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the rays of the intelligible eyes of God reach you, take up the virtues, and it will be as 'Lord, your eyes are on faith,' so 'Lord, your eyes' will be on each of the good things you acquire; and if you are such that the eyes of the Lord shine upon you, you will say: 'The light of your face, Lord, has been signed upon us.' 6.2 Then let us see what is said concerning sinners: 'You have scourged them and they have not felt pain.' These sensible scourges, being brought upon living bodies, whether those being scourged wish it or not, cause them pain; but the scourges of God are such that some of those who are scourged feel pain, while some of those who are scourged do not feel pain. Let us see if we can explain what it is to feel pain from God's scourges and what it is not to feel pain, and that miserable are those who do not feel pain from God's scourges, but blessed are those who do feel pain from God's scourges. For Wisdom says: 'Who will set scourges over my thought, and a seal of discipline on my lips, that they may not spare me in my acts of ignorance, and that my sins may not destroy me?' Pay attention to 'who will set scourges over my thought?' Therefore, there are scourges that scourge the thought. The scourges of God scourge the thought; for a word that rebukes the soul and brings it to an awareness of its sins scourges it; and it scourges the blessed one who feels pain at the scourges, for what is said touches him, and he does not despise the one who rebukes him, but whenever someone is found, so to speak, to be insensitive, it will be said of him: 'You have scourged them and they have not felt pain.' When the same reproving word is spoken, let us say, to reach the thoughts of one whose conscience is defiled by some sin, if one of the listeners feels grief, so that it is said of him: 'You see how so-and-so was pierced to the heart,' but another of the listeners feels no grief, but is insensitive to the reproofs, it is clear that it will be said of the one who feels nothing: 'You have scourged them and they have not felt pain.' This is one explanation concerning 'they have not felt pain' or 'they have felt pain'; but let us see if we have another. There occur in bodies necroses and witherings of certain members, and often the deadened members suffer such things differently from the living ones, so that when things capable of causing pain are applied to a living member, the person to whom the pain-causing thing is applied feels pain, but when pain-causing things are applied to the insensitive member, he does not feel it, when there is necrosis about it. If you have seen these things in the case of the body, transfer them to the soul and see that there is also a soul whose members are deadened, so that it does not feel the scourges, even if some painful things are applied. Terrible things are applied, but such-and-such a soul will not feel them, while another will feel them; and perhaps the one who does not feel the pains applied to him is, as it were, more grieved at not feeling than at feeling, praying rather to feel pain if the painful things should be applied, since this is a sign that he is alive, but being distressed at not feeling the painful things. Just as this happens with bodies, so I think something of this sort is indicated in 'they will wish that they had become burned by fire'; as when fire is applied to someone and the one being burned does not feel it, those people, understanding the comparison between those who do not feel pain and those who do, will wish to feel the fire rather than not to feel it; and one would pray, when that fire of judgment is also applied to sinners, to feel it rather than not to feel it. This is on account of 'you have scourged them, and they have not felt pain'. 'You have consumed them, and they did not want to receive discipline.' When God who provides for all things performs purifying actions for the salvation of a soul, as for what is in his power, he has brought it to completion; and you will understand 'you have consumed them and they did not want to receive discipline' from the example of the one who imparts knowledge and the one who does not wish to receive knowledge from the one imparting it. For let him do everything in his power

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ἀκτῖνας τῶν νοητῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ φθάνειν ἐπὶ σέ, ἀνάλαβε τὰς ἀρετάς, καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ «κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν», οὕτως «κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου» εἰς ἕκαστον ὧν ἐὰν κτήσῃ ἀγαθῶν· καὶ ἐὰν τηλικοῦτος ᾖς, ὡς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς κυρίου ἐλλάμπειν σοι, ἐρεῖς· «Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, κύριε.» 6.2 Εἶτα περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἴδωμεν τὸ λεγόμενον· «Ἐμα στίγωσας αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνησαν.» Αὗται αἱ αἰσθηταὶ μάστιγες ζῶσιν προσφερόμεναι σώμασιν, εἴτε βούλονται εἴτε μὴ βούλονται οἱ μαστιγούμενοι, πόνον ἐμποιοῦσιν αὐτοῖς· αἱ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ μάστιγες τοιαῦταί εἰσιν ὡς τινὰς μὲν τῶν μαστιγουμένων πονεῖν, τινὰς δὲ τῶν μαστιγουμέ νων μὴ πονεῖν. Ἴδωμεν εἰ δυνάμεθα διηγήσασθαι, τί ἐστιν τὸ πονεῖν ἀπὸ μαστίγων θεοῦ καὶ τί τὸ μὴ πονεῖν, καὶ ὅτι κακοδαίμονες οἱ μὴ πονοῦντες ἀπὸ μαστίγων θεοῦ, μακά ριοι δὲ οἱ πονοῦντες ἀπὸ μαστίγων θεοῦ. Φησὶν γὰρ ἡ Σοφία· «Τίς δώσει ἐπὶ τοῦ διανοήματός μου μάστιγας, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων μου σφραγῖδα πανούργων, ἵνα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγνοήμασίν μου μὴ φείσωνται, καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου μὴ ἀπολέσω σίν με;» Πρόσχες τῷ «τίς δώσει ἐπὶ τοῦ διανοήματός μου μάστιγας;» Οὐκοῦν εἰσι μάστιγες τὸ διανόημα μαστι γοῦσαι. Αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ διανόημα μαστιγοῦσιν· λόγος γὰρ καθαπτόμενος τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ εἰς συναίσθησιν αὐτὴν ἄγων τῶν ἡμαρτημένων μαστιγοῖ· μαστιγοῖ δὲ τὸν μὲν μακάριον πονοῦντα ἐπὶ ταῖς μάστιξι, καθικνεῖται γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ οὐκ ἐξευτελίζει τὸν ἐλέγχοντα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἐπὰν δέ τις εὑρεθῇ, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ἀναίσθητος, λεχθήσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Ἐμαστίγωσας αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνησαν.» Τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου λεγομένου ἐλεγκτικῶς, φέρε εἰπεῖν, ἐπὶ τῷ καθικέσθαι διανοίας τοῦ τὴν συνείδησιν μεμολυσμένου ἐπί τινι ἁμαρτίᾳ τὸ λεγόμενον, ἐὰν ὁ μέν τις τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀλγήσῃ, ὥστε λεχθῆναι περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Ἑώρακας ὡς κατενύγη» ὁ δεῖνα, ὁ δέ τις τῶν ἀκουόν των μὴ ἀλγήσῃ, ἀλλὰ ἀναισθητῇ τῶν ἐλεγχόντων, δῆλον ὅτι λεχθήσεται περὶ τοῦ μηδ' αἰσθανομένου· «Ἐμαστί γωσας αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνησαν.» Μία μὲν διήγησις αὕτη περὶ τοῦ «οὐκ ἐπόνησαν» ἢ ἐπόνησαν· ἴδωμεν δὲ εἰ ἔχομεν καὶ ἑτέραν. Γίνονταί τινες ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν μελῶν τινων νεκρότητες καὶ ξηρότητες, καὶ πολλάκις τοιαῦτα πάσχει τὰ νενεκρωμένα μέλη παρὰ τὰ ζῶντα, ὥστε προσαγομένων μὲν τῶν πόνον ποιῆσαι δυνα μένων τῷ ζῶντι μέλει ἀλγεῖν ἐκεῖνον ᾧ προσάγεται τὸ ποιοῦν πονεῖν, προσαγομένων δὲ τῶν ποιούντων πονεῖν τῷ μέλει τῷ ἀναισθήτῳ οὐκ αἰσθάνεται ἐκεῖνος, ὅταν ᾖ νεκρό της περὶ αὐτό. Ταῦτα εἴπερ εἶδες ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος, μετά θες ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὅρα ὅτι ἔστιν τις καὶ ψυχὴ νεκρου μένη τὰ μέλη, ὥστε μὴ αἰσθάνεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν μαστίγων, κἂν ἐπίπονα προσφέρηταί τινα. ∆εινὰ προσφέρεται, ἀλλ' οὐκ αἰσθανθήσεται ἡ δεῖνα ψυχή, ἄλλη δὲ αἰσθανθήσεται· καὶ τάχα ὡσπερεὶ λυπεῖται μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ αἰσθάνεσθαι ἤπερ ἐπὶ τῷ αἰσθάνεσθαι ὁ μὴ αἰσθανόμενος ἀπὸ πόνων αὐτῷ προσφερομένων, εὐχόμενος μᾶλλον πονεῖν εἰ προσάγοιτο τὰ ἐπίπονα, ἐπεὶ σημεῖόν ἐστι τοῦτο τοῦ ζῆν αὐτόν, ἀηδι ζόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ αἰσθάνεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐπιπόνοις. Ὥσπερ δὴ τοῦτο γίνεται ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων, οὕτω νομίζω ἐν τῷ «θελήσωσιν εἰ ἐγένοντο πυρίκαυστοι» τοιοῦτόν τι δηλοῦσθαι· οἷον τοῦ πυρὸς προσφερομένου τινὶ καὶ μὴ αἰσθανομένου τοῦ καιομένου, θελήσωσιν ἐκεῖνοι, καταλα βόντες σύγκρισιν μὴ αἰσθανομένων ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀλγηδόσιν καὶ αἰσθανομένων, μᾶλλον αἰσθάνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ πυρὶ ἢ μὴ αἰσθά νεσθαι· καὶ εὔξαιτο ἄν τις προσαγομένου κἀκείνου τοῦ κεκριμένου πυρὸς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς αἰσθάνεσθαι μᾶλ λον ἢ μὴ αἰσθάνεσθαι. Ταῦτα διὰ τὸ «ἐμαστίγωσας αὐτούς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνησαν». «Συνετέλεσας αὐτούς, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν δέξασθαι παι δείαν.» Ὅτε τὰ καθαρτικὰ ποιεῖ ὁ προνοῶν τῶν ὅλων θεὸς ἐπὶ ψυχῆς σωτηρίᾳ, τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῷ συνετέλεσεν· νοή σεις δὲ <τὸ> «συνετέλεσας αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν δέξα σθαι παιδείαν» ἀπὸ παραδείγματος τοῦ κατὰ τὸν παραδι δόντα τὴν ἐπιστήμην καὶ τὸν μὴ βουλόμενον παραλαβεῖν τὴν ἐπιστήμην ἀπὸ τοῦ παραδιδόντος. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ παρ' αὐτῷ ποιείτω