Does he live in prosperity? He rages like an untrained and unbridled horse, and does not see that by this prosperity God draws him, like a father to a little child with an apple, to Himself. Did he get into the opposite? He murmurs, is indignant, and blasphemes, as if unrighteousness were being done to him; he raises pitiful and even blasphemous cries: "What is my unrighteousness? In what have I sinned? Am I really more sinful than others? Am I worthy of this? Is this what my labors deserve?"

He justifies himself, filled with every unrighteousness; cleanses himself, all dirty; he who is worthy of eternal punishment considers himself unworthy of temporal punishment; he praises his merits, which are worth nothing. He calls upon a physician in illness to be healed of his illness, and he takes every medicine, even the most cruel one, and endures everything that he offers him, and gives a reward to the healer. The Merciful God, Who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), wants to heal and make his sick soul healed and made healthy by misfortune, as with cruel medicine. For the cruel illness of the soul is the love of money, self-love, love of glory, pride, anger, envy, hatred, impurity, and other passions; by them it is sick, withered and killed; but the blind sinner does not recognize this God's beneficence, and not only does not thank the merciful Benefactor, but murmurs against Him: "What is my unrighteousness?"

Всякое бедствие настоящего времени, на грешника от Бога посылаемое, есть жезл отеческого Его наказания, которым Он грешника бьет и от сна греховного возбуждает; или есть лекарство жестокое, как выше сказано, которое ему посылает, чтобы душа его расслабленная исцелилась. Но грешник того не чувствует.

Здоровье или богатство имеет? Это трудам и старанию, то мудрости и разуму своему приписывает, а не Богу, от Которого живот и смерть, нищета и богатство (Сир. 11:14). Одержал победу над неприятелем? Храбрости, хитрости, искусству своему, силе и множеству воинов, а не Богу победу присваивает. Не спасается царь многою силою, и исполин не спасется множеством крепости своей. Ненадежен конь для спасения, великою силою своей не спасет (Пс. 32:16-17); яко не силу коня Он любит и не благоволит к силе ног: благоволит Господь к боящимся Его и уповающим на милость Его (Пс. 146:10-11). Насыщается ли пищей, одевается одеждой, согревается огнем, просвещается светом и прочими благами Божиими снабжается грешник? Но Бога, благ Подателя, и в благодеяниях не чувствует, и Благодетеля не благодарит, ибо не любит Его, ибо без любви не может быть благодарности.

Вся тварь, небо, солнце, луна, звезды, земля и исполнение ее, как устами, проповедуют славу Божию (Пс. 18:2); но грешник ослепленный величества славы Его не чувствует и не трепещет. Город и палата архитектора своего, художество мастера своего, дом хозяина своего показывает и в познание всякому приводит. Всякий от художества художника и от строения строителя познает. Мир этот видимый, как город прекрасный, не руками, но словом Божиим сотворенный, и как художество премудрое и дом пребогатый, в котором все живем, как бы перстом указывает на Бога, как на архитектора, строителя, попечителя и хозяина своего, и как создание чудное, премудрое, благое доказывает существование чудного, благого, премудрого и всесильного Создателя. Но грешник слепой не познает.

Знает сын отца своего, которым рожден и воспитан, а раб – господина своего, которым куплен. Но грешник Бога, Господа и Отца своего, Которым сохраняется, питается, одевается, не познает. Знает пес господина своего, а вол купившего его. Но грешник, разумом одаренный, Создателя, Стяжателя и Хранителя своего не познает, как говорит Бог через пророка: Вол знает владетеля своего, и осел – ясли господина своего; а Израиль не знает Меня, народ Мой не разумеет (Ис. 1:3); еще же и говорит, как безумный, в сердце своем: «нет Бога» (П. 13:1). Так поражает грех сердце человеческое бедственной слепотой, от которой бывает бесстрашие, а от бесстрашия – всякое беззаконие!

§ 53. Если кто-нибудь спросит: «Как Бога не знать, Который всегда словом Его святым проповедуется?»

Answer. This is both wondrous and deplorable, that God, both through creation and through His word, gives Himself to the knowledge of all. But the sinner, like a deaf man, does not hear His word, and does not know his Lord; he hears the name of God, but does not know God; He heareth the voice of the Lord with the ears of the flesh, but he heareth not with the ears of the soul; and so, hearing, he does not hear, and when he sees, he does not see. When God is preached by His holy word, then His holy will is also preached. But the sinner does not know it and does not do it. His omnipotence and majesty are preached, before which the sinner does not humble himself. His righteousness is preached, which the sinner does not fear or revere. His truth is preached, which the sinner does not believe. His omnipresence is preached, before whom the sinner does not revere, because he does not know Him. His all-wise Providence is preached, which the sinner does not understand. His highest holiness is preached, which the sinner does not revere. His supreme authority is preached, to which the sinner does not submit. His terrible glory is preached, which the sinner does not revere. His infinite goodness is preached, of which the sinner does not try and does not want to be a participant. His dreadful judgments are preached, before which the sinner does not tremble, and so on. So the sinner, like a foolish man, does not know, and the foolish does not understand God and the works of God! (Psalm 91:7)

True knowledge of God cannot be idle and fruitless, but brings true worship of God. The son of his father knows and honors, loves and listens to him; the servant of his master knows and fears him, obeys and serves him. Thus, whoever knows God cannot but revere Him, not listen to Him, not obey Him, and not serve Him, and not fulfill His will and commandments. About this God says through the prophet: The son honors his father, and the servant honors his master; if I am the Father, where is the reverence for Me? And if I am the Lord, where is the reverence for Me? (Mal. 1:6). But the son praises his father because he esteems him his father, and the servant fears his master because he has him as his master. If the father, the man, is honored by the son, and the master, the man, is feared by the servant, because the latter acknowledges the father as his father, and the latter acknowledges the master as his master, how much more is God, Who is Lord over all, worthy of honor and fear, when we acknowledge and honor Him as our Lord and Father.

You see that from the knowledge of God follows the worship of God. Tell me, please, who boasts of the knowledge of God and does not truly revere Him, how can it be that you wanted to sin, knowing that God is everywhere and sees every deed and is just; Who for sin both temporally and eternally executes, and in reality can smite you? Before the earthly king, the authorities, your lord and father, you do not dare to commit outrage – do you dare to do evil and contrary to Him before God, great and terrible? It can't be! How can you not thank Him from the bottom of your heart and love Him, knowing that He is the Creator, the Redeemer, the Father, the Nourisher, the Preserver, and the Highest Benefactor, Whom there can be no greater? A benefactor who supplies you not with his own, but with God's goodness, you love and thank him – is it God, from Whom you have your being, and every hour and minute you receive blessings, without which you cannot live, you will not give thanks? How can you not believe His word from the heart, when you know that He is true, and cannot lie, and His word is truth? You believe an honest man, who can lie, for every man is a lie (Psalm 115:2): will you not believe God, Who cannot and does not want to lie? All true piety comes from this: all true worship of God and piety depends on faith. How can you not tremble before His judgment, when you know His righteousness, which recompenses everyone according to His works? You fear the righteous ruler, and do not dare to break his law, which not everyone knows that those who are subject do it. Will you not fear the righteous God, Who knoweth all things, word, deed, and thought, and writes them down in His book, and in all these things will reward you? How can you not submit and obey His commands, when you know for sure that He is your supreme Lord, King and Sovereign, Who possesses heaven and earth? To man, the king, who has power only over your body, you submit, you obey, and you show all obedience. Will you not submit to God, Who holds both your body and soul life and death in His hand, and show obedience from the heart?

How can you not love Him from your heart, and seek Him, and cleave to Him, and have fellowship with Him, when you know that He alone is the supreme, essential, unchanging, and infinite good, with which to be is true and perfect bliss, and from which to be separated is true and perfect misfortune? You love a good man, who is adorned with mercy and other virtues, and what kindness he has, he has from God, – will you not love God, Who is good in Himself, so that no one is good but God alone, according to the word of the Lord? (Matt. 19:17).

How many are with the good kings of the earth, who themselves, as men, are subject to every calamity, desire to be and seek it with great zeal, for they consider it a blessing for themselves to be with them. Will you not wish to be with God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, good and merciful, when you know His goodness and taste and see how good the Lord is? (Psalm 33:9). How can you not show mercy to your neighbor – to every person, when you know that every day and hour you receive from God ineffable and incomprehensible mercy? By His mercy you live on earth, unworthy of life; By His mercy you are nourished, clothed, and whole.

How can you not give your neighbor of your goods, when you know that everything you have, except your sins and infirmities, is God's, and not your own? For we receive everything from God: our soul and body, life and breath, and we owe our existence to Him. As you do not forgive your neighbor for small sins, when you know that God in Christ has forgiven your innumerable sins (Ephesians 4:32); And that your debts will return to you again and be withheld, if you do not forgive your neighbor, and for them you will forever suffer in the prison of hell, as it is depicted in that parable? (Matt. 18:23-34) From whence the Lord concludes this parable: "Thus will My Father in heaven deal with you, if every one of you does not forgive his brother his trespasses from his heart" (Matt. 18:35).

How can you not despise the vanity of this world, and desire the blessedness of that future, and with all diligence will not seek it, when you will definitely believe the word of God, which variously depicts those blessings, both ineffable, and incomprehensible to the mind, and eternal, and infinite, as God Himself preaches and promises to those who believe in Christ and faithfully serve God and love Him? (see 1 Cor. 2:9).