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.

XXV.---QUI TIMENT, ET NON CREDENT.

Quamdiu, stulte homo, Christum agnoscere non vis? 0220A Vitas agrum pinguem, et sterili semina jactas. In sylva manere quaeris, ubi latro moratur. Tu dicis, et ego Dei sum; et foras oberras. Ingredere jam nunc toties invitatus in aulam. Matura jam messis, tempus totidemque paratum. Ecce modo mete: quid? non te poenitet? inde Nunc, si non habes, collige: vindemia vina. Tempus adest vitae credendi tempore mortis. Est Dei lex prima fundamentum posterae legis. Te quidem signabat crediturum in lege secunda, Nec minae ex ipso, sed ex ipsa tibi potentes: Obstupe jam factus, jura te credere Christo; Nam testamentum vetus de illo proclamat. Credere enim opus est tantum in ipso defuncto, Resurgere posse, vivere tempore toto. 0220B Ergo si quis ea discredis esse futura, Dummodo vincetur reus in morte secunda, Eventura canam paucis in isto libello. Nam cognosci potest, ubi sit spes anteponenda. Tamen vos adhortor quantocius credere Christo.