But why enumerate so much? It must be confessed that God's blessings are innumerable, which each of us is worthy of. We are all in the love and blessings of God. Whatever you look at, whatever you turn your mind to, all this shows God's love for us and beneficence. Gehenna itself, announced to us by Him, does us good, because it frightens us. Let us repent and weep before the Lord, Who created us, that He might have mercy on us and deliver us from it. The devil himself is allowed by our Creator for our benefit. And he allows us as much as it is useful for us, and this enemy tempts us as much as it is useful for us. How useful? It awakens us from laziness, encourages us to prayer. Feeling the presence of this enemy, we turn to God and ask for help and protection from Him. And just as a soldier is more often in battle, the more skillful he becomes, so a Christian the more temptations he bravely endures from this enemy, the better and more skillful he is in the Christian calling, and the more victories he wins over this enemy, the more beautiful crown he will be vouchsafed from the Founder of the podvig Jesus Christ. "Having care," says St. John Chrysostom, "For our salvation, God, has left the devil, so that he might stir us up from laziness, and prepare for us an opportunity to receive a crown" (Discourse 23 on the Book of Genesis). And St. Paul says: "A thorn in the flesh has been given to me, an angel of Satan, to afflict me, that I may not be exalted" (2 Cor. 12:7).

Do you see how useful a hostile spirit is to us, do you see how the proud lead us to humility? He does dirty tricks to us, so that we do not exalt ourselves. And so the evil and spiteful spirit contributes to our good with an evil intention. But when a Christian commits lawlessness, forgets all these blessings of God, and does not revere God, his Benefactor, and is very ungrateful to Him, – he becomes like one who reviles and scolds his benefactor, a man, and does not consider the good deed done to himself for anything. A Christian does not revere and despise God because he does not want to listen to Him. This is a terrible word, O Christian, but it is true! How? Listen and heed. God commands: Do not swear by My name in vain. But the lawless Christian swears. God commands: Honor your parents and your authorities. But the lawless Christian does not revere. God commands: do not be angry, do not be angry with your neighbor, do not hate him. But the lawless Christian restrains anger, holds grudges, and hates his neighbor, who was created in the image of God. God commands: Thou shalt not commit fornication or commit adultery. But the lawless Christian either commits adultery or commits fornication, and thereby defiles his own and the other's soul and body, defiles, I say, the soul, created in the image of God. God commands: do not steal, do not steal someone else's. But the lawless Christian steals and steals. God commands: do not bear false witness, do not slander, do not scold your neighbor, do not lie, do not deceive, do not condemn and do not slander. But the lawless Christian does not look at this God's command, he bears false witness, lies, deceives, reviles, scolds, judges and condemns a person like himself, and sometimes even a better one.

See how the wicked man does not listen and despises his Creator! What reverence is there for the father from the son, and for the master from the slave, when the son of the father and the servant does not listen to the master? Is it not obvious contempt and humiliation? Oh, how many despised and despised Gods there are in the world! How many enemies of God are among those who think that they revere Him! Oh, what a poor state Christianity has come to!

A Christian, who has received and is receiving so many mercies and blessings from God, becomes an enemy of God, his Highest Benefactor, he who knows that both for the sake of everyone and for his sake the Son of God came into the world, suffered and died; he who has been called by the word of God to eternal life; he who is washed by the bath of Baptism by God, sanctified, justified.

Oh, how the devil infected the poor man! As the adversary of God himself is, so did He make man. Do you see, Christian, what sin leads you to! You, who should be a lover of God and reverent of God, become an enemy of God through sin. It seems sweet to you, but its fruits are bitter! You do not see it now, but then you will see when all the deeds and thoughts of men are revealed. It is hard for you, a man, to endure when a person like you, who has received some small benefit from you, does not show you gratitude. How much heavier is ingratitude to God, all good to the Source! From this we see that everywhere God complains of ingratitude: they have forgotten His blessings and miracles (Psalm 77:11). And again: Hear, O heaven, and hearken, O earth, for the Lord says: "I have begotten and exalted sons, but they have rejected Me" (Isaiah 1:2). And again: They have sinned, they are not His children because of their vices, they are a rebellious and perverse generation. Do you repay this to the Lord? (Deuteronomy 32:5-6), and in other places of Scripture.

And so, come to your senses, Christian, and, acknowledging your ingratitude and sins, fall down with humility before the merciful eyes of God, and from the depths of your heart cry out to Him: "I have sinned, O Lord, have mercy on me! Receive me, the lost sheep, and count Thy chosen flock! Give me a heart, O God who knows the heart, that reveres Thee, fears Thee, loves Thee, and follows Thy will! Guide me in Thy way, and I will walk in Thy truth. Look upon me and have mercy on me, according to the judgment of those who love Thy name!"

And when, having been converted, you begin to repent and go through a new Christian life, your former lawless life will not harm you, and then you yourself will know what you were like in God's eyes. When thou returnest and sigh, then thou shalt be saved, and thou shalt understand where thou wast (Isaiah 30:15). You will understand in what a miserable state you were, how far you wandered from the path of truth. You will understand that you were not worthy of the Christian name, although you called yourself a Christian, that in fact you were dead, although you dreamed that you were alive. Everyone who lives in sin is dead to God, just as he who lives in God is dead to sin. Then will it be fulfilled that which was said of thee: for this my son was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found" (Luke 15:24). And then there will be joy in heaven for you before the angels of God. Oh, let it come to pass! O Lord God of hosts, turn us, and enlighten Thy face, and we shall be saved (Psalm 79:20).

About the same

Когда человек, неблагодарный своему бла­годетелю, придет в разум и раскаяние о своей неблагодарности, начнет мыслить и говорить про себя: «Что это я, окаянный, делаю? То ли я должен воздавать своему благодетелю? Нена­висть ли за любовь, и зло за добро? Воистину обезумел я!» И так жалеет и сокрушается о без­законных своих поступках. И стыдится смот­реть на своего благодетеля, падает перед ним со смирением и просит у него прощения, не боясь ничего от него, но только жалея, что того, кого должен был любить и почитать, как любя­щего, поносил, ругал и оскорблял. Это истин­ное раскаяние!

Видишь, христианин, что человек челове­ку, благодетелю своему, делает, когда выкажет ему неблагодарность и в раскаяние придет! Так и христианин, когда придет в разум и рассу­дит о Божиих благодеяниях, как прочим, так и ему оказанных и оказываемых, и о Боге, Бла­годетеле своем, им забвенном и презренном, весьма сокрушается и, удрученный печалью о Боге, как стрелой, уязвляется, и на себя самого, как на врага, гневается, судит себя, как не достойного ни неба, ни земли, ни куска хлеба, ни рубища. Словом, ничего себя достойным не считает, а только одного наказания. Видит, что Его, как Создателя своего и Бога, должен был почитать, но не почитал. Должен был слу­шать, но не слушал. Должен был любить, но не любил. Должен был смиряться перед Ним, но не смирялся. Должен был покоряться Ему, но не покорялся. И тем оскорблял Того, в люб­ви и благодеяниях Которого заключен, Того, Который есть одна любовь и благость, Того, у Которого в руке все концы земли и он сам, Того, Которому Ангелы со страхом и любовью поклоняются, почитают и поют.

Это печаль по Богу, которая покаяние не­раскаянное во спасение соделывает! Сокрушен­ное такой печалью сердце не может не испус­кать слез. Пожелает и он с пророком источни­ка слез. Такому впредь уже тяжко согрешать. Лучше он пожелает умереть, чем согрешить. Это есть истинное христианское покаяние, ко­торое происходит от размышления о презрении нашем к Богу Благодетелю и благодеяниям Его!

О, когда бы всякий христианин рассуждал, какое ему Бог добро делал и делает, и как тяжко грехом оскорбляет Его, Того, от Кого всякое благодеяние получает, и взирал бы на Божие величие и свое недостоинство, – никогда бы не захотел согрешить! Но в том беда, что закрытые душевные очи имеет и потому не ви­дит, что сам делает. Встань, спящий, и воскрес­ни из мертвых, и осветит тебя Христос (Еф. 5:14). Пробудись, о бедная душа! Вот, сатана хочет тебя вечного сокровища лишить навеки.

15. Царь и его подданный, просящий у него милости