DIDASCALIA. 4!
of My pasture, thus saith the Lord my Lord, Behold I judge between sheep
and sheep, and between ram and ram. Is it a small thing unto you is
that ye eat up the good and fat pasture, and the rest of your pasture
ye tread down with your feet, and My flock drank what is trodden 19
down by your feet. Therefore thus saith the Lord my Lord, Behold I judge 20
between sheep and sheep, and between those that are sick ; because ye 21
thrust with your sides and your shoulders, and with your horns ye pierced
all the sick ones, until ye scattered them out. And I will save My flock, 22
and they shall no more be for a prey ; and I will judge between sheep and
sheep. And I will set up 1a shepherd over them1, and David My servant 23 f. 275
shall be captain among them, I the Lord have spoken. I will make with 25
them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the
land, and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the wood ;
and I will give them a blessing round about my hills. I will send down 26
the rain in its season and it shall be a rain of blessings. The trees of the 27
field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her produce, and they
shall dwell safely in their land ; and they shall know that I am the Lord,
when I have cut the nooses of their yoke, and I have delivered them from
the hand of those who made them to serve. And they shall no more be for 28
a prey, nor shall the beast of the field devour them ; but they shall dwell
safely, and there shall be none to make them afraid. And I will raise up 29
for them a Plant of renown2, that they may no more bear the shame of the
nations ; and they shall know that I the Lord their God am with them, so
and that they of the house of Israel are My people, saith the Lord God."
Hear therefore, ye Bishops, and hear, ye laymen, that as the Lord hath Ap. con.
said, I will judge between ram and ram, and between sheep and sheep,
that is to say, between Bishop and Bishop, and between layman and
layman ; for if the layman love the layman, let the layman also love the Ap. Con.
Bishop and honour him, and reverence him as father and lord and god
after God Almighty, for it is said to the Bishop by means of the Apostles,
that "all who hear you hear Me, and all that injure you injure Me, and Him i,uiie x. is
that sent Me." Again, let the Bishop love the laymen as children, and "f
nourish and inflame3 them with the zeal of his love, like eggs, that chickens
may come from them ; hatch them like chickens and nourish them as with
the nourishment of winged fowls. O Bishop ! teach and admonish every
one. Those who are deserving of reproof reprove, and make them sorry, as f. 28 a
for conversion and not for destruction. Admonish as for repentance, and
1 S. one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
2 S. peace + that they may no more he few and abandoned upon the earth, and
3 Cod. admonish.
D. F