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Having, it says, this seal fixed. Everyone who names the name of the Lord, it says, let him depart from iniquity. So that when someone is unjust, he is not of the foundation. So that this too is of the seal, not to do unjust things. Let us not then put away the royal seal and the mark, so that we may not be unsealed, so that we may not be unsound, so that we may be foundations, and solid foundations, so that we may not be carried about; this shows those who are of God, those who depart from iniquity. For how can anyone be of God, who is just, while doing unjust things, fighting against him through his works, and insulting him through his deeds? Again we accuse injustice, and again we have many who hate us for it. For this passion has taken possession of the souls of all like some tyrant; and the terrible thing is that it is not by necessity nor by force, but by persuasion and gentleness, and they are grateful for this slavery. For this is truly the terrible thing; for if they were held by force and not by love, they would quickly have departed from it. And from where does the thing seem to be pleasant, being exceedingly bitter? And from where does justice seem bitter, being exceedingly pleasant? From our 62.628 senses. Thus, at least, some have thought honey bitter, and have taken some other harmful thing with pleasure. The cause is not in the nature of the things, but in the perversion of those who are in a bad state. Understand the criterion of our soul. For if a balance has its scale-pan unsteady, it does not judge the weights justly, being carried about. And if a soul does not have the scale-pan of its own reasonings fixed and securely nailed to the law of God, it will not be able to judge things well, but is carried about and dragged down. For if one were to examine accurately, he would see the great bitterness of injustice, not in those who suffer it, but in those who do it, and in these more than in those. And let us not yet speak of the things to come, but for now let us discuss the things here: does it not have battles and law-courts, and condemnation and envy and slander? what is more bitter than these things? Does it not have enmities? Does it not have wars? Does it not have accusations? Does not the conscience continuously scourge and bite us? I would wish, if it were possible, to draw out the soul of the unjust man from the body, and you would see it pale, trembling, ashamed, in agony, condemning itself. For even if we fall to the very bottom of wickedness, the criterion of the mind is not corrupted, but stands unbribed; and no one practices injustice saying that it is good, but he invents excuses, and does everything to shake off the accusation, at least in words; but he will not be able to do so from his conscience. For here, both elegance of words, and corruption of rulers, and crowds of flatterers will be able to overshadow what is just; but within, in the conscience, none of these things happen; no flatterers are present, no money is present to corrupt the judge; for the criterion is implanted in us by nature from God; and that which is from God would suffer nothing of this kind. 4. But also unpleasant sleeps and fantasies and the evil that constantly comes to memory ruins our rest. For example, someone unjustly took away someone's house; not only does the one who is deprived groan, but also the one who deprived him, if indeed he is convinced about the judgment; if anyone is convinced, he both groans and laments vehemently; but if he does not believe in the things to come, even so he blushes, being ashamed; or rather, there is no man, whether Greek, or Jew, or heretic, who does not fear concerning judgment; even if he does not philosophize about the things to come, yet he fears and trembles about things here, lest he receive a greater penalty in his wealth, or in his children, or in his relatives, or in his soul; for God does many such things. For since the word of the resurrection is not strong enough to chasten all, even here He provides and brings forth for us many proofs of His just judgment: so-and-so who was covetous had no children, so-and-so fell in the war, another was maimed in his body,

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Ἔχων, φησὶ, τὴν σφραγῖδα ταύτην ἐμπεπηγμένην. Πᾶς ὁ ὀνομάζων, φησὶ, τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἀποστήτω ἀπὸ ἀδικίας. Ὥστε ὅταν ᾖ τις ἄδικος, οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ θεμελίου. Ὥστε καὶ τοῦτο σφραγῖδος, τὸ μὴ πράττειν ἄδικα. Μὴ τοίνυν τὸ σήμαντρον τὸ βασιλικὸν καὶ τὸ γνώρισμα ἀποθώμεθα, ἵνα μὴ ἀσφράγιστοι ὦμεν, ἵνα μὴ σαθροὶ, ἵνα θεμέλιοι ὦμεν, καὶ θεμέλιοι στερεοὶ, ἵνα μὴ περιφερώμεθα· τοῦτο δείκνυσι τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοὺς ἀφισταμένους ἀπὸ ἀδικίας. Πῶς γάρ τις τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναται εἶναι δικαίου ὄντος, ὁ ἄδικα ποιῶν, ὁ μαχόμενος αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν ἔργων, καὶ ὑβρίζων αὐτὸν διὰ τῶν πράξεων; Πάλιν ἡμεῖς τῆς ἀδικίας κατηγοροῦμεν, καὶ πάλιν πολλοὺς ἔχομεν τοὺς ἀπεχθανομένους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τύραννός τις τὰς ἁπάντων κατέλαβε ψυχὰς τοῦτο τὸ πάθος· καὶ τὸ δεινὸν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ οὐδὲ βίᾳ, ἀλλὰ πειθοῖ καὶ προσηνείᾳ, καὶ χάριν ἴσασι τῆς δουλείας ταύτης. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὄντως τὸ δεινόν· ὡς εἴ γε βίᾳ κατείχοντο καὶ μὴ ἀγάπῃ, ταχέως ἂν ἀπέστησαν. Καὶ πόθεν ἡδὺ τὸ πρᾶγμα εἶναι δοκεῖ, σφόδρα πικρὸν ὄν; πόθεν δὲ πικρὸν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, σφόδρα ἡδὺ ὄν· Παρὰ τὰ αἰ 62.628 σθητήρια τὰ ἡμέτερα. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ μέλι πικρὸν ἐνόμισάν τινες, καὶ ἄλλο τι τῶν βλαβερῶν μετὰ ἡδονῆς προσήκαντο. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον οὐ παρὰ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν τῶν κακουμένων διαστροφήν. Νόει τὸ κριτήριον τῆς ἡμετέρας ψυχῆς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ζυγὸς ἐὰν ἔχῃ παρασαλευομένην τὴν πλάστιγγα, οὐ κρίνει δικαίως τὰ σταθμητὰ περιφερόμενος. Καὶ ψυχὴ ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ τὴν πλάστιγγα τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν πεπηγυῖαν καὶ προσηλωμένην ἀσφαλῶς τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ δυνήσεται κρῖναι καλῶς τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλὰ περιφέρεται καὶ καθέλκεται. Ἐπεὶ εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσειε, πολλὴν ὄψεται τῆς ἀδικίας τὴν πικρίαν, οὐ τοῖς πάσχουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ποιοῦσι, καὶ τούτοις μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκείνοις. Καὶ μήπω περὶ τῶν μελλόντων, ἀλλὰ τέως περὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα διαλεχθῶμεν, οὐχὶ μάχας ἔχει καὶ δικαστήρια, καὶ κατάγνωσιν καὶ φθόνον καὶ κακηγορίαν; τί τούτων πικρότερον; οὐχὶ ἀπεχθείας; οὐχὶ πολέμους; οὐχὶ κατηγορίας; Οὐ τὸ συνειδὸς μαστίζον ἡμᾶς συνεχῶς καὶ δάκνον; Ἐβουλόμην, εἴ γε δυνατὸν ἦν, ἐξελκύσαι τοῦ σώματος τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ ἀδίκου, καὶ εἶδες ἂν αὐτὴν ὠχρὰν, τρέμουσαν, αἰσχυνομένην, ἀγωνιῶσαν, καταδικάζουσαν ἑαυτήν. Κἂν γὰρ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν πυθμένα τῆς κακίας καταπέσωμεν, τὸ κριτήριον τοῦ νοῦ οὐ διαφθείρεται, ἀλλ' ἕστηκεν ἀδέκαστον· καὶ οὐδεὶς καλὸν εἶναι λέγων τὴν ἀδικίαν μετέρχεται, ἀλλὰ προφάσεις πλάττει, καὶ πάντα ποιεῖ, ὥστε κἂν διὰ ῥημάτων ἀποδύσασθαι τὸ ἔγκλημα· ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος δυνήσεται. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ καὶ κομψεία λόγων, καὶ ἀρχόντων διαφθορὰ, καὶ πλήθη κολάκων δυνήσεται συσκιάσαι τὸ δίκαιον· ἔνδον δὲ ἐν τῷ συνειδότι οὐδὲν τούτων γίνεται, οὐ πάρεισι κόλακες, οὐ πάρεστι χρήματα τὸν κριτὴν διαφθείροντα· φυσικῶς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἔγκειται τὸ κριτήριον παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὸ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδὲν ἂν πάθοι τοιοῦτο. δʹ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὕπνοι ἀηδεῖς καὶ φαντασίαι καὶ συνεχῶς εἰς μνήμην ἐρχόμενον τὸ κακὸν λυμαίνεται τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν ἡμῶν. Οἷον, οἰκίαν τις ἀφείλετο ἀδίκως τινός· οὐχ ὁ ἀποστερούμενος στένει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἀποστερήσας, ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ περὶ τῆς κρίσεως πεπεισμένος· εἴ γέ τις πέπεισται, καὶ σφοδρῶς στένει καὶ ὀδύρεται· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ πιστεύῃ τοῖς μέλλουσι, καὶ οὕτως ἐρυθριᾷ αἰσχυνόμενος· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος, κἂν Ἕλλην ᾖ, κἂν Ἰουδαῖος, κἂν αἱρετικὸς, ὃς περὶ κρίσεως οὐ δέδοικε· κἂν μὴ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων φιλοσοφῇ, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐνταῦθα δέδοικε καὶ τρέμει, μὴ εἰς χρήματα ἀπολάβῃ μειζόνως, μὴ εἰς τέκνα, μὴ εἰς οἰκείους, μὴ εἰς ψυχήν· καὶ γὰρ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ποιεῖ ὁ Θεός. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἰσχύει ὁ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγος σωφρονίσαι πάντας, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῆς αὐτοῦ δικαιοκρισίας πολλὰ ἡμῖν τεκμήρια παρέχεται καὶ εἰς μέσον φέρει· ὁ δεῖνα πλεονεκτήσας οὐκ ἔσχε παῖδας, ὁ δεῖνα ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ ἔπεσεν, ἄλλος τὸ σῶμα ἐπηρώθη,