26 DIDASCALIA. the people ; and whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet and taketh f. i6b not warning, and the sword cometh and taketh him away, his blood shall 5 be upon his head, because he heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning, his blood shall be upon his head, but he that taketh warning 6 shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword coming, and blow not the trumpet, and warn not the people, and the sword come and take any soul from among them, he shall be taken away in his sins, but his blood shall be required at the watchman's hands." Therefore the sword is the judgment and the trumpet is the Gospel ; the watchman is the Bishop who is appointed over the Church. CHAPTER V. Doctrine and caution for the Bishop, that he should preach about judgment and warn the people, and remove himself from the disobedient, and judge those who do wrong like God, and not spare those that are wicked, and corrupt the people. It is required of thee, therefore, O Bishop, that when thou preachest thou shouldst testify and affirm about judgment, Ezekiel as in the Gospel, because the Lord hath said also to thee, " Also thou, O son of man, I have set thee for a watchman unto the house of Israel, that thou mayest hear the word at My mouth-, and take heed, and preach it as 8 from Me. When I say unto the wicked, That the wicked shall surely die, and thou dost not preach and say, so that the wicked may turn from his iniquity, the wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I 9 require at thy hands. But thou, if thou warn the people from its way and it be not warned, the wicked shall die in his iniquity, but thou shalt deliver thy soul." Therefore ye also, because upon you will fall the accusation of those who have sinned without knowing, preach and testify, and those who walk without discipline, admonish and reprove them publicly. Though we say and repeat these things often, O brethren, let us not be blamed, for by a great deal of doctrine and by much hearing it may happen that a man is made to blush, and to do good things and avoid evil things. For Deut. vi. 4 the Lord saith in the Law, " Hear, O Israel," and to this day he has not ' J^a . heard. Again, in the Gospel he preacheth much and saith, "Every one 15 that hath ears to hear, let him hear," and they have not heard, even those that thought they heard, because they leaned to the evil perdition of the Ap. con. heresies, those on whom the sentence of condemnation will come, for we do not believe, brethren, that when a man goeth down to the water, he will again do the abominable and impure works of the heathen and the depraved;