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carried up to paradise, him who partook of the awesome mysteries, the chosen vessel, the attendant of Christ's bride, him who displayed an angelic way of life, him who attained such great virtue. For if He had not willed to be long-suffering with him, nor to bear with him, but when he was sinning and blaspheming and persecuting, had brought the just sentence upon him immediately, He would have long ago snatched him away from repentance. Wherefore he himself, knowing these things, said: I give thanks to Christ who strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man; but I received mercy, so that in me first He might display all His long-suffering, for an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. What then? If He had punished the harlot, when would she have been changed? What then? If He had exacted a penalty from Matthew the tax collector at the time of his tax-collecting, before his change, would He not have snatched him away from repentance? So also the thief, so also the magi, so also each of the sinners. For this reason He holds back His wrath, and the recompense according to what is deserved, calling men to repentance. But if they remain uncorrected, they will certainly undergo the just sentence. Wherefore the Prophet, comforting those who are wronged, and chastening those who do wrong, added this: His righteousness endures forever. What he wishes to say by this is something like this: Neither should you, the one who is wronged, if you end your life as if you will not attain justice, despair; for after your departure from here you will certainly receive the rewards for your labors; nor again should you, who seize everything and are greedy and cause confusion, if you end your life in peace, be confident; for of all things 55.285 you will give an account after your departure from here, you will pay the penalties for your wickedness. For God is one who always abides, and has a righteousness that always abides, in no way interrupted by death, neither for the reward of labors on behalf of virtue, nor for the recompense of punishments for wickedness. He has made a remembrance of His wonderful works. What is, He has made a remembrance of His wonderful works? He did not cease working wonders, he says, continually. For this is what He has made a remembrance means: He did not cease, He did not desist from working wonders through every generation, and rousing the more sluggish through His portents. For the lofty and philosophic man will have no need of signs; For blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed. But since He cares not only for these, but also for the more sluggish, He does not cease from working wonders in almost every generation. For all of visible creation is a sufficient wonder; but nevertheless, rousing the indifference of the many, in the midst of this theater He displayed many portents, both privately and publicly, such as that at the time of the flood, that at the time of the confusion of tongues, those at the time of Sodom, those at the time of Abraham, those at the time of Isaac, those at the time of Jacob,those in Egypt, those at the time of the exodus of the Jews, those in the desert, those in the land of Palestine, those in Babylon, those after the return, those at the time of the Maccabees, those after the coming of Christ, those during His very coming, those that happen up to today, the fall of Jerusalem, the building of the Church, the word that runs everywhere, that was raised up through waves, that was increased through wars, the throngs of martyrs, all the other things. And one might see many wonders that have happened privately, both in a household and in cities. But for now let us see the universal ones, and those clear and known to all, which happen in every generation. How many things happened in the time of Julian, who surpassed all in impiety, when the Church was being warred against? How many in the time of Maximinus? How many before the kings of that time? And if you wish also the things that happened in our own generation, such as the crosses suddenly marked upon the garments, the temple of Apollo struck down by a thunderbolt, the transfer of the holy martyr Babylas in Daphne,

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παράδεισον ἀπενεχθέντα, τὸν τῶν φρικτῶν κοινωνήσαντα μυστηρίων, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς, τὸν νυμφαγωγὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸν ἀγγελικὴν ἐπιδειξάμενον πολιτείαν, τὸν τοσαύτην ἀρετὴν ἐπελθόντα. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐβουλήθη μακροθυμῆσαι αὐτῷ, μηδὲ ἀνασχέσθαι αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἡμάρτανε καὶ ἐβλασφήμει καὶ ἐδίωκε, κατὰ πόδας ἐπαγαγεῖν αὐτῷ τὴν δικαίαν ψῆφον, πάλαι ἂν αὐτὸν τῆς μετανοίας προεξήρπασε. ∆ιὸ καὶ αὐτὸς ταῦτα εἰδὼς, ἔλεγε· Χάριν ἔχω τῷ ἐνδυναμώσαντί με Χριστῷ, ὅτι πιστόν με ἡγήσατο, θέμενος εἰς διακονίαν, τὸν πρότερον ὄντα βλάσφημον καὶ διώκτην, καὶ ὑβριστήν· ἀλλ' ἠλεήθην, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ἐνδείξηται τὴν πᾶσαν μακροθυμίαν, πρὸς ὑποτύπωσιν τῶν μελλόντων αὐτῷ πιστεύειν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Τί δέ; τὴν πόρνην εἰ ἐκόλασε, πότε ἂν μετεβλήθη; Τί δέ; τὸν τελώνην Ματθαῖον εἰ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς τελωνείας πρὸ τῆς μεταβολῆς δίκην ἀπῄτησε, οὐκ ἂν προεξήρπασεν αὐτὸν τῆς μετανοίας; Οὕτω καὶ τὸν λῃστὴν, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς μάγους, οὕτω καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ἀνέχει τὴν ὀργὴν, καὶ τὴν κατ' ἀξίαν ἀντίδοσιν, καλῶν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς μετάνοιαν. Εἰ δὲ μένοιεν ἀδιόρθωτοι, πάντως ὑποστήσονται τὴν δικαίαν ψῆφον. ∆ιόπερ ὁ Προφήτης τούς τε ἀδικουμένους παραμυθούμενος, τούς τε ἀδικοῦντας σωφρονίζων, ἐπήγαγε τὸ, Ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὃ δὲ βούλεται διὰ τούτου εἰπεῖν, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Μήτε σὺ, ὁ ἀδικούμενος, ἐὰν καταλύσῃς τὸν βίον ὡς οὐ τῶν δικαίων τευξόμενος, ἀπελπίσῃς· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν πάντως ἀπολήψῃ τῶν πόνων τὰς ἀμοιβάς· μήτε σὺ πάλιν, ὁ πάντα ἁρπάζων καὶ πλεονεκτῶν καὶ συγχέων, ἂν ἐν εἰρήνῃ καταλύσῃς τὸν βίον, θαῤῥήσῃς· πάντων γὰρ 55.285 δώσεις λόγον μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν, τῆς πονηρίας ἀποτίσεις τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἀεὶ μένων, καὶ δικαιοσύνην μένουσαν ἔχων ἀεὶ, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου διακοπτομένην, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀμοιβὴν τῶν πόνων τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀντίδοσιν τῶν κολάσεων τῶν διὰ τὴν πονηρίαν. Μνείαν ἐποιήσατο τῶν θαυμασίων αὐτοῦ. Τί ἐστι, Μνείαν ἐποιήσατο τῶν θαυμασίων αὐτοῦ; Οὐ διέλιπε θαυματουργῶν, φησὶ, διηνεκῶς. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Μνείαν ἐποιήσατο· οὐκ ἐπαύσατο, οὐκ ἀπέστη διὰ πάσης γενεᾶς θαύματα ἐργαζόμενος, καὶ τοὺς παχυτέρους διεγείρων διὰ τῶν τεραστίων. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑψηλὸς καὶ φιλόσοφος οὐδὲν δεήσεται τῶν σημείων· Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ μὴ εἰδότες, καὶ πιστεύσαντες. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτὸς οὐ τούτων κήδεται μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παχυτέρων, καθ' ἑκάστην σχεδὸν γενεὰν θαυματουργῶν οὐ παύεται. Ἱκανὴ μὲν γὰρ θαυματουργία πᾶσα τῶν ὁρωμένων ἡ κτίσις· ἀλλ' ὅμως διεγείρων τῶν πολλῶν τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐν μέσῳ τῷ θεάτρῳ τούτῳ πολλὰ ἐπεδείκνυτο τεράστια, καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ κοινῇ, οἷον τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς συγχύσεως τῶν γλωσσῶν, τὰ ἐπὶ τῶν Σοδόμων, τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ,τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς Παλαιστίνης, τὰ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, τὰ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, τὰ ἐπὶ τῶν Μακκαβαίων, τὰ μετὰ τὴν Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν, τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ παρουσίᾳ, τὰ μέχρι σήμερον γινόμενα, ἡ κατάπτωσις τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων, ἡ οἰκοδομὴ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὁ λόγος ὁ πανταχοῦ τρέχων, ὁ διὰ κυμάτων ἀρθεὶς, ὁ διὰ πολέμων αὐξηθεὶς, οἱ τῶν μαρτύρων δῆμοι, τὰ ἄλλα ἅπαντα. Πολλὰ δὲ ἄν τις καὶ ἰδικὰ ἴδοι καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ γενόμενα θαύματα, καὶ ἐν πόλεσιν. Ἀλλὰ τέως τὰ καθολικὰ, καὶ ἅπασι δῆλα καὶ γνώριμα, ἃ καθ' ἑκάστην γίνεται γενεὰν, ἴδωμεν. Πόσα ἐπὶ Ἰουλιανοῦ τοῦ πάντας ἀσεβείᾳ νικήσαντος γέγονε, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πολεμουμένης; πόσα ἐπὶ Μαξιμίνου; πόσα πρὸ τῶν ἐκείνων βασιλέων; Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γενεᾶς συμβάντα τῆς ἡμετέρας, οἷον οἱ σταυροὶ οἱ κατὰ τῶν ἱματίων χαραγέντες ἀθρόον, τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τὸ ἱερὸν τὸ σκηπτῷ κατενεχθὲν, τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυρος Βαβύλα τοῦ ἐν ∆άφνῃ ἡ μετάθεσις,