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And when Jeremiah says: "Give glory to the Lord your God before (14__396> it gets dark, and before 'your' feet stumble on the dark mountains.” And again: "Hear, you foolish and heartless people; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, and they do not hear. Will you not fear me, says the Lord? or will you not stand in awe of my presence? the one who made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting ordinance, and it shall not pass over it?" And again: "Your apostasy will chastise you, and your wickedness will convict you. And know, and see, that it is a bitter thing for you to have forsaken me, says the Lord. I planted you a fruitful vine, all true; how have you turned into a bitterness, the foreign vine?" And again: "I did not sit in the council of those who make merry; but I was in awe because of your hand. I sat alone, because I was filled with bitterness.”

Who does not shudder hearing Ezekiel say: "I will pour out my anger upon you, and I will complete my wrath upon you; and I will judge you in your ways, and I will bring upon you all your abominations; and my eye will not spare, nor will I have mercy; and then you will know that I am the Lord.” Who, hearing Daniel, is not pierced to the heart as he clearly describes the day of the fearsome judgment, in which he says: "I, Daniel, beheld until thrones were set. And the Ancient of Days sat. His garment was white as snow; and the hair of his head was like pure wool. And his throne was a flame of fire; its wheels were burning fire. A river of fire (14__398> was drawn, coming forth from before him. A thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand ten thousands stood before him. The court sat, and the books were opened [clearly, the deeds of each one].” And again: "I saw in a vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of man was coming; and he came to the Ancient of Days; and he was brought before him; and to him was given dominion and honor and the kingdom. And all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him; and his authority is an everlasting authority; and his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. My spirit trembled, I, Daniel, in my frame, and the visions of my head troubled me.”

28. Who, hearing David, is not afraid as he says: "Once God has spoken, these two things I have heard, that power belongs to God, and mercy is yours, Lord; for you will render to each according to his works.” And again, when Ecclesiastes says: "The end of the matter, hear the whole of it: fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man; for God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

29. Who, hearing similar things from the Apostle, does not tremble: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each of us may receive the things done in the body, whether good or bad.” Who then will not lament our unbelief, (14__400> and the blindness of 'our soul,' because hearing all these things we do not repent, and weep bitterly over our great negligence and sloth? Which Jeremiah, foreseeing, said: "Cursed is he who does the works of the Lord negligently.” For if we had care for the salvation of 'our souls,' we would tremble at the word of the Lord, and would hasten to fulfill his commandments, through which we are also saved. But we, hearing the Lord say: "Enter through the narrow gate, which leads to life,” have preferred the wide and broad one, which leads to destruction. For this reason we hear, when he comes from heaven to judge the living and the dead: "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels.”

30. And we hear these things, not as having done evil, but as having neglected good things, and not having loved our neighbor. But if we also did evil, how

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Τοῦ δὲ Ἱερεμίου λέγοντος· "∆ότε τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ὑμῶν δόξαν πρὸ (14__396> τοῦ σκοτάσαι, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ προσκόψαι τοὺς πόδας 'ὑμῶν' ἐπ᾽ ὄρη σκοτεινά». Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἀκούσατε λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ ἀκάρδιος· ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐ βλέπουσιν· ὦτα αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν. Ἐμὲ οὐ φοβηθήσεσθε, λέγει Κύριος; ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου μου οὐκ εὐλαβηθήσεσθε; τὸν ποιήσαντα ὅριον ψάμμον τῇ θαλάσσῃ, πρόσταγμα αἰώνιον, καὶ οὐχ ὑπερβήσεται;" Καὶ πάλιν· "Παιδεύσει σε ἡ ἀποστασία σου, καὶ ἡ κακία σου ἐλέγξει σε. Καὶ γνῶθι, καὶ ἴδε, ὅτι πικρόν σοί ἐστι τὸ καταλιπεῖν σε ἐμέ, λέγει Κύριος. Ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα ἄμπελον καρποφόρον πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν· πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία;" Καὶ πάλιν· "Οὐκ ἐκάθισα μετὰ συνεδρίου παιζόντων· ἀλλ᾽ ηὐλαβούμην ἀπὸ προσώπου χειρός σου. Καταμόνας ἐκαθήμην, ὅτι πικρίας ἐνεπλήσθην».

Τίς δὲ οὐ φρίσσει τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἀκούων λέγοντος· "Ἐκχεῶ τὴν ὀργήν μου ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ συντελέσω τὸν θυμόν μου ἐπὶ σοί· καὶ κρινῶ σε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου, καὶ δώσω ἐπὶ σὲ πάντα τὰ βδελύγματά σου· καὶ οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου, οὐδ᾽ οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσω· καὶ τότε ἐπιγνώσῃ, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος». Τίς δὲ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ ἀκούων οὐ κατανύγεται διαγράφοντος διαρρήδην τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς φοβερᾶς κρίσεως, ἐν οἷς φησιν· "Ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ ἐθεώρουν, ἕως οὗ θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν. Καὶ Παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐκάθησεν. Τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ λευκὸν ὡσεὶ χιών· καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ὡς ἔριον καθαρόν. Καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ φλὸξ πυρός· οἱ τροχοὶ αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον. Ποταμὸς πυρὸς (14__398> εἷλκεν, ἐκπορευόμενος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Χίλιαι χιλιάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ, καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Κριτήριον ἐκάθισε, καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν [τὰ πεπραγμένα ἑκάστου δῆλον ὅτι]». Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐθεώρουν ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτός, καὶ ἰδοὺ μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὡς Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος ἦν· καὶ ἕως τοῦ Παλαιοῦ ἡμερῶν ἔφθασεν· καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προσηνέχθη αὐτῷ· καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόθη ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία. Καὶ πάντες οἱ λαοί, φυλαί, γλῶσσαι αὐτῷ δουλεύσουσι· καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ, ἐξουσία αἰώνιος· καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ, βασιλεία αἰώνιος. Ἔφριξε τὸ πνεῦμά μου, ἐγὼ ∆ανιήλ, ἐν τῇ ἕξει μου, καὶ αἱ ὁράσεις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου συνετάρασσόν με».

28 (κη'). Τίς δὲ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀκούων οὐ φοβεῖται λέγοντος· "Ἅπαξ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεός, δύο ταῦτα ἤκουσα, ὅτι τὸ κράτος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ σοῦ, Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεος· ὅτι σὺ ἀποδώσεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ». Καὶ πάλιν τοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ λέγοντος· "Τέλος λόγου, τὸ πᾶν ἄκουε· τὸν Θεὸν φοβοῦ, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε, ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ἄνθρωπος· ὅτι σύμπαν τὸ ποίημα ἄξει ὁ Θεὸς ἐν κρίσει ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐὰν ἀγαθόν, καὶ ἐὰν πονηρόν».

29 (κθ'). Τίς δὲ τὰ ὅμοια ἀκούων τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος οὐ τρέμει· "∆εῖ γὰρ πάντας ἡμᾶς παραστῆναι τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος ἡμῶν τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος, εἴτε ἀγαθόν, εἴτε κακόν». Τίς οὖν οὐ θρηνήσει τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἡμῶν, (14__400> καὶ τὴν τύφλωσιν τῆς 'ψυχῆς ἡμῶν,' ὅτι τούτων πάντων ἀκούοντες οὐ μετανοοῦμεν, καὶ πικρῶς κλαίομεν ἐπὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ ἡμῶν ἀμελείᾳ καὶ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ; ἣν προθεωρῶν Ἱερεμίας ἔλεγεν· "Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ποιῶν τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου ἀμελῶς». Εἰ γὰρ εἴχομεν φροντίδα περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν 'ψυχῶν' ἡμῶν, ἐτρέμομεν ἂν τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐσπεύδομεν κατορθῶσαι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, δι᾽ ὧν καὶ ἐσωζόμεθα. Ἀλλ᾽ ἡμεῖς ἀκούοντες τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· "Εἰσέλθετε διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης, τῆς εἰσαγούσης εἰς τὴν ζωήν», προετιμήσαμεν τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον, τὴν ἀπάγουσαν εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀκούομεν ὅταν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν παραγίνηται κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· "Ὑπάγετε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηράμενοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ».

30 (λ'). Καὶ ταῦτα ἀκούομεν, οὐχ ὡς κακῶς πράξαντες, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς τῶν καλῶν ἀμελήσαντες, καὶ τὸν πλησίον μὴ ἀγαπήσαντες. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κακὰ ἐπράξαμεν, πῶς