A Bishop Warned

'Σκοπόν σε δέδωκα,' φησὶν ἡ θεία Γραφὴ, 'καὶ ὅψει τὴν ῥομθαίαν ἐρχομένην, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖς.' Καὶ εἰ μὲν νήψουσιν ἐξυπισθέντες, καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ὑπήκοοι γρηγορήσουσι, καὶ σοὶ κὰκείνοις σωτηρίας γενήσεται ὅνησις. Εἰ δὲ τὰ ὦτα βύσουσιν ὡς ἀσπίδες, αὐτὸς τό γε ἥκον ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐξετέλεδας. Σκόπει τοίνυν μὴ μόνον φωνῇ μαρτυρούμενος φανῇς, τοῖς ἔργοις ἡττώμενος, ἐνδιδοὺς τὰς ἤνίας τῆς ἀρχῆς, τοῖς περὶ σὲ, καὶ πιπράσκων τὴν χάριν ἀσεβῶς. Οὖτε γὰρ χρυσίῳ ἔστιν ἐπιτρέπειν χειροθεσίας, οὔτε ἀγνοεῐν τὸν τῶν προσαγομένων βίον, οὔτε ἑτέρους προβάλλεσθαι τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἰτίος, ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀδεκάστου καὶ φριχτοῦ κριτηρίου. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν Ἀδὰμ τῆς μέμψεως καὶ τῆς δίκης ἀπέλυσεν ἡ περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀπόκρισις καὶ σκῆψις, τῇ αὐτῆς ὑποθέσει μετειληφέναι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων ἀπολογούμενον.   Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή Λ', Εὐσεβιῳ Ἐπισκοπῳ

'A watchman I have given you,' says Scripture and you shall see the sword coming and you shall announce it.'1 And if from sleep they arise sober and obediently attendant to virtue, to you and them shall be profitable salvation, but if in the manner of the serpent ears are closed, 2 you certainly, for your part, shall be marked. Consider, therefore, lest you appear to testify by the voice alone, and not by the deed itself, you who have been given the reins of rule and yet sell grace impiously to those around you. For in the incorruptible and fearful tribunal it is not allowed  to impose hands for gold, nor to induct into the sacred orders those of unknown life, nor to offer it to the authors of sin. For Adam was not released from blame and punishment by answering that his wife was excuse, that by her proposal accepted the one accused had his defence. 3 Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 30, To the Bishop Eusebius 1 Ez 33.3 2 Ps 57.5  3 Gen 3.12