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for it is “with us”); uniting them in the crowns, with those who have accomplished countless and greater things. Then he also adds the time, and through the description he brings back their minds, all but opening the heavens already with the word, and presenting it to their eyes, and he places around him the angelic host, and from the place, and from those with him, making the image broader, so that they might catch their breath a little. And to you who are afflicted, rest with us, he says, in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power, in a flame of fire, giving vengeance to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If those who do not obey the Gospel receive punishment, those who, in addition to not obeying, also afflict you, what will they not suffer? But observe the wisdom for me: he did not say here, “to those who afflict you,” but, “To those who do not obey.” So that even if not for your sake, it is necessary for His own sake, he says, to punish them. This, then, has been said for full assurance, that they must by all means be punished; but the former, for them to also be honored. For the full assurance about the punishment makes one believe; but to be pleased, because for what has been done to them, they suffer these things. These things have been said to them, but they are fitting for us also. When, therefore, we are in tribulations, let us consider these things. Let us not rejoice in the punishment of others as if being avenged, but as being ourselves delivered from such chastisement and punishment. For what profit is it to us, when others are punished? Let us not have, I beseech you, such souls, from the kingdom let us be urged toward virtue. For the one who is exceedingly virtuous is led neither by fear nor by the kingdom, but for the sake of Christ Himself; just as Paul did. Nevertheless, let us consider the good things in the kingdom, the evil things in gehenna, and even so let us regulate and discipline ourselves, so let us lead ourselves to what must be done. When you see something good and great in the present life, consider the kingdom, and you will think it nothing; when something fearful, consider gehenna, and you will laugh at it; when you are held by bodily desire, consider the fire, consider also the pleasure of the sin itself, that it is worth nothing, that it does not even have pleasure. For if the fear of the laws established here has such strength as to even lead us away from wicked deeds, how much more the memory of the things to come, the immortal punishment, the eternal chastisement; if the fear of the king on earth leads us away from so many evils, how much more that of the eternal king? Whence then can we have fear continually? If we constantly listen to the Scriptures. For if just seeing a dead body so constricts our mind, how much more gehenna and the unquenchable fire? how much more the undying worm? If we always consider gehenna, we will not quickly fall into it. For this reason God has threatened chastisement; as if considering it had not some great profit, God would not have already threatened it; but since the memory of it is strong to accomplish great things, for this reason, like some saving medicine, he placed the threat of it in our souls. Let us not then overlook so great a profit 62.477 born from this, but let us continually turn this over, at breakfast, at dinner. For discourse on pleasant things does not profit the soul at all, but makes it more languid; but that on sorrowful and gloomy things cuts off all its dissipation and laxity, and brings it back and constricts it when it is dissolute. He who discourses about theaters and mimes has not profited it at all, but has even inflamed it more and made it more rash; he who is anxious and meddles in others' affairs has often brought dangers upon it from this meddling. But he who discourses about gehenna will have no danger, and makes it more sober-minded. But you fear the

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γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Μεθ' ἡμῶν)· συνάπτων αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς στεφάνοις, τοῖς τὰ μυρία κατωρθωκόσι καὶ μείζονα. Εἶτα καὶ τὸν καιρὸν προστίθησι, καὶ διὰ τῆς ὑπογραφῆς ἐπανάγει τὰς διανοίας αὐτῶν, μονονουχὶ ἀνοίγων τῷ ῥήματι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἤδη, καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτῶν παριστὰς, καὶ περιτίθησιν αὐτῷ τὴν στρατιὰν τὴν ἀγγελικὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ πλατυτέραν τὴν εἰκόνα ποιῶν, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἀναπνεῦσαι μικρόν. Καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς θλιβομένοις ἄνεσιν μεθ' ἡμῶν, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ μετ' ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, ἐν πυρὶ φλογὸς, διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσι Θεὸν, καὶ τοῖς μὴ ὑπακούουσι τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἰ οἱ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ μὴ ὑπακούοντες διδόασι τιμωρίαν, οἱ καὶ μετὰ τοῦ μὴ ὑπακοῦσαι θλίβοντες ὑμᾶς, τί οὐ πείσονται; Θέα δέ μοι σύνεσιν· οὐκ εἶπεν ἐνταῦθα, τοῖς θλίβουσιν ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ, Τοῖς μὴ ὑπακούουσιν. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ μὴ δι' ὑμᾶς, δι' ἑαυτὸν ἀνάγκη, φησὶ, τιμωρήσασθαι αὐτούς. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ὑπὲρ πληροφορίας εἴρηται, ὅτι πάντως αὐτοὺς κολασθῆναι δεῖ· τὸ δὲ πρότερον ὑπὲρ τοῦ καὶ αὐτοὺς τετιμῆσθαι. Τὸ μὲν οὖν πιστεῦσαι ἡ ὑπὲρ τῆς τιμωρίας πληροφορία ποιεῖ· τὸ δὲ ἡσθῆναι, ὅτι ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς γεγενημένων ταῦτα πάσχουσι. Ταῦτα εἴρηται μὲν πρὸς ἐκείνους. ἁρμόζει δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν. Ὅταν οὖν ἐν θλίψεσιν ὦμεν, ταῦτα λογιζώμεθα. Μὴ τῇ ἑτέρων τιμωρίᾳ χαίρωμεν ὡς ἐκδικούμενοι, ἀλλ' ὡς αὐτοὶ τοιαύτης ἀπαλλαττόμενοι κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας. Τί γὰρ ἡμῖν ὄφελος, ὅταν ἕτεροι κολασθῶσι; Μὴ ἔχωμεν, παρακαλῶ, τοιαύτας ψυχὰς, ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας προτρεπώμεθα πρὸς ἀρετήν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ σφόδρα ἐνάρετος οὔτε ἀπὸ φόβου, οὔτε ἀπὸ βασιλείας ἐνάγεται, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστόν· καθάπερ Παῦλος ἐποίει. Πλὴν ἡμεῖς ἐννοῶμεν τὰ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἀγαθὰ, τὰ ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ κακὰ, καὶ κἂν οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ῥυθμίζωμεν καὶ παιδαγωγῶμεν, οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ἐνάγωμεν πρὸς τὰ πρακτέα. Ὅταν ἴδῃς τι χρηστὸν καὶ μέγα ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, ἐννόησον τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸ νομίσεις· ὅταν φοβερὸν, ἐννόησον τὴν γέενναν, καὶ καταγελάσεις· ὅταν ὑπὸ ἐπιθυμίας κατέχῃ σωματικῆς, λογίζου τὸ πῦρ, λογίζου καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ἡδονὴν, ὅτι οὐδενός ἐστιν ἀξία, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἔχει ἡδονήν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τῶν ἐνταῦθα κειμένων νόμων φόβος τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν ἰσχὺν, ὡς καὶ ἀπάγειν ἡμᾶς τῶν πονηρῶν πράξεων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ μνήμη τῶν μελλόντων, ἡ τιμωρία ἡ ἀθάνατος, ἡ κόλασις ἡ ἀΐδιος· εἰ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως φόβος τοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς τοσούτων ἡμᾶς ἀπάγῃ κακῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ τοῦ αἰωνίου βασιλέως; Πόθεν οὖν δυνάμεθα τὸν φόβον ἔχειν διηνεκῶς; Ἂν συνεχῶς τῶν Γραφῶν ἐπακούωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ νεκρὸς ὁρώμενος μόνον οὕτως ἡμῶν συστέλλει τὴν διάνοιαν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ γέεννα καὶ τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον; πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ σκώληξ ὁ ἀτελεύτητος; Ἂν τὴν γέενναν ἀεὶ ἀναλογιζώμεθα, οὐ ταχέως εἰς αὐτὴν ἐμπεσούμεθα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἠπείλησε κόλασιν ὁ Θεός· ὡς εἰ μὴ εἶχέ τι μέγα κέρδος τὸ λογίζεσθαι, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὴν ἠπείλησεν ἤδη ὁ Θεός· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἰσχύει ἡ μνήμη αὐτῆς μεγάλα κατορθῶσαι, διὰ τοῦτο, καθάπερ τι φάρμακον σωτήριον, τὴν ἀπειλὴν αὐτῆς ἐγκατέθετο ἡμῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς. Μὴ δὴ παρορῶμεν τὸ τοσοῦτον κέρδος 62.477 τὸ ἐντεῦθεν τικτόμενον, ἀλλὰ ταύτην συνεχῶς στρέφωμεν, ἐν ἀρίστοις, ἐν δείπνοις. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἡδέων διάλεξις οὐδὲν τὴν ψυχὴν ὠφελεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀτονωτέραν ἐργάζεται· ἡ δὲ τῶν λυπηρῶν καὶ σκυθρωπῶν πᾶν αὐτῆς περικόπτει τὸ διακεχυμένον καὶ διαῤῥέον, καὶ ἐπιστρέφει καὶ συστέλλει διαλελυμένην αὐτήν. Ὁ περὶ θεάτρων καὶ μίμων διαλεγόμενος, οὐδὲν αὐτὴν ὤνησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐξέκαυσε καὶ προπετεστέραν εἰργάσατο· ὁ τὰ ἀλλότρια μεριμνῶν καὶ πολυπραγμονῶν, πολλάκις αὐτῇ καὶ κινδύνους ἐκ τῆς περιεργίας ταύτης προσετρίψατο. Ὁ μέντοι περὶ γεέννης διαλεγόμενος οὔτε κίνδυνον ἕξει τινὰ, καὶ σωφρονεστέραν ἐργάζεται. Ἀλλὰ δέδοικας τὸ