The Uhree hundred^ who ' drank standing upright.'' 417 and by the letter Tan, as we have said, a resemblance of" the Book ^V "V Y cross is set forth, by those three hundred followers of Gedeon,—-— ' those persons are not inappropriately designated, to whom it is said, If any man will come after Me, let him deny Luke 9, himself, and take up his cross, and follotv Me. And these take up the cross more truly, as they follow the Lord, the more severely they both tame themselves, and are tortured with the compassion of charity towards their neighbours. Whence it is said also by the prophet Ezekiel, Mark Tau^i-^,^' iipon the foreheads of the men that groan and lament. Or certainly, by these three hundred who are comprised in the letter Tau, it is expressed that the sword of the enemy is overcome by the wood of the cross. And they are brought to the river, to drink the waters ; and whoever drank the waters with bended knees, were removed from the struggle of war. For by the waters is designated the doc- trine of wisdom, but by the unbended knee righteous con- duct. Tliey therefore who are reported to have bent their knees, while drinking the water, retired from the strife of battles, having been forbidden ; because Christ proceeds to battle against the enemies of the faith, with those who when they drink the streams of doctrine, distort not the uprightness of their actions. For all are said at that time to have drunk the water, but not all to have stood with unbended knee. And they who bent their knees, while they were drinking the waters, were rejected, because, as the Apostle witnesses. For not the hearers oj the law are just before God, hut the Rom. 2, doers of the law will be justijied. For since dissoluteness^^* of conduct is, as we have said, signified by this very bending of the knees, it is rightly again said by Paul, Lift Heb.i2, up the hands thai hang down, and the feeble knees, and ^^' make straight steps with yourfeet. They therefore proceed, under Christ as their leader, to battle, who exhibit in then- conduct that which they profess with their mouths, who drink spiritually the streams of doctrine, and yet are not carnally distorted by wicked works ; because, as it is written, Praise is not seemly in the mouth ofa sinner, Ecclus. 75. They go forth therefore to battle with trumpets, with ^^'^* lamps, and with pitchers. This, as we have said, was an unusual order of battle. I'hey sounded with the trumpets.