When the churches were few, they were faithful
That such things will also be our lot at the end of this age is clear from what the Savior said in the Gospel: 'Because lawlessness is multiplied, the love of the many will grow cold.'
'But the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.' And: he will do signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Our affairs will be such that the Savior says of his own coming that among so many churches a faithful one will scarcely be found quickly: 'Yet when the Son of Man comes, will he find the faith on the earth?' And truly, if we judge matters by truth and not by crowds, and judge matters by choice of life and not by seeing many gathered, we will see now that we are not faithful. But they were faithful then, when the noble martyrdoms happened, when we escorted the martyrs from the burial grounds and came to the assemblies, and the whole church came without being crushed, and the catechumens were taught by the martyrdoms and by the deaths of those who confessed the truth 'unto death,' 'not frightened' and not disturbed 'before the living God.' Then we know they also saw strange signs and wonders. Then there were faithful people — few, but truly faithful — walking the narrow and afflicted road that leads 'to life.' But now that we have become many, since it is impossible for many to be elect (for Jesus does not lie when he says, 'Many are called, but few are chosen'), from the multitude of those who show a form of godliness very few reach the election of God and the blessedness.
Greek
ὅτι γὰρ τοιαῦτα καὶ τὰ καθ’ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔσται, δῆλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένων, ἐν οἷς φησιν· «διὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν.
ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται« καί· >ποιήσει σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ὁ ὥστε ἀποπλανᾶσθαι, εἰ δυνατόν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς ἔσται τὰ καθ’ ἡμᾶς ὥστε τὸν σωτῆρα λέγειν περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιδημίας, ὡς ἐκ τῶν τοσούτων ἐκκλησιῶν πιστοῦ ταχέως μὴ εὑρισκομένου· «πλὴν ἐλθὼν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἆρα εὑρήσει τὴν πίστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς«; καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐὰν κρίνωμεν τὰ πράγματα ἀλθείᾳ καὶ μὴ ὄχλοις, καὶ κρίνωμεν τὰ πράγματα προαιρέσει καὶ μὴ τῷ βλέπειν πολλοὺς συναγομένους, ὀψόμεθα νῦν ὡς οὐκ ἐσμὲν πιστοί. ἀλλὰ τότε ἠσαν πιστοί, ὅτε τὰ μαρτύρια τὰ γενναῖα ἐγίνοντο, ὅτε ἀπὸ τῶν κοιμητηρίων προπέμψαντες τοὺς μάρτυρας ἠρχόμεθα ἐπὶ τὰς συναγωγάς, καὶ ὅλη ἡ ἐκκλησία μὴ θλιβομένη παρεγίνετο, καὶ οἱ κατηχούμενοι ἐπὶ τοῖς μαρτυρίοις κατηχοῦντο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς θανάτοις τῶν ὁμολογούντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν «μέχρι θανάτου«, «μὴ πτυρόμενοι« μηδὲ ταρασσόμενοι «ἐπὶ τὸν ζῶντα θεόν. τότε οἴδαμεν καὶ σημεῖα ἑωρακότας παράδοξα καὶ τεράστια. τότε ἦσαν πιστοὶ ὀλίγοι μὲν πιστοὶ δὲ ἀληθῶς, τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην ὁδεύοντες ὁδὸν τὴν ἀπάγου- σαν «εἰς τὴν ζωήν. νῦν δὲ ὅτε γεγόναμεν πολλοί, ἐπεὶ οὐ δυνατὸν εἶναι πολλοὺς ἐκλεκτούς (οὐ γὰρ ψεύδεται ὁ εἰπὼν Ἰησοῦς· «πολλοὶ οἱ κλητοὶ, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί«), ἐκ [γὰρ] τοῦ πλήθους τῶν μένων θεοσέβειαν σφόδρα εἰσὶν ὀλίγοι οἱ καταντῶντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκλογὴν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μακαριότητα.