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He has provided us everywhere with proofs of his providence. Let us not think, therefore, that our affairs are confined to this present life, but let us believe that there will surely be a judgment and a recompense for all things done by us here. For this is so clear and evident to all, that even Jews and Greeks and heretics, and any person whatsoever, agree on these matters. For although not all philosophize about the resurrection as they ought, nevertheless all agree about the judgment and the punishment and the courts there, that there is some retribution there for things done here. For if this were not so, for what reason did He stretch out so great a heaven, lay the earth beneath, spread out the sea, pour forth the air, and show so much providence, if He were not going to watch over us to the end? 4. Do you not see how many who have lived in virtue, having suffered countless terrible things, have departed, having received nothing good? While others again, having displayed great wickedness, having seized the property of others, having stripped and oppressed widows and orphans, having enjoyed wealth and luxury and countless good things, have departed, not having suffered even the slightest terrible thing? When, then, will the former receive the rewards for their virtue, or these latter pay the penalties for their wickedness, if our affairs stop at the present life? For that if God exists, as indeed He does, He is just, anyone at all would say; and that if He is just, He will render to both these and those what is according to their worth, this too is agreed upon. But if He is to render to those and to these what is according to their worth, and here none of them has received it—neither the one the punishment for his wickedness, nor the other the rewards for his virtue—it is very clear that there remains some time in which each of these will have their fitting retribution. And why did God establish in our mind a judge so perpetually watchful and sober? I mean the conscience. For there is not, there is not any judge among men so sleepless as our conscience. For external judges are corrupted by money, are made vain by flattery, dissemble through fear, and there are many other things that spoil their right judgment; but the tribunal of the conscience knows not how to yield to any of these things; but whether you give money, or flatter, or threaten, or do anything else whatever, it will pass a just sentence against the sinful thoughts; and the one who has committed the sin condemns himself, even if no one else accuses him. And not once, nor twice, but many times and throughout his whole life he continues to do this; and even if much time has passed, it will never forget what has happened, but both while the sin is being committed, and before it is committed, and after it has been committed, a ve48.1012hement accuser stands over us, and especially after it has been committed. For while committing the sin, being intoxicated by the pleasure, we are not so aware; but when it is done and comes to an end, then especially, when all the pleasure is extinguished, the bitter goad of repentance enters in, contrary to women in labor. For in their case, before the birth, the pain is great and unbearable and sharp pangs rend them with anguish; but after the birth there is relief, the pain having departed with the infant; but here it is not so, but as long as we are in labor and conceiving corrupt counsels, we rejoice and are glad; but when we bring forth the evil child, sin, then seeing the shame of what was born, we are in pain, then we are rent more grievously than women in labor. Therefore I beseech you, above all not to receive a corrupt desire from the beginning; but if we should receive it, to strangle the seeds within. And if we should be negligent even to this point, to kill the sin again when it has come forth into deed, through confession and tears, through accusing ourselves. For nothing is so destructive to sin as accusation and condemnation with repentance and tears.

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ἀποδείξεις τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προνοίας πανταχοῦ παρέσχεν ἡμῖν. Μὴ τοίνυν μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὰ ἡμέτερα συγκεκλεῖσθαι νομίζωμεν, ἀλλὰ πιστεύωμεν, ὅτι πάντως ἔσται κρίσις καὶ ἀνταπόδοσις τῶν ἐνταῦθα παρ' ἡμῶν γινομένων ἁπάντων. Τοῦτο γὰρ οὕτως ἐστὶ σαφὲς καὶ ἐναργὲς πᾶσιν, ὡς καὶ Ἰουδαίους καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ αἱρετικοὺς, καὶ πάντα ὁντιναοῦν ἄνθρωπον ὑπὲρ τούτων ὁμογνωμονεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ καθὼς προσῆκε περὶ ἀναστάσεως φιλοσοφοῦσιν ἅπαντες, ἀλλ' ὅμως περὶ τῆς κρίσεως καὶ τῆς κολάσεως καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ δικαστηρίων ἅπαντες συμφωνοῦσιν, ὅτι ἔστι τις τῶν ἐνταῦθα γινομένων ἀντίδοσις ἐκεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐρανὸν τοσοῦτον ἔτεινε, γῆν ὑπεστόρεσε, θάλασσαν ἥπλωσεν, ἀέρα ἐξέχεε, τοσαύτην πρόνοιαν ἐπεδείξατο, εἰ μὴ μέχρι τέλους ἔμελλεν ἡμῶν προστήσεσθαι; δʹ. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πόσοι βιώσαντες ἐν ἀρετῇ, μυρία παθόντες δεινὰ ἀπῆλθον, μηδὲν ἀπολαβόντες ἀγαθόν; ἕτεροι δὲ πάλιν πονηρίαν πολλὴν ἐπιδειξάμενοι, τὰς ἑτέρων ἁρπάσαντες οὐσίας, χήρας καὶ ὀρφανοὺς ἀποδύσαντες καὶ καταδυναστεύσαντες, πλούτου καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ μυρίων ἀπολαύσαντες ἀγαθῶν ἀπῆλθον, οὐδὲ τὸ τυχὸν παθόντες δεινόν; Πότε οὖν ἢ ἐκεῖνοι οἱ πρότεροι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀπολήψονται τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, ἢ οὗτοι τῆς πονηρίας δώσουσι τὰς τιμωρίας, εἰ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος τὰ ἡμέτερα ἵσταται πράγματα; Ὅτι γὰρ, εἰ ἔστι Θεὸς, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστι, δίκαιός ἐστι, πᾶς ὁστισοῦν ἂν εἴποι· ὅτι δὲ, εἰ δίκαιός ἐστι, καὶ τούτοις κἀκείνοις ἀποδώσει τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν, καὶ τοῦτο συνωμολόγηται. Εἰ δὲ μέλλοι κἀκείνοις καὶ τούτοις ἀποδιδόναι κατ' ἀξίαν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἀπέλαβεν, οὔτε ἐκεῖνος τῆς πονηρίας τὴν κόλασιν, οὔτε οὗτος τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, εὔδηλον ὅτι λείπεταί τις καιρὸς, ἐν ᾧ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἀντίδοσιν ἑκάτεροι τούτων ἕξουσι. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ὅλως ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ κριτὴν οὕτω διηνεκῶς ἐγρηγορότα καὶ νήφοντα κατέστησεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεός; τὸ συνειδὸς λέγω. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς δικαστὴς οὕτως ἄγρυπνος ἐν ἀνθρώποις, οἷον τὸ ἡμέτερον συνειδός. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔξωθεν δικασταὶ καὶ ὑπὸ χρημάτων διαφθείρονται, καὶ κολακείαις χαυνοῦνται, καὶ διὰ φόβον καθυποκρίνονται, καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερά ἐστι τὰ λυμαινόμενα τὴν ὀρθὴν ἐκείνων ψῆφον· τὸ δὲ τοῦ συνειδότος δικαστήριον οὐδενὶ τούτων εἴκειν οἶδεν· ἀλλὰ κἂν χρήματα δῷς, κἂν κολακεύσῃς, κἂν ἀπειλήσῃς, κἂν ἕτερον ὁτιοῦν ἐργάσῃ, δικαίαν ἐξοίσει τὴν ψῆφον κατὰ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων λογισμῶν· καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐργασάμενος αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν καταδικάζει, κἂν μηδεὶς ἕτερος κατηγορῇ. Καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐδὲ δὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις καὶ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου τοῦτο ποιῶν διατελεῖ· κἂν πολὺς παρέλθῃ χρόνος, οὐδέποτε ἐπιλήσεται τῶν γεγενημένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ γίνεσθαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι, καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι σφο48.1012 δρὸς ἐφέστηκεν ἡμῖν κατήγορος, καὶ μάλιστα μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ πράττειν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς μεθύοντες οὐχ οὕτως αἰσθανόμεθα· ἐπειδὰν δὲ γένηται καὶ λάβῃ τέλος, τότε δὴ μάλιστα, τῆς ἡδονῆς σβεσθείσης ἁπάσης, τὸ πικρὸν τῆς μετανοίας ἐπεισέρχεται κέντρον ἀπεναντίας ταῖς ὠδινούσαις γυναιξίν. Ἐπ' ἐκείνων μὲν γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ τόκου πολὺς καὶ ἀφόρητος ὁ πόνος καὶ ὠδῖνες δριμεῖαι διακόπτουσαι ταῖς ἀλγηδόσιν αὐτάς· μετὰ δὲ τὸν τόκον ἄνεσις, τῷ βρέφει τῆς ὀδύνης συνεξελθούσης· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἕως μὲν ἂν ὠδίνωμεν καὶ συλλαμβάνωμεν τὰ διεφθαρμένα βουλεύματα, εὐφραινόμεθα καὶ χαίρομεν· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀποτέκωμεν τὸ πονηρὸν παιδίον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τότε τὸ αἶσχος τοῦ τεχθέντος ἰδόντες ὀδυνώμεθα, τότε διακοπτόμεθα τῶν ὠδινουσῶν γυναικῶν χαλεπώτερον. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ μὴ δέχεσθαι μὲν μάλιστα παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπιθυμίαν διεφθαρμένην· εἰ δὲ καὶ δεξόμεθα, ἀποπνίγειν ἔνδον τὰ σπέρματα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μέχρι τούτου ῥᾳθυμήσαιμεν, ἐξελθοῦσαν εἰς ἔργον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀποκτείνειν πάλιν δι' ἐξομολογήσεως καὶ δακρύων, διὰ τοῦ κατηγορεῖν ἑαυτῶν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ὀλέθριον τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ὡς κατηγορία καὶ κατάγνωσις σὺν μετανοίᾳ καὶ δάκρυσι.