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Men who see the shipwrecked from the land are in pain, but they are not able to approach and rescue those who are drowning; so indeed here also, the mothers, being kept back by the fear of the soldiers as if by some waves, not only did not dare to approach and rescue them from their condemnation, but were even afraid to weep. Do you then perceive from this the loving-kindness of God, how ineffable, how infinite, how it surpasses all reason? For here the one who was insulted was of the same substance, and he suffered this once in all time, and not in person nor being present and seeing and hearing, and yet none of those who dared this received pardon; but in the case of God, one can say none of these things. For so great is the distance between man and 49.57 God, as no reason will be able to represent, and he is insulted every day while present, and seeing, and hearing, and he has neither sent down a thunderbolt, nor commanded the sea to run over the land and drown everyone, nor ordered the earth to open and receive all the insolent, but he bears it, and is long-suffering, and promises to pardon the insolent, if only they repent and promise to do these things no longer. Truly it is opportune now to proclaim: Who shall declare the mighty acts of the Lord? Who shall make all his praises to be heard? How many have not only cast down the images of God, but have also trampled them underfoot? For when you choke the one who is liable, when you strip him, when you drag him, you trample on the image of God. Listen, then, to Paul saying, that a man ought not to cover his head, being the image and glory of God; and again of God himself saying: Let us make man in our image and after our likeness. But if you say that man is not of the same substance as God, what of that? For neither was the bronze of the statue of the same substance as the emperor, yet those who dared this paid the penalty; so that also in the case of men, even if men are not of the same substance as God, as indeed they are not, yet they were called an image, and on account of that title they ought to have enjoyed honor; but you for a little gold trample, choke, drag, and have paid no penalty to this day. May there be, therefore, some good and favorable change. But this I foretell and protest, that even if this cloud should pass away, but we remain in the same carelessness, we will suffer again things much more grievous than those now expected; since even now I do not so much fear the emperor’s wrath, as I fear your carelessness. For it is not enough for our defense to have made supplication for two or three days, but it is necessary to make a change of our whole life, and having departed from wickedness to remain in virtue continually. For just as with those who are sick, if they do not conduct themselves well at all times, there is no benefit to them from the self-control of up to three or four days; so also those who sin, if they are not sober-minded at all times, will have no gain from the correction of two or three days. For just as, it says, one who is baptized, and then is defiled again in the mire, has gained nothing; so one who has repented for three days, and then returns again to his former ways, has accomplished nothing more. Let us not then do now what we always do; for often when earthquakes and famine and drought occurred, having been brought to our senses for three and four days and having become more moderate, we returned again to our former ways; on account of this these things have happened. But even if not before, let us now at least remain in the same reverence, and let us maintain the same moderation, so that we may not again need another blow. For was God not able to prevent what has happened? But he allowed it, so that he might make those who despise him more sober-minded through the fear of their fellow servant. And let no one say to me, that many of the guilty escaped, but many of the innocent were caught; for I often hear many saying this, not only in the present sedition, but also in many other such circumstances. What then would

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οἱ τοὺς ναυαγοῦντας ἀπὸ γῆς ὁρῶντες ἄνθρωποι, ὀδυνῶνται μὲν, προσελθεῖν δὲ καὶ ἐξελέσθαι τοὺς καταποντιζομένους οὐκ ἔχουσιν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, καθάπερ ὑπὸ κυμάτων τινῶν τῷ φόβῳ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀνειργόμεναι αἱ μητέρες, οὐ μόνον προσελθεῖν καὶ ἐξελέσθαι τῆς καταδίκης αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δακρῦσαι ἔδεισαν. Ἆρα στοχάζεσθε ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, πῶς ἄφατος, πῶς ἄπειρος, πῶς ἅπαντα ὑπερβαίνει λόγον; Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὁ ὑβρισθεὶς, καὶ ἅπαξ τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου τοῦτο πέπονθε, καὶ οὐ κατ' ὄψιν οὐδὲ παρὼν καὶ ὁρῶν καὶ ἀκούων, καὶ ὅμως οὐδεὶς ἔτυχε συγγνώμης τῶν τετολμηκότων· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδὲν τούτων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ τοσοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ μέσον ἀνθρώπου καὶ 49.57 Θεοῦ, ὅσον οὐδὲ λόγος παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ὑβρίζεται τὴν ἡμέραν παρὼν, καὶ ὁρῶν, καὶ ἀκούων, καὶ οὔτε σκηπτὸν ἀφῆκεν, οὔτε τὴν θάλατταν τῇ γῇ ἐπιδραμεῖν ἐκέλευσε καὶ καταποντίσαι πάντας, οὔτε τῇ γῇ διαστῆναι, καὶ δέξασθαι πάντας τοὺς ὑβρικότας προσέταξεν, ἀλλ' ἀνέχεται, καὶ μακροθυμεῖ, καὶ συγγνώσεσθαι ἐπαγγέλλεται τοῖς ὑβρικόσιν, ἂν μετανοήσωσι μόνον καὶ ὑπόσχωνται μηκέτι ταῦτα ποιεῖν. Ἀληθῶς εὔκαιρον νῦν ἀνακηρύττειν· Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου; ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ; Πόσοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς εἰκόνας οὐχὶ κατήνεγκαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατεπάτησαν; ὅταν γὰρ ἄγχῃς τὸν ὑπεύθυνον, ὅταν ἀποδύῃς, ὅταν ἕλκῃς, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν εἰκόνα καταπατεῖς. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ὀφείλει κατακαλύπτεσθαι τὴν κεφαλὴν, εἰκὼν καὶ δόξα Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων· καὶ πάλιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγοντος· Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν. Ἂν δὲ λέγῃς, ὅτι οὐχὶ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὁ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τί τοῦτο; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ χαλκὸς τοῦ ἀνδριάντος τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ἦν τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἀλλ' ὅμως δίκην ἔδοσαν οἱ τολμήσαντες· ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας εἰσὶ τῷ Θεῷ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδέ εἰσιν, ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰκὼν ἐκλήθησαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔδει τιμῆς ἀπολαύειν αὐτούς· σὺ δὲ ὑπὲρ ὀλίγου χρυσίου καταπατεῖς, ἄγχεις, σύρεις, καὶ οὐδεμίαν οὐδέπω δίκην ἔδωκας τήμερον. Γένοιτο μὲν οὖν τινα χρηστὴν καὶ δεξιὰν γενέσθαι μεταβολήν. Ἐκεῖνο μέντοι προλέγω καὶ διαμαρτύρομαι, ὅτι κἂν τοῦτο παρέλθῃ τὸ νέφος, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένωμεν ῥᾳθυμίας, πάλιν πολλῷ χαλεπώτερα πεισόμεθα τῶν νῦν προσδοκωμένων· ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν οὐχ οὕτω δέδοικα τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ὀργὴν, ὡς τὴν ὑμετέραν δέδοικα ῥᾳθυμίαν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ λιτανεῦσαι δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀρκεῖ εἰς ἀπολογίαν ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ὁλοκλήρου δεῖ τοῦ βίου ποιήσασθαι τὴν μεταβολὴν, καὶ τῆς πονηρίας ἀποστάντας μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς διηνεκῶς. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ νοσοῦντες, ἂν μὴ διαπαντὸς εὐτακτῶσιν, οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ὄφελος τῆς μέχρι τριῶν ἢ τεσσάρων ἡμερῶν φιλοσοφίας· οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες, ἂν μὴ διαπαντὸς σωφρονῶσιν, οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἔσται πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς διορθώσεως τῶν δύο καὶ τριῶν ἡμερῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βαπτιζόμενος, εἶτα ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ μολυνόμενος πάλιν, οὐδὲν ὠφέλησεν· οὕτως ὁ τρεῖς ἡμέρας μετανοήσας, καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ πρότερα ἐπανελθὼν, οὐδὲν εἰργάσατο πλέον. Μὴ τοίνυν ὅπερ ἀεὶ ποιοῦμεν, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ποιήσωμεν· καὶ γὰρ σεισμῶν πολλάκις καταλαβόντων καὶ λιμοῦ καὶ αὐχμοῦ, τρεῖς καὶ τέσσαρας ἡμέρας σωφρονισθέντες καὶ ἐπιεικέστεροι γενόμενοι, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ πρότερα ἐπανήλθομεν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ταῦτα γεγένηται. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, νῦν γοῦν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μείνωμεν εὐλαβείας, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπιείκειαν διατηρήσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ἑτέρας δεηθῶμεν πληγῆς. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδύνατο κωλῦσαι τὰ γεγενημένα ὁ Θεός; Ἀλλ' ἀφῆκεν, ἵνα τοὺς καταφρονοῦντας αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ τοῦ συνδούλου φόβῳ σωφρονεστέρους ἐργάσηται. Καὶ μή μοι λεγέτω τις, ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν αἰτίων διέφυγον, πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν ἀναιτίων ἐνέπεσον· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο πολλῶν πολλάκις ἀκούω λεγόντων, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς παρούσης στάσεως μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἑτέραις πολλαῖς τοιαύταις περιστάσεσι. Τί οὖν ἂν