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137

he rebukes. For we are not so pained when we are reproved by others, as when we reprove others for sins of which we are guilty. Do you wish to learn how great a success it is to remember one's own sins? In the case of the spending of money, immediately upon rising from bed, before entering the marketplace or handling any private or public affairs, we call the servant and demand an account of the expenditures, so that we may see what was spent badly, what was spent necessarily, and how much is left over; and if we see that little remains, we devise every kind of opportunity for income, so that we may not unawares be destroyed by famine. Let us then do this also in the case of our actions, chastening our conscience, let us make for it an account of our words, our deeds, our thoughts, let us examine what was spent for a necessary purpose, and what to our harm; what word was spent badly, for insults, for shameful speech, for insolence; what thought moved the eye to licentiousness; what word to our harm was brought into action, whether through hands, or through tongue, or through the eyes themselves; and let us be eager to abstain from untimely expenditure, and in place of what was once spent badly, to lay up another income, in place of words spoken in vain, prayers, in place of licentious glances, alms, fasts. For if we are to spend unseasonably, but lay nothing aside nor treasure up any good for ourselves, having been brought down to extreme poverty, we will unawares send ourselves over to the immortal punishment of fire. How much better, then, to exchange a temporary compunction and lamentation for immortal goods and pleasure that has no end, than having laughed through this short and temporary life here, to depart there to be punished immortally? For if Paul, so great and of such stature, who as if on 63.743 wings ran through the entire inhabited world, and became superior to bodily necessities, and was deemed worthy to hear those unutterable words, which until this day no one else has heard, writing said: "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified;" what 63.744 shall we say, who are weighed down with burdens of sins, and in addition to these display much laziness? For does this war have a truce? It is necessary always to be sober and watchful, and never to be at ease, since there is no set time for the attack of him who wars against us.

HOMILY 25. Concerning the future judgment. Many of the people among us, being nailed to the flesh and to present

matters, think that there is nothing after these things, and putting forward the loving-kindness of God, they say that there is no punishment nor vengeance. If then God is loving toward humankind, as indeed he is, he would certainly be just; and if he is just, how would it not be just for one who has experienced countless good things from the beginning, then has done things worthy of punishment, and has become no better by either threat or benefit, to be punished, For if you were to examine what is just, we ought to have perished from the beginning and straightway, according to the principle of justice rather; for it also contained loving-kindness, even if we had suffered this which did not happen. For when someone insults one who has done no wrong, he certainly pays the penalty according to the principle of justice; but when someone not only insults his benefactor, one who has suffered no previous good, but has done countless good things and was the sole cause of his being, but also grieves him each day by what he does, of what pardon will such a one be worthy? How do you not fear, tell me, uttering bold things, when you say, "God is loving toward humankind and does not punish." But if He does punish, will He be found, according to you, to be no longer loving toward humankind? For why, tell me, do you not think you deserve to be punished when you sin? Did he not tell you all things beforehand? Did he not threaten? Did he not help? Did he not work countless things for the sake of the

137

ἐπιτιμᾷ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἐλεγχόμενοι παρ' ἑτέρων ἀλγοῦμεν, ὡς ἐλέγχοντες ἑτέρους ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων ὧν ἐσμεν ὑπεύθυνοι. Βούλεσθε μαθεῖν ὅσον κατόρθωμα τὸ τῶν οἰκείων μεμνῆσθαι ἁμαρτημάτων; ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων δαπάνης εὐθέως ἀναστάντες ἀπὸ τῆς κλίνης, πρὶν εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβαλεῖν, ἢ μεταχειρίσαι τι τῶν ἰδιωτικῶν ἢ δημοσίων πραγμάτων, τὸν οἰκέτην καλέσαντες ἀπαιτοῦμεν τὸν λόγον τῶν δαπανηθέντων, ἵνα ἴδωμεν, τί μὲν κακῶς, τί δὲ εἰς δέον ἀνήλωται, πόσον δὲ ὑπολέλειπται· κἂν ἴδωμεν ὀλίγον τὸ ὑπολελειμμένον, παντὶ τρόπῳ προσόδων ἀφορμὰς ἐπινοοῦμεν, ἵνα μὴ λάθωμεν διαφθαρέντες λιμῷ. Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων τῶν ἡμετέρων ποιῶμεν, τὸ συνειδὸς τὸ ἡμέτερον κολάσαντες, ποιήσωμεν αὐτῷ λόγον τῶν ῥημάτων, τῶν πραγμάτων, τῶν ἐνθυμήσεων, ἐξετάσωμεν τί μὲν εἰς δέον ἠνήλωται, τί δὲ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ· ποῖος λόγος ἐδαπανήθη κακῶς, εἰς λοιδορίας, εἰς αἰσχρολογίας, εἰς ὕβρεις· ποῖον ἐνθύμημα τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν εἰς ἀκολασίαν ἐκίνησε· τίς λόγος ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ εἰς ἔργον ἐξηνέχθη, ἢ διὰ χειρῶν, ἢ διὰ γλώττης, ἢ διὰ τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτῶν· καὶ σπουδάσωμεν τῆς μὲν ἀκαίρου δαπάνης ἀποστῆναι, ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν ἅπαξ ἀναλωθέντων κακῶς, ἑτέραν ἀποθέσθαι πρόσοδον, ἀντὶ τῶν ῥημάτων τῶν εἰκῆ προσενεχθέντων εὐχὰς, ἀντὶ τῶν ὄψεων τῶν ἀκολάστως γενομένων ἐλεημοσύνας, νηστείας. Εἰ γὰρ μέλλοιμεν δαπανᾷν μὲν ἀκαίρως, μηδὲν δὲ ἀποτίθεσθαι μηδὲ θησαυρίζειν ἑαυτοῖς ἀγαθὸν, εἰς ἐσχάτην κατενεχθέντες πενίαν, λήσομεν πρὸς τὴν ἀθάνατον τοῦ πυρὸς ἑαυτοὺς παραπέμποντες κόλασιν. Πόσον τοίνυν βέλτιον, πρόσκαιρον κατάνυξιν καὶ ὀδυρμὸν ἀθανάτων ἀλλάξασθαι καλῶν καὶ ἡδονῆς τέλος οὐκ ἐχούσης, ἢ τὸν βραχὺν τοῦτον καὶ πρόσκαιρον βίον ἐνταῦθα γελάσαντας ἀπελθεῖν ἐκεῖ κολασθησομένους ἀθάνατα; Εἰ γὰρ Παῦλος, ὁ τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος, ὁ καθάπερ ὑπό 63.743 πτερος τὴν οἰκουμένην διαδραμὼν ἅπασαν, καὶ τῶν σωματικῶν ἀναγκῶν ἀνώτερος γεγονὼς, καὶ τῶν ἀῤῥήτων ἐκείνων ῥημάτων ἀκοῦσαι καταξιωθεὶς, ὧν μέχρι τῆς σήμερον οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἤκουσε, γράφων ἔλεγεν· Ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι· τί 63.744 ἂν εἴποιμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ φορτίοις ἁμαρτημάτων βεβαρημένοι, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις πολλὴν τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι; Μὴ γὰρ ἀνακωχὴν ἔχει ὁ πόλεμος οὗτος; Πάντοτε νήφειν καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι δεῖ, καὶ μηδέποτε ἐν ἀδείᾳ εἶναι, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἔστι καιρὸς ὡρισμένος τῆς τοῦ πολεμοῦντος ἡμῖν ἐπιθέσεως.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΕʹ. Περὶ τῆς μελλούσης κρίσεως. Πολλοὶ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἀνθρώπων τῇ σαρκὶ προσηλωμένοι καὶ τοῖς παροῦσι

δουλεύοντες πράγμασιν, οὐδὲν εἶναι τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα νομίζουσι, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ προβαλλόμενοι φιλάνθρωπον, μὴ εἶναι κόλασιν μηδὲ τιμωρίαν λέγουσιν. Εἰ οὖν φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστι, καὶ δίκαιος πάντως ἂν εἴη· εἰ δὲ δίκαιος, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴη δίκαιον τὸν μυρία παθόντα ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀγαθὰ, εἶτα κολάσεως ἄξια πράξαντα, καὶ μήτε ἀπειλῇ μήτε εὐεργεσίᾳ γενόμενον βελτίω, κολάζεσθαι, Εἰ γὰρ τὸ δίκαιον ἐξετάζοις, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡμᾶς καὶ εὐθέως ἀπολέσθαι ἔδει κατὰ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου λόγον μᾶλλον· καὶ γὰρ καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν εἶχεν, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπάθομεν τὸ μὴ γενόμενον. Ὅταν μὲν γάρ τις τὸν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα ὑβρίζῃ, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου λόγον πάντως δίδωσι δίκην· ὅταν δέ τις τὸν εὐεργέτην, τὸν οὐδὲν προπαθόντα μὲν εὖ, ποιήσαντα δὲ μυρία καὶ μόνον τοῦ εἶναι γενόμενον αἴτιον, οὐχ ὑβρίζῃ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν λυπῇ δι' ὧν ποιεῖ, ποίας ὁ τοιοῦτος συγγνώμης ἔσται ἄξιος; Πῶς οὐ δέδοικας, εἰπέ μοι, τολμηρὰ φθεγγόμενος, ὅταν λέγῃς, Φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ οὐ κολάζει. Εἰ δὲ κολάσει, εὑρεθήσεται κατὰ σὲ οὐκέτι φιλάνθρωπος; ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, οὐκ ἀξιοῖς κολάζεσθαι ἁμαρτάνων; οὐχὶ προεῖπέν σοι ἅπαντα; οὐχὶ ἠπείλησεν; οὐχὶ ἐβοήθησεν; οὐχὶ μυρία εἰργάσατο ὑπὲρ τῆς