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Another says again: And to be shaved and shorn for your delicate children. And instead of the tunic of purple stripe, you shall gird yourself with sackcloth. Do these things not seem terrible and unbearable? But in our case the punishment will not stop at these things, but a venomous worm and endless darkness will follow. For if captivity and slavery and the worst evils awaited them in return for their adornment; for that this demanded punishment and He was punishing this sin in particular, listen how, having recounted those things, He also added the reason: These things for you instead of adornment. if, then, Jewish women who had adorned themselves endured such great punishment, when their homeland was torn up from its foundations, and after great luxury became slaves and captives and exiles, carried away to a foreign land and given over to famine and pestilence and countless deaths; how is it not clear that we will suffer worse things, falling into the same sins? For just as the honors are greater, so also are the punishments heavier. But if any woman who has adorned herself has not yet suffered such a thing, let her not be confident. For this is a custom of God, to set punishments for one or two and through them to legislate for all the rest the terrible things that will befall them. And to make what I am saying clearer, those who once lived in Sodom sinned a grievous sin, they paid the ultimate penalty, when those thunderbolts came down and the cities and the peoples and the land with their very bodies were all burned up. What then? Has no one after them dared to do the same things? Indeed, many have, and in many places of the world. How is it then that they have suffered nothing of the sort? Because they are reserved for another, more grievous punishment. For this is why God, having done it once, desisted, so that those who dare the same things, even if they do not pay the penalty here, may know clearly that they will never escape. For how would it be reasonable, for those who sinned before grace and the law and had not heard prophets or anyone else to suffer such things, but for those after them, who enjoyed such great providence and were not made more temperate even by the example, which makes the sin far more grievous, to escape the penalty appointed for it? How then have they not yet paid it, even today? So that you may learn that they are reserved for a much more grievous punishment.

3.10 For that it is possible to suffer things worse than Sodom, listen to Christ saying: It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city. Therefore, even if women who now adorn themselves do not suffer the things that those who adorned themselves then suffered, let them not be confident. For this very forbearance and longsuffering heaps up a fiercer furnace of fire and works a greater flame. This also happened in the case of Ananias and Sapphira. For they, at the beginning and outset of the preaching, having kept back some of those funds, were suddenly snatched away, but after them many who dared such things suffered nothing. How then would it be reasonable for the just judge who allots equal things to all, to punish those who have sinned less, but to let go those who have done worse things? Is it not clear that because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world, for this reason He postponed the punishment, so that either through His longsuffering they might become better, or persisting in the same things they might suffer worse things? Therefore, when we sin the same things as those who have already transgressed and been punished, and we do not suffer the same things, let us not be confident, but rather let us be afraid. For just as God brought forth the punishment upon them as a law, admonishing all and saying that for this reason I punished the one who sinned at the beginning, so that you too who transgress in this way after them may expect the same things, so that you may change and become better. For for such sins such punishments are appointed, even if they do not come immediately. I have not dwelt on these things for no reason, but because a wicked disease has entered into the homes of men through the foolishness of women, the love of worldly adornment, which has also intensified the tyranny of money, casting men into unseasonable expenses, and becoming a daily pretext for war and strife and contentiousness and oppressing the poor

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ἄλλος πάλιν φησί· Καὶ ξυρῆσαι καὶ κεῖραι ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα σου τὰ τρυφερά. Καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ χιτῶνος τοῦ μεσοπορφύρου περιζώσῃ σάκκον. Ἆρα οὐ δοκεῖ φοβερὰ εἶναι ταῦτα καὶ ἀφόρητα; Ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἡμῶν οὐ μέχρι τούτων στήσεται τὰ τῆς τιμωρίας, ἀλλὰ σκώληξ ἰοβόλος καὶ σκότος ἀτελεύτητον διαδέξεται. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκείνους αἰχμαλωσία καὶ δουλεία καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα ἀνέμενε κακὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ καλλωπισμοῦ· ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτο ἀπῄτει δίκην καὶ ἰδικῶς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην ἐκόλαζεν, ἄκουσον πῶς καταλέξας ἐκεῖνα, ἐπήγαγε καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν· Ταῦτά σοι ἀντὶ καλλωπισμοῦ· εἰ τοίνυν Ἰουδαῖαι γυναῖκες κεκαλλωπισμέναι τοσαύτην ὑπέμειναν τιμωρίαν, τῆς πατρίδος ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπασθείσης, καὶ μετὰ τὴν πολλὴν τρυφὴν δοῦλαι καὶ αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ ἀπόλιδες εἰς τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν ἀπενεχθεῖσαι χώραν καὶ λιμῷ καὶ λοιμῷ καὶ θανάτοις παραδοθεῖσαι μυρίοις· πῶς οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι χαλεπώτερα ἡμεῖς πεισόμεθα τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπίπτοντες; Ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ τιμαὶ μείζους, οὕτω καὶ αἱ τιμωρίαι βαρύτεραι. Εἰ δὲ μή τις μηδέπω τὸ τοιοῦτον ἔπαθε γυνὴ καλλωπισαμένη, μὴ θαρρείτω. Ἔθος γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτο, τὰς τιμωρίας ὁρίζειν ἐφ' ἑνὸς καὶ δευτέρου καὶ δι' ἐκείνων νομοθετεῖν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἅπασι τὰ καταληψόμενα αὐτοὺς δεινά. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ σαφέστερον ὃ λέγω ποιήσω, ἥμαρτον ἁμαρτίαν χαλεπὴν οἱ τὰ Σόδομα οἰκοῦντές ποτε, ἔδοσαν δίκην τὴν ἐσχάτην, τῶν σκηπτῶν ἐκείνων κατενεχθέντων καὶ τῶν πόλεων καὶ τῶν δήμων καὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῖς σώμασιν ἐμπρησθέντων ἁπάντων. Τί οὖν; οὐδεὶς μετ' ἐκείνους τὰ ἐκείνων ἐτόλμησε; Πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν καὶ πολλαχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης. Πῶς οὖν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔπαθον; Ὅτι ἑτέρᾳ χαλεπωτέρᾳ τηροῦνται τιμωρίᾳ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἅπαξ αὐτὸ ποιήσας ὁ Θεὸς ἀπέστη, ἵνα οἱ τὰ αὐτὰ τολμῶντες, κἂν μὴ δῶσιν ἐνταῦθα δίκην, εἰδότες ὦσι σαφῶς ὅτι οὐδέποτε διαφεύξονται. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἔχοι λόγον, πρὸ μὲν τῆς χάριτος καὶ τοῦ νόμου καὶ μήτε προφητῶν μήτε ἄλλου τινὸς ἀκηκοότας, ἁμαρτόντας τοιαῦτα παθεῖν, τοὺς δὲ μετ' ἐκείνους τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσαντας προνοίας καὶ μηδὲ τῷ παραδείγματι γενομένους σωφρονεστέρους, ὃ πολλῷ χαλεπωτάτην ποιεῖ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, διαφυγεῖν τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦτο κειμένην δίκην; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἔδοσαν οὐδέπω καὶ σήμερον; Ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι πολὺ χαλεπωτέρᾳ τηροῦνται τιμωηρίᾳ.

3.10 Ὅτι γὰρ ἔστι χαλεπώτερα Σοδόμων παθεῖν, ἄκουσον τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἢ τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ. Ὥστε κἂν καλλωπιζόμεναι νῦν γυναῖκες μὴ πάθωσιν, ἅπερ ἔπαθον αἱ τότε καλλωπισάμεναι, μὴ θαρρείτωσαν. Ἡ γὰρ ἀνοχὴ αὐτὴ καὶ ἡ μακροθυμία χαλεπωτέραν σωρεύει τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν κάμινον καὶ μείζονα τὴν φλόγα ἐργάζεται. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ Ἀνανίου καὶ Σαπφείρας γέγονε. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἐν ἀρχῇ καὶ προοιμίῳ τοῦ κηρύγματος ὑφελόμενοι τῶν χρημάτων ἐκείνων, ἀθρόον ἀνηρπάσθησαν, μετὰ δὲ ἐκείνους πολλοὶ τοιαῦτα τολμήσαντες, οὐδὲν ἔπαθον. Πῶς οὖν ἂν ἔχοι λόγον τὸν δίκαιον κριτὴν καὶ πᾶσι τὰ ἴσα νέμοντα τοὺς μὲν ἧττον ἡμαρτηκότας κολάσαι, τοὺς δὲ χαλεπώτερα ποιήσαντας ἀφεῖναι; Οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι ἐπειδὴ ἔστησεν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ μέλλει κρίνειν τὴν οἰκουμένην, διὰ τοῦτο ἀνεβάλλετο τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἵνα ἢ τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ γένωνται βελτίους ἢ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμένοντες χαλεπώτερα πάθωσιν; Ὅταν τοίνυν ἁμαρτόντες τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς ἤδη πεπλημμεληκόσι καὶ κολασθεῖσι, μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ πάθωμεν, μὴ θαρρῶμεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον φοβώμεθα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ νόμον τὴν ἐπ' ἐκείνων τιμωρίαν ἐξήνεγκεν ὁ Θεός, πᾶσι παραινῶν καὶ λέγων ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἁμαρτόντα ἐκόλασα, ἵνα καὶ σὺ ὁ μετ' ἐκείνους τοῦτο πλημμελῶν, τὰ αὐτὰ ἀναμένῃς, ἵνα μεταβάλῃ καὶ γένῃ βελτίων. Τοῖς γὰρ τοιούτοις ἁμαρτήμασι τοιαῦται κεῖνται τιμωρίαι, κἂν μὴ παραχρῆμα ἔρχωνται. Τούτοις δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐνδιέτριψα, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πονηρὸν νόσημα εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰσῆλθεν οἰκίας διὰ τῆς τῶν γυναικῶν βλακείας, ὁ τῆς φιλοκοσμίας ἔρως, ὃς καὶ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων ἐπέτεινε τυραννίδα, εἰς ἀκαίρους δαπάνας τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐμβαλών, καὶ πολέμου καὶ στάσεως καὶ φιλονεικίας ὑπόθεσις γινόμενος καθημερινῆς καὶ τὰς τῶν πενήτων κατατείνων