II. 4. We came to the font, you did enter. Consider whom you saw, consider what you said, recall it carefully. You were greeted by a levite, you were greeted by a presbyter. You were anointed as Christ's athlete as about to wrestle in the fight of this world, you commited yourself to this fight. One who wrestles, has something to hope for: where is the contest, there is the crown. You fight in the world but you are crowned by Christ, and you are crowned for contests in the world. For, though the reward is in heaven, the earning of the reward is placed here.

5. When he asked you, "Do you renounce the devil and his works," what did you reply? "I renounce." "Do you renounce the world and its pleasures," what did you reply? "I renounce." Be mindful of your words, and never let the consequences of your promise pass from your memory. If you give a man your note of hand, you are held to be under acknowledgement of receiving his money; you are held bound, and the lender keeps you to it, however unwilling you might be. If you deny, you go before the judge, and there you are convicted by your promise. 6. Consider where you did promise, or to whom you did promise. You saw a levite. But he is the minister of Christ; you have seen him ministering at the altar. Therefore, your note of hand is kept not on earth but in heaven. Consider where you receive the heavenly mysteries. If the body of Christ is here, the angels are stationed here also. "Where the body is, there also are the eagles," [Matt 24:28; Luke 17:37] you have read in the Gospel. Where the body of Christ is, there also the eagles are wont to fly, that they may shun earthly things, pursue heavenly. 7. Why do I say this? Because men also are angels, whosoever proclaim Christ, and seem to be admitted into the place of angels. How? Take the case of the Baptist. John was born of a man and a woman. Yet hear how even he is an angel: "Behold, I send my angel before your face, and he shall prepare your way before you." [Mal 3:1] Take another passage of the prophet Malachi: "For the priest's lips keep knowledge, and they seek the law at his mouth: for he is the angel of God Almighty." [Mal 2:7] These things are said to extol the dignity of the priest, not to claim anything for personal merits.

8. Therefore, you have renounced the world, you have renounced this life. Be careful. A man who owes money is always considering his bond. And you who owes faith to Christ, keep faith, which is much more precious than money; for faith is an eternal possession, money a temporal. And, therefore, always remember what you have promised, and you will be more cautious. If you keep your promise, you will keep also your bond.

III. 9. Then you drew near; you saw the font, you saw also the priest above the font. Nor can I doubt, that his may have occurred to your mind, which occurred to the Syrian Naaman; for, although he was cleansed, yet he doubted previously. Why? I will tell; listen. 10. You did enter, you saw the water, you saw the priest, you saw a levite. Let no some one perhaps say, "Is this all?" Yes, it is all. It is truly all, where all is innocency, all is godliness, all is grace, all is sanctification. You have seen all that you could see with the eyes of your body and with human vision. You have not seen the things which are effected, because they cannot be seen. The things which are not seen are far greater than those which are seen; since "the things which are seen are temporal, the things which are not seen are eternal." [2 Cor 4: 18]

[...]

 

 

VI.16. Now let us examine what it is which is called baptism. You came to the font, you went down in it; you did watch the high priest, you did see the levites and the presbyters in the font. What is baptism?

 

(trans. Thomson 1919: 77-79, 91, altered)