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they did. Since therefore this people is healed not by word, but by plague, it is written: And all the people did not turn away, until they were struck. Therefore plagues are necessary for such people. Let no one therefore question the causes of the more gloomy things: why droughts, why floods, why thunderbolts, why hailstorms. Because of us, who have an unrepentant heart and do not turn back before, unless we are struck. And the Lord will take away from Israel head and tail, great and small, in one day. After the sent Word has reached them, he says that all their evil order will be confounded, and that the rulers and their followers will be removed, both those puffed up in power and their subordinates. The preeminence of the elders will be dishonored, and of those who judge with partiality. But those who have no rank among the people, but are self-appointed and falsely claim for themselves a prophetic gift (which they did not receive from the Spirit) and teach lawless things, such as Hananiah in the time of Jeremiah, and the false prophets in the time of Micaiah, in whom there was a lying spirit, which deceived Ahab, urging him to the war against the Syrians; these too will be taken away, as if occupying the rearguard of the people. 9.231 But also those who call this people blessed, and lead it astray and exploit it through deceit. For this reason the Lord will not rejoice over their young men and those in their prime. Nor will any orphan among such a people, nor any widow be pitied. For the weak and helpless is worthy of mercy; but that which is powerful in malice and wickedness, of turning away and hatred. Then he adds, that his anger is not yet turned away, but his hand is still stretched out, because of those who lead astray among the people and those who are led astray, among whom all are lawless and wicked and speak unjust things. But the threat has a certain indication of benefaction, that lawlessness will be burned up, like fire. For it has been ordained by the good Master that the matter prepared from lawlessness be delivered to destruction for the benefit of men. And like dry couch grass (he says) it will be devoured by fire, and it will be burned in the thickets of the forest. As long as the soul is buried in earthly passions, like couch grass its passions, springing from the mindset of the flesh, creep, having their generation from one another, and some being born upon others. For as couch grass is most prolific among plants and its generation never ceases, but the end of the first generation is always the beginning of the next, such also is the nature of sins; it succeeds itself. And fornication begets fornication; and the habit of lying becomes the mother of lying, and he who has practiced in thefts, easily dares the crime. For a preceding sin becomes an occasion for sin. If therefore we strip sin bare through confession, we have made it dry couch grass, worthy to be consumed by the cleansing fire. And this is burned in the thickets of the forest. Observe what is said about forests in the first book of Kingdoms: the people, being at war, entered the forest, and fainted from not eating. But also Absalom, being at war, enters a forest. If therefore our sin does not become like dry couch grass, it will not be devoured by fire, nor will it be burned up. And the thickets of the forest he calls those who are treacherous and obscured in thought, those who preserve many evil things in the secret of their heart. 9.232 Then he adds, that through the fury of the Lord’s anger the whole land is burned. He shows that earthly things are given over to the chastising fire, for the benefit of the soul, according to what the Lord also hints, saying: I came to cast fire upon the earth, and I wished to see if it were already kindled. And the people shall be as a man burned by fire. He does not threaten destruction, but indicates purification, according to what was said by the Apostle, that If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.

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ἔπραξαν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ὁ λαὸς οὗτος οὐ διὰ λόγου, ἀλλὰ διὰ πληγῆς θεραπεύεται, γέγραπται· Καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς οὐκ ἀπεστράφη, ἕως ἐπλήγη. ∆ιόπερ ἀναγκαῖαι τοῖς τοιοῖσδε αἱ πληγαί. Μηδεὶς οὖν πο λυπραγμονείτω τὰς αἰτίας τῶν σκυθρωποτέρων· διὰ τί αὐχμοὶ, διὰ τί ἐπομβρίαι, διὰ τί σκηπτοὶ, διὰ τί χάλαζαι. ∆ι' ἡμᾶς, τοὺς τὴν ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν ἔχοντας καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἐπιστρέφοντας, ἐὰν μὴ πληγῶμεν. Καὶ ἀφελεῖ Κύριος ἀπὸ Ἰσραὴλ κεφαλὴν καὶ οὐρὰν, μέγαν καὶ μικρὸν, ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ. Μετὰ τὸ φθάσαι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὸν Λόγον τὸν ἀπεσταλμένον, πᾶσαν τὴν κακὴν αὐτῶν διάταξιν συγχυθήσεσθαι λέγει, καὶ περιαιρεθήσεσθαι μὲν ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς ἑπομένους, τούς τε ἐν δυναστείᾳ μέγα φυσῶντας καὶ τοὺς ὑποβεβηκότας. Ἀτιμασθήσεται πρεσβυτέρων προεδρία, καὶ τῶν κατὰ προσωποληψίαν κρινόντων. Οἱ δὲ μηδεμίαν τάξιν ἔχοντες ἐν τῷ λαῷ, αὐτοχειροτόνητοι δὲ καὶ προφητικὸν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιψευδόμενοι χάρισμα (ὃ μὴ ἔλαβον παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος) καὶ διδάσκοντες τὰ ἄνομα, οἷος ἦν ἐπὶ Ἱερε μίου ὁ Ἀνανίας, καὶ ἐπὶ Μιχαίου οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται, ἐν οἷς ἐγένετο πνεῦμα ψευδὲς, ὃ ἐξηπάτα τὸν Ἀχαὰμ, προτρε πόμενον ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ τῶν Σύρων πόλεμον· ἀφαιρεθήσονται καὶ οὗτοι, οἱονεὶ τὴν οὐραγίαν τοῦ λαοῦ κατέχοντες. 9.231 Ἀλλὰ καὶ μακαρίζοντες τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ πλα νῶντες αὐτὸν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀπάτης ἐκκαρπούμενοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὔτε ἐπὶ τοῖς νεανίσκοις καὶ ἀκμάζουσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς εὐφραν θήσεται ὁ Κύριος. Οὔτε εἴ τις ὀρφανὸς ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ λαῷ, οὔτε εἴ τις χήρα ἐλεηθήσεται. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἀβοήθητον, ἐλέους ἄξιον· τὸ δὲ δυνατὸν ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ, ἀποστροφῆς καὶ μίσους. Εἶτα ἐπάγει, ὅτι οὐδέπω ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ ἀποστρέφεται, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑψηλὴ ἐπίκειται, διὰ τοὺς πλανῶντας ἐν τῷ λαῷ καὶ πλανωμένους, παρ' οἷς πάντες ἄνομοι καὶ πονηροὶ καὶ ἄδικα λαλοῦντες. Ἔχει δέ τινα ἡ ἀπειλὴ εὐεργεσίας ἔμφασιν, ὅτι Καυθήσεται ἡ ἀνομία, ὡς πῦρ. Τὴν γὰρ παρασκευασθεῖσαν ὕλην ἐκ τῆς ἀνομίας ἀφανισμῷ παραδοθῆναι ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ∆εσπότου ᾠκονόμηται. Καὶ ὡς ἄγρωστις (φησὶ) ξηρὰ βρω θήσεται ὑπὸ πυρὸς, καὶ καυθήσεται ἐν τοῖς δάσεσι τοῦ δρυμοῦ. Ἕως μὲν ἐγκέχωσται τοῖς γηΐνοις πάθεσιν ἡ ψυχὴ, ὡς ἄγρωστις τὰ πάθη αὐτῆς, ἐκ τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκφυόμενα, διέρπει, δι' ἀλλήλων τὴν γένεσιν ἔχοντα, καὶ ἄλλα ἐπ' ἄλλοις γεννώμενα. Ὡς γὰρ ἡ ἄγρωστις πολυ γονώτατόν ἐστιν ἐν βοτάναις καὶ οὐδαμοῦ καταλήγει αὐτῆς ἡ γέννησις, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τὸ πέρας τῆς πρώτης γενέσεως ἀρχὴ τοῦ ἐφεξῆς γίνεται, τοιαύτη καὶ ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐστὶ φύσις· αὐτὴ ἑαυτὴν διαδέχεται. Καὶ γεννᾷ μὲν ἡ πορ νεία πορνείαν· ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει συνήθεια ψεύδους γίνεται μήτηρ, καὶ ὁ ἐν κλοπαῖς μελετήσας, κατατολμᾷ ῥᾳδίως τοῦ ἀδικήματος. Ἡ γὰρ προλαβοῦσα ἁμαρτία ἀφορμὴ ἁμαρτίας γίνεται. Ἐὰν οὖν γυμνώσωμεν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν διὰ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως, ἐποιήσαμεν αὐτὴν ξηρὰν ἄγρωστιν, ἀξίαν τοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ καθαρτικοῦ πυρὸς καταβρωθῆναι. Αὕτη δὲ καίεται ἐν τοῖς δάσεσι τοῦ δρυμοῦ. Τήρησον ὅσα περὶ δρυμῶν εἴρηται ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν· πολε μούμενος ὁ λαὸς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν δρυμὸν, καὶ ἐκλείπει μὴ ἐσθίων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ πολεμούμενος εἰς δρυμὸν εἰσέρχεται. Ἐὰν οὖν μὴ γένηται ὡς ἄγρωστις ξηρὰ, ἡ ἁμαρ τία ἡμῶν, οὐ βρωθήσεται ὑπὸ πυρὸς, οὔτε κατακαυθήσεται. Καὶ τὰ ∆άση τοῦ δρυμοῦ τοὺς ὑπούλους λέγει καὶ συνεσ κιασμένους τῇ διανοίᾳ, τοὺς ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τῆς καρδίας ἑαυτῶν πολλὰ τῶν κακῶν συντηροῦντας. 9.232 Εἶτα ἐπάγει, ὅτι ∆ιὰ θυμὸν ὀργῆς Κυρίου συγκέκαυ ται ἡ γῆ ὅλη. ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι τὰ γήϊνα τῷ πυρὶ τῷ κολαστικῷ παρα δίδοται, ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ τῆς ψυχῆς, καθ' ἃ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ὑποφαίνει, λέγων· Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἤθελον ἰδεῖν εἰ ἤδη ἀνήφθη. Καὶ ἔσται ὁ λαὸς, ὡς ὑπὸ πυρὸς κα τακεκαυμένος ἄνθρωπος. Οὐκ ἀφανισμὸν ἀπειλεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν κάθαρσιν ὑποφαίνει, κατὰ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται, ζημιωθήσεται· αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται, οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός.