I said to him: 'Lord, explain this to me still.' 'What do you ask?' said he. 'If,' said I, 'Lord, the time of self-indulgence and deceit is the same as the time of punishment?'
2'Listen,' said he, 'the time of self-indulgence and deceit is one hour. But one hour of torment has the power of thirty days.'
3'If, therefore, someone lives in self-indulgence and deceit for one day, and is punished for one day, the day of punishment has the power of a whole year. For as many days, therefore, as someone lived in self-indulgence, for so many years he is punished.'
4'Do you see, then,' said he, 'that the time of self-indulgence and deceit is very short, but the time of punishment and torment is long.'