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with his angels? Will not the one clothed in filthy garments, having his hands and feet bound, perish? Is not the one who demanded the hundred denarii handed over to the tormentors? Is not what was said concerning the adulterers true, that Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched? But are these only threats? Yes, he says. And from where, tell me, do you dare to declare such a thing, and this bringing the verdict from your own opinion? For I shall be able to demonstrate the contrary both from what Christ has said and from what he has done. For if you do not believe from the punishments to come, at least believe from those that have already happened; for surely the things that have happened and come to pass are not threats and words. Who then flooded the whole world in the time of Noah, and worked that dreadful shipwreck, and the complete destruction of our entire race? Who after this sent those thunderbolts and fiery tempests upon the land of Sodom? Who drowned all of Egypt? Who consumed the six hundred thousand in the desert? Who burned up the assembly of Abiram? Who commanded the earth to open its mouth and swallow up those with Korah and Dathan? Who struck down seventy thousand in the twinkling of an eye in the time of David? 60.634 Shall I also speak of those punished individually? Cain, who was delivered to perpetual punishment? Achan, who was stoned with his whole family? The one who suffered this same thing for gathering wood on the sabbath? The forty-two children in the time of Elisha, who were devoured by those beasts, and did not even find pardon on account of their age? 5. But if you wish to see these same things even after grace, consider how many things the Jews suffered, how women devoured their own children, some roasting them, others consuming them in other ways; how, being delivered to incurable famine and to various and grievous wars, they eclipsed all former tragedies by the excess of their own calamities. For that Christ wrought these things upon them, hear him foretelling this both through parables, and clearly and explicitly; through parables, as when he says: But those who did not want me to be king, bring them here and slay them; and through the vineyard, and through the marriage feast; and clearly and explicitly, as when he threatens, that They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into the nations, and there will be distress of nations upon the earth, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear; and, There will be such tribulation as has never been from the beginning, nor ever will be. And what a penalty Ananias and Sapphira paid for the theft of a few silver pieces, you all know; but do you not see the daily calamities? Or have these things not happened either? Do you not see even now those wasting away with famine? those afflicted with leprosy and bodily mutilation? those living with perpetual poverty? those suffering countless incurable things? How then could it be reasonable that some are punished, but others are not punished? For if God is not unjust, as indeed he is not unjust, you too will certainly pay the penalty for sinning; but if, because he is a lover of mankind, he does not punish, then these ought not to have been punished either. But as it is, because of these words of ours, God punishes many even here, so that when you do not believe the words of the threat, you might at least believe the deeds of the punishment; and since the old things do not frighten us so much, by the things that happen in each generation he corrects those who are from time to time indifferent. And for what reason does he not punish all here, he says? So that he may give the others a period for repentance. For what reason then does he not punish all there? So that many may not disbelieve in his providence. How many robbers, some were caught, and others departed without paying the penalty? Where, then, is the philanthropy of God and his just judgment? For it is now my turn to ask you. For if no one at all were punished, you would have this to take refuge in; but when some pay the penalty, and others do not, and this having sinned worse, how could it be reasonable for the same offenses not to have the same penalties? And how would those who were punished not seem to be treated unjustly? For what reason then are not all punished here? Hear Christ himself to you concerning these things

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ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ; οὐχ ὁ τὰ ῥυπαρὰ ἐνδεδυμένος ἱμάτια, χεῖρας καὶ πόδας δεθεὶς ἀπολεῖται; οὐχ ὁ τὰ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια ἀπαιτήσας παραδίδοται τοῖς βασανισταῖς; οὐ τὸ περὶ τῶν μοιχῶν εἰρημένον ἀληθὲς, ὅτι Ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτήσει, καὶ τὸ πῦρ αὐτῶν οὐ σβεσθήσεται; ἀλλ' ἀπειλαὶ ταῦτα μόνον; Ναὶ, φησί. Καὶ πόθεν, εἰπέ μοι, πρᾶγμα τοσοῦτον τολμᾷς ἀποφήνασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα οἴκοθεν φέρων τὴν ψῆφον; Ἐγὼ γὰρ καὶ ἀφ' ὧν εἴρηκεν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ἀφ' ὧν πεποίηκε, τοὐναντίον ἀποδεῖξαι δυνήσομαι. Εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων κολάσεων οὐ πιστεύεις, κἂν ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων πίστευε· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὰ γεγενημένα καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἐξελθόντα ἀπειλαὶ καὶ ῥήματα. Τίς οὖν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπέκλυσεν ἅπασαν ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε, καὶ τὸ χαλεπὸν ἐκεῖνο ναυάγιον εἰργάσατο, καὶ τὴν τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν πανωλεθρίαν παντός; τίς μετὰ ταῦτα τοὺς κεραυνοὺς ἐκείνους καὶ τοὺς πρηστῆρας ἀφῆκεν ἐπὶ τὴν Σοδόμων γῆν; τίς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἅπασαν κατεπόντισε; τίς τὰς ἑξακοσίας χιλιάδας ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου κατανάλωσε; τίς τὴν συναγωγὴν Ἀβειρὼν κατέφλεξε; τίς τοῖς περὶ Κορὲ καὶ ∆αθὰν ἀνοῖξαι τῇ γῇ τὸ στόμα καὶ καταπιεῖν ἐκέλευσε; τίς τὰς ἑβδομήκοντα χιλιάδας ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ κατήνεγκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ; 60.634 Εἴπω καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἰδίαν κολασθέντας; τὸν διηνεκεῖ παραδοθέντα τιμωρίᾳ Κάϊν; τὸν καταλευσθέντα μετὰ τοῦ γένους παντὸς Χαρμήν; τὸν ὑπὲρ συλλογῆς ξύλων τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο παθόντα ἐν σαββάτῳ; τοὺς τεσσαράκοντα παῖδας καὶ δύο ἐπὶ Ἐλισσαίου, τοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων ἐκείνων δαπανηθέντας, καὶ μηδὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας τυχόντας συγγνώμης; εʹ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν χάριν τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτα ἰδεῖν ἐθέλεις, ἐννόησον πόσα ἔπαθον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, πῶς τὰ ἴδια τέκνα κατέφαγον αἱ γυναῖκες, αἱ μὲν ὀπτῶσαι, αἱ δὲ ἄλλως δαπανῶσαι· πῶς λιμῷ παραδοθέντες ἀνηκέστῳ καὶ πολέμοις ποικίλοις καὶ χαλεποῖς, πάσας τὰς ἔμπροσθεν τραγῳδίας ἀπέκρυψαν τῇ τῶν οἰκείων ὑπερβολῇ συμφορῶν. Ὅτι γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτοὺς ταῦτα εἰργάσατο, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦτο προλέγοντος καὶ διὰ παραβολῶν, καὶ σαφῶς καὶ διαῤῥήδην· διὰ παραβολῶν, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Τοὺς δὲ μὴ βουληθέντας με βασιλεῦσαι ἀγάγετε ὧδε καὶ κατασφάξατε· καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, καὶ διὰ τοῦ γάμου· σαφῶς δὲ καὶ διαῤῥήδην, ὡς ὅταν ἀπειλῇ, ὅτι Πεσοῦνται ἐν στόματι μαχαίρας, καὶ αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ἔσται συνοχὴ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐθνῶν, ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ἠχούσης θαλάσσης καὶ σάλου, ἀποψυχόντων ἀνθρώπων ἀπὸ φόβου· καὶ, Ἔσται θλῖψις τοιαύτη, οἵα οὐδέποτε γέγονεν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, οὐδὲ μὴ ἔσται. Καὶ ὁ Ἀνανίας δὲ καὶ ἡ Σάπφειρα ὑπὲρ κλοπῆς ὀλίγων ἀργυρίων ὅσην ἔδωκαν δίκην, ἅπαντες ἴστε· τὰς δὲ καθημερινὰς συμφορὰς οὐχ ὁρᾷς; ἢ οὐδὲ ταῦτα γεγένηται; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς καὶ νῦν τοὺς λιμῷ τηκομένους; τοὺς ἐλέφαντι καὶ λώβῃ σώματος κατεχομένους; τοὺς πενίᾳ διηνεκεῖ συζῶντας; τοὺς μυρία ἀνήκεστα πάσχοντας; Πῶς οὖν ἂν ἔχοι λόγον τοὺς μὲν κολάζεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ μὴ κολάζεσθαι; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ ἄδικος, πάντως καὶ σὺ δώσεις δίκην ἁμαρτάνων· εἰ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν, οὐ κολάζει, οὐδὲ τούτους ἔδει κολασθῆναι. Νυνὶ δὲ διὰ ταῦτα ἡμῶν τὰ ῥήματα πολλοὺς καὶ ἐνταῦθα κολάζει ὁ Θεὸς, ἵν' ὅταν τοῖς ῥήμασι μὴ πιστεύσητε τῆς ἀπειλῆς, κἂν τοῖς πράγμασι πιστεύσητε τῆς τιμωρίας· καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰ παλαιὰ οὐχ οὕτως ἡμᾶς φοβεῖ, τοῖς ἐφ' ἑκάστης γενεᾶς συμβαίνουσι τοὺς κατὰ καιρὸν διορθοῦται ῥᾳθυμοῦντας. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ πάντας ἐνταῦθα κολάζει, φησίν; Ἵνα δῷ τοῖς ἄλλοις προθεσμίαν μετανοίας. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐ πάντας ἐκεῖ τιμωρεῖται; Ἵνα μὴ πολλοὶ διαπιστήσωσιν αὐτοῦ τῇ προνοίᾳ. Πόσοι λῃσταὶ οἱ μὲν ἑάλωσαν, οἱ δὲ ἀπῆλθον μὴ δόντες δίκην; ποῦ τοίνυν ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἡ δικαιοκρισία; ἐμὸν γὰρ λοιπόν ἐστιν ἐρέσθαι σε. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μηδεὶς ὅλως ἐτιμωρεῖτο, εἶχες ἐπὶ τοῦτο καταφυγεῖν· ὅταν δὲ οἱ μὲν δῶσι δίκην, οἱ δὲ μὴ δῶσι, καὶ ταῦτα χεῖρον ἁμαρτόντες, πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον τῶν αὐτῶν πλημμελημάτων μὴ τὰς αὐτὰς εἶναι δίκας; πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἂν δόξειαν ἀδικεῖσθαι οἱ κολασθέντες; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐ πάντες ἐνταῦθα κολάζονται; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σοι περὶ τούτων