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when it comes, it will take it; and even if you do not slay, the coming law of nature will bring death. Therefore, let us fear none of the things brought upon us by nature, but those things that are engendered in us from a wicked choice; for those things beget punishment for us. Let us continually consider this in the case of things that happen to us unexpectedly, that we will not correct them by grieving, and we will cease from grieving; and again, with this, that other thing, that if we suffer something terrible unjustly in the present life, we dissolve many of our sins. Wherefore, it is a great good to pay for sins here, and not there; for the rich man received nothing terrible here, and for this reason he was tormented there. 49.87 And that this was the cause of his enjoying no comfort, hear what Abraham says: Child, you received your good things, for this reason you are in agony; but that for Lazarus, virtue and suffering countless terrible things here procured for him the good things, hear the patriarch saying these things also. For having said to the rich man, You received your good things, he added, that Lazarus also received evil things; and for this reason he is comforted. For just as those who live in virtue and are afflicted receive a double gain from God, so he who lives in wickedness and luxury will have a double punishment. Again, I say this not to accuse those who flee— for "do not trouble a humbled soul," he says— nor wishing to rebuke, for he who is sick needs comfort, but being eager to correct, let us not entrust our salvation to flight, but let us flee sins, let us depart from the wicked way. If we flee these, even if we are among a myriad of soldiers, no one will be able to strike us; if we do not flee these, even if we climb to the very peak of the mountains, we will find a myriad of enemies there. Remember at least those three children again, who were inside the furnace, and suffered nothing terrible; and of those who threw them in, as many as were sitting around outside the furnace, all were consumed. What is more paradoxical than this? Those whom it held, the fire released, and those whom it did not hold, it seized; so that you may learn that not place, but character, brings salvation and punishment, those inside escaped, those outside were destroyed. The same bodies for those and for these, but not the same mindsets; for this reason, not the same sufferings. For even if grass is lying around outside, it quickly catches fire; just as gold, then, even if it remains inside, is made more brilliant.

5. Where now are those who say: "Let the emperor take everything, and give us our body free?" Let them learn what it is for a body to be free. For it is not being unpunished that makes a body free, but living in righteousness continually. At least the bodies of these children were free even when delivered to the furnace; for they had long ago put off the slavery of sin; for this alone is freedom, not being unpunished, nor suffering anything terrible. But you, knowing the furnace, remember the rivers of fire on that fearful day. For just as here the fire seized some and respected others, so also will it be with those rivers; if anyone has grass, wood, stubble, the fire kindles it; but if anyone has gold, silver, he becomes more brilliant. Therefore, let us gather this material, and bear present things nobly, knowing that the present affliction will deliver us from that punishment, if we know how to be philosophical, and will make us better here, and not only us, but often also those who cast us in, if we are sober; so great is the abundance of philosophy; which indeed happened then in the case of the tyrant. For when he saw that they had suffered nothing terrible, hear how he changed: "Servants of the most high God, come out and come here," he says. Did you not say a little while ago, "And what god is there who will be able to deliver you out of my hands?" What has happened? Whence the change? You saw those outside destroyed, and you call those inside? Whence did it come to you to philosophize such things? Did you see how great a change came over the king? when not yet 49.88

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ἐπελθὼν λήψεται· κἂν μὴ σὺ σφάξῃς, ὁ τῆς φύσεως ἐπελθὼν νόμος οἴσει τὴν τελευτήν. Μηδὲν τοίνυν φοβώμεθα τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῖν ἐπαγομένων, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἐκ πονηρᾶς ἡμῖν ἐγγινόμενα προαιρέσεως· ἐκεῖνα γὰρ ἡμῖν τίκτει τὴν κόλασιν. Τοῦτο δὲ λογιζώμεθα διηνεκῶς ἐπὶ τῶν συμβαινόντων ἡμῖν ἀδοκήτως, ὅτι οὐ διορθώσομεν αὐτὰ ἀλγοῦντες, καὶ παυσόμεθα ἀλγοῦντες· κἀκεῖνο μετὰ τούτου πάλιν, ὅτι ἐὰν πάθωμέν τι δεινὸν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἀδίκως, διαλύομεν πολλὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. ∆ιὸ μέγα ἀγαθὸν ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαβεῖν ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ μὴ ἐκεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πλούσιος οὐδὲν ἐνταῦθα δεινὸν ἀπέλαβε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖ ἀπετηγανίζετο. 49.87 Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο ἦν αἴτιον τοῦ μηδεμιᾶς αὐτὸν ἀπολαῦσαι παραμυθίας, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Ἀβραάμ· Τέκνον, ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου, διὰ τοῦτο ὀδυνᾶσαι· ὅτι δὲ καὶ τῷ Λαζάρῳ τὰ ἀγαθὰ μετὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τὸ μυρία ἐνταῦθα παθεῖν δεινὰ προεξένησε, τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ ταῦτα λέγοντος ἄκουσον. Εἰπὼν γὰρ τῷ πλουσίῳ, Ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Καὶ ὁ Λάζαρος τὰ κακά· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παρακαλεῖται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἐν ἀρετῇ ζῶντες καὶ θλιβόμενοι διπλοῦν τὸ κέρδος παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λαμβάνουσιν, οὕτως ὁ ἐν κακίᾳ ζῶν καὶ τρυφῶν διπλῆν ἕξει τὴν κόλασιν. Πάλιν λέγω οὐχὶ τῶν φευγόντων κατηγορῶν Ψυχὴν γὰρ τεταπεινωμένην μὴ προσταράξῃς, φησὶν, οὐδὲ ἐπιτιμῆσαι βουλόμενος ὁ γὰρ νοσῶν παρακλήσεως δεῖται, ἀλλὰ διορθῶσαι σπουδάζων, μὴ τῇ φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν ἐγχειρίζωμεν, ἀλλὰ φύγωμεν ἁμαρτίας, ἀποστῶμεν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς. Ἐὰν ταύτας φύγωμεν, κἂν μεταξὺ μυρίων ὦμεν στρατιωτῶν, οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς πλῆξαι δυνήσεται· ἐὰν ταύτας μὴ φύγωμεν, κἂν εἰς αὐτὴν τῶν ὀρέων τὴν κορυφὴν ἀναβῶμεν, πολεμίους ἐκεῖ εὑρήσομεν μυρίους. Ἀναμνήσθητι γοῦν τῶν τριῶν παίδων ἐκείνων πάλιν, οἳ ἔνδον ἦσαν ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔπαθον δεινόν· καὶ τῶν ἐμβαλόντων αὐτοὺς ἔξωθεν τῆς καμίνου, ὅσοι περιεκάθηντο, πάντες ἐδαπανήθησαν. Τί τούτου παραδοξότερον; Οὓς κατεῖχεν ἔλυσε τὸ πῦρ, καὶ οὓς οὐ κατεῖχεν ἥρπασεν· ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐχὶ τόπος, ἀλλὰ τρόπος σωτηρίαν φέρει καὶ κόλασιν, οἱ ἔνδον διέφυγον, οἱ ἔξω διεφθάρησαν. Τὰ αὐτὰ σώματα κἀκείνοις καὶ τούτοις, ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ φρονήματα· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ τὰ αὐτὰ πάθη. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ χόρτος κἂν ἔξω περικέηται, ταχέως ἀνάπτεται· ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ χρυσίον κἂν ἔνδον μένῃ, μειζόνως φαιδρύνεται.

εʹ. Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ λέγοντες· Πάντα λαβέτω ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἡμῖν ἐλεύθερον δότω; Τί ποτέ ἐστι, σῶμα ἐλεύθερον εἶναι, μανθανέτωσαν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ μὴ κολάζεσθαι τοῦτο ἐλεύθερον ποιεῖ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ζῇν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ διηνεκῶς. Τούτων γοῦν τῶν παίδων τὰ σώματα ἐλεύθερα ἦν καὶ καμίνῳ παραδοθέντα· τὴν γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας δουλείαν ἀπέθεντο πάλαι· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐλευθερία μόνον, οὐ τὸ μὴ κολάζεσθαι, μηδὲ πάσχειν τι δεινόν. Σὺ δὲ εἰδὼς τὴν κάμινον, ἀναμνήσθητι τῶν τοῦ πυρὸς ποταμῶν, τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν φοβερὰν ἐκείνην. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς μὲν ἥρπασε, τοὺς δὲ ᾐδέσθη τὸ πῦρ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν ἐκείνων ἔσται· κἂν μέν τις ἔχῃ χόρτον, ξύλα, καλάμην, ἀνάπτει τὸ πῦρ· ἂν δέ τις ἔχῃ χρυσὸν, ἄργυρον, φαιδρότερος γίνεται. Ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν ὕλην συναγάγωμεν, καὶ τὰ παρόντα φέρωμεν γενναίως, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ἐκείνης ἡμᾶς τῆς κολάσεως ἡ παροῦσα ἀπαλλάξει θλῖψις, ἐὰν εἰδῶμεν φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα βελτίους ἐργάσεται, οὐχ ἡμᾶς δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐμβαλόντας ἡμᾶς πολλάκις, ἐὰν νήφωμεν· τοσαύτη τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἡ περιουσία· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ τυράννου τότε γέγονεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδε μηδὲν παθόντας δεινὸν, ἄκουσον πῶς μετεβάλετο· Οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε, φησίν. Οὐ πρὸ μικροῦ ἔλεγες, Καὶ τίς ἐστι θεὸς, ὃς δυνήσεται ἐξελέσθαι ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου; Τί γέγονε; πόθεν ἡ μεταβολή; τοὺς ἔξω διαφθαρέντας εἶδες, καὶ τοὺς ἔνδον καλεῖς; πόθεν ἐπῆλθέ σοι τοιαῦτα φιλοσοφεῖν; Εἶδες πόση μεταβολὴ τῷ βασιλεῖ γέγονεν; ὅτε οὔπω 49.88