2

the tongues of the blasphemers are set on fire, and there will be no one to cool them; then the teeth of the slanderers are crushed by stern angels; then the hands of the avaricious, hanging, tremble, and being scraped, are in pain; then the mouths of the babblers are stopped up by fire; then the eyes of those who wink are gouged out mercilessly.

Where then are parents, where are brothers, where is father, where is mother, where are the relatives, where are the friends? where is the pomp of kings, where is the authority of rulers, where is the madness of tyrants, where is the arrogance of judges? where are the male slaves, where are the female slaves? where is the adornment of garments, where are the colors of pearls, where is the show of gold, where is the clatter of silver? where is the decoration of rings, where is the tight-fitting footwear of the feet, where are the silken garments, where are the linen ones? where are the meats, where are the perfumes and the vain incenses? where are the guarded treasures? where are the decorated couches? where are those who overlook the poor? where are those who neglect those in need? where are those who think themselves wise? where are those who drink wine with timbrels and dances? where are those who are always laughing, and mocking the devout? where are those who wear down their slaves, and despise the fear of God? where are those who disbelieve in punishment, and conduct themselves as if they were immortal? where are those who say, Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die? where are those who say, Give me today, and you take tomorrow? where are those who say, Let us enjoy the things here, and we will see about the things there? where are those who say, God is a lover of mankind, and does not punish sinners? Oh, how much will those who say such things repent! how they will beat their breasts, and there is no one to pity them! how they will groan, and there is no one to redeem them! how, cutting 60.737 themselves, they will say, Woe, woe, for we mocked ourselves! woe, for we have destroyed ourselves!

We were taught, and we did not pay attention; we were admonished, and we despised it; they testified to us, and we did not believe; hearing the Scriptures, we deceived ourselves. The judgment of God is just; for we receive things worthy of what we have done. Woe to us, for because of a temporary pleasure we are punished eternally, because of a short time of neglect we are plunged into the eternal fire, because of vain glory we have fallen from the glory of God, because of a little luxury we have been deprived of the luxury of paradise, because of perishing wealth we have lost the wealth of the kingdom! In the vain age we enjoyed ourselves, but in it those who did not enjoy themselves are rejoicing. Now those who fasted luxuriate, those who struggled dance in the heavenly bridal chamber, those who scattered their wealth reap with exultation, those who wept rejoice eternally, those who despised earthly things have received heavenly things; but we alone, the wretched, have been worthily delivered to punishment; and now we cry out, and there is no one to pity; we groan, and there is no one to save. Therefore, lest we too, with those foolish ones, say such words in the age to come, come, let us anticipate the thief of our souls; let us run, while we have time; let us groan, let us repent, let us be awakened, I beseech you, from the sleep of our sloth, from the weight of our sins and our neglect; let us lift up our hands to the one who is able to save us, and say: Lord, save us, we are perishing. Let us hasten only before the sun sets, before the door is shut, before night overtakes us. For when the festival is dissolved, no one does business; when the theater is dismissed, no one is crowned, no one competes. Therefore let us run; for there is need of running, brothers, and of swift running, that we may arrive, lest we too, knocking, should hear: I do not know you; let us be swift of foot, let us be a little ashamed.

How much do we dishonor the Master? how much do we provoke the benefactor? He does good, and we are ignorant every day; he pities, and we disregard,

2

τῶν βλασφήμων αἱ γλῶσσαι φλογίζονται, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ δροσίζων· τότε τῶν καταλαλούντων οἱ ὀδόντες συντρίβονται ὑπὸ ἀποτόμων ἀγγέλων· τότε τῶν φιλαργύρων αἱ χεῖρες κρεμάμεναι τρέμουσι, καὶ ξεόμεναι ὀδυνῶνται· τότε τῶν φλυάρων τὰ στόματα ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐμφράττονται· τότε τῶν διανευόντων οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐξορύττονται ἀνιλεῶς.

Ποῦ τότε γονεῖς, ποῦ ἀδελφοὶ, ποῦ πατὴρ, ποῦ μήτηρ, ποῦ οἱ συγγενεῖς, ποῦ οἱ φίλοι; ποῦ ἡ τῶν βασιλέων φαντασία, ποῦ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἡ ἐξουσία, ποῦ ἡ τῶν τυράννων ἀπόνοια, ποῦ ἡ τῶν δικαστῶν ὑπερηφανία; ποῦ οἱ δοῦλοι, ποῦ αἱ δοῦλαι; ποῦ ὁ καλλωπισμὸς τῶν ἱματίων, ποῦ αἱ χροαὶ τῶν μαργάρων, ποῦ ἡ φαντασία τοῦ χρυσίου, ποῦ ὁ κτύπος τοῦ ἀργυρίου; ποῦ ἡ κόσμησις τῶν δακτυλίων, ποῦ τῶν ποδῶν τὸ περισφῖγγον ὑπόδημα, ποῦ τὰ σηρικὰ ἱμάτια, ποῦ τὰ βύσσινα; ποῦ τὰ κρέα, ποῦ τὰ μύρα καὶ τὰ μάταια καπνίσματα; ποῦ οἱ φυλασσόμενοι θησαυροί; ποῦ αἱ κεκοσμημέναι κλῖναι; ποῦ οἱ παρορῶντες τοὺς πένητας; ποῦ οἱ παραβλέποντες τοὺς ἐν ἀνάγκῃ; ποῦ οἱ νομίζοντες εἶναι σοφοί; ποῦ οἱ μετὰ τυμπάνων καὶ χορῶν τὸν οἶνον πίνοντες; ποῦ οἱ διαπαντὸς γελῶντες, καὶ τοὺς εὐλαβεῖς ἐκμυκτηρίζοντες; ποῦ οἱ τοὺς δούλους καταπονοῦντες, καὶ τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφρονοῦντες; ποῦ εἰσὶν ἀπιστοῦντες τὴν κόλασιν, καὶ ὡς ἀθάνατοι διακείμενοι; ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ λέγοντες, Φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν; ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ λέγοντες, ∆ός μοι τὴν σήμερον, καὶ λάβε τὴν αὔριον; ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ λέγοντες, Ἀπολαύσωμεν τῶν ὧδε, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ βλέπωμεν; ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ λέγοντες, Φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐ κολάζει τοὺς ἁμαρτωλούς; Ὢ πόσα μετανοήσουσιν οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες! πόσα κόψονται, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐλεῶν αὐτούς! πόσα στενάξουσι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ λυτρούμενος! πόσα ἑαυ 60.737 τοὺς κατακόπτοντες εἴπωσιν, Οὐαὶ, οὐαὶ, ὅτι ἑαυτοὺς ἐχλευάσαμεν! οὐαὶ, ὅτι ἑαυτοὺς ἀπωλέσαμεν!

Ἐδιδασκόμεθα, καὶ οὐ προσείχομεν· ἐνουθετούμεθα, καὶ κατεφρονοῦμεν· διεμαρτύραντο δὲ ἡμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστεύομεν· τῶν Γραφῶν ἀκούοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐπλανῶμεν. ∆ικαία ἡ κρίσις τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν ἀπολαμβάνομεν. Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, ὅτι διὰ πρόσκαιρον ἡδονὴν αἰωνίως κολαζόμεθα, διὰ μικροῦ χρόνου ἀμέλειαν τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ καταποντιζόμεθα, διὰ δόξαν ματαίαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξεπέσαμεν, διὰ μικρὰν τρυφὴν τῆς τοῦ παραδείσου τρυφῆς ἐστερήθημεν, διὰ πλοῦτον ἀπολλύμενον τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς βασιλείας ἀπωλέσαμεν! Ἐν τῷ ματαίῳ αἰῶνι ἡμεῖς ἀπηλαύσαμεν, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῷ οἱ μὴ ἀπολαύσαντες εὐφραίνονται. Νῦν οἱ νηστεύοντες τρυφῶσιν, οἱ ἀγωνισάμενοι εἰς τὸν οὐράνιον νυμφῶνα χορεύουσιν, οἱ σκορπίσαντες τὸν πλοῦτον ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θερίζουσιν, οἱ κλαύσαντες αἰωνίως ἀγάλλονται, οἱ καταφρονήσαντες τῶν ἐπιγείων ἀπέλαβον τὰ οὐράνια· μόνοι δὲ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἄθλιοι τῇ κολάσει ἀξίως παρεδόθημεν· καὶ νῦν κράζομεν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐλεῶν· στενάζομεν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ σώζων. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς μετ' ἐκείνων τῶν ἀφρόνων τὰ τοιαῦτα ῥήματα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι εἴπωμεν, δεῦτε προφθάσωμεν τὸν κλέπτην τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν· δράμωμεν, ἕως καιρὸν ἔχομεν· στενάξωμεν, μετανοήσωμεν, ἐξυπνισθῶμεν, παρακαλῶ, ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἡμῶν, ἐκ τοῦ βάρους τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ τῆς ἀμελείας ἡμῶν· ὑψώσωμεν χεῖρας πρὸς τὸν δυνάμενον σῶσαι ἡμᾶς, καὶ εἴπωμεν· Κύριε, σῶσον ἡμᾶς, ἀπολλύμεθα. Σπεύσωμεν μόνον πρὶν ἢ ἥλιος δύσῃ, πρὶν ἢ θύρα ἀποκλεισθῇ, πρὶν ἢ νὺξ καταλάβῃ. Ἐπὰν γὰρ ἡ πανήγυρις λυθῇ, οὐδεὶς πραγματεύεται· ἐπὰν τὸ θέατρον λυθῇ, οὐδεὶς στεφανοῦται, οὐδεὶς ἀγωνίζεται. ∆ιὸ δράμωμεν· δρόμου γὰρ χρεία, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ δρόμου σφοδροῦ, ἵνα φθάσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς κρούσαντες ἀκούσωμεν· Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς· ὀξυποδήσωμεν, μικρὸν αἰσχυνθῶμεν.

Πόσα τὸν ∆εσπότην ἀτιμάζομεν; πόσα τὸν εὐεργέτην παροργίζομεν; Αὐτὸς εὐεργετεῖ, καὶ ἡμεῖς καθ' ἑκάστην ἀγνοοῦμεν· αὐτὸς οἰκτείρει, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀθετοῦμεν,