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by forms, from which we make envied ones? For habit becomes another creator, which it is our task to cast out and throw far away. For there is no second purification. 1202 I have been born once, then I was re-formed for God; Perhaps I shall later be formed by some other formation, having been cleansed by the fire that loves character. But now I know no remedy, except tears, from which healing comes with difficulty, but scars still remain, as my word says, accusers of the former, most wicked wounds. But if there is anyone who trusts in God even more, the gain is mine; let him only persuade by speaking. Someone might perhaps say that the hands of bishops, and the proclamation in our midst, some grace of the font, and the intervening cries which we shout as unworthy ones, giving purification by our bowing, and by the Spirit that has supposedly tyrannized, 1203 by the judgment of just and wise bishops; whom I think are more likely to take on some of the defilement, than to impart their own brightness. For partaking of evil is easier than of good; you will know from this that the word is true. For if hallowed flesh should touch a drink, Micah says, or any food, it would never hallow what it chanced to touch; but holy things will be made common by unholy ones. Therefore the divine Paul, well persuaded of these things, in what he sets forth for Timothy in his Epistle, lays down a law, not to lay hands on another hastily, nor to have fellowship in this manner; for the burden of our own evils is enough for us. 1204 But let this also be a font for you, if you like. Who guarantees the character, without time showing that grace has cleansed the depth, and not superficially, like some dye from a plant, this brightness, whose beauty can also be washed away? But let this also be a complete cleansing; the rank has changed you; I see an angel. This then the faithful one, who also reveres my laws, will grant readily, yielding to the dogma. But the one outside knows no other way, except glory, of setting the limit of the beauty of faith; who takes no account of any of his own faults, but stands as a bitter accuser of yours; How, tell me, shall we persuade this man to adopt a view 1205 other than the one we have given by our former life? How shall we stop his tongue, or with what words? For this is not to despise my laws, which on all sides polish, like a statue, the leader, so that the people may not be harmed in any way. And this I will let pass, that grace should prevail over opinion. All are amazed at you, and blame does not touch you. You are immediately after Elijah in your solemn speech. How is it that, being inexperienced and ignorant, you sit on high over things worked for and desired by many? I am amazed, if indeed they are desired by you. For pride does not even allow one to learn, persuading one that what one does not have is easily possessed. 1206 But not this; but how can you escape that other thing, seeming to be at once a student and a teacher, sharpening the sharpener, like the tusks of boars, when you ought to teach after having learned the laws; What is this great confusion of the matter? How does the dogma become so cheap? No boxer is there, who did not before put forth his hand, nor consider a timely stance. Nor a runner who has not first trained his feet. And what sensible man has ever on the same day cut the reeds, practiced, and competed? And what excellent painter was ever heard of, who had not mixed many forms of colors? 1207 And who has practiced rhetoric, or driven out diseases, before many speeches and diseases? The arts would be of little value, if the mere wishing was enough to possess them. But the president must only be commanded to be noble and good immediately. And this is that saying: "The speaking is the doing." Christ commands, and creation comes to be. And I am silent on this. But how can you, looking down upon this one who remains an attendant of God, be high-minded and love the power of thrones, and not rather shudder, nor tremble at thrones, lest you, an ox, drive those better than the ox-driver? For consider it this way, if you have leisure even to look. 1208 This one sleeps on the ground, and is covered with dust, And has wasted his flesh with vigils, and with psalmody and standing day and night, and with the mind's journeys from denseness to the height. For why must one bring whole dust to tombs, and be more abundant food for worms, begetting and nourishing those who are begotten? And with fountains of tears he has wiped away the stains, if he had any, even a small one, from the sprinklings, with which even a wise man is spattered by the clay of life; and by types

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Μορφαῖς, ἀφ' ὧν ποιούμεθα ζηλουμένων; Πλάστης γὰρ ἄλλος ὁ τρόπος καθίσταται, Ὃν ἔργον ἐκρίψαι τε καὶ πόῤῥω βαλεῖν. Οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστι δεύτερον καθάρσιον. 1202 Ἅπαξ γεγέννημ', εἶτ' ἀνεπλάσθην Θεῷ· Τυχόν τιν' ἄλλην ὕστερον πλασθήσομαι Πλάσιν, καθαρθεὶς τῷ φιλοτρόπῳ πυρί. Νῦν δ' οὐδὲν οἶδα φάρμακον, πλὴν δακρύων, Ἐξ ὧν συνούλωσις μὲν ἔρχεται μόγις, Οὐλαὶ δ' ὅμως μένουσιν, ὡς ἐμὸς λόγος, Τῶν πρὶν κακίστων τραυμάτων κατήγοροι. Εἰ δ' ἔστιν, ὅστις καὶ πλέον θαῤῥεῖ Θεῷ, Ἐμὸν τὸ κέρδος· πειθέτω μόνον λέγων. Εἴποι τάχ' ἄν τις, ὡς ἐπισκόπων χέρες, Τό τ' ἐν μέσῳ κήρυγμα, λουτροῦ τις χάρις, Ἅς τ' ἐκβοῶμεν, ὡς ἀνάξιοι, μέσας Φωνὰς, διδόντες τὴν κάθαρσιν τῇ κλίσει, Καὶ τῷ τυραννήσαντι δῆθεν Πνεύματι, 1203 Κρίσει δικαίων καὶ σοφῶν ἐπισκόπων· Οὓς θᾶττον οἶμαι τοῦ μύσους τι λαμβάνειν, Ἢ τῆς ἑαυτῶν λαμπρότητος προσνέμειν. Ῥᾷον κακοῦ γὰρ ἢ καλοῦ μετουσία· Γνώσῃ δ' ἐκεῖθεν, ὡς ἀληθεύει λόγος. Κρέας γὰρ εἰ ψαύσειεν ἡγιασμένον Ποτοῦ, Μιχαίας φησὶν, ἢ βρωτοῦ τινος, Οὐκ ἄν ποθ' ἁγνίσειεν, οὗ ψαῦσαν τύχοι· Ἐκ τῶν δ' ἀνάγνων ἁγνὰ κοινωθήσεται. Ταῦτ' οὖν ὁ θεῖος Παῦλος εὖ πεπεισμένος, Ἐν οἷς τυποῖ Τιμόθεον ἐξ Ἐπιστολῆς, Νόμον τίθησι, μὴ προχείρως τὰς χέρας Ἄγειν ἐπ' ἄλλον, μηδὲ κοινοῦσθαι τρόπον· Ἀρκεῖν γὰρ ἡμῖν φόρτον οἰκείων κακῶν. 1204 Ἔστω δὲ λουτρὸν, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ τοῦτό σοι. Τίς ἐγγυᾶται τὸν τρόπον, χρόνου δίχα, ∆εικνύντος, ὡς ἔσμηξε καὶ βάθος χάρις, Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπιπολῆς, ὡς βαφή τις ἐκ πόας Ἡ λαμπρότης, ἧς καὶ τὸ καλὸν ἔκπλυτον; Ἔστω δὲ καὶ τοῦθ' ἡ κάθαρσις παντελής· Ὁ βαθμὸς ἤμειψέν σε· ἄγγελον βλέπω. Τοῦτ' οὖν ὁ πιστὸς, καὶ σέβων ἐμοὺς νόμους, ∆ώσει προθύμως, ἐνδιδοὺς τῷ δόγματι. Ὁ δ' ἐκτὸς οὐδέν' οἶδε, πλὴν εὐδοξίας, Ὅρον τίθεσθαι τοῦ καλοῦ τῆς πίστεως· Ὃς τῶν μὲν αὑτοῦ μηδὲ ἓν λογίζεται, Τῶν σῶν δὲ πικρὸς ἵσταται κατήγορος· Πῶς τοῦτον, εἰπὲ, πείσομεν δόξαν λαβεῖν 1205 Ἄλλην, παρ' ἣν δεδώκαμεν τῷ πρὶν βίῳ; Πῶς γλῶσσαν ἐμφράξομεν, ἢ τίσιν λόγοις; Περιφρονεῖν γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῦτ' ἐμῶν νόμων, Οἳ πάντοθεν ξέουσιν, ὡς ἄγαλμά τι, Τὸν προστάτην, ὡς μή τι τοῦ λαοῦ βλαβῇ. Καὶ τοῦτ' ἀφήσω, τὴν χάριν δόξῃ κρατεῖν. Πάντες τεθήπασί σ', οὐδ' ὁ μῶμος ἅπτεται. Εὐθὺς μετ' Ἠλίαν σὺ τῷ σεμνῷ λόγῳ. Πῶς ὢν ἄπειρος κἀμαθὴς ἄνω κάθῃ Τῶν ἐκπονουμένων τε καὶ ποθουμένων Πολλοῖς; τέθηπά γ', εἴγε σοι ποθουμένων. Τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα οὐδὲ μὲν μαθεῖν ἐᾷ, Πεῖθον τὰ μὴ προσόντα ῥᾳδίως ἔχειν. 1206 Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τοῦτο· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο πῶς φύγῃς, Ὁμοῦ μαθητὴς καὶ διδάσκαλος δοκεῖν, Θήγοντα θήγων, ὡς ὀδόντες τῶν συῶν, ∆έον διδάσκειν ἐκμαθόντα τοὺς νόμους· Τίς ἡ τοσαύτη σύγχυσις τοῦ πράγματος; Πόθεν τὸ δόγμ' εὔωνον οὕτω γίγνεται; Πύκτης μὲν οὐδεὶς, ὅστις οὐ τὸ πρὶν χέρα Προὐβάλλετ', οὐδ' ἐσκέψατ' εὔκαιρον στάσιν. Οὐδὲ σταδιεὺς μὴ τὼ πόδε προγυμνάσας. Αὐλοὺς δὲ τίς ποτ' εὐφρονῶν αὐθήμερον Τέτμηκεν, ἐξήσκησεν, ἠγωνίσατο; Γραφεὺς δὲ τίς ποτ' ἄκρος ἠκούσθη ποτὲ, Μὴ πολλὰ μίξας χρωμάτων μορφώματα; 1207 Ἐῤῥητόρευσεν δ', ἢ νόσους τίς ἤλασε, Πρὸ πλειόνων λόγων τε καὶ νοσημάτων; Μικροῦ γ' ἂν ἦσαν αἱ τέχναι τιμήματος, Εἰ τῷ θέλειν ὑπῆρχε τὸ κτᾶσθαι μόνον. Τὸν δὲ πρόεδρον δεῖ κελευσθῆναι μόνον Εἶναι καλόν τε κἀγαθὸν παραυτίκα. Καὶ τοῦτ' ἐκεῖνο· «Πρᾶξίς ἐστιν ἡ φάσις.» Χριστὸς κελεύει, καὶ κτίσις παρίσταται. Καὶ τοῦτο σιγῶ. Πῶς δὲ σὺ βλέπων κάτω Τοῦτον μένοντα τοῦ Θεοῦ παραστάτην, Ὑψαυχενεῖς τε καὶ θρόνων στέργεις κράτος, Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ φρίσσεις, οὐδ' ἐπιτρέμεις θρόνοις, Μὴ βοῦς ἐλαύνῃς κρείσσονας βοηλάτου; Σκόπει γὰρ οὕτως, εἰ σχολή σοι καὶ βλέπειν. 1208 Οὗτος χαμεύνης, καὶ κόνει βεβρωμένος, Καὶ σάρκας ἐξέτηξεν ἀγρυπνίαις, Ψαλμῳδίαις τε καὶ στάσει νυχθημέρῳ, Καὶ νοῦ πρὸς ὕψος ἐκ πάχους ἐκδημίαις. Τί γὰρ τάφοις δεῖν εἰσφέρειν τε χοῦν ὅλον, Σκώληξί τ' εἶναι δαψιλεστέραν τροφὴν, Γεννῶντα, καὶ τρέφοντα τοὺς γεννωμένους; Καὶ δακρύων ἔσμηξε πηγαῖς τοὺς σπίλους, Εἴ πού τιν' εἶχε καὶ βραχὺν ῥαντίσμασιν, Οἷς βάλλεθ' ὅστις καὶ σοφὸς πηλῷ βίου· Τύποις τε