις: μὴ φοβηθῇς τὸν ἀγῶνα. Προβαλοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ, προβαλοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἐν ᾧ πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ Πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβεσθήσεται. Πνεῦμα μὲν ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ διαλύον ὄρη: ὕδωρ μὲν ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ πυρὸς σβεστήριον. Ἐὰν προσβάλῃ τὴν χρείαν (καὶ γὰρ κἀκείνῳ τετόλμηκε), καὶ ζητῇ τοὺς λίθους ἄρτους γενέσθαι, τὸ πεινεῖν ἐπιθέμενος: μὴ ἀγνοήσῃς αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματα. Δίδαξον ἃ μὴ μεμάθηκε: τὸν λόγον ἀντίθες τὸν ζωτικὸν, ὅς ἐστιν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πεμπόμενος ἄρτος, καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ ζῇν χαριζόμενος. Ἐὰν διὰ κενοδοξίας ἐπιβουλεύῃ σοι (καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ, ἀνάγων ἐπὶ τὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ πτερύγιον, καὶ, βάλε σεαυτὸν κάτω, λέγων, εἰς ἐπίδειξιν τῆς θεότητος), μὴ κατενεχθῇς διὰ τῆς ἐπάρσεως. Ἂν τοῦτο λάβῃ, οὐ μέχρι τούτου στήσεται. Ἄπληστός ἐστιν, εἰς πάντα ἐπέρχεται. Σαίνει μὲν τῷ χρηστῷ, τελευτᾷ δὲ εἰς πονηρόν. Οὗτος αὐτοῦ τῆς μάχης ὁ τρόπος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Γραφῶν ἔμπειρος ὁ λῃστής. Ἐκεῖθεν τὸ, Γέγραπται, περὶ τοῦ ἄρτου: ἐντεῦθεν τὸ, Γέγραπται, περὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων. Γέγραπται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἀροῦσί σε. Ὦ σοφιστὰ τῆς κακίας: πῶς τὸ ἑξῆς ὑπεκράτησας; Πάνυ γὰρ νοῶ τοῦτο, κἂν αὐτὸς ἀποσιωπήσῃς, ὅτι ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσπίδα σε καὶ τὸν βασιλίσκον ἐπιβήσομαι, καὶ καταπατήσω ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, τῇ Τριάδι τετειχισμένος. Ἐὰν ἐξ ἀπληστίας καταπαλαίῃ σε, πάσας ὑποδεικνύων τὰς βασιλείας, ὡς αὐτῷ διαφερούσας, ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ τε ῥοπῇ καὶ ὄψεως, ἀπαιτῶν τὴν προσκύνησιν: ὡς πένητος καταφρόνησον. Εἰπὲ, τῇ σφραγῖδι θαῤῥήσας: Εἰκών εἰμι καὶ αὐτὸς Θεοῦ: τῆς ἄνω δόξης οὔπω δι' ἔπαρσιν, ὥσπερ σὺ, καταβέβλημαι: Χριστὸν ἐνδέδυμαι: Χριστὸν μεταπεποίημαι τῷ βαπτίσματι: σύ με προσκύνησον. Ἀπελεύσεται, σαφῶς οἶδα, τούτοις ἡττημένος καὶ ᾐσχυμμένος, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ τοῦ πρώτου φωτὸς, οὕτω τῶν ἀπ' ἐκείνου πεφωτισμένων. Τοιαῦτα τὸ λουτρὸν τοῖς ᾐσθημένοις αὐτοῦ χαρίζεται: τοιαύτην προτείνει τοῖς καλῶς πεινῶσι τὴν πανδαισίαν.