by nature. Since the adulterer, even before the punishment, is punished in the very act of adultery, even if he seems to take pleasure in it, making his soul worse and more depraved. And the murderer, before he sees the tribunal, and the sharpened swords, and renders an account of his crimes, has perished in the very act of murdering, again making his soul more depraved for himself. 587 And whatever infirmity is in the body—fever, or dropsy, or something else of this kind—and rust in iron, moth in wool, worm in wood, and wood-borers in horns, this is what vice is in the soul. For it makes it slavish and ignoble; and what do I mean by slavish and ignoble? It makes the soul into one of the irrational creatures, rendering it the soul of a wolf, or of a dog, or of a snake, or of a viper, or of some other beast. And the prophets, by declaring this and making the transformation resulting from vice known to all, one of them said: "Dumb dogs, not able to bark," comparing those who are deceitful among men and who plot secretly to those dogs that are rabid. For when they are rabid, they do not attack with barking, but approaching in silence, they do greater harm to those they catch than those that bark. Another again called certain men "crows." And another said: "Man, being in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless cattle, and was made like them." And the greatest of the prophets, the son of the barren woman, standing by the Jordan, called some "snakes and offspring of vipers." What then could be equal to this punishment, when he who was made in the image of God, and having enjoyed such honor, being a rational and most gentle animal, falls into such bestiality?
4. Have you seen how wickedness holds the punishment within itself even before the chastisement? Learn how it is also in virtue, and how virtue becomes its own reward, even before the promised rewards. For, as in the body—since nothing prevents me from using the same example again, which produces much clarity—just as in the body, he who is healthy and in good condition, and is freed from every illness, finds pleasure even in this very thing before the delicacies, having pleasure conjoined with his health, and neither the unevenness of the air, nor drought, nor cold, nor the simplicity of a table, nor any other thing of this kind could grieve him, as health is sufficient to ward off the harm arising from these things; so it is the custom for it to happen also in the soul. For this reason, Paul also, being whipped, being driven about, and suffering ten thousand terrible things, rejoiced, saying thus: "I rejoice in my sufferings for you." Not only is the reward of virtue laid up in the kingdom of heaven, but also in the very act of suffering, since this too is a very great reward, to suffer something for the truth. For this reason, the chorus of the apostles also returned from the council of the Jews rejoicing, not only for the kingdom of heaven, but because they were deemed worthy to be dishonored for the name of Jesus. Indeed, this very thing, by itself, is a very great honor and a crown, and a prize, and a subject for unfading pleasure. 588 Rejoice, then, and exult. For this is no small struggle, but this struggle of slander is very great indeed, especially when it happens over such a great accusation, for which we have now been slandered, when they accuse us of arson in a public tribunal. Therefore, Solomon also, wishing to represent the harshness of the struggle, says: "I saw the slanders that take place under the sun, and behold, the tears of the slandered, and there was no one to comfort them." But if the struggle is great, as indeed it is great, it is manifest that the crown laid out for this is greater. For this reason, Christ also commands those who are struggling in this struggle with the fitting patience to rejoice and exult. "For rejoice," he says, "and exult when they say every evil word against you, lying, for my sake, for your reward is great in the heavens." Do you see how much pleasure, how much reward, how much joy our enemies cause us? How then is it not absurd, as to the evils those men were unable to inflict, but rather of which they have done the opposite, to inflict these upon yourself? What is it that I am saying? Those men not only were unable to exact punishment from you, but they even provided you with an occasion for joy and a subject for unfading pleasure; but you, by straining yourself so much under despondency, exact punishment from yourself, being confounded, being troubled, being filled with much grief. For this is what they ought to have done, if indeed they ever had the inclination to recognize their own evils. It would be right for them now to mourn, to lament, to hide themselves, to cover their faces, to be buried in the earth, not even to see this sun, but having shut themselves up somewhere in darkness, to lament both their own evils and those that they brought upon so many Churches; but it is for you to exult and rejoice, because the crown of your virtues has been accomplished. For you know, you know clearly, that there is nothing equal to patience, but this is especially the queen of virtues, the foundation of achievements, the harbor without waves, the peace in wars, the serenity in a storm, the security in plots, that which makes the one who has accomplished it stronger than adamant; which no moving weapons, no armies arrayed for battle, no siege engines brought up, no bows, no spears being released, not the army of the demons itself, not the fearful phalanxes of the opposing powers, not the devil himself, arrayed with all his army and his equipment, will be able to harm. Why then do you fear? Why do you grieve, when you have practiced despising even life itself, if the time calls for it? But you desire to see a release from the evils that beset you. This too shall be, and