because for the most part they have been sated, and have been so greatly tormented, falling into it. But more slowly are those brought to healing who would have scorned falling into the same things a second time, because of having been more quickly freed from evils. But God the craftsman knows the dispositions of each, and as it falls to him, he alone is able to apply the cures with knowledge, 12.272 what must be done for each, and when. And just as in the case of certain bodily afflictions, where the evil has penetrated, so to speak, into the depth, the physician through certain medicines draws and pulls the matter to the surface, causing severe inflammations and swellings, and more pains than one had before setting out to be healed; as is their custom to do in the case of those bitten by rabid dogs, and of certain others who have suffered things similar to these; so I think God also manages the hidden evil that has penetrated into the depth of the soul. And just as the physician says concerning a certain case: 'I will cause inflammations around the place of the relaxation, and I will force these certain parts to swell, so as to produce a severe abscess;' and when the physician says these things, the one hearing him who is more knowledgeable will not blame, but will even praise the one who as it were threatens to do these things; but someone else will say, asserting that he does something foreign to the promise of physicians, whose duty it is to heal, by leading to inflammations and abscesses; so I think God also has said this: 'I will harden Pharaoh's heart;' and when these things are written, the one who hears them as oracles of God, observing the dignity of the one speaking, accepts them, and everyone who seeks finds that even in these things the goodness of God is present; more clearly indeed for the salvation of the people, being confirmed through more wonders; and secondly, concerning the Egyptians, as many as were about to, being astonished at what was happening, follow the Hebrews; 'For a great mixed multitude of the Egyptians,' he says, 'went out with them;' but perhaps more mysteriously and deeply, and also for the benefit of Pharaoh himself, who no longer concealed the poison, nor contained the habit, but drew it out and brought it into the open, and perhaps released it through action, so that having brought to completion all the eruptions of the indwelling wickedness, he might later have the evil-bearing tree powerless, perhaps being withered at the end, when he is drowned in the sea, not, as one might suppose, for the purpose of being utterly destroyed, but for the purpose of being lightened by casting off his sins, and perhaps to descend into Hades in peace from so great a war of the soul. But it is likely that those who encounter this will be displeased, considering what is said to be forced, that it was profitable for Pharaoh that his heart was hardened, and that all the things written happened on his behalf, even to the point of his drowning. But see if from this point we can, by removing what is hard to believe, produce conviction concerning what has been said. 'Many are the scourges,' says David, 'of the sinner;' but his son teaches, that God scourges every son whom he receives. Moreover David himself, prophesying a declaration concerning Christ, and those who believe in him, says: 12.273 'If his sons forsake my law, and do not walk in my judgments; if they profane my statutes, and do not keep my commandments, I will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with scourges; but my mercy I will not utterly take from them.' Therefore it is a grace of God for the lawless one to be visited with a rod, and the sinner with scourges. And inasmuch as the one who sins is not scourged, he is not yet brought under discipline and correction; wherefore God also threatens, if the sins of those inhabiting Judea become great, 'No longer to visit their daughters when they commit fornication, and their daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.' And elsewhere he says: 'Because I have purified you, and you were not purified, I will no longer be angry with you, nor will I be jealous over you any more.' Therefore with those with whom he is not angry when they sin, so to speak, being angered he is not angry. But it must also be observed in the prophetic threats

διὰ τὸ ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐμπεφορῆσθαι αὐτὰς, καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον βεβασανίσθαι, περιπεσούμεναι. Βράδιον δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν θεραπείαν ἄγονται αἱ καταφρονήσασαι ἂν τοῦ δεύτε ρον τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν, διὰ τὸ τάχιον ἀπηλλά χθαι τῶν κακῶν. Οἶδε δὲ ὁ τεχνίτης Θεὸς τὰς δια θέσεις ἑκάστων, καὶ ὡς ἐπιβάλλει αὐτῷ, μόνος ἐπιστημόνως δυνάμενος τὰς θεραπείας προσάγειν, 12.272 τί χρὴ, καὶ πότε ἑκάστῳ ποιεῖν. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπί τινων σωματικῶν παθημάτων, εἰς βάθος τοῦ, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, κεχωρηκότος κακοῦ, ὁ ἰατρὸς εἰς τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν διά τινων φαρμάκων ἕλκει καὶ ἐπισπᾶται τὴν ὕλην, φλεγμονὰς χαλεπὰς ἐμποιῶν καὶ διοι δήσεις, καὶ πόνους πλείονας ὧν εἶχέ τις πρὶν ἐπὶ τὸ θεραπευθῆναι ὁδεῦσαι· ὥσπερ ἔθος ποιεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ λυσσοδήκτων, καὶ ἑτέρων τινῶν τὰ παραπλήσια τούτοις πεπονθότων· οὕτως οἶμαι καὶ τὸν Θεὸν οἰκονο μεῖν τὴν κρύφιον κακίαν εἰς τὸ βάθος κεχωρηκυῖαν τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ ὥσπερ λέγει ὁ ἰατρὸς ἐπὶ τοῦδέ τινος· Ἐγὼ φλεγμονὰς ποιήσω περὶ τὸν τόπον τῆς ἀνέσεως, καὶ διοιδῆσαι ἀναγκάσω τάδε τινὰ μέρη, ὥστε ἀπόστημα χαλεπὸν ἐργάσασθαι· λέγοντος δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ ἰατροῦ, ὁ μὲν ἀκούων αὐτοῦ ἐπιστημονι κώτερος, οὐκ αἰτιάσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαινέσεται τὸν ταῦτα οἱονεὶ ἀπειλοῦντα ἐργάσασθαι· ὁ δέ τις λέξει φάσκων ἀλλότριον τῆς τῶν ἰατρῶν ἐπαγγελίας ποιεῖν, τὸ δέον ὑγιάζειν, ἐπὶ φλεγμονὰς καὶ ἀποστήματα ἄγοντα· οὕτω δὲ οἶμαι καὶ τὸν Θεὸν εἰρηκέναι τό· «Ἐγὼ σκληρυνῶ τὴν καρδίαν Φα ραώ·» καὶ τούτων γεγραμμένων, ὁ μὲν ἀκούων ὡς Θεοῦ λογίων, τὸ μὲν ἀξίωμα τοῦ λέγοντος τηρῶν ἀποδέχεται, καὶ ζητῶν πᾶς εὑρίσκει καὶ ἐν τούτοις ἀγαθότητα τοῦ Θεοῦ παραστῆσαι γινομένην· φανερώτερον μὲν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ, διὰ πλειό νων παραδόξων πιστοποιουμένου· καὶ δεύτερον περὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ὅσοι ἔμελλον τὰ γινόμενα καταπλητ τόμενοι ἀκολουθεῖν τοῖς Ἑβραίοις· «Ἐπίμικτος γὰρ, φησὶ, λαὸς πολὺς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων συνεξῆλθεν αὐ τοῖς·» ἀποῤῥητότερον δὲ καὶ βαθύτερον τάχα, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὄφελος γενέσθαι αὐτῷ τῷ Φαραὼ, οὐκ ἔτι ἀποκρύπτοντι τὸν ἰὸν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἕξιν συνέχοντι, ἀλλ' ἕλκοντι καὶ εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἄγοντι αὐτὸν, καὶ τάχα διὰ τοῦ πράττειν ἐκλύοντι, ἵνα πάντα τὰ τῆς ἐνυπαρ χούσης κακίας ἐκβράσματα ἐπιτελέσας, ἄτονον ὕστερον ἔχῃ τὸ τῶν κακῶν οἰστικὸν δένδρον, τάχα ξηραινόμενον ἐπὶ τέλει, ὅτε καταποντοῦται, οὐχ ὡς οἰηθείη ἄν τις ἐπὶ τῷ παντελῶς ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ ἀποβαλόντα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα κουφισθῆναι, καὶ τάχα ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἀπὸ τοσούτου πολέμου τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς ᾅδου καταβῆναι. Ἀλλ' εἰκὸς δυσπαθῶς ἕξειν τοὺς ἐντευξομένους, βίαιον ὑπολαμβάνοντας εἶναι τὸ λεγό μενον, ὡς ἄρα συμφέρον γεγονέναι τῷ Φαραὼ τὸ ἐσκληρύνθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα γεγονέναι, μέχρι καὶ τῆς καταποντώσεως. Ὅρα δὲ εἰ δυνάμεθα ἐντεῦθεν τὸ δυσπειθὲς περιελόντες πειθὼ ἐνεργάσασθαι τοῦ περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων. «Πολλαὶ αἱ μάστιγες, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ·» ὁ δὲ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ διδάσκει, ὅτι μαστιγοῖ ὁ Θεὸς πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται. Ἔτι δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἀπαγγελίαν προφητεύων τὴν περὶ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευόντων, φησίν· 12.273 «Ἐὰν ἐγκαταλείπωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νόμον μου, καὶ τοῖς κρίμασί μου μὴ πορευθῶσιν· ἐὰν τὰ δι καιώματά μου βεβηλώσωσι, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς δέ μου μὴ φυλάξωσιν, ἐπισκέψομαι ἐν ῥάβδῳ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν μάστιξι τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν· τὸ δὲ ἔλεός μου οὐ μὴ διασκεδάσω ἀπ' αὐτῶν.» Οὐκοῦν χάρις Θεοῦ ἐστι τὸ ἄνομον ἐπισκεφθῆ ναι ῥάβδῳ, καὶ τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν μάστιξι. Καὶ ὅσον γε οὐ μαστιγοῦται ὁ ἁμαρτάνων, παιδεύσει καὶ διορθώσει οὐδέπω ὑπάγεται· διὸ καὶ ἀπειλεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἐὰν μεγάλα γένηται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν τὴν Ἰου δαίαν οἰκούντων, «Μηκέτι ἐπισκέψασθαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὑτῶν ὅταν πορνεύωσι, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς νύμ φας αὐτῶν ὅταν μοιχεύωσι.» Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· «Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐκαθάρισά σε καὶ οὐκ ἐκαθαρίσθης, οὐ θυμωθήσομαι ἐπὶ σοὶ ἔτι, οὐδὲ ζηλώσω ἐπὶ σοὶ ἔτι.» Οὐκοῦν οἷς οὐ θυμοῦται ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, χολούμενος οὐ θυμοῦται. Παρατηρητέον δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς προφητικαῖς ἀπειλαῖς