Chapter XLI.—The Conduct of Heretics: Its Frivolity, Worldliness, and Irregularity. The Notorious Wantonness of Their Women.

I must not omit an account of the conduct428    Conversationis. also of the heretics—how frivolous it is, how worldly, how merely human, without seriousness, without authority, without discipline, as suits their creed. To begin with, it is doubtful who is a catechumen, and who a believer; they have all access alike, they hear alike, they pray alike—even heathens, if any such happen to come among them. “That which is holy they will cast to the dogs, and their pearls,” although (to be sure) they are not real ones, “they will fling to the swine.”429    See Matt. vii. 6. Simplicity they will have to consist in the overthrow of discipline, attention to which on our part they call brothelry.430    Lenocinium. “Pandering” is Archdeacon Dodgson’s word. Peace also they huddle up431    Miscent. anyhow with all comers; for it matters not to them, however different be their treatment of subjects, provided only they can conspire together to storm the citadel of the one only Truth. All are puffed up, all offer you knowledge.  Their catechumens are perfect before they are full-taught.432    Edocti. The very women of these heretics, how wanton they are! For they are bold enough to teach, to dispute, to enact exorcisms, to undertake433    Repromittere. cures—it may be even to baptize.434    Compare Tertullian’s tract, de Bapt. I. and de Veland. Virg. viii. [Also, Epiphan. iv. p. 453, Ed. Oehler.] Their ordinations, are carelessly administered,435    Temerariæ. capricious, changeable.436    They were constantly changing their ministers. It was a saying of the heretics, “Alius hodie episcopus, cras alius” (Rigalt.). At one time they put novices in office; at another time, men who are bound to some secular employment;437    Sæculo obstrictos. at another, persons who have apostatized from us, to bind them by vainglory, since they cannot by the truth. Nowhere is promotion easier than in the camp of rebels, where the mere fact of being there is a foremost service.438    Promereri est. And so it comes to pass that to-day one man is their bishop, to-morrow another; to-day he is a deacon who to-morrow is a reader; to-day he is a presbyter who tomorrow is a layman. For even on laymen do they impose the functions of priesthood.

CAPUT XLI.

Non omittendam denique, qua contra eos praescribamus, 0056A ipsius etiam haereticae conversationis descriptionem; ubi quis catechumenus, quis fidelis, incertum; pariter enim adeunt, pariter audiunt, pariter orant; qui pacem cum omnibus miscent; quorum mulieres audeant exorcismos agere, forsitan et tinguere; quorum ordinationes temerariae, et alius hodie episcopus, cras alius, hodie diaconus, qui cras lector, hodie presbyter qui cras laicus, nam et laicis sacerdotalia munera injungere.

Non omittam ipsius etiam conversationis haereticae descriptionem, quam futilis, quam terrena, quam humana sit, sine gravitate, sine auctoritate, sine disciplina, ut fidei suae congruens. In primis quis catechumenus, quis fidelis, incertum est; pariter adeunt, 0056B pariter audiunt, pariter orant; etiam ethnici si supervenerint, sanctum canibus, et porcis margaritas, licet non veras, jactabunt. Simplicitatem volunt esse prostrationem disciplinae, cujus penes nos curam lenocinium vocant. Pacem quoque passim cum omnibus miscent: nihil enim interest illis, licet diversa tractantibus, dum ad unius veritatis expugnationem conspirent. Omnes tument, omnes scientiam pollicentur. Ante sunt perfecti catechumeni, quam edocti . Ipsae mulieres haereticae, quam procaces! quae audeant docere, contendere, exorcismos agere, curationes repromittere, forsitan et tingere. Ordinationes eorum temerariae, leves, inconstantes: nunc 0057A neophytos conlocant, nunc saeculo obstrictos, nunc apostatas nostros, ut gloria eos obligent, quia veritate non possunt. Nusquam facilius proficitur, quam in castris rebellium, ubi ipsum esse illic, promereri est. Itaque alius hodie episcopus, cras alius; hodie diaconus, qui cras lector; hodie presbyter, qui cras laicus: nam et laicis sacerdotalia munera injungunt.