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Despising the Scriptures, and insulting the Holy Spirit who spoke through the mouth of those in the Old and New Testament, what will you do in that dreadful hour, when the judgment seat is set, and the books are opened, which you now detest and turn away from? Where will you flee? Where will you hide from the face of the one who spoke all divine Scripture, and composed every sacred book? Woe and destruction will overtake you, unless you quickly take up lamentation and wailing, and propitiate the one whom you have provoked, God the Comforter. Do you not hear the Lord saying, Search the Scriptures? Do you not hear how he called those who did not know the Scriptures deceived? Hear the Apostle calling it God-breathed and profitable, and a word that makes healthy 60.698 and heals, and calling it holy Writings, and a law of freedom. Hear again how through Solomon the Holy Spirit called you impious, saying: But the impious will despise wisdom and instruction.

θʹ. Hearing these things, repent and prepare yourselves for a defense, before the day of the Lord comes. And to put it all briefly, every person who does not hasten to correct himself from this point, but departs this life still in need—not of correction, but of [the warning], The wrath of God is revealed from heaven—let such a person also expect it. against this sin or that, but against all impiety and unrighteousness of man, of both men and women. For there is no distinction; for we have all sinned. For this reason the holy Apostle, according to the grace given to him, also wrote about women, saying: Women who are dignified, faithful deacons in all things. But I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to have authority over a man, but to be in quietness, keepers at home, good teachers, So that they may train the young women to love their husbands, not to be enslaved to much wine. And concerning widows he wrote thus: Honor widows, those who are truly widows. She who continues in supplications and prayers, If she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has assisted the afflicted, if she has devoted herself to every good work. And concerning elders and eldresses the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of the saints, and concerning slaves and masters he gave instruction, and concerning kings he spoke, and concerning soldiers he talked, and concerning bishops he gave a pattern, and he passed over nothing that is profitable; since, as he said, Against all impiety and unrighteousness of small and great is the wrath from heaven revealed.

I have reminded your love of all things, so that you may know all the commandments, and every ruler and authority and every age may learn the counsel of God and his will, and his dreadful coming from heaven, and the dreadful punishments, and that painful separation, and that each may hasten to correct his own life, and to prepare himself for a defense, and not give himself over to laziness, and fail to obtain the inexpressible and eternal good things. See then, you lazy one, do not remain in laziness, do not be overcome by deceit and pleasure. See that you do not despise the riches of God's goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, and store up for yourself wrath, as the Apostle says, on the day of wrath. Turn back, then, be sober, be watchful; for the time that is past is sufficient; do not persist in your deceit and love of pleasure, do not go deeper into your unrighteousness. Do you not see the angel following and writing down your deeds? do you not know that according to your hardness and stubbornness the wound becomes greater, and is written more heavily, and wrath is kindled more? do you not know that the working of evil becomes hard to erase, just as on a tablet some characters inscribed more lightly are easily smoothed away, but those that are deep are found to be hard to erase? See then that you do not despise the one who is about to judge you; see then that you do not

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Γραφὰς ἐξουθενοῦντες, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἐνυβρίζοντες τὸ λαλῆσαν διὰ στόματος τῶν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ καὶ Καινῇ ∆ιαθήκῃ, τί ποιήσετε ἐν τῇ φρικτῇ ἐκείνῃ ὥρᾳ, ὅταν τὸ κριτήριον καθίσῃ, καὶ ἀνοιχθῶσιν αἱ βίβλοι, ἃς νῦν βδελύσσεσθε καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθε; ποῦ φύγητε; ποῦ κρυβήσεσθε ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ λαλήσαντος πᾶσαν θείαν Γραφὴν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἱερὰν βίβλον συντάξαντος; Οὐαὶ καὶ ἀπώλεια καταλήψεται ὑμᾶς, εἰμὴ ταχέως ἀναλάβησθε θρῆνον καὶ ὀδυρμὸν, καὶ δυσωπήσητε ὃν παρωξύνατε, παράκλητον Θεόν. Οὐκ ἀκούετε τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος, Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφάς; Οὐκ ἀκούετε πῶς πεπλανημένους ἐκάλεσε τοὺς μὴ εἰδότας τὰς Γραφάς; Ἀκούσατε τοῦ Ἀποστόλου θεόπνευστον αὐτὴν καλοῦντος καὶ ὠφέλιμον, καὶ λόγον ὑγιαίνοντά τε 60.698 καὶ ἰατρεύοντα, καὶ ἱερὰ Γράμματα καλοῦντος, καὶ νόμον ἐλευθερίας. Ἀκούσατε πάλιν πῶς διὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἀσεβεῖς ὑμᾶς ἐκάλεσε, λέγον· Σοφίαν δὲ καὶ παιδείαν ἀσεβεῖς ἐξουθενήσουσι.

θʹ. Ταῦτα ἀκούοντες, μετανοήσατε καὶ ἑτοιμάζεσθε πρὸς ἀπολογίαν, πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου. Καὶ ἵνα συνελὼν τὰ πάντα εἴπω, πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, ὅστις ἐὰν μὴ σπουδάσῃ ἀπεντεῦθεν διορθώσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἔτι χρῄζων ὅτι Ἀποκαλύπτεται ὀργὴ Θεοῦ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ, οὐχὶ διορθώσεως, ἀποδημήσῃ, ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ προσδοκάτω. ἐπὶ τήνδε ἁμαρτίαν ἢ τήνδε, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπου, ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι διαστολή· πάντες γὰρ ἡμάρτομεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ ἱερὸς Ἀπόστολος κατὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ καὶ περὶ γυναικῶν ἔγραψε λέγων· Γυναῖκας σεμνὰς, διακόνους πιστὰς ἐν πᾶσι. ∆ιδάσκειν δὲ γυναικὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπω, οὐδὲ διαυθεντεῖν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀλλ' εἶναι ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ, οἰκουροὺς, καλοδιδασκάλους, Ἵνα σωφρονίζωσι τὰς νέας φιλάνδρους εἶναι, μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ δεδουλωμένας. Καὶ περὶ χηρῶν ἔγραψεν οὕτω· Χήρας τίμα, τὰς ὄντως χήρας. Ἥτις προσμένει ταῖς δεήσεσι καὶ ταῖς προσευχαῖς, Εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν, εἰ ἐξενοδόχησεν, εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν, εἰ θλιβομένοις ἐπήρκεσεν, εἰ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπηκολούθησε. Καὶ περὶ πρεσβυτέρων τε καὶ πρεσβυτίδων ἐλάλησε τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ περὶ δούλων τε καὶ δεσποτῶν διετάξατο, καὶ περὶ βασιλέων εἶπε, καὶ περὶ στρατιωτῶν ἐλάλησε, καὶ περὶ ἐπισκόπων ἐτύπωσε, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν συμφερόντων παρέδραμεν· ἐπειδὴ, καθὼς ἔφη, Ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν μικρῶν τε καὶ μεγάλων ἀποκαλύπτεται ὀργὴ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ.

Πάντα ὑπέμνησα τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἀγάπῃ, ἵνα εἴδητε πάντα τὰ προστάγματα, καὶ πᾶσα ἀρχὴ καὶ ἐξουσία καὶ πᾶσα ἡλικία μάθῃ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ θέλημα, καὶ τὴν φοβερὰν αὐτοῦ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ παρουσίαν, καὶ τὰς φοβερὰς κολάσεις, καὶ τὸν ὀδυνηρὸν ἐκεῖνον χωρισμὸν, καὶ σπουδάσῃ ἕκαστος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον διορθώσασθαι, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἑτοιμάσαι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν, καὶ μὴ τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ ἑαυτὸν παραδῷ, καὶ ἀποτύχῃ τῶν ἀνεκφωνητῶν καὶ αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν. Ὅρα οὖν, ὦ ῥᾴθυμε σὺ, μὴ ἐμμείνῃς τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ, μὴ νικῶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ ἡδονῆς. Βλέπε μὴ διὰ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονῇς, καὶ θησαυρίσῃς σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν, καθὼς λέγει ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς. Ἐπίστρεψον λοιπὸν, νῆψον, γρηγόρησον· ἀρκετὸς γὰρ ὁ παρελθὼν καιρός· ἐν τῇ ἀπάτῃ καὶ φιληδονίᾳ σου μὴ ἐπιμείνῃς, μὴ ἐμβαθύνῃς ἐν τῇ ἀδικίᾳ σου. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὸν ἄγγελον ἀκολουθοῦντα καὶ γράφοντά σου τὰς πράξεις; οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἐπιμονὴν τὸ ἕλκος μεῖζον γίνεται, καὶ βαρύτερον γράφεται, καὶ ὀργὴ πλέον ἐξάπτεται; οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι τὸ κατεργάζεσθαι τὸ κακὸν, δυσεξάλειπτον καθίσταται, ὥσπερ ἐν πίνακι χαρακτῆρες οἱ μὲν κουφοτέρως ἐναποκείμενοι εὐχερῶς καταλεαίνονται, οἱ δὲ διὰ βάθους δυσεξάλειπτοι εὑρίσκονται; Ὅρα οὖν μὴ περιφρονήσῃς τοῦ μέλλοντός σε κρίνειν· ὅρα οὖν μὴ