7. When we reflect on the multitude of our former sins, then we will know the abundance of God's mercy, then we will bow our heads, then we will humble ourselves; for the more grievous the sins of which we are guilty, the more we will be broken. Thus Paul remembered his former sins, but we do not want to remember those we did after baptism, which threaten us with danger and expose us to responsibility for them; but if the thought of any such sin comes to us, we immediately remove it and do not want to grieve the soul by remembering it even for a short time. And from this useless tenderness comes a multitude of evils for us, because being in such a state of self-satisfaction and effeminacy, we cannot confess our former sins (how is this possible when we accustom ourselves not to allow the remembrance of them?), and easily fall into subsequent ones. If this remembrance is always alive in us and the soul is troubled by fear, then it is convenient to eradicate its effeminacy and carelessness. But if you take off this bridle, who will finally restrain it and prevent it from rushing fearlessly through the rapids and falling into the abyss of destruction? For this reason the righteous (David) imagined the future punishment; therefore he wept, therefore he sighed, and very much! For you, great people, it is enough for you to remember the blessings of God, not to remember your own virtues, to delve into it with great diligence whether you have ever committed some small sin, to look at great men who were very pleasing to God; after all this, to reflect on the uncertainty of the future, on the inclination (of people) to fall and sin, which Paul also feared, and therefore said: "I am afraid, lest, preaching to others, I myself remain unworthy." (1 Cor. 9:27); And: "Whoever thinks that he is standing, take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. 10:12). In the same way, David thought about all these things within himself, and, reasoning about the blessings of God, said: "What is man, that Thou rememberest him, and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou hast humbled him not much before the angels: Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5-6). And he forgot about his good deeds so much that in his immeasurable wisdom he said: "Who am I, Lord, Lord, and what is my house, that Thou hast so magnified me! And this is not yet enough in Thy sight, O my Lord, Lord; but Thou hast also proclaimed the house of Thy servant afar off. This is already human. My Lord, my Lord! What more can David say to you?" (2 Samuel 7:18-20)? Often thinking about the virtues of his ancestors, he considered himself nothing in comparison with them. Thus, having said: "In Thee our fathers trusted," He added of himself: "I am a worm, and not a man" (Ps. 21:5,7). And he had the uncertainty of the future before his eyes, so that he said: "Enlighten my eyes, that I may not sleep in death" (Psalm 12:4). And he considered himself guilty of so many sins that he said: "Forgive my sin, for it is great" (Psalm 24:11). This, then, is enough for you, great men; and even with these remedies we still have a strong and sufficient basis for the destruction of pride and all arrogance. What is it? A multitude of sins, an evil conscience: when it takes possession of us, it does not allow us to rise to heights if we wish. Wherefore I beseech and beseech you, by the boldness which thou hast acquired before God by thy virtues, to give a hand (of help) to us, who pray continually, that we may and worthily mourn the burden of so many sins, and, weeping, enter upon the path that is favorable and leads us to heaven, so that we may not suffer together with the outcasts, descending into hell, where no one can confess (Psalm 6:6). And from where no one will free us. As long as we remain here, we can also receive great benefit from you, and you can greatly benefit us; and when we depart to a place where neither friend, nor brother, nor father can help or be with us during the punishment, then it will be necessary in distress and deep darkness and in the complete absence of comforters to endure endless punishment and to be unburned food for the all-devouring flame.

TO STAGIRIUS THE ASCETIC,

possessed by a demon.

FIRST WORD.

Stagirius, who came from a noble and wealthy family and was brought up in the rules of the Christian faith, in his pious mood renouncing wealth and worldly occupations in Antioch, devoted himself to the ascetic life of hermits, in which soon, by God's permission, he was subjected to the action of a demon (a demon or an evil spirit), suffered from fits of demonic possession, which caused him such torment and such spiritual despondency that he even attempted to take his own life. St. John Chrysostom, having learned of the miserable condition of Stagirius, with whom he was on friendly terms, wished to give him spiritual consolation by means of written exhortations, not being able to visit him personally because of his own illness, which had befallen him after his exploits in the wilderness at the end of 380 A.D. X. At this time or at the beginning of the year 381, the proposed three words of the saint could have been written.

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Perhaps this will help you to bravely endure the present calamity; if we do not succeed in this, then at least the thought that we have not omitted anything due on our part will ease our soul. Whoever has done everything that he considers useful for the cessation of the sufferings that have befallen his neighbor, even if he does not succeed in this, is at least freed from the reproaches of conscience and, having laid aside the burden of these reproaches, must bear only the weight of sorrow. If I were one of those who are pleasing to God and can do great things, I would not cease to pray and ask God for a person who is precious to me; but since the multitude of sins deprives me of this boldness and strength, I will try to offer you verbal consolation. So it is with those who suffer from bodily illnesses: the abolition of suffering and the cessation of illness is the business of physicians, but the consolation of the sick is not forbidden to the slaves who serve them; they are especially the ones who speak much in favor of their masters, if they are well disposed towards them. Therefore, if we say anything that can put an end to your excessive sorrow, then that which we desire will be fulfilled; but if we do not find anything of the kind to say, then surely He will approve of our zeal, Who through Blessed Paul commanded us to weep with those who mourn and to follow the humble (Romans 12:15-16). The reason for your despondency, apparently, is one - the fury of the evil demon; but one can find many sorrows born later from this root. I say this now, not on my own behalf, but on the basis of those complaints which I often heard from you when you were with us; and first (you complained)

Moreover, according to your words, you grieve greatly because the power of despondency has so taken possession of your soul that you often almost threw yourself into a noose, or into a river, or into an abyss. There is also a fifth complaint, which consists in the fact that you see how your peers and those who have begun to lead an ascetic life together with you are enjoying themselves, while you are still in the most severe storm and live in the most terrible prison. According to your words, it is not so much that those who are bound in iron should weep as those who are bound with these chains. Then, you told me, there is something else that troubles you greatly: you fear and tremble for your father, lest he, having learned of this, cause great trouble to the saints who received you at first; for, trusting in his own strength and riches, and giving himself up to tribulation, he will dare to do anything against them, and will not refrain from anything he pleases. Until now, his mother could hide what had happened to him and distract him when he was looking for you; but in the course of time the mother's pretense would be revealed, and he would treat her and the monks cruelly. But the height of misfortune is that you cannot hope for the future, and you do not know for sure whether this illness will ever cease and end, after you have hoped so many times for healing and then again subjected to the same torments. All this, of course, is capable of disturbing the soul and filling with great confusion, but a soul that is weak, inexperienced and careless. If we wish to be somewhat attentive and to judge piously, then let us scatter these causes of despondency like fine dust. Do not think that I now promise you this so easily because I myself am a stranger to this sorrow and storm. Even if my words seem incredible to others, I will speak in spite of this; And you yourself, of course, will not distrust us along with others. When the unclean demon first attacked your soul and threw you down while you were praying with everyone, although I was not present (for which I thank the loving God), I nevertheless learned everything exactly, as if I were there. My friend and your friend Theophilus the Ephesian, when he came, told me in detail about everything: about the writhing in the hands, about the crooked eyes, about the foam on the lips, about the terrible and inarticulate voice, the shaking of the body, the prolonged fainting, and the dream that you had that night: it seemed to you," he said, "as if a wild pig, stained with mud, was constantly rushing at you and fighting with you; and when the one who slept beside you, alarmed by this vision, woke up, he saw that the demon was tormenting you again.

2. When he told us about this, he brought upon us the same darkness into which the demon plunged you, beloved! But when, after a long time, I came to my senses, everything unpleasant in this world ceased to seem unpleasant to me, and everything pleasant ceased to seem pleasant to me; Having long known all the vanity of life, I felt it even more, and my love for your piety became stronger. Such is the nature of misfortunes: they usually strengthen friendship; This is evident from the fact that they can easily stop enmity. And there is no man so cruel and insensitive, who, seeing his enemy in misfortune, could still harbor hatred for him. If, however, we pity even our enemies, and treat them as friends, when we see them suffering some misfortune, then think what I must have felt when I saw in the grievous torments of despondency the one who is most dear to me, and whom I cherish as my own head. Do not think that we are strangers to your sorrow, and therefore do not accept my consolation with suspicion. Though I, by the mercy of God, am free from the torments and attacks of the evil demon, yet no less than yours I feel despondency and sorrow from these torments, as anyone who knows how to love as one should love will believe me. Let us shake off this dust; then this despondency will be tolerable and easy by its nature, if only we do not want to carelessly allow this feeling to drag us into the abyss, but try to cheer up and think about what we need to do. Many of the seeming misfortunes seem great and intolerable until they have been well considered; but whoever considers them wisely will find that they are much easier than they were thought of; This, I hope, will happen now. Be of good cheer, therefore, and do not follow the vain and foolish opinion of the multitude, and do not make the enemy stronger against us.

When God created the angels – or rather, let us speak from the highest – before the angels and the other powers of heaven came into being, there was a God who had no beginning of His being. As a Being who never needs anything (for such is the Godhead), he created angels, archangels, and other incorporeal beings; He created it solely according to His goodness, and not for any other reason. If He had not been supremely good, He would not have created those whose service He did not need. After creating them, He creates, again for the same reason, both man and this whole world. Having endowed man with innumerable blessings, He made this small and feeble creature ruler over so many creatures, making him on earth what He Himself is in heaven. For the words: "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness" (Gen. 1:26) mean nothing else than that man also has been given power over earthly things. Having created him and placed him in such honor, God assigned to him, as a king, the most beautiful place on earth – paradise. In addition, wishing to show him in another way how superior he is to other creatures, God brings all the animals to him and commands him to give them all names; but he does not give him any of them as helpers, giving him the reason: "There was no helper," he says, "like him" (Gen. 2:20). Having thus shown man that he occupies the middle ground between the two natures (heavenly and earthly), that he is above all earthly things, and that of the multitude of these creatures none is equal to him, God then creates a woman, and thereby honors him with a new honor, and clearly shows that the woman was created for him, as Paul says: "And the man was not created for the woman; but a woman for her husband" (1 Cor. 11:9). And not only did God distinguish man by this, but also by imparting to him the gift of speech to one of all creatures, vouchsafed him the knowledge of Himself, allowed him to enjoy communion with Himself as much as was possible for him, promised to give him immortality, filled him with great wisdom, and bestowed upon him spiritual grace, so that he uttered certain prophecies. God gave all this to man at a time when no good deed had yet been done on his part. What did man do after so many and great blessings? He believed the enemy more than the one who had granted all this, and, despising the commandment of the Creator, he preferred to deceive him who tried to completely destroy him and deprive him of all blessings - he preferred in spite of the fact that the devil did not show him any favor, neither great nor small, but only said a few words to him. But did God ruin man because he showed such ingratitude at the very beginning and, so to speak, at his first step? It would be just necessary to destroy and expel from among the living the one who, having received innumerable blessings, at the very beginning of his life paid for these blessings with disobedience and ingratitude. But God continued to do good to him no less than before, showing that even though we sinned a thousand times and departed from Him, He would never cease to arrange our salvation, and that if we were converted, we would be saved; but if we persist in evil, then at least it will be clear that God does everything that depends on Him. In the same way, the expulsion from paradise, and the removal from the tree of life, and the condemnation to death seem to be the work of the one who punishes and avenges, but in fact it is no less than the former work of the Providence (of man). Although these words seem strange, they are true: the events, of course, were opposite to one another, but the goals of both are the same and agree; That is, the expulsion from paradise, the settlement in view of it, the prohibition (to eat) from the tree of life, the removal from this tree, the condemnation to death, the temporary postponement of this condemnation, all this, just like the former beneficence, is done for the salvation and honor of man. Of the former I will say nothing (for it is obvious to everyone), but of the latter it is necessary to say.

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 by 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 deceiver and a liar, secondly, a real seducer, 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? "Idleness," says the Scriptures, "has taught many evil things" (Sir. 34:28). This saying is confirmed by both daily events and what happened to our ancestors. "And the people sat down," says the Scriptures, "to eat and drink, and afterwards arose to play" (Exodus 32:6). And again: "And Israel grew fat, and became obstinate; fattened, fattened, and fattened; and he forsook God, who created him, and despised the stronghold of his salvation" (Deuteronomy 32:15). Blessed David also says in agreement with this: "When He slew them, they sought Him and turned to Him, and from early morning they ran to God" (Psalm 77:34). And to Jerusalem God says through Jeremiah: "Understand, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee, lest I make thee a wilderness, a land uninhabited" (Jeremiah 6:8). 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 that I have suffered, that I may learn Thy statutes" (Psalm 118:71). After him, Jeremiah says the same thing, though not in the same words: "It is good for a man when he bears the yoke in his youth; he sits alone and is silent" (Lamentations 3:27-28); and for himself he prays to God thus: "Have no mercy on me for my alienation in the fierce day" (Jeremiah 17:17). And Blessed Paul, who shone so brightly with grace and surpassed human nature, nevertheless had need of this beneficent remedy; Wherefore He said, "A thorn in the flesh has been given unto me, O angel of Satan, to afflict me, that I may not be exalted. Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove him from me. But [the Lord] said to me: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). 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. Therefore He said to them: "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 14:33). And He commanded those who wished to enter the kingdom of heaven to walk the narrow path, for otherwise it would be impossible to reach it (Matt. 7:13). 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.

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. 4:7). 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; "Was it not possible to impress in advance with words, to reason 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. But when Cain, through his stubbornness and impenitence of heart, has gathered for himself anger (cf. Rom. 2:5), 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 had heard, "Be silent," after he had received forgiveness, had he ignorantly decided to kill, defiled the earth, and violated 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? "You will groan and tremble on the earth," says God (Gen. 4:12). The punishment is apparently heavy; but it will not be so if we reflect on sin and carefully consider the punishment itself. Cain, after having offered a sacrifice unjustly (cf. Gen. 4:7), was offended by the fact that the offender 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, lied before God. "Am I," he said, "my brother's keeper" (Gen. 4:9)? 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, if he had not been extremely insensible and more like 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 that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus has received your evil; but now he is comforted here, and you suffer" (Luke 16:25). 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 up 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, speaking to them about those who unworthily partake of the Mysteries, he says: "For this reason many of you are weak and sick, and many die. 31 For if we were to judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, lest we be condemned with the world" (1 Cor. 11:30-32). 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 lead 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.

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 they ought not to do, 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.