To the same widow. The Second Word on Abstinence from Second Marriage. An exposition and refutation of the three grounds which usually compel widows to remarry, namely, the hope of a better state, the attachment to the world, and the weakness of the flesh. - The purpose of the word is not to condemn the second marriage permitted by Ap. Paul and legitimized by the Church. A widow who enters into a second marriage reveals weakness and sensuality in herself, shows affection for the land and shows how dear the memory of her first husband is to her. "She cannot love her second husband as she loved her first, and this new union turns against her both her parents and her servants, and especially the children by her first husband. "Therefore, in order to divert widows from second marriage, the legislators found it necessary to deprive the celebration of a second marriage of all solemnity, thereby showing that they allow it only with regret. Praise to widowhood, which approaches virginity, for to such widowhood belongs the same glory and reward as virginity.

TO THEODORE THE FALLEN

EXHORTATION 1.

Theodore, to whom the proposed Exhortations, written about 369 A.D., belong, was the same age and friend of St. Theodore. John Chrysostom and together with him in his youth devoted himself to the exploits of the hermit's life, but soon left them for the occupations and pleasures of the world. St. In his Exhortations, John called him to repentance by depicting the disastrous condition of sinners, the transience and futility of present blessings, by expounding the formidable and comforting truths of the Christian faith, and by other persuasions which influenced the fallen Theodore, so that he returned to society as a hermit and was subsequently elevated to the dignity of bishop of Mopsuestia.

"Who shall give water to my head, and fountain of tears to my eyes" (Jeremiah 9:1), it is opportune to say to me now, and much more than then to the prophet; for I intend to mourn, though not for a multitude of cities and not for whole nations, but for a soul that is worth, or rather dearer than a multitude of nations. If even one who does the will of God is better than thousands of lawless people, then surely you were better than thousands of Jews before. Wherefore no one will now reproach me, if I set forth more sorrows and depict stronger lamentations than those set forth in the prophet. I do not mourn the destruction of the city, nor the captivity of lawless men, but the desolation of the sacred soul and the destruction and destruction of the Christ-bearing temple. Who, knowing well the beauty of thy mind, which has now been burned by the devil, at the time when it shone, would not groan with the weeping of a prophet, when he heard that barbarian hands had defiled the holy of holies, and having set a fire, they had burned everything: the cherubim, the ark, the purgatory, the tablets of stone, the golden stamna? Verily, this misfortune is so many times more sorrowful than how much more precious are those symbols that were kept in your soul. This temple is holier than that, because it shone not with gold and silver, but with the grace of the Spirit, and instead of the ark and cherubim, Christ, and His Father, and the Comforter dwelt in it. And now it is no longer the same: now, although he is deprived of his former beauty and splendor, he has lost his divine and ineffable adornment, and has lost all safety and protection: he has neither a door nor a lock, and he is open to all soul-destroying and shameful thoughts. Whether the thought of pride, the thought of fornication, the thought of the love of money, or even the most vile thoughts rush to enter into it, – no one will hinder this; and before, as heaven was inaccessible to all these things, so was the purity of thy mind. Perhaps my words will seem incredible to some of those who now see your desolation and perversion; Therefore I grieve and lament, and I will not cease to do so until I see you again in your former glory. Though it seems impossible to men, yet all things are possible for God: for He "lifts up the poor out of the dust, and exalts the poor out of the dust, to sit him down with princes, with the princes of his people; Does he bring the barren into the house as a mother who rejoices in her children?" (Psalm 112:7-9). Do not despair of a change for the better. If the devil was so strong that he brought you down from the height and height of virtue to the extremes of vice, then God will be much more powerful to raise you to your former freedom, and to make you not only the same, but also much more blessed than before. Only do not lose heart, do not lose good hopes, do not fall into the passion of the wicked. It is not the multitude of sins that usually plunges into despair, but the impious state of the soul. That is why Solomon did not simply say: "Everyone who "reaches to the depths of evil," but only one "wicked": "When the wicked reach the depths of evil, he is negligent" (Proverbs 18:3). Only such people have this passion when they come to the depths of evil. It does not allow them to rise and rise again to the place from which they fell. This thought, like a yoke, lying on the neck of the soul and forcing it to look down, prevents it from raising its gaze to its Lord. But it is characteristic of a man of courage and valour to break this yoke, to drive away from him the executioner who laid it, and to pronounce the words of the prophet: "As the eyes of a servant are on the hand of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we are filled with contempt" (Psalm 122:2,3). Truly divine are these instructions and suggestions of heavenly wisdom. "Satisfied," he says, "with contempt," and have suffered many calamities; however, let us not cease to lift up our eyes to God and ask Him, until we receive what we ask for. It is characteristic of a courageous soul not to fall down and not to despair before the multitude of calamities that befall it, and after repeated and unsuccessful prayers not to retreat, but to wait "until He has mercy on us," as Blessed David says.

2. The devil plunges us into thoughts of despair in order to destroy hope in God – this safe anchor, this support of our life, this guide on the path leading to heaven, this salvation of perishing souls. "In hope," says (the Apostle), "we are saved" (Romans 8:24). For it is like a strong chain hanging from heaven, supporting our souls, gradually raising to the heights of those who hold fast to it, and lifting us above the storm of worldly evils. Therefore, if anyone weakens and lowers this sacred anchor from his hands, he will immediately fall and perish in the abyss of vice. Knowing this, the evil one, as soon as he notices that we ourselves are burdened by the consciousness of evil deeds, having come and himself still imposes on us a thought of despair, which is heavier than lead; and if we accept it, then, carried away by the weight and torn away from that chain, we will inevitably immediately plunge into the depths of evil, where exactly you are now, having rejected the commands of the meek and humble Lord and fulfilling all the commands of the cruel, fierce and implacable enemy of our salvation, having broken the good yoke and thrown off the light burden, and instead of them putting iron chains on ourselves and hanging a millstone around your neck (Matt. 18:6). Where will you stop, and when will you cease to drown your poor soul, having imposed upon yourself such a necessity – to be constantly carried down? The woman who found one drachma invited her neighbors to share in her joy, saying: "Rejoice with me" (Luke 15:9); And now I will invite all my friends, both mine and yours, to the opposite, I will not say, "Rejoice with me," but "Weep with me, raise up the same weeping, and cry out with us in a bitter voice. For a great calamity has befallen us, not so many talents of gold have fallen from my hand, nor a multitude of precious stones, but he who, more precious than all this, sailing with us, therefore, to the great and wide sea, I know not how, has fallen and fallen into the very depths of destruction."

3. To those who would try to restrain me from lamenting, I will say in the words of the prophet: "Leave me, I will weep bitterly; do not strive to comfort me" (Isaiah 22:4). My present lamentation is not such that the excessiveness of my lamentation would bring condemnation upon me, but such that even Paul and Peter would not be ashamed to weep, lament, and reject all consolation. Someone would justly accuse of great cowardice those who mourn an ordinary death. But when, instead of a body, there lies a dead soul, stricken with many wounds, and in its very deadness showing its former nobility, and beauty, and extinguished beauty, then can anyone be so cruel and insensible as to offer words of consolation instead of weeping and lamentation? As there is no weeping, so it is characteristic of wisdom to weep here. He who reached heaven, laughed at the vanity of life, looked upon bodily beauties as stone, who despised gold as dust and all pleasure as dirt – he, unexpectedly for us, embraced by the flames of impure lust, lost his health, courage, and all beauty, and became a slave to pleasures. Shall we not weep for him, tell me, shall we not grieve for him, until he shall be ours again? And is this inherent in the human soul? The abolition of bodily death cannot be achieved on earth, and yet this does not restrain those who mourn from weeping; and spiritual death can only be destroyed here: "in the tomb," says (David), "who shall praise Thee" (Psalm 6:6)? Therefore, would it not be great folly on our part if, while those who mourn bodily death lament it with such force, although they know that they cannot raise up the dead with tears, we do not express anything of the kind, although we know that there is often hope of returning the lost soul to its former life? For many, both now and in the days of our ancestors, having deviated from the upright position and having fallen from the narrow path, have risen again to such an extent that they have covered the former by those who followed, received a reward, adorned themselves with a crown, glorified with the victors and numbered among the saints. As long as one remains in the flame of pleasure, it seems impossible for him, even if he has many such examples; but as soon as he begins to come out of there a little, then, constantly moving forward, he will leave the power of fire behind him, and in front of him he will feel coolness and great relief. Only let us not despair, let us not refuse to return: for to him who has allowed himself to be in such a state, even if he is endowed with immeasurable strength and zeal, they will be of no use. Who has already closed the door of repentance for himself and barred the entrance to the field (of asceticism), how will he be able, being outside of it, to do small or great good? That is why the evil one does everything to inspire us with this thought: after this, he will no longer need efforts and labors for our defeat, when the lying and fallen themselves do not want to resist him. Whoever could escape these bonds will retain his strength and will not cease to fight with it until his last breath, and even though he has experienced many other falls, he will rise again and crush the enemy. On the contrary, whoever is bound by thoughts of despair and has weakened himself, how will he be able to defeat the enemy and resist him, when he himself flees from him?

4. Do not tell me that this happens only to small sinners; nay, even if a man be full of every vice, and do all that shuts him up to the kingdom, and not from the unbelievers from the beginning, but from those who were faithful and pleasing to God before, let him later become a fornicator, an adulterer, a lover of pleasure, a predator, a drunkard, a homosexual, a foul-mouthed man, etc., and I will not praise such a one, if he despairs of himself, if only he had led such an unspeakably vicious life until his very old age. If the wrath of God were a passion, then one would justly despair, as one who is unable to extinguish the flame which he has kindled by so many evil deeds; but since the Divinity is impassible, and whether He punishes or strikes, He does so not with anger, but out of providence and great love for mankind, then it is necessary to have strong boldness and trust in the power of repentance. God does not avenge Himself on those who have sinned against Him; for no harm reaches His essence; but at the same time He has in mind our benefit, and that we should not increase our corruption by continuing to despise and despise Him. As he who withdraws from the light does not harm the light in the least, but himself very much, plunging into darkness; so he who is accustomed to neglect the Almighty Power does not harm it in the least, but causes extreme harm to himself. For this reason God threatens us with punishments, and often sends them – not to avenge Himself, but to draw us to Himself.

In the same way, God, when we fall into extreme madness, does not speak and do everything out of revenge for the past, but with a desire to deliver us from our disease, as can be seen by common sense.

5. And if anyone doubts after this, we will assure him of this also by the divine Scriptures. Who, tell me, was more criminal than the king of Babylon? He, after having already experienced the power of God to such an extent that he worshipped His prophet, and commanded "gifts and fragrant incense to be brought to him" (Dan. 2:46), again gave himself over to his former pride, and having bound him, threw into the furnace those who did not honor him more than God. And yet this cruel and impious (King), more beast than man, (God) calls to repentance and gives him other motives for correction: first, the miracle itself that took place in the furnace, and then the vision that the king saw, and interpreted by Daniel, sufficient to bow down even a stony soul; And moreover, after being admonished by deeds, the prophet himself gave him this advice: "Therefore, O king, let my counsel be pleasing to you: atone for your sins with righteousness, and your iniquities with mercy to the poor; this is how thy peace may end" (Dan. 4:24).

For what the wise magi, the gazarinas, could not explain, and what they recognized as exceeding human nature, God explained to him through the captive youth, and by this miracle brought him to the point where he not only believed himself, but also became a clear preacher and teacher of this belief for the whole universe. Thus, if even before this sign he did not deserve forgiveness for his ignorance of God, then much more so after such a miracle, after his own confession, and the instruction given to others. If he had not been sure that the true God is one, he would not have shown such honor to His servant, and would not have given the same command to others. And yet, after such a confession, he again fell into idolatry, and he who, falling on his face, worshipped the servant of God, came to such madness that he threw the servants of God who did not bow down to him into the furnace. What then? Did God take revenge on the apostate, as it was necessary to take revenge? On the contrary, He gave him still greater proofs of His power, in order to bring him, after such madness, back to his former state. And what is especially surprising: in order that the miraculous events, in their excessiveness, should not seem incredible, He performed a sign, not over anything else, but over that furnace which the king himself kindled for the youths, and into which, having bound, He threw them. Of course, it would be miraculous and extraordinary if only the fire were extinguished. But the Lover of mankind, in order to inspire more fear, to produce more amazement, and to put an end entirely to the blindness of the king, performed a greater and most extraordinary miracle. By allowing the fire to be kindled as the king wished, He manifests His power in that, without destroying the preparations of the enemies, He makes the finished thing null and void. And lest any one, seeing the youths conquer the flames, should consider it a ghost, (God) allowed those who cast them into being scorched, showing on the one hand that the visible flame was indeed fire, otherwise he would not have devoured the oil, and the pitch, and the brushwood, and so many bodies; and on the other hand, that there is nothing stronger than His command, but that the nature of all things obeys Him who brought it from non-existence into being, which was then revealed: for fire, having taken on perishable bodies, did not touch them as if they were incorruptible, and returned the sacrifice in its entirety, even in greater splendor. For these youths came out of the furnace as kings from the king's palaces, so that no one wanted to look at the king, but the eyes of all turned from him to the wondrous apparition; And neither the diadem, nor the purple, nor any other of the royal splendor attracted so much of the crowd of infidels as the sight of these faithful, who had been in the fire for a long time, but came out of it as if it had happened to them in a dream. Even the hair, which by nature is the most easily burned with us, then more strongly than adamant, overcame the all-consuming flame. And it is not only this marvelous thing that, having been cast into the midst of the flames, they did not suffer in the least, but also what they still said unceasingly; Meanwhile, everyone who has been with people who are being burned knows that as long as they keep their mouths closed, they resist the burning for a short time, but as soon as they happen to open their mouths, the soul immediately flies out of the body. And yet, after so many miracles had been performed, and when all those present and seeing were amazed, and those who were absent had been informed of this in writing, the king, who had taught others, himself remained incorrigible and again turned to his former vices. And in spite of all this, God did not punish him, but endured him for a long time, admonishing him both through dreams and through the prophet. Only when he has not improved in the least by any of these methods, does God finally bring a punishment upon him, not avenging the past, but stopping future evil, and restraining vice from success; moreover, he did not punish him forever, but after several years of punishment he again raised him to his former honor, so that he did not suffer any harm from punishment, but gained the greatest of all blessings – confirmation in faith in God and repentance for his former sins.

6. Such is God's love for mankind! He never rejects sincere repentance; but even if someone has reached the most extreme depravity, and then decides to return from there again to the path of virtue, and He accepts such a person and draws him closer to Himself, and does everything to bring him back to his former state. And even more love for mankind is this: if anyone does not show complete repentance, then He does not reject even the brief and small; even for it he appoints a great reward. This is evident from the words of the prophet Isaiah, which he said about the people of Judah: "Because of the sin of their covetousness I was angry and smote them, I hid my face and was indignant; but he, turning away, followed the path of his heart. I have seen his ways, and I will heal him, and will lead him, and comfort him, and those who mourn him" (Isaiah 57:17,18). This will also be testified to us by that impious king, who was led to crimes by his wife, but as soon as he wept, put on sackcloth and repented of his iniquities, then he inclined to himself the mercy of God, so that he was delivered from all the threatening calamities. "And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, and the Lord said, Do you see how Ahab is humbled before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring trouble in his day" (1 Kings 21:28,29). Again later Manasseh, who in madness and cruelty surpassed all, overthrew the lawful worship, closed the temple, contributed to the flourishing of idolatrous error and was more impious than all his predecessors – when he later repented, he was numbered among the friends of God (2 Chron. 33:12). If, having looked at the gravity of his iniquities, he had despaired of his conversion and correction, he would have lost all that he received afterwards; and now, instead of the excesses of his sins, he looked at the boundlessness of God's mercy, and having broken the bonds of the devil, he arose, asceticized, and accomplished a good course. However, God cuts off thoughts of despair not only by what happened to these kings, but also by the words of the prophet: "Oh, that ye would now hear His voice, 'Harden not your heart, as in Merib, as in the day of temptation in the wilderness'" (Psalm 94:7,8). The expression "now" can be applied to the whole of life, even, if you like, to old age; for repentance is valued not by the prolongation of time, but by the disposition of the soul. Thus, for the Ninevites, there was no need of many days to atone for their sin, but a short period of one day was sufficient to blot out their iniquity; and the thief did not reach the entrance to paradise for a long time, but in as long as he washed away all the sins of his whole life as is used to pronounce one word, he received even before the apostles the reward of glorification. Let us also look at the martyrs who, not in many years, but in a few days, and often only in one day, were honored with bright crowns.

7. Therefore, we must always have cheerfulness and great diligence, and if we so dispose our conscience that we hate the former vicious life and choose the opposite path with such strength as God wants and requires; then we will lose nothing from time, since many, being the last, have outstripped the first. It is not the fall that is grievous, but the fact that, having fallen, one lies down and does not get up again, that one willfully does evil and remains in carelessness, covering up the weakness of the will with thoughts of despair. To such people the prophet, perplexed, says: "Do they not get up when they fall, and turning away from the way, do they not return?" (Jeremiah 8:4). But if you ask us about those who, after believing, fell again, then all that has been said applies to them also; for whoever fell was formerly among those who stood, and not those who lay down, otherwise how could he have fallen? And more will be said, partly in parables, and partly in the clearest deeds and words. Thus the sheep which separated itself from the ninety-nine, and was then brought back again, depicts to us nothing but the falling away and return of the faithful, because it was a sheep, and not of any other flock, but of the other sheep, and had formerly grazed as a shepherd, and had lost its way not in the usual way, but in the mountains and rapids, that is, on a path that was far away and very much deviated from the straight road. But did the pastor leave her wandering? Nohow; He brought her back, neither driving her nor beating her, but taking her on his own. For just as the best physicians with great care restore health to those afflicted with a prolonged illness, not only by treating them according to the rules of healing, but sometimes by giving them pleasure, so God does not convert very depraved people to virtue suddenly and forcibly, but quietly and little by little, and always helping them, so that there may not be any greater alienation and prolonged error. This is indicated not only by this parable of the prodigal son. Nor was he a stranger, but the son and brother of a well-behaved son, and he fell not into an unimportant vice, but into the most extreme depravity, one might say, rich, free, and noble, becoming more miserable than slaves and strangers and hired men. And yet, he returned to his primitive state and received his former honor. And if he had despaired of his life and, discouraged by the misfortunes that had befallen him, remained in a foreign land, he would not have received what he received, and exhausted by hunger, he would have died a miserable death. And since he repented and did not fall into despair, after such corruption he again appears in his former decorum, puts on beautiful clothes and receives more than his brother who has not fallen. For "for so many years," said this man, "I have served thee, and have never transgressed thy commandment, but thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends; and when this son of yours, who squandered his wealth with harlots, came, you killed for him a fatted calf" (Luke 15:29,30). Such is the power of repentance!

8. With such examples, let us not stagnate in vices and postpone conversion, but let us also say, "I go to my father," and we will draw near to God. He Himself never turns away from us, but we distance ourselves from Him: "Am I God only near, saith the Lord, and not God also far off?" (Jeremiah 23:23). And again, through the prophet, rebuking the Jews, he says: "Your iniquities have made a division between you and your God, and your sins hide His face from you" (Isaiah 59:2). If this distances us from God, then we will destroy this pernicious barrier, and nothing will prevent us from being close to God. Listen to how it really happened. Among the Corinthians a certain nobleman committed such a sin as was not heard even among the pagans. He was faithful and close to Christ, and some even say that he was one of the clergy. What then? Did Paul exclude him from the society of the saved? In no way: he himself many times, both here and there, reproached the Corinthians for not bringing him to repentance; And wishing to show us that there is no sin that cannot be healed, He again said of this man, who sinned worse than the Gentiles: "To deliver up to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 5:5). But this is even before repentance; but when he repented, then "for such a person," he says, "this punishment from many is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 2:6) – and he ordered to comfort him and accept his repentance, so that Satan would not prevail over him. And the whole nation of the Galatians, who fell after they had already believed, performed signs, and endured many temptations for the faith in Christ, he restores again. That they worked miracles, he expressed in the words: "Does he who gives you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, by the works of the law, or by instruction in the faith?" (Galatians 3:5); And that they suffered much for the faith was expressed in the words: "Have you suffered so much in vain?" (Galatians 3:4). Meanwhile, after such success, they committed a sin that could alienate them from Christ, and of which he (Paul) himself expresses himself thus: "Behold, I, Paul, say to you, if you are circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing" (Galatians 5:2); and again: "Those who justify themselves by the law have remained without Christ, have fallen away from grace" (Galatians 5:4). And yet, after such a fall, he says to them with benevolence: "My children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth, until Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19), showing that in us, even after extreme corruption, Christ can be formed again, because He does not want "the death of the sinner, but that the sinner turn from his way and live" (Ezekiel 33:11).