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the terrors of darkness, which are born in our souls? For just as that fire is not consuming, so also it is not illuminating; for otherwise it would not be darkness. Therefore, that time alone is able to set clearly before us the tumult arising from this, and the trembling, and the paralysis, and the great distraction. For there the tortures are many and various, and from all sides snowflakes of punishments are brought upon the soul. But if someone should say: And how could the flesh, being punished, suffice for such a multitude of punishments and endure for endless ages? let him consider the things that happen here, how many people have often sufficed for a long and harsh disease, and if they died, it was not because the soul was consumed but because the body gave up, so that if it had not given way, the soul would not have ceased being tormented. When, therefore, it receives this incorruptible and indestructible state, there is nothing to prevent the punishment from being extended to infinity. For here it is not possible for these things to come together, I mean the severity of punishments and their duration, but the one wars with the other because the nature of the body, being corruptible, cannot bear the union of both; but when incorruptibility has entered in, then this battle would be dissolved, and with great power both dreadful things will hold us for infinity. Let us not then be so disposed now, as though the excess of the torments consumes our soul; for not even the body will be able to suffer this at that time, but it will remain with the soul, being punished eternally, and there will be no other end. How much luxury, then, and how much extravagance would you wish to set against this punishment and this penalty? Do you wish for a time of one hundred years, and twice that? And what is this compared to the endless ages? For what a dream of one day is in a whole life, this is the enjoyment of things here compared to the state of things to come. Is there, then, anyone who, for the sake of seeing a pleasant dream, would choose to be punished for ever? And who is so foolish as to come to this exchange? For I am not yet maligning luxury, nor am I now uncovering the bitterness that lies in it; for this is not the time for these words, but when you are able to escape it. For now, being held by the passion, you will suspect us of talking nonsense if we should call pleasure bitter; but when, by the grace of God, you are delivered from the disease, then you will also know its evil well. Therefore, having stored up these words for another time, we will now say this. Let luxury be luxury and pleasure be pleasure, and let it have nothing painful or shameful; what shall we say in the face of the punishment laid up for us? What then shall we do, having taken pleasure now as in a shadow and an image, but in reality paying the eternal torment there, and this when it is possible in a short time to escape the said instruments of torture and to enjoy the good things laid up? For this too is a work of God's love for mankind, that the contests are not extended to a great length for us, but in a short and momentary time, and in the twinkling of an eye—for this is the present life compared to that one—after contending, to be crowned in the endless ages. And not least will this also grieve the souls of those being punished then, when they consider that, though it was possible in these few days to set everything right, they through neglect handed themselves over to immortal evils. So that we may not suffer these things, let us rise up "while it is an acceptable time, while it is a day of salvation," while the power of repentance is great. For not only the aforementioned evils will await us in Gehenna if we are slothful, but also others, much more grievous than these. For these things are in Gehenna, and things more bitter than these; for the falling away from the good things laid up has such great pain, such great affliction and anguish that, even if no punishment were laid up for those who sin here, it would be sufficient in and of itself to bite and confound our souls more bitterly than the torments in Gehenna.

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σκότους δείματα, τὰ ταῖς ἡμετέραις ἐγγινόμενα ψυχαῖς; ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀναλωτικὸν ἐκεῖνο τὸ πῦρ, οὕτως οὐδὲ φωτιστικόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν σκότος ἦν. Τὸν τοίνυν τοιοῦτον ἀπὸ τούτου θόρυβον ἐγγινόμενον ἡμῖν καὶ τὸν τρόμον καὶ τὴν παράλυσιν καὶ τὴν ἔκστασιν τὴν πολλὴν ἐκεῖνος σαφῶς παραστῆσαι μόνος ὁ καιρὸς ἱκανός. Πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ποικίλα ἐκεῖ τὰ βασανιστήρια, καὶ νιφάδες πανταχόθεν κολάσεων ἐπάγονται τῇ ψυχῇ. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις· καὶ πῶς ἀρκέσαι δύναιτ' ἂν πρὸς τοσοῦτον πλῆθος τιμωριῶν καὶ ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας διαμεῖναι κολαζομένη ἡ σάρξ; ἐννοησάτω τὰ ἐνταῦθα γινόμενα, πῶς πολλοὶ πολλάκις πρὸς νόσον μακρὰν καὶ χαλεπὴν ἤρκεσαν, εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐτελεύτησαν οὐ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναλωθείσης ἀλλὰ τοῦ σώματος ἀπαγορεύσαντος ὡς εἴ γε ἐκεῖνο μὴ ἐνεδίδου, οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσατο βασανιζομένη ἡ ψυχή. Ὅταν οὖν ἄφθαρτον τοῦτο λάβῃ καὶ ἀνάλωτον, οὐδὲν τὸ κωλύον εἰς ἄπειρον ἐκταθῆναι τὴν κόλασιν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁμοῦ ταῦτα συνελθεῖν, σφοδρότητα λέγω κολάσεων καὶ παραμονήν, ἀλλὰ θάτερον θατέρῳ μάχεται διὰ τὸ τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν οὖσαν φθαρτὴν μὴ φέρειν ἀμφοτέρων τὴν σύνοδον· τῆς ἀφθαρσίας δὲ ἐπεισελθούσης λοιπὸν καὶ τῆς μάχης ταύτης διάλυσις γένοιτ' ἂν καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἡμᾶς τῆς ἐξουσίας εἰς ἄπειρον ἀμφότερα καθέξει τὰ δεινά. Μὴ τοίνυν ὡς τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τῶν βασανιστηρίων ἀναλισκούσης ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχήν, οὕτω διατεθῶμεν νῦν· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα δυνήσεται τοῦτο ἐν ἐκείνῳ παθεῖν τῷ καιρῷ, ἀλλὰ μενεῖ μετὰ τῆς ψηχῆς αἰωνίως κολαζόμενον, καὶ πέρας ἕτερον ἔσται οὐδέν. Πόσην οὖν βούλει τρυφὴν καὶ πόσην χλιδὴν ἀντιθεῖναι τῇ κολάσει ταύτῃ καὶ τῇ τιμωρίᾳ; βούλει χρόνον ἐτῶν ἑκατὸν καὶ δὶς τοσοῦτον; Καὶ τί τοῦτο πρὸς τοὺς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας; Ὅπερ γὰρ ὄναρ ἡμέρας μιᾶς ἐν τῷ βίῳ παντί, τοῦτο ἡ τῶν ἐνθάδε ἀπόλαυσις πρὸς τὴν τῶν μελλόντων κατάστασιν. Ἔστιν οὖν ἆρα ὅστις ὑπὲρ τοῦ χρηστὸν ὄναρ ἰδεῖν, διὰ παντὸς κολάζεσθαι ἕλοιτ' ἄν; Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἀνόητος ὡς ἐπὶ ταύτην ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἀντίδοσιν; Οὔπω γὰρ διαβάλλω τὴν τρυφήν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ κειμένην πικρίαν ἀποκαλύπτω νῦν· οὐ γὰρ οὗτος τῶν λόγων τούτων ὁ καιρός, ἀλλ' ὅταν αὐτὴν ἐκφυγεῖν δυνηθῇς. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἐνεχόμενος τῷ πάθει, καὶ ληρεῖν ἡμᾶς ὑποπτεύσεις, εἰ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἀποκαλοίημεν πικράν· ὅταν δὲ ἀπαλλαγῇς τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ χάριτι τοῦ νοσήματος, τότε εἴσῃ καὶ τὴν κακίαν αὐτοῦ καλῶς. ∆ιὸ τούτους ἐν ἑτέρῳ τοὺς λόγους καιρῷ ταμιευσάμενοι, ἐκεῖνο ἐροῦμεν νῦν. Ἔστω εἶναι τρυφὴν τὴν τρυφὴν καὶ ἡδονὴν τὴν ἡδονὴν καὶ μηδὲν ἔχειν ἀνιαρὸν μηδ' ἐπονείδιστον, τί πρὸς τὴν ἀποκειμένην κόλασιν ἐροῦμεν; Τί δαὶ τότε πράξομεν, ἡσθέντες μὲν ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ καὶ εἰκόνι νῦν, ἔργῳ δὲ τὴν βάσανον αἰωνίαν τίνοντες ἐκεῖ, καὶ ταῦτα ἐξὸν ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ τά τε εἰρημένα στρεβλωτήρια διαφυγεῖν καὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀπολαῦσαι καλῶν; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον ἐστίν, τὸ μὴ εἰς μῆκος ἡμῖν ἐκταθῆναι τοὺς ἀγῶνας μακρόν, ἀλλ' ἐν βραχεῖ καὶ ἐν ἀκαριαίῳ καὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ ῥιπῇ, τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ παροῦσα ζωὴ πρὸς ἐκείνην, ἀγωνισαμένους ἐν τοῖς ἀπείροις στεφανωθῆναι αἰῶσιν. Οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τότε τὰς τῶν κολαζομένων ἀνιάσει ψυχάς, ὅταν ἐννοήσωσιν ὅτι, παρὸν ἐν ταῖς ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις ταύταις κατορθῶσαι τὸ πᾶν, ἀμελήσαντες τοῖς ἀθανάτοις παρέδωκαν ἑαυτοὺς κακοῖς. Ἅπερ ἵνα μὴ πάθωμεν, διαναστῶμεν «ἕως καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἕως ἡμέρα σωτηρίας», ἕως πολλὴ τῆς μετανοίας ἰσχύς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὰ εἰρημένα ἡμᾶς μόνα ἐκδέξεται ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ ῥᾳθυμήσαντας κακά, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα, πολλῷ τούτων χαλεπώτερα. Ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ καὶ τούτων πικρότερα, ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀγαθῶν ἀπόπτωσις τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν ὀδύνην, τοσαύτην τὴν θλίψιν καὶ τὴν στενοχωρίαν ὡς, εἰ καὶ μηδεμία τιμωρία τοῖς ἐνταῦθα ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἔκειτο, αὐτὴν καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἀρκέσαι καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ βασανιστηρίων πικρότερον δακεῖν καὶ συνταράξαι τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχάς.