1) It kindles love for God in our hearts. For conscience itself convinces us to love Him Who loves us and does us good.

2) Produces true thanksgiving to the Benefactor in the heart.

3) Produces ineffable spiritual joy and exclamation.

4) Indignation produces true sorrow for God's sake and against oneself in the repentant sinner, because God did good to the sinner, but he insulted and angered the Benefactor, and foolishly despised His goodness. Thinking about this, he will be stung like an arrow by sorrow for the sake of God, his Benefactor, whom he despises.

5) From there follows shame for ingratitude, which is needed in repentance, as a prophet confesses: "With You, O Lord, is righteousness, but we have shame on our faces" (Dan. 9:7). Truly, shame and shame befit us for the fact that, being a creature, earth and ashes, we insult our Creator, and because of our insignificant baseness we do not realize His greatness, and moreover, always satiated with His blessings, we do not thank our Benefactor. God does us good, but we do not love Him. Shame and shame on a person who does not honor and does not love a man who is his benefactor. How much more ashamed it behooves us that we do not love or revere God, our Creator, Provider, and Father. All creation convicts us of this, for with all diligence it serves Him as its Creator. Therefore Thou hast righteousness, O Lord, but we have shame on our faces, Dan. 9:7.

6) Patience in punishment will follow, since a person will recognize that he worthily suffers punishment, as ungrateful. Reflecting on how much God's goodness has been poured out on him, and on his own ingratitude to God, he recognizes himself worthy of all punishment.

7) Humiliation of oneself and humility will follow, for one recognizes oneself as unworthy of any of God's blessings, although everyone should admit this. For God freely bestows His blessings upon all.

8) By reasoning about the goodness of God, we are strengthened in hope, when we are tempted by Satan and moved to despair. Diligent reflection on the goodness of God will not allow us to despair, for God, being good, desires the salvation of all and does not want the death of the sinner.

9) Whoever feels the goodness of God upon himself is good to his neighbors. From the blessings of God given to him, he gives to his brethren, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and so on, for he knows that all good is God's. Receiving from God the remission of sins and knowing His mercy on oneself, he himself is merciful to sinners and forgives them their sins. Truly, if a person comes to consider how much mercy God vouchsafes him every day, then he will not be able to be unmerciful to his neighbor, especially in the forgiveness of sins.

Reason, then, and taste the goodness of God, but at the same time, let His omnipresence, omniscience, and righteousness turn before your spiritual eyes.

Save yourself.

Letter Forty-Eight

I also remind you of the goodness of God. Nothing shows His goodness to us so much as His long-suffering towards sinners.