most impressive, such as the bells, the pome- granates, the stones, worn upon the breast and shoulders, the mitre, the crown, the robe, reaching to the feet, the golden fringe, the holy of holies, the great stillness of all in the temple, surely, when we examine the institutions of grace, we shall feel those awful and most impressive spectacles to have been of slight moment, and what was said of the law itself to be true also of its ordinances, that even that, which was made glorious, had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory, that excelleth:‘ for, when you see the Lord, sacrificed, and laid upon the altar, and the priest, standing, and praying over the sacrifice, and all the people empur- pled with his most precious blood, do you then fancy yourself among men, or continuing upon the earth? Are you not instantly trans- ported into the heavens, so as, discarding every fleshly sentiment from your mind, to look around with naked soul and disembodied spirit on celestial objects? O the wonderful philanthropy of God! He, who sits above with the Father, is at that instant holden in 61 ‘the hands of every one, giving himself to ‘ those, who clasp and embrace him, as all may ‘clearly see with the eyes of faith. Does ‘this appear to you a thing, that men may ‘ despise, or that any one could be too proud to ‘handle?
‘Shall I shew you the transcendant great- ‘ness of this holy rite by another prodigy? ‘Paint then Elijah with the innumerable mul- ‘tudes around him, and the sacrifice, lying on ‘the stones, while all the people are waiting in ‘ silent suspense, and the prophet alone is pray- ‘ing! Then on a sudden behold the fire, cast ‘down from Heaven upon the victim! These ‘ things are great, and full of all astonishment. ‘Pass next to the rites, which are per- ‘ formed now! and you will see things, that are 6 not only wonderful, but such as surpass all ¢ astonishment: for there stands the priest, 6 bringing down not fire, but the holy ghost; ‘and he makes a long supplication, not that a ‘flame from above may consume that, which ‘lies before him, but that grace, descending ‘upon the sacrifice, may tltrough it kindle the ‘ soul of every one, and render it brighter than 62 ‘ silver, tried in the furnace. Who therefore, but ‘an idiot, who, but a madman, can despise this ‘ terrific rite? Are you not conscious, that no ‘human soul can sustain that fire, which falls ‘upon the sacrifice, but that all must utterly ‘ perish without abundant help from the grace ‘ of God?
‘For certainly, whoever will consider, how ‘ great a privilege it is fora mere man, com- ‘ pounded of flesh and blood, to be permitted ‘to draw near to that immaculate and blessed “nature, cannot fail to see clearly, to how ‘ distinguished an honour priests are advanced ‘ by the grace of the spirit; for it is by them, ‘that both these, and other rites, in no res- ‘ pect inferior to these, either as to their own ‘dignity, or to our salvation, are performed; ‘for although their abode and home is on ‘ Earth, they are entrusted with the managenn ment of things in Heaven, and receive an n authority, such as God never granted either to ‘angels or archangels; to whom it was never ‘ said—‘*‘ Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth, ‘shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever ‘‘ ye shall loose on Earth, shall be loosed in ’ 63 ‘““ Heaven.” For though even temporal rulers ‘have authority to bind, their power reaches ‘only to the body, whereas this bond pene- ‘trates the very soul, and passes up into the ‘heavens, where God ratifies the act of his ‘ priests, and the Lord confirms the decree of ‘his servants. What indeed has he really » ‘given them, but the whole authority of Hea- “ven? For—‘ Whosesoever. sins”’—says he— ‘“ ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and, ““ whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” ‘What authority can be greater than this? ‘ The father hath committed all judgment unto ‘the son. But I see it now again delegated ‘by the son to the priests: for they are ‘advanced to this office with as absolute a ‘commission as if they had been already ‘translated into the heavens, as if they were ‘already exalted above human nature, and ‘exempted from the dominion of our passions. ‘ Now, should a king grant to any of his sub- ‘jects such a portion of his own dignity as to ‘invest him with power to imprison and release ‘again, whomsoever he would, such a person ‘would be regarded by all men with awe and “ n“ a n an n n n oN “ a na n a 64 admiration: and. yet he, who has received from God an authority as much greater than this as the heaven is greater than the eartb, and the soul more precious than the body, is by some persons thought to have received an honour of so trifling a nature, that they can even conceive it possible for persons, entrusted with it, to despise the gift. Out upon such madness! For it is direct madness to despise an office so important, without which it is impossible for us to obtain either salvation, or the blessings, which are promised: for, if, except a man be born again of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, and if he, who does not eat the flesh of the Lord and drink his blood, is rejected from eternal life, and if all these blessings are dis- pensed only by the holy hands of the priest, how can any one without their ministry either escape the fire of Hell, or obtain the crowns, which are laid up for us? For these are they, who superintend our spiritual birth; and are entrusted with the regeneration of baptism. By their help we put on Christ, are buried together with the son of God, and 65 65 ‘ become members of that blessed head, so, that ‘we may justly fear them more than kings, and ‘honor them more than fathers: for, whereas ‘the latter begat us of blood, and of the will ‘ of the flesh, the former are the authors of our ‘birth from God, of the blessed regeneration, ‘of the true liberty, and of the adoption of ‘grace. The priests of the Jews had authority ‘ to cure the leprosy of the body, or rather not ‘ to cure it, but to pronounce upon those, who ‘had been previously healed: and you know, ‘how eagerly the office of priest was con- ‘tested. But these priests have received an ‘ authority not merely to examine, but altoge- ‘ther to relieve, not the mere leprosy of the ‘ body, but the impurity of the soul: for which ‘reason the persons, who think meanly of this ‘privilege, are more guilty, and worthy of a ‘sorer punishment than even the followers of ‘ Dathan, who, though they laid claim to a dis- ‘ tinction, which did not belong to them, at ‘Jeast held it in high esteem, as they shewed indeed by the eagerness, with which they sought it, whereas these persons, although the ‘ office is now charged with higher duties and a a a F 66 .
great accession of dignity, venture upon an ‘offence, opposite indeed in its nature, but ‘much more heinous than theirs: for to desire ‘an honour, which does not belong to us, is ” less disrespectful than to undervalue bless- ‘ings of such magnitude and importance.
a Nay. Rather the latter offence is as much the greater of the two as there is difference between contempt and admiration. Who then nn can be so profligate as to despise these privi- ‘leges? Surely none but a demoniac.
‘ To return however to the point, from which I digressed, God has given greater power to priests than he has to our natural parents, not ‘only in inflicting chastisements, but also in conferring benefits, the difference between ‘ them being as great as between the present life and the future: for the latter bring us into ‘ this life, but the former introduce us to that, which is to come; and, while our parents ‘cannot protect us from natural death, or n remove the attack of a disorder, priests have often by the application of a slight penance ‘saved a distempered soul, that was on the ‘ point of perishing, and by their doctrine and 67 ‘admonition as well as by the aid of their * prayers withholden others from defection; for ‘they have authority to remit our sins, not ‘only, when they regenerate us, but even after ‘that time. For—‘ Is any sick among you?” “says one. ‘‘ Let him call for the elders of the “church! and let them pray over him, anoint- ‘‘ing him with oil in the name of the Lord! ‘and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, ‘* and the Lord shall raise him up; and, if he ‘‘ have committed sins, they shall be forgiven “him.” Again, natural parents cannot help ‘ their children, if they happen to offend any ‘of the nobles and people in power. But ‘ priests have often pacified not merely rulers, ‘or kings, but God himself, when he was ‘ offended with them. Will any one therefore ‘ presume after this to charge me with con- ‘ tumacy? For I think, that all, who hear these ‘truths, must be struck with such awe and ‘ reverence for this holy function, that they will “no longer impute contumacy and presumption ‘ to those, who shrink from it, but to those, who ‘ voluntarily present themselves, as candidates, ‘and are eager to obtain it: for, if the gover- Tay 68 Tay 68 ‘ nors of cities, when not remarkable for wisdom ‘and sagacity, ruin both their country and ‘themselves, what ability (think you?) ought ‘he to possess, both natural and supernatural, ‘if he would be preserved from error, whose ‘ office it is to adorn the bride of Christ?’
‘No one loved Christ more than Paul did. No one evinced a greater zeal than he. No one was honored with more abundant grace. Yet with all these advantages he is still alarmed, and trembles at the thought of this authority, ‘and of those, who are subject toit. ‘ For I ¢ € ¢ € ‘« fear,” (says he) ‘‘ lest by any means, as the ‘* serpent beguiled Eve, so your minds should ‘‘be corrupted from the simplicity, that is in “« Christ,’—and again—‘‘ [ was with you in ‘‘ fear, and in much trembling.” This was the ‘man, who was caught up-to the third Heaven, ‘ and partook of the unspeakable words of God, ‘and underwent as many deaths as he lived ‘ days after his conversion, the man, who would “not use the power, which was given him by ‘ Christ, lest any of the believers should be ‘offended. If therefore he, who went beyond the commandments of Christ, and never sought 69 ‘his own interest, but that of his people, was ‘ yet so fearful as to be continually apprehen- ‘sive of the greatness of this ministry, how ‘then ought I to be affected, who have long ‘studied my own comfort, and not only do not ‘exceed the injunctions of Christ, but trans- ‘gress them in various ways? ‘‘ Who is weak,” ‘(says that apostle,) ‘‘ and I am not weak? ‘Who is offended, and I burn not?” This is ‘ that disposition, with which the priest ought * to enter upon his office, or rather not this only; ‘for this is little, and even nothing to what I ‘am going to mention: and what is that? “TI “could wish,” (says he,) “‘ that myself were ‘accursed from Christ for my brethren, my “« kinsmen according to the flesh.” If there be ‘any one, who can write this speech, any spirit, ‘capable of making this prayer, he may be ‘justly censured for declining the offer. But ‘ one, whois as far as Jam from possessing such ‘ virtue, would incur censure not by shunning, ‘ but by accepting it.
‘For suppose there were now an election ‘ instituted to the post of commander in chief, ‘and the nobility were to drag a brasier, or 70 n cobler, or some similar artisan forward, and “ resolve on committing the army to him!
n Surely it would be a praiseworthy act in him to run away, or do any thing, that might save him from such an unexpected calamity. If ¢ indeed it were enough to be simply called a ‘pastor, and leave the duty to be managed, how it may, and there were no danger in the case, then there might be some ground to “accuse me of vanity. But, ifthe person, who would undertake this duty, has need of much intelligence, and with his intelligence of much grace from God, much rectitude of manners, much purity of life, and more than human virtue, do not deem me unworthy of forgive- ness for having been unwilling to expose myself hastily to unnecessary ruin! For, if “IT were placed at the helm of a vessel of ‘unusual size, furnished with rowers, and freighted with expensive wares, and were then ordered to cross the Aigean or Tuscan sea, I nw should leap overboard at the first word, and, if asked, why I did so, should reply—‘‘ That “T may not sink the vessel.” Indeed, when n ‘the risk is loss of money, and the danger € ¢ « ¢ ¢ ‘é ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢ 6 ¢ ¢ ra reaches only to bodily death, no one finds fault with those, who exercise circumspection and forethought. Why then, when the mariners are in danger of falling not into such a sea as this, but into an abyss of fire, and when the death, which awaits them, is not that, which separates the soul from the body, but that, which consigns it together with the body to everlasting punishment, are you angry with me, and ready to hate me for not having blindly involved myself in so awful a catastrophe? I beseech you, be not so rash! I know my own soul. I know its impotence and weakness. I know also the formidable nature of the under- ‘taking, and the great difficulty of the work: for € there are more storms, besetting the soul of ‘ the priest, than there are winds, which harass ¢ the sea. ‘In the first place there is the dangerous ‘rock of self-conceit, a rock more dreadful ‘than that, in respect to which the poets ‘feigned the portentous fable of the sirens.
¢ For there were many, who managed to sail by ‘that rock, and escaped unhurt. But this I 6 find to be so perilous, that even now, when no 72 oN necessity drives me near it, I can hardly keep n myself clear of the danger, whereas, if I were ‘once clothed with this dignity, I should be ‘delivered with my hands, as it were, tied ‘behind me, to the monsters, which infest the rock, and would rend me every day: and ‘what monsters are they? Wrath, dejection, envy, strife, calumny, censoriousness, falsen hood, hypocrisy, cunning, ill will towards those, who have done me no injury, satis- ‘faction at the failings of fellow-ministers, grief at their success, love of praise, desire of ‘honour, which is the most destructive of all to the soul, perversions of doctrine for the gratification of the hearers, base flatteries, ignoble compliances, contempt of the poor, adulation of the rich, ill-deserved praise, and unreasonable favour, alike injurious to those, who bestow, and to those, who receive it, a servile fear, which befits only the vilest of slaves, the ruin of confidence, great affectation of humility with nothing of the reality, a reluctance to reprove, or rather reproaches, ‘ directed undeservedly and to excess against the ‘humble, while no one ventures even to open 73 ‘his lps against those, who are invested with ‘ power. For upon that rock all these monsters ‘ subsist, and even more than these; and to « such slavery are all, who once come under a their power, reduced, that they are driven to xs do many things, which it is not seemly to ns mention, at the dictation of women, who, a“ though excluded by the divine law from this .
ministry, yet contrive to thrust themselves into “ it by force, and, being forbidden to act in pern son, manage every thing through the agency x of others: by which means they become posoN sessed of such influence as to judge and n depose any priests they will; and in short all n things according to the proverb are turned n upside down by their contrivance. The peon ple; (and I wish it were only the men, but a even that sex, which is not suffered to teach— n nay, why do I say to teach? The blessed s Paul did not even permit them to speak in the a church,) take the lead of their superintena dants; and I have heard one person acknowx ledge, that he had allowed them to use such nx freedom of speech as even to rebuke the n rectors of churches, and chide them more ” severely than masters do their servants.
74 ‘ Let it not be thought however, that I bring ‘ these charges against all! For many there are, “very many, who escape these snares, even ‘more than have been inveigled into them. ‘ Still less would I attribute the blame of these ‘evils to the priesthood. It is impossible I ‘could be so senseless: for I should never think of imputing murder to steel, drunken- ness to wine, insolence to strength, or rashness to courage, since all persons in their senses charge the guilt on those, who make an im- ‘ proper use of the gifts, which God has be- ‘stowed, and punish them accordingly. So ‘too the priesthood may justly upbraid us for n abusing it; for it is not itself the cause of the evils, above enumerated. It is we, that have a covered it with these stains by committing it n to persons of no character, who readily accept the charge without examining their own souls n beforehand, or looking to the importance of the n duty: and hence, blinded, as they are, by igna norance, they no sooner begin to act, than ‘they lead the people, who are entrusted to ‘ their care, into innumerable errors.
‘This was the state, to which I was myself 75 ‘on the very point of being reduced, had not ‘ God out of compassion to his church and to ‘my soul delivered me at once from the ‘danger. For in what (tell me!) do you think ‘the excessive disorders, which prevail in ‘ churches, originate? For myself, I am per- ‘suaded, that they arise from nothing, but ‘ this, that the elections of our spiritual direc- ‘ tors are made at hazard, and conducted upon ‘nosystem. For it is necessary, that the head ¢ should be strong, that it may repress and ‘dispose of the vile humours, which are sent ‘up to it from the other parts of the body, ‘ because, if ever it is too weak to keep down ‘ these morbid attacks, it not only becomes en- ‘feebled itself, but destroys with it the whole ‘body. To obviate this evil in my case, God ‘has stil] kept me in the lower rank, with the ‘feet, in which I was born. For there are ‘many qualities besides those just mentioned, ‘ Basil, very many, which every priest ought to ‘ possess, but of which I am destitute; and the ‘ chief of them is this. He ought to purify his | ‘ soul from all ambitious fondness for the task he “has undertaken: for, if he comes to it with n ” n~ n n n n n n n a n a n nx wn nx s a a n a rN n n 76 eagerness, he adds fuel to the flame, that burns within him, and, being covetous of distinction, is tempted to submit to numberless acts of meanness, even to flatter, or to stoop to any low artifice, or to squander vast sums of money, rather than lose it again: for I do not allude to those contentions for preferment, which have filled churches with blood, and subverted whole states, lest I should obtain no credit for my assertions. Buta priest ought to have that awe and respect for the pastoral office, which would lead him even to shun it at first, as a burden, and, when he is once en- gaged init, to be ready, in case he should commit any fault, that requires to be purged by his suspension, not to wait for the decision of others, but voluntarily to abdicate his office, that he may thus obtain compassion from God. But to be immoderately eager for this dignity is to forego every plea in case of in- competency, and to inflame the wrath of God still more by every new provocation: for most serious indeed, most awfully serious are the consequences to be apprehended from so perverse an ambition: and in saying this, I do not re ‘contradict saint Paul, but agree with him ‘exactly. For what is it, that he says? “Ifa ‘* man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth ‘* a good work,”—, whereas what I maintain is, ‘ that it is a dreadful ambition to desire not the ‘work, but the authority and power, connected ‘ with it.
‘ This indeed is a desire, which in my judg- ment we ought to banish from the soul with all diligence, and not suffer ourselves to be infected with it in any degree, if we wish to keep our minds at liberty for going through the duties of the office without reserve: for he, a a who has no desire to make an ostentatious display of his authority, is under no appre- ‘hension, lest he should be deprived of it, and can therefore exercise it with that freedom, which becomes a christian, whereas those, “ who are alarmed and distressed at the thought of being removed from it, endure a painful slavery, replete with many evils, and are a often brought under a fatal necessity of offend- ing both men and God, a state of mind, which should never be suffered to exist: for n a“ as brave soldiers are seen not only to fight 78 ‘ with ardour, but to fall with fortitude, so he, ‘who enters upon this sacred office, should ‘ both discharge it, and be dismissed from it, ‘like a christiar, knowing, that by such a ‘ dismissal a crown may be obtained, equal to ‘that, which attaches to the employment ‘itself: for, if submitted to in order to avoid ‘any act of meanness, which would be ‘unbecoming, or unworthy of that dignity, it ‘ will bring punishment upon those, who have ‘ unjustly deprived him, and a still greater reward ‘upon himself. For—‘‘ Blessed”—says he— “are ye, when men shall revile you, and per- ‘* secute you, and say all manner of evil against ‘‘ you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be ‘‘exceeding glad! For great is your reward ‘‘in Heaven.” This is the case, when any ‘one is ejected by his fellows either out ‘of envy towards him, or from complaisance ‘to others, or from ill will, or through any ‘ other sinister motive. Should it happen how- ‘ever, that he meets with this indignity from ¢ enemies, I think no language can be neces- ¢ sary to shew, what advantage they heap ¢ upon him by their own depravity. He ought 79 ‘therefore to be most accurate in his self- * examination, lest a single spark of this ambia tion should be left, burning imperceptibly, n within him: for it is well for those, who have ‘once purged themselves from this passion, ‘if they can continue to escape from it, after ‘ being advanced to this dignity. But, if any a one has harboured this fatal and savage fiend n within him, before he comes to the office, it n cannot be told, into how fierce a fire he will ‘ plunge himself after his entrance upon it.
‘ Now I (and do not think, that I have any ‘ wish to say what is untrue through modesty!)
n possess a vast share of this ambition; which, ‘ added to other considerations, was no slight na cause of my alarm, and occasion of my flight. ‘For as persons in love find the torment of “ their passion grow more intense in company ‘with the object of their affections, but are ‘ cured of their folly, when they are at a disn tance, by being removed from the cause of it, ‘ so it is with those, who are ambitious of this oN dignity. When they are upon the point of ‘ attaining it, the disease becomes intolerable. ‘ But, when they cease to expect it, they lose 80 ‘the ambition together with the hope. This ‘then is one consideration of no small weight, which, even alone and single, would be suffin cient to deter me from accepting that dignity.
‘But now another, not inferior to it, shall ‘be added: and what is that? A priest ought to be sober and clear-sighted, and to have a n ‘ hundred eyes about him, because he lives a not for himself alone, but for so vast a multi- ‘tude, whereas you yourself, whose love for ” me would render you anxious to conceal my ‘ faults, must acknowledge, that I am indolent, na and remiss, and scarcely attentive enough n even to my own salvation: for you must not ‘ here mention my fasting, or watching, or lying ‘ on the ground, or any other exercise of disci- ‘ pline to the body: for you know, how much ‘Thave shrunk even from these; which yet, ‘though they had been observed with the ‘utmost strictness, could not even then with ‘my present indolence of character qualify me for so high an office, since, whatever benefit ‘ they may be calculated to afford to a recluse, a confined to his own house, and having no n~ concerns, but his own, to attend to, yet nw a n a “ ” n n n a a na a a a n a .
oN x x “ n ‘6 6 81 what supposeable advantage can they confer on a person, who is to distribute himself among a multitude, and to be liable to par- ticular anxieties for the advancement of every individual, over whom he presides, unless he have the additional protection of a strong and vigorous mind? And be not surprised, if with so much abstinence as I practise I yet look for some further proof of fortitude of soul! for we may perceive, that the con- tempt of food, and drink, and of a soft bed is a matter of no effort to many persons, espe- cially, if they have led a rustic life, and been brought up to these hardships from their infancy; nor yet is it felt, as an inconveni- ence, by many others, whose constitutions and habits have rendered the practice of these austerities easy and familiar. But to bear marked insult, and offensive language, to put up with the taunts of inferiors, whether merited or unmerited, and with the censures, that are passed without either reason or con- sideration both by clergy and laity, is the privilege not of many, but of one perhaps or two, while there are too many, who on these G 82 ‘ occasions have so little command over themn selves, that they are rendered more outrageous ‘ than the most savage animals. Now these men ‘above all others we would exclude from even ‘ the outworks of the sacred office. For, though ‘ the ruler of a church should be neither addicted ‘to fasting, nor accustomed to walk without na sandals, no mischief might result from it, ‘ whereas a haughty spirit entails great evils, not n only on its possessor, but on all around him: ‘ neither again is there any divine menace against a those, who do not practise such austerities; ‘ but Hell and Hell-fire are threatened against those, who are angry without a cause. As an ‘ therefore he, who is fond of vain glory, adds ‘fuel to his passion, when he undertakes the “ government of a people, so he, who cannot ‘ control his own anger, when either by himself, n or having intercourse with only a few others, ‘ but is easily carried away by it, will, when ‘ entrusted with the direction of a whole multi- ‘ tude, resemble some wild beast, who is goaded ‘ by numbers on every side, and will neither ‘be able to continue in peace himself, nor ‘to avoid bringing those, who are entrusted 83 ‘to him, into numberless perils: for nothing ‘so much ruffles the transparent purity of the ‘mind as violent and ungoverned wrath. ‘ Wrath (it has been said) destroys even the wise: for by passion the eye of the soul is wn ‘so blinded, that it cannot distinguish friends ‘from enemies, or the honorable from the a vile, but, as happens in a_ night-combat, ‘treats them all in the same manner, and, a if it meets with any difficulty, encounters it n readily, that it may secure for the soul the ‘full enjoyment of its gratification: for the ‘indulgence of wrath is a gratification, and ‘takes a more violent hold of the mind than a any other gratification, harassing and dis- ‘turbing its tranquillity: for it easily swells ‘a man with pride, or drives him into untimely quarrels, fills him with unreasonable jealounw ns sies, disposes him to commit offences inconn siderately and rashly, and compels him both xn to say and to do many other things of this nature, while his mind is agitated by the vehement blast, and has no place to steady itself, and collect its native force for resisting a n wn ‘so powerful an assault.’
G2 84 ‘Nay’—said Basil. ‘I will not bear with ‘ your pretences any longer: for who does not ‘know, how far you are from being infected ns with this plague?’ ‘Why then is it, my good sir,’ (I replied), that you wish to bring me near the flame, “ a and to rouse the sleeping lion? Do you not know, that I have not attained this exemp- tion by my virtue, but by my love of peace?
It is much, if a person of my natural temper wn x s * can by remaining at home and seeing only one or two friends keep himself from the violence of the flame. But the task is much ” a wn more arduous for one, who is involved in the a vortex of these important engagements: for ” such an one brings not himself only, but x many others with him to the precipice of n~ destruction, and renders them less intent na upon the practice of virtue: for it is a law of nature, that the greater part of those, who nw ” are under authority, should look to the manwn ners of those, who are set over them, and n form their own upon that pattern. How then n can one, who is violent himself, assuage the a intemperance of others? or what person in 85 ‘the multitude would ever take pains to be n moderate, if he saw his governor passionate?
‘ For it is impossible, utterly impossible, na that the failings of priests should be conn cealed. Nay. Even the smallest of them ‘will come to light, just as, while a wrestler n stays at home, and contends with no one, n he may remain unknown, though ever so ~ incapable; but, if once he strips for the ‘combat, his incompetence must be detected. ‘ So too those, who live a private and retired n life, have solitude, as a covering for their ‘individual failings. But, when they come a into public, they are compelled to put off ‘the cloak of privacy, and to expose their ‘souls naked to the assaults of others. As n their virtues therefore benefit many by ani- ‘mating them to equal zeal, so their failings ‘ render them indolent in the practice of virtue, ‘and lead them to engage in the performance ‘of good works with indifference: for which ‘ reason it becomes necessary to let the beauty ‘ of the soul throw its rays all around, to cheer ‘and illumine the souls of the beholders; for ‘the sins of ordinary men, being committed, a a s a “ a n o - a s .
oN a“ .
n .
.
¢ s a n oN n 86 as it were, in the dark, ruin those only, who commit them, while the misconduct of a distinguished and well-known character is a public evil, making those, who have been supine in the good cause, more indolent than before, and provoking those to pride, who were taking heed to their ways: and besides this the faults of common men, even if they come before the public, inflict no great wound, while those, who sit upon the pinnacle of honour, are not only visible to all men, but even their faults, though ever so small, appear in them of considerable magnitude: for the offence is always measured not by its own dimensions, but by the dignity of the offender; and it is therefore necessary for the priest to be equipped at all points, as with arms of adamant, and to look round on every side with constant zeal and exact circumspec- tion, lest the enemy, finding an exposed and unguarded part, should strike a mortal wound: for he is surrounded not only by declared enemies, but by many also, who, while they pretend friendship to him, are ‘ready to combine with the others in wounding and destroying him.
87 ‘It is expedient therefore, that the souls of ‘ those, who are selected for this office, should ‘be such as the grace of God formerly rendered ‘ the bodies of those saints, who stood in the ‘furnace at Babylon: for of this fire the fuel ‘ does not consist of faggots and pitch’and tow, ‘but of much fiercer materials; for it is not “common fire, to which he is exposed; but ‘ the all-devouring flame of envy surrounds him, ‘being blown up from every quarter against ‘him, and penetrating and searching out his ‘ life more narrowly than the fire did the bodies ‘of those children. When therefore it meets ‘with the least morsel of straw, it enfolds it ‘ quickly, and not only burns up the unsound ‘ part, but obscures with its smoke all the rest ‘ of the building, though it be even brighter than ‘ the sunbeams: for, so long as the life of a priest ‘is in all points consistently upright, he is in- ‘ vulnerable to their attempts. But, if he should ‘commit any oversight, as every man in tra- ‘ versing the uncertain sea of this life is sure ‘to do, his rectitude in other points will avail ‘him nothing in the attempt to escape from ‘the tongues of his accusers. That single nw n n a n Os n ny a “ n~ “ “ n n a“ a “ a a a ww a a 88 offence clouds all the rest, and the whole world is ready to judge him, not as one clothed with flesh, or partaking of human nature, but as an angel, and as one delivered from the remnant of infirmity: and as men both fear and flatter a king, while in power, because they are unable to supplant him, and yet on any reverse in his fortunes those, who before were his friends, lay aside that hypocritical semblance of respect, and at once become his opponents and enemies, and, having discovered all his weak points, are ready to depose him from his sovereignty, so is it also with the priest; for those, who for a short time during the continuance of his authority paid him respect and obeisance, no sooner find the slightest handle given them, than they sud- denly prepare themselves to remove him, as not only a tyrant, but even worse than a tyrant: and just as the former suspects his own life-guards, so is the latter also in most danger from his neighbours and_part- ners in the ministry, there being no other persons so likely to aspire to his station, or so intimately acquainted with his character; for ‘ ‘¢ ¢ a a a“ “ n n ns n n n na n “ a a n a a * n .
89 they are upon the spot, ready to observe be- fore others any error, as soon as it is com- mitted, and able, even if they should calum- niate him, to procure credit to the calumny. By then exaggerating every failing they over- power the object of their accusation, reversing by their conduct the saying of the apostle, so, that, whether one member suffer, all the members rejoice with it, or one member be honored, all the members suffer with it, unless he be so strong in his religious profes- sion as to make an adequate stand against them all.
‘Is it therefore to such a contest, that you would send me? And do you imagine, that my soul will be sufficiently furnished for a warfare so extensive and diversified? How then, and by whom have I been instructed for the war? For, if God has revealed this qualification of mine to you, shew me the oracle! and I obey it. But, if you have no such authority, but give your vote from the impulse of human judgment, do not any longer suffer yourself to be deceived! For in my own concerns you ought to trust me rather 90