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We have not yet suffered anything of the sort. But the discourse, doing well, has brought us again to other bonds and another prison. What shall I do? I wish to be silent, but I cannot. I have found another prison, much more wonderful and astonishing than that one. But rouse yourselves for me, as if the discourse were now beginning, and approach with vigorous minds. I wish to cut the discourse short, and it does not allow it. For just as one who is in the middle of drinking would not bear to be interrupted, even if someone should promise anything whatever; so I too, having taken hold of the wonderful cup of the prison of those bound for Christ's sake, cannot stop, cannot be silent. For if he himself was not silent in prison and at night, not even amidst scourgings, shall I be silent, sitting in the daytime, speaking with much ease, while those who were bound, who were scourged, in the middle of the night did not suffer this? The youths were not silent in the furnace and in the fire; and are we not ashamed to be silent? Let us then look at this prison also. They were bound here also, but immediately and from the beginning it was shown that they were not to be burned, but to enter as into a prison. For why do you bind those who are about to be set on fire? They were bound, like Paul, both feet and hands; they were bound with such anger. For that one cast him into the inner prison, and this one commanded the furnace to be heated exceedingly. But let us see what came after this. As they were singing hymns, the prison was shaken, and the doors were opened; and as these were singing hymns, their bonds were loosed, both of their feet and of their hands; the prison was opened, and the doors of the furnace were opened; for a dew of wind was whistling through. But still 62.67 many things flow around me; I do not know which to say first, and which second. Therefore I ask, let no one demand order from me; for great is the relationship of the matters. Those bound with them were loosed, and yet they slept; but here instead of this something else happened: those who cast them in were burned up. But, what I wished to say, the king saw them loosed, and fell down before them; he heard them singing hymns, and saw four walking about, and he called them. Just as, then, Paul did not go out, although he was able, until the one who had cast him in called him and brought him out, so also the three youths did not go out, until the one who had cast them in commanded them to go out. What are we taught from this? Not to be hasty in trials, nor to be hurried in tribulations, nor again to remain when they are loosed. But this one fell down; for he was able to enter where the saints were; but that one, coming to the door, stood; for he did not dare to approach the inner prison, which he had prepared for them with fire. And behold for me the words. This one says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? that one, not with so much humility, yet sent forth a voice no less sweet, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, you servants of the most high God, come forth, and come here. Great honor: You servants of the most high God, come forth, and come here. How can they come forth, O king? you cast them bound into the fire, they have lingered so long a time in the fire? For if they were made of adamant, if they were of metallic substance, and saying all that hymn, would they not have perished? For this reason, then, they were saved, because they were singing hymns. The fire respected their eagerness, it respected also that wonderful ode and the hymns. How do you call them? I said beforehand, You servants of the most high God; for to the servants of God all things are possible. For if there are servants of men, and in the things of their masters they are no less strong and have power and give commands, much more so the servants of God. He called them with the sweetest voice; he knew that by this he was especially flattering them. For if, in order to remain servants of God, they entered into fire, there was no other voice sweeter to them than this; not if he had called them kings, not if he had called them lords of the world, would he have so gladdened them, as when he said, You servants of the most high God. And why do you wonder? For to the great city, that rules the world, and is greatly proud of its dignities, as a counterbalance to its worth, or rather much more

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οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον οὐδέπω πεπόνθαμεν. Ἀλλὰ καλῶς ποιῶν ὁ λόγος εἰς ἑτέρους ἡμᾶς πάλιν ἐξήνεγκε δεσμοὺς καὶ δεσμωτήριον ἕτερον. Τί πάθω; βούλομαι σιγῆσαι, ἀλλ' οὐ δύναμαι. Ἕτερον δεσμωτήριον εὗρον ἐκείνου πολλῷ θαυμασιώτερον καὶ ἐκπληκτικώτερον. Ἀλλά μοι διανάστητε, ὡς νῦν ἀρχομένου τοῦ λόγου, καὶ ἀκμαζούσαις προσέλθετε ταῖς διανοίαις. Βούλομαι διακόψαι τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέχεται. Καθάπερ γάρ τις μεταξὺ πίνων οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιτο διακόψαι, κἂν ὁτιοῦν τις ἐπαγγέλληται· οὕτω κἀγὼ τῆς κύλικος ἐπιλαβόμενος τῆς θαυμαστῆς τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου τῶν διὰ Χριστὸν δεδεμένων, οὐ δύναμαι παύσασθαι, οὐ δύναμαι σιγῆσαι. Εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ οὐκ ἐσίγησεν, οὐδὲ ἐν μάστιξιν, ἐγὼ σιγήσομαι καθήμενος ἡμέρας οὔσης, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀνέσεως φθεγγόμενος, τῶν δεδεμένων, τῶν μεμαστιγωμένων, τῶν ἐν μέσῃ νυκτὶ τοῦτο μὴ παθόντων; Οἱ παῖδες οὐκ ἐσίγων ἐν καμίνῳ καὶ ἐν πυρί· καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ αἰσχυνόμεθα σιγῶντες; Ἴδωμεν οὖν καὶ τοῦτο τὸ δεσμωτήριον. Ἐδέθησαν καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλ' εὐθέως καὶ ἐκ προοιμίων ἐδείκνυτο, ὅτι οὐκ ἔμελλον καίεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰς δεσμωτήριον εἰσιέναι. Τί γὰρ δεσμεῖς τοὺς μέλλοντας φλογίζεσθαι; Ἐδέθησαν, καθὼς Παῦλος, καὶ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας· ἐδέθησαν μετὰ τοσούτου θυμοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν ἔβαλε φυλακὴν, καὶ οὗτος ἐπὶ πολὺ καῆναι τὴν κάμινον ἐκέλευσεν. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα. Ὑμνούντων ἐκείνων ἐσείετο τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ ἀνεῴχθησαν αἱ θύραι· καὶ τούτων ὑμνούντων ἐλύθη τὰ δεσμὰ καὶ τῶν ποδῶν καὶ τῶν χειρῶν· ἀνεῴχθη τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ ἀνεῴχθησαν αἱ θύραι τῆς καμίνου· δρόσος γὰρ πνεύματος διεσύριζεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως 62.67 πολλά με περιῤῥεῖ· οὐκ οἶδα ποῖον εἴπω πρῶτον, ποῖον δὲ δεύτερον. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ, μή με τάξιν τις ἀπαιτείτω· πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ συγγένεια τῶν πραγμάτων. Ἐλύθησαν οἱ συνδεδεμένοι αὐτοῖς, καὶ ὅμως ἐκάθευδον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀντὶ τούτου γέγονεν ἕτερόν τι· κατεκάησαν οἱ ἐμβαλόντες αὐτούς. Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἐβουλόμην εἰπεῖν, εἶδε λελυμένους, καὶ προσέπεσεν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεύς· ἤκουσεν ὑμνούντων, καὶ τέσσαρας εἶδε περιπατοῦντας, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς. Καθάπερ οὖν ὁ Παῦλος οὐκ ἐξῆλθε, καίτοι δυνάμενος, ἕως ὁ ἐμβαλὼν ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξήγαγεν, οὕτως οὐδὲ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἐξῆλθον, ἕως οὗ ὁ ἐμβαλὼν ἐξελθεῖν ἐκέλευσε. Τί ἀπὸ τούτου παιδευόμεθα; Μὴ σπεύδειν ἐν ταῖς ἐπαγωγαῖς, μηδὲ ἐπείγεσθαι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι, μήτε πάλιν λυόντων ἐμμένειν. Ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν προσέπεσε· καὶ γὰρ εἰσελθεῖν ἠδύνατο, ἔνθα ἦσαν οἱ ἅγιοι· ἐκεῖνος δὲ πρὸς τὴν θύραν ἐλθὼν, ἔστη· οὐ γὰρ ἐτόλμα προσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον τὸ ἔνδον, ὅπερ αὐτοῖς διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς κατεσκεύασε. Καὶ θέα μοι τὰ ῥήματα. Οὗτός φησι, Κύριοι, τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ; ἐκεῖνος οὐ μετὰ τοσαύτης μὲν ταπεινοφροσύνης, οὐκ ἔλαττον δὲ φωνὴν ἡδίω ἀφῆκε, Σεδρὰχ, Μισὰκ, Ἀβδεναγὼ, οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐξέλθετε, καὶ δεῦτε. Μεγάλη τιμή· Οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐξέλθετε, καὶ δεῦτε. Πῶς ἐξέλθωσιν, ὦ βασιλεῦ; δεδεμένους ἐνέβαλες τῷ πυρὶ, τοσοῦτον ἐνεχρόνισαν τῷ πυρὶ χρόνον; Εἰ γὰρ ἀδαμάντινοι ἦσαν, εἰ γὰρ ὕλαι μεταλλικαὶ, καὶ ὕμνον λέγοντες ἐκεῖνον ἅπαντα, οὐκ ἂν ἀπώλοντο; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἐσώθησαν, ὅτι ὕμνουν. Ἠδέσθη τὴν προθυμίαν αὐτῶν τὸ πῦρ, ᾐδέσθη καὶ τὴν ᾠδὴν τὴν θαυμαστὴν ἐκείνην καὶ τοὺς ὕμνους. Πῶς αὐτοὺς καλεῖς; Προλαβὼν εἶπον, Οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου· τοῖς γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλοις πάντα δυνατά. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων εἰσὶ δοῦλοί τινες, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνων οὐχ ἧττον ἰσχύουσι καὶ κρατοῦσι καὶ διατάττονται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοῦλοι. Τὴν ἡδίστην φωνὴν ἐκάλεσεν· ᾔδει τούτῳ μάλιστα κολακεύων αὐτούς. Εἰ γὰρ ἵνα δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ μένωσιν, εἰς πῦρ ἐνέβησαν, οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἑτέρα φωνὴ ταύτης ἡδίων· οὐκ ἂν, εἰ βασιλεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐκάλεσεν, οὐκ ἂν, εἰ τῆς οἰκουμένης δεσπότας, οὕτως ἂν αὐτοὺς ηὔφρανεν, ὡς ὅτε εἶπεν, Οἱ δοῦλοι Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις; Τῇ γὰρ μεγάλῃ πόλει, τῇ κρατούσῃ τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ μέγα φρονούσῃ ἐπ' ἀξιώμασιν, ὡς ἀντίῤῥοπον πρὸς ἀξίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ πολλῷ