Gregory of Nazianzus, On Holy Baptism

you may have humility. Yesterday you were being withered, though flourishing, by the issue of blood (for you were gushing forth the scarlet sin); today you have flourished, having been dried up. For you touched the hem of Christ's garment, and you stopped the flow. Keep for me your purification, lest you hemorrhage again, and not be strong enough to take hold of Christ, that you might steal salvation. For Christ is not fond of being stolen from often, even if He is exceedingly philanthropic. Yesterday you were cast on a bed, paralyzed and undone, and you had no one, when the water was troubled, to put you into the pool; today you have found a man, who is also God, or rather, God and man. You were lifted from your pallet, or rather, you took up your pallet, and you made a public monument of the benefit; do not be cast on your pallet again by sinning, of the evil repose of the body paralyzed by pleasures; but as you are, walk, remembering the commandment: Behold, you have become well; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you, as you appear wicked after the good deed. "Lazarus, come forth," you heard the great voice while lying in the tomb (for what is louder than the Word?) and you came forth, not a four-days' corpse, but one of many days, having risen with the one who rose on the third day, and you were loosed from your burial bonds. Do not be put to death again, and become one of those who 36.408 dwell in tombs, nor be bound tight by the chains of your own sins; it being uncertain whether you will rise again from the tombs, until the final and common resurrection, which will bring every creature to judgment, not to be healed, but to be judged, and to give an account of the things, good or bad, which it has treasured up.

34. If you until now were sprouting leprosy, the formless wickedness, and you have been scraped clean of the evil matter, and have received back your image whole, show to me your priest your cleansing, that I may know how much more precious this is than the one of the Law. Do not be one of the nine ungrateful ones, but imitate the tenth; for though he was a Samaritan, yet he was more grateful than the others. Secure yourself, lest you break out badly again, and you will have an incurable irregularity of the body. Formerly pettiness and parsimony withered your hand; today let sharing and philanthropy stretch it out. A good cure for a sick hand is to scatter, to give to the poor, to lavishly dispense what we have, until we touch the very bottom (perhaps this too will well up nourishment for you, as for the woman of Zarephath, and especially if you happen to be feeding an Elijah), to know good abundance, which is to be in want for Christ's sake, who for our sakes became poor. If you were deaf and dumb, let the Word resound in you; or rather, hold fast to Him who has resounded. Do not close your ears to the Lord's instruction and admonition, like an asp to incantations. If you are blind and unenlightened, enlighten your eyes, lest you ever sleep unto death. In the light of the Lord behold light, in the Spirit of God be illumined by the Son, the threefold and indivisible light. If you receive the whole Word, you will gather to your own soul all the healings of Christ, by which each one individually has been healed. Only do not be ignorant of the measure of grace; only let not the enemy sow tares wickedly while you are sleeping and unworried; only, having become an object of envy to the evil one on account of your purity, do not make yourself pitiable again through sin; only do not, being overjoyed at what is good and immoderately exalted, fall by being lifted up; only always labor lovingly for purity, placing ascents in your heart; and this forgiveness which you obtained as a gift, preserve it with care; so that being forgiven may come to you from God, but being preserved, may also come from you. 36.409

35. But how will this be? Always remember that parable, and you will help yourself in the best and most perfect way. The unclean and earthly spirit has gone out of you, driven out by baptism. It does not bear the expulsion; it does not accept being homeless and without a hearth. It goes through waterless places, dry of divine influence; there it desires to make its home; it wanders seeking rest, and does not find it; to baptized

ἔχῃς τὴν ταπεινότητα. Χθὲς ἐξηραί νου θάλλουσα τῇ αἱμοῤῥοίᾳ (ἐπήγαζες γὰρ τὴν φοινι κὴν ἁμαρτίαν)· σήμερον ἀνέθηλας ξηραν θεῖσα. Ἥψω γὰρ τῶν Χριστοῦ κρασπέδων, καὶ τὴν ῥύσιν ἔστησας. Φύλασσέ μοι τὴν κάθαρσιν, μὴ πάλιν αἱμοῤῥοήσῃς, καὶ οὐκ ἰσχύσῃς λαβέσθαι Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κλέψῃς τὴν σωτηρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ πολλάκις φιλεῖ Χριστὸς κλεπτόμενος, καὶ εἰ λίαν ἐστὶ φιλάνθρωπος. Χθὲς ἐπὶ κλίνης ἔῤῥιψο παρειμένος καὶ λελυμένος, καὶ οὐκ εἶχες ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα, ὅταν ταραχθῇ τὸ ὕδωρ, βάλλῃ σε εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν· σήμερον εὗρες ἄνθρωπον, τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ Θεὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ, Θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον. Ἤρθης ἀπὸ τοῦ κραββάτου, μᾶλλον δὲ ἦρας τὸν κράββατον, καὶ ἐστη λίτευσας τὴν εὐεργεσίαν· μὴ πάλιν ἐπὶ κραββάτου ῥιφῇς ἁμαρτήσας, τῆς κακῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀνα παύσεως παρειμένου ταῖς ἡδοναῖς· ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχεις, βάδιζε μεμνημένος τῆς ἐντολῆς· Ἰδοὺ ὑγιὴς γέγο νας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γέ νηται, κακῷ φανέντι μετὰ τὴν εὐποιίαν. Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω, ἤκουσας τῆς μεγάλης φωνῆς ἐν τάφῳ κείμενος (τί γὰρ τοῦ Λόγου μεγαλοφωνότερον;) καὶ προῆλθες, οὐ τετραήμερος νεκρὸς, ἀλλὰ πολυήμερος, τῷ τριημέρῳ συναναστὰς, καὶ τῶν ἐνταφίων δεσμῶν ἐξελύθης. Μὴ νεκρωθῇς πάλιν, καὶ γένῃ μετὰ τῶν 36.408 κατοικούντων ἐν τάφοις, μηδὲ κατασφιγγῇς ταῖς σειραῖς τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων· ἄδηλον ὂν, εἰ πάλιν ἐξαναστήσῃ τῶν τάφων, μέχρι τῆς τελευταίας καὶ κοινῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἣ πᾶν τὸ ποίημα ἄξει εἰς κρίσιν, οὐ θεραπευθησόμενον, ἀλλὰ κριθησόμενον, καὶ λόγον ὑφέξον, ὧν εὖ ἢ κακῶς ἐθησαύρισεν.

Λ∆ʹ. Εἰ λέπραν ἔβρυες τέως τὴν ἄμορφον πονη ρίαν, ἀπεξέσθης δὲ τῆς κακῆς ὕλης, καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα σώαν ἀπέλαβες, δεῖξον ἐμοὶ τῷ ἱερεῖ σου τὴν κάθαρσιν, ἵνα γνῶ, πόσον τῆς νομικῆς αὕτη τιμιωτέρα. Γενοῦ μὴ τῶν ἐννέα τῶν ἀχαρίστων, ἀλλὰ τὸν δέκατον μίμησαι· καὶ γὰρ εἰ Σαμαρείτης ἦν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄλλων εὐγνωμονέστερος. Ἀσφάλισαι, μὴ πάλιν κακῶς ἐξανθήσῃς, καὶ δυσθεράπευτον ἕξεις τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τοῦ σώματος. Πρώην ἐξήραινέ σου τὴν χεῖρα μικρολογία καὶ φειδωλία· σήμερον ἐκτεινάτω μετάδοσις καὶ φιλανθρωπία. Καλὴ θερα πεία χειρὸς ἀῤῥωστούσης, σκορπίζειν, διδόναι τοῖς πένησιν, ἐξαντλεῖν ὧν ἔχομεν δαψιλῶς, μέχρις ἂν καὶ τοῦ πυθμένος ἁψώμεθα (ἴσως καὶ οὗτος πηγά σει σοι τροφὴν, καθάπερ τῇ Σαραφθίᾳ, καὶ μάλιστα εἰ τύχοις Ἡλίαν τρέφουσα), καλὴν εὐπορίαν εἰδέναι, τὸ διὰ Χριστὸν ἀπορεῖν, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς πτω χεύσαντα. Εἰ κωφὸς ἦσθα καὶ ἄλαλος, ὁ Λόγος ἐν ηχησάτω σοι· μᾶλλον δὲ κάτασχε τὸν ἐνηχήσαντα. Μὴ κλείσῃς τὰ ὦτα πρὸς παιδείαν Κυρίου καὶ νουθεσίαν, ὡς ἀσπὶς πρὸς ἐπᾴσματα. Εἰ τυφλὸς καὶ ἀφώτιστος, φώτισον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, μή ποτε ὑπνώσης εἰς θάνατον. Ἐν τῷ φωτὶ Κυρίου θέασαι φῶς, ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Υἱὸν αὐγάσθητι, τὸ τρισσὸν φῶς καὶ ἀμέριστον. Ἐὰν ὅλον εἰσδέξῃ τὸν Λόγον, πάσας τὰς Χριστοῦ θεραπείας ἐπὶ τὴν σεαυ τοῦ συνάξεις ψυχὴν, ἃς κατὰ μέρος ἕκαστος τεθερά πευται. Μόνον μὴ ἀγνοήσῃς τὸ μέτρον τῆς χάριτος· μόνον μὴ καθεύδοντί σοι καὶ ἀμεριμνοῦντι κακῶς ἐπισπείρῃ ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὰ ζιζάνια· μόνον ἐπίφθονος τῷ πονηρῷ γεγονὼς διὰ τὴν καθαρότητα, μὴ πάλιν σεαυ τὸν ἐλεεινὸν καταστήσῃς διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· μόνον μὴ τῷ ἀγαθῷ περιχαρεὶς, καὶ ὑψωθεὶς ἄμετρα, καταπέσῃς ἐν τῷ ἐπαρθῆναι· μόνον ἀεὶ φιλοπόνει τὴν κάθαρσιν, ἀναβάσεις ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τιθέμε νος· καὶ ἧς ἔτυχες κατὰ δωρεὰν ἀφέσεως, ταύτην ἐπιμελείᾳ συντήρησον· ἵνα τὸ μὲν ἀφεθῆναί σοι παρὰ Θεοῦ, τὸ δὲ συντηρηθῆναι, καὶ παρὰ σοῦ γένηται. 36.409

ΛΕʹ. Γενήσεται δὲ πῶς; Ἀεὶ τῆς παραβολῆς ἐκεί νης μέμνησο, καὶ σεαυτῷ βοηθήσεις ἄριστά τε καὶ τελεώτατα. Ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ σοῦ τὸ ἀκάθαρτον καὶ ὑλικὸν πνεῦμα, διωχθὲν τῷ βαπτίσματι. Οὐ φέρει τὸν διωγμόν· οὐ δέχεται ἄοικον εἶναι καὶ ἀν έστιον. Πορεύεται δι' ἀνύδρων τόπων, καὶ ξηρῶν θείας ἐπιῤῥοῆς· ἐκεῖ φιλοχωρῆσαι βούλεται· πλανᾶται ζητοῦν ἀνάπαυσιν, οὐχ εὑρίσκει· βεβαπτισμέναις