CATECHETICAL LECTURES OF S. CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF JERUSALEM. ADDRESSED TO CANDIDATES FOR BAPTISM. INTRODUCTORY LECTURE. 1. ALREADY is there on you the savour of blessedness, O (1.) ye who are soon to be enlightened: already are you gathering rig spiritual flowers, to weave heavenly crowns withal: already. hath the fragrance of the Holy Ghost refreshed you: already are you at the entrance hall of the King's house: may you be brought into it by the King! For now the blossoms of the trees have budded; may but the fruit likewise be perfected! Thus far, your names have been given in, and the roll-call made for service; there are the torches of the bridal train, and the longings after heavenly citizenship, and a good purpose, and a hope attendant; for He cannot lie who hath said, To them that love God, all things work together for good. Rom. 8, God is indeed lavish in His benefits: yet He looks for each man's honest resolve: so the Apostle subjoins, To those who are called according to their purpose. Honesty of purpose makes thee called for though the body be here, yet if the mind be away, it avails nothing. 28. προαίρε 019. 13. 2. Even Simon Magus once came to the Laver of Baptism, Acts 8, he was baptized, but not enlightened. His body he dipped in water, but admitted not the Spirit to illuminate his heart. a S. Austin considers Simon Magus demnation. Vid. in Ps. 103. i. 9. to be born again, but to a greater con B LECT. 2 Baptism is offered to all, but to the unprepared is a curse. INTROD. His body went down and came up; but his soul was not buried together with Christ, nor with Him raised. I mention (2.) such instances of falls, that thou mayest not fail; for these 1 Cor. things happened to them for ensamples, and they are written 10, 11. for the admonition of those, who up to this day are ever coming. Let no one of you be found tempting grace: let no Heb. 12, root of bitterness spring up, and trouble you: let not any of you enter, saying, Come, let us see what the faithful do: I will go in and see, that I may learn what is done. Expectest thou to see, and not to be seen: and thinkest thou to busy thee with what is doing, and God not be busy with thine heart the while? 15. Mat. 22, 12. : 3. A certain man in the Gospels busily pried into the marriage feast he took an unbecoming garment, came in, sat down, and ate; for the bridegroom permitted thus far; whereas, when he saw the white robes of all, he ought himself likewise to have taken such another; yet he shared like meats with them, being unlike them in fashion and in purpose. But the bridegroom, though bountiful, was not undiscerning; and, as he went round to each of the guests and viewed them, (not that he was careful how they feasted, but how they behaved,) seeing a stranger, not having a wedding-garment on, he said to him, Friend, how camest thou in hither? With what stained raiment? with what a conscience? What, though the porter stopped thee not, because of the bountifulness of the entertainer? what, though thou wert ignorant in what fashion thou shouldest enter into the banquet? yet thou camest in, thou didst see the glistering fashion of the guests. Shouldest thou id, not have learned at least from what thou sawest? Shouldest isions, thou not have made a seasonable retreat, that thou mightest ing to have a seasonable return? but now hast thou turned in unseaCasausonably, that unseasonably thou mightest be thrust out. So emenda- he commands his servants, Bind his feet, which have daringly intruded,―bind his hands, which were not skilled to robe him in the bright garment; and cast him into the outer darkness; for he is unworthy of the wedding torches. Thou hast seen how he fared then; take heed to thyself. accord bon's tion. (3.) 4. For we, the ministers of Christ, have admitted every man, and holding as it were the place of door-keepers, have left the door unfastened. Thou hast been free then to enter with a Those who come lightly, must not go back, but become serious. 3 If avarice σίαν. soul bemired with sins, and a defiled purpose. Entered thou hast thou hast passed, thou hast been enrolled. Seest thou these venerable arrangements of the Church? Viewest thou her order and discipline, the reading of the Scriptures, the xavonzāv presence of the religious, the course of teaching? Let then g the place affect thee, let the sight sober thee. Depart in good time now, and enter to-morrow in better. has been the fashion of thy soul, put on another, and then come in: put off what thou hadst, cloke it not over: put off, I pray thee, fornication and uncleanness, and put on the most bright robe of soberness. This charge I give thee, before Jesus the spouse of souls come in, and see their fashion. Thou art allowed a distant day; thou hast a penitence of forty; thou hast full time to put off, and to wash thee, to put on, and to enter in. But if thou abide in thy evil purpose, he who speaks is blameless, but thou must not look for grace: for though the water shall receive thee, the Spirit will not accept thee. Whoso is conscious of a wound, let him take the salve: whoso has fallen, let him rise: let there be no Simon among you, no hypocrisy, no idle curiosity about the matter. 5. Perhaps thou comest on another ground. A man may (4.) be wishing to pay court to a woman, and on that account come hither: and the same applies to women likewise: again, a slave often wishes thus to please his master, or one friend another. I avail myself of this angler's bait, and receive thee, as one who has come indeed with an unsound purpose, but art to be saved by a good hope. Thou knewest not perchance whither thou wast coming, nor what net was taking thee. Thou art within the Church's nets, submit to be taken; flee not, for Jesus would secure thee, not to make thee die, but by death to make thee live. For thou must die and rise again; thou hast heard the Apostle saying, Dead indeed to Rom. 6, sin, but alive unto righteousness. Die then to thy sins, and ] Pet. 2, live to righteousness: yea, from this day forth, live. 6. Look, I beseech thee, how great dignity Jesus presents to thee. Thou wert called a Catechumen, which means, hearing with the ears, hearing hope, and not perceiving; In some Churches this period was of Churches of Italy it seems to have been thirty days; in other twenty; in the more than forty. 11. 24. δίκαιος, 4 Baptism cannot be administered more than once. INTROD. hearing mysteries, yet not understanding: hearing Scriptures, LICT. yet not knowing their depth. Thou no longer hearest with the ears, but thou hearest within; for the indwelling Spirit henceforth fashions thy mind into a house of God. When thou shalt hear what is written concerning mysteries, then thou shalt understand, what hitherto thou knewest not. And think not it is a trifle thou receivest. Thou, a wretched man, Tires, a receivest the Name of God; for hear the words of Paul, God is believer; faithful; and another Scripture, God is faithful and just. justified. This the Psalmist foreseeing, since men were to receive the 9. 1 John Name ascribed to God, said in the person of God, I have said, ye are Gods, and are all the children of the Most High. But beware lest with the name of believer thou have the purpose of an unbeliever. Thou hast entered into the struggle; labour therefore in the race, for season thou hast none other such. If thou hadst thy wedding day before thee, wouldest thou not make light of aught besides, and be full of preparations for the feast? And wilt thou not then, when on the eve of consecrating thy soul to a heavenly spouse, let go carnal things that thou mayest take hold of spiritual? 1 Cor.1, 1, 9. Ps. 82, 6. (5.) 7. The bath of Baptism we may not receive twice or thrice; else, it might be said, Though I fail once, I shall go right next time whereas if thou failest once, there is no setting things right, for there is One Lord, and One Faith, and One Baptism: none but heretics are re-baptized, since their former baptism was not baptism". 8. For God seeks nothing else from us, save a good purpose. Say not, How are my sins blotted out? I tell thee, from willing, from believing; what is shorter than this? But if thy lips declare thy willing, but thy heart is silent, He knows the heart who judgeth thee. Cease then henceforth from every wicked thing: refrain thy tongue from light words, thine eye from sin, thy mind from roving after useless matters. 9. Let thy feet hasten to the Catechisings, receive with earnestness the Exorcisms; for whether thou art breathed The Marcionites allowed of Baptism three times. Epiph. Hær. xlii. 3. Valentinus twice. Hieron. in Eph. iv. 5. What Cyril says about heretical baptism should be observed. The Roman Church considered it invalid (the officiator's orders not coming into question) only when the words or water was not duly used. S. Cyprian, and the African Church of his day, considered it invalid in all cases; so did the Churches of Asia Minor at the same date. S. Dionysius of Alexandria is claimed on both sides. Exorcisms through the Spirit drive out the devil from the soul. 5 upon, or exorcised, the Ordinance is to thee salvation. It is as though thou hadst gold unwrought or alloyed, blended with various substances, with brass, and tin, and iron, and lead: we seek to have the gold pure, but it cannot be cleansed from foreign substances without fire. Even so, without Exorcisms, the soul cannot be cleansed; and they are divine, collected from the divine Scriptures. Thy face is veiled, that thy mind may be henceforth at leisure; lest a roving eye cause a roving heart. But though thine eyes be veiled, thine ears are not hindered receiving what is saving. For as the goldsmith, conveying the blast upon the fire through delicate instruments, and as it were breathing on the gold which is hid in the hollow of the forge, stimulates the flame it acts upon, and so obtains what he is seeking; so also, exorcisers, infusing fear by the Holy Ghost, and setting the soul on fire in the crucible of the body, make the evil spirit flee, who is our enemy, and salvation and the hope of eternal life abide; and henceforth the soul, cleansed from its sins, hath salvation. Let us then, brethren, abide in hope, surrendering ourselves (6.) and hoping; so may the God of all, seeing our purpose, cleanse us from sins, and impart to us good hopes of our estate, and grant us saving penitence! He who calls, is God, and thou art the person called. 10. Abide thou in the Catechisings: though our discourse be long, let not thy mind be wearied out. For thou art receiving thine armour against the antagonist power; against heresies, against Jews, and Samaritans, and Gentiles. Thou hast many enemies; take to thee many darts; thou hast many to hurl them at. And thou hast need to learn how to hurl them at the Greek; how to do battle against heretic, against Jew and Samaritan. The armour indeed is ready, and most ready is the sword of the Spirit; but thou also must stretch forth thy hands with good resolve, that thou mayest war the Lord's warfare, mayest overcome the powers that oppose thee, mayest escape defeat from every heretical attempt. 11. This charge also I give thee. are spoken, and keep them for ever. are the ordinary Homilies, which are Study the things that trustworthy, but if neglected to-day, may be attended to d For this custom, vid. Bingham, An- Dissert. xii. 15. tiq. x. 2. §. 12. Basnag. Annal. vol. ii. |