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having embraced the observance of legal precepts, he leads them back to salvation, and applies to them the medicines of repentance, and utters the voice of a loving mother: "My little children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you." And the Lord Christ also brought this teaching to us through his own parables. For the lost sheep and the lost coin teach us to care for those who have sinned. And the prodigal son clearly shows the transgression that occurred after baptism. For having taken the due portion of his father's substance, and having wastefully consumed it, he returned; but nevertheless he was deemed worthy of the first robe, and through the ring he received back the divine image, and enjoyed the fatted calf, and prepared a great feast for his father. And every teaching and action of the Lord teaches the healing of sinners, and the tax collectors who were called, and the prostitute who approached, and the robber who believed, and the words of love for mankind: "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. For they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." But if they say these things happened before baptism, let them learn that the first foundation of the Church was shaken, and confirmed by divine grace. For the great Peter, having denied three times, remained first, having been healed by his own tears. The Lord commanded him to offer this healing to his brothers also: "And when you," he says, "have turned again, strengthen your brothers." And having given a model of prayer to the disciples, he commanded them to say: "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." And we teach this prayer not to the uninitiated, but to those who are being initiated. For none of the uninitiated dares to say, "Our Father, who art in heaven," not yet having received the gift of adoption. But he who has received the gift of baptism calls God Father, as having been enrolled among the sons of grace. These, therefore, were commanded to say: "Forgive us our debts." Therefore, the wounds that occur after baptism are also curable; but curable, not as before, with forgiveness being given through faith alone, but through many tears, and wailings, and lamentations, and fasting, and prayer, and labor, measured by the quantity of the sin committed. For we have been taught neither to forbid those who are so disposed, nor to readily 83.553 impart the divine mysteries. "For do not," he says, "give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine." The Church has these laws also concerning repentance. 29. -Concerning continence. It embraces abstinence from wine and meat-eating, and other continence, not in a manner similar to the heretics. For they legislate to abstain from these things as from abominations; but the Church has legislated nothing concerning these things, for it does not forbid participation in them. For this reason, some fearlessly enjoy the customary pleasures, while others abstain. But no one of sound mind condemns the one who eats; for both abstinence and participation are subject to the authority of the will, and the solitary life is not compulsory, but voluntary. And this we have been taught from the apostolic laws: "For he that eats," it says, "let him not despise him that does not eat, and let him that does not eat not judge him that eats." And again: "All things are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense." And accusing these unholy ones of this, he wrote these things in the Epistle to Timothy: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God

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νομικῶν παρα τηρήσεων ἀσπασαμένους τὴν φυλακὴν, ἐπανάγει πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν, καὶ τὰ τῆς μετανοίας αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθησι φάρμακα, καὶ ἀφίησι μητρὸς φιλοστόργου φωνήν· "Τεκνία μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω, ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν." Ταύτην δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν διδασκαλίαν καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς διὰ τῶν οἰκείων παραβολῶν προσενήνοχε. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς πρόβατον, καὶ ἡ ἐκπεσοῦσα δραχμὴ, τῶν ἡμαρτη κότων ἐπιμέλεσθαι διδάσκουσιν. Ὁ δὲ ἄσωτος υἱὸς ἄντικρυς τὴν μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα γεγενημένην παρά βασιν δηλοῖ. Τῆς γὰρ πατρῴας οὐσίας τὴν προσ ήκουσαν μοῖραν λαβὼν, καὶ ταύτην ἀσώτως κατεδη δοκὼς, ἐπανῆλθεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως τῆς πρώτης ἠξιώθη στολῆς, καὶ διὰ τοῦ δακτυλίου τὴν εἰκόνα τὴν θείαν ἀπέλαβε, καὶ τοῦ σιτευτοῦ ἀπήλαυσε μόσχου, καὶ ἑορτὴν μεγίστην ἐσχεδίασε τῷ πατρί. Καὶ πᾶσα δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου διδασκαλία καὶ πρᾶξις, τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτω λῶν ἰατρείαν διδάσκουσι, καὶ οἱ κληθέντες τελῶναι, καὶ ἡ προσελθοῦσα πόρνη, καὶ ὁ πιστεύσας λῃστὴς, καὶ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας οἱ λόγοι· "Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέ σαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Οὐ γὰρ χρείαν ἔχουσιν· οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κα κῶς ἔχοντες." Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα πρὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος λέγουσι γεγενῆσθαι, τὸν πρῶτον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας θεμέλιον καταμάθωσι κλονούμενον, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας χάριτος βεβαιούμενον. Τρὶς γὰρ ὁ μέγας ἀρνησάμενος Πέτρος ἔμεινε πρῶτος, τοῖς δάκρυσι τοῖς οἰκείοις θεραπευθείς. Ταύτην αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς· προφέρειν τὴν θεραπείαν ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐκέ λευσε· "Καὶ σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπιστρέψας στήρι ξον τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου." Καὶ προσευχῆς δὲ τύπον τοῖς μαθηταῖς δεδωκὼς, προσέταξε λέγειν· "Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν." Ταύτην δὲ τὴν προσευχὴν οὐ τοὺς ἀμυήτους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μυσταγωγουμένους διδάσκομεν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν ἀμυήτων λέγειν τολμᾷ· "Πάτερ ἡμῶν, ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς," μήπω δεξάμενος τῆς υἱοθεσίας τὸ χάρισμα. Ὁ δὲ τῆς τοῦ βαπτίσματος τετυχηκὼς δωρεᾶς, Πατέρα καλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς εἰς τοὺς υἱοὺς τελέσας τῆς χάριτος. Οὗτοι τοίνυν προσετάχθησαν λέγειν· "Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφει-λήματα ἡμῶν." Ἰάσιμα τοιγαροῦν καὶ τὰ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα γενόμενα τραύματα· ἰάσιμα δὲ, οὐχ ὡς πάλαι διὰ πίστεως μόνης τῆς ἀφέσεως διδομένης· ἀλλὰ διὰ δακρύων πολλῶν, διά τε ὀδυρμῶν, καὶ κλαυθμῶν, καὶ νηστείας, καὶ προσευχῆς, καὶ πόνου· τῇ ποσότητι τῆς γεγονυίας ἁμαρτίας συμμετρουμέ νου. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀπαγορεύειν ἐδιδάχθημεν τοὺς μὲν οὕτω διακειμένους, οὔτε προχείρως 83.553 μεταδιδόναι τῶν θείων. "Μὴ βάλλετε γὰρ, φησὶ, ἅγιον τοῖς κυσὶ, μηδὲ ῥίψητε τοὺς μαρ γαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων." Τούτους ἡ Ἐκκλησία καὶ περὶ μετανοίας ἔχει τοὺς νόμους. ΚΘʹ. -Περὶ ἐγκρατείας. Οἴνου δὲ καὶ κρεωφαγίας ἀποχὴν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἐγκράτειαν, οὐ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς παραπλησίως ἀσπά ζεται. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὡς βδελυκτῶν τούτων νομοθετοῦσιν ἀπέχεσθαι· ἡ δὲ Ἐκκλησία οὐδὲν περὶ τούτων νενομοθέτηκεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπαγορεύει τὴν τούτων μετάληψιν. Τούτου χάριν ἀδεῶς οἱ μὲν τῶν νενομισμέ-νων ἡδέων ἀπολαύουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἀπέχονται. Κατακρίνει δὲ οὐδεὶς τῶν εὖ φρονούντων τὸν ἐσθίοντα· καὶ ἡ ἀποχὴ γὰρ, καὶ ἡ μετάληψις, ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τελοῦσι τῆς γνώμης, καὶ ὁ μονήρης δὲ βίος οὐκ ἀναγκαστικὸς, ἀλλ' αὐθαίρετος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἐδιδάχθημεν νόμων· "Ὁ ἐσθίων γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενείτω, καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐσθίων τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω." Καὶ πάλιν· "Πάντα καθαρὰ, ἀλλὰ κακὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ διὰ προσκόμματος ἐσθίοντι." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀνοσίων κατηγορῶν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Τιμόθεον Ἐπιστολῇ ταῦτα γέγραφε· "Τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα ῥητῶς λέγει, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς ἀποπλανηθῶσί τινες τῆς πίστεως, προσέχοντες πνεύμασι πλάνης, καὶ διδασκαλίαις δαιμόνων, ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευ-δολόγων, κεκαυτηριασμένων τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν, κωλυόντων γαμεῖν, ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ