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you will suffer than the former ones, I mean those in Babylon, and in Egypt, and under Antiochus the first. For the things that happened to them under Vespasian and Titus were far more grievous than these. Wherefore He also said, There shall be great tribulation, such as never was, nor ever shall be. But the example signifies not only this, but that they will be utterly destitute of all virtue, and more open to the working of demons than at that time. For at that time, even if they sinned, there were still those among them who did right, and the providence of God was present, and the grace of the Spirit, taking care, correcting, fulfilling all things on its part; but now they will be utterly bereft of this guardianship, he says, so that there is now a greater scarcity of virtue, and an increase of calamity, and a more tyrannical working of demons. Know therefore also in our generation, when Julian, who surpassed all in impiety, raged like a bacchant, how they sided with the Greeks, how they served their interests. So that even if they seem to be a little sober now, they keep quiet for fear of the em 57.461 perors; for if this were not so, they would have dared far more grievous things than the former ones. For in other evil deeds they surpass those before them, displaying sorcery, witchcraft, and licentiousness with much excess. And in other matters, although restrained by so great a bridle, they have often caused sedition, and risen up against emperors, so as to fall into the most extreme evils. 4. Where now are those who seek for signs? Let them hear that there is need of a well-disposed mind; and if this is not present, signs are of no profit. Behold, for example, the Ninevites believed without signs; but these men after so many wonders became worse, and made themselves a dwelling place for countless demons, and brought upon themselves innumerable calamities; and very rightly so. For when someone, once freed from evils, is not chastened, he will suffer things far more grievous than the former ones. For for this reason He said that it finds no rest, to show that the plotting of demons will altogether and of necessity seize such a one. For they ought to have been chastened by two things, by having suffered before, and by having been delivered; or rather a third is added, the threat of suffering worse things. But nevertheless they became no better for any of these. It would be fitting for these things to be said not only to them, but also to us, when, having been enlightened and delivered from former evils, we again hold to the same wickedness; for the punishment for subsequent sins will then be more grievous. For this reason Christ also said to the paralytic, "Behold, you have been made well; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you;" and this to a man who had been in his infirmity for thirty-eight years. And what worse thing, he says, was he going to suffer than these? Much worse and more grievous. For may it not be that we endure as much as we are able to suffer. For God is not at a loss for punishments. For as is His great mercy, so also is His wrath. This He also charges against Jerusalem through Ezekiel: "For I saw you," He says, "wallowing in your blood, and I washed you and anointed you, and your name became renowned for your beauty; and you committed fornication," He says, "with your neighbors; wherefore He also threatens you with more grievous things for your sinning." From this, however, consider not only the punishment, but also the infinite long-suffering of God. How often indeed have we taken hold of the same evils, and still He is long-suffering! But let us not be confident, but let us be afraid. For Pharaoh, if he had been instructed by the first plague, would not have experienced the later ones, nor would he afterwards have been drowned along with his army. But I say these things because I know many who, like Pharaoh, even now say, "I do not know God," and who nail the responsible ones to the clay and the brick-making. How many, when God commands them to relax the threat, do not even endure to ease the labor? But it is not possible to cross the Red Sea now. But there is a sea of fire, a sea not of such a kind, nor of such a size, but much greater and more savage, having its waves from fire, of a strange and dreadful fire. There is there a great abyss of flame

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πείσεσθε τῶν προτέρων, τῶν κατὰ Βαβυλῶνα λέγω, καὶ κατ' Αἴγυπτον, καὶ κατὰ Ἀντίοχον τὸν πρῶτον. Τὰ γὰρ ἐπὶ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ καὶ Τίτου συμβάντα αὐτοῖς πολλῷ μᾶλλον τούτων χαλεπώτερα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἔσται θλῖψις μεγάλη, οἵα οὐδέποτε γέγονεν, οὐδὲ μὴ ἔσται. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον δηλοῖ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης ἔσονται ἔρημοι καθόλου, καὶ τῇ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐνεργείᾳ εὐεπιχείρητοι μᾶλλον ἢ τότε. Τότε μὲν γὰρ εἰ καὶ ἡμάρτανον, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἦσαν καὶ οἱ κατορθοῦντες ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ παρῆν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοια, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις, ἐπιμελουμένη, διορθουμένη, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῆς ἅπαντα πληροῦσα· νυνὶ δὲ καὶ ταύτης καθόλου ἐρημωθήσονται τῆς κηδεμονίας, φησὶν, ὥστε καὶ ἀρετῆς πλείων σπάνις νῦν, καὶ συμφορᾶς ἐπίτασις, καὶ δαιμόνων ἐνέργεια τυραννικωτέρα. Ἴστε οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς ἡμετέρας, ὅτε ὁ πάντας ἀσεβείᾳ νικήσας Ἰουλιανὸς ἐξεβακχεύθη, πῶς μετὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἑαυτοὺς ἔταττον, πῶς τὰ ἐκείνων ἐθεράπευον. Ὥστε κἂν μικρόν τι δοκῶσι σωφρονεῖν νῦν, διὰ τὸν τῶν βα 57.461 σιλέων φόβον ἡσυχάζουσιν· ὡς εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, πολλῷ τῶν προτέρων χαλεπώτερα ἐτόλμησαν ἄν. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις πονηροῖς ἔργοις νικῶσι τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν, γοητείας, μαγγανείας, ἀσελγείας μετὰ πολλῆς ἐπιδεικνύμενοι τῆς ὑπερβολῆς. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις δὲ, καίτοι τοσούτῳ χαλινῷ κατεχόμενοι, πολλάκις ἐστασίασαν, καὶ βασιλέων κατεξανέστησαν, ὡς καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις περιπαρῆναι κακοῖς. δʹ. Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ τὰ σημεῖα ζητοῦντες; Ἀκουέτωσαν ὅτι γνώμης χρεία εὐγνώμονος· κἂν μὴ αὕτη παρῇ, σημείων οὐδὲν ὄφελος. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν οἱ μὲν Νινευῗται χωρὶς σημείων ἐπίστευσαν· οὗτοι δὲ μετὰ τοσαῦτα θαύματα χείρους ἐγένοντο, καὶ δαιμόνων ἀπείρων οἰκητήριον ἑαυτοὺς κατέστησαν, καὶ μυρίας ἐπεσπάσαντο συμφοράς· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ὅταν γὰρ ἅπαξ τις ἐλευθερωθεὶς τῶν κακῶν μὴ σωφρονισθῇ, πολλῷ χαλεπώτερα πείσεται τῶν προτέρων. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο εἶπεν, ὅτι οὐχ εὑρίσκει ἀνάπαυσιν, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι πάντως καὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης λήψεται τὸν τοιοῦτον ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιβουλή. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ δύο τούτων σωφρονισθῆναι ἔδει, ἀπό τε τοῦ παθεῖν πρότερον, ἀπό τε τοῦ ἀπαλλαγῆναι· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τρίτον πρόσεστιν, ἡ τοῦ χείρονα πείσεσθαι ἀπειλή. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδενὶ τούτων ἐγένοντο βελτίους. Ταῦτα μὴ πρὸς ἐκείνους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰρῆσθαι καιρὸν ἂν ἔχοι, ὅταν φωτισθέντες καὶ τῶν προτέρων ἀπαλλαγέντες κακῶν, πάλιν τῆς αὐτῆς ἐχώμεθα πονηρίας· καὶ γὰρ χαλεπωτέρα λοιπὸν ἔσται ἡ κόλασις τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἁμαρτημάτων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῷ παραλύτῳ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Ἴδε, ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γένηται· καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς ἄνθρωπον τριάκοντα ὀκτὼ ἔτη ἔχοντα ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ. Καὶ τί χεῖρον ἔμελλε, φησὶ, πείσεσθαι τούτων; Πολλῷ χεῖρον καὶ χαλεπώτερον. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ γένοιτο τοσαῦτα ἡμᾶς ὑπομένειν, ὅσα δυνάμεθα παθεῖν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπορεῖ τιμωριῶν ὁ Θεός. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸ πολὺ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐγκαλεῖ διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεχιήλ· Εἶδον γάρ σε, φησὶ, πεφυρμένην ἐν αἵματι, καὶ ἔλουσα καὶ ἔχρισα, καὶ ἐγένετό σοι ὄνομα ἐν τῷ κάλλει σου· καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσας, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ὁμοροῦντάς σοι· διὸ καὶ χαλεπώτερα ἀπειλεῖ σοι ἁμαρτανούσῃ. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μὴ τὴν κόλασιν λογίζου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἄπειρον τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμίαν. Ποσάκις γοῦν τῶν αὐτῶν ἡψάμεθα κακῶν, καὶ ἔτι μακροθυμεῖ! Ἀλλὰ μὴ θαῤῥῶμεν, ἀλλὰ φοβηθῶμεν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Φαραὼ, εἰ ἐκ τῆς πρώτης πληγῆς ἐπαιδεύθη, οὐκ ἂν ἔλαβε πεῖραν τῶν ὑστέρων, οὐκ ἂν μετὰ ταῦτα ἅμα αὐτῷ τῷ στρατεύματι κατεποντίσθη. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὺς οἶδα κατὰ τὸν Φαραὼ καὶ νῦν λέγοντας, Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τῇ πλινθείᾳ προσηλοῦντας τοὺς ὑπευθύνους. Πόσοι, τοῦ Θεοῦ κελεύοντος ἀνιέναι τὴν ἀπειλὴν, οὐδὲ τὸν πόνον ἀνέχονται χαλάσαι; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλατταν λοιπὸν διαβῆναι νῦν. Ἀλλὰ πέλαγός ἐστι πυρὸς, πέλαγος οὐ τοιοῦτον, οὐδὲ τοσοῦτον, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μεῖζον καὶ ἀγριώτερον, ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς ἔχον τὰ κύματα, πυρὸς ξένου τινὸς καὶ φρικώδους. Ἄβυσσός ἐστιν ἐκεῖ μεγάλη φλογὸς