12

to the hollow of the straight line when it is broken; so also a crooked heart, now exalted through arrogance, now humbled through griefs and dejections. Wherefore Ecclesiastes says, that *What is crooked cannot be made straight*. *God is a righteous judge, and strong, and long-suffering, not bringing on wrath every day.* The Prophet seems to say this, addressing those who will one day be troubled at what has happened, as if calming the disturbance of men, lest they ever disbelieve in the providence over all things, seeing an unavenged father at the rebellion of a son, and the wickedness of Absalom succeeding in what he purposed. Therefore, correcting the folly in their thoughts, he testified to them: *God is a righteous judge, and strong, and long-suffering, not bringing on wrath every day.* Nothing that happens happens without judgment, but God measures back to each with the measures by which he has already measured out their actions in life. Since, therefore, some sin has been committed by me, I receive in return according to my own worth. Do not, then, speak injustice against God; for God is a righteous judge. Nor think so humbly of God as to suppose that he is powerless for vengeance; for he is also strong. What then is the reason for not bringing swift punishment upon sinners? Because he is long-suffering, *not bringing on wrath every day*. *If you do not turn back, he will whet his sword.* The word is threatening, leading those slow to repentance toward conversion. It does not immediately threaten wounds and plagues and deaths, but the whetting of weapons, and, as it were, a certain preparation for defense. For just as those who polish their weapons thereby declare their impulse for war, so also the Word, wishing to reveal God's movement toward punishing, said that he whets his sword. *He has bent his bow, and made it ready, and in* 29.248 *it he has prepared instruments of death.* It is not some string that stretches the bow of God, but a punishing power, sometimes tensed, sometimes relaxed. The Word therefore threatens the sinner, that things are ready to be sent forth for his punishment, if he persists in sin. For in the bow have been prepared instruments of death. And instruments of death are powers that annihilate the enemies of God. *He has wrought his arrows for those who are burning.* Just as fire was wrought by the creator for burning matter; for it was not created for the diamond, which is not melted by fire, but for the wood that is burned up; so also the arrows of God were wrought by him for souls that are easily flammable, in which much material fit for annihilation has been collected. Those therefore who have first received and taken into themselves the fiery darts of the devil, these receive the arrows of God. For this reason it says: *He has wrought his arrows for those who are already burning.* And carnal desires burn the soul, and lusts for money, and fiery wraths, and griefs that inflame and waste away the soul, and fears that are alien to God. He, however, who is unwounded by the enemy's arrows, and clothed in the panoply of God, remains unacquainted with the death-bringing arrows. *Behold, he has travailed with injustice, has conceived trouble, and brought forth iniquity.* As to the order, the phrasing seems to be confused; since pregnant women first conceive, then travail, and finally give birth; but here there is first the travail, then the conception, then the birth; but with regard to the conception of the heart, it is most expressive. For the irrational impulses of the intemperate and the frenzied and goading desires were called travail, because they come to be in the soul with sharpness and pain. And according to such an impulse, he who does not become master of his wicked designs has conceived trouble; and he who has kindled the wickedness in his heart through wicked deeds has brought forth iniquity. And he seems to say these things, being ashamed at being the father of a son

12

ἐπὶ τὸ κοῖλον τῆς εὐθείας διακλασθείσης· οὕτω καὶ σκολιὰ καρδία, νῦν μὲν ὑψουμένη δι' ἀλαζονείαν, νῦν δὲ ταπεινου μένη διὰ λύπας καὶ συστολάς. ∆ιόπερ φησὶν ὁ Ἐκ κλησιαστὴς, ὅτι ∆ιεστραμμένον οὐ κατευθυν θήσεται. Ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς δίκαιος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος, καὶ μὴ ὀργὴν ἐπάγων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Τοῦτο ἔοικεν ἀποτεινόμενος πρὸς τούς ποτε ταραχθησομένους ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν ὁ Προφήτης διαλέγεσθαι, οἱονεὶ καταστέλλων τῶν ἀν θρώπων τὴν ταραχὴν, μήποτε ἀπιστήσωσι τῇ περὶ τῶν ὅλων προνοίᾳ, ὁρῶντες ἀνεκδίκητον πατέρα ἐπὶ υἱοῦ ἐπαναστάσει, καὶ τὴν πονηρίαν τοῦ Ἀβεσ σαλὼμ εὐοδουμένην ἐν οἷς προέθετο. ∆ιορθούμενος οὖν αὐτῶν τὸ ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀνόητον, διεμαρτύρατο αὐτοῖς· Ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς δίκαιος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος, καὶ μὴ ὀργὴν ἐπάγων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Οὐκ ἀκρίτως τι γίνεται τῶν γινομένων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἑκάστου μέτροις ἀντιμετρεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, οἷς προλαβὼν ἀπεμέτρησε τὰς κατὰ τὸν βίον πράξεις. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πέπρακταί μοί τις ἁμαρτία, κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ἀντιλαμβάνω. Μὴ τοίνυν λαλεῖτε κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίαν· ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς κριτὴς δί καιος. Μηδὲ οὕτω ταπεινῶς διανοεῖσθε περὶ Θεοῦ, ὥστε οἴεσθαι αὐτὸν ἀτονεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἐκδίκη σιν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἰσχυρός ἐστι. Τίς οὖν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ μὴ ταχεῖαν ἐπάγεσθαι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι τὴν τιμω ρίαν; ∆ιότι μακρόθυμός ἐστι, Μὴ ὀργὴν ἐπάγων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιστραφῆτε, τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ στιλβώσει. Ἀπειλητικὸς ὁ λόγος, εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν ἐνάγων τοὺς βραδεῖς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Οὐκ εὐθὺς ἀπειλεῖ τὰ τραύματα καὶ τὰς πληγὰς καὶ τοὺς θανάτους, ἀλλὰ στίλβωσιν ὅπλων, καὶ οἱονεὶ πα ρασκευήν τινα πρὸς τὴν ἄμυναν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ διασμήχοντες τὰ ὅπλα τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὁρμὴν διὰ τούτου παραδηλοῦσιν, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ τιμωρεῖσθαι κίνησιν ἐμφῆναι βουλόμενος ὁ λόγος, στιλβοῦν ἔφησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ῥομφαίαν. Τὸ τόξον αὐτοῦ ἐνέτεινε, καὶ ἡτοίμασεν αὐτὸ, καὶ ἐν 29.248 αὐτῷ ἡτοίμασε σκεύη θανάτου. Οὐ νευρά τίς ἐστιν ἡ διατείνουσα τὸ τόξον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ κολαστικὴ δύνα μις, ποτὲ μὲν ἐντεινομένη, ποτὲ δὲ ἀνιεμένη. Τῷ οὖν ἁμαρτάνοντι ἀπειλεῖ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι ἕτοιμα αὐτῷ ἐστι τὰ μέλλοντα εἰς κόλασιν ἀποπέμπεσθαι, ἐὰν ἐπιμένῃ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Ἡτοίμασται γὰρ ἐν τῷ τόξῳ σκεύη θα νάτου. Σκεύη δὲ θανάτου δυνάμεις εἰσὶν ἀφανιστικαὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ τοῖς καιομένοις ἐξειργάσατο. Ὥσπερ τὸ πῦρ τῇ καιομένῃ ὕλῃ παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος ἐξειργάσθη· οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὸν ἀδάμαντα ἐκτίσθη τὸν μὴ τηκόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ ξύλα τὰ κατακαιόμενα· οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βέλη ταῖς εὐκαταπρήστοις ψυχαῖς, ὧν πολὺ τὸ ὑλι κὸν καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἀφανισμὸν ἐπιτήδειον συνείλεκται, παρ' αὐτοῦ κατειργάσθη. Οἱ οὖν προλαβόντες καὶ ἔλοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὰ πεπυρωμένα βέλη τοῦ διαβό λου, οὗτοι δέχονται τὰ βέλη τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἤδη καιομένοις ἐξειρ γάσατο. Καίουσι δὲ ψυχὴν ἔρωτες σαρκικοὶ, καὶ ἐπιθυμίαι χρημάτων, καὶ διάπυροι ὀργαὶ, καὶ λύπαι φλέγουσαι καὶ ἐκτήκουσαι τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ φόβοι οἱ ἀλλότριοι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ μέντοι ἄτρωτος ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ βελῶν, καὶ ἐνδεδυμένος τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῶν θανατηφόρων βελῶν ἀπείρατος διαμένει. Ἰδοὺ ὠδίνησεν ἀδικίαν, συνέλαβε πόνον, καὶ ἔτεκεν ἀνομίαν. Ὡς μὲν πρὸς τὴν τάξιν δοκεῖ συγκεχυμένως ἡ λέξις ἔχειν· ἐπειδὴ πρῶτον αἱ κύουσαι συλλαμβάνουσιν, εἶτα ὠδίνουσι, τελευταῖον δὲ τίκτουσιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πρῶτον ἡ ὠδὶν, εἶτα ἡ σύλληψις, εἶτα ὁ τοκετός· πρὸς δὲ τὴν τῆς καρδίας σύλληψιν ἐμφαντικώτατα ἔχει. Αἱ γὰρ ἄλογοι τῶν ἀκολάστων ὁρμαὶ καὶ αἱ μανικαὶ καὶ παροιστρῶσαι ἐπιθυμίαι ὠδῖνες ἐλέχθησαν, διὰ τὸ μετὰ ὀξύτητος καὶ πόνου ἐγγίνεσθαι τῇ ψυχῇ. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν τοιαύ την ὁρμὴν, ὁ περικρατὴς τῶν πονηρῶν μὴ γενόμενος βουλευμάτων συνέλαβε πόνον· καὶ ὁ τὴν ἐν τῇ καρ δίᾳ κακίαν διὰ τῶν πονηρῶν πράξεων ἐκκαύσας ἔτεκε τὴν ἀνομίαν. Ἔοικε δὲ ταῦτα λέγειν αἰσχυνό μενος ἐπὶ τῷ πατὴρ εἶναι παιδὸς