10. For if he who hopes to receive an inheritance or to attain high power, not only at the time of receiving, but even before actually receiving, is animated by hope, and at all this time is enraptured with expectation, imagine in what condition he must be who awaits the eternal and immortal kingdom and such blessings, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Wherefore he says, Thou hast filled my heart with gladness. This was the act of God's greatest providence, that He had already prepared and communicated such a blessing. But if the coarser, more carnal, and earth-bound people do not heed this, then it is no longer from the Promiser, but from their ignorance that discontent and confusion come. And he did not simply say, "Thou hast filled with gladness," but, "My heart," expressing that his joy did not come from external objects, nor from slaves, nor from gold and silver, nor from clothing, nor from a luxurious table, nor from the greatness of power, nor from the splendor of a dwelling. This is not the joy of the heart, but of the eyes alone. Many of those who have acquired these blessings even consider life not to be life, carrying in their souls a sorrow, exhausted from many cares and tormented by incessant fear. And my joy, he says, is not in this, but in the rational heart, the disembodied soul, thinking of the incorporeal. If present blessings rejoice thee, then understand God's providence from them also; but all the more learn from the goods of the future, the more excellent, constant, and unchangeable they are. If the fact that you enjoy wealth and prosperity convinces you of the existence of God's providence, then how much more should heavenly riches lead you to such a conviction. And if you say: why are these blessings only in hope and unknown? then I say that we believers consider these expected goods to be more known than visible goods: such is the conviction of faith. But if you also say, Why do we not receive recompense here? then I will say that here is the time of labors and feats, and there of crowns and rewards. And this was the work of God's providence, that labors and podvigs were ordained for the present life, short and transient, and rewards and crowns were set aside until immortal and ageless life. But since many are weak in soul, God has also granted them sensual blessings. Thus, for example, He led the Jewish people. Their wealth flowed, and life continued until old age, and there were no diseases; the destruction of enemies and deep peace, trophies and victories, good children and many children, and all the like were granted to those who obey God. But when our Lord Jesus Christ came, calling us to heaven, persuading us to despise the goods of this world, inspiring love for the goods there, and tearing us away from all worldly things, then justly the present goods were reduced, and all the riches were contained in the goods to come, since we were made perfect. In like manner, while they are young, their fathers amuse them with shoes and clothing, gold and necklaces; and when they grow up, they leave this and give them something else, something greater, such as the right to vote in the court, the nobility of the city, the fame of the king's courts, principality and power, deflecting them from all childish ambition. God did the same: He wanted to turn us away from small and childish things, He promised heavenly blessings. Therefore, do not cling to impermanent and transient goods, and do not be faint-hearted. However, He did not completely deprive you of these blessings. Since it is impossible for beings clothed with flesh and living in the body to exist without them, He abundantly gives us them also. That is why the prophet, having judged highly and wisely about this kind of God's providence, and having said: "Thou hast filled my heart with gladness," adds the following: "From the time that bread and wine and oil abounded among them."

With these words he also touches upon a large part of God's providence, which is revealed in visible things.

Thus, when he names wheat, wine, and oil, he gives the wise a reason to conclude from the part to the whole, opening the sea of God's providence, which is visible in sensible objects.

11. That is why Paul, in one of his speeches, when discussing the providence of God, borrows the proof from here and says: "Giving us rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:7). The prophet, not wishing to speak superfluously, does not mention everything else, about the fruits of the earth, about the fruits of trees, about the kinds of plants, about the kinds of seeds, about the kinds of grasses, meadows, flowers, gardens, and the like, and uses collective names for things necessary for our life, allowing others to be understood through them. God not only gives us all this, but gives it in abundance every year. And if he sometimes shortens his gifts, then by this he again shows his providence, awakening many from laziness and forcing them to ask for these blessings from Him. But if some say that it is not the work of God to give rain, but of idols, then we ask them: How do we know this? It will be said: the poets say that Zeus gives rains [5]. But they themselves say that he is an adulterer, and a child molester, and a parricide, and others ascribe to him no less crimes. But this, it will be said, is unfair. Therefore, it is also unfair that it gives rain. If you accept the latter, then you must necessarily accept the former; and if you reject the former, then at the same time the latter. We, presenting witnesses of the power of God, usually accept everything that they say about Him. Therefore it is necessary for you to admit that Zeus is an adulterer, and all the other crimes which they ascribe to him, and from this you must be convinced that such crimes are not peculiar to the power of God, and therefore he is not God. But, even if you do not want to accept it, such a fable falls of itself, and such a lie convicts itself, and completely refutes the poets. And when they are refuted, then, obviously, all your reasoning loses its force. For they have invented and appointed the very names of the gods, as one of your own philosophers has said. If, after leaving them, you resort to allegory, then I ask you: What is Zeus? The flaming (έου) essence is said to be the part above the air, which is called ether because it burns and burns. Consequently, he is not some rational and free being, but an irrational one. The aerial essence has neither reason nor sense, as everyone knows, and everyone knows it, even if he is more insensible than stones. Thus, Zeus is destroyed and his being disappears. And if Zeus is air, and air is what we have said, then the fable loses its power. But if it is air, then it was not anyone's father, nor did it give birth to any essence, as (the poets) compose, for example, the sun, which is called Apollo and the son of Zeus; for the sun has no meaning, no reason, no mind, but it is also a material product, governed and governed by the law, to which God at the beginning subjected it. However, rain does not come from ether, but from clouds, which receive water either from the sea, or from waters rushing above the sky, as the prophets say. If you do not believe the prophets, then we can present clear and obvious signs that prove perfectly that they were inspired by God and did not tell us anything of themselves, but by inspiration from divine and heavenly grace. In fact, everything they say is fulfilled and everything is justified by events, whether you look at the Old Testament or New Testament predictions. Thus, all that the prophets said about the Jews was fulfilled, and this fulfillment is evident to all, as well as what is said about Christ in the New Testament; this especially proves that the Scriptures of both covenants are divine. But if it is divine, then everything that is said in it about God is true. Therefore, do not doubt God's providence, but marvel at His care, how He, despite the fact that among people there are both evil and good, has given the universe and the sun to everyone, and gives rain. And if He leaves some in poverty and misery, He leaves them in order to correct their souls and make it more than anyone. You know, you know well that wealth is a means to vices for the inattentive, and poverty is the mother of wisdom, and this is revealed every day by experience. How many are the poor much more prudent and wiser than the rich, and even healthier in body, since poverty rightly arranges their body and soul? "I lie down quietly and sleep, for you, O Lord, alone give me to live in safety" (v. 9). This is another important type of God's providence, which consists in the fact that those who are devoted to God enjoy peace. "Great is the peace of those who love Thy law, and there is no stumbling block for them" (Psalm 118:165). Usually, nothing brings peace so much as the knowledge of God and the acquisition of virtue, which destroy the inner struggle of the passions and do not allow man to be at war with himself. Truly, if one does not enjoy such peace, even if the deepest world surrounds him from without, even if no enemy attacks him, he is the most miserable in the entire universe who is attacked by enemies.

12. The Scythians, Thracians, Sarmatians, Indians, Moors and other savage peoples do not wage war so cruelly, as usual, as the obscene thoughts and vicious desires nestling in the soul, the love of wealth, the desire for power, and attachment to the objects of life. And it is really so, because that war is external, and this struggle is internal. And that the calamities that are born from within are much worse than those that come from without, and usually cause greater harm, can be seen in everything. Thus wood is more damaged by worms that arise within, and the strength and health of the body are more disturbed by diseases that arise from within, than from without; and cities are destroyed not so much by external enemies as by domestic ones: in the same way, the soul is usually infected not so much by calamities that attack from without, as by diseases arising from within. But whoever, having the fear of God, completely stops this war, curbs the passions, strangles various beasts with evil thoughts, and does not allow them to hide within, will enjoy the purest and deepest peace. This peace Christ has come and given us (John 14:27); Paul also wished this peace to believers, repeating in each epistle: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:8, etc.).

To make sure that this is true, let's give an example. Let there be some envious man, and let no one rebel against him: what good does it profit him? He rebels against himself, sharpens thoughts that are more dangerous than any sword, is irritated by everything visible, is tormented at the sight of every person he meets, and feels no good disposition towards anyone, but considers everyone in general to be your enemies.

But he is not like that who has freed himself from passions; on the contrary, he dwells in a quiet harbor, enjoys wisdom, and is not exposed to any such unpleasantness. That is why the prophet, enjoying this gift of God's providence, said: "I lie down quietly and sleep," expressing that for a person who does not have this world, even the common harbor is not open, but it is also barred, the harbor of sleep and night. The passions disturb even the rest granted by nature, and completely overcome the power of sleep by their cruelest violence. Those who are given over to envy, hatred, covetousness, and theft, carrying war with them everywhere, and having enemies hiding within, wherever they go, can nowhere escape this struggle; even if they remain at home, even if they lie on their beds, they are subjected to a cloud of arrows, a confusion that is stronger than any waves, they endure murders, wails, lamentations and other disasters that are much more cruel than those that happen in war. But the righteous man is not like that: he enjoys tranquillity while awake, and during the night he gives himself up to sleep with great pleasure. And what does it mean: together? (Together) Concentrating, he says, within himself, immersed in himself, not distracted by innumerable cares, not thinking about the affairs of this or that, not scattering his thoughts throughout the whole world, but thinking about himself, about what is useful to me and what is especially fitting for man, "for Thou, O Lord, hast instilled me alone with hope." The meaning of his words is as follows: By the hope of future blessings and hope in Thee I have bridled all my passions. In like manner Paul says: "For our slight affliction for a short time produces eternal glory in an immeasurable abundance, when we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen" (2 Corinthians 4:17,18). Indeed, there is no difficult task that would not be made easy by the hope of recompense from God. That is why he says: "He has instilled me alone with hope." And the word "one" contains no small power of instruction.

13. What does "one" (ά ό) mean? This means: without vicious people. I enjoy, he says, this peace before Thee, and I live alone, avoiding depraved people. And very fairly. As bodies often perish from the infection of spoiled air, so the soul often suffers harm from the association of vicious people, and as the healthy eye, looking at the sick, is struck, and the one suffering from scabies communicates his illness to the healthy, so it often happens to the soul from the association of vicious people. That is why Christ commanded not only to avoid such people, but also to reject them: "If," says He, "thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee" (Matt. 5:29), meaning in this commandment not the eye, for what evil can the eye do when the soul is in a healthy state? but friends who are close to us, who have become as it were our members and harm us, commanding us not to value their friendship, in order to work out our own salvation more safely. That is why the prophet himself further says: "I have not sat with lying men, neither will I go with deceitful ones" (Psalm 25:4). And Jeremiah blesses the one who "sits alone and bears the yoke in his youth" (Lamentations 3:27,28). Likewise, in Proverbs much is said about this, and it is convincingly impressed upon all that it is necessary not only to evade, but also to flee from people who advise evil, and not to deal with them. In fact, if material objects are often damaged in us by touching something evil, how much more so are free beings? The color and health of the body belong to us by nature, but it happens that they also deteriorate from extraneous influences, contrary to them; also appetite by nature, but it is often lost in us from a sickly state; Many other similar cases can be seen. But if the natural functions change, then those who depend on free will are all the more so in proportion as they are capable of any change. Therefore, let us not consider it an unimportant harm to associate with bad people, but above all let us avoid such people, even if they are wives, friends, or whoever they are. It also destroyed great men, such as Solomon and Sampson; it also corrupted the whole people of Judah. Usually, it is not so much wild beasts that cause harm as vicious people; the latter clearly produce their poisonous actions, but these insensibly and silently spread the infection every day, gradually weakening the power of virtue. That is why the shameless look is forbidden by the Lord: "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28): so easily and quickly is evil communicated! And when you intend to settle in the city, you try hard to find out everything about the climate there, whether it is harmful, damp, or dry; but when it comes to the soul, you do not in the least try to know those who have to enter into communion with it, but simply and indiscriminately entrust it to everyone. Tell me, what forgiveness can you get by showing her such contempt? Why, do you think, have the men who dwell in the deserts become wondrous and glorious? Is it not because they flee from the noise and marketplaces and have settled far from the smoke that rises in the midst of the cares of life? Imitate them too, trying to find the desert in the midst of the city. And how is this possible? If you flee from wicked people, if you follow the virtuous. In this way you will attain greater security than those who dwell in the deserts, not only by keeping away from harmful people, but also by associating with those who are useful. If you flee from wicked people and follow virtuous ones, you will gain a twofold benefit: you will increase virtuous deeds, and you will shorten vicious deeds. Therefore, in order that this may happen, let us do so, heeding the Psalmist, who says: "For You, O Lord, alone give me to live in safety." Here I will conclude my sermon, believing that a sufficient explanation of these sayings has been offered, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

1 Museum (ουεϊ) a building dedicated to the Muses, or a place designated for scholarly studies, a school.

2 Неизвестный переводчик, упоминаемый у Оригена в Экзаплах.

3 Т.е. когда Авраам жил в Гераре. Соседних с Гераром жителей св. Иоанн Златоуст называет персами.

4 Неизвестный переводчик, упоминаемый у Оригена в Экзаплах

5 Гомер в Одиссее рапс. 14-й, Феокрит в идиллии 4-й, и другие.

6 Платон в Кратиле