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commanding us things gentle and salutary. For this reason there is Gehenna, for this reason fire, for this reason a river of fire, for this reason the unceasing worm. I know that many do not gladly hear us say these things. For neither do I say them gladly; for what need is there to say these things? I wished always to tell you about the kingdom, the rest, the water of rest, the place of green pasture. For "He has fed me," it says, "beside the water of rest, and there in a place of green pasture He has made me dwell." I wished to speak of the place where pain and grief and sighing have fled away; I wished to describe the pleasure of Christ's company; and yet it surpasses all speech and all understanding; but nevertheless, as far as I could, I wished to say these things. But what am I to do? It is not possible to speak of a kingdom to one who has a fever and is in a bad state; for the time being, one must discourse about health. It is not possible to discourse about honor to one liable for judgment; for the time being the object is to be freed from judgment, and from punishment and vengeance; if this does not happen, how will that happen? For this reason I say these things continually, so that we may come quickly to those other things. For God for this reason threatened Gehenna, so that no one might fall into Gehenna, so that we all might attain the kingdom. And we for this reason continually make mention of Gehenna, so that we may push you toward the kingdom, so that by softening your minds with fear, we might prepare you to do things worthy of the kingdom. Therefore do not be displeased at the heaviness of the words; for the heaviness of the words makes our souls light from sins. Since iron is heavy, and the hammer is heavy, but it makes useful vessels of gold and silver, and straightens what is crooked; for if it were not heavy, it would not have the strength to correct the crooked material. So too our heavy word has the strength to set the soul in order. Let us not therefore flee 62.228 the heaviness of the words, nor the blows from them. The blow is not delivered to break, nor to shatter the soul, but to correct it. We know how we strike, how we inflict the blow by the grace of God, so as not to break the vessel, but to make it smooth, to set it straight, to make it useful for the Master, so as to present it gleaming with health, and well-wrought on that day when there is the river of fire, so as to present it not needing the pyre there. For if we do not fire you here, it is absolutely necessary to be fired there, and there is no other way; For the day of the Lord is revealed in fire. It is better for you to be burned for a short time by our words, than for ever by that flame. For that this will certainly happen is clear, and I have often given you irrefutable arguments. For it was necessary to be persuaded from the Scriptures alone; but since some are contentiously disposed, we have also drawn many things from reasoning. And nothing prevents us from saying the same things now. And what were they? God is just; we all confess this, both Greeks and Jews and heretics and Christians. But here many of the sinners have departed without being punished; and many of the righteous have departed after suffering countless terrible things. If therefore God is just, where will He render good things to these, and punishments to those, if there is no Gehenna, if there is no resurrection? Therefore, always chant this argument both to them and to yourselves, and it will not allow you to disbelieve in the resurrection. He who does not disbelieve in the resurrection will strive to live with much attention; so as to attain the eternal good things; of which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and for ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY VII.

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ἐπιεικῆ καὶ σωτήρια ἡμῖν κελεύοντος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γέεννα, διὰ τοῦτο πῦρ, διὰ τοῦτο ποταμὸς πυρὸς, διὰ τοῦτο σκώληξ ἀτελεύτητος. Οἶδα ὅτι πολλοὶ ταῦτα οὐχ ἡδέως ἀκούουσιν ἡμῶν λεγόντων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἡδέως αὐτὰ λέγω· τίς γὰρ χρεία ταῦτα λέγειν; Ἐβουλόμην τὰ περὶ βασιλείας ὑμῖν διηγεῖσθαι ἀεὶ, τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν, τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, τὸν τόπον τῆς χλόης. Ἐπὶ ὕδατος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀναπαύσεως ἐξέθρεψέ με, καὶ εἰς τόπον χλόης ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν. Ἐβουλόμην ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου λέγειν, ἔνθα ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη καὶ λύπη καὶ στεναγμός· ἐβουλόμην διηγεῖσθαι τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνουσίας τὴν ἡδονήν· καίτοι γε πάντα ὑπερβαίνει λόγον, καὶ πάντα νοῦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως κατὰ δύναμιν ἐβουλόμην ταῦτα λέγειν. Ἀλλὰ τί πάθω; Οὐκ ἔνι τῷ πυρέττοντι καὶ κακῶς διακειμένῳ περὶ βασιλείας λέγειν· τέως γὰρ περὶ ὑγείας χρὴ διαλέγεσθαι. Οὐκ ἔνι τῷ δίκης ὑπευθύνῳ περὶ τιμῆς διαλέγεσθαι· τέως γὰρ τὸ ζητούμενον, δίκης ἀπαλλαγῆναι, καὶ τῆς κολάσεως καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας· ἂν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, πῶς ἐκεῖνο ἔσται; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα λέγω συνεχῶς, ἵνα ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα ἔλθωμεν ταχέως. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦτο γέενναν ἠπείλησεν, ἵνα μηδεὶς εἰς γέενναν ἐμπέσῃ, ἵνα πάντες βασιλείας ἐπιτύχωμεν. Καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς γεέννης μεμνήμεθα, ἵνα πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν ὑμᾶς ὠθήσωμεν, ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ μαλάξαντες ὑμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, παρασκευάσωμεν ἄξια τῆς βασιλείας ποιεῖν. Μὴ τοίνυν δυσχεραίνετε πρὸς τὸ τῶν ῥημάτων βαρύ· τὸ γὰρ βαρὺ τῶν ῥημάτων κούφας ἡμῖν ἐργάζεται ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ψυχάς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ σίδηρος βαρύς ἐστι, καὶ ἡ σφῦρα βαρεῖα, ἀλλὰ κατασκευάζει σκεύη εὔχρηστα χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, καὶ τὰ διεστραμμένα ὀρθοῖ· ὡς εἰ μὴ βαρεῖα ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσε διορθῶσαι τὴν διεστραμμένην ὕλην. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ λόγος ἡμῶν ὁ βαρὺς ῥυθμίσαι τὴν ψυχὴν ἰσχύει. Μὴ τοίνυν φεύγω 62.228 μεν τὴν βαρύτητα τῶν ῥημάτων, μηδὲ τὰς ἀπὸ τούτων πληγάς. Οὐχ ἵνα διακλάσῃ, οὐδ' ἵνα διαθρύψῃ τὴν ψυχὴν, καταφέρεται ἡ πληγὴ, ἀλλ' ἵνα διορθώσηται. Οἴδαμεν πῶς πλήττομεν, πῶς ἐπάγομεν τὴν πληγὴν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι, ὥστε μὴ συντρίψαι τὸ σκεῦος, ἀλλ' ὥστε λεᾶναι, ὥστε ὀρθῶσαι, ὥστε ποιῆσαι εὔχρηστον τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ὥστε αὐτὸ προσενεγκεῖν ἀποστίλβον τὴν ὑγείαν, καὶ καλῶς ἐκτετορευμένον κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, καθ' ἣν ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ πυρὸς, ὥστε προσενεγκεῖν μὴ δεόμενον τῆς ἐκεῖ πυρᾶς. Ἂν γὰρ μὴ πυρώσωμεν ὑμᾶς ἐνταῦθα, ἀνάγκη πάντως πυρωθῆναι ἐκεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἔνι ἄλλως· Ἡ γὰρ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται. Κρεῖσσον τοῖς ἡμετέροις λόγοις ὑμᾶς κατακαυθῆναι πρὸς βραχὺ, ἢ διαπαντὸς ἐκείνῃ τῇ φλογί. Πάντως γὰρ ὅτι τοῦτο ἔσται, δῆλον, καὶ πολλάκις ὑμῖν εἶπον λογισμοὺς ἀναντιῤῥήτους. Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν πείθεσθαι μόνον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ φιλονείκως τινὲς διάκεινται, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν ἐκινήσαμεν πολλά. Οὐδὲν δὲ κωλύει καὶ νῦν τοὺς αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν. Τίνες δὲ ἦσαν; ∆ίκαιός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός· πάντες ὁμολογοῦμεν τοῦτο, καὶ Ἕλληνες καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ αἱρετικοὶ καὶ Χριστιανοί. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἀπῆλθον μὴ κολασθέντες· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν κατορθωσάντων ἀπῆλθον μυρία παθόντες δεινά. Εἰ τοίνυν δίκαιος ὁ Θεὸς, ποῦ τούτοις τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀποδώσει, ποῦ ἐκείνοις τὰς τιμωρίας, εἰ γέεννα μὴ ἔστιν, εἰ ἀνάστασις μὴ ἔστι; Τοῦτο[ν] οὖν ἀεὶ καὶ ἐκείνοις καὶ ἑαυτοῖς τὸν λόγον κατεπᾴδετε, καὶ οὐκ ἀφήσει ὑμᾶς διαπιστῆσαι τῇ ἀναστάσει. Ὁ δὲ μὴ ἀπιστῶν τῇ ἀναστάσει, σπουδάσει μετὰ πολλῆς ζῇν τῆς προσοχῆς· ὥστε τῶν αἰωνίων τυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ζʹ.