3. "Though we," he says, "proclaim many great things, yet we appropriate nothing to ourselves, on the contrary, we attribute everything to Christ. We do not want to imitate the false apostles, who appropriate much for themselves. That would be to act like a merchant when he counterfeits wine, or sells for money what ought to be given free." In fact, it seems to me that (the Apostle) here also ridicules the covetousness (of the false apostles), and again alludes to what I have said before, that is, that they preach the divine with an admixture of their own. Denouncing the same vice, Isaiah also said: "Thy innkeepers mix wine with water" (1:22). Though this is said of guilt, there will be no error if one applies it to doctrine as well. "Not so," he says, "do we; but what is entrusted to us, we offer to others, and we teach pure doctrine – without any admixture – wherefore he added: "But we preach sincerely, as from God, before God, in Christ" (but as from purity, but as from God, before God, in Christ). "We," he says, "do not preach in order to deceive you, as if we were giving you something of our own, or by introducing and mixing something from ourselves, but "as from God," i.e., "we do not say that we give you anything of ourselves, but we affirm that God has given you everything." The expression "as from God" precisely means not to boast of anything as one's own, but to attribute everything to God. "In Christ we preach" (In Christ we say), i.e., "we all speak, not from our wisdom, but enlightened by the power of Christ." On the contrary, those who love to boast do not preach in this way, but as if bringing something of their own. Wherefore in another place (the Apostle), rebuking such preachers, says: "What hast thou that thou hast not received? And if you have received it, that you boast as if you did not receive it?" (What have you received, whom you have received? (1 Corinthians 4:7).

The highest virtue is to attribute everything to God and to consider nothing as our own, to do nothing to gain human glory, but everything to please God, because He (and not anyone else) will demand an account from us. In our time, this order is perverted. Now we are not so much afraid of Him who will one day sit down at the judgment seat and demand an account of our deeds from us, as we fear those who will stand with us at the judgment. Where did we get this disease? Where did it get into our hearts? From a rare thought about the future and extreme attachment to the present. That is why we so easily fall into evil deeds; and even if we do something good, we do it only for show, so that from this also comes harm to us. More than once you have looked with shameless eyes at a woman, and you have concealed it both from the one you looked at and from your companions; but you will not hide it from the Eye, which never sleeps. Even before a person commits a sin, He already saw in his soul criminal lust, and inner frenzy, and a violent and unbridled movement of thoughts. The one who sees everything has no need of witnesses and proofs. Therefore, do not look at slaves like you. Even if a man praises your works, it is of no use to you, unless God accepts them; in the same way, even if a man blasphemes them, there is no harm in it for you, as soon as God does not blaspheme. On the contrary, highly appreciating the opinion of your fellow servants, and not fearing and trembling at the indignation of the Judge, see to it that you do not anger the Judge. And so, let us despise human praise. How long shall we humble ourselves and crawl upon the earth? How long shall we rush to earth, when God draws us to heaven? Joseph's brothers would not have plotted to kill their brother in the wilderness, if, as they ought, they had the fear of God before their eyes (Gen. 37). In the same way, Cain, if he had feared the judgment of God, as he ought to have feared, would not have said to Abel: "Go, and let us go into the field" (Gen. 4:8). For why hast thou, wretched and wretched, separated thy brother from his father, and led him away into the wilderness? Does not God see even on the field of your audacious crime? How did you not learn from what happened to your father that God sees everything and is present in all our actions? But why, when (Cain) did not confess his crime, God did not say to him: "Do you hide from Me, Who is omnipresent and knows even secret thoughts?" What did God say to him? "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me" (Gen. 4:10). These words do not mean that the blood has a voice, but are spoken in the same sense as we speak of obvious and obvious cases: the deed itself speaks. Thus, we must always have the judgment of God before our eyes – and all evil will be extinguished. In the same way, during prayers, we can maintain sober attention if we remember with whom we are conversing, if we imagine that we are offering a sacrifice, that we have a knife in our hands, and that we have fire and wood; if, having mentally opened the doors of heaven, we stop there, and taking a spiritual knife, we plunge it into the sacrificial animal, and devour His sober attention, and shed tears before Him. Such is the blood of this sacrifice; Such a sacrifice should be used to smear this altar! See to it that you do not allow a single thought to occupy your soul at this time.

4. Remember that Abraham did not allow a wife, a slave, or anyone else to be present during his sacrifice. In the same way, do not keep to yourself any passion that is proper to slaves and not to free people, but go up alone to the mountain on which he has ascended, and on which no one else is allowed to ascend. And if any of the unworthy thoughts increase in order to ascend the mountain with thee, forbid them to do so, as their lord, and say: "Stay here with the donkey, and I and my son will go thither and worship, and we will return to you" (Gen. 22:5). Leave all that is dumb and foolish, both the ass and the slaves, at the foot of the mountain; go up, taking with you only that which is reasonable, as he did Isaac. And you, like him, build an altar, renouncing all human things and becoming above your own nature, for he, too, if he had not become above his own nature, would not have dared to sacrifice his son. Finally, let nothing disturb you at this time, but be above the very heavens. Weep bitterly, offer a sacrifice of confession (of sins), for it is said: "Speak thou that thou mayest be justified" (Isaiah 43:26). Sacrifice the contrition of the heart. Such sacrifices do not turn to ashes, do not disappear with smoke; They need neither wood nor fire, only a broken heart. It is firewood, it is a fire that engulfs wood in flame, and does not burn it. Whoever prays with fervent fervor burns and does not burn – like gold tested by fire, it only becomes purer and brighter.

At the same time, take care not to say anything in prayer that can anger your Lord: do not approach Him with a prayer for the destruction of your enemies.

If, praying to God, you say: "Smite the enemy," then you are blocking your mouth and binding your tongue, firstly, because at the very beginning of the prayer you immediately provoke the Judge into anger, and secondly, because you are asking for something completely different from what you are apparently praying for. In fact, if you pray for the remission of sins, then why do you ask for punishment? Quite the opposite should be done by you – pray for your enemies themselves, so that you may boldly pray for yourself. And now, demanding the execution of sinners, by condemning them you arrogate to yourself the place of the Judge, which makes you unworthy of any mercy. When you pray for your enemies, then, even if you say nothing in prayer about your sins, you have fulfilled everything. Remember how many victims are specified in the law. The sacrifice of praise, the sacrifice of confession, the sacrifice of salvation, the sacrifice of purification, and others are innumerable; not one is against enemies, but each for its own sins or even for virtues. Do you approach another God with prayer? You are approaching the same God Who said: "Pray for your enemies" (Matt. 5:44). How then do you cry out against them? How dare you ask God to break His own law? This guise is unbecoming of a praying slave.

Everyone should pray not for the destruction of another, but for his own salvation. Why then do you assume the appearance of a praying servant, and speak as an accuser? Moreover, when we pray for ourselves, we scratch ourselves, yawn, and amuse ourselves with innumerable thoughts; and for the destruction of our enemies we pray with all attention. Since the devil knows that at this time we are raising the sword against ourselves, he does not entertain us in the least and does not stop us, in order to do us more harm. But I was offended and upset, you say? So pray for the destruction of the devil, who incomparably offends us more than anyone else. For this you are commanded to pray thus: "Deliver us from evil" (Matt. 6:13). Truly, he is our only irreconcilable enemy, and man, no matter what he does, is always our friend and brother. Thus, we must all turn our wrath on the devil, we must pray to God for his destruction, and say: "Crush Satan under our feet," because he also makes people enemies of us. But if you pray for the destruction of your enemies, then you will pray for what your implacable enemy wants, while prayer for your enemies is a prayer against himself. Why, then, do you, forsaking your true enemy, tear your own limbs, and thus become more ferocious than beasts? You will say, "He has wronged me," or, "He has taken away my possessions." But even in this case, for whom should we weep more – about the one who has been offended, or about the one who has offended? (Of the offender, because) he who has become rich with the possessions of others, has lost the favor of God, and has lost incomparably more than he has gained, he is therefore the offended. That is why it is not against him, but for him that God will be merciful to him.

5. See how many misfortunes the three youths endured, who had done no evil: they were deprived of their homeland and freedom, they were taken captive and became slaves in a foreign and barbarous country, and finally, without guilt and in vain, they were sentenced to death – for a dream (which the Magi could not remember and explain to Nebuchadnezzar – Dan. chs. 1 and 2). What did these three youths do together with Daniel? What did they pray to God about, what did they say? Crush Nebuchadnezzar? Tear off his diadem? Cast him down from the throne? No, nothing of the kind (they didn't say); but they "asked for mercy from God" (Dan. 2:18). They did the same when they were cast into the fiery furnace. That is not what you do; but suffering incomparably less than those three youths, and moreover, often according to merit, you do not cease in prayer to curse your enemies in every possible way. One says: "Cast down (Lord) my enemy, as you have cast Pharaoh's chariots into the sea." Another says, "Smite the flesh" (of the enemy); And there is another who says, "Render unto him upon his children." Do you not know that these are your words?

Why are you laughing? See how ridiculous (your curses) are, when you remember them in a calm state! And every other sin turns out to be just as shameful when you consider it, putting aside the passion for it. To a person who is carried away by anger, then remind him of the words he uttered in anger; he will blush with shame, laugh at himself, and would rather endure anything than agree to accept it as his own. Or, bring the profligate to the harlot with whom he fell; he will look at her with disgust, as at a useless woman. So now, being free from passion, you laugh at your words. They are worthy of laughter, because they are characteristic of drunken old women and pusillanimous women. Joseph, who was sold by his brothers, became a slave and was thrown into prison, did not say anything offensive against those who insulted him. What did he say? "I was stolen from the land of the Jews" (Gen. 40:15). He did not even mention through whom he was stolen. He was more ashamed of his wicked brethren than they themselves, who had done so. We should have the same feelings, and we should pity those who offend us more than they themselves, because all the harm passes on to them. Just as those who drive nails and are proud of them are worthy of pity and tears for their folly, so those who offend those who have done them no harm are more worthy of compassion and tears than of curses, because they destroy their own souls. Truly, there is nothing more contemptible than a soul that curses others in prayer, and more despicable than a tongue that offers (to God) such sacrifices. You are a man – do not pour out from your mouth the poison of adders. You are a man – do not be a beast. Your lips have not been given to you to wound, but to heal the wounds of others. "Remember," says God, "what I have inspired you: to forgive and forgive (trespasses). But you beseech Me that I also be your accomplice in the violation of My own commandments, and you devour your brother, you stain your tongue with blood, like madmen who tear their own limbs with their teeth." Have you ever thought about how the devil rejoices and laughs when he hears such prayers? Have you thought, on the contrary, how God is angry, how he is disgusted, and how He hates you when you pray in this way? What can be more criminal than what you do? In fact, if he who has only enemies should not approach the sacraments, then how should he not be forbidden to approach even the threshold of the temple to one who not only has enemies, but also prays for their destruction? Therefore, having considered what has been said, and remembering that the author of the sacrifice (which we offer) sacrificed Himself for our enemies, let us try not to have enemies. But if we have, let us pray for them, that we, too, having received the forgiveness of our sins, may boldly stand before the judgment of Christ, to whom be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 6

"Are we really going to get to know you again? Do we really need letters of approval to you or from you, as for some?" (2 Corinthians 3:1)

1. Since some could say that (the apostle) praises himself, he says this in order to prevent such an accusation. Although he had corrected this idea several times before, when he said: "And who is able to do this?" and "We preach sincerely, as from God" (2 Corinthians 2:16, 17), nevertheless he is not satisfied; it is his custom to put aside as far as possible the idea that he is saying something great about himself. He avoids this with the greatest care and care. And you, for your part, notice here also the great wisdom (of the Apostle). For the circumstances which seemed disagreeable in themselves—I mean his calamities—he so exalted, and presented in such brilliance and light, that from his description such a suspicion might have arisen. He does the same further (in the epistle). After enumerating innumerable calamities, sorrows, straits, extreme need, and the like, he added: "We do not present ourselves to you again, but we give you cause to boast about us" (5:12). But there he says it much more strongly and with greater indignation. Here are his words: "Do we really need letters of approval to you or from you, as for some?" (Or do we demand, as if we were noticing, informative messages?) they express love, – there, as it was necessary and useful – his words are filled with special power and indignation: "Not again," he says, "we present ourselves to you, but we give you cause to boast about us" (we do not praise ourselves, but we give you the guilt of praise); and again: "Do you not yet think that we are [only] justifying ourselves before you? (Do you think that we are answering you?) Because we speak before God, in Christ (before God in Christ we speak)... I fear lest, when I come, I shall find you as I do not desire, and also that you also may find me as you do not desire" (12:19, 20). In order not to be reproached for flattery and solicitation of praise from them, He says to them: "I fear lest, when I come, I find you as I do not desire, and also that you also may find me as you do not desire." But he says all this with great reproach; At first, however, he does not speak in this way, but is much more lenient. What do his words mean? Above he spoke about temptations, dangers, and how God in Christ everywhere makes him victorious, and the whole universe knows about his victories. Having thus said something great about himself, he asks himself this question: "Shall we make your acquaintance again?" (Do we conceive us to inform you?) His words have this meaning: perhaps someone will say to us: "What does this mean, Paul? Why do you speak thus of yourself, why do you exalt yourself?" – in order to prevent such an objection, he says: "No, we do not want to boast and exalt ourselves before you; we are so far from asking for letters of approval to you, that you yourselves serve for us in lieu of a letter": "You," he says, "are our letter," v. 2. What does it mean: "You are our letter"? "If we need to recommend ourselves to others, we will put you in the middle instead of a letter of approval." He said the same thing in the first epistle: "The seal of my apostleship is ye in the Lord" (for the seal of my apostleship ye are) (1 Cor. 9:2). But here he said not simply, but with a certain irony, in order to give his speech more force: "Do we really need letters of approval to you or from you? (or do we demand notification messages?) And referring to the false apostles, he added: "As for some, letters of approval to you, or from you to others." Then, since what he said was difficult to hear, he further softens his words, saying: "You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ye show by yourselves that ye are the letter of Christ" (our epistle ye are, written in our hearts, known by all: we appear to be the message of Christ) (v. 2). Here he not only expresses his love for them, but also testifies to their virtuous life, i.e., that by their virtues they can prove before all the dignity of their teacher. This is the meaning of the words: "You are our letter." What your letters would do, in which you would approve and glorify us, you fulfill by your life according to the faith that all see and hear. The virtues of the disciples serve as the best adornment for their teacher, and approve of him better than any writing. "That which is written in our hearts," that is, which is known to all, because we carry you everywhere with us and keep you in our hearts. As if he were saying: "You serve us as an approval before others, and we always have you in our hearts, and before all we proclaim your virtues. Therefore, not only do we have no need of letters of approval from you to others, because you serve as our approval, but for yourselves we have no need of the testimony of others, because we love you very much. Letters of approval are needed for strangers, and you are in our hearts." And He did not simply say, "Ye are," but "written," that is, in such a way that you cannot be blotted out of our hearts. As we read our epistles, so we are convinced from our hearts, all know our love which we have for you.

2. If, then, letters are used to show that such and such a friend of mine enjoys my trust, then your love replaces all this for us. Therefore, whether we go to you, we have no need to take approval from others, since this completely replaces your love for us, or for others, we again have no need to take letters of approval from you, because instead of them, the same love is sufficient for us here. We carry the message in our hearts. Then, raising them to a higher understanding, he calls them the message of Christ, saying: "You show by yourselves that you are the letter of Christ" (v. 5). And having said this, he derives from this a reason to speak of the law; and again he calls them his epistle, but in a different sense. Above he called them an epistle, because they serve as an approval for him; but here he calls them the message of Christ, as having the law of God written in them. "What God has been pleased to reveal to all and to you, all these things," he says, "are written in your hearts; And we have prepared you for the reception of these letters. As Moses made stones and tablets, so we have prepared your souls. That is why He says: "Through our service" (which is served by us). But it will be said that both tablets are equal, because both are written by God, and these by the Spirit (of God). Where is the difference between them? "Written," he says, "not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on fleshly tablets of the heart" (Not written with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of the heart of the flesh), and what is the difference between the Spirit and ink, and tablets of stone and flesh, such is the difference between the two writings: the same is the difference between those who served (the New Testament writings) and those who served (the Old Testament). But lest it be thought that he has said too much about himself, he immediately explains himself, saying: "Such is the assurance we have in God through Christ" (and this is the hope of the Imams of Christ to God). And in this way he again ascribes everything to God, and calls Christ the author of everything. "Not because we ourselves are able to think of what is of ourselves, as of ourselves" (v. 5). Look, here he is tempering his speech. And this is because he possessed the virtue of humility in the highest degree. And therefore, as soon as he said something great about himself, he immediately tried again by all means to soften what he said. He does this here too, when he says: "Not because we ourselves are capable of thinking of anything from ourselves, as if from ourselves." That is, I did not say: "Such assurance we have, by which we assimilate one thing to ourselves, and another to God; on the contrary, one according to which we entrust everything to God and impute to Him, because our ability is from God. He hath given us power to be ministers of the new covenant" (our pleasure is from God, who also pleased us to be ministers of the new covenant) (v. 6). What does "pleasure" mean? That God has made us capable of such service. It is no small thing to communicate to the universe such tablets and writings that are much more important than the former. Wherefore He added, "Not of the letter, but of the Spirit" (not in writing, but in the Spirit). Here is another new difference (between the old and the new tablets). What is it? Wasn't the Old Law Spiritual? How does the same Apostle say: "We know that the law is spiritual" (Romans 7:14)? He was spiritual, but He did not give the Spirit, because Moses did not bring the Spirit, but the writings, and we are sure that we give the Spirit. Showing this more clearly, he goes on to say: "The letter kills, but the spirit gives life" (the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life). And he says this not without purpose, but in order to rebuke those who were vain in the performance of the Jewish rites. By the "letter" (writing) he here calls the law that threatens to punish the sinner, and by the Spirit – grace, which through the sacrament of baptism gives life to those who are killed by sins. Having thus shown the difference between the two tablets from their very essence, he does not stop there; but he goes on to reveal this difference, and from the side from which it can most captivate the listener – that is, from the side of life-giving and lightness (of the latter). "The new covenant," he says, "is not difficult, and gives great grace." If, in reasoning about Christ, he especially puts forward that which belongs more to His love for mankind than to dignity, or that which belongs to both together, how much more should he speak in this way when discussing His covenant. So, what do the words "the letter kills" mean? He had previously said that one covenant was written on tablets of stone, and the other on hearts of flesh. But it seemed to him that such a difference was not yet great, and therefore he added that the old covenant was written in letters and ink, and the new one by the Spirit. But since this distinction could not yet fully excite his hearers, he finally points out something that could inspire them, namely, that "the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."

3. What does it mean? According to the (old) law, the sinner is punished; but here (in a new way) the sinner resorts to baptism and becomes righteous, but having become righteous, he comes to life, is freed from the death of sin. The law, if it catches a murderer, it condemns him to death, and if grace overtakes the murderer, it sanctifies and revives him. But what do I say about the murderer? The law also seized and stoned him who was gathering wood on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32-36). This is what it means: "the letter kills"! On the contrary, grace catches innumerable murderers and robbers, and, washing them with the waters of baptism, frees them from their former evils. This is what it means: "The Spirit gives life"! Whomsoever the law catches, he makes dead from the living; but grace makes alive a criminal from the dead. "Come unto me," she says, "all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I," she does not say, "I will punish you," but will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). In baptism sins are buried, former unrighteousness is blotted out, a person comes to life, and all grace is imprinted in his heart, as on a tablet. Consider, therefore, how great is the preeminence of the Spirit, when His tablets are superior to the first, when He also shows something higher even than the resurrection itself. In fact, the death from which He delivers is much more dangerous than the first death, and so much more dangerous, in so far as the soul is superior to the body, and the natural life is held together by the life which the Spirit gives. If He can bestow this higher life, how much more can He give the lower; the latter was also given by the prophets, but the latter never, because no one can forgive sins except God alone (Luke 5:21). But the prophets could not communicate the lower life without the same Spirit. And not only is it amazing that the Spirit gives life, but also that He has given others the power to give life. "Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (receive ye the Holy Spirit), says (the Lord) (John 20:22). For what? Was it impossible without the Spirit? God says this to show that (the Spirit) has the highest authority, the same royal essence, and the same power. For this reason he adds: "To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; On whom ye shall retain, they shall remain" (v. 23). And so, since (the Holy Spirit) gave us life, let us preserve this life, and let us not return again to our former deadness. "Christ ... dies no more... For because He died, He died once to sin" (Christ no longer dies, for if He dies, die to sin alone) (Romans 6:9, 10). And he does not want us to always expect salvation from grace alone: otherwise we will be deprived of everything; He wants something to be brought in from our side as well. Let us take care to bring something, and let us preserve the life of the soul.

And what the life of the soul consists in, you can learn from the life of the body. We call the body alive when it is in a healthy state. But when it is in a state of weakness and has disorderly motion, then, although it seems to live and move, such a life is worse than any death. Likewise, if (a man) says nothing sensible, but utters words peculiar to fools, and sees things wrongly, then again he who has such a body is much more worthy of pity than he who is dead. In the same way, if the soul has nothing sound, if, for example, it looks upon gold not as gold, but as something great and important, if it does not think in the least about the future, but grovels down and does what it ought not to do, such a soul, even though it seems to be alive, is dead. From what do we know that we have a soul? Is it not from the actions inherent in the soul? But if she does not do what is proper to her, then is she not dead? If, for example, it does not care about virtue, but steals what is not theirs and does iniquity, then why can I say that thou hast a soul? Is it because you walk? But this is also characteristic of irrational animals. Is it because you eat and drink? But animals also eat and drink. Is it because you stand in an upright position and on two legs? But from this I see more that you are a beast in human form. For when you resemble the beast in all other things, and differ from it only in your upright position, you only anger and amaze me the more, and I, looking at you, would rather consider you a monster. If I saw a beast speaking in human language, I would not say from this alone that he was a man, but I would consider him stranger than other beasts. How, then, can I know that you have a human soul? When you kick like a donkey, when you are vindictive like a camel, when you bite like a bear, when you are predatory like a wolf, when you steal like a fox, when you are cunning like a serpent, when you are shameless like a dog – how can I know that you have a human soul? Do you want me to show you a soul, dead and alive? Let us turn again to the men of old, and, if you like, let us imagine the rich man who lived in the days of Lazarus, in order to know what the death of the soul consists in. That this rich man had a dead soul is evident from his deeds. He did nothing to show a rational soul in him; but only ate, drank and made merry.