'The soul that sins, that soul shall die.' He, then, is to be revered by us, he is to be held fast, he is to be propitiated by our full and worthy confession—he who has power to send both soul and body into the hell of fire, as it is written: 'Behold, he comes with many thousands of his messengers to execute judgement upon all, and to destroy all the ungodly, and to convict all flesh of all the deeds of the ungodly which they have done impiously, and of all the impious words which sinners have spoken concerning God.' Things like these Daniel also says: 'I beheld,' he says, 'a throne set, and the Ancient of Days sat upon it, and his garment was like snow, and the hair of his head like white wool; his throne was a flame of fire, its wheels burning fire.'
'A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; thousands of thousands ministered to him, and thousands of thousands stood before him; he sat for judgement, and the books were opened.' John, however, declares more manifestly concerning both the day of judgement and the consummation of the age, saying: 'And when he had opened,' he says, 'the sixth seal, behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood, and the stars fell to the earth, as a fig tree shaken by a great wind casts its unripe figs; and the heaven withdrew as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and the islands were moved from their places:'
'and the kings of the earth and all the great ones and the tribunes and the rich and the mighty and every bondman and free man hid themselves in the caves of the rocks and in the hollows of the mountains, saying to the mountains and rocks: Fall upon us and hide us from the face of him that sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the day of destruction is come, and who shall be able to stand?' Likewise in the same Apocalypse John says that this too was revealed to him: 'I saw,' he says, 'a great and white throne, and one sitting upon it, from whose face heaven and earth fled away, and no place was found for them; and I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the sight of the throne of the Lord, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life:'
'and they were judged, each one according to those things which were written in the book, according to their works.' But the apostle too, counselling what is good, thus exhorts us, saying: 'Let no man deceive you with empty words; for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience; do not be partakers with them.' Let us therefore, with all the strength of our faith, give praise to God; let us give full confession—since over our penance the powers of heaven rejoice, all the angels rejoice, and Christ himself rejoices, who exhorts us, once more laden with sins and overwhelmed with offences, to cease from crime with full and merciful moderation, saying: 'Turn yourselves and return from your impieties, and your iniquities shall not be a punishment to you.'
'Cast away from yourselves all your impieties which you have done against me, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. And why do you give yourselves over to death, O house of Israel? For I do not desire the death of the sinner. It is I, it is I, who blot out your crimes and will not remember you: but do you keep it in mind, and let us go to judgement. Declare your crimes first, that you may be justified.' While the door of pardon lies open, brethren, let us beseech God with full satisfactions. Let us humble ourselves that we may be exalted. Let us yield to the divine exhortation by which it is permitted to escape the day of the Lord and his wrath. For thus he says: 'Look, my son, upon the nations of men and know: who has hoped in the Lord and been confounded? Who has continued in his commandments and been forsaken?'
'Or has called upon him, and he despised him? For the Lord is kind and merciful, and forgives sins in the time of tribulation to all who seek him in truth.' He says therefore: 'Declare your crimes first, that you may be justified.' Let that prayer of full confession be ready at hand for you * * *