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to those who have endured what will He not grant? He did not spare the Only-begotten for our sake, He gave His own Son to death for our sake, who were enemies; of what will He not deem us worthy, having become friends? of what will He not impart, having reconciled us to Himself? And He is exceedingly, infinitely rich, and He desires and is eager to obtain our friendship, but we are not so eager, beloved. And why do I say, we are not eager? we do not wish to obtain His good things as much as He Himself wishes it. And that He wishes it more than we do, He has shown by what He did. For we, for our own sake, barely scorn a little gold, but He, for our sake, gave even His own Son. Let us use the love of Christ as we ought; let us enjoy His friendship. For you are my friends, He says, if you do what I command you. Amazing! Those who were enemies, who were infinitely distant from Him, whom He surpassed in every way by an incomparable excess, these He made friends, and calls them friends. What, then, is not to be chosen to suffer for the sake of this friendship? For the friendship of men we often run risks; but for the love of Christ shall we not give up our money? Our affairs are truly worthy of mourning, of mourning and wailing and great lamentations and beatings of the breast; we have fallen from our hope, we have been brought low from our height, we have appeared unworthy of the honor of God, we have become ungrateful and thankless after His benefits; the devil has stripped us of all good things; we who were deemed worthy to be sons, brothers, and heirs, have differed in no way from His insulting enemies. What consolation will be left for us? 63.886 He Himself called us to heaven, but we have pushed ourselves into Gehenna. Cursing and lying and theft and adultery are poured out upon the earth; some mingle blood with blood, others do things worse than bloodshed. For many of those who are defrauded pray for ten thousand deaths rather than to suffer these things; and if they did not fear the fear of God, they would have made away with themselves, thus committing murder against themselves. Are not these things, then, worse than bloodshed? Woe is me, my soul, because the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men. Now let us also cry out, first about ourselves. But join with me in lamentation. Perhaps some even reproach and laugh. For for this reason it is necessary to intensify the lament, because we are so mad and deranged, and we do not even know that we are mad, but we laugh at things for which we ought to groan. Wrath from God is revealed, O man, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. God will come openly, a fire will go before Him, and it will flame round about His enemies; a fire shall be kindled before Him, and round about Him a mighty tempest. The day of the Lord, as a burning oven. And no one takes these things to heart, but these dreadful and fearful things are more despised than fables; and there is no one who listens, but all are laughing and mocking. What way is there for us? Whence shall we find salvation? We are lost, we are consumed, we have become a laughing-stock to our enemies, and a mockery to the Greeks and to the demons. The devil is greatly proud now and exults and rejoices in our shame; the angels entrusted with us are all in dejection, there is no one who turns back, everything has been spent by us in vain, and we seem to you to be talking nonsense. It is opportune even now to call upon heaven, since no one is listening, to call the elements to witness; Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. Stretch out a hand, you who have never been overwhelmed, to those who are perishing from drunkenness, you who are healthy to those who are sick, you who are sober to those who are mad, you who are earnest and steadfast to those who are carried about. Let no one, I beseech you, prefer favor to the salvation of his friend; and let insult and rebuke look to one thing only, his benefit. When a fever takes hold, even slaves take control of their masters. For when that man is burning, confounding his soul, and a swarm of servants stands by, he does not recognize the master's law in the master's harm. Let us rally ourselves, I beseech you. Daily wars, shipwrecks, countless destructions all around, and

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ὑπομείνασι τί οὐ χαρίσεται; Τοῦ Μονογενοῦς οὐκ ἐφείσατο δι' ἡμᾶς, τὸν Υἱὸν τὸν γνήσιον εἰς θάνατον ἔδωκε δι' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὄντας· τίνος οὐκ ἀξιώσει γενομένους φίλους; τίνος οὐ μεταδώσει καταλλάξας ἑαυτῷ; Καὶ πλούσιός ἐστι σφόδρα ἀπείρως, καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖ καὶ σπουδάζει τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλίας τυχεῖν, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ σπουδάζομεν οὕτως, ἀγαπητοί. Καὶ τί λέγω, οὐ σπουδάζομεν; οὐ θέλομεν οὕτω τυχεῖν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ὡς αὐτὸς θέλει. Καὶ ὅτι πλέον ἡμῶν θέλει, ὃ ἐποίησεν ἔδειξεν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν μόλις καταφρονοῦμεν ὀλίγου χρυσίου, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἔδωκε τὸν αὐτοῦ. Χρησώμεθα εἰς δέον τῇ ἀγάπῃ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἀπολαύσωμεν αὐτοῦ τῆς φιλίας. Ὑμεῖς γὰρ φίλοι μού ἐστε, φησὶν, ἐὰν ποιῆτε ἃ λέγω ὑμῖν. Βαβαί· τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, τοὺς ἀπείρως αὐτοῦ διεστηκότας, ὧν ἀσυγκρίτῳ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ κατὰ πάντα διενήνοχε, τούτους φίλους ἐποίησε, καὶ καλεῖ φίλους. Τί οὖν οὐχ αἱρετὸν παθεῖν ὑπὲρ ταύτης τῆς φιλίας; Ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων φιλίας πολλάκις κινδυνεύομεν· ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀγάπης οὐ χρήματα προησόμεθα; Πένθους ὄντως ἄξια τὰ ἡμέτερα, πένθους καὶ ὀδυρμῶν καὶ ὀλοφυρμῶν μεγάλων καὶ κοπετῶν· τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν ἐξεπέσαμεν, ἐταπεινώθημεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους ἡμῶν, ἀνάξιοι τῆς τιμῆς ἐφάνημεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀγνώμονες μετὰ τὰς εὐεργεσίας γεγόναμεν καὶ ἀχάριστοι· ἐγύμνωσεν ἡμᾶς πάντων ὁ διάβολος τῶν ἀγαθῶν· οἱ καταξιωθέντες εἶναι υἱοὶ, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ κληρονόμοι, τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν διενηνόχαμεν τῶν ὑβριζόντων. Τίς ἡμῖν ἔσται παραμυθία λοιπόν; 63.886 Αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκάλεσε πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὴν γέενναν ὠθήσαμεν. Ἀρὰ καὶ ψεῦδος καὶ κλοπὴ καὶ μοιχεία κέχυται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· οἱ μὲν αἵματα ἐφ' αἵμασι μίσγουσιν, οἱ δὲ πράγματα πράττουσιν αἱμάτων χείρω. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν πλεονεκτουμένων μυρίους εὔχονται θανάτους, ἢ ταῦτα παθεῖν· καὶ εἰ μὴ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον ἐδεδοίκεσαν, καὶ διεχειρίσαντο ἑαυτοὺς, οὕτω φονῶντες καθ' ἑαυτῶν. Ταῦτα οὖν οὐχ αἱμάτων χείρω; Οἴμοι ψυχὴ, ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαβὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὁ κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐχ ὑπάρχει. Νῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς βοήσωμεν περὶ ἡμῶν πρῶτον. Ἀλλά μοι τοῦ θρήνου συλλάβεσθε. Τάχα τινὲς καὶ ὀνειδίζουσι καὶ γελῶσι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐπιτείνειν χρὴ τὸν θρῆνον, ὅτι οὕτω μαινόμεθα καὶ παραπαίομεν, καὶ οὐδ' ὅτι μαινόμεθα ἴσμεν, ἀλλ' ἐφ' οἷς ἐχρῆν στένειν, γελῶμεν. Ἀποκαλύπτεται, ἄνθρωπε, ὀργὴ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων. Ὁ Θεὸς ἐμφανῶς ἤξει, πῦρ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προπορεύσεται, καὶ φλογιεῖ κύκλῳ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ· πῦρ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καυθήσεται, καὶ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ καταιγὶς σφοδρά. Ἡμέρα Κυρίου, ὡς κλίβανος καιόμενος. Καὶ οὐδεὶς ταῦτα εἰς νοῦν βάλλεται, ἀλλὰ μύθων μᾶλλον καταπεφρόνηται τὰ φρικώδη καὶ φοβερὰ πράγματα ταῦτα· καὶ ὁ ἀκούων οὐδεὶς, οἱ δὲ γελῶντες καὶ χλευάζοντες πάντες. Τίς ἐστιν ἡμῖν πόρος; πόθεν σωτηρίαν εὕρωμεν; Ἀπολώλαμεν, παρανηλώμεθα, γεγόναμεν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν κατάγελως, καὶ χλευασμὸς τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων. Μέγα φρονεῖ νῦν ὁ διάβολος καὶ γαυροῦται καὶ χαίρει ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ ἡμῶν· οἱ πιστευθέντες ἡμᾶς ἄγγελοι πάντες ἐν κατηφείᾳ, οὐδεὶς ὁ ἐπιστρέφων, εἰκῆ πάντα ἡμῖν ἀνάλωται, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν δοκοῦμεν ληρεῖν. Εὔκαιρον καὶ νῦν καλέσαι τὸν οὐρανὸν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ὁ ἀκούων, διαμαρτύρασθαι τὰ στοιχεῖα· Ἄκουε, οὐρανὲ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, ἡ γῆ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησε. Χεῖρα ὀρέξατε, οἱ μηδέποτε καταβαπτισθέντες, τοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης ἀπολωλόσιν, οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες τοῖς κάμνουσιν, οἱ νήφοντες τοῖς μαινομένοις, οἱ σπουδαῖοί τε καὶ ἑδραῖοι τοῖς περιφερομένοις. Μηδεὶς, παρακαλῶ, χάριν τῆς σωτηρίας τοῦ φίλου προτιμάτω· καὶ ἡ ὕβρις καὶ ἡ ἐπιτίμησις εἰς ἓν ὁράτω μόνον, αὐτοῦ τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Ὅταν πυρετὸς καταλάβῃ, καὶ δοῦλοι κρατοῦσι δεσποτῶν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐπικαίηται τὴν ψυχὴν συγχέων, ἀνδραπόδων δὲ ἑσμὸς παρεστήκῃ, οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκει τὸν νόμον τὸν δεσποτικὸν ἐν τῇ βλάβῃ τοῦ δεσπότου. Συστρέφωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, παρακαλῶ. Πόλεμοι καθημερινοὶ, καταποντισμοὶ, ἀπώλειαι μυρίαι κύκλῳ, καὶ