XXII.  But then, you say, is not God merciful, and since He knows our thoughts and searches out our desires, will He not take the desire of Baptism instead of Baptism?  You are speaking in riddles, if what you mean is that because of God’s mercy the unenlightened is enlightened in His sight; and he is within the kingdom of heaven who merely desires to attain to it, but refrains from doing that which pertains to the kingdom.  I will, however, speak out boldly my opinion on these matters; and I think that all other sensible men will range themselves on my side.  Of those who have received the gift, some were altogether alien from God and from salvation, both addicted to all manner of sin, and desirous to be bad; others were semivicious, and in a kind of mean state between good and bad; others again, while they did that which was evil, yet did not approve their own action, just as men in a fever are not pleased with their own sickness.  And others even before they were illuminated were worthy of praise; partly by nature, and partly by the care with which they prepared themselves for Baptism.  These after their initiation became evidently better, and less liable to fall; in the one case with a view to procuring good, and in the other in order to preserve it.  And amongst these, those who gave in to some evil are better than those who were altogether bad; and better still than those who yielded a little, are those who were more zealous, and broke up their fallow ground before Baptism; they have the advantage over the others of having already laboured; for the font does not do away with good deeds as it does with sins.  But better even than these are they who are also cultivating the Gift, and are polishing themselves to the utmost possible beauty.

ΚΒʹ. Τί δαί; Οὐχὶ φιλάνθρωπον, φησὶ, τὸ Θεῖον; Καὶ γνωστικὸν γὰρ ἐννοιῶν, δοκιμάζει τε τὴν ἔφεσιν, καὶ ἀντὶ βαπτίσματος, ποιεῖται τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος. Αἰνίγματι λέγεις ὅμοιον, εἰ πεφωτισμένος ἐστὶ Θεῷ, διὰ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον, ὁ ἀφώτιστος, ἢ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντὸς ὁ ταύτης τυχεῖν σπουδάζων, δίχα τοῦ πράττειν τὰ τῆς βασιλείας. Ἐγὼ δὲ, ὡς ἔχω περὶ τούτων, εἰπεῖν θαῤῥήσω: οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συνθήσεσθαι τοὺς νοῦν ἔχοντας. Τῶν τυχόντων τῆς δωρεᾶς, οἱ μὲν παντελῶς ἦσαν ἀλλότριοι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας, πᾶν εἶδος κακίας διεξελθόντες, καὶ εἶναι κακοὶ σπουδάζοντες: οἱ δὲ ἡμιμόχθηροί πως, καὶ μέσως ἔχοντες ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας: οἳ τὸ μὲν κακὸν ἔπραξαν, τῷ πραττομένῳ δὲ οὐ συνῄνεσαν, καθάπερ οἱ πυρέττοντες τῷ ἑαυτῶν ἀῤῥωστήματι. Οἱ δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῆς τελειώσεως ἦσαν ἐπαινετοί: οἱ μὲν ἐκ φύσεως, οἱ δὲ κατὰ σπουδὴν προκαθαίροντες ἑαυτοὺς τῷ βαπτίσματι: καὶ μετὰ τὴν τελειότητα πεφήνασι κρείττους καὶ ἀσφαλέστεροι: τὸ μὲν, ἵνα τύχωσι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, τὸ δὲ, ἵνα φυλάξωσιν. Ἐν τούτοις, βελτίους μὲν τῶν παντάπασι πονηρῶν, οἱ τῆς κακίας τι ὑφιέμενοι: βελτίους δὲ τῶν μικρόν τι ὑφιεμένων, οἱ σπουδαιότεροι καὶ προσαρώσαντες ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ βαπτίσματος: ἔχουσι γάρ τι πλέον, τὴν ἐργασίαν. Οὐ γὰρ, ὥσπερ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐξάλειψιν ἔχει τὸ λουτρὸν, οὕτω καὶ τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἀναίρεσιν. Τούτων δὲ αὐτῶν βελτίους, οἱ καὶ γεωργοῦντες τὸ χάρισμα, καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα εἰς κάλλος ἑαυτοὺς ἀποξέοντες.