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may have no throne, nor executioners and the block, but nevertheless they too judge sinners, in discussions and common assemblies and by the vote of conscience; and no one would dare to say that the adulterer is not worthy of punishment. But they condemn others, he says, not themselves. For this is why he vehemently rises up against them, saying: But do you suppose this, O man, who judges those who do such things, and do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? For since he has shown the great sinfulness of the world, from their doctrines, from their deeds, and that while being wise, and that while having creation to lead them by the hand, and that not only in abandoning God, but also in choosing the likenesses of creeping things, and in dishonoring virtue, and in deserting to wickedness even as nature pulled against it, and in being contrary to nature, he proceeds then to show that those who do such things are also punished. He has indeed already shown a punishment, in speaking of the act itself: For the recompense of their error, which was due, they receive 60.424 in themselves, he says; but since they are not sensible of that one, he mentioned another, which they fear most of all. Indeed he has already shown this too; for when he says that the judgment of God is according to truth, he says nothing other than this; but nevertheless he establishes it again with several other arguments, saying thus: But do you suppose this, O man, who judges those who do such things, and do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? You did not escape your own judgment, and will you escape God's? And who could say this? And yet you judged yourself. But since the abundance of the tribunal was so great, and you were not able to spare even yourself, how will God, the sinless, the exceedingly just, not do this much more? But you condemned yourself, and will God accept and praise you? And how could this be reasonable? And yet you are most worthy of a greater punishment than that one who is condemned by you. For it is not the same to sin simply, and after punishing another who sins to fall into the same things again. Do you see how he has magnified the charge? For if you, he says, punish the one who has sinned less, although you are about to shame yourself, how will God not condemn and judge more severely you who has transgressed more greatly, and this without being about to shame Himself, you who are already condemned by your own reasonings? But if you say, I know indeed that I am worthy of punishment, but because of his long-suffering you are contemptuous, and because he does not exact punishment immediately, you are confident; for this reason you should fear and tremble. For it is not so that he might not exact punishment, but so that he might exact a more severe one, if you remain uncorrected, that he postpones it; which may it never happen to you. Wherefore he also adds, saying: Or do you despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? For having praised the long-suffering of God, and shown its very great benefit to those who pay attention (and this was to draw sinners to repentance), he increases the fear. For just as for those who use it for what is needed it is a ground for salvation, so for those who have despised it, it is a provision for greater punishment. For this is what is commonly said, that since God is good and long-suffering, he does not exact punishment; but when you say this, he says, you say nothing else than the intensification of the punishment. For God shows his goodness so that you might be freed from your sins, not so that you might add to them; if therefore you do not do this, the penalty is more terrible. Wherefore one must least of all sin, because God is long-suffering, nor make his beneficence a pretext for ingratitude; for if he is long-suffering, he also punishes in any case. How is this clear? From what is said next. For if wickedness is great, but the wicked have not received their due, it is necessary that they receive it in any case. For if men do not overlook these things, how will God overlook them? So from this he also introduced the argument concerning the judgment. For by showing many to be liable, if they should not repent, and then not punished here, he introduces the judgment in any case, and with intensity; wherefore he says:

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θρόνον ἔχωσι, μηδὲ δημίους καὶ ξύλον, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ αὐτοὶ κρίνουσι τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἐν διαλέξεσι καὶ κοινοῖς συλλόγοις καὶ τῇ τοῦ συνειδότος ψήφῳ· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν τολμήσειεν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἄξιος κολάσεως ὁ μοιχός. Ἀλλ' ἑτέρους, φησὶ, καταδικάζουσιν, οὐχ ἑαυτούς. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο αὐτῶν καὶ σφοδρῶς κατεξανίσταται, λέγων· Λογίζῃ δὲ τοῦτο, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ὁ κρίνων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράττοντας, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὰ, ὅτι σὺ ἐκφεύξῃ τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὴν ἔδειξε τῆς οἰκουμένης τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀπὸ τῶν δογμάτων, ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ ὅτι σοφοὶ ὄντες, καὶ ὅτι τὴν κτίσιν ἔχοντες χειραγωγοῦσαν, καὶ ὅτι οὐ τῷ τὸν Θεὸν ἀφεῖναι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἑλέσθαι τὰ ὁμοιώματα τῶν ἑρπετῶν, καὶ τῷ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀτιμάσαι, καὶ τῷ τῆς φύσεως ἀνθελκούσης ἐπὶ τὴν κακίαν αὐτομολῆσαι, καὶ τῷ παρὰ φύσιν εἶναι, πρόεισι λοιπὸν εἰς τὸ δεῖξαι, ὅτι καὶ κολάζονται οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες. Ἔδειξε μὲν οὖν ἤδη τιμωρίαν, εἰπὼν τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτήν· Τὴν γὰρ ἀντιμισθίαν, ἣν ἔδει, τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀπο 60.424 λαμβάνουσι, φησίν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐκ αἰσθάνονται ἐκείνης, εἶπε καὶ ἑτέραν, ἢν μάλιστα δεδοίκασι. Μάλιστα μὲν ἤδη καὶ ταύτην ἔδειξεν· ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ, ὅτι Τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ ἀλήθειάν ἐστιν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τοῦτο λέγει· πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρων αὐτὸ πλειόνων κατασκευάζει πάλιν, οὕτω λέγων· Λογίζῃ δὲ τοῦτο. ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ὁ κρίνων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὰ, ὅτι σὺ ἐκφεύξῃ τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὸ σὸν οὐκ ἐξέφυγες κρῖμα, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαφεύξῃ; καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι; Καίτοι γε σὺ σαυτὸν ἔκρινας. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοσαύτη ἦν ἡ περιουσία τοῦ δικαστηρίου, καὶ οὐδὲ σαυτοῦ φείσασθαι ἠδυνήθης, πῶς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἀναμάρτητος, ὁ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς δίκαιος, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦτο ποιήσει; Ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν σαυτοῦ κατέγνως, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἀποδέξεται καὶ ἐπαινέσει; Καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο λόγον; Καίτοι γε ἐκείνου τοῦ παρὰ σοῦ καταδικαζομένου κολάσεως μείζονος σὺ ἀξιώτατος. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι ταυτὸν ἁμαρτάνειν ἁπλῶς, καὶ ἕτερον ἁμαρτάνοντα κολάσαντα τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν πάλιν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τὸ ἔγκλημα ηὔξησεν; Εἰ γὰρ σὺ, φησὶ, τὸν ἐλάττονα ἁμαρτόντα κολάζεις, καίτοι γε μέλλων αἰσχύνειν σαυτὸν, πῶς ὁ Θεὸς τὸν μείζονα πλημμελήσαντά σε, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ μέλλων ἑαυτὸν αἰσχύνειν, οὐ καταδικάσει καὶ κατακρινεῖ μειζόνως, ἤδη κατακεκριμένον ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν; Εἰ δὲ λέγεις, ὅτι Οἶδα μὲν, ὅτι ἄξιός εἰμι κολάσεως, διὰ δὲ τὴν μακροθυμίαν καταφρονεῖς, καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ δοῦναι παραπόδας δίκην, θαῤῥεῖς· δεδοικέναι μὲν καὶ τρέμειν διὰ τοῦτο ἂν εἴης δίκαιος. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸ μὴ δοῦναι δίκην, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ δοῦναι χαλεπωτέραν, εἰ μένοις ἀδιόρθωτος ὢν, ἀναβάλλεται· ὃ μηδέποτε συμβήσεταί σοι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· Ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καταφρονεῖς, καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας, ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει; Ἐπαινέσας γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν μακροθυμίαν, καὶ δείξας αὐτῆς τὸ κέρδος μέγιστον τοῖς προσέχουσι (τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἕλκειν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας), αὔξει τὸν φόβον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς εἰς δέον χρησαμένοις σωτηρίας ἐστὶν ὑπόθεσις, οὕτω τοῖς καταφρονήσασιν ἐφόδιον μείζονος τιμωρίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ περιφερόμενον, ὅτι χρηστὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος ὢν ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖ δίκην· ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃς τοῦτο, φησὶν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο λέγεις, ἢ τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ἐπίτασιν. Τὴν γὰρ χρηστότητα ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιδείκνυται, ἵνα ἀπαλλαγῇς ἁμαρτημάτων, οὐχ ἵνα προσθῇς· ἂν τοίνυν μὴ τοῦτο ποιῇς, φοβερωτέρα ἡ δίκη. ∆ιὸ μάλιστα ἁμαρτάνειν οὐ χρὴ, ἐπειδὴ μακρόθυμος ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ὑπόθεσιν ἀγνωμοσύνης ποιεῖσθαι· εἰ γὰρ μακρόθυμος, καὶ κολάζει πάντως. Πόθεν δῆλον; Ἀπὸ τῶν ἑξῆς εἰρημένων. Εἰ γὰρ πολλὴ ἡ κακία, οὐκ ἀπέλαβον δὲ οἱ κακοὶ, ἀνάγκη πάντως ἀπολαβεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι ταῦτα οὐ περιορῶσι, πῶς ὁ Θεὸς περιόψεται; Ὥστε ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὸν περὶ τῆς κρίσεως εἰσήγαγε λόγον. Τῷ γὰρ δεῖξαι πολλοὺς ὄντας ὑπευθύνους, εἰ μὴ μετανοήσαιεν, εἶτα οὐ κολασθέντας ἐνταῦθα, τὴν κρίσιν συνεισάγει πάντως, καὶ μετ' ἐπιτάσεως· διό φησι·