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with the sacrifices. So also Peter, after discoursing much about Gehenna, struck them most of all when he brought the punished ones into their midst and showed before their eyes the punishment of Ananias and Sapphira; which is what Paul also did in the case of the magus. And he also establishes such a thing in another way, when he remembers those in the desert, saying thus: I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all were baptized into Moses, and ate spiritual food, and drank spiritual drink; but with most of them God was not well pleased, but they perished and fell. For since he was discoursing about future things, I mean Gehenna, and chastisement, and punishment, he brings proof concerning them from past events, bringing into the midst those who were punished, those by the serpents, those by the destroyer. This is indeed what David also does here, whether speaking about Ahithophel or about Absalom. Some then say it was spoken about Ahithophel. For it was not for the same person to say, Spare me the boy Absalom; and after the passion, Who will grant me death instead of you? and to say these things now; but he said those things while being constrained by nature; but now, having been inspired by the Spirit. But whether it was said about Absalom or about Ahithophel, we must examine what was said; for my argument is not much concerned with the persons. 13. What then do we learn from this? It shows that he who digs a pit for his neighbor will fall into it himself; and just as women in labor are torn apart by labor pains, so also he who works deceit, before he wrongs his neighbor, is himself torn apart and suffers pain, and not in any ordinary way, but with great severity. Wherefore, wishing to represent the bitterness of the pain, he called the matter a labor pain. For wherever Scripture wishes to show us some unbearable pain, it designates it by the name of labor pain. Wherefore it also says elsewhere, Pangs came upon the inhabitants of Philistia, that is, fear, trembling, toil, pain. And again Paul: But when they say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon her who is with child 55.101. Here he hints at two things, both the unbearable and the unexpected. And Hezekiah: For the labor pain has come to her who is giving birth, but she has no strength to bring forth, showing his unbearable fear and toil through the labor pain. So indeed also here the prophet. For even if someone is wicked ten thousand times over, the tribunal of the conscience is not corrupted; for it is natural, and was implanted in us from the beginning by God. And though we may argue ten thousand times, it stands over us crying out, punishing, condemning, and there is no one living in evil who does not endure a myriad of pains, both in planning evil things and in bringing the plan into action. For what is more wicked than Ahab? But nevertheless, when he desired the vineyard, consider how much pain he had. Though he was a king and ruler of all, and had no one contradicting him, since he could not bear the verdict of his conscience, he went in sullen, downcast, confused, bearing a great darkness upon his countenance, proclaiming on his face the proof of the condemnation from his conscience, and unable to conceal the pain that had come upon him from his despondency. Thus, indeed, he was also exposed by his wife. The traitor, however, who had run aground on such great wickedness, since he could not bear the pain from the tribunal of his conscience, both fastened a noose and so ended his life. Therefore, just as he who is in wickedness suffers so many things, so he who is in virtue enjoys tranquility and an untroubled mind. But consider. If someone wishes to take revenge on another, or to begin unjust hands, see how many things

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ταῖς θυσίαις. Οὕτω καὶ Πέτρος πολλὰ περὶ γεέννης διαλεχθεὶς, τότε μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἔπληξεν, ὅτε τοὺς κολασθέντας εἰς μέσον ἤγαγε, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἔδειξε τοῦ Ἀνανίου καὶ τῆς Σαπφείρας· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίει ἐπὶ τοῦ μάγου. Καὶ ἑτέρῳ δὲ τρόπῳ κατασκευάζει τὸ τοιοῦτον, ὅτε τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ μέμνηται, λέγων οὕτως· Οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν πάντες ὑπὸ τὴν νεφέλην ἦσαν, καὶ πάντες εἰς τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἐβαπτίσθησαν, καὶ βρῶμα πνευματικὸν ἔφαγον, καὶ πόμα πνευματικὸν ἔπιον· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν ηὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἀπώλοντο καὶ κατέπεσον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ μελλόντων διελέγετο, γεέννης λέγω, καὶ κολάσεως, καὶ τιμωρίας, ἀπὸ τῶν παρελθόντων καὶ τὴν περὶ ἐκείνων ἀπόδειξιν φέρει, αὐτοὺς τοὺς κολασθέντας εἰς μέσον ἄγων, τοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν ὄφεων, τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀλοθρευτοῦ. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, εἴτε περὶ τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ, εἴτε περὶ τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ λέγων. Τινὲς μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ φασὶν εἰρῆσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν τοῦ αὐτοῦ λέγειν, Φείσασθέ μοι τοῦ παιδαρίου Ἀβεσσαλώμ· καὶ μετὰ τὸ πάθος, Τίς δῴη μοι θάνατον ἀντὶ σοῦ; καὶ ταῦτα νῦν λέγειν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως κατεχόμενος ἔλεγε· νῦν δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔνθους γενόμενος. Πλὴν εἴτε περὶ τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ, εἴτε περὶ τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ εἴρηται, σκοπητέον τὰ εἰρημένα· οὐ γὰρ πολύς μοι περὶ τῶν προσώπων ὁ λόγος. ιγʹ. Τί οὖν ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν; ∆είκνυσιν, ὅτι ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον, εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται· καὶ καθάπερ αἱ ὠδίνουσαι γυναῖκες ὑπὸ τῶν ὠδίνων διακόπτονται, οὕτω καὶ ὁ δόλον ἐργαζόμενος, πρὶν ἢ τὸν πλησίον ἀδικῆσαι, αὐτὸς διακόπτεται καὶ ὀδυνᾶται, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς δριμύτητος. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ πικρὸν τῆς ὀδύνης παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος, ὠδῖνα τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐκάλεσεν. Ὅπου γὰρ ἐὰν βούληται ἡ Γραφὴ ἀφόρητόν τινα ἡμῖν ὀδύνην ἐνδείξασθαι, τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς ὠδῖνος αὐτὴν ὑπογράφει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν, Ὠδῖνες ἔλαθον κατοικοῦντας Φυλιστιεὶμ, τουτέστι, φόβος, τρόμος, πόνος, ὀδύνη. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος· Ὅταν δὲ λέγωσιν, Εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τότε αὐτοῖς αἰφνίδιος ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος, ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχού 55.101 σῃ. Ἐνταῦθα δύο αἰνίττεται, καὶ τὸ ἀφόρητον, καὶ τὸ ἀπροσδόκητον. Καὶ ὁ Ἐζεκίας· Ὅτι ἥκει ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ τικτούσῃ, ἰσχὺν δὲ οὐκ ἔχει τοῦ τεκεῖν, τὸν ἀφόρητον αὐτοῦ φόβον καὶ πόνον διὰ τῆς ὠδῖνος ἐνδεικνύμενος. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ προφήτης. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις πονηρός τις ᾖ, τὸ κριτήριον τοῦ συνειδότος οὐ διαφθείρεται· φυσικὸν γάρ ἐστι, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐντεθέν. Κἂν μυρία φιλονεικήσωμεν, ἐφέστηκεν ἐκεῖνο καταβοῶν, κολάζον, καταδικάζον, καὶ οὐδείς ἐστι τῶν ἐν κακίᾳ ζώντων, ὃς οὐ μυρίαν ὀδύνην ὑπομένει, καὶ βουλευόμενος τὰ κακὰ, καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἐκφέρων τὴν βουλήν. Τί γὰρ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ πονηρότερον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκεῖνος ἐπιθυμήσας τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, ἐννόησον πόσην ὀδύνην ἔσχε. Βασιλεὺς γοῦν ὢν καὶ πάντων κρατῶν, καὶ οὐδένα ἔχων ἀντιλέγοντα, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ συνειδότος τὴν ψῆφον οὐκ ἤνεγκεν, εἰσῆλθε σκυθρωπάζων, κάτω κύπτων, συγκεχυμένος, πολλὴν ἀχλὺν ἐπὶ τῆς ὄψεως φέρων, τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος καταδίκης τὸν ἔλεγχον ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου κηρύττων, καὶ οὐ δυνάμενος συσκιάσαι τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἐγγενομένην αὐτῷ ὀδύνην. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐγένετο κατάφωρος. Ὁ μέντοι προδότης, ὁ πρὸς τοσαύτην ἐξοκείλας πονηρίαν, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ὀδύνην οὐκ ἤνεγκε τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ κριτηρίου τοῦ συνειδότος, καὶ βρόχον ἀνῆψε, καὶ οὕτω τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ ἐν πονηρίᾳ τοσαῦτα πάσχει, οὕτως ὁ ἐν ἀρετῇ γαλήνης ἀπολαύει καὶ ἀταράχου διανοίας. Σκόπει δέ. Εἰ βουληθῇ τίς τινα ἀμύνασθαι, ἢ ἄρξαι χειρῶν ἀδίκων, ὅρα πόσα