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having passed through dreadful seas, with the ship breaking apart at the very harbors, was suddenly shown to be destitute of all things. If this man also should lose what was acquired with countless toils and sweats by a single assault of a demon, being sunk by sin as by some savage tempest; a fitting voice for one who has shipwrecked all his virtue at once. I have come into the depths of the sea, and a tempest has overwhelmed me. The one who has made progress in good works, then has relapsed into his old habit, is not only deprived of the reward for his labors, but is also deemed worthy of a heavier condemnation. For someone who has once repented to commit the same sin again is proof that the first cause of that sin has not been cleansed, from which, as from a certain root, the same things happen to grow. Just as if someone should wish to cut off the branches of a plant, leaving the root, the remaining root nonetheless sprouts again. In whatever state I find you, in that I will also judge you; and on every occasion the end of all things cries out, so that even for one who has done the greatest good in his life, but at the end has run aground on wickedness, all the former labors are useless, becoming worthless at the catastrophe of the drama. When a righteous man falls away, let us say concerning him what was said by Isaiah: How has the morning star fallen from heaven, and been dashed to the earth? 95.1176 Some, having advanced in virtue, turned back before reaching the end, as the old oligarchy, which had been quiet for a little while, overthrew the newly-sprouting aristocracy in the soul, and again from the beginning established itself with greater power. When a man achieves a virtuous life through ascetic practice and good conduct, and is known by all to be pious and God-fearing, and falls into sin, this is a transgression. For he ascended to the height of heaven, and has fallen into the bottom of Hades.

TITLE 15. Concerning resurrection, and judgment, eternal punishment.

He has prepared his throne for judgment, and he himself will judge. You will take away their spirit, and they will fail, and they will return to their dust. If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil. Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! To what end is this day of the Lord for you? It is darkness, and not light. The day of the Lord is great, great and very glorious. Who will be able to endure it? Let all the nations be roused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickles, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the winepress is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Sounds have resounded in the valley of judgment; the sun and the moon will be darkened, and the stars will not give their light; but the Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heaven and the earth will be shaken. Be in awe before the face of the Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared his sacrifice, he has sanctified his invited guests. The great day of the Lord is near, near and very swift. The sound of the day of the Lord is appointed to be bitter and harsh; a day of wrath, that day is a day of tribulation and distress, and of ruin; a day of darkness and gloom. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord Almighty; and who will endure the day of his coming? for he comes in as a refiner's fire, and as launderers' soap; and he will sit refining and purifying as silver. Behold, I send Elijah the Tishbite, before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. Now enter into the rocks, and hide yourselves in the ground from the face of the fear of the Lord, and 95.1177 from the glory of his strength, when he arises to crush the earth. Behold, the incurable day of the Lord comes with wrath and anger, to make the whole world desolate and the sinners

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φοβερὰ πελάγη διαδραμὼν, πρὸς αὐτοῖς τοῖς λιμέσι διαῤῥαγέντος τοῦ πλοίου, πάντων ἔρημος ἀθρόον ἀπεδείχθη. Ἐὰν καὶ οὗτος τὰ μυρίοις πόνοις καὶ ἱδρῶσι κτηθέντα, μιᾷ προσβολῇ δαίμονος ἀπολέσῃ, ὥσπερ τινὶ ἀγρίῳ λαίλαπι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ βυθισθείς· πρέπουσα φωνὴ τῷ πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ τὴν ἀρετὴν ναυαγήσαντι. Ἦλθον εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ καταιγὶς κατεπόντισέ με. Ὁ ἐν προκοπῇ γενόμενος ἀγαθῶν ἔργων, εἶτα παλινδρομήσας πρὸς τὴν ἀρχαίαν συνήθειαν, οὐ μόνον τοῖς πεπονημένοις μισθὸν ἐζημιώθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ βαρυτέρας ἀξιοῦται τῆς κατακρίσεως. Τὸ ἅπαξ τινὰ μετανοήσαντα, τὴν αὐτὴν πάλιν ποιῆσαι ἁμαρτίαν, ἔλεγχός ἐστι τοῦτο, πρῶτον αἴτιον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκείνης μὴ κεκαθάρθαι, ἀφ' οὗ καθάπερ ἀπὸ ῥίζης τινὸς τὰ ἶσα φύεσθαι συμβαίνει. Ὥσπερ εἴ τις φυτοῦ κλάδους ἐκκόψαι θελήσειεν, τὴν ῥίζαν ἐάσας, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἡ ῥίζα μένουσα πάλιν βλαστάνει. Ἐφ' οἷς ἂν εὕρω ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ κρινῶ· καὶ παρέκαστα βοᾷ τὸ τέλος ἁπάντων, ὥστε καὶ τὰ μέγιστα εὖ πεποιηκότι τὸν βίον, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ τέλους ἐξοκείλαντι πρὸς κακίαν, ἀνόνητοι πάντες οἱ πρόσθεν πόνοι, ἐπὶ τῇ καταστροφῇ τοῦ δράματος ἐξάθλων γενομένων. Ὅταν ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος ἐκπέσῃ, λέγωμεν περὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ λεχθὲν παρὰ τοῦ Ἡσαίου· Πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ὁ ἑωσφόρος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν συνετρίβη; 95.1176 Ἔνιοι προκόψαντες ἐπ' ἀρετὴν, ὑπενόστησαν πρὶν ἐφικέσθαι τοῦ τέλους, τὴν ἄρτι φυομένην ἀριστοκρατείαν ἐν ψυχῇ καθελούσης τῆς παλαιᾶς ὀλιγοκρατείας, ἡ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἠρεμήσασα, πάλιν ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς μετὰ πλείονος δυνάμεως ἐναπέθετο. Ὅταν ἄνθρωπος κατορθώσῃ βίον ἐνάρετον δι' ἀσκήσεως, καὶ ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας, καὶ ἔστιν ὑπὸ πάντων ἐγνωσμένος, ὅτι ἔστιν εὐσεβὴς καὶ φοβούμενος τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἐκπέσῃ εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, τοῦτό ἐστι παράπτωμα. Ἀνῆλθεν γὰρ εἰς τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ πέπτωκεν εἰς τὸν πυθμένα τοῦ ᾅδου.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΕʹ. Περὶ ἀναστάσεως, καὶ κρίσεως, αἰωνίας κολάσεως.

Ἡτοίμασεν ἐν κρίσει τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς κρινεῖ. Ἀντανελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκλείψουσι, καὶ εἰς τὸν χοῦν αὐτῶν ἐπιστρέψουσιν. Εἰ ὁ δίκαιος μόλις σώζεται, ὁ ἀσεβὴς καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς ποῦ φανεῖται; Σύμπαν τὸ ποίημα ἄξει ὁ Θεὸς εἰς κρίσιν, ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐὰν ἀγαθὸν, ἐὰν πονηρόν. Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπιθυμοῦντες τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου! Ἵνα τί ὑμῖν αὕτη ἡμέρα Κυρίου; αὕτη ἐστὶ σκότος, καὶ οὐ φῶς. Μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου, μεγάλη καὶ ἐπιφανὴς σφόδρα. Τίς ἔσται ἱκανὸς αὐτῇ; Ἐξεγειρέσθω, καὶ ἀναβαινέτω πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς τὴν κοιλάδα Ἰωσαφὰτ, ὅτι ἐκεῖ καθιῶ τοῦ διακρῖναι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς τὴν κύκλωθεν. Ἐξαποστείλατε δρέπανα, ὅτι παρέστηκεν ὁ τρυγητός. Εἰσπορεύεσθε, πατεῖτε, διότι πλήρης ἡ ληνός· ὑπερχεῖται τὰ ὑπολήνια, ὅτι ἐπληθύνθη τὰ κακὰ αὐτῶν. Ἦχοι ἐξήχησαν ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τῆς δίκης· ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη συσκοτάσουσι, καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες οὐ δώσουσι τὸ φέγγος αὐτῶν· ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἐκ Σιὼν ἀνακράξεται, καὶ ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ δώσει τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ σεισθήσεται ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ. Εὐλαβεῖσθε ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου, διότι ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου. Ἡτοίμασε Κύριος τὴν θυσίαν αὐτοῦ, ἡγίασε τοὺς κλητοὺς αὐτοῦ. Ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἡ μεγάλη, ἐγγὺς καὶ ταχεῖα σφόδρα. Φωνὴ ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου πικρὰ καὶ σκληρὰ τέτακται· ἡμέρα ὀργῆς, ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη ἡμέρα θλίψεως καὶ ἀνάγκης, καὶ ἀφανισμοῦ· ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου. Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται, λέγει Κύριος ὁ παντοκράτωρ· καὶ τίς ὑπομενεῖ ἡμέραν εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ; διότι αὐτὸς εἰσπορεύεται ὡς πῦρ ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ, καὶ ὡς πόα πλυνόντων· καὶ καθιεῖται χωνεύων καὶ καθαρίζων ὡς τὸ ἀργύριον. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω Ἠλίαν τὸν Θεσβίτην, πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ. Νῦν εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὰς πέτρας, καὶ κρύπτεσθε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου Κυρίου, καὶ 95.1177 ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ἀναστῇ θραῦσαι τὴν γῆν. Ἰδοὺ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἀνίατος ἔρχεται μετὰ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς, θῆναι τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην ἔρημον καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς