3. How do we know that the latter is also done for the benefit of man? (We will know) if we consider what he would have been subjected to if this had not happened. What would he have been subjected to? If man, after the devil's promise to make him equal to God after transgressing the commandment, had remained in the same honor, he would have fallen into three extreme calamities. Firstly, I would consider God to be malevolent, a seducer and a liar, and secondly, a real deceiver, the father of lies and malice, a benefactor and a friend; and besides, he would continue to sin indefinitely. But God delivered him from all this, then expelling him from paradise. In the same way, if the doctor does not touch the wounds, then he allows it to fester more; if it cuts out, it stops the further spread of the rottenness of the ulcer. What of this? – someone will say, God did not stop there, but still imposed on man feats and labors; for nothing is so incapable of making use of rest as human nature. If even now, when such labors lie upon us, we sin unceasingly, then what would we not dare to do if God left us in pleasure and inactivity? For all wickedness, says the Scriptures, was taught by idleness (Sirach. XXXIII, 28). This saying is confirmed by both daily events and what happened to our ancestors. And the gray-haired people, says the Scriptures, eat and drink, and rise up to play (Exod. XXXII, 6). And again: "Fat, thicken, widen, and the beloved is denied" (Deut. XXXII, 15). Blessed David also says in agreement with this: "When I kill, then I seek him, and turn to God, and morning to God" (Psalm. LXXVII, 34). And to Jerusalem God says through Jeremiah, "Thou shalt always be punished, O Jerusalem, that my soul may not depart from thee" (Jer. VI, 7, 8). And that not only evil, but also good people are salvific to be subjected to humiliation and suffering, the prophet also says about this: "It is good for me, O Lord, for Thou hast humbled me, that I may learn by Thy righteousness" (Psalm. CXVIII, 71). After him, Jeremiah also says the same thing, though not in the same words: "It is good for a man, when he takes up the heavy yoke of his youth, sits down on one, and is silent" (Lamentations. III, 27, 28); and for himself he prays to God thus: "Do not spare me to alienation in the day of death" (Jer. XVII, 17). And Blessed Paul, who shone so brightly with grace and surpassed human nature, nevertheless had need of this beneficial remedy; Wherefore He said: Give unto me the foul man of the flesh, O angel of Satan, that he may do me mischief, that I may not be exalted. For this the Lord prayed three times, and said to me: My grace prevails over thee: for My power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. XII, 7-9). Although the preaching of the Gospel could have been accomplished without persecution, without sorrows, without labors and podvigs, Christ did not want this, caring for the preachers. Wherefore He said unto them, In the world ye shall be in sorrow. XVI, 33). And he commanded those who would enter the kingdom of heaven to walk the narrow path, for otherwise it would be impossible to reach it (Matt. VII, 13). Thus, sorrows, temptations, and all the troubles that happen to us prove God's care for us no less than joys. And what do I say about the sorrows here? The very threat of hell, no less than the promise of the kingdom of heaven, shows God's love for mankind. If He had not threatened with hell, then it would not have been possible to achieve heavenly blessings soon. The promise of good things alone is not sufficient to induce virtue, if the fear of punishment does not encourage those who do not strive for it. That is why God expelled the first-created man from paradise in the beginning, since the honor granted to him would have made him worse if he had remained firm and unshaken after breaking the commandment. And what do I say about Adam? What would Cain not have done, living in paradise and enjoying its pleasures, if he, having lost it and having before his eyes the punishment that had befallen his father, did not come to his senses, but fell into even greater wickedness: he was the first to invent and commit murder, and the most criminal murder? He did not come to this new evil deed little by little and not in the course of a long time, but suddenly and suddenly he reached the very summit of impiety, – he lay in wait and killed him who came from the same womb with him and did not offend him in any way; or did Cain consider it an insult to himself that Abel pleased God? However, in my opinion, even here you can see God's love for mankind: when Cain offended God Himself, the Creator admonishes him with words and comforts him in sorrow; but when he has committed a crime against his brother, then God manifests His wrath and imposes punishment. Meanwhile, the former deserved the same, if not more cruel punishment. If it is considered a transgression and an offense among people when one of the slaves saves the best for himself, and gives the worst to the master, how much more does this apply in relation to God? But Cain committed not only this sin, but also another no less – he envied his brother's honor. If he had repented of his sin, he would have pleased God with this beautiful change; but it was not from repentance, but from envy and hatred that his confusion arose, as the end of the affair showed. Cain was almost angry with God because God, offended by him, did not honor him and did not prefer evil to good; but God, in spite of the fact that Cain's sins required a heavy punishment, treats the sinner much more mercifully than he deserved, and tries to calm his irritated soul. For Cain's sorrow came from irritation; wherefore God saith unto him, Be silent (Gen. 2:10). IV, 7). Thus spoke God, although He knew to what extent Cain's wickedness would reach; but He wanted to take away from the ungrateful any pretext (for murmuring). If Cain had been punished in the beginning, many would have said so; "Would it not have been possible to impress in advance with words, to admonish and frighten, and then to punish, if Cain had remained in his former disposition? His punishment is very cruel and severe." That is why God endures the insults inflicted on Him for a long time, in order to stop the mouths of such people, and at the same time to show that He punished the father of Cain in His goodness, and moreover, to lead subsequent people to repentance by His mercy. When Cain, through his stubbornness and impenitence of heart, gathered for himself anger (Rom. II, 5), then He punishes; if Cain had remained unpunished even after the murder, he would have decided on another, even greater evil. Nor can it be said that he sinned through ignorance: could he not know what his younger brother knew? However, if you will, let us assume that the first (crime) arose from ignorance; But after he heard, "Be silent," after he had received forgiveness, did he ignorantly decide to kill, defile the earth, and violate the laws of nature? Do you see that the former did not come from ignorance, but from malice, deceit, and extreme impiety? What is the punishment for all this? Groaning and trembling shalt thou be on the earth, saith God (Gen. 2:10). IV, 12). The punishment seems to be heavy; but it will not be so if we reflect on sin and carefully consider the punishment itself. Cain, after he had offered the sacrifice unjustly (Gen. IV, 7), was offended by the fact that he who had offended God was not honored by the offended God, rejected His suggestion, was the first to dare to commit murder, or rather, a sin even more criminal than murder, grieved his parents, and lied before God. Food, he said, I am my brother's watchman (Gen. 2:10). IV, 9)? And for all this he is punished only with fear and trembling! However, it can be said that the goodness of God is seen here not only from the fact that punishment is lighter than sin, but from the fact that there is no small benefit in punishment. And the benefit is that all subsequent people are brought to their senses by Cain's punishment and become better. Therefore, God did not immediately put Cain to death; for it makes no difference whether to hear that a certain Cain, who killed his brother, was put to death, or to see this murderer being punished. In the first case, they could not believe the story because of the excessiveness of the crime; and now that Cain was visible, and many had long witnessed his punishment, the event became evident and certain both to his contemporaries and to posterity. But, it will be said, what is the use of this for himself? Very great: God was also concerned about his salvation, when by verbal admonition He moderated his rage, as far as depended on Him. But if we consider the punishment itself, then it will also be of great benefit. If God had killed Cain immediately, He would not have given him time to repent and reform. Now, continuing to live in fear and trembling, he could have received great benefit from such a life for himself, if he had not been extremely insensible and more of a beast than a man. In addition, the present punishment lessened the severity of future torment for him; for by the punishments or calamities which God sends upon us in the present life, a great part of future torments is removed. Evidence for this can be cited from the divine Scriptures. Christ, speaking to His disciples and telling about Lazarus, says that Abraham, when the rich man asked him to sprinkle a burning tongue with the tip of his finger, said to him: "Child, remember, how thou hast received thy good in thy belly, and Lazarus is also evil: but now here he is comforted, but thou art afflicted" (Luke 1:11). XVI, 25). And Paul (when I speak of Paul, I also mean the commandments of Christ, because this blessed soul was moved by Him), when he writes to the Corinthians about the fornicator, commands that he be delivered over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. V, 5). And again, conversing with them about those who unworthily partake of the mysteries, he says: "For this reason there are many infirmities and infirmities in you, and they sleep till trouble." For if they reasoned with themselves, they were not condemned. But we are punished by those who are judged by the Lord, that we may not be condemned in peace (1 Cor. XI, 30-32). Do you see the ineffable love of humanity and the boundless riches of goodness? Do you see how God does and undertakes everything so that we, even if we have sinned, may suffer punishment lighter than we deserve, or even completely get rid of it?

4. But if anyone says, "Why did God not destroy the ancient tempter?" If the evil one took possession of us by force, then this question would have some validity; but since he does not have such power, but only tries to persuade us (whereas we may not bow), why should we remove the reason for merit and reject the means of attaining crowns? Moreover, if God, knowing that the devil is invincible and can subdue everyone, had left him in the world, then such a question should not have been asked; and then we ourselves would be guilty if he overcame and conquered those who do not resist him, but submit voluntarily. However, what has been said would not be enough for those who do not want to come to their senses. And if there are many who have already overcome the power of the devil, and there will be many more who will overcome it, why should those who are glorified and gain a brilliant victory be deprived of this honor? God left the devil for this reason, so that those who had already been defeated by him would overthrow him himself; and this is heavier for the devil than any punishment and can bring him to final condemnation. But, someone will say, not everyone can overcome it. What of this? It is much more just that the valiant should have a reason to reveal their good will, and the unvaliant should be punished for their own negligence, than that the former should suffer harm for the latter. Now the wicked one, if he suffers harm, it is because he is defeated not by the enemy, but by his own negligence, as is proved by the fact that many defeat the devil. Then the virtuous would suffer harm for the wicked, because because of them they would have no reason to show their courage; And it would be the same as if the steward of a fight, having two wrestlers, one of whom is ready to face the enemy, to show much courage and receive a crown as a reward, and the other preferring inactivity and merriment to a tiring struggle, removed the opponent and let them both go idle. Here the brave would suffer harm because of the unworthy; and the latter is bad, not because of his braveness, but because of his own unworthiness. Moreover, although the present question apparently concerns the devil, such reasoning, extending further along the connection of thoughts, will in many respects lead to the accusation and condemnation of God's Providence and will subject the entire universe to reproach. Thus it will condemn the creation of the mouth and the eyes; for through the eyes many receive a desire for what should not be desired, and fall into adultery, and with the lips of others they utter blasphemy and teach pernicious doctrine. Was it therefore necessary for people to be without a tongue and without eyes? So let us cut off the legs, and cut off the hands; for sometimes the hands are red with blood, and the feet run to sin. And the ears could not escape the same severe condemnation, because they also receive vain rumors and transmit to the soul a pernicious teaching; let us cut them off also. And if so, then the food, and the drink, and the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the chorus of the stars, and all the kinds of dumb animals, all of them will be useful when the one for whom they were created is so miserably disfigured? Do you see to what ridiculous and absurd thoughts such speculation inevitably leads? The devil is evil for himself, not for us; but we, if we wish, can gain much good through him, of course, against his will and desire; in this is revealed the special miracle and superiority of God's love for mankind. The fact that people are made better in itself torments and torments the devil; and when we achieve this through him, he will not be able to endure such a shame. But how is this achieved through him? When, fearing his cruelty, constant slanders and incessant intrigues, we will drive away from ourselves heavy sleep, be awake and always remember the Lord. These are not my words, but those of Blessed Paul, listen to how he awakens those who sleep from among the faithful with almost the same words. In the Epistle to the Ephesians he says thus: "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, and against the powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. VI, 12). Thus he spoke, not to deprive them of courage, but to encourage them. And Peter says, "Be sober, be watchful, for the devil is not your adversary, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, but resist him in the firmament by faith" (1 Pet. V, 8, 9). He said this, wishing to make us more courageous and to inspire us to cleave more to God. Whoever sees the advancing enemy is more likely to run and cling to him who can help. In the same way, little children, when they see something terrible, run into their mother's arms, grasp her clothes, hold on to them tightly, and do not lag behind, despite the efforts of many to drag them away; and when there is nothing to fear, they do not listen to her call or impulse, reject her invitations, turn away when she tries in every way to lure them to her, and do not even look at the food offered. For this reason, many mothers, when persuasion does not work, contrive by means of scarecrows and horrors to bring their children back to them, and persuade them to run to them again. This happens not only with children, but also with us. When the evil one frightens and confuses us, then we come to our senses, then we come to know ourselves, then with great zeal we turn to God. But if the devil had been destroyed at the very beginning and did not exist, then perhaps many would not have believed what happened, i.e. that he deceived man and deprived him of many blessings; but they would say that God did this out of ill-will and envy. If even now, after such clear proofs of the devil's deceptions, some dare to say this, then what would they not have said, what would not have been said, if they had not experienced his malice at all? However, if we pay strict attention to deeds, then (it can be noted that) the devil does not always push us to evil; although he does us much evil, we also do much harm to ourselves, solely because of our carelessness and negligence. Let's turn again to where we started. When did the devil approach Cain and urge him to commit murder? With his mother he spoke openly and seduced her, but with him he did not do this; if it is said that he put evil thoughts into him, then this also depended on Cain himself, who accepted the suggestion, obeyed and gave the devil a reason to attack. However, God did not abandon Cain even then, but continued to teach and admonish him, by which, apparently, He punished him. But what do I say about the punishment of Cain, one man, when even the flood, in which so many people perished, can reveal to us God's providence? And in the first place, God did not bring this calamity suddenly or suddenly, but foretold it, and not a short time in advance, but another hundred and twenty years in advance. Then, so that the people, because of the remoteness of the prophesied, would not forget and fall into carelessness, He commanded that an ark be built before their eyes, which spoke more clearly than any words about the threat of God. Cain had already been erased from people's memory, and this ark, which was before their eyes, constantly reminded them of the impending disaster. But even after this people did not come to their senses, but continued to cause and bring disaster upon themselves. God would never want to threaten the flood and bring it, just as he would not want to threaten hell, but we ourselves are the cause of everything. Knowing this, the all-wise one said: "God do not create death, nor rejoice in the destruction of the living" (Wis. Sol. I, 13). And God Himself through the prophet says thus: "I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should be converted and live" (Ezek. XVIII, 23, cf. XXXIII, 11). If we do not convert, then we bring perdition and death upon ourselves, and not God, who does not want us to perish, and shows the way to avoid the devil. But is this the only thing we can say about the flood, and will we not find any benefit resulting from it? It is impossible to say how much benefit came from it both for the dead themselves and for subsequent people. The former were deterred from further crimes; and the latter received even greater benefit, since together with the sinners themselves was destroyed, so to speak, the leaven and the cause of evil. If men can easily invent evil without example, what would they not do if many encouraged them to do evil things? In order to prevent this from happening, so that subsequent people would not have so many teachers of evil, God destroyed all of them at the same time.

5. But how wise, or rather, how insane is the judgment of those who, not wishing to do anything good, invent and say everything in order to lay the blame of their own sins on God! If, they say, God had not allowed it, then the devil would not have approached, and would not have deceived him immediately. But then Adam would not have known what good he had, and would never have humbled his pride. Who thought so highly of himself that he hoped to be a god, which he would not have dared to do if he had not been enlightened? Suppose the devil had not inspired anything in Eve and had not said a word to her about the tree: would it be possible that in this case the forefathers would never have fallen? This cannot be said. Whoever so easily obeyed his wife, even without the devil, on his own, would soon fall into sin, for which he would be subjected to even greater punishment. Moreover, in the present event, it was not only the deception of the devil that was the cause of all evil, but the woman was carried away by her own lust and fell. This is also indicated by the Scriptures, saying: "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and as it pleased her eyes to see, and it was beautiful to understand: and she took up of its fruit, poison" (Gen. 2:10). III, 6). I say this now not in order to free the devil from accusations of deceit, but to show that if the first people had not fallen voluntarily, no one would have forced them to fall. Whoever so easily accepted deception from another, was careless and inattentive even before the deception; and the devil would not have had such success if he had entered into conversation with a vigilant and attentive soul. But there are people who, when they are refuted from this side, abandoning the devil, turn to the commandment and, without touching the person who has sinned, accuse God and say: why did He give people a commandment, when He knew that they would sin? And these are the words of the devil and the fabrications of the wicked mind. God, in giving the commandment, showed greater care (for people) than if He had not given it; This is evident from the following. Let us suppose that Adam, whose will was so careless, as the consequences showed, would not have received any commandment, and continued to enjoy blessedness: would his carelessness and effeminacy from these pleasures have led him to the worse, or to the better? It is obvious to everyone that he, unconcerned about anything, would have reached the extreme degree of evil. If, still uncertain of immortality, with only a doubtful hope in it, he had come to such pride and madness that he hoped to become a god, although he saw that the one who promised him this was in no way trustworthy, what madness would he not have reached, if he had undoubtedly possessed immortality? What sin would he not commit? Would I ever obey God? In accusing God, you act like those who would blame the one who forbids fornication, because those who heard this prohibition would commit fornication. Are not such words utterly insane? If the devil were to approach a person who had not received the commandment with advice to depart from God, he would easily persuade him to do so; for whoever despised Him who gave it after receiving the commandment, if he had heard nothing from Him at all, would soon forget even that he was under the power of the Lord. Therefore, God taught him beforehand by His commandment that he had a Lord, Whom he must obey in everything. But, it will be said, what benefit has come from this? Even if there were no benefit, this should not be blamed on God who gave the instruction, but on the man who did not heed this beautiful suggestion. Meanwhile, the granting of the commandment did not remain useless even after its violation: the fact that the first people hid themselves, and confessed their sin, and tried to lay the blame of the crime on the wife, and the woman on the serpent – all this shows that they feared, trembled, and recognized the power of God over them. And how useful it was to pass from the satanic hope of being gods to such fear is understandable to everyone. He who dreamed of equality with God has humbled and humbled himself so much that he fears punishment and torment and confesses his sin! Not to sin unconsciously, but to quickly notice and recognize one's sin is a very important matter, the beginning and path leading to correction and change for the better. Thus, it is impossible to know or explain all the goodness of the Lord to us; I will tell you the main thing that we know. After such disobedience, after so many sins, when the power of sin took possession of the whole world, when the human race had to suffer the most severe punishment, to perish completely, and to be blotted out of its very name, then God did us the greatest favor, He delivered His Only-begotten to death for the enemies who had departed, turned away, and hated Him, and through Him He reconciled us to Himself, and promised to give us the kingdom of heaven, eternal life and innumerable blessings, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor ascended into the heart of man (1 Cor. II, 9). What can be compared with this solicitude, philanthropy, goodness? For this reason He Himself says: "As the heavens are separated from the earth, so is My way from your ways, and your thoughts from My thoughts" (Isa. LV, 9). And the meek David, speaking of His love for mankind, says: "According to the height of the heavens from the earth, the Lord has established His mercy on those who fear Him: if the east is far from the west, He has removed our iniquities from us." As a father is generous to his sons, so be the Lord merciful to those who fear Him (Psalm. CII, 11-13), and even more than the father, but we know of no other better example of the highest love. Isaiah gave an example of this, pointing to a mother who is much more attached to her children than a father. He says thus: "Shall a woman forget her child's food, if she does not have mercy on the offspring of her womb?" And if the woman forgets these, I will not forget thee, saith the Lord (Isa. XLIX, 15), thus showing that God's mercy is higher than natural affection. Thus spoke the prophets; And Christ, speaking to the Jews, said: "If you, who are deceitful, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him" (Matt. VII, 11), expressing by these words nothing else than that as much as good differs from evil, so does God's care differ from that of parents. But do not stop there, but penetrate the mind even further. This is said in relation to your understanding; but with Him whose wisdom and goodness are boundless, His love for mankind is the same. If we do not notice His love for humanity in every event, then this is also a sign of His infinity. God daily arranges for our salvation many things that are known only to Him. He does good to our race according to His goodness, needing neither glorification from us nor any other retribution, and therefore leaves very much hidden from us; and if He sometimes does, He does this for us, so that we, imbued with a sense of gratitude, may be vouchsafed His even greater help. Let us thank Him not only for what we know, but also for what we do not know; for He does good to us, not only when we desire it, but also when we do not. Knowing this, Paul also inspired to give thanks always and for everything (Eph. V, 20). And that God cares not only for all in general, but also for each individual, this can be heard from Himself when He says thus: "There is no will before your Father in heaven, let one perish from these little ones" (Matt. XVIII, 14), meaning those who believe in Him. He desires that all those who do not believe in Him should be saved, having corrected themselves and believed in Him, as Paul also says: "Who desires to be saved by all men, and to come to the understanding of the truth" (1 Tim. II, 4); and He Himself said to the Jews, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. IX, 13); and again, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice (Matt. IX, 13; OS. VI, 6). Even when people, even with such care for them, do not want to correct themselves and know the truth, and then He does not abandon them; but since they voluntarily deprive themselves of heavenly life, He provides them with at least all that is necessary for the present life, commands the sun to shine on the evil and the good, sends rain on the just and the unjust, and gives everything else for the continuation of the present life (Matt. V, 45). But if He thus cares for His enemies, will He ever leave without care those who believe in Him and please Him according to their ability? No, no; for them He careth more than all others: and the heads of your heads, He says, are all things that are considered (Luke 1:11). XII, 7).

6. And so, when you think that you have left your father, home, friends, relatives, innumerable riches and great glory for Christ, and now you are suffering such sorrow, do not lose heart; from which perplexity is born, thereby our perplexity will be resolved. How? God cannot lie; and He promised everlasting life to those who would forsake all these things. Thou hast despised and forsaken everything: what then hinders thee from hoping for this promise? What is the temptation that has befallen you now? But what is it in relation to a promise? God did not promise us eternal life here; and even if this promise were to be fulfilled here, then there would be no need to grieve; for a pious person and a believer must rely so firmly on the promises of God, so that, seeing the events opposite to them, he will not be confused and not despair of their fulfillment. See what promise the faithful Abraham received, and what was he commanded to do? The promise was that his descendants from Isaac would fill the whole world; and the command required that he should sacrifice the same Isaac, whose descendants were to fill the whole earth. What then? Did this confuse the righteous man? No; and with such a disagreement and contradiction of the command with the promise, he was not troubled, did not doubt, and did not say anything like this: "God has promised one thing, and now he compels me to do another; from this son he promised me a great multitude of descendants, and now he commands me to slaughter him; How will it come to pass if this root is cut off? That's right, God deceived me and laughed at me." Abraham did not say anything of the sort, did not even think of it, and very rightly; for if God promises, then, even if there are thousands of obstacles to the fulfillment of the promise, one should not be confused and doubt about the fulfillment. The action of God's power in this is especially to find a way out of a hopeless situation; so also the blessed Abraham reasoned at that time. Wherefore Paul was amazed at his faith, and said, "By faith Abraham hath brought Isaac to temptation, and thou hast offered the only begotten, the promise which thou hast received" (Heb. XI, 17), pointing out and alluding to the very thing of which I have just spoken. And not only Abraham, but also his great-grandson Joseph, although he saw that the promise given to him remained unfulfilled for a long time and due to many circumstances, nevertheless remained unyielding, because he turned his eyes only to Him who promised; and if he had given himself up to human reasoning, he would have despaired of the fulfillment of the promise. The dream he saw foreshadowed the worship of his brothers and parents, and the events were not so, and in many ways did not correspond to this. In the first place, those who ought to bow down to him cast him into a pit, and, having sold him to foreigners, send him to a strange and distant land; These events seemed so contrary to the dream that the wretched ones themselves (his brothers) mocked him, and said, "Behold, this dreamer is coming: now come, let us kill him, and let us cast him into one from the pits, and we say, The beast will eat him, and we will see that his dreams will be" (Gen. 2:10). XXXVII, 19, 20). Then, those who bought Joseph again sell him, not to any free man, but to the king's slave. And this was not the end of his misfortunes, but, having been slandered by his mistress and being condemned, he lived for many years in prison, and although others came out of it, he remained there for a long time. In spite of so many circumstances that could have troubled his soul, he remained steadfast. Such is our position, or rather, it is even more difficult. God has promised us the kingdom of heaven, eternal life, immortality, and innumerable blessings, but what is happening and happening to us now – namely, death, corruption, punishment, torment and various and continuous sorrows – is far from corresponding to this. Why does God do this and allow such events that contradict the promises? In this way He accomplishes two great things: first, He presents us with an indubitable proof of His power, i.e., that He can bring about the fulfillment of a promise that seems to be the most improbable; secondly, it teaches our soul to believe in Him in everything, even if events seem to contradict the predictions. Such is the power of hope: it does not shame those who are sincerely devoted to it. But if those who received the promises of the blessings of this world did so, how much more should we do so, who hope for the fulfillment of good promises, not in the present life, but in the age to come. For this life, the Lord predicted sorrow and distress. What is it that troubles you? Why don't you trust God's promise? To despise the whole world for Him and then say that He does not care, can only be done by one who does not believe, doubts, and considers God's promise to be a deception; and this truly means to be possessed and to bring upon oneself the fire of hell. However, among people who are devoted to worldly affairs, are there those who live in peace? "Thus also Christ foretold: Amen, amen, I say unto you," He said, "that ye shall weep and weep, and the world shall rejoice" (John 2:10). XVI, 20). And among the previous generations, the Babylonians, even those who did not know God, enjoyed wealth, power, and honor, while the Jews lived in captivity, in slavery, and in extreme distress. And Lazarus, worthy of heaven and the kingdom of heaven, lay covered with wounds, which were licked by dogs, and constantly struggled with hunger; but the rich man lived in honor, surrounded by society, in luxury and pleasure; but all this did not help him in the least in hell, just as hunger and wounds did not prevent Lazarus from leading an honest real life; on the contrary, he, like a courageous fighter struggling in the most severe heat and heat, conquered and was crowned. For this reason a wise man said: "Child, if you begin to work for the Lord God, prepare your soul for temptation: direct your heart, and be patient, and do not be quick in the time of guidance" (Sirach. II, 1, 2). And a little later: "As gold is tempted in the fires, and men are pleasant in the furnace of humility" (v. 5). And in another place it is said: "Son, do not despise the chastisement of the Lord, you who are rebuked from it" (Prov. Sol. III, 11). Whoever throws gold into the furnace knows how long it must remain in the fire, and when it must be taken out; wherefore the wise man saith, Be not hasty in the time of guidance, and Solomon, teaching the same thing, said, Thou shalt be weakened by him, he that is rebuked. Sorrow is a great thing, a great thing for a person to become valiant and learn the virtue of patience. And what, someone will say, if by its excessiveness it shakes and overcomes (man)? God is faithful, Who will not leave you to be tempted more than you can, but will create with temptation also an abundance, that you may be able to bear it (1 Cor. X, 13). If punishment comes from love, and abandonment without punishment from hatred (Heb. XII, 7, 8), it is impossible that one and the same person both loves and hates the same person, punishes and at the same time leaves him unattended. Why, some will say, have so many fallen? Because they themselves fell away from God, and were not abandoned by Him. For behold, says the Scriptures, those who depart from thee shall perish (Psalm. LXXII, 27). And they distance themselves by not tolerating God's admonitions, but are angry and indignant at them. As if bad children, being sent by their fathers to their teachers, trying to avoid the labors and small punishments there, completely flee from their parents, they do not receive any benefit from this, but are exposed to much greater troubles, finding themselves in a foreign land and having to endure hunger, homelessness, sickness, dishonor, and slavery, so it is with those who do not endure with gratitude the inspiration of God, but they are indignant with Him: not only do they not receive any benefit from it, but they expose themselves to even greater calamities. For this reason we are commanded to endure and strengthen our hearts (Ps. XXVI, 14). But have you suffered much more grievously? – In the same way, educators of children do not assign equal and identical exercises to everyone, but weak ones, and give equally strong opponents to the strong; for whoever has an opponent weaker than himself will not have proper exercise, even if he struggles with him all day long. Why, some will say, has not God ordained all those who have devoted themselves to the same life to bear the same labors? Because God does not have one kind of exercise, and people do not all have need of the same things, even if they are in the same circumstances, just as many sick people suffering from the same diseases do not need the same medicines, but some need one another, and others another. Wherefore the modes of suffering are different and varied: one is tempted by prolonged illness, another by extreme poverty, another by insults and insults, and another by seeing the death of his children and relatives constantly and continually, this by universal contempt and abhorrence, and this by the accusation of what he does not know about himself, and by the burden of infamy brought upon him, and by another in another way, So it is impossible to list everything exactly. Each of these sufferings, in comparison with your misfortune, seems to you light and insignificant, but if you had experienced them yourself, you would have learned that your misfortune, of which you now lament, is much more bearable than them. However, if some are punished less than we are, we should not be tempted by this; for the increase of labor serves to increase the rewards, and is a firm bulwark against voluntary or involuntary attacks: it curbs pride, drives away carelessness, and makes us more prudent and pious. In general, if anyone wants to enumerate everything, he will find much benefit from temptations, and none of those for whom God cares much is without sorrow, although it does not seem so to us.

7. If Blessed Paul endured much, and there is no one greater than him or even his equal, then how is it possible that other people do not need this help? If some have not come to their senses with such sorrows, it is no longer through the fault of Him who sent the punishment, but through their own negligence. If medicine had not been applied to them, one might have thought that they had perished from inattention to them; And now not a little has been done in order not to blame the doctor for anything, but only to the patients themselves, and their inattention. Though some, who lived honestly before the temptations, fell after they were subjected to them; others, who gave themselves over to all kinds of vices, did not experience any sorrow; and others from the first age to the last breath endured innumerable misfortunes – but we should not be confused and fall into despair by anything of the kind. If we could and should know the actions of God's Providence and did not know them, then we should be discouraged and confused; but if he, too, who was a partaker of the ineffable mysteries and ascended to the third heaven, was troubled before this abyss, and, having penetrated into the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, was only amazed and immediately departed, why do we strive in vain to know the incomprehensible and to investigate the unsearchable (Rom. XI, 33)? We will not contradict the physician when he prescribes the opposite of what seems to us useful, orders, for example, that a cold penis be dipped in cold water, and does many other apparently strange things; but having convinced ourselves beforehand that he does this according to the rules of his art, we willingly obey him, although he often makes mistakes. Why then shall we examine (the actions of) God, Who is so superior to us in all things, Who is Wisdom itself, and never errs? To whom an account should be demanded, let us believe unquestioningly; and from Him Whom alone we must believe, shall we demand justification and an account of His actions, and be indignant that we do not know this? Is this characteristic of a pious soul? No, I beseech and beseech you, let us not come to such madness, but of all that we are perplexed, let us say: "Thy destiny is a great abyss" (Psalm. XXXV, 7). Even that which we do not know clearly is a matter of God's wisdom. If we obeyed God because we knew the causes of events, then our reward would not be great, and our obedience would not be an expression of faith; but when we, not knowing them, lovingly submit to all His commandments, out of true obedience and sincere faith, then we bring the greatest benefit to our souls. We must be convinced of only one thing, that God sends everything for our benefit, and that the method itself is not to investigate, and not to grumble, and not to lose heart, when we do not know it. To know it is both impossible and useless for us; the first because we are mortal; the second because we are soon carried away by pride. With our children, we do many things that seem harmful to them, but in fact are useful for them; However, they do not dare to ask the reason, and we do not first convince them of the benefit of what we intend to do with them, but only inspire them to obey the commands of their parents and not to ask anything more. If we treat our parents in this way, who are of the same nature as us, and do not murmur against them, then we will grumble about God, Who surpasses us as much as God is higher than people, how can we grumble because we do not know everything? What can compare with such impiety? Blessed Paul indignantly said to such people: "Wherefore, O man, thou art against the testimony of God; food says to him who created it: "Why hast thou created me" (Rom. IX, 20)? I pointed to the example of children, and Paul gave a much better example, of the potter and the clay he was making. As clay assumes whatever form is given to it by the hands of the one who works it, so a man should act in accordance with what God commands, and accept with gratitude what He sends, without in the least contradicting or trying to find out (the reason for this); for this is incomprehensible not only to us, but also to the holy and wondrous men who lived before us. Thus Job said, "Because the wicked live, but they promise riches," and so on (Job. XXI, 7). And the blessed David said: "My feet have not been shed in a little: for having been jealous of the wicked, the world of sinners is in vain: for there is no inclination in their death, and no strengthening in their wounds: there is no substance in the labors of men, and they shall not receive wounds from men" (Psalm. LXXII, 2-5). After him, Jeremiah also said, "Righteous art thou, O Lord: I will cry unto thee as the way of the wicked" (Jer. XII, 1). They also were perplexed and asked, but not as the wicked, not murmuring against God and not accusing Him of injustice for His works. On the contrary, one of them said, "Thy righteousness is as the mountain of God, thy judgment is a great abyss" (Psalm. XXXV, 7), and the other, who suffered much, in all these things that befell him, did not give madness to God (Job. I, 22); And in his book, discussing creation and explaining the incomprehensibility of the wisdom and economy of God, he said: "Behold, these are the parts of His ways: and we shall hear a drop of the word in Him" (Job. XXVI, 14). And Jeremiah, foreseeing that some may doubt, before his question expresses the following judgment: Thou art righteous, O Lord, i.e. I know that everything is done by Thee justly, but I do not comprehend the way in which it is done. Well, did they learn anything more? No, they did not even receive an answer, as Blessed David explains in the words: "And I do not understand: this labor is before me" (Psalm. LXXII, 16). They did not receive an answer so that their descendants would learn not to ask about it. They asked only one thing, why the wicked enjoy prosperity and wealth, but even this they did not know; and the present ones want to know much more of them, because many more questions are being asked today than they did then. Let clear knowledge be given to Him Who knows all things before it is accomplished.

8. If, on the basis of what we already know, we ourselves should present some solution to the questions posed, in order to reassure those who are very anxious to know about it, then I say that after the kingdom of heaven has been revealed to us and the reward promised in the future life, it is no longer seemly to inquire why (on earth) the righteous live in sorrows, and the wicked in tranquillity. If everyone there expects retribution according to his merits, why should he be indignant at the circumstances here, happy or unhappy? Through these calamities, God strengthens those who are obedient to Him as courageous fighters, and the weaker, negligent, and incapable of enduring anything hard, He preliminarily disposes them to be ready for good deeds. Often the opposite also happens, that many of the righteous live in tranquillity and honor, and the wicked in dishonor and extreme calamity; This, first of all, refutes for us the preceding proposition, that the righteous suffer tribulations, and the wicked are blessed. If it still needs to be explained, then I will say that God does not arrange our good in the same way, but, as inexhaustible in means, paves for us many paths to salvation. Since many do not want to accept the teachings about the future life and resurrection, He still here shows in a small form the image of the (future) judgment, when He punishes the evil and rewards the good. This will be fully accomplished at that judgment, but it is being done in part now and here, so that those who, in view of such remoteness of the judgment, have given themselves over to sin, may at least understand the events of the present time. If none of the wicked were punished at all, and none of the good received a reward, then many of those who do not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection would deviate from virtue as the cause of evil, and would cling to sin as the cause of good; On the other hand, if all were to be rewarded according to their merits, some would think that the doctrine of judgment was superfluous and false. Therefore, so that this teaching may not be questioned, and so that the majority of the ignorant people may not become worse through carelessness, God is here punishing many of the sinners and rewarding some of the righteous; by not doing this to all, He confirms the doctrine of judgment, but by punishing some even before the judgment, awakening those who are asleep in a deep sleep. In view of the punishment of the wicked, many are corrected, fearing that they too may suffer the same; and because not everyone here receives the reward according to their merits, many involuntarily come to the idea that it has been postponed to some other time. A righteous God, of course, would not have allowed so many of the wicked to die unpunished, and the good to suffer innumerable calamities, if He had not prepared for both of them a different condition in the age to come. Wherefore He does not punish and reward all, but only some, such as the king of Persia and Hezekiah, though there were many wicked like that Assyrian, and virtuous like Hezekiah, but God did not do to all as He did to them; The reason is, as I said, the time of judgment has not yet come. And that this teaching is not mine, listen to Him Himself, Who will then judge us. When they came to Him and told Him about the death of those crushed by the tower, and about the folly of Pilate, which he showed in relation to the dead, mixing their blood with sacrifices, then what does Christ say? Do you think that these Galileans are more sinful than all the Galileans, because they suffered in this way? but if ye do not repent, ye shall all perish. Or they are ten, on whom the pillar of Siloam falls, and slay them, do you think that they are the most due, more than all those who dwell in Jerusalem; no, I say to you, but if you do not repent, you will all perish (Luke XIII, 2-5). This is the reason for the slowdown. For this reason God does not suddenly punish all who are worthy of punishment, so that through the misfortunes of some all others may become better. So let the proposed question be resolved. But perhaps you also wish to solve the question which has been proposed above, and which is much more difficult than this? However, I think that when this is explained by us as far as possible, then the first question is also the beginning of the solution. What is it that perplexes you? The fact that many from the first age to death struggled with many misfortunes. To this, as well as to the former, I will say that God punishes them, first, for their own vices; and then that others may benefit from their misfortunes. If this does not happen to everyone, it is because now is not yet the time of judgment. Why, then, will you say, are some, before they reach the age when they can distinguish between good and evil, who are already punished as great criminals? There is not one reason for this, but many different ones. This can occur from the intemperance of parents, and from the negligence of educators, and from changes in the air, and from many other similar circumstances. Moreover, God knows about many of them that they will be vicious, and therefore He binds them in advance with punishments, as if with some kind of fetters. Do you not see that even among the poor, many of the poor, in the most deplorable situation, commit many crimes, not from grief or hunger, but solely from their depravity? Once I heard from some people that beggars, seizing a noble and beautiful woman, dishonored her in a deserted place. What need, what grief impelled them to such a deed? What crime would they not have committed, if misfortunes had not restrained them like chains? And who could endure the frenzy and unbridled imprisonment? Those possessed by a demon behave no better than they do. I am not talking about what they do during the fits of demonic possession, but about what happens after these attacks have ceased: they indulge in gluttony, and steal, and drink, and do much more abominable deeds. Therefore, just as the judge leaves many criminals to live in prison for a long time, and often they end their lives there, when he wants to warn the people, he takes one or two of them, sits down on an elevated place, and orders the criminal to be led to death in front of all those who are coming, not considering it necessary to do the same with all criminals in order to intimidate the rest; so also for God, when He deigns to admonish us, all the wicked are not needed, but He takes some of them, of whom He knows that they are incorrigible, and over them He manifests His power and wrath, and through this He does many useful things. By this he disposes the wicked to abandon their wickedness, if they will, and makes the good more attentive, and shows his long-suffering, and confirms to all, as I said above, the doctrine of the resurrection. But what is the use of this, you will say, to those who spent their entire first age in misery, and died before they had time to distinguish between good and evil? But tell me, what harm do they endure, when they are not yet aware of their misfortune, and know neither to grieve nor to rejoice? And not only by this I resolve the proposed question, but also by the fact that parents, brothers, and relatives are also brought to their senses by such misfortunes; and it is no small gain if, of that from which one suffers no harm, the other receives the greatest benefit. However, there may be some other secret reason for this, known only to our Creator.

9. One more question remains: Why did those who lived righteously before the temptations fall after the temptations? But who truly knows those who live righteously, except Him who created our hearts in private, and Who understands all our works (Psalm. XXXII, 15)? Many of those who appear to be virtuous often turn out to be the most vicious of all. This was also manifested in real life, but only in relation to some, on some occasion and out of some necessity. But when he who searches our hearts and bowels, who is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, who passes even to the division of soul and body, members and marrow, and who judges by thought and thought sits down to judge us (Heb. IV, 12), then you will see not only a few of the many, but all openly as they really are, and neither the wolf will be hidden by the sheep's skin, nor the coloring of the tomb by his inner uncleanness; for there is no creation manifested before Him, but all naked, and is declared before His eyes (Heb. IV, 13). This also Paul, explaining to the Corinthians, said: "In the same way before the time judge nothing, until the Lord comes, Who in the light will bring secret darkness, and will declare the counsels of the heart" (1 Cor. IV, 5). However, leaving the hypocrites, let us say about those who live righteously: how do we know that, having many virtues, they did not neglect the main of them – humility? For this reason God departed from them, so that they would know that they did good deeds not by their own power, but by the grace of God. But if anyone says that it is better to be proud of doing good than to humble oneself by sinning, he does not understand at all the harm of pride, nor the benefit of humility. Of course, you know well that a person who does good with pride, if only it is possible to do good in this way, will soon come to extreme destruction. Whoever has allowed himself to fall and has learned humility by falling, will soon, if he will, rise up and reform; but whoever does apparent good with pride and does not tolerate anything unpleasant, will never feel his sinfulness, but will increase the evil, and unnoticed by himself will depart from here without good works, like the Pharisee who entered the temple, thinking of himself that he was rich in every virtue, and went out when he learned that he was poorer even than the publican (Luke 1:11). XVIII, 10). There is another kind of evil that has great power to abolish good, gathered with great effort and labor, and that is the wind of vanity. It is indeed, like a rushing wind, blowing away all the treasures of virtue. Behold, the second reason for the fall of those who live righteously has been revealed to us, as thou hast said. Many, who seem to us to have endured and are enduring great labors for virtue, because they have done everything for the sake of honor with men, and not with God, are allowed to fall into temptation, so that, having lost human glory, for which they have endured all deprivations, and having learned that it is in essence no better than the flower of grass, they will finally cleave to God alone and do everything for Him. In addition, there are many other reasons for this, but, as I have said, they are hidden from us, but are known to our Creator – God. Let us not murmur against Him for what is happening to us, but let us give thanks: this is effective for grateful servants. You wonder that the unclean (spirit) attacked you, not in former times, when you were luxurious and surrounded yourself with worldly splendour, but now that you have given up all these things and given yourself entirely to God; but it is as if you were wondering why no one disturbs the spectators, but the one who has signed up for wrestling, prepared and went to the place of wrestling, is attacked by the opponent of all, strikes him in the head and hits him in the face. It is not surprising or deplorable that the demon should grieve, oppress, and trouble those who have decided to fight—for such is the law of struggle—but if it overcomes, and overthrows, and deprives of reward—this is terrible! And as long as he is not able to do this, he will not only do us no harm, but will also bring us the greatest benefit, giving us more honor by a strong struggle with us. In the same way, among warriors, the best is the one who can show the most wounds and who has engaged in single combat with the strongest of opponents; and of the wrestlers we are especially amazed at those who enter into battle with the invincible (as the bravest of opponents are called); and of the hunters, he is considered the strongest who goes out against the wildest animals. Is your demon shameless and fearless? But therefore I never cease to be amazed and amazed at you, that you, having received such an adversary, did not fall, did not betray yourself, but remained unyielding and did not yield to him in anything.

10. And what I now tell you without flattery, that indeed you have received the greatest benefit from your sorrow, let me speak plainly; for otherwise I cannot prove it to you. You know and remember your former life, that is, the life before temptation; examine it attentively and compare it with the present life after the temptation, and you will see what benefit has come to you from this calamity. Now you have great zeal for fasting, and for night vigils, and for reading, and for the exercise of prayer; likewise, patience and humility have reached the highest degree in you; and before that you did not think at all about books, and used all your care and labor in caring for garden trees. Many, as I have heard, have even reproached you with pride, and explained it by the nobility of your family, the glory of your father, and your upbringing in great wealth. How lazy you were in the night vigils, you know this very well. Often, when others got up hastily in the dead of night, you remained in a deep sleep and angry with those who woke you up. And now, since you entered into this struggle and struggle, all this has ceased and changed for the better. If you ask me why God did not allow the demon to attack you when you lived in luxury and were attached to worldly affairs, then I will answer that this also was the work of His providence; He knew that then the enemy would soon destroy you, finding you easily defeated. For this reason God did not call you to this struggle as soon as you entered the monastic life, but left you to exercise for a long time, and then, when you were strengthened, He led you to this difficult field. You also mention those who live in the world, and point to your servant; for I think you mean it when you say that many of the worldly people, having been subjected to the same disease, received a complete healing very soon. But, most dear, your servant and others, who were subjected to the same calamity as him, did not experience this for the same purpose as you do now: God allowed this beast to be used against him and others, in order only to frighten them and make them better through fear, but against you in order that you might fight courageously, conquer gloriously, and receive a crown for patience. And victory does not consist in the fact that the warrior avoids fighting the enemy even during the spectacle, but when he remains ready to fight at all times; then the adversary will not be able to bring him to any worthless thoughts even by despondency. And that this is really so, I plainly conclude from the following. Everyone knows, though you humble yourself, how much better your life is than that of your servant. For this reason God also cares for you more than for him. If this is clear, then it is also evident that if God's allowance had been the work of His wrath, He would not have subjected to it for so long the one whom He loves most, while He soon delivered from the demon another, who is much worse than you. This I can attest, not only by what has been said, but also, from what you conclude from which you conclude that God has forsaken you, I will try to prove that He cares especially for you. If you had not shown great diligence and had not made long journeys to converse with holy men and those who have the power to loose these bonds, then some of the ordinary people might have been perplexed, since the reason why God would have allowed (you to suffer) for so long would not have been very clear. But since you visited the places of the martyrs, where many were healed, even of those who (in demonic possession) bit people, you lived for a long time with wondrous, valiant men who always succeeded (to heal the sick), and did not omit anything at all; what could have freed you from suffering, and yet you returned again with the same enemy; then you have brought a clear and intelligible proof even for very inattentive people of God's providence for you. God, of course, would not have deprived you of His grace, and would not have allowed His servants to be put to shame, if He had not seen from this great glory and greater benefit for you. Thus, what seems to be a sign of God's abandonment of you is a sign of His great love and goodwill towards you.

SECOND WORD.

In the preceding (sermon) we have spoken of God's Providence and that God tests you in a certain way, not out of disgust or hatred, but out of special love. But since, according to your words, you lament very much for another reason, namely, because the demon often suggests to you the idea of destroying yourself in the sea or the abyss, or of ending your present life in some other way, I want to talk a little about these thoughts as well. Such suggestion comes not only from him alone, but also from your despondency, and even more from the latter than from the former, and perhaps from despondency alone. This is evident from the fact that many of those who are not possessed by a demon plot the same thing only out of sorrow. Reject it and expel it from the soul, then the demon will not have the strength not only to persuade to such a deed, but also to proceed to suggestion. Just as thieves at nightfall, having extinguished the fire, can very easily steal property and kill its owners, so now the demon, having brought despondency instead of night and darkness, tries to steal away all the guarding thoughts, in order to attack the soul deprived of them and helpless, inflicting innumerable wounds on it. When, having dispelled this darkness with hope in God and turning to the sun of righteousness, someone hastens to receive its rays into his soul, then the confusion from these thoughts will pass on to the thief himself; for even these criminals, when someone catches them and brings in fire, tremble, are timid, and are troubled. How, you will say, can one be freed from this sorrow without first freeing oneself from the demon who causes it? It is not the demon that causes despondency, but it makes the demon strong and inspires evil thoughts. Blessed Paul can testify to this; and he feared, not some demon, but excessive sorrow, when he wrote to the Corinthians, asking them to forgive the sinner at last his sin: "Not with much sorrow," he says, "shall such a man be sacrificed" (2 Cor. II, 7). But suppose, if you want a demon to attack you, and despondency is expelled from your soul, what harm will it do? What evil, great or small, can the demon inflict on us by itself? Despondency can do much evil even without it, and most of those who put a noose on themselves, or stabbed themselves with the sword, or drowned themselves in the rivers, or destroyed themselves in some other way, were drawn to such a violent death by despondency; but if among these people there are some of those possessed by the demon, then their destruction must not be attributed to the demon, but to the influence and power of despondency. How is it possible, you will say, not to lose heart? It is possible if, rejecting the opinions of the crowd on this subject, you will think about things above. Now your situation seems terrible to you, because the crowd thinks it so; but if you wish to examine it accurately in itself, and to discard an empty and erroneous prejudice, you will find that it presents no cause for despondency, as we have repeatedly proved. As for your peers (whose good-humor and boldness you see before the brethren, and because of this, I think, you are confused and discouraged), I say that if, while they spend their lives in abstinence, modesty, and the other virtues of a wise life, you spend all your time in obscene houses, in games and feasts, your despondency would have a cause; but if you follow the same path with them, then why should you be sad? If I were to speak to anyone else, one of those who are easily carried away by pride, I would keep silent about what I now intend to say to you. But since I am quite sure that you will never cease to be modest, but will always consider yourself among the latter, even if you are immensely praised and extolled, I will say everything without the least pretending. You, I hear, have succeeded so well in your pious life that you are no longer inferior not only to those young men, but also to great and wondrous men. And from these, they say, you do not lag behind in anything, neither in fasting (and is it possible otherwise, when you eat only water and bread, and then every other day?), nor in the duration of the nightly vigils, but like them you spend many nights without sleep in a row. And in the passage of the day, they say, you have already surpassed many of them; from those who come from there I hear stories that you spend all your time praying and crying; And just as those who struggle in silence, or who have shut themselves up in solitude in a cell, do not talk to anyone about anything, so do you, they say, living in the midst of such a multitude of people. Of thy heartfelt contrition, of sorrow and lamentation, they speak even with amazement, and with these stories of thy exploits here have brought many to contrition. He does not look, they say, at anyone who comes there, and does not give himself rest from constant labor, we have often feared that he would blind his eyes with tears, that he would damage the brain by excessive vigilance and unceasing and uninterrupted exercise in reading.

2. And so, you are saddened and troubled by the fact that you have already outstripped your peers, and having a strong and bold opponent, you have left far behind you those who struggle with you! Have I not truly said that your despondency is only the result of prejudice, and on careful examination can give us many inducements even to complacency? Tell me, what is the use of not being possessed, if in doing so life is left in neglect? And what harm is there from demonic possession, if at the same time the way of life is strict and well-ordered? But perhaps you are ashamed and blush when the demon overthrows you in someone's presence? This is because you judge a matter according to the opinion of the crowd, and not according to prudence. The fall does not consist in what you say happens to you, but in falling into sin; with such a fall, one should be ashamed and complain. And now we are ashamed of that which has nothing shameful in it; on the contrary, when we do what is really shameful and worthy of ridicule and heavy punishment, we think that nothing bad has happened to us, if the soul falls every day under the weight of sins, then no one weeps; and if something like this happens to the body, it seems difficult and unbearable. Is this not what possession consists of, when the soul is in such a state and so erroneously judges things? If your fits were due to drunkenness, you should be ashamed and discouraged; then the guilt would be arbitrary, but if they arise from the violence of another, then it is not the one who endures that should be ashamed, but the one who does the offense and violence. So in the square, if during a quarrel one pushes the other and throws him to the ground, we all blame the one who pushed him, and not the one who fell. It is good to be ashamed, but only when we do something that brings upon us the punishment of Him who will one day judge us; And while we do not know anything about ourselves, why should we be ashamed? If a man, attacking you alone, were to strike you or throw you to the ground without any cause or fault on your part, and you were to bear everything with meekness and depart, then your deed would not be shameful, but wise and very praiseworthy. If, then, it is commendable to endure the injury done by men, why should he be ashamed, as if it were a reprehensible deed, who complacently endures the fury of the worst demon who does the same thing? What can be more incongruous than such a contradiction? If you, rising from your fit, were to do or say anything unseemly, then I would not hinder you from lamenting and lamenting one thing; And if you endure everything with thanksgiving and immediately turn to prayers, then what is there to be ashamed of? Perhaps you are upset by the reproaches of others? But what can be more reprehensible than people who do not know even that which deserves reproach? These people are truly insane and possessed – they who do not know how to look at things as they are in essence, and who scold what is worthy of praise, and consider what is reprehensible praiseworthy. Madmen say a lot of bad things to those around them, but those who listen to them do not think of being offended. In the same way, when you listen to these fools, do not consider what happens to you to be a disgrace and harm, lest you really become worthy of condemnation by angering God. If you consider shameful what God sends for admonition and benefit, then see to what this evil leads.

3. If you want to see people who are really worthy of shame and condemnation, then I will try to point out to you some of them. Look at those who are seduced by feminine beauty, at those who are addicted to money, at those who love power and glory and are ready to do and endure everything for this, at those who are exhausted by envy, at those who plot against those who have not offended them in any way, at those who give themselves over to despondency without any reason, at people who are constantly carried away by the vanities of life; These and similar deeds are insane and worthy of punishment, deserving of condemnation, shame, and ridicule. And whoever, being attacked by a demon, nevertheless shows great wisdom in his life, deserves that everyone not only does not condemn him, but also marvels at him and adorns him with crowns, because with such bonds he makes such a difficult journey and ascends the steep and narrow path of virtue. However, I have almost forgotten something in which you have an advantage over the brethren – namely, that you can easily, if you have sinned in something, atone for these sins by the present misfortune. This is known to us from what I said above, when I spoke about Lazarus and the fornicator of Corinth. But I fear for my father, you say; I can bear my sorrows calmly, but will it be easy for us to endure his confusion and indignation if he ever learns any of this? However, he has not yet learned; and to be discouraged and tormented by what will happen sometime after, or perhaps never to happen, is very cowardly. And how do we know what he will know? However, let it be known to us; suppose, if you wish, that he will learn and do much evil; I praise thee for grieving over his sorrows, but I do not approve of the fact that thou dost do this to thy detriment; those who think about things above, and not about earthly things, must overcome not only anger and lust and other passions, but also despondency; for it can do us more harm than these passions, and it must be courageously fought by those who do not want to perish completely. If you yourself were to be the author of your father's sorrows, then you should really fear and tremble, as the author of such a calamity; but if he wants to subject himself to extreme grief, you have nothing to do with them; It remains only to sympathize with the father. Moreover, we do not know how he will receive this news; often many things happened contrary to expectations; Although this is not so common and rare, in this case it is both natural and very possible. Where do you see what? Your father cares much for his illegitimate children, and such love for them may overshadow his sorrow for you; Do not torment yourself with vain worries. If it is necessary to complain about the father, then about his insane extravagance, feasting, pride, cruelty, and the present life of fornication. Is it really a small evil, in your opinion, to have an affair with another woman during the lifetime of your wife, your mother, and to bear children from lawless cohabitation? This obvious deed, leading to a bad end, is worthy of lamentation and tears; and what happens because of you, perhaps it will be bad, and perhaps it will not be bad; to endure certain torment in view of an unknown future is very reckless. Let us even suppose that the news of you will be received (by your father) with great indignation; but it will end very soon and will be extinguished before it burns well; for a man who is so devoted to pleasures, who is so preoccupied with many things, who feeds freeloaders and flatterers, and who is aflame with such passion for a woman by whom he has half-relatives to you, if he pays attention to you, it is not long or insignificant. I conclude this not only from what I have said, but also from what has happened before; I know, I know well, that your father formerly loved you dearly, and considered your head more precious than anything else; but when you entered the monastic life, he extinguished all this love, recognized your act as shameful and unworthy of the nobility of your ancestors, and said that you had disgraced his honor; if the force of nature had not restrained him, he might even have renounced you. In this way, if these words do not prove to be very rash, I think that he is even glad of what has happened to you, considering you to have suffered punishment because you have resolutely refused to accept his advice, although he has often admonished you and wanted to distract you from this strict life.

4. This is what I can say about your father and your fear for him: and this, I think, is enough to dispel all your fear about it. But you said that the main trouble was that you could not hope for the future, and did not know whether there would be an end to your suffering, or whether he who entered into this struggle with you would want to fight with you to the death. Concerning this I can say nothing certain, nor can I vouch for the future; but I know it well, and I wish you also to be convinced that whatever happens will be for our benefit; and if you have such a conviction, you will soon drive away from you what you call the height of your misfortunes. In addition, it must be borne in mind that the time of rewards and crowns is the future age – the time of struggle and feats. Blessed Paul wished to explain this to us, saying: "Thus I flow, not as if it were unknown; so I struggle, not as the air beats; but I mortify my body and enslave it, so that I may not preach in any other way, I myself will not be included (1 Cor. IX, 26, 27). When he was approaching his end, then he pronounced the following blessed saying: "Fight the good fight, the course is dead, I have kept the faith, and the rest I have kept the crown of righteousness" (2 Tim. IV, 7), explaining that our whole life must be spent in struggle and labor, if we are to enjoy eternal rest and innumerable blessings. But if any of the careless wishes to enjoy both the pleasures of this world and the rewards prepared for the laborers, he deceives and deceives himself. Just as among wrestlers he who seeks peace during the struggle finds shame and disgrace for himself forever, and he who bravely endures all difficulties at the place of struggle, receives crowns, glory and praise from the spectators both during the struggle and after it, so it is with us. Whoever makes the time of labor a time of rest, will groan, gnash his teeth, and endure extreme torment when it is necessary to calm down with eternal rest; and whoever here endures sorrows with good humor, both here and there will shine and enjoy immortal and true glory. If, in the affairs of life, a man who does something inopportunely does not attain what he had in mind, and exposes himself to innumerable calamities, how much more will he experience this who does not know the appointed times in spiritual matters. Christ said, "In the world ye shall be in sorrow" (John 2:10). XVI, 33). Blessed Paul said: "And all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted" (2 Tim. III, 12), meaning not only persecution from people, but also the intrigues of demons. Job said, "Temptation is a man's life on earth" (Job. VII, 1). Why do you lament, enduring sorrows during sorrows? It would be necessary to lament if we were to make the time which Christ would call the time of sorrow, a time of pleasure and rest; if, at the time when we are commanded to strive and work, we gave ourselves over to idleness; if we had walked the broad way, when He commanded us to walk the strait. For this, we would inevitably have to suffer punishment in that age. But what would you say, you say, about those who walk here also on the broad path and will rest there? Who are these people? I believe only the word of Christ, who says that narrow and strait is the way, bring it into the life (Matt. VII, 14). And that one can never follow a narrow path as a broad one, this, of course, is clear to everyone. If in worldly warfare no one received a crown without labor, having as his opponents the same people, then how can we, against whom the evil forces fight, overcome their fury without sorrow and embarrassment?

5. However, why should we prove this by reasoning, when we can have recourse to the blessed and valiant ascetics who lived in former times? Remember all those who were glorified in those times, and you will see that through sorrows they all attained boldness before God. First of all, if you wish, let us turn to the son of the first-created, the lamb of Christ, Abel, who did no evil, and yet suffered what the most grievous sinners are subjected to. We endure temptations as a punishment for our sins; and this righteous man suffered not for anything else, but for being righteous. As long as he was not distinguished by anything great, his brother was benevolent to him, but when he became famous for his sacrifice, Cain, blinded by envy, did not look at nature. Why do you know whether it is not this reason that has now stirred up the devil against you, and whether it is not the glory of your life that has provoked him to this struggle? If you laugh at these words of mine, I praise you for your humility, but I will not cease to think so. If Abel, having brought fat, pleased God, how much more could he dedicate to God not something outward, but all of himself, and could arm the enemy against him. But God has allowed him to attack you, just as then He did not prevent the murder from being committed, but allowed the righteous to fall into the hands of the murderer, and did not deliver him who suffered death for His sake and His glory; He did not want to reduce Abel's crowns, so he allowed him to go to the end. But, you say, what punishment is death? Oh, if only I could suffer such a punishment now! This, beloved, you say now, but before death seemed more painful and painful than any punishment. Therefore, according to the Law of Moses, those who committed the greatest and unforgivable sin were subjected to this punishment. And according to the laws of external (pagan) legislators, even now all those convicted of the most heinous crimes are punished in no other way; Meanwhile, this righteous man suffered the same as the wrongdoers, or even much more severely, since he received a blow at the hands of his brother. And what about Noah? And he was righteous and perfect, and in the midst of the general corruption he pleased God alone, while all the others offended him. And yet he endured countless sorrows and grievous ones. He did not die as soon as Abel, nor did he suffer what seems easy to you, but he endured a long life, and for many years he lived no better than those who bear burdens and are constantly worn out by the heaviest burdens. I will now fully explain this to you, having previously told you the following. For a whole year Noah lived as if in prison, in a prison unusual and terrible. I will not speak of the multitude of beasts and reptiles with whom he lived so long, imprisoned in such darkness; What do you think he endured from the peals of thunder, from the noise of the rains? The lower abyss was opened, the upper one was overthrown; And inside the ark he sat alone with his sons. Although he could have been sure that the flood would end, the extreme nature of the event made him petrified with fear in advance. If we, having houses firmly built on the earth, and living in cities, lose heart and are troubled when we see that the rain is pouring a little more than usual, what did he not endure, being alone inside the ark and seeing the most terrible abyss and the various generations of those who died in it? The soul can be terrified when one city or even one house is destroyed by the waves during a flood; and when the whole universe suffered this, it is impossible to say in what condition the one who rushed about in the midst of such a flood was. And for a whole year he was in such fear. When the flood ceased, although his fear decreased, his sorrow increased. As soon as he came out of the ark, he met another storm, no less than the first, seeing a great desert, a violent death, the bodies of the dead mingled with mud and mud, and all together, men, donkeys, and inferior animals, buried in the same miserable grave. Although those who perished in the flood were great sinners, yet Noah was a man and had compassion for those who had the same nature as him. In the same way, Ezekiel, although he was righteous and knew that the Israelites were the most wicked of all, yet when he saw them struck down and falling, he also had compassion and wept; whereas, God had revealed to him beforehand all their wickedness, and had enabled him to see it with his own eyes, so that when he saw them punished, he might bravely endure this misfortune; and yet, after such relief, he complained, and when he fell, he cried thus: O Lord, that thou mayest consume the remains of Israel (Ezek. IX, 8)? And this happened to him not only once, but also another time, when he saw the death of Jeconiah. In the same way, Noah, although he knew about the innumerable crimes of his contemporaries, was not more courageous than either Ezekiel or Moses. And Moses suffered many times in the same way as the prophet, and seeing that those who sinned had to suffer punishment, he lamented and grieved more than those who were punished themselves. But under Noah the calamity was more terrible; for such a death as happened under him was the only one. Then, when Noah was afflicted with such great calamities; – loneliness, compassion for his fellow countrymen, the multitude of those who died, the manner of their death, the desolation of the land, and when his sorrow greatly increased and grew on all sides, then another insult was inflicted on him from his son – an unbearable, very shameful and very sorrowful insult. As many times as insults from friends are heavier than insults from enemies, so many times insults from children are more intolerable than insults from friends. Thus, when the father sees that the one whom he has begotten, whom he has raised, whom he has educated, for whom he has endured many sorrows, labors and cares, treats him more offensively than anyone else, when he experiences this, he is not able to endure the great sorrow of the soul. Offense for a free person is intolerable in itself; but when it is inflicted by one's own children, it can even drive the offended person to a frenzy; it is so heavy! Moreover, keep in mind not only this insult, but also conclude from it how the offender treated Noah in all previous times. If Ham, while still having a terrible event before him, had just been freed from such a prison, and still seeing the calamities of the universe, did not understand it, but insulted him whom it was least necessary to insult; if he was not corrected by the death of so many people, or by the desolation of the earth, or by the wrath of God, or by any other of the events of that time, then what was he like before the flood, when there were many that led him to vices? Yes, then, because of this (the son) and the rest of the people, the righteous man endured a more severe storm than that which was at the time of the flood itself. At the time of the flood he was surrounded only by a great deal of water; and before the flood he was enveloped on all sides by an abyss of vices, and the intrigues of evil people troubled him more than the waves. Being left alone in the midst of such a multitude of lawless and wicked people, although he suffered no harm from them, he endured much ridicule and mockery, if not before, then when he spoke to them about the ark and future disasters. And how such ridicule can disturb the soul, we can testify to this one who was sanctified from his mother's womb and wanted to even renounce prophecy because of this; and he said, saith (Jeremiah), I will not cry unto him (Jer. XX, 9). In addition, how much grief, how much sorrow Noah was caused by the fact that there was no one who was the same with him either in soul or in life! Not only that: he endured many sorrows from condolences for his contemporaries. Do the righteous grieve only when they see sinners dying, and when they see them sinning, do they not grieve? No, in the latter case they are much more distressed than in the former. And this can be well learned from the prophets. One of them bitterly cried out: "Oh, be cruel to me, my soul, for the pious have perished from the earth, and there is no one who corrects among men" (Mic. VII, 2). And the other said to God: "Thou hast shown me the labors and illnesses of watching" (Avvak. I, H)? And grieving greatly for the oppressed, he wept thus: "Thou hast made men as servants of the sea, having no elders" (14). But if this was the case when there were laws, and rulers, and tribunals, and priests, and prophets, and punishments, then imagine to what extent all vices extended under Noah, when nothing of the kind restrained people. Moreover, with vices, human life did not last long, seventy or eighty years; and then it extended to six hundred years or more. In addition to all that has been said, how much labor must he have to endure, having traveled such a long way, and trying in such a long time not to be in the least deflected by the many obstacles encountered? What do I say: of many, when the whole way was like this, all from one end of the earth to the other was full of rocks and thorns, wild beasts and stench, pestilence and cold, and evildoers? Truly, it is more convenient to walk in the deepest night along a narrow path than along the path of virtue in those days: how many people were trying to seduce Noah from his path! When everyone can do whatever they want, and only one follows the opposite path, how can he reach the end if everyone oppresses and drags him back? And how difficult it is to lead a virtuous life among a multitude of people, this is proved by those who have settled in the deserts, at the present time, when, by the grace of God, everywhere one can see a good life, unanimity, and no small love for one another. At that time there was none of this, but everyone treated Noah more ferociously than even wild beasts.