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He says, "Bring him here to me"; so also here, when the priest was not able to cast out sin, a sickness more grievous than any demon, God himself then deals with the one who is sick. And what does he do? He sends leprosy upon his forehead. ["For it came to pass," it says, "when he threatened the priest, leprosy broke out on his forehead."] And so he went out. Just as those led away to death, having a cord on their mouth, the symbol of the condemning vote, so also he, bearing the symbol of his dishonor on his forehead, was not dragged by executioners, but the leprosy itself pushed him out headlong in place of executioners. He entered to take the priesthood, but he lost even the kingdom; he entered to become more venerable and became more accursed. For he was then more dishonored than any private citizen, being unclean. So great an evil it is not to remain within the measures given to us by God, whether one does this in regard to honor or in regard to knowledge. Do you not see this sea, how unbearable it is in its violence, with how many waves it crests? But yet, though it rises to a great height and proceeds with much fury, when it comes to the boundary set for it by God, it dissolves its waves and returns again to itself. And yet what could be weaker than sand? But it is not that which restrains it, but the fear of the one who set it. But if this example does not chasten you, let the things concerning Uzziah instruct you, which have now been spoken by us. But since we have seen the wrath of God and the worthy retribution, come let us also show his love for mankind and his great forbearance. For we must not only make speeches about wrath, but also about goodness, so that we may neither cast our listeners into despair, nor into indolence. Thus Paul also does, and with both of these he mixes his exhortation, saying thus: "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God," so that by both fear and good hopes he may raise up the one who has fallen. You have seen the severity of God? Behold also his goodness. How then shall we see his goodness? If we learn what things Uzziah was worthy of. Of what things, then, was he worthy? As soon as he set foot on the holy threshold with such shamelessness, of countless thunderbolts and of the utmost chastisement and punishment. For if the first ones who dared these things paid this penalty, those around Dathan and Korah and Abiram, much more ought this one to be punished thus, who was not even chastened by their misfortunes. But God did not act thus, but first he offered words full of great forbearance through the priest. And what Christ exhorted men to do, when they sin against one another, this God did towards man. "For when," he says, "your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone." Thus also God reproved this king. And Christ says: "If he will not hear you, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector"; but God, in his love for mankind transgressing his own laws, did not even so cut him off, but though he disobeyed and was indignant, he did not cast him off, but again receives and instructs him in a way that involves correction rather than punishment. For he did not send down a thunderbolt from above, nor did he burn up his shameless head, but instructed him only with leprosy. And such were the things concerning Uzziah. But I, adding only one thing more, will cease my discourse. And what is this? That which we sought long ago and from the beginning; for what reason in external matters and in the prophecies, when it was customary for all to mark the times of the lives of the kings, this one, having omitted this, remembers the time of Uzziah's death, saying thus: "And it came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died." And yet it was possible to state the time of the one then reigning, as was the custom for the prophets; but he did not do this. For what reason, then, did he not do it? There was an old law that the leper of the

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φησι· "Φέρετέ μοι αὐτὸν ὧδε"· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, τοῦ ἱερέως μὴ δυνηθέντος παντὸς δαίμονος χαλεπώτερον νόσημα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκβαλεῖν, αὐτὸς λοιπὸν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κάμνοντα μεταχειρίζεται. Καὶ τί ποιεῖ; Λέπραν ἐπαφίησιν αὐτοῦ τῷ μετώπῳ. ["Ἐγένετο γάρ, φησίν, ἐν τῷ ἀπειλῆσαι αὐτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ, λέπρα ἀνέτειλεν ἐν τῷ μετώπῳ αὐτοῦ."] Καὶ ἐξῄει λοιπόν. Καθάπερ οἱ τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ἀπαγόμενοι, σπαρτίον ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος ἔχοντες, τῆς καταδικαζούσης σύμβολον ψήφου, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς ἀτιμίας τὸ σύμβολον ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου φέρων, οὐ δημίων αὐτὸν ἑλκόντων, ἀλλὰ αὐτῆς τῆς λέπρας ἀντὶ δημίων ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ὠθούσης. Εἰσῆλθεν ἱερωσύνην λαβεῖν, ὁ δὲ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπώλεσεν· εἰσῆλθεν γενέσθαι σεμνότερος καὶ γέγονεν ἐναγέστερος. Καὶ γὰρ ἰδιώτου παντὸς λοιπὸν ἀτιμότερος ἦν, ἀκάθαρτος ὤν. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστι κακὸν τὸ μὴ μένειν ἐπὶ τῶν δοθέντων ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μέτρων, ἄν τε ἐπὶ τιμῆς, ἄν τε ἐπὶ γνώσεως τοῦτο ποιῇ. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ταύτην τὴν θάλατταν πῶς ἐστι ταῖς βίαις ἀφόρητος, πόσοις κορυφοῦται τοῖς κύμασιν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸς ὕψος διανισταμένη μέγα καὶ μετὰ πολλοῦ προϊοῦσα τοῦ θυμοῦ, ἐπειδὰν ἔλθῃ πρὸς τὸ τεθὲν ὅριον αὐτῇ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰ κύματα διαλύσασα, πρὸς ἑαυτὴν πάλιν ἐπάνεισιν. Καίτοι γε τί ψάμμου γένοιτ' ἂν ἀσθενέστερον; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνό ἐστι τὸ κωλῦον, ἀλλ' ὁ τοῦ θέντος φόβος. Εἰ δὲ οὐ σωφρονίζει σε τοῦτο τὸ παράδειγμα, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ὀζίαν σε παιδευσάτω, τὰ νῦν ἡμῖν εἰρημένα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὴν ὀργὴν εἴδομεν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀνταπόδοσιν, φέρε καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἐπιείκειαν ἐπιδείξωμεν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνους τοὺς περὶ τῆς ὀργῆς δεῖ κινεῖν λόγους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς περὶ τῆς χρηστότητος, ἵνα μήτε εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἐμβάλωμεν τοὺς ἀκούοντας, μήτε εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ποιεῖ καὶ τούτοις ἀμφοτέροις κιρνᾷ τὴν παραίνεσιν, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· "Ἰδὲ οὖν τὴν χρηστότητα καὶ ἀποτομίαν Θεοῦ", ἵνα καὶ τῷ φόβῳ καὶ ταῖς χρησταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἀναστήσῃ τὸν πεπτωκότα. Εἶδες ἀποτομίαν Θεοῦ; Ἰδὲ καὶ χρηστότητα. Πῶς οὖν ὀψόμεθα τὴν χρηστότητα; Ἂν μάθωμεν τίνων ἄξιος ἦν ὁ Ὀζίας. Τίνων οὖν ἄξιος ἦν; Ἅμα τῶν προθύρων ἐπιβὰς τῶν ἱερῶν μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀναισχυντίας, μυρίων σκηπτῶν καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ πρῶτοι ταῦτα τολμήσαντες ταύτην ἔδοσαν τὴν δίκην, οἱ περὶ ∆αθὰν καὶ Κορὲ καὶ Ἀβειρών, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦτον οὕτω κολάζεσθαι ἔδει, τὸν μηδὲ ταῖς ἐκείνων σωφρονισθέντα συμφοραῖς. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὕτως ὁ Θεός, ἀλλὰ πρότερον λόγους προσήγαγε πολλῆς ἐπιεικείας γέμοντας διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως. Καὶ ὅπερ ὁ Χριστὸς παρῄνεσεν ἀνθρώποις ποιεῖν, ὅταν εἰς ἀλλήλους ἁμάρτωσιν, τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐποίησεν. "Ὅταν γάρ, φησίν, ἁμάρτῃ εἰς σὲ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε, ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου." Οὕτω καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον ἤλεγξεν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Χριστός φησιν· "Ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ σου, ἔσται σοι ὡς ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης"· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοὺς οἰκείους ὑπερβαίνων νόμους, οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐξέκοψεν, ἀλλὰ καίτοι παρακούσαντα καὶ ἀγανακτήσαντα οὐκ ἀπέρριψεν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν προσίεται καὶ παιδεύει τρόπῳ διόρθωσιν ἔχοντι μᾶλλον ἢ τιμωρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ σκηπτὸν ἀφῆκεν ἄνωθεν, οὐδὲ κατέφλεξε τὴν ἀναίσχυντον κεφαλήν, ἀλλὰ τῇ λέπρᾳ μόνον ἐπαίδευσεν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν Ὀζίαν τοιαῦτα. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἓν ἔτι μόνον προσθεὶς καταπαύσω τὸν λόγον. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὃ πάλαι καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐζητήσαμεν· τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐν τοῖς ἔξω πράγμασι καὶ ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις, ἁπάντων εἰωθόντων τῆς ζωῆς τῶν βασιλέων τοὺς χρόνους ἐπισημαίνεσθαι, οὗτος τοῦτο ἀφείς, τοῦ χρόνου τῆς τελευτῆς μέμνηται τοῦ Ὀζίου, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· "Καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, οὗ ἀπέθανεν Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς." Καίτοι γε ἐνῆν τοῦ τότε βασιλεύοντος τὸν χρόνον εἰπεῖν, ὥσπερ ἔθος τοῖς προφήταις ἦν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐποίησε τοῦτο. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐποίησεν; Νόμος ἦν παλαιὸς τὸν λεπρὸν τῆς