[For the Energumens.]

VII. Thou, who hast bound the strong man, and spoiled all that was in his house, who hast given us power over serpents and scorpions to tread upon them, and upon all the power of the enemy;  58  Matt. xii. 29; Luke x. 19. who hast delivered the serpent, that murderer of men, bound to us, as a sparrow to children, whom all things dread, and tremble before the face of Thy power;  59  Job xl. 24, LXX. who hast cast him down as lightning from heaven to earth,  60  Luke x. 18 not with a fall from a place, but from honour to dishonour, on account of his voluntary evil disposition; whose look dries the abysses, and threatening melts the mountains, and whose truth remains for ever; whom the infants praise, and sucking babes bless; whom angels sing hymns to, and adore; who lookest upon the earth, and makest it tremble; who touchest the mountains, and they smoke; who threatenest the sea, and driest it up, and makest all its rivers as desert, and the clouds are the dust of His feet; who walkest upon the sea as upon the firm ground;  61  Ps. cvi. 9; Isa. li. 10; Ps. xcvii. 5; Isa. lxiv. 1, Ps. cxvii. 2, viii. 2, xcvii. 4, civ. 32; Nah. i. 4, 3; Job ix. 8, LXX. Thou only begotten God,  62  [Comp. note 1, p. 477, book vii. chap. xliii.—R.] the Son of the great Father, rebuke these wicked spirits, and deliver the works of Thy hands from the power of the adverse spirit. For to Thee is due glory, honour, and worship, and by Thee to Thy Father, in the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen. And let the deacon say: Go out, ye energumens. And after them, let him cry aloud: Ye that are to be illuminated, pray. Let all us, the faithful, earnestly pray for them, that the Lord will vouchsafe that, being initiated into the death of Christ, they may rise with Him, and become partakers of His kingdom, and may be admitted to the communion of His mysteries; unite them to, number them among, those that are saved in His holy Church. Save them, and raise them up by Thy grace. And being sealed to God through His Christ, let them bow down their heads, and receive this blessing from the bishop:—

[8] Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο προσφωνείτω: Εὔξασθε, οἱ φωτιζόμενοι. Ἐκτενῶς οἱ πιστοὶ πάντες ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν παρακαλέσωμεν, ὅπως ὁ Κύριος καταξιώσῃ αὐτούς, μυηθέντας εἰς τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ θάνατον, συναναστῆναι αὐτῷ καὶ μετόχους γενέσθαι τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ καὶ κοινωνοὺς τῶν μυστηρίων αὐτοῦ, ἑνώσῃ καὶ συγκαταλέξῃ αὐτοὺς μετὰ τῶν σῳζομένων ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ αὐτοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Ἔτι ἐκτενῶς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δεηθῶμεν: σῶσον καὶ ἀνάστησον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ σῇ χάριτι. Κατασφραγισάμενοι τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, κλίνατε. Εὐλογείσθωσαν οὖν παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου τήνδε τὴν εὐλογίαν: Ὁ προειπὼν διὰ τῶν ἁγίων σου προφητῶν τοῖς μυομένοις: »Λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γίνεσθε«, καὶ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ νομοθετήσας τὴν πνευματικὴν ἀναγέννησιν: αὐτὸς καὶ νῦν ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τοὺς βαπτιζομένους καὶ εὐλόγησον αὐτοὺς καὶ ἁγίασον, καὶ παρασκεύασον ἀξίους γενέσθαι τῆς πνευματικῆς σου δωρεᾶς καὶ τῆς ἀληθινῆς σου υἱοθεσίας, τῶν πνευματικῶν σου μυστηρίων, τῆς μετὰ τῶν σῳζομένων ἐπισυναγωγῆς διὰ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ σοι δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ σέβας ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας: ἀμήν. Καὶ λεγέτω ὁ διάκονος: Προέλθετε, οἱ φωτιζόμενοι.