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 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 his Epistle to the Ephesians, he says: "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Thus he spoke, not to deprive them of courage, but to encourage them. And Peter says: "Be sober, be watchful: for your adversary the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). 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 at her clothes, hold fast to them, 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, that is, 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 instruct 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 Most Wise One said: "God did not create death, and does not rejoice in the destruction of the living" (Wis. Sol. 1:13). And God Himself through the prophet says thus: "Do I desire the death of the wicked? saith the Lord God. Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?" (Ezek. 18:23, cf. Ezekiel 33:11). If we do not convert, we bring destruction and death upon ourselves, and not God, who does not want us to perish, and shows us the way to escape 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 suggested anything to Eve and had not said a word to her about the tree, would the progenitors never have fallen? This cannot be said. Whoever so easily obeyed his wife, even without the devil, by himself, would soon fall into sin, for which he would be subjected to an 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 wife was carried away by her own lust and fell. The Scripture also pointed to this, saying: "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and desirable, because it gave knowledge; and she took the fruit thereof, and ate it" (Gen. 3:6). I say this now, not in order to absolve the devil of the accusation of treachery, but to show that if the first men had not fallen voluntarily, no one would have made them 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 soul that was awake and attentive. But there are people who, when they are refuted from this side, leaving 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, not concerned with anything, would have reached the extreme degree of evil.

Aren't such words extremely insane? If the devil had approached a person who had not received the commandment with advice to depart from God, he would easily have persuaded him to do so; for whoever despised Him who gave it after receiving the commandment, if he had heard nothing at all from Him, would soon forget even that he was under the authority 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: and 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, ear has not heard" and which "have not entered into the heart of man" (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9). What can be compared with this solicitude, philanthropy, goodness? That is why He Himself says: "But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so is My way higher than your ways, and My thought than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). And the meekest David, speaking of His love for mankind, says: "As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is [the Lord's] mercy to those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our iniquities from us; as the father has mercy on his sons, so the Lord has mercy on them that fear him" (Psalm 102:11-13), and even more than the father, but we do not know of another 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 this: "Shall a woman forget her suckling child, that she may not have pity on the son of her womb? but if she also forgets, I will not forget you" (Isaiah 49:15), showing that God's mercy is above natural affection. Thus spoke the prophets; and Christ, speaking to the Jews, said: "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him" (Matt. 7:11), expressing by these words nothing else than that as much as good differs from evil, God's care differs 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 us to give thanks "always and in all things" (Eph. 5:20).And that God cares not only for everyone in general, but also for each individual, can be heard from Him Himself, when He says: "It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish" (Matt. 18:14), 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 says: "He desires that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4); and He Himself said to the Jews: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13); and again: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice" (Matt. 9:13; Hos. 6:6). Even when people do not want to correct themselves and know the truth even with such care for them, even then He does not abandon them; but since they voluntarily deprive themselves of heavenly life, He provides them with at least everything 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. 5:45). 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; He cares for them more than anyone else: "And the hairs of your head," He says, "are all numbered" (Luke 12:7).

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.

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? Surely 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. Therefore Paul was amazed at his faith and said: "By faith Abraham, being tempted, sacrificed Isaac, and having the promise, he offered the only begotten" (Hebrews 11:17), indicating and alluding to the very thing that I have just said. 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 in many circumstances, nevertheless he 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 unfortunates themselves (his brothers) mocked him, and said: "Behold, the dreamer is coming; let us go now, and kill him, and cast him into a pit, and say that a beast of prey has eaten him; and we shall see what shall come out of his dreams" (Gen. 37:19-20). Then those who bought Joseph again sold him, not to any free man, but to a royal 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 trouble 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 works: first, He gives us an indubitable proof of His power, that is, that He can fulfill promises that seem 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 Gehenna. However, among people who are devoted to worldly affairs, are there those who live in peace? - Thus, and this is foretold by Christ: "

Verily, verily, I say unto you," He said, "ye shall weep and mourn, but the world shall rejoice."

(John 16:20). 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.

For this reason a wise man said: "If thou comest to serve the Lord God, prepare thy soul for temptation: set thy heart straight, and be strong, and be not troubled during the visitation" (Sir. 3:1-2). And a little lower: "For gold is tested in fire, but men who are pleasing to God in the furnace of humiliation" (Sir. 3:5). And in another place it says: "Do not reject the chastisement of the Lord, my son, and do not be burdened by His chastisement" (Proverbs 3:11). 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 says, "And be not troubled during the visitation," and Solomon, teaching the same thing, said, "Do not be troubled by His rebuke." Sorrow is a great deed, great 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 suffer you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but when you are tempted he will also give you relief, so that you may be able to endure" (1 Cor. 10:13). If punishment comes from love, and abandonment without punishment from hatred (cf. Heb. 12:7-8), then it is impossible for one and the same person to love and hate the same person at the same time, to punish and at the same time to ignore him. 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 distance themselves from Thee perish" (Psalm 72:27). And they distance themselves by not tolerating God's admonitions, but are angry and indignant at them.

For this reason we are commanded to "endure and strengthen our hearts" (Psalm 26:14). 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 has more than 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 have need of some and others others.

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 unfathomable (Romans 11:33)? We will not contradict the doctor 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 beg and beseech you, let us not go to such madness, but let us say of everything in which we are perplexed: "Thy destinies are a great abyss!" (Psalm 35:7). 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 very method 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: "And who are you, man, that you argue with God? Will the product say to him who made it, Why did you make me so? (Romans 9:20)? I pointed to the example of the children, and Paul gave a much better example, of the potter and the clay he was working on. 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: "Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and have strong strength?" and so on (Job 21:7). And the blessed David said: "And I, my feet were almost shaken, my feet almost slipped, I envied the fools, seeing the prosperity of the wicked, for they have no suffering until their death, and their strength is strong; in the work of man they are not, and with [other] people they are not struck" (Psalm 72:2-5). After him, Jeremiah also said, "Thou art righteous, O Lord, if I sue thee; and yet I will speak with thee concerning justice: why is the way of the wicked prosperous, and all the treacherous prosper?" (Jeremiah 12:1). 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 like the mountains of God, and Thy destinies are a great deep" (Psalm 35:7), and the other, who suffered much, "in all this did not say anything foolish about God" (Job 1:22); and in his book, speaking of creation and explaining the incomprehensibility of the wisdom and economy of God, he said: "Behold, these are parts of His ways; and how little we have heard of him!" (Job 26:14). And Jeremiah, foreseeing that some may doubt, before his question expresses the following judgment: "Thou shalt be 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 thought how to understand it, but it was difficult in my eyes" (Psalm 72:16). 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 promise of recompense in the future life, it is no longer seemly to inquire why (on earth) the righteous live in sorrows, and the wicked in tranquility. If everyone there expects retribution according to his merits, why should he be indignant at the circumstances here, happy or unhappy? Through the calamities here, God strengthens those who are obedient to Him as courageous fighters, and the weaker, negligent, and unable to endure 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 the remoteness of the judgment, have given themselves over to sin, may at least be enlightened by 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 were more sinful than all the Galileans, that they suffered thus? No, I say to you, but if you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way. Or do you think that those eighteen men on whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them were more guilty than all those who dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I say to you, but if you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way" (Luke 13:2-5). 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.

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.

However, there may be some other secret reason for this, known only to our Creator.