[Examples of Repentance.]

XXXIX. For I Matthew, one of those twelve which speak to you in this doctrine, am an apostle, having myself been formerly a publican, but now have obtained mercy through believing, and have repented of my former practices, and have been vouchsafed the honour to be an apostle and preacher of the word. And Zacchæus, whom the Lord received upon his repentance and prayers to Him, was also himself in the same manner a publican at first. And, besides, even the soldiers and multitude of publicans, who came to hear the word of the Lord about repentance, heard this from the prophet John, after he had baptized them: “Do nothing more than that which is appointed you.”  187  Luke iii. 13. In like manner, life is not refused to the heathen, if they repent and cast away their unbelief. Esteem, therefore, every one that is convicted of any wicked action, and has not repented, as a publican or an heathen. But if he afterward repents, and turns from his error, then, as we receive the heathen, when they wish to repent, into the Church indeed to hear the word, but do not receive them to communion until they have received the seal of baptism, and are made complete Christians; so do we also permit such as these to enter only to hear, until they show the fruit of repentance, that by hearing the word they may not utterly and irrecoverably perish. But let them not be admitted to communion in prayer; and let them depart after the reading of the law, and the prophets, and the Gospel, that by such departure they may be made better in their course of life, by endeavouring to meet every day about the public assemblies, and to be frequent in prayer, that they also may be at length admitted, and that those who behold them may be affected, and be more secured by fearing to fall into the same condition.

[39] Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ματθαῖος, ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα τῶν ἐν τῇδε τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ λαλούντων ὑμῖν, εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, καὶ αὐτὸς ὢν τελώνης μὲν πρότερον, νῦν δὲ διὰ τοῦ πιστεύειν ἠλεημένος μετεγνωκώς τε τῶν προτέρων πραξέων καὶ ἠξιωμένος ἀπόστολος εἶναι καὶ κῆρυξ τοῦ λόγου. Καὶ Ζακχαῖος, ὃν ὁ Κύριος προσελάβετο ἐν μετανοίᾳ δεηθέντα αὐτοῦ, ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸς τελώνης ὑπῆρχεν τὸ πρότερον. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ στρατιῶται καὶ τελωνῶν ὄχλος, προσελθόντες τῷ κυριακῷ περὶ μετανοίας λόγῳ, ἀκούσουσι παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωάννου μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα: »Μηδὲν πλέον παρὰ τὸ διατεταγμένον ὑμῖν ποιεῖτε.« Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐθνικοῖς οὐκ ἀπέγνωσται ἡ ζωή, ἐὰν μετανοήσαντες τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἀποβάλωσιν. Ὡς τελώνην οὖν ἢ ἐθνικὸν ἔχε τὸν ἐπὶ κακῷ ἔργῳ ἐλεγχθέντα καὶ μὴ μεταγινώσκοντα. Ἐὰν δὲ ὕστερον μετανοῇ, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἐθνικούς, ὁπόταν θέλωσι μετανοεῖν καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν ἐκ τῆς πλάνης, εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν προσδεχόμεθα, ὅπως τοῦ λόγου ἀκούωσιν, οὐ μὴν κοινωνοῦμεν αὐτοῖς μέχρις οὗ τὴν σφραγῖδα λαβόντες τελειωθῶσιν, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις, μέχρις οὗ μετανοίας καρπὸν ἐπιδείξωσιν, ἐπιτρέπομεν εἰσέρχεσθαι, ὅπως τοῦ λόγου ἀκούοντες μὴ τελείως ἄρδην ἀπόλωνται: μὴ κοινωνείτωσαν δὲ ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ, ἀλλ' ἐξερχέσθωσαν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν τοῦ Νόμου καὶ τῶν Προφητῶν καὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὅπως διὰ τοῦ ἐξιέναι ἐπιβελτιωθῶσιν τὴν ἀναστροφὴν τοῦ βίου, σπουδάζοντες περὶ τὰς συνάξεις ἀπαντᾶν ὁσημέραι καὶ τῇ δεήσει σχολάζειν, ὅπως καὶ αὐτοὶ δυνηθῶσιν εἰσδεχθῆναι, καὶ οἱ θεώμενοι αὐτοὺς κατανυγῶσιν καὶ ἀσφαλέστεροι γένωνται, εὐλαβούμενοι τοῖς ὁμοίοις περιπεσεῖν.