XXV.—They Who Fear and Will Not Believe.

How long, O foolish man, wilt thou not acknowledge Christ?  Thou avoidest the fertile field, and castest thy seeds on the sterile one.  Thou seekest to abide in the wood where the thief is delaying.  Thou sayest, I also am of God; and thou wanderest out of doors.  Now at length, after so many invitations, enter within the palace.  Now is the harvest ripe, and the time so many times prepared.  Lo, now reap!  What! dost thou not repent?  Thence now, if thou hast not, gather the seasonable wines.  The time of believing to life is present in the time of death.  The first law of God is the foundation of the subsequent law.  Thee, indeed, it assigned to believe in the second law.  Nor are threats from Himself, but from it, powerful over thee.  Now astounded, swear that thou wilt believe in Christ; for the Old Testament proclaims concerning Him.  For it is needful only to believe in Him who was dead, to be able to rise again to live for all time.  Therefore, if thou art one who disbelievest that these things shall be, at length he shall be overcome in his guilt in the second death.  I will declare things to come in few words in this little treatise.  In it can be known when hope must be preferred.  Still I exhort you as quickly as possible to believe in Christ.