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Now you will say: We have not seen him. Why then do you, without seeking, flatter inanimate things? And what of it? If it was difficult for you to know what God is, you were surely not unable to know what is not God, so that you might reckon that God is not wood, not stone, not bronze, nor anything else made from corruptible matter. For were they not fashioned by iron—and the iron that fashioned them softened by fire—and the fire itself extinguished by water? And does not the water have its movement from spirit—and the spirit has the beginning of its extension from the God who made all things? For thus the prophet Moses has said: “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. And the earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was upon the abyss, and the spirit of God was moving over the water.” And when God spoke, this [spirit], like his hand, creates all things, separating light from darkness and, after the invisible heaven, spreading out the visible one, so that the things above might be inhabited by the angels of light, and the things below might be administered by man along with all things made for his sake. For for your sake, man, God commanded the water upon the face of the earth to recede, so that the earth might be able to bring forth fruits for you—and he made hollows, that he might provide you springs and that streams of rivers might appear and animals might be brought forth—to speak briefly, so that all things might be able to be present for you. For is it not for you that winds blow for the generation of fruits and rains are brought and seasons change? Indeed, the sun and moon along with the other <stars> for your sake complete their risings and settings, and rivers and lakes along with the seas serve you. Therefore, to you, the senseless one, just as the greater honor was given, so for being ungrateful the greater punishment through fire has been prepared beforehand, because you did not wish to know him whom it was necessary to know before all others. But even now, from the lesser things recognize the cause of all, reckoning that water makes all things, but water receives its generation from the movement of spirit, and the spirit has its origin from the God of all. And thus you should have reasoned, so that by reason you might be able to arrive at God, so that recognizing your race and being reborn by the first-born water, you might be established as an heir of the parents who begot you for incorruption. Therefore, come readily as a son to a father, so that God may make ignorance the cause of your sins. But if even after being called you are not willing or you delay, you will perish by the just judgment of God, not being willed because you did not will. And do not think that, if you become more pious than all pious men who have ever lived, but you are unbaptized, you will ever be able to attain hope. For in this way you will suffer all the more punishment, because you did not do good works in a good way. For doing good is good whenever it happens as God commanded. But if you are not willing to be baptized as it seemed good to him, by serving your own will you are hostile to his counsel. But perhaps someone will say: What does being baptized with water contribute to piety? First, that you do what seems good to God. Second, being reborn to God from water, by reason of fear you change the first birth that came to you from desire, and thus you are able to attain salvation; but otherwise it is impossible. For thus

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νῦν ἐρεῖτε· Oὐχ ἑωράκαμεν αὐτόν. διὰ τί οὖν μὴ ζητήσαντες τὰ ἀναί- σθητα κολακεύετε; τί δέ; εἰ καὶ δύσκολον ἦν ὑμῖν γνῶναι τί θεός, τὸ μέντοι τί οὐ θεὸς μὴ εἰδέναι οὐκ ἐδύνασθε, ἵνα λογίσησθε ὅτι θεός ἐστιν οὐ ξύλον, οὐ λίθος, οὐ χαλκός, οὐκ ἄλλο τι ἐκ φθαρτῆς γεγονὸς ὕλης. ἢ γὰρ οὐχ ὑπὸ σιδήρου ἐτορεύθησαν-καὶ ὁ τορεύσας σίδηρος ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἐμαλάχθη-καὶ τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ σβέννυται ὑπὸ ὕδατος; τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ οὐχ ὑπὸ πνεύματος τὴν κίνησιν ἔχει-καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰ ὅλα πεποιηκότος θεοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ἐκτάσεως ἔχει; οὕτως γὰρ ὁ προφήτης εἴρηκεν Μωσῆς· «Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος». ὅπερ καὶ λέγοντος τοῦ θεοῦ [τὸ πνεῦμα] ὥσπερ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα δημιουρ- γεῖ, φῶς ἀπὸ σκότους χωρίζον καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἀόρατον οὐρανὸν τὸν φαινό- μενον ἐφαπλῶσαν, ἵνα τὰ ἄνω τοῖς τοῦ φωτὸς ἀγγέλοις οἰκηθῇ, τὰ δὲ κάτω ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἅμα τοῖς δι' αὐτὸν γενομένοις πᾶσιν διοικηθῇ. διὰ γὰρ σὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ θεὸς ἐκέλευσεν τὸ ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς ὑποχωρῆσαι ὕδωρ, ἵνα καρποὺς ἡ γῆ σοι προσενέγκαι δυνηθῇ- καὶ τρηδόνας ἐποίησεν, ἵνα σοι παράσχῃ πηγὰς καὶ ποταμῶν ·εῖθρα φανῇ καὶ ζῷα ἐκβρασθῇ-συνελὼν ἐρῶ, ἵνα πάντα σοι παραστῆναι δυνηθῇ. ἢ γὰρ οὐ διὰ σὲ ἄνεμοι πρὸς καρπῶν ἐπιγονὴν πνέουσιν καὶ ὑετοὶ φέρονται καὶ τροπαὶ γίνονται; αὐτίκα γοῦν ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις <ἄστροις> διὰ σὲ τὰς ἀνατολὰς καὶ δύσεις ἐκτελοῦσιν καὶ πο- ταμοὶ καὶ λίμναι ἅμα ταῖς θαλάσσαις ὑπηρετοῦσιν. ὅθεν σοὶ τῷ ἀναισθή- τῳ ὥσπερ ἡ μείζων ἐδόθη τιμή, οὕτως ἀχαριστήσαντι ἡ μείζων διὰ πυρὸς κόλασις προητοίμασται, ὅτι γνῶναι οὐκ ἠθέλησας ὃν πρὸ πάντων ἔδει γνῶναι. κἂν νῦν δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἡττόνων ἐπίγνωθι τὴν τῶν ὅλων αἰτίαν, λογισάμενος ὅτι τὰ πάντα τὸ ὕδωρ ποιεῖ, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ὑπὸ πνεύματος κινήσεως τὴν γένεσιν λαμβάνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει. καὶ οὕτως ἔδει λογίσασθαι, ἵνα ἐπὶ λόγῳ εἰς θεὸν καταντῆσαι δυνηθῇς, ὅπως ἐπιγνούς σου τὸ γένος καὶ πρωτο- γόνῳ ἀναγεννηθεὶς ὕδατι κληρονόμος καταστῇς τῶν πρὸς ἀφθαρσίαν γεννησάντων σε γονέων. διὸ ἑτοίμως πρόσελθε ὡς υἱὸς πατρί, ἵνα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων σου ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἄγνοιαν αἰτίαν θῇ. εἰ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὸ κληθῆναι οὐ θέλεις ἢ βραδύνεις, δικαίᾳ θεοῦ ἀπολῇ κρίσει, τῷ μὴ θελῆσαι μὴ θεληθείς. καὶ μήτοι νομίσῃς ὅτι, ἐὰν πάντων τῶν ποτε γενομένων εὐσεβῶν εὐσεβέστερος γένῃ, ἀβάπτιστος δὲ ᾖς, ἐλπίδος τυχεῖν δυνήσει ποτέ. ταύτῃ γὰρ μᾶλλον πλείονα ὑφέξεις κόλασιν, ὅτι καλὰ ἔργα οὐκ ἐποίησας καλῶς. καλὴ γὰρ εὐποιία, ὁπόταν ὡς θεὸς ἐκέλευ- σεν γίνηται. σὺ δὲ εἰ οὐ θέλεις ὡς ἐκείνῳ ἔδοξεν βαπτισθῆναι, τῷ σῷ θελήματι ὑπηρετῶν ἐχθραίνεις τῇ ἐκείνου βουλῇ. ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις· Τί συμβάλλεται πρὸς εὐσέβειαν τὸ βαπτισθῆναι ὕδατι; πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι τὸ δόξαν θεῷ πράττεις. δεύτερον δὲ ἐξ ὕδατος ἀναγεννηθεὶς θεῷ, αἰτίᾳ φόβου τὴν ἐξ ἐπιθυμίας πρώτην σοι γενομένην καταλλάσσεις γένε- σιν καὶ οὕτως σωτηρίας τυχεῖν δύνῃ· ἄλλως δὲ ἀδύνατον. οὕτως γὰρ