You humble yourself before your brother with regret that you have offended him – this is a sign of love.

You are not drunk, because you have nothing to drink, you are drunk in your heart. You do not get drunk, because it is sinful – this is a matter of abstinence, you are a true abstinent.

Whoever weeps that he has lost wealth or honor is the sorrow of this world and therefore useless. Another cries that he cannot take revenge on his neighbor – this is the action of malice and pernicious sorrow. A third weeps that he has angered God, a lover of mankind – such sorrow for God's sake (2 Corinthians 7:10) is soul-saving.

If you weep over a dead father, or brother, or friend, that you have separated from your loved one, sorrow is useless. Weeping over the dead, thinking that sin has brought us to such a poor state – this is Christian weeping.

The commander punishes a subordinate who is not respected or dishonored by him – this is the fulfillment of anger and malice, not punishment. He punishes as a transgressor, and in order to behave more properly in the future – this punishment is correct and the Christian intention.

You give alms to the beggar in order to get some benefit from it – this is buying and bargaining, and not almsgiving.

To revere the king or those sent by him, fearing punishment for disrespect, is a human cunning. You revere because God commanded to revere – this is a Christian deed.

If you endure an offense because you cannot take revenge, it is involuntary patience. Enduring offense voluntarily, obeying the commandment of Christ – this is a matter of true patience and salvation.

In the same way, according to the state of the heart, every deed is judged, whether it is evil or good. Each one is informed of this in his own conscience, as we see it in the Holy Scriptures. Cain and Abel offered sacrifice to God: but the Lord looked upon Abel and his offering, but did not look upon Cain and his gift (Gen. 4:4-5). The publican and the Pharisee prayed to God in the church; but the publican is justified, and the Pharisee is rejected (Luke 18:14). Zacchaeus rejoiced when he saw our Lord Jesus Christ (see Luke 19:3-9), and Herod also rejoiced (see Luke 23:8), but Herod was ruined, and Zacchaeus was turned to salvation.

Thus, according to the inner state of the heart, every deed is judged before God. And although it happens that outwardly a deed seems good, if it comes from an evil and unseemly intention, it is condemned before God as unseemly. Intention as the foundation on which the work is built. And as the intention is, so is the deed: if the intention is good, it is a good deed, if the intention is evil, and the deed is done. From this it follows that we should neither praise nor scold anyone recklessly. For no one but God alone can know the inner state of man and intention. Who among men knows what is in man, except the spirit of man that dwells in him? (1 Cor. 2:11). For it often happens that we foolishly praise him who is cursed before God and therefore is really abominable; we condemn him whom God justifies, and we justify without sense the one whom God condemns, and therefore we sin.

§ 36. Since every human deed, both internal and external, depends on the heart, and as the heart is, so is the deed, good or evil. And by nature we have a corrupt heart. Therefore, we must pray fervently and unceasingly, and ask God of the Knower of the Heart, Who makes all things out of nothing, and does good out of evil, to ask for a new heart and a right spirit, so that the thoughts and deeds that come from the heart may be right, and that they may be directed to God's glory alone. Following the example of the Psalmist, we should always sigh: "Build up a pure heart in me, O God, and renew the spirit of righteousness in my womb" (Psalm 50:12). And if the heart is pure, then the deeds will be right.

Chapter 2.

On Human Language