wilt incur if thou beest negligent therein. For Ezekiel speaks thus to those overseers who take no care of the people, "Wo unto the shepherds of Israel, for they have fed themselves; the shepherds feed not the sheep, but themselves. Ye eat the milk, and are clothed with the wool, ye slay the strong, ye do not feed the sheep. The weak have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and insult have ye ruled over them; and they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became meat to all the beasts of the forest." And again, "The shepherds did not search for my sheep; and the shepherds fed themselves, but they fed not my sheep.' And a little after, "Behold I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding my sheep, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep out of their hands, and they shall not be meat for them." And also he adds, speaking to the people, "Behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, and between rams and rams. Seemed it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, and to have trodden down with your feet the residue of your pasture, and that the sheep have eaten what was trodden down with your feet?" And a little after he adds, "And ye shall know that I am the Lord, and you the sheep of my pasture are my men, saith the Lord God."

CHAP. XIX. Hear, O ye bishops, and hear, O ye of the laity, how God speaks, "I will judge between ram and ram, and between sheep and sheep." And he says to the shepherds, "Ye shall be judged for your unskilfulness, and for destroying the sheep." That is, I will judge between one bishop and another, and between one lay person and another, and between one ruler and another (for these sheep and these rams are not irrational, but rational creatures); lest at any time a lay person should say, I am a sheep, and not a shepherd, and I am not concerned for myself. Let the shepherd look to that, for he alone will be required to give an account for me; for as that sheep that will not follow its good shepherd is exposed to the wolves to its destruction, so that which follows a bad shepherd is also exposed to unavoidable death, since his shepherd will devour him. Wherefore care must be had to avoid destructive shepherds.

CHAP. XX. As to a good shepherd, let the lay person honour him, love him, reverence him as his lord, as his master, as the high-priest of God, as a teacher of piety; for he that heareth him heareth Christ, and he that rejecteth him rejecteth Christ; and he who does not receive Christ does not receive his God and Father, for says he, "He that heareth you heareth me, and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me, and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me." In like manner let the bishop love the laity as his children, fostering and cherishing them with affectionate diligence; as eggs, in order to the hatching of young ones; or, as young ones, taking them in his arms, to the rearing them into birds; admonishing all men, reproving all who stand in need of reproof-reproving, that

is, but not striking; beating them down to make them ashamed, but not overthrowing them; warning them in order to their conversion, chiding them in order to their reformation and better course of life; watching the strong, that is, keeping him firm in the faith who is already strong; feeding the people peaceably; strengthening the weak, that is, confirming with exhortation that which is tempted; healing that which is sick, that is, curing by instruction that which is weak in the faith, through doubtfulness of mind; binding up that which is broken, that is, binding up by comfortable admonitions that which is gone astray, or wounded, bruised, or broken by their sins, and put out of the way, easing it of its offences, and giving hope-by this means restore and reduce it into the flock; bring again that which is driven away, that is, do not permit that which is in its sins and is cast out by way of punishment, to continue excluded, but receiving it, and bringing it back, restore it to the flock, that is, to the people of the undefiled church; seek for that which is lost, that is, do not suffer that which desponds of its salvation, by means of the multitude of its offences, utterly to perish. Do thou search for that which is grown sleepy, drowsy, and sluggish, and that which is unmindful of its own life, through the depth of its sleep, and which is at a great distance from its own flock, so as to be in danger of falling among the wolves, and being devoured by them. Bring it back by admonition, exhort it to be watchful, and insinuate hope, not permitting it to say that which was said by some, "Our impieties are upon us, and we pine away in them; how shall we then live?" As far as possible, therefore, let the bishop make the offence his own, and say to the sinner, Do thou but return, and I will undertake to suffer death for thee, as our Lord suffered death for me, and for all men; for "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep; but he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, that is, the devil, and he leaveth the sheep and fleeth, and the wolf seizes upon them." We must know, therefore, that God is very merciful to those who offend, and hath promised repentance with an oath; but he who has offended, and is unacquainted with this promise of God concerning repentance, and does not understand his long-suffering and forbearance, and besides, is ignorant of the Holy Scriptures, which proclaims repentance, and has never learned them, perishes through his folly. But do thou, like a compassionate shepherd, and a diligent feeder of the flock, search out, and keep an account of thy flock; seek that which is wanting, as the Lord God our gracious Father has sent his own Son, the good Shepherd and Saviour, our Master Jesus, and has commanded him to leave the ninety-nine upon the mountains, and to go in search after that which was lost, and when he had found it, to take it upon his shoulders, and to carry it into the flock, rejoicing that he had found that which was lost." In like manner be obedient, O bishop, and do thou seek that which was lost, guide that which wanders out of the right way, bring back that which is gone astray; for thou hast authority to bring them back, and to deliver those that are broken-hearted

by remission; for by thee does our Saviour say to him who is discouraged under the sense of his sins, "Thy sins are forgiven thee; thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace." But this peace and heaven of tranquillity is the church of Christ, into which do thou, when thou hast loosed them from their sins, restore them, as being now, sound and unblameable, of good hope, diligent, laborious in good works. As a skilful and compassionate physician, heal all such as wander in the ways of sin; for "They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick." "For the Son of Man came to save and to seek that which was lost." Since thou art, therefore, a physician of the Lord's church, provide remedies suitable to every patient's case. Cure them, heal them by all means possible; restore them sound to the church. Feed the flock, "Not with insolence and contempt, as lording it over them, but as a gentle shepherd, gathering the lambs into thy bosom, and gently leading those which are with young.'

CHAP. XXI. Be gentle, gracious, mild, without guile, without falshood, not rigid, not insolent, not severe, not arrogant, not unmerciful, not puffed up, not a man pleaser, not timorous, not double-minded, not one that insults over the people that are under thee, not one that conceals the divine laws and the promises to repentance, not hasty in thrusting out and expelling, but steady, not one that delights in severity, not heady. Do not admit less evidence to convict any one than that of three witnesses, and those of known and established reputation. Inquire whether they do not accuse out of ill-will, or envy; for there are many which delight in mischief, forward in discourse slanderous, haters of the brethren, making it their business to scatter the sheep of Christ; whose affirmation if thou admittest, without nice scanning the same, thou wilt disperse thy flock, and betray it to be devoured by wolves, that is, by dæmons and wicked men, or rather, not men, but wild beasts in the shape of men, by the heathen, by the Jews, and by the impious heretics. For those destroying wolves soon address themselves to any that is cast out of the church, and esteem him as a lamb delivered for them to devour, reckoning his destruction their own gain. For he that is "their father, the devil, is a murderer." He also who is separated unjustly by thy want of care in judging, will be overwhelmed with sorrow, and be disconsolate, and so will either wander among the heathen or be entangled among heretics, and so will be altogether estranged to the church, and from hope in God, and will be entangled in wickedness, whereby thou wilt be guilty of his perdition; for it is not fair to be too hasty in calling out an offender, but slow in receiving him when he returns; to be forward in cutting off, but unmerciful when he is sorrowful, and ought to be healed; for of such as these speaks the Divine Scripture, "Their feet run to mischief, they are hasty to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known, the fear of God is not before their eyes." Now, the way of peace is our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has taught us, saying, "Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given to you." That is, Give remission of sins, and offences

your

shall be forgiven you. As also, He instructed us in the prayer to say unto God, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." If, therefore, you do not forgive offenders, how can you expect the remission of your own sins? Do not you rather bind yonrselves faster, by pretending in your prayers to forgive, when you really do not forgive? Will you not be confronted with your own words, when you say you forgive, and do not forgive? For know ye, that he who has cast out one who has not behaved himself wickedly, or who will not receive him that returns, is a murderer of his brother, and sheds his blood, as Cain did that of his brother Abel; and his "blood cries to God," and will be required. For a righteous man, unjustly slain by any one, will be in rest with God for ever. The same is the case with him who, without cause, is separated by his bishop. He who has cast him out as a pestilent fellow, when he was innocent, is more furious than a murderer. Such an one has no regard to the mercy of God, nor is unmindful of his goodness to those that are penitent; not keeping in his eye the examples of those who, having been once great offenders, received forgiveness upon their repentance. Upon which account, he who casts off an innocent person is more cruel than he that murders the body. In like manner, he who does not receive the penitent, scatters the flock of Christ, being really against him; for as God is just in judging of sinners, so is he merciful in receiving them when they return. For David, the man after God's own heart, in his hymns, ascribes both mercy and judgment to him.

CHAP. XXII. It is also thy duty, O bishop, to have before thine eyes the examples of those that have gone before, and to apply them skilfully to the cases of those who want words of severity or of consolation, Besides, it is reasonable, that in thy administration of justice thou shouldst follow the will of God; and as God deals with sinners, and with those who return, that thou shouldst act according to thy judging. Now, did not God, by Nathan, reproach David for his offence? And yet, as soon as he said he repented, he delivered him from death, saying, "Be of good cheer; thou shalt not die." So, also, when God had caused Jonah to be swallowed up by the sea and the whale, upon his refusal to preach to the Ninevites, yet, when he prayed to him out of the belly of the whale, he retrieved his life from corruption. And when Hezekiah had been puffed up for awhile, yet, as soon as he prayed with lamentation, he remitted his offence. But, O ye bishops, hearken to an instance useful upon this occasion; for it is written thus in the Fourth Book of Kings, and the Second Book of Chronicles : "And Hezekiah died, and Manasseh his son reigned. He was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; and he did not abstain from the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord destroyed from the face of the children of Israel. And Manasses returned, and built the high places which Hezekiah his father had overthrown; and he reared pillars for Baal, and set up an altar for Baal, and made groves, as did Ahab King of Israel. And he made altars in

the house of the Lord, of which the Lord spake to David, and to Solomon his son, saying, Therein will I put my name. And Manasseh set up altars, and by them served Baal, and said, My name shall continue for ever. And he built altars to the host of heaven, in the two courts of the house of the Lord; and he made his children pass through the fire in a place named Gebanai; and he consulted enchanters, and dealt with wizards, and familiar spirits, and with conjurors, and observers of times, and with Teraphim; and he sinned exceedingly in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke him to anger; and he set a molten and a graven image, the image of his grove, which he made, in the house of the Lord, wherein the Lord had chosen to put his name in Jerusalem, the holy city, for ever, and had said, I will no more remove my foot from the land of Israel, which I gave to their fathers: only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the precepts that my servant Moses commanded them. And they hearkened not. And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil before the Lord, than did the nations whom the Lord cast out from the face of the children of Israel. And the Lord spake concerning Manasseh, and concerning his people, by the hand of his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh King of Judah has done all these wicked abominations, in a higher degree than the Amorite did, which was before him, and hath made Judah to sin with his idols; thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I bring evils upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of them, both his ears shall tingle; and I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will blot out Jerusalem as a table-book is blotted out by wiping it. And I will turn it upside down, and I will give up the remnant of my inheritance, and will deliver them into the hands of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies. Because of all the evils which they have done in mine eyes, and have provoked me to anger, from the day that I brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, even until this day. Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sins wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing evil in the sight of Lord. And the Lord brought upon him the captains of the host of the King of Assyria, and they caught Manasseh in bonds, and they bound him in fetters of brass, and brought him to Babylon, and he was bound and shackled with iron all over in the house of the prison; and bread made of bran was given unto him scantily, and by weight, and water mixed with vinegar, but a little, and by measure, so much as would keep him alive; and he was in straits and sore affliction; and when he was violently afflicted, he besought the face of the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the face of the Lord God of his fathers. And he prayed unto the Lord, saying, O Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed, who hast made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof, who hast bound the sea by the word of thy commandment, who hast shut up the deep, and sealed it by thy