Letter Three

To the incomprehensible love for mankind of the Son of God and to the high honor of the human race, it is also necessary that the Apostle wrote: "He does not receive angels, but the seed of Abraham" (Hebrews 2:16). That is, the Son of God, desiring to save us, was made flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones, and became like us in all things, except sin; The Son of God became the son of man, and God is unchangeable by man. Therefore we see in His holy Gospel that He repeatedly called Himself the Son of man, out of love for us and out of humility, because of which He is not ashamed to call people brethren, saying: "I will declare Thy name to My brethren" (Hebrews 2:11, 12). For this reason He also made God, His Heavenly Father, our Father, and commanded Him to be called His Father, saying: "Thus pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). And after the resurrection He said to His disciples: "I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" (John 20:17).

Glory to God, Who has so highly honored us, the unworthy! Glory to the Son of God, Who has become like us – for our sake! Let us also honor the Lord, Who has honored us, so that we may also be vouchsafed eternal honor from Him by His grace.

Save yourself.

Fourth Letter

Thou hast seen how man is honored by God. Know for sure that a man, so honored by God, dishonors God, if fearlessly violates His holy law, according to the testimony of the Apostle: "By transgressing the law you dishonor God" (Romans 2:23). This word was spoken to the wicked Jews, but now it befits Christians who have taken the place of the Jews, and have received the law of God, and boast in the knowledge of God, but they are not afraid to violate His holy law shamelessly and fearlessly. Therefore, the wrath of God will come upon them, if they do not truly turn to God.

Oh, if a man were to consider how God has honored him, and how he dishonors God, Who has honored him, he would incessantly sigh, weep, and weep. But, blinded, he does not see it. He insults his Father according to the flesh, and laments over it, weeps and weeps often, but he constantly insults and angers God, his Creator, and does not feel it. Beware, beloved, of such insensibility, and... pray for me.

Save yourself.

Fifth Letter

You still want to know how God honored man. I praise your desire and diligence and wish that it would take root in your heart. For from this will be born true sorrow for God's sake, which is necessary for repentance, because, according to the Apostle, "He worketh unfailing repentance unto salvation" (2 Corinthians 7:10). Therefore, with God's help, I will offer the same thing even more extensively and clearly.

Thou hast seen that God, desiring to save man, came Himself for this, and made salvation Himself, and not through anyone else. He was born of a pure Virgin in the flesh, so that we, worn out by the wickedness of demons, might be reborn in spirit. He became the son of man in order to make us sons of God. On earth He lived and labored to raise us, who had fallen away, to heaven. He labored and labored to give us eternal rest. He hungered and thirsted, so that he could feed and drink us with bread and drink of eternal consolation. He endured reproach in order to take away from us eternal reproach. He endured sorrow and illness in order to vouchsafe us eternal joy. He was dishonored and mocked, in order to honor us with eternal glory. He endured terrible and terrible sufferings, in order to take away from us eternal sufferings and give us eternal cooling in His kingdom. He died on the Cross in order to revive us, the dead, and so on.