12

to continually think within ourselves of the gift of God, and from what things we have been delivered, and what things we have obtained; and thus we will be thankful, thus we will intensify our love for him. What do you say, O man? you have been called into a kingdom, into the kingdom of the Son of God, and you are full of yawning, and you scratch yourself, and you are sluggish? For if it were necessary to leap into ten thousand deaths each day, ought you not to have endured all things? But for the sake of a temporal office you do anything whatsoever, yet when you are about to share in the kingdom of the Only-begotten, do you not leap against ten thousand swords, do you not jump into fire? And this is not yet the terrible thing, but that when you are about to depart, you lament, and linger among the things here, being a lover of the body. Why is this? Do you also consider death a dreadful thing? Luxury is the cause of these things, and ease; since he who lives a very bitter life would choose to be winged and to be delivered from hence. But now we suffer the same thing as young birds that have become soft, wishing to remain always in the nest. But the longer we remain, the weaker we shall be. For the present life is a nest, glued together from twigs and mud. Even if you show me great houses, even the palaces themselves shining with much gold and with stones, I will think them no different from the nests of swallows; for when winter comes, all these things will fall of their own accord; and by winter I mean that day, though not a winter for all. Since God also calls that time both night and day together, the one with respect to sinners, the other with respect to the righteous. So I too now call it winter. If in the summer we are not well nourished, so as to be able to fly when winter comes, our mothers will not take us, but will leave us to be destroyed by hunger, or to perish when the nest falls. For just like a nest, or rather even more easily than it, God then pulls down all things, dismantling and reshaping all things. But those who are unable to fly and cannot meet him in the air, but have been so coarsely reared as not to have a light wing, will suffer all those things which it is likely for those in such a state to suffer. The brood of swallows, therefore, when it falls, quickly perishes; but we shall not perish, but be punished perpetually. That time will be winter, or rather, more severe than winter. For not torrents of water are swept down, but rivers of fire; not darkness from clouds is produced, but a darkness that cannot be loosed and is without light, so that one can see neither the heaven, nor the air, but is more straitened than those who are buried in the earth. We say these things often, but we persuade no one. And it is no wonder, if we, lowly men, suffer these things when speaking about such matters, when even the prophets suffered these things, speaking not only about such matters, but also about war and captivity. And Zedekiah was reproved by Jeremiah, and was not ashamed. For this reason the prophets said: Woe to those who say, Let what God will do come quickly, that we may see, 62.315 and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know. Let us not wonder at this; For not even those at the time of the ark believed, but they believed when there was no profit from faith; nor did those in Sodom expect it, but they too believed, when it was of no benefit to them. And why do I speak of the things to come? Who would have expected these things that are now happening in various places, the earthquakes, the destructions of cities? And yet these things are more credible than those, I mean of the ark. How is this clear? Because they had no other example to look to, nor had they heard the Scriptures; but here ten thousand things have happened, both in our own years and in those before. But whence is the unbelief of such things? From a soft soul; they were drinking and eating, and for this reason they did not believe. For what a person wishes, these things he also thinks, these things he also expects; those who contradict are nonsense. 5. But let us not suffer the same thing; for there will not be a flood henceforth, nor is the punishment only until the end,

12

διαπαντὸς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεὰν, καὶ τίνων ἀπηλλάγημεν, καὶ τίνων ἐτύχομεν ἐννοεῖν· καὶ οὕτως ἐσόμεθα εὐχάριστοι, οὕτω τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιτενοῦμεν. Τί λέγεις, ἄνθρωπε; εἰς βασιλείαν κέκλησαι, εἰς βασιλείαν Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ χάσμης πληροῦσαι, καὶ κνᾶσαι, καὶ ναρκᾷς; Εἰ γὰρ εἰς μυρίους θανάτους πηδῆσαι ἑκάστης τῆς ἡμέρας ἔδει, οὐ πάντα ἐχρῆν ὑπομεῖναι; Ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ μὲν ἀρχῆς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ποιεῖς, τῆς δὲ βασιλείας μέλλων κοινωνεῖν τῆς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, οὐ καθάλλῃ κατὰ μυρίων ξιφῶν, οὐκ ἐμπηδᾷς εἰς πῦρ; Καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο δεινὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μέλλων ἀπιέναι θρηνεῖς, καὶ ἐμφιλοχωρεῖς τοῖς ἐνταῦθα φιλοσώματος ὤν. Τί δὴ τοῦτο; καὶ τὸν θάνατον φρικτὸν πρᾶγμα εἶναι νομίζεις; Ἡ τρυφὴ τούτων αἰτία, ἡ ἄνεσις· ἐπεὶ ὅγε κατάπικρον βίον ζῶν, καὶ πτερωθῆναι ἕλοιτο ἂν καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆναι ἐντεῦθεν. Νῦν δὲ ταὐτὸν πάσχομεν, οἷον οἱ νεοττοὶ μαλακισθέντες, διαπαντὸς ἐπὶ τῆς καλιᾶς μένειν ἐθέλοντες. Ἀλλ' ὅσῳπερ ἂν μένωμεν, τοσούτῳ ἐσόμεθα ἀσθενέστεροι. Καλιὰ γὰρ ὁ παρὼν βίος ἐστὶν, ἀπὸ καρφῶν καὶ πηλοῦ συγκεκολλημένος. Κἂν τὰς μεγάλας μοι δείξῃς οἰκίας, κἂν αὐτὰ τὰ βασίλεια λάμποντα πολλῷ τῷ χρυσῷ καὶ τοῖς λίθοις, οὐδὲν οἰήσομαι διαφέρειν καλιᾶς χελιδόνων· τοῦ γὰρ χειμῶνος ἐπιστάντος, αὐτόματα πάντα πεσεῖται· χειμῶνα δὲ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην λέγω, οὐχὶ πᾶσι χειμῶνα. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς νύκτα τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἡμέραν τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον καλεῖ, τὸ μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς, τὸ δὲ πρὸς τοὺς δικαίους. Οὕτω καὶ ἐγὼ νῦν χειμῶνα αὐτὴν καλῶ. Ἂν ἐν τῷ θέρει μὴ ἐκτραφῶμεν καλῶς, ὥστε δύνασθαι ἵπτασθαι τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐπιστάντος, οὐ λήψονται ἡμᾶς αἱ μητέρες, ἀλλ' ἐάσουσι τῷ λιμῷ διαφθαρῆναι, ἢ τῆς καλιᾶς πεσούσης ἀπολέσθαι. Καθάπερ γὰρ καλιὰν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ εὐκολώτερον ταύτης, ἅπαντα καθαιρεῖ τότε ὁ Θεὸς, ἀνασκευάζων καὶ μεταῤῥυθμίζων ἅπαντα. Οἱ δὲ ἄπτηνες καὶ ἀπαντῆσαι αὐτῷ μὴ δυνάμενοι εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, ἀλλ' οὕτω βαναύσως τραφέντες, ὡς μὴ ἔχειν τὸ πτερὸν κοῦφον, πείσονται ἅπαντα ταῦτα, ἅπερ εἰκὸς τοὺς οὕτω διακειμένους παθεῖν. Ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν χελιδόνων νεοττιὰ, ὅταν καταπέσῃ, ταχέως ἀπόλλυται· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἀπολούμεθα, ἀλλὰ κολαζόμεθα διηνεκῶς. Χειμὼν ἔσται ὁ τότε καιρὸς, μᾶλλον δὲ χειμῶνος χαλεπώτερος. Οὐ γὰρ χείμαῤῥοι κατασύρονται ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ ποταμοὶ πυρός· οὐ σκότος ἀπὸ νεφῶν γίνεται, ἀλλὰ σκότος ἄλυτον καὶ ἀφεγγὲς, ὥστε μήτε τὸν οὐρανὸν ἰδεῖν, μήτε τὸν ἀέρα, ἀλλὰ τῶν εἰς τὴν γῆν κατωρυγμένων μᾶλλον στενοχωρεῖσθαι. Πολλάκις ταῦτα λέγομεν, ἀλλ' οὐ πείθομέν τινας. Καὶ οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν, εἴ γε ἡμεῖς ἄνθρωποι εὐτελεῖς ταῦτα πάσχομεν ὑπὲρ τοιούτων διαλεγόμενοι, ὅπου γε καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἔπασχον ταῦτα, οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοιούτων μόνον πραγμάτων διαλεγόμενοι. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ πολέμου καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας. Καὶ ὁ Σεδεκίας ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου ἠλέγχετο, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγον οἱ προφῆται· Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες, ἐγγισάτω τὸ τάχος ἃ ποιήσει ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα ἴδωμεν, 62.315 καὶ ἐλθέτω ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ, ἵνα γνῶμεν. Μὴ θαυμάζωμεν τοῦτο· Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἐπίστευον, ἀλλ' ἐπίστευσαν ὅτε τῆς πίστεως κέρδος ἦν οὐδέν· οὐδὲ οἱ ἐν Σοδόμοις προσεδόκησαν, ἀλλ' ἐπίστευσαν καὶ αὐτοὶ, ὅτε οὐδὲν πλέον αὐτοῖς γέγονε. Καὶ τί λέγω τὰ μέλλοντα; τίς ἂν ταῦτα προσεδόκησε τὰ νῦν γινόμενα κατὰ διαφόρους τόπους, τοὺς σεισμοὺς, τῶν πόλεων τὰς ἀναιρέσεις; Καίτοι γε ταῦτα ἐκείνων πιστότερα, τῆς κιβωτοῦ λέγω. Πόθεν δῆλον; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὐκ εἶχον εἰς ἄλλο παράδειγμα ἰδεῖν, οὐδὲ τῶν Γραφῶν ἤκουσαν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ μυρία ὅσα γέγονε, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐτῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων. Ἀλλὰ πόθεν ἡ ἀπιστία τῶν τοιούτων; Ἀπὸ μαλακῆς ψυχῆς· ἔπινον καὶ ἤσθιον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπίστευον. Ἃ γὰρ βούλεταί τις, ταῦτα καὶ οἴεται, ταῦτα καὶ προσδοκᾷ· οἱ ἀντιλέγοντες λῆρός εἰσιν. εʹ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ πάθωμεν ταὐτόν· οὐ γὰρ κατακλυσμὸς ἔσται λοιπὸν, οὐδὲ μέχρι τελευτῆς ἡ κόλασις,