19. The vessel moulded of clay, gains beauty from the water, receives strength from the fire; but if it slips it is ruined, it cannot be afresh renewed. Ye are vessels of grace; be ye ware of it, even of justice, for it grants not two renewals.
20. How like are ye in comparison, with the Prophet whom the fish yielded up! The Devourer has given you back for he was constrained, by the Power Which constrained the fish. Jonah was for you as a mirror, since not again did the fish swallow him, let not again the Devourer swallow you: being yielded up be ye like Jonah!
21. Goodly ointment on the head of our Lord did Mary pour; its savour was fragrant through all the house. Likewise the savour of your anointing, has been fragrant and perfumed the heavens, to the Watchers on high; doing pleasure to Satan its savour is overpowering; to God its odour is sweet.
22. The crowds in the desert were like unto sheep that have no shepherd. The Merciful became their shepherd, and multiplied to them the pasture of bread. Yea, blessed are ye that are perfect, that are sealed as lambs of Christ, that of His Body and Blood are made worthy; the Pastor Himself is become pasture for you!
23. Out of water He made the wine, He gave it for drink to the youths in the feast. For you who are keeping the fast, better is the unction than drink. In His wine the betrothed are wedded, by His oil the wedded are sanctified. By His wine is union; by His oil sanctification.
24. The sheep of Christ leaped for joy, to receive the seal of life, that ensign of kings which has ever put sin to flight. The Wicked by Thy ensign is routed, iniquities by Thy sign are scattered. Come, ye sheep, receive your seal, which puts to flight them that devour you!
25. Come, ye lambs, receive your seal, for it is truth that is your seal! This is the seal that separates, them of the household from strangers. The steel circumcised alike, the gainsayers and the sons of Hagar. If circumcision be the sign of the sheep, lo! by it the goats are signed.
26. But ye, who are the new flock, have put off the doings of wolves, and as lambs are made like to the Lamb. One by changing has changed all; the Lamb to the wolves gave Himself to be slain; the wolves rushed and devoured Him and became lambs; for the Shepherd was changed into a Lamb; likewise the wolf forgot his nature.
27. Look on me also in Thy mercy! be not branded on me the seal, of the goats the sons of the left hand! let not Thy sheep become a goat! For though to justify myself I sufficed not, yet to be a sinner I willed not. Turn thine eyes, O my Lord, from what I have done, and seek not only what I have willed.
28. From them that write and them that preach, from them that hear and them that are sealed, let glory go up to Christ, and through Him to His Father be exaltation! He Who gives words to them that speak, and gives voice to them that preach, has given understanding to them that hear, and consecrates chrism for him that is sealed.
Hymn IV.
(Resp.--Blessed be He that blots out in water misdeeds that are without measure!)
1. Descend my sealed brethren, put ye on our Lord,--and be rejoined to His lineage, for He is son of a great lineage,--as He has said in His Word.
2. From on high is His Nature, and from beneath His Vesture.--Each that puts off his vesture, commingled is that vesture, with His Vesture forever.
3. Ye too in the water, receive from him the vesture,--that wastes not or is lost for it is the vesture that vests--them that are vested in it forever.
4. But the blessed Priest, is daysman between two:--the covenant shall be made before Him, He is daysman of his Lord,--and surety on our part.
5. The Godhead in the water, lo! has mingled His leaven;--for the creatures of dust, that leaven raises up,--and the Godhead joins them.
6. For it is the leaven of the Lord, that can glide into the bondman,--and raise him to freedom; it has joined the bondman to the lineage,--of Him the Lord of all.
7. For the bondman who has put on Him, Who makes all free in the waters,--though bondman he be on earth, is son of the free on high,--for freedom he has put on.
8. The freeman who has put on, that Angel in the waters,--is as the fellow of servants, that he may be made like to the Lord,--Who became bondman unto bondmen.
9. He Who enriches all came down, and put on poverty,--that He might divide to the poor, the stores that were hidden,--out of the treasure-house of the water.
10. The lowly one again that has put on, the Giver of all greatness, in the water,--even though he be base in the sight of fools, yet is great in the sight of the Watchers,--for that he is clad in greatness.
11. For like as He Who is great, Who became lowly in His love,--by the unbelievers was persecuted, and by the Watchers was worshipped,--was made lowly and makes the lowly great.
12. Thus let him be lowly who is great, that in him the lowly may be great:--Let us be like to Him Who is greater than all, Who became less than all:--He was made lowly, and makes all men great.
13. The meek man who has put on Him Who is great, in the water,--though humble be his countenance, very great is his discernment,--for He Who is exalted above all dwells in him.
14. For who could be found to despise the bush of thorn,--the despised and humble, wherein the Majesty in fire,--made its dwelling within?
15. Who again could be found, to despise Moses,--the meek and slow of speech,--when that excelling glory--dwelt upon his meekness?
16. They that despised him despised his Lord; the wicked that despised him--the earth swallowed up in anger; the Levites who scorned Him,--the fire devoured in fury.
17. Of Him Christ commanded, "Thou shalt not call him Raca," who is baptized and has put Him on; for whoso despises the despised, despises with him the Mighty.
18. In Eden and in the world, are parables of our Lord;--and what tongue can gather, the similitudes of His mysteries?--for He is figured all of Him in all things.
19. In the Scriptures He is written of; on Nature He is impressed;--His crown is figured in kings, in prophets His truth, His atonement in priests.
20. In the rod was He of Moses, and in the hyssops of Aaron,--and in the crown of David: to the prophets pertains His similitude, to the Apostles His Gospel.
21. Revelations beheld Thee, proverbs looked for Thee,--mysteries expected Thee, similitudes saluted Thee, parables showed types of Thee.
22. The Covenant of Moses looked forward to the Gospel:--all things of old time, flew on and alighted thereon, in the new Covenant.
23. Lo! the prophets have poured out on Him, their glorious mysteries;--the priests and kings have poured out upon Him, their wonderful types:--they all have poured them out on all of Him.
24. Christ overcame and surpassed, by His teachings the mysteries,--by His interpretations the parables; as the sea into its midst--receives all streams.
25. For Christ is the sea, and He can receive--the fountains and brooks, the rivers and streams, that flow from the midst of the Scriptures.
Hymn V.
(Resp.--Blessed be He that ordained baptism, for the atonement of the sons of Adam!)
1. Descend, my brethren, put on from the waters of baptism the Holy Spirit;--be joined with the spirits that minister to the Godhead!
2. For lo! He is the fire that secretly, seals also His flock,--by the Three spiritual Names, wherein the Evil One is put to flight.
3. John when he cried and said "This is the Lamb of God,"--thereby showed concerning the Gentiles that they are Abraham's children.
4. This is he that testified of our Saviour, that with fire and the Spirit He should baptize.--Lo! the fire and the Spirit, my brethren, in the baptism of truth.
5. For greater is Baptism than Jordan that little river;--for that in streams of water and oil, the misdeeds of all men are washed out.
6. Elisha by seven times washing, cleansed Naaman's leprosy:--in Baptism are cleansed the secret misdeeds in the soul.
7. Moses baptized the People in the midst of the sea, yet availed not--to wash their heart within, that was full of the defilements of misdeeds.
8. Lo! the priest in the likeness of Moses purges the defilements of the soul;--and with oil of anointing, lo! he seals new lambs for the Kingdom.
9. Samuel anointed David to be king among the People:--but lo! the priest anoints you to be heirs in the Kingdom.
10. For with the armour that David put on, after the anointing he fought--and laid low the giant who sought to subdue Israel.
11. Lo! again in the chrism of Christ, and in the armour that is from the water--the haughtiness of the Evil One is humbled, who sought to subdue the Gentiles.
12. By the water that flowed from the rock, the thirst of the People was quenched. Lo! in the fountain of Christ, the thirst of the peoples is quenched.
13. The rod of Moses opened the rock, and the streams flowed forth; and they were refreshed by its draught, who had grown faint with thirst.
14. Lo! from the side of Christ flowed the stream that bestowed life.--The Gentiles drank that were weary, and in it forgot their pains.
15. With Thy dew besprinkle my vileness, and my crimes in Thy blood shall be atoned!--And I shall be, O my Lord, at Thy right hand, and with Thy Saints I shall be joined!
Hymn VI.
(Resp.--Blessed be He Who was baptized that He might baptize you, that ye should be absolved from your offences.)
1. The Spirit came down from on high,--and hallowed the waters by His brooding.--In the baptism of John,--He passed by the rest and abode on One:--but now He has descended and abode,--on all that are born of the water.
2. Out of all that John baptized,--on One it was that the Spirit dwelt:--but now He has flown and come down,--that He may dwell on the many;--and as each after each comes up,--He loves him and abides on him.
3. A marvel it is that surpasses all!--To the water He went down and was baptized.--The seas declared it blessed,--that river wherein Thou wast baptized:--even the waters that were in heaven envied,--because they were not worthy to be Thy bath.
4. A marvel it is, O my Lord, now also,--that while the fountains are full of water,--it is the water of baptism,--that alone is able to atone.--Mighty is the water in the seas,--yet is it too weak for atonement.
5. Thy might, O my Lord, if it abides,--within the humble it exalts him;--like as royalty if it abide--within the desert gives it peace.--Water by Thy might has triumphed--over sin, for Life has encompassed it.
6. The sheep exulted when they saw--the hand draw nigh to baptize them.--Receive, O ye sheep, your sealing; enter and be mingled in the flock!--for more than over all the flock,--over you rejoice the Watchers to-day.
7. The Angels and the Watchers rejoice--over that which is born of the Spirit and of water:--they rejoice that by fire and by the Spirit,--the corporeal have become spiritual.--The Seraphins who sing "Holy" rejoice,--that they who are made holy have been increased.
8. For lo! the Angels rejoice--over one sinner if he repent:--how much more do they now rejoice--that in all churches and congregations,--lo! Baptism is bringing forth--the heavenly from the earthly!
9. The baptized when they come up are sanctified;--the sealed when they go down are pardoned.--They who come up have put on glory;--they who go down have cast off sin.--Adam put off his glory in a moment;--ye have been clothed with glory in a moment.
10. A house that is of dust when it has fallen,--by means of water can be renewed:--the body of Adam that was of dust,--which had fallen by water has been renewed.--Lo! the priests as builders--afresh renew your bodies.
11. A great marvel is this of the wool,--that it can take every dye,--as the mind takes every discourse.--By the name of its dye it is called;--as ye who were--baptized when "Hearers,"--have gained the name of "Recipients."
12. The common waters he sanctified--even Elisha through the Name that is secret.--In them washed the leper openly,--and was cleansed by the Power that is secret:--the leprosy was done away in the water, as transgressions in Baptism.
13. To-day, lo! your offences are blotted out,--and your names are written down.--The priest blots out in the water;--and Christ writes down in Heaven.--By the blotting out and the writing down--lo! doubled is your rejoicing.