XVI.  But are you afraid lest you should destroy the Gift, and do you therefore put off your cleansing, because you cannot have it a second time?  What?  Would you not be afraid of danger in time of persecution, and of losing the most precious Thing you have—Christ?  Would you then on this account avoid becoming a Christian?  Perish the thought.  Such a fear is not for a sane man; such an argument argues insanity.  O incautious caution, if I may so.  O trick of the Evil One!  Truly he is darkness and pretends to be light; and when he can no longer prevail in open war, he lays snares in secret, and gives advice, apparently good, really evil, if by some trick at least he may prevail, and we find no escape from his plotting.  And this is clearly what he is aiming at in this instance.  For, being unable to persuade you to despise Baptism, he inflicts loss upon you through a fictitious security; that in consequence of your fear you may suffer unconsciously the very thing you are afraid of; and because you fear to destroy the Gift, you may for this very reason fail of the Gift altogether.  This is his character; and he will never cease his duplicity as long as he sees us pressing onwards towards heaven from which he has fallen.  Wherefore, O man of God, do thou recognize the plots of thine adversary; for the battle is against him that hath, and it is concerned with the most important interests.  Take not thine enemy to be thy counsellor; despise not to be and to be called Faithful.  As long as you are a Catechumen you are but in the porch of Religion; you must come inside, and cross the court, and observe the Holy Things, and look into the Holy of Holies, and be in company with the Trinity.  Great are the interests for which you are fighting, great too the stability which you need.  Protect yourself with the shield of faith.  He fears you, if you fight armed with this weapon, and therefore he would strip you of the Gift, that he may the more easily overcome you unarmed and defenceless.  He assails every age, and every form of life; he must be repelled by all.

Ι#2ʹ. Ἀλλὰ φοβῇ, μὴ διαφθείρῃς τὸ χάρισμα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀναβάλλῃ τὴν κάθαρσιν, ὡς δευτέραν οὐκ ἔχων; Τί δαί; Οὐ φοβῇ, μὴ διώκτῃ καιρῷ κινδυνεύσῃς, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον ὧν ἔχεις, ἀφαιρεθῇς Χριστόν; Ἆρ' οὖν διὰ τοῦτο φεύξῃ καὶ τὸ γενέσθαι Χριστιανός; Ἄπαγε! Οὐχ ὑγιαίνοντος ὁ φόβος, παραφρονοῦντος ὁ λογισμός. Ὢ τῆς ἀνευλαβοῦς εὐλαβείας, εἰ δεῖ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν! ὢ τῶν τοῦ πονηροῦ σοφισμάτων! Ὄντως σκότος ἐστὶ, καὶ φῶς ὑποκρίνεται. Ὅταν μηδὲν ἰσχύσῃ φανερῶς πολεμῶν, ἀφανῶς ἐπιβουλεύει. Καὶ γίνεται σύμβουλος ὡς χρηστὸς, ὢν πονηρός: ἵν' ἑνί γε τῷ τρόπῳ πάντως ἰσχύσῃ, καὶ μηδαμόθεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν διαφύγωμεν. Ὅπερ οὖν κἀνταῦθα σαφῶς τεχνάζεται. Τὸ γὰρ φανερῶς καταφρονεῖν τοῦ βαπτίσματος πείθειν οὐκ ἔχων, ζημιοῖ σε διὰ τῆς πλαστῆς ἀσφαλείας, ἵν' ὃ φοβῇ γε, τοῦτο λάθῃς παθὼν διὰ τοῦ φόβου: καὶ τὸ φθεῖραι τὴν δωρεὰν δεδοικὼς, αὐτῷ τούτῳ τῆς δωρεᾶς ἐκπέσῃς. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τοιοῦτός ἐστι, καὶ οὔποτε παύσεται τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διπλόης, ἕως ἂν βλέπῃ πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἐπειγομένους ἡμᾶς, ὅθεν αὐτὸς ἐκπέπτωκεν. Σὺ δὲ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ Θεοῦ, γνῶθι τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ ἀντικειμένου. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν ἔχοντα, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων, ἡ μάχη. Μὴ λάβῃς σύμβουλον τὸν ἐχθρόν: μὴ καταφρονήσῃς τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ γενέσθαι πιστός. Ἕως εἶ κατηχούμενος, ἐν προθύροις εἶ τῆς εὐσεβείας. Εἴσω γενέσθαι σε δεῖ, τὴν αὐλὴν διαβῆναι, τὰ ἅγια κατοπτεῦσαι, εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων παρακύψαι, μετὰ τῆς Τριάδος γενέσθαι. Μεγάλα ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ ὧν πολεμῇ: μεγάλης δεῖ σοι καὶ τῆς ἀσφαλείας. Προβαλοῦ τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως. Φοβεῖταί σε μετὰ τοῦ ὅπλου μαχόμενον: καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γυμνοῖ σε τοῦ χαρίσματος, ἵνα κρατήσῃ ῥᾷόν σου ἀόπλου καὶ ἀφυλάκτου. Πάσης ἡλικίας ἅπτεται, πάσης ἰδέας βίου. Διὰ πάντων ἀποκρουσθήτω.