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He neither always leaves men in misfortunes, so that they may not grow weary, nor in ease, so that they may not become more slothful, but by alternations he diversifies their 55.354 salvation. Then they would have swallowed us up alive. Do you see how he represents the beastliness of those attacking? For there are also such men, displaying the cruelty of wild beasts, or rather treating their own kind even more harshly than they do. For a wild beast, having fallen upon its prey once, has vented its anger and departed, or if driven off, it did not attack again; but men, though failing many times, attack many times, desiring to taste their very flesh. Such is anger, having no reason; thus the passion seethes and boils over. How then might the disease be quenched? If we would reflect on our own condition, if we would consider death and those departing each day, if we would examine our very nature, that we are earth and ashes. But if the beauty of the appearance still deceives your mind, go to the monuments and the tombs of our fathers, and see those who lie there, how they are dissolved into dust, and from the sight you will receive much cause for being humbled. But do not condemn the gravity of this word. For just as those with a fever, when they are freed from their illnesses, need fresh air; so too those maddened by passions, if they come to the tombs, as if taking hold of some healthy place, cast out many of their diseases. For the sight of a coffin is enough to subdue even one utterly desperate. From these things send your mind to the terrible day to come, to those torments and the rendering of accounts, to the punishments that have no comfort, where no one will stand by you; with all these things charm your passions. And consider also the men in the present life who fall from wealth to poverty, from glory to dishonor; and if you wish to be angry, not with your kinsman, but with the evil demon; you have a place to expend the passion; never be reconciled to him, expend and use up your anger on him, set a trap for him, never be filled with warring against him. When their anger was kindled against us, then the water would have overwhelmed us. Our soul passed through a torrent; then our soul passed through the irresistible water. Here "torrent" and "water" means the indescribable number of enemies; for water is something borne along without order, and with much force and violence sweeping away whatever it encounters. He speaks here not of the rush of evils, but also of their passing. 2. Let us not then be cast down, when terrible things come upon us. Whatever they may be, it is a torrent, it is a passing cloud. Whatever you might call grievous, has an end; whatever you might call terrible, comes to a conclusion. For if it did not have an end, nature would not have endured. But it sweeps away many, he says. But not by its own force, but because of the slothful, and those easily tripped up. Therefore, so that we may not be swept away, and walk into its deeper parts, let us examine its places, let us take hold of the sacred anchor, so that we may suffer no shipwreck. 55.355 For the torrent is terrible for a time, and again is immeasurably humbled. Then the water would have overwhelmed us. Another interpreter says, Then the waters would have washed over us, passing like a ravine against our soul. Then our soul passed through the irresistible water. Another says, Then they passed over our soul like proud waters. Do you see how great is God's alliance? how in so many evils He did not allow them to be submerged? For this reason He allows terrible things to increase, not in order to sink us, but in order to make us more approved, and to furnish a greater proof of His power. He here calls the enemies proud, who more violently than any torrent and any unbearable water

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οὔτε ἐν συμφοραῖς ἀφίησιν ἀεὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἵνα μὴ ἀποκάμωσιν, οὔτε ἐν ἀνέσει, ἵνα μὴ ῥᾳθυμότεροι γένωνται, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἐναλλαγαῖς ποικίλλει τὴν σωτη 55.354 ρίαν αὐτῶν. Ἄρα ζῶντας ἂν κατέπιον ἡμᾶς. Εἶδες πῶς παρίστησι τὸ θηριῶδες τῶν ἐπιόντων; Καὶ γὰρ εἰσὶν καὶ ἄνθρωποι τοιοῦτοι, θηρίων ὠμότητα ἐπιδεικνύμενοι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνων χαλεπώτερον τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις κεχρημένοι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ θηρίον ἅπαξ ἐμπεσὸν τὸν θυμὸν ἀφῆκε, καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν, ἢ διακρουσθὲν οὐκ ἔτι ἐπῆλθεν· ἄνθρωποι δὲ πολλάκις ἀποτυχόντες, πολλάκις ἐπιτίθενται, αὐτῶν ἐπιθυμοῦντες ἀπογεύσασθαι τῶν σαρκῶν. Τοιοῦτον ὁ θυμὸς, λογισμὸν οὐκ ἔχων· οὕτω ζεῖ τὸ πάθος καὶ ἀνακαχλάζει. Πῶς οὖν ἂν σβεσθείη τὸ νόσημα; Ἂν τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς λογισώμεθα, εἰ θάνατον ἐννοήσωμεν καὶ τοὺς καθ' ἑκάστην ἀπιόντας ἡμέραν, εἰ τὴν φύσιν αὐτὴν διασκεψώμεθα, ὅτι γῆ καὶ σποδός ἐσμεν. Εἰ δὲ τὸ κάλλος τῆς ὄψεως ἔτι ἀπατᾷ σου τὴν διάνοιαν, βάδισον πρὸς τὰ μνήματα καὶ τὰς θήκας τῶν πατέρων, καὶ ἴδε τοὺς κειμένους, πῶς εἰσιν εἰς χοῦν διαλελυμένοι, καὶ πολλὴν ἐκ τῆς ὄψεως ἀφορμὴν εἰς τὸ συστέλλεσθαι δέξῃ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ καταγνῷς βαρύτητα τοῦ λόγου. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ πυρέττοντες, ἐπειδὰν ἀπαλλαγῶσι τῶν νοσημάτων, ἀέρος δέονται καθαροῦ· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ μαινόμενοι τοῖς πάθεσιν, ἂν εἰς τὰ μνήματα παραγένωνται, ὥσπερ ὑγιεινοῦ τινος χωρίου ἐπιλαβόμενοι, πολλὰ τῶν νοσημάτων ἐξορίζουσι. Καὶ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τῆς λάρνακος ἡ ὄψις καὶ τὸν σφόδρα ἀπονενοημένον κατενεγκεῖν. Ἀπὸ τούτων παράπεμψον τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμέραν τὴν φοβερὰν, εἰς τὰ βασανιστήρια ἐκεῖνα καὶ τὰς εὐθύνας, εἰς τὰς κολάσεις τὰς οὐκ ἐχούσας παραμυθίαν, ἔνθα οὐδείς σοι παραστήσεται· τούτοις πᾶσι κατέπᾳδε τὰ πάθη. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ ἀπὸ πλούτου πρὸς πενίαν μεταπίπτοντας, ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς ἀτιμίαν· καὶ εἰ βούλει ὀργίζεσθαι, μὴ τῷ συγγενεῖ, ἀλλὰ τῷ πονηρῷ δαίμονι· ἔχεις ἔνθα ἀναλώσεις τὸ πάθος· ἐκείνῳ μηδέποτε καταλλαγῇς, ἐκείνῳ ἀνάλωσον τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ δαπάνησον, ἐκείνῳ στῆσον παγίδα, μηδέποτε ἐμπλησθῇς αὐτῷ πολεμῶν. Ἐν τῷ ὀργισθῆναι τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, ἄρα τὸ ὕδωρ ἂν κατεπόντισεν ἡμᾶς. Χείμαῤῥον διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν· ἄρα διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἀνυπόστατον. Χείμαῤῥον ἐνταῦθα καὶ ὕδωρ τὴν ἄφατον τῶν πολεμίων λέγει· ὕδωρ γάρ ἐστιν ἀτάκτως φερόμενον, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ῥύμης καὶ τῆς βίας παρασῦρον τὸ προστυγχάνον. Οὐ τὴν φορὰν δέ φησιν ἐνταῦθα τῶν κακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πάροδον. βʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν καταπέσωμεν, ὅταν ἐπίῃ δεινά. Χείμαῤῥός ἐστιν οἷα ἂν ᾖ, νέφος ἐστὶ παρατρέχον. Ὅπερ ἂν εἴπῃς λυπηρὸν, ἔχει τέλος· ὅπερ ἂν εἴπῃς δεινὸν, πρὸς πέρας ἀπαντᾷ. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τέλος εἶχεν, οὐκ ἂν ἤρκεσεν ἡ φύσις. Ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς παρασύρει, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ῥύμην, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοὺς ῥᾳθύμους, καὶ ῥᾳδίως ὑποσκελιζομένους. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ παρασυρῶμεν, καὶ πρὸς τὰ βαθύτερα αὐτοῦ βαδίζωμεν, διασκεψώμεθα τοὺς τόπους αὐτοῦ, ἐπιλαβώμεθα τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀγκύρας, ὥστε μηδὲν ὑπομεῖναι ναυάγιον. 55.355 Καὶ γὰρ ὁ χειμάῤῥους μέχρι καιροῦ φοβερός ἐστι, καὶ πάλιν ἀμέτρως ταπεινοῦται. Ἄρα τὸ ὕδωρ ἂν κατεπόντισεν ἡμᾶς. Ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτής φησι, Τότε ἂν τὰ ὕδατα παρέκλυσεν ἡμᾶς, ὡς φάραγξ παρελθόντα κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν. Ἄρα διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἀνυπόστατον. Ἕτερός φησι, Τότε παρῆλθον ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν ὡς τὰ ὕδατα ὑπερήφανοι. Εἶδες πόση τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ συμμαχία; πῶς ἐν τοσούτοις κακοῖς οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτοὺς ὑποβρυχίους γενέσθαι; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀφίησιν αὔξεσθαι τὰ δεινὰ οὐχ ἵνα ἡμᾶς καταδύσῃ. ἀλλ' ἵνα δοκιμωτέρους ἐργάσηται, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως μείζονα παράσχηται τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ὑπερηφάνους δὲ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς πολεμίους φησὶν, οἳ παντὸς χειμάῤῥου σφοδρότερον καὶ παντὸς ὕδατος ἀφορήτου