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nor by their inherent dignity do they bring these things upon the worthy. 13.261 The Lord of Sabaoth has commanded a warlike nation to come from a land far away; from the uttermost foundation of heaven the Lord and his warriors, to destroy the whole world. The Lord of Sabaoth has commanded a warlike nation. Do not fear the one who strikes, but entreat the one who commands. Let the idolaters be taught, who say they offer sacrifices to evil demons, propitiating their malice. The Lord has commanded them. Whether you serve them or not, they will do what has been commanded; it is not possible for them to transgress the boundaries. They neither subtract from the bitterness, nor add anything of their own, but use the given measure inexorably. The Lord, therefore, has commanded a warlike nation. The evil demons have weapons, arranged contrary to the construction of the weapons of the just man. For the just man has the shield of faith, but the shield of the evil one is a shield of unbelief; this one a sword of reason, that one a sword of unreason; this one is secured with the breastplate of righteousness, that one is clothed with the breastplate of unrighteousness; a helmet of salvation binds the head of this one, a helmet of destruction is upon that one; this one has his feet ready for the Gospel of peace, that one's feet run to the proclamation of evils. - To a warlike nation, therefore, armed with these weapons, has the Lord commanded. And these are from a land far away, so that you may know that they are strangers to this life. For those who cooperate with us in matters of salvation are house-mates and neighbors, offering help from near at hand, peaceful Angels. But those who are taken for punishment are brought from far away, the philanthropic God using their cruelty for our healing, just as a wise physician uses the venom of a viper for the cure of the sick. To such ones is delivered not the spirit, but the flesh for destruction, that the spirit may be saved. But also Phygelus and Hermogenes were delivered by Paul to Satan, not for destruction, but that they might be taught not to blaspheme. How then does this warlike nation come from a land far away and from the extremity of heaven? From the earth, because it chose the terrestrial place and is mingled with earthly passions; and from the extremity of heaven, because its fall from the beginning was from there. 13.262 Wail; for the day of the Lord is near, and destruction will come from the Lord; for this reason every hand will be weakened and every soul of man will be afraid. Since a threat is set forth, that the Lord himself will come with his warriors to destroy the whole world, for this reason wailing and lamentation are commanded, so that through these the Lord may be prevailed upon to turn away the impending wrath. For the philanthropic Lord does both: he threatens terrible things, and to those who repent he does not bring what was threatened. Weep and lament, each for his own sins, lest you suffer the things that have been proclaimed. If God did not desire the repentance of the sinner, why was the destruction after three days proclaimed in Nineveh? But since the merciful one saw their contrition, he averted his wrath, and scattered it like a cloud. From the Lord himself, therefore, will come destruction, as he usefully destroys those things worthy of annihilation, as he crushes Satan under the feet of the just, and crushes wars. For the Lord crushes wars; the Lord is his name; and the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon, those who are boastful and arrogant and exalted against the truth, calling them cedars of Lebanon. Since, therefore, destruction comes from the Lord, it is necessary to crush one's own proud heart beforehand, so that its humiliation may become a sacrifice to God. Therefore every hand, both the most practical and the most active, in relation to God and his works, will be weakened; wherefore he says: Be strong, you weak hands and feeble knees. Let no one trust in his own power to defend against those who are coming

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οὐδὲ τῷ προσόντι αὐτοῖς ἀξιώματι ταῦτα ἐπάγουσι τοῖς ἀξίοις. 13.261 Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐντέταλται ἔθνει ὁπλομάχῳ, ἔρ χεσθαι ἐκ γῆς πόῤῥωθεν· ἀπ' ἄκρου θεμελίου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ Κύριος καὶ οἱ ὁπλομάχοι αὐτοῦ, καταφθεῖραι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐντέταλται ἔθνει ὁπλομάχῳ. Μὴ φοβηθῇς τὸν τύπτοντα, ἀλλὰ παρακάλει τὸν ἐπιτάσ σοντα. ∆ιδασκέσθωσαν οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι, οἱ λέγοντες θυσίας προσάγειν δαίμοσι πονηροῖς ἐκμειλισσόμενοι αὑτῶν τὴν κακίαν. Κύριος αὐτοῖς ἐντέταλται. Κἂν θεραπεύσῃς, κἂν μὴ, τὸ προστεταγμένον ποιήσει· ὑπερβαίνειν τὰς ὁροθεσίας οὐχ οἷόν τε. Οὔτε ὑφαιρεῖ τῆς πικρίας, οὔτε προστίθησί τι παρ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐνδιδομένῳ μέτρῳ κέχρηται ἀπα ραιτήτως. Κύριος οὖν ἐντέταλται ἔθνει ὁπλομάχῳ. Ὅπλα ἔχουσιν οἱ πονηροὶ δαίμονες, ἀπεναντίως διακείμενα τῇ κατασκευῇ τῶν ὅπλων τοῦ δικαίου. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δίκαιος θυρεὸν ἔχει πίστεως, τοῦ δὲ πονηροῦ ὁ θυρεὸς, θυρεός ἐστιν ἀπιστίας· οὗτος μάχαιραν λόγου, ἐκεῖνος μάχαιραν ἀλογίας· οὗτος θώρακι δικαιοσύνης ἠσφάλισται, ἐκεῖνος θώρακι ἀδικίας ἠμφίεσται· τούτου τὴν κεφαλὴν περισφίγγει περικεφαλαία σωτηρίας, ἐκείνῳ περίκειται περικεφαλαία ἀπωλείας· οὗτος τοὺς πόδας ἑτοίμους ἔχει πρὸς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς εἰρήνης, ἐκείνου οἱ πόδες τρέχουσι πρὸς τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν τῶν κακῶν. - ̔Οπλομάχῳ οὖν ἔθνει, τούτοις τοῖς ὅπλοις ὡπλισμένῳ, ἐντέταλται Κύριος. Οὗτοι δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰσι πόῤῥωθεν, ἵνα εἰδῇς ὅτι ἀλλότριοί εἰσι τοῦ βίου τούτου. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ συμπονοῦντες ἡμῖν τὰ πρὸς σωτηρίαν, σύνοικοι καὶ γείτονες, ἐγγύθεν παρεχόμενοι τὴν βοήθειαν, Ἄγγελοι εἰρηνικοί. Οἱ δὲ πρὸς κόλασιν παραλαμβανόμενοι, πόῤῥωθεν ἄγονται, κατακε χρημένου τῇ ὠμότητι αὐτῶν εἰς θεραπείαν ἡμετέραν τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ, ὡς κατακέχρηται ὁ σοφὸς ἰατρὸς τῷ ἰῷ τῆς ἐχίδνης εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀσθενούντων ἴασιν. Τοῖς μὲν τοιούτοις παραδίδοται οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀλλ' ἡ σὰρξ εἰς ὄλεθρον, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Φύγελλος καὶ Ἑρμογένης ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου παρεδόθησαν τῷ Σατανᾷ, οὐκ εἰς ἀπώ λειαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα παιδευθῶσι μὴ βλασφημεῖν. Πῶς οὖν ἀπὸ γῆς πόῤῥωθεν καὶ ἀπ' ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ ὁπλομάχον τοῦτο ἔθνος ἔρχεται; Ἀπὸ γῆς μὲν, ὅτι εἵλετο τὸν περίγειον τόπον καὶ τοῖς γηΐνοις πάθεσι συναναφύρεται· ἀπ' ἄκρου δὲ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν αὐτῷ ἡ ἐξ ἀρχῆς πτῶσις γέ γονεν. 13.262 Ὀλολύζατε· ἐγγὺς γὰρ ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου, καὶ συν τριβὴ παρὰ Κυρίου ἥξει· διὰ τοῦτο πᾶσα χεὶρ ἐκλυθήσεται καὶ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἀνθρώπου δειλιάσει. Ἐπειδὴ ἀπειλὴ πρόκειται, αὐτὸν τὸν Κύριον ἥξειν μετὰ τῶν ὁπλομάχων αὐτοῦ καταφθεῖραι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, διὰ τοῦτο προστέτακται ὀλολυγμὸς καὶ θρῆνος, ἵνα διὰ τού των δυσωπηθῇ ὁ Κύριος ἀποστρέψαι τὴν ἐπαγομένην ὀργήν. Ἀμφότερα γὰρ ποιεῖ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος, καὶ τὰ φοβερὰ ἀπειλεῖ, καὶ τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν οὐκ ἐπάγει τὰ ἠπειλημένα. Κλαύσατε καὶ θρηνήσατε ἕκαστος τὰ ἴδια ἁμαρτήματα, μή ποτε πάθητε τὰ κεκηρυγμένα. Εἰ μὴ ἐβούλετο ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ τὴν μετάνοιαν, διὰ τί ἐκηρύσσετο ἐν Νινευῇ ἡ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀπώλεια; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εἶδεν αὐτῶν τὸν συντριμμὸν ὁ ἐλεήμων, παρήγαγε τὴν ὀργὴν, καὶ διεσκέδασεν ὥσπερ νέφος. Παρ' αὐτοῦ οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου ἥξει ἡ συντριβὴ, χρησίμως συντρίβοντος τὰ ἀφανισμοῦ ἄξια, ὡς συντρίβει τὸν Σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ συντρίβει πολέμους. Κύριος γὰρ συντρίβων πολέμους· Κύριος ὄνομα αὐτῷ· καὶ Συν τρίβει Κύριος τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου, τοὺς μεγαλαυχοῦντας καὶ ἀλαζονευομένους καὶ ὑπεραιρομένους κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, Λιβάνου κέδρους προσαγορεύων. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἔρχεται συντριβὴ παρὰ Κυρίου, προλαμβάνοντας ἑαυτῶν τὴν μεγα λόφρονα καρδίαν δεῖ συντρίβειν, ἵνα γένηται θυσία τῷ Θεῷ ἡ ταπείνωσις αὐτῆς. Πᾶσα οὖν χεὶρ, καὶ ἡ πρακτικωτάτη καὶ ἡ δραστικωτάτη, ὡς πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἐκλυθήσεται· διὸ λέγει· Ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα. Μηδεὶς πεποιθέτω δυνάμει πρὸς τὸ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ἐπερχομένους