"Wherefore, brethren, we beseech and beseech you through Christ Jesus, that having received from us how you ought to act and please God, you may more prosper in this, for you know what commandments we have given you from the Lord Jesus. For the will of God is your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:1-3).

Purity in marriage. "Young men should not hesitate to get married. — Chrysostom's caution when discussing immodest subjects.

1. Having talked enough about what could not be delayed, and was as it were at hand, and then intending to proceed to that which is constantly (worthy of attention) and about which it is always necessary to hear, (the Apostle) prefaces the following word: "For this," i.e., always and unceasingly, "we beseech and beseech you through Christ Jesus." Vide! He does not even consider himself worthy to plead in his own name, while who was so worthy of it? He represents Christ: "By God we beseech you," he says, "this is precisely the meaning of the word, "in the Lord." He said the same to the Corinthians: "God prays to you through us" (2 Cor. 5:20). "So that you, having received from us" The expression: "having received" refers not only to words, but also to deeds. "How you ought to act." This indicates the whole way of life. "And to please God, in this you may increase the more," i.e., so that you, while increasing your zeal, would not stop at fulfilling the commandments, but ascend even higher. This is what the word "prospered" means. In the previous conversation he praised the firmness of their faith, and here he teaches them to succeed in life. Prosperity consists in surpassing the commandments and ordinances: then everything is done not by compulsion from the teacher, but by one's own will. Just as the earth must produce not only what is thrown into it, so the soul must not stop at the commandments offered to it, but ascend higher. Do you see how justly he said, to surpass? After all, virtue combines two sides: avoiding evil and doing good. Therefore, in order to be virtuous, it is not enough only to avoid evil, but this is the beginning (of perfection) and, as it were, the path that leads to virtue; In addition, a lot of effort is still needed. Therefore, he offers them rules regarding what he should avoid in the form of a command. And rightly so, because doing what one ought to avoid entails punishment, and not doing it is not at all praiseworthy. Meanwhile, the works of virtue, such as the distribution of property and the like, are no longer offered in the form of a command, but how? "Whosoever is able to bear, let him receive" (Matt. 19:12). Probably in this epistle (the Apostle) reminds them of the same thing that he has already spoken about with much apprehension and fear – about holiness. Therefore, he does not set forth the commandments themselves, but only reminds them of them. "For you know," he says, "what commandments we have given you from the Lord Jesus. For the will of God is your sanctification." Notice that he never hints at anything else so often as this. And in another place, writing, he commands: "Strive to have peace with all, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). And what wonder if he writes about this to his disciples everywhere, when even in the Epistle to Timothy he said: "Keep yourself pure" (1 Tim. 5:22)? And in the second Epistle to the Corinthians he said: "In great patience, in fasting, in purity" (2 Corinthians 6:4, 5, 6). And in many places you can find it – both in the Epistle to the Romans and in all the other Epistles. And truly, this evil is harmful to all. As a pig wallowing in the mud, wherever it enters, fills everything with a stench, and strikes the sense with a disgusting smell, so fornication; This evil is washed away with difficulty. And when those who have wives do this, what extreme folly is this? "For the will," he says, "is God's sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication." There are many kinds of disorder, manifold and manifold are lustful pleasures, of which it is intolerable to speak. And having said, "From all fornication," he leaves (the enumeration of kinds) to those who know. "That each one of you may know how to keep his vessel in holiness and honor, and not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who do not know God" (vv. 4, 5). "In order that each one of you," he says, "may know how to keep his vessel in holiness and honor." Therefore, when a vessel is clean and remains holy, we possess it; but when he is not clean, then sin possesses him. And indeed, because then he does not do what we want, but what sin commands. "Not in the passion of lust," he says. Here he also shows the way in which one should be chaste, i.e., by cutting off the passions of lust. Indeed, luxury, wealth, laziness, negligence, and idleness — all this leads us to vile lust. "Like," he says, "even the Gentiles who do not know God"; but the pagans are like this because they do not expect future punishment. "That ye shall not do unlawfully and covetously to your brother in any way," v. 6.

2. He said well, "That they should do nothing." God has given to each a wife and has set limits to nature, namely, copulation with one. Therefore, copulation with another is already a crime, and robbery, and covetousness, even more terrible than any robbery, because we grieve not so much when our money is stolen from us, as when a marriage is stolen. Do you call him a brother, and do you offend him in what he ought not to do? Here (the Apostle) speaks of adultery, and above he spoke of all fornication. Since he intended to say not to deal with a brother unlawfully and covetously, then, warning (false interpretation), he says: Do not think that I say this only about brothers; no, one should not commit adultery either with other people's wives or with unmarried ones, and (in general) should not have common wives; one must guard oneself from all fornication, which is why he adds: "For the Lord is the avenger of all this." At first he begged, made them blush, saying: "As the pagans do"; then by means of arguments he showed the vileness of the deed, using the expression: "to deceive his brother"; finally, he adds the main thing: "For the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have spoken and testified to you before." In doing this, we will not go unpunished, nor will we experience such pleasure as would be equal to the torment that awaits us. "For God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness" (v. 7). As he said, "That ye may not do unlawfully unto your brother in any way," and added that "the Lord is an avenger," by these words he inspires that he who has wronged will not go unpunished even when he who suffers it is an unbeliever. The meaning of his words is this: God will punish you, not in order to avenge him, but because you have offended God Himself in him; He called you, and you insulted Him who called. Therefore (the Apostle) added: "Therefore he who is disobedient is disobedient, not to man, but to God, who also gave us His Holy Spirit" (v. 8). Thus, he says, you will commit the same crime when you corrupt a queen or your married servant. Why? For (God) does not avenge the persons offended by you, but for Himself; but you have defiled yourself in the same way, you have offended God in the same way. For both are adultery, since both are marriages. Though thou dost not commit adultery, but commit fornication, though the prostitute hath no husband, yet God avenges Himself, because He avenges Himself. In doing so, you show contempt not so much for your husband as for God; this is evident from the fact that at least you hide it from your husband, and you do not even think about God, Who sees. Tell me, if a king were to honor someone with a scarlet robe and many other honors, and he, having received an order to live in accordance with his rank, went and defiled himself with a woman, whom would he offend, the woman, or the king who honored him with the reward? Of course, she would have been offended, too, but not so much. Therefore, I beseech you, let us guard ourselves from this sin. Just as we punish wives when they live with us and give themselves to others, so we ourselves will be punished, if not according to the laws of Rome, then from God, because this too is adultery. Adultery, after all, occurs not only when a woman commits adultery and is bound by marriage to another, but also when a married person commits adultery. Listen carefully to what I am talking about. Although it is difficult for many what I say, it is necessary to say it in order to correct oneself later. Not only adultery, when we corrupt a married woman, but also adultery, when, being married ourselves, (we commit fornication) with a freedwoman and a free woman. What does it matter that the adulterer is not associated with her husband? You are bound, you have transgressed the law, you have wronged your flesh. Wherefore, tell me, dost thou punish thy wife, when she commits fornication with a free man without a wife? For adultery, for though he who has committed fornication with her has no wife, yet she is married. Therefore, if you are married, then your act is equally adultery. "Whoever divorces his wife," it is said, "besides the guilt of adultery, gives her cause for adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matt. 5:32). If he who marries a woman who has been released commits adultery, how much more is he guilty of adultery who sins with her while having his wife? Of course, this is obvious to everyone. But for you, husbands, what has been said will suffice; and of such Christ also says: "Their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44). However, it is necessary to speak to you for the sake of the young men, or it is better not so much for their sake as for your sake; It doesn't go to them, but to you. I will tell you how exactly. He who does not know fornication will not know adultery; but he who is defiled with harlots will soon come to this, and will commit fornication, if not with married wives, then with those who have been set free.

3. So, what instruction shall I give you? In order to cut off the very roots (of evil), let those who have children in their youth and intend to introduce them into worldly life, rather unite them in the bonds of marriage. Since even in youth they are indignant at their passionate desires, then until the time of marriage restrain them by exhortations, threats, fear, promises, and other innumerable means; and when the time for marriage comes, let no one hesitate to bind his children in marriage. Isn't it true that I speak like a matchmaker; but I am not ashamed to say this, because Paul was not ashamed when he said: "Do not turn away from one another" (1 Cor. 7:5). This, apparently, was more to be ashamed of, but he was not ashamed, because he did not pay attention to the words, but to the actions that (he wanted) to correct with words.

Therefore, when the son grows up, then before entering into the military rank, or into any other kind of life, take care of his marriage. And if he knows that you will soon bring him a bride and that there is not much time left before marriage, he will be able to patiently endure the flame (of passions). But if he learns that you are negligent about this, and delay, and wait for him to receive large incomes in order to marry him, then, having fallen into despair from a long wait, he will easily rush to fornication. But, alas, here too the love of money is the root of evil! And since no one cares to make a son chaste and modest, but all cling with fury to gold, for the sake of which no one cares (for chastity), I beseech you first of all to take care of their souls. In fact, if he marries a blameless bride, if he knows only her body, then the love will be more ardent, and the fear of God will be greater, and the marriage will be truly honorable, binding the bodies pure and undefiled, and those who are born will be filled with every blessing; and the bride and groom will please each other, because, being both ignorant of the habits of other people, they will mutually submit to each other. And whoever from a young age began to lead a dissolute life and became acquainted with the customs of prostitutes, on the first and second evenings he will admire his wife, and then soon turn to his former debauchery, to excessive and disorderly laughter, he will seek speeches full of shamelessness, passionate bodily movements, and all other abominations of which it is unseemly for us to speak. A noble wife will not allow this, and will not allow herself to be defiled. She married for cohabitation and for procreation, and not for debauchery and laughter, in order to protect the house, in order to teach her husband to be honest, and not in order to kindle voluptuousness in him. But are the movements of the harlot pleasant to you? Yes I know. And the Scriptures say about this: "For honey is poured out by the mouth of a strange woman" (Proverbs 5:3). For this reason I say all this, so that you do not taste this honey, since it immediately turns into bile. The Scripture says the same thing: "But the consequences of it are bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword" (vv. 3, 4).

What do you say (say)? Be indulgent with me if I say something unclean, so to speak, without being ashamed or blushing. I do not do this of my own free will, but I am compelled to speak such words for those who are not ashamed of such deeds. We see many similar things in the Scriptures. Thus Ezekiel, rebuking Jerusalem, says many such things, and is not ashamed. And rightly so. For he did not say this of his own free will, but out of benevolence. Though my words seem to be indecent, yet the purpose is not unseemly, but even very good for one who wants to destroy the impurity of the soul. Indeed, if a shameless soul does not hear such words, it will not be afraid. As a physician, wishing to stop putrefaction, first puts his fingers into the wounds, and if he does not first defile the healing hands, he will not be able to heal, so do I. If I do not first defile the mouth that heals your passions, I will not be able to heal you. It is better to say that here the lips are not defiled just as well as there are hands. Why exactly? Because this is not natural impurity, and it does not come from our body, just as it does there, not from the hands of a physician, but from someone else's (wounds). If there he does not refuse to put his hands into someone else's body, then here, where our body is, tell me, will we refuse? And you are our body, although sick and impure, but still ours.

4. So, what is the meaning of what I say, and why did I make such an instruction? Of course, you will never consent to wear the garment that a slave wears, abhorring it because of its uncleanness, but you would rather be naked than use it; but the unclean and filthy body, which is used not only by your servant, but also by others without number, will you use for evil, and will you not abhor it? You are ashamed to hear this. Be ashamed of your deeds, not your words. I am silent about everything else, about corruption and impurity of morals, and about other things that are slavish and low in life. Tell me, do you not go to the same (going) both you and your servant? And, oh, if only a slave, but also an executioner! You would not dare to take the executioner by the hand; yet the one who was one body with him, you embrace and kiss, and do not tremble, do you not fear? Aren't you ashamed? Aren't you blushing? Aren't you embarrassed? I told your fathers that it was necessary to marry you as soon as possible; however, you are not exempt from punishment either. If there were not many other young men who have lived chastely both before and now, perhaps some excuse would have been found for you; but since they exist, how can you say that we were not able to quench the flame of lust? Those who could (overcome) will be your accusers, because they are of the same nature as you. Listen to what Paul says: "Strive to have peace with all, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Can this threat not frighten you? You see that others keep chastity all their lives and live in purity; And you don't want to endure until your youth? You see that others have overcome lust a thousand times; And you didn't resist even once? If you want, I'll tell you the reason. Youth is not the reason for this, for then all young men would be incontinent; But we throw ourselves at the stake. In fact, when you enter the theater and sit there, delighting your eyes with the naked limbs of women, then, of course, at first you will feel pleasure, but then you will kindle a strong heat in yourself. When you see women appearing as if in the form of a (naked) body; when both the spectacle and the songs express nothing but one abominable love, namely: so-and-so, they say, fell in love with so-and-so, and did not succeed and hanged herself; when they indulge even in criminal love for their mothers; When you take all this into yourself through hearing, and through women, and through images, and even through old men (for many of them, too, putting on masks, imagine women to us), then tell me, how can you be chaste after that, when such stories, such spectacles, such rumors will hold your soul and then give way to the same dream? because it is natural for the soul to see in dreams the ghosts of many things which it seeks and desires during the day? If, therefore, there you see shameful deeds, and hear even more shameful speeches, if you receive wounds and do not take medicines, then how can you not increase your rottenness? How can we not increase the disease, and moreover to a much greater extent than it happens in our bodies? Will, if only we will; It is easier to accept correction than the body. They need medicines, doctors, and time; but here it is enough to want to be either good or evil. That is why the illness has intensified in you. Therefore, if we gather only what is harmful to us, and do not think about what is beneficial, then how can we be healthy? Wherefore Paul said, "Like the Gentiles that do not know God." If pagans who do not know God are often chaste, then what shame and fear should take possession of us? We are worse than them, and therefore we should be ashamed. It is easy to lead a life of chastity if we want to, if we distance ourselves from what is harmful. If we do not want to, then fornication is not easy to avoid. What is easier than going to the square? But, because of the great effeminacy, this also became difficult, not only for women, but even for men. What is easier than sleep? But we have made this difficult. Many rich people toss and turn from side to side all night because they go to bed without waiting for the need to sleep. And in general, nothing is difficult when we want it, just as nothing is easy when we don't want it. We have power over everything. For this reason the Scripture says: "If ye will and obey"; and again: "But if ye deny and persist" (Isaiah 1:19, 20), so that everything depends on the desire or unwillingness, and depending on this we deserve punishment or praise. Oh, that we, being among those who deserve praise, would be vouchsafed to receive the promised blessings, through grace and love for mankind (our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

CONVERSATION 6

"There is no need to write to you about brotherly love; for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for you do the same to all the brethren throughout all Macedonia. We beseech you, brethren, to prosper more." —1 Thess. 4:9, 10.

One should not grieve for the dead. — The reason for such sorrow is unbelief.

1. What does it mean that (the Apostle), having talked much with them about chastity, and intending to speak at the same length about the fact that one should work and not grieve for the dead, the head of all good things, love, as it were, lays aside, saying, "We have no need to write to you?" This, too, stems from his great prudence and spiritual wisdom. Through this he achieves two ends: first, he shows that this virtue is so necessary that it is not necessary to learn it, since everyone knows what is of particular importance to all; Secondly, by thus speaking, he admonishes them more than if he had addressed them directly for edification. Supposing that they lead a righteous life, even though they do not live like this, and therefore not encouraging them to do so, he rather leads them (to such a life). And note, he does not speak of love for all, but of love for the brethren. We have no need to write to you. Of course, if there was no need, then it was necessary to be silent and not to say anything. But now, when he said that there was no need, he did more than when he had said (i.e., of love): "For you yourselves have been taught of God." See what honor He gives them, saying that God Himself teaches them this! You don't need, he says, to learn from a person. Of this the prophet also says: "And all thy sons shall be taught of the Lord" (Isaiah 54:13; cf. John 6:45). "For you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for you do the same to all the brethren throughout all Macedonia": and to all others, he says. This serves as a strong motivation to fulfill (the duty of love). And it is not without reason that I say that "you yourselves have been taught by God," but I know this from your works. "We beseech you, brethren, to abound (abound, to prosper) more," that is, to prosper more, "and to strive diligently to live quietly, to do your [work] and to work with your own hands, as we have commanded you; that you may do decently in the sight of those who are outside, and have need of nothing" (vv. 11, 12). Here he gives us to understand how many evils are caused by idleness, and on the contrary how many good things are caused by industry, and he explains this by referring to what happens among us. He often does this, and does so very wisely, because in this way people are more easily admonished than by speculation. The duty of love for one's neighbor is not to receive from them, but to give to them. Note his prudence: intending to instruct and exhort them, he begins to speak of what he sees good in them, so that they may be encouraged after the former admonitions and rebuke (expressed) in the words: "Therefore he who is disobedient is disobedient, not to man, but to God," and so that they do not fall away. And this depends on diligence – not to accept (from others) and not to live in idleness, but to work to give to others: "It is more blessed," it is said, "to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). "And work," he says, "with your own hands." And so, where are those who are zealous only for spiritual podvig? You see how he took away from them every excuse for apologizing to himself, saying, "With his own hands." Does anyone fast with his hands? All-Night Vigil? Lying on the bare ground? Of course, no one will say that; He speaks of spiritual labor, because to give to others from one's labors is a truly spiritual feat, and there is nothing equal to it. "That you," he says, "should walk decently." Do you see how he treats them? He did not say, "Do not shame yourselves by begging; but he made the same thing understood, though he used a condescending mode of expression, both to make them feel (how unseemly it was) and not to grieve them too much. In fact, if our brethren are tempted by such, then those who are outward, who seek a thousand accusations and reproaches, are all the more offended when they see that a healthy person, who is able to feed himself, begs for alms and needs the help of others. For this reason we are called Christ-sellers: by this, he says, "the name of God is blasphemed" (Romans 2:24). But he did not show anything of the sort, but only that which could especially touch them, namely, indecency. "But I will not leave you, brethren, ignorant of those who are asleep, lest you grieve like others who have no hope" (v. 13).