If certain teachers, while looking for your gifts or fearing your persons, relax individual things to you, not only do I not grieve, but I am compelled to speak the truth. Thou art going to vain shows with the crowd of the evil one, where Satan is at work in the circus with din. Thou persuadest thyself that everything that shall please thee is lawful. Thou art the offspring of the Highest, mingled with the sons of the devil. Dost thou wish to see the former things which thou hast renounced? Art thou again conversant with them? What shall the Anointed One profit thee? Or if it is permitted, on account of weakness, that thou foolishly profane … Love not the world, nor its contents. Such is God’s word, and it seems good to thee. Thou observest man’s command, and shunnest God’s. Thou trustedst to the gift whereby the teachers shut up their mouths, that they may be silent, and not tell thee the divine commands; while I speak the truth, as thou art bound look to the Highest. Assign thyself as a follower to Him whose son thou wast. If thou seekest to live, being a believing man, as do the Gentiles, the joys of the world remove thee from the grace of Christ. With an undisciplined mind thou seekest what thou presumest to be easily lawful, both thy dear actors and their musical strains; nor carest thou that the offspring of such an one should babble follies. While thou thinkest that thou art enjoying life, thou art improvidently erring. The Highest commands, and thou shunnest His righteous precepts.

Commodian. 1885. “The Instructions of Commodianus.” In Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second, edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, translated by Robert Ernest Wallis, 4:214. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.

Into modern English from Grok:

If some teachers, chasing your donations or afraid of offending powerful people like you, start bending the rules and letting you slide on certain things — I’m not upset about it. In fact, it forces me to tell you the straight truth.
You’re heading out to pointless spectacles with the devil’s crowd, where Satan is right there in the middle of the roaring chaos in the circus.
You convince yourself that whatever feels good or entertaining to you is automatically okay and permitted.
You’re a child of the Most High God, yet you’re mixing yourself in with the children of the devil.
Do you really want to go back to the old pagan ways you renounced when you became a Christian? Are you getting comfortable hanging out with them again?
What good will Christ do for you then?
Or maybe you’re thinking it’s fine to dip back in because you’re “weak” — but that’s just an excuse to foolishly defile yourself…
“Love not the world, nor the things in the world” — that’s God’s direct word (from 1 John 2:15), but it doesn’t sit right with you.
You follow human rules and commands instead, while dodging God’s.
You rely on bribes or pressure — gifts that make those teachers shut their mouths, stay quiet, and not confront you with God’s real commands. But I’m speaking the truth anyway. You need to look up to the Most High.
Go back and commit yourself as a follower to the One whose child you truly are.
If you’re a believer but still want to live like the non-believers (the pagans/Gentiles), chasing the pleasures of this world, those worldly joys will pull you away from Christ’s grace.
With your reckless, undisciplined mindset, you’re chasing things you assume are “no big deal” and easily allowed — like your favorite actors and their catchy music — without caring that kids raised around that kind of life grow up spouting nonsense and folly.
You think you’re really living it up and enjoying life, but you’re actually wandering off track without realizing the danger.
The Most High God gives commands, and you’re deliberately avoiding His righteous rules.