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).

9. Let us turn now, O dear head! and let us do the will of God. He created us and brought us into existence in order to make us partakers of eternal blessings, in order to bestow the kingdom of heaven, and not in order to cast us into hell and put us on fire; This is not for us, but for the devil, but for us from ancient times the kingdom was built and prepared. Explaining both, the Lord says "to those who are on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"; and "to those on the left, depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:34,41). Therefore Gehenna is not prepared for us, but for him and his angels; And the kingdom was prepared for us even before the creation of the world. Let us not make ourselves unworthy to enter the palace: as long as we remain here, then, even though we have committed a multitude of sins, it is possible to wash away everything, repenting of sins; but when we go there, then, even if we show the strongest repentance, there will be no more benefit, and no matter how much we gnash our teeth, or lament, and pray a thousand times, no one will give us a drop from the end of a finger, embraced by flames, but we will hear the same thing as the famous rich man - that "a great gulf has been established between us and you" (Luke 16:26). Let us repent here, I exhort, and let us know our Lord, as it is proper to know. Only then will we have to reject the hope of repentance when we are in hell, because only there is this medicine powerless and useless, and as long as we are here, if it is used even in old age, it exerts great power. For this reason the devil also makes every effort to root in us the thought of despair: for he knows that even if we repent a little, it will not be fruitless for us. But just as he who gives a cup of cold water expects recompense, so he who repents of his evil deeds, even if he does not show repentance commensurate with his sins, will receive recompense for this. No good, however unimportant, will be neglected by the Righteous Judge. If sins are examined with such severity that we will be punished for both words and desires; then much better works, whether small or great, will be imputed to us at that time. Thus, even if you are not able to return to your former strict life, but even a little distracted by the present infirmity and intemperance, then this will not be useless; Only lay the foundation of the work and begin the asceticism, and as long as you remain outside, it will indeed seem to you difficult and inconvenient. Before experience, even very easy and tolerable things usually seem to us very difficult; but when we have tried them and taken up them boldly, the greater part of the difficulty disappears, and cheerfulness, taking the place of fear and despair, diminishes fear, increases the feasibility and strengthens good hopes. For this reason the evil one also turned Judas away from this, so that, having made the right beginning, he would not return through repentance to the place from which he had fallen. Truly I would say, although such words are strange, that his sin is not higher than the help we receive from repentance. Therefore, I beseech and beseech you, pluck out of your soul every satanic thought and turn to this means of salvation.

Where did all this fly now? What was this body, which was vouchsafed such care and purity? Go to the grave, look at the dust, at the dust, at the worms, look at the ugliness of this place, and - groan bitterly. And oh, if only the punishment were limited to these ashes! But from the grave and these worms now be transferred in thought to that undying worm, to the unquenchable fire, to the gnashing of teeth, to utter darkness, to sorrow and contrition, to the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, who, having previously possessed such wealth and clothed himself in purple, could not receive even a drop of water, and moreover was in such extremity. Everything here is no better than dreams. For just as those who work in the mines, or who bear some other still the most grievous punishment, when, having fallen asleep after many labors and the most bitter life, they see themselves in pleasure and wealth in a dream, when they wake up, they are not in the least happy about their dreams; so it was with the rich man who, using wealth in the present life as if in a dream, suffered a heavy punishment after departing from here. Think about this, and having opposed that fire to the flame of lust that now envelops you, finally get rid of this furnace. For he who has extinguished the furnace here well will not experience the furnace there; and whoever has not overcome this one, after departing from here, will be more strongly possessed by the one there.

However, if you will, let it be so that you live so many years and experience no change: what is this in comparison with the endless ages and those grievous and intolerable punishments? Here both good and evil have an end, and a very quick one at that, and there both continue for endless ages, and in their quality they are so different from this that it is impossible to say.

10. When you hear about a fire, do not think that the fire there is the same as the one here: this one, having embraced something, burns and extinguishes; but he who is once seized burns constantly, and never ceases, which is why he is called inextinguishable. For even sinners must put on immortality, not for glory, but in order to have a constant companion of the torment there; and how terrible it is, words can never depict, and only from the experience of small sufferings can one get some faint idea of those great sufferings. When you are in a bath that is heated more than it should be, imagine the fire of Gehenna, and if you burn in a great fever, then transfer your thoughts to that flame: and then you will be able to understand this difference well. If even the bath and fever torment and disturb us so much, then what will we feel when we fall into that fiery river that will flow before the dreadful judgment seat? Let us gnash our teeth from suffering and unbearable torment, but no one will help us. Let us groan strongly when the flames begin to envelop us more and more strongly, but we will see none but those who are tormented with us and the great desert. And what can be said about the horrors that darkness will bring upon our souls? For that fire neither destroys nor illuminates; otherwise there would be no darkness. In general, that time alone can sufficiently show that confusion and trembling, exhaustion and great ecstasy will befall us at that time. The torments there are many and varied, and the streams of plagues from everywhere envelop the soul. If anyone says: how can the soul be sufficient for such a multitude of torments and remain in punishment for endless ages? Let him imagine what happens here, how often many have endured a long and serious illness. If they died, it was not because the soul disappeared, but because the body was exhausted, so that if it had not been exhausted, the soul would not have ceased to suffer. When the soul receives an incorruptible and indestructible body, then nothing will prevent the torment from continuing into infinity. There cannot be both together, that is, the cruelty and duration of the torments, but one resists the other because of the perishability of the body and the inability to endure both at the same time; and when at last incorruptibility comes, this resistance will cease, and both these monsters will embrace us with great force into infinity. Therefore let us not now reason as if the excessiveness of torments will exhaust our souls: for at that time the body cannot be exhausted, but will be tormented with the soul forever, and there will be no end. And so, how great is the pleasure and how long do you want to oppose to this punishment and torment? Do you want a hundred years and twice as much? But what is this in comparison with endless centuries? What the dream of one day is in relation to the whole life, so does the enjoyment of the goods of this world in relation to the duration of future goods. Is there any man, therefore, who, in order to have a pleasant dream, would dare to endure punishment for the rest of his life? Who is so foolish as to dare to take such a reward? However, now I do not yet rebel against pleasure and do not reveal the bitterness contained in it: for now is not the time to speak about it, but when you will be able to flee from it. But now, when passion possesses you, we would seem to you idle talk if we called pleasure bitter; but when you, by the grace of God, are freed from your infirmities, then you will know for sure that it is malignant. Therefore, putting this aside for another time, let us now say the following. Let pleasure be pleasure, and pleasure pleasure, which has nothing unpleasant or reprehensible in it: what shall we say about the punishment that is prepared? What then will we do, who enjoyed the blessings of this world as it were in shadow and image, and there we were actually subjected to eternal torment, and moreover, when it was possible in a short time both to escape the aforementioned torments and to receive the blessings prepared for us? Truly, it is also a work of God's love for mankind that our ascetic deeds do not last for a long time, but after striving for a short and the shortest time, like the twinkling of an eye (such is precisely the present life in comparison with the future), we will be crowned for endless ages. Much will grieve the souls of the punished when they imagine that while in these short days everything could have been corrected, they, through their carelessness, gave themselves over to eternal torment. In order that we also may not suffer this, let us arise as long as the time is favorable, as long as the day of salvation is, as long as the power of repentance is great. For if we remain careless, then not only the above-mentioned disasters will befall us, but also other, much more grievous ones. Such and even the most bitter calamities will be in hell, and the deprivation of blessings will cause such sorrow, such sorrow and torment, that even if no punishment awaited the sinners here, it in itself would torment and disturb our souls worse than the torments of Gehenna.

11. Imagine the state of that life as far as it is possible to imagine it: for no word can fully depict it, but from what we hear, as from some riddles, we can get some vague idea of it. "They will depart," says (the Scriptures), "[sickness], sorrow, and sighing" (Isaiah 35:10).

The light there is not darkened either by night or by the condensation of clouds; it does not burn or burn bodies, because there is neither night nor evening, nor cold, nor heat, nor any other change of times, but some other state, which only the worthy know; there is neither old age nor the calamities of old age, but all that is perishable has been cast aside, since everywhere incorruptible glory reigns. And what is most important is the uninterrupted enjoyment of communion with Christ, together with the angels, with the archangels, with the heavenly powers. Look now at heaven, and turn your thoughts to that which is above heaven, imagine the transfiguration of all creation: it will no longer remain so, but will be much more beautiful and brighter, and as gold is shining as tin, so much will the structure of that time be better than the present, as Blessed Paul says: "That creation itself shall be freed from slavery to corruption" (Romans 8:21). Now, as a partaker of corruption, it endures many things that are peculiar to such bodies; but then, having put off all this, it will present us with imperishable splendor. Since it must receive incorruptible bodies, it will itself be transformed into a better state. Nowhere will there be strife and strife, because there is great harmony among the saints, with all always being of one mind with one another. There is no need to fear the devil and demonic snares, nor the thunderstorm of Gehenna, nor death - neither this present, nor the one that is much heavier than this; but all such fear is destroyed.

And so that these words do not seem like mere eloquence, let us ascend in thought to the mountain where Christ was transfigured; let us look at Him shining, how He shone forth, although even then He did not yet show us all the radiance of the age to come; From the very words of the Evangelist it is evident that what was revealed then was only condescension, and not an accurate representation of the object. For what does he say? "He shall shine like the sun" (Matthew 17:2). The glory of the incorruptible bodies does not reveal such a light as this perishable body, nor such as is accessible to mortal eyes, but such as is necessary for the contemplation of incorruptible and immortal eyes. And then on the mountain He revealed only as much as it was possible to see without harm to the eyes of those who saw; and in all this they could not bear it, but fell on their faces.