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proclaims beforehand things present and things to come. For the universal judgment is reserved for there; but the partial one is also here; for he also works many things now, so that the insensitive do not think that existing things are without providence. But if not all receive their crowns here, do not be amazed. For he has prepared a day in which he will judge the world; but the present is a stadium, and a contest, and wrestlings. For this reason, not all receive what they deserve, but for those who succeed, the gifts are reserved there, and for those who fall, the punishments; but here there is forbearance and long-suffering, so that through repentance they may wash away their sins; but this is not so there. For even a murderer, as long as he is in the streets, has the power to change and be freed from punishment; but when he comes under the judge's verdict, then there is the sword, and the executioner, and the pit. So it is here also. As long as we are in this present life, it is possible to escape punishment by changing; but having departed there, we will lament in vain; for he has prepared his throne in judgment. But if someone were to take the "He prepared" thus, as has been said, he will not err; for all things have been prepared, both the things of punishment, and the things of the crowns, and the things of the verdict. There is no delay, nor time, nor slowness with God, when the living will not precede those who have fallen asleep, as Paul says, that "We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep." He will judge peoples in uprightness. See the wisdom of the Prophet, how he speaks of things present, how of things to come. The present things: "You have rebuked the nations, and the ungodly has perished"; the future things: "He has prepared his throne in judgment." And he himself will judge the world in righteousness. And he does this, so that those who disbelieve those things may receive proof from present things. And the Lord became a refuge for the poor man. Another, For the 55.128 crushed. Another, For the broken. He continuously calls himself both needy and poor, although he was in a palace. Thus also elsewhere: "But I am poor and needy"; for he knew, he knew clearly, that all human things are more feeble than a shadow, and that nothing is so proper to us as virtue, but all other things are like leaves attached from the outside. For that virtue is our own is clear from this. Wherever we may go, we carry this with us; but those other things, no longer. Therefore this is more our own, but the other things are from afar. Just as we call our neighbor our own; so indeed we call this more our own than possessions, since it is always near us. 5. And consider for me his gratitude, and his philosophic soul. For though having horses, and armies, and countless other things, leaving all those aside, he draws upon the influence from above, and ascribes his salvation to it. For he did not say, "Armies became my refuge, nor riches, nor walls"; but, "The Lord became a refuge for the poor man." He himself, he says, established me in safety; for nothing is equal to this refuge, in terms of both ease and security. For other refuges can be plotted against, and it is not possible to find them quickly and at hand, but they are hindered by time and place and countless circumstances; but this one you find near, if only you seek it with exactness. For "While you are still speaking, I will say, 'Behold, I am here.'" And, "I am a God at hand, and not a God afar off." Therefore we have no need of running, nor of journeying, but even while sitting at home it is possible to draw upon this refuge. And sometimes he delivers from dangers; and sometimes he makes them more glorious and more powerful than their enemies, and both in due season. For when those who enjoy them are moderate, he gives both. But if they do not have this achievement to a great degree, he stops at the one, so that by the addition

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παρόντα καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προαναφωνεῖ. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ καθόλου κρίσις ἐκεῖ τεταμίευται· ἡ δὲ ἐκ μέρους καὶ ἐνταῦθα· πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἐργάζεται, ὥστε μὴ τοὺς ἀναισθήτους ἀπρονόητα εἶναι νομίζειν τὰ ὄντα. Εἰ δὲ μὴ πάντες ἐνταῦθα τοὺς στεφάνους ἀπολαμβάνουσι, μὴ θαυμάσῃς. Ἡτοίμασε γὰρ ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ μέλλει κρίνειν τὴν οἰκουμένην· τὸ δὲ παρὸν, στάδιον, καὶ ἀγὼν, καὶ παλαίσματα. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐ πάντες τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπολαμβάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τε κατορθοῦσιν ἐκεῖ τεταμίευται τὰ δῶρα, τοῖς τε καταπίπτουσιν αἱ κολάσεις· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀνοχὴ καὶ μακροθυμία ὥστε διὰ μετανοίας ἀπονίψασθαι τὰ ἡμαρτημένα· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖ τοῦτο. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀνδροφόνος, ἕως μὲν ἂν ᾖ ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς, κύριός ἐστι μεταβαλέσθαι, καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆναι κολάσεως· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ὑπὸ τὴν ψῆφον ἔλθοι τοῦ δικαστοῦ, ξίφος λοιπὸν, καὶ δήμιος, καὶ βάραθρα. Οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Ἕως μὲν ἂν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ὦμεν τῷ παρόντι, δυνατὸν διαφυγεῖν τὴν τιμωρίαν μεταβαλομένους· ἐκεῖ δὲ ἀπελθόντες, ἀνήνυτα οἰμώξομεν· Ἡτοίμασε γὰρ ἐν κρίσει τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ τὸ, Ἡτοίμασεν, οὕτως ἐκλάβοι, ὡς εἴρηται, οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται· πάντα γὰρ παρεσκευασμένα, καὶ τὰ τῶν κολάσεων, καὶ τὰ τῶν στεφάνων, καὶ τὰ τῆς ψήφου. Οὐκ ἔστι μέλλησις, οὐδὲ χρόνος, οὐδὲ βραδύτης παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ὅταν οἱ ζῶντες οὐ μὴ φθάνωσι τοὺς κοιμηθέντας, ὥσπερ ὁ Παῦλος λέγει, ὅτι Ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες, οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας. Κρινεῖ λαοὺς ἐν εὐθύτητι. Ὅρα σοφίαν Προφήτου, πῶς λέγει τὰ παρόντα, πῶς τὰ μέλλοντα. Τὰ παρόντα· Ἐπετίμησας ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἀπώλετο ὁ ἀσεβής· τὰ μέλλοντα· Ἡτοίμασεν ἐν κρίσει τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ αὐτὸς κρινεῖ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ, ἵνα οἱ ἐκείνοις ἀπιστοῦντες ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων λάβωσι τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Καὶ ἐγένετο Κύριος καταφυγὴ τῷ πένητι. Ἄλλος, Τῷ 55.128 ἐπιτρίπτῳ. Ἄλλος, Τῷ τεθλασμένῳ. Συνεχῶς ἑαυτὸν καὶ πένητα καὶ πτωχὸν καλεῖ, καίτοι γε ἐν βασιλείοις ὤν. Οὕτω καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἐγὼ δὲ πτωχός εἰμι καὶ πένης· ᾔδει γὰρ, ᾔδει σαφῶς, ὅτι τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πάντα σκιᾶς ἀδρανέστερα, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἡμῖν οὕτως οἰκεῖον ὡς ἀρετὴ, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα φύλλοις ἔοικεν ἔξωθεν προσκειμένοις. Ὅτι γὰρ ἀρετὴ οἰκεῖον, δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν. Ὅπου ἐὰν ἀπέλθωμεν, ταύτην περιφέρομεν· ἐκεῖνα δὲ οὐκ ἔτι. Οὐκοῦν τοῦτο ἡμῖν οἰκειότερον, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πόῤῥωθεν. Ὥσπερ οὖν οἰκεῖον λέγομεν τὸν πλησίον ἡμῖν ὄντα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ταύτην τῶν χρημάτων οἰκειοτέραν καλοῦμεν, ἐπειδὴ πλησίον ἡμῖν ἀεί. εʹ. Θέα δέ μοι αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην, καὶ τὴν φιλόσοφον ψυχήν. Καὶ γὰρ ἵππους ἔχων, καὶ στρατόπεδα, καὶ μυρία ὅσα, πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἀφεὶς, τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπισπᾶται ῥοπὴν, καὶ αὐτῷ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀνατίθησιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐγένετό μοι στρατόπεδα καταφυγή σου, οὐδὲ χρήματα, οὐδὲ τείχη· ἀλλ', Ἐγένετο Κύριος καταφυγὴ τῷ πένητι. Αὐτός με, φησὶν, ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ κατέστησεν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ταύτης ἴσον τῆς καταφυγῆς, καὶ εἰς εὐκολίας καὶ ἀσφαλείας λόγον. Τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλας καταφυγὰς καὶ ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι ἔνι, καὶ ταχέως εὑρεῖν οὐκ ἔνι καὶ ἐξ ἑτοίμου, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ τόπῳ καὶ μυρίαις κωλύονται περιστάσεσι· ταύτην δὲ πλησίον οὖσαν εὑρίσκεις, μόνον ἐὰν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐπιζητήσῃς. Ἔτι γὰρ λαλοῦντός σου ἐρῶ, Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι. Καὶ, Θεὸς ἐγγίζων ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς πόῤῥωθεν. Οὐ τοίνυν δεῖ δρόμου ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ ἀποδημίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἴκοι καθημένους ταύτην ἐπισπᾶσθαι τὴν καταφυγὴν ἔνι. Καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἐξαιρεῖ τῶν κινδύνων· ποτὲ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς ποιεῖ λαμπροτέρους καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δυνατωτέρους, καὶ ἀμφότερα ἐν καιρῷ τῷ προσήκοντι. Ὅταν γὰρ μετριάζωσιν οἱ ἀπολαύοντες, ἀμφότερα δίδωσιν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ σφόδρα τοῦτο ἔχοιεν τὸ κατόρθωμα, μέχρι τοῦ ἑνὸς ἵσταται, ὥστε μὴ τῇ προσθήκῃ