CONVERSATION FOUR.

Exhortation to the people about firmness and patience by the examples of Job and the three youths, and about abstaining from oaths

BLESSED be God, Who has comforted your sorrowful souls, who has calmed your troubled thoughts! And that you have received sufficient consolation, you have shown by your zeal and zeal for listening, because a sorrowful soul and enveloped in a cloud of sorrow cannot willingly listen to instruction, but you, I see, listen to me with great eagerness and with full diligence, shaking away all sorrow and driving away real sorrow with the love of listening.

The square was empty, but the church was filled; this one arouses sorrow, this one gives joy and spiritual joy. And therefore, beloved, when you go out into the square, and sigh when you see her empty, run to your mother, and she will immediately console you with a multitude of her children, show you the full face of her brothers, and drive away all sorrow from you. In the city we look for people, as if we live in the desert, and when we run to church, we are overwhelmed by a multitude of people. When the sea is agitated and furious by a violent storm, fear compels everyone to flee from there to the harbor; so now the waves of the square and the storm of the city compel everyone to flock from everywhere to the church, and bind the members together in a union of love. Let us also thank God that we have received such fruit from sorrow, that temptation has brought us such benefit. Without temptation, there would be no crown; if there were no feats, there would be no rewards; if there were no struggle, there would be no honors; if there were no sorrow, there would be no consolation; If there were no winter, there would be no summer. And this can be seen not only in people, but also in the seeds themselves. And here, in order for a fat ear to grow, we need a lot of rain, a lot of clouds, a lot of cold: the time of sowing is also the time of rain. And now, when the bad weather has come, not in the air, but in the souls, let us also sow, during this bad weather, to reap in the summer; let us sow tears to reap joy. It is not I who say this, but the prophet declares: "Those who sow with tears will reap with joy" (Psalm 125:5). It is not so much the rain that falls on the seeds that helps them to vegetate and grow, as the rain of tears that grows and brings to maturity the seed of godliness; It purifies the soul, irrigates the mind, and helps the seed of the Teaching to grow rapidly. For this it is necessary to make a deep furrow, to which the prophet also convinces, saying: "Plough for yourselves new fields, and do not sow among thorns" (Jeremiah 4:3). As a farmer tears the earth deeply with a plough, preparing a reliable storehouse for seeds, so that, when sown, they do not remain on the surface, but hide themselves in the very bowels of the earth and take root safely: so must we do, and by sorrow, as with a plough, to dig up the depths of the heart. Another prophet convinces to this, saying: "Tear your hearts, and not your garments" (John 2:13). Let us tear our hearts asunder, so that if there is any evil plant and evil thought in us, we may uproot it and cleanse the fields for the seeds of godliness. If we do not renew (the field) now, if we do not sow now, if we do not shed tears now, when we have sorrow and fasting, then at what other time shall we give ourselves over to contrition? Is it in a time of rest and rejoicing? But this is impossible, because peace and joy usually lead to carelessness, while sorrow leads to solicitude, and causes the soul, scattered outward, and distracted by many things, to turn to itself. Let us not be discouraged because of the present calamity, but let us also thank God, for there is much benefit from sorrow. The farmer, having sown the seeds he has collected with great difficulty, prays that it will rain; and he who does not know the matter will look at all this with amazement, and perhaps. he will say to himself: what is this man doing? He scatters what he has gathered, and not only scatters, but also very carefully mixes with the earth, so that it cannot be easily gathered; and not only does he mix it with the earth, but he also prays that it will rain heavily, and that all that is sown will rot and turn into mud. And such a person is anxious when he sees thunder and lightning falling. But the farmer is not so: on the contrary, he rejoices and rejoices when he sees bad weather, because he does not look at the present, but awaits the future, thinks not of thunders, but of sheaves, not of rotting shifts, but of green ears, not of heavy rain, but of the dust on the threshing floor, which is most pleasant to him. In the same way, we will not look at real sorrow and sorrow, but at the benefit that comes from it, at the fruit that it bears. Let us wait for the sheaves on the threshing floor: for if we keep awake, we will be able to gather much fruit during this time, and fill the granaries of our souls. If we begin to watch, then not only will we not suffer any evil from this sorrow, but we will also receive innumerable blessings. But if we are careless, then peace will destroy us. Both harm the careless, but both benefit the diligent one. As gold retains its brilliance when it lies in water, and becomes still brighter when it is thrown into the furnace, clay and hay opposite, and when it falls into the water, the former is dissolved, and the latter rots, and when it falls into the fire, the former dries up, and the latter is burned: so also the righteous and the sinner, the former, and enjoying rest, remains as bright as gold immersed in water; and when he is tempted, he becomes even brighter, like gold tested by fire, but the sinner, even when he tastes rest, melts and rots like hay and clay thrown into water, and when he is tempted, he burns and perishes like hay and clay from fire.

2. Let us not lament the present calamity. If you have sins, they will be easily destroyed and scorched with sorrow. But if you have virtue, it will become brighter and more brilliant from sorrow. If you begin to be constantly vigilant and sober, then you will be above all harm, because the cause of falls, as a rule, is not the nature of temptations, but the carelessness of those who are tempted. Therefore, if you want to be cheerful and enjoy peace and pleasure, do not seek pleasure, nor rest, but try to make your soul have courage and be capable of patience, because if you do not have these qualities, you will not only be overcome by temptation, but even more quickly destroyed and overthrown by peace. And in order to be convinced that it is not the blow of calamities, but the carelessness of our soul that destroys our salvation, listen to what Christ says: "Whosoever heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, I will liken unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock; And the rain fell, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew, and rushed upon that house, and it did not fall, because it was founded on a rock. But whosoever heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; And the rain fell, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew, and fell upon that house; and he fell, and there was a great fall thereof" (Matt. 7:24-27). You see that it was not the blows of temptation, but the foolishness of the builders that was the cause of the fall, because there is rain there and rain there; and there are rivers, and there are rivers; and there are the pressures of the winds, and here it is the same; and this one built, and this one built; the same structure and the same temptations, but the end is not the same, because the foundation is not the same. Thus, it was not the nature of temptations, but the foolishness of the builder who built that was the cause of the fall. Otherwise, the house built on the stone would have fallen; but he did not tolerate anything of the kind. But do not think that this is said about the house: it is about the soul which, hearing the word of God, either confirms it or rejects it by its deeds. Thus Job built the house of his soul: "it began to rain," that is, fire fell from heaven and destroyed all the flocks; "rivers overflowed" - frequent, continuous, one after another heralds of disasters, which spoke of destruction: one - herds, another - camels, a third - children; "blow the winds" - the cruel words of the wife: "blaspheme," she said, "God and die" (Job 2:9); "And he did not fall" – the soul did not stumble, the righteous man did not utter blasphemy, but still gave thanks and said: "The Lord gave, and the Lord took away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" (Job 1:21). Do you see that it is not the nature of temptations, but the negligence of the careless, that is usually the cause of the fall? And sorrow makes the strong even stronger. Who said that? - Brought up in sorrow, blessed Paul; he said: "Out of tribulation proceedeth patience, out of patience experience, out of experience hope" (Romans 5:3-4). As strong trees are not uprooted by gusts of wind, no matter how much they rush at them or attack them from all sides; on the contrary, through these impulses they make them still firmer and stronger: so the holy soul and the pious living are not overthrown by the impulses of temptations and sorrows, but stir them up to even greater patience, just as they made Blessed Job more glorious and venerable. Now man is angry with us, a man who is obsequious and has the same soul as we are, and we are afraid; And then the treacherous and fierce demon was angry with him, and not only was he malicious, but he also raised all sorts of intrigues, used all his deceit, and yet he did not overcome the valiant righteous man. The king, as a man, is angry today and ceases from anger tomorrow, yet we die of fear; And then the devil was at enmity, who is never reconciled with mankind, but wages an irreconcilable battle with our race and an endless war, and nevertheless the righteous man laughed at his arrows. What excuse can we have, or what forgiveness, when we cannot endure human temptation, we who have been taught such wisdom by grace, while he, even before grace, in the Old Testament, so valiantly endured that difficult struggle?

Let us, beloved, always converse with one another about this, and instruct one another with such conversations. You and your conscience are witnesses to how much benefit we have gained from this trial. The incontinent has now become chaste, the insolent more modest, the careless careless; Those who have never seen a church, but have spent all their time at the spectacles, are now in church all day long. Tell me, do you grieve that God through fear has made you diligent, through sorrow has led you to the thought of His salvation? But your conscience is tormented, but your heart is tormented every day, waiting for death and the cruelest execution? And from this we will have a great increase in virtue, since through sorrow our piety increases. God can also stop all disasters today; but He will not cease sorrow until He sees that we have been cleansed, until He sees that there has been a change in us, and that repentance is firm and unshakable. And the goldsmith does not take the gold out of the furnace until he sees that it is well refined. In the same way, God will not remove this cloud until He has completely corrected us. He who has allowed the trial himself knows the time when to put an end to the trial. He who plays the zither does not stretch the string too much, so as not to break it, and does not weaken it too much, so as not to disturb the harmonic harmony; so does God: He does not leave our soul in constant rest, nor in prolonged sorrow, arranging both according to His wisdom. He does not allow us to enjoy rest always, lest we become more careless; but He also does not allow us to be in continuous sorrow, lest we lose heart and fall into despair.

3. Therefore, let us give Him a time for the cessation of calamities, and let us ourselves only pray, let us ourselves live godly; for our business is to turn to virtue, and to put an end to calamities is the work of God. God wants to extinguish this fire more than you, who are subject to trial, but He awaits your salvation. Therefore, just as from rest came sorrow, so from sorrow we must expect rest. Not always winter, and not always summer; not always waves, and not always silence; it is not always night, nor always day: so there is not always sorrow, but there will be peace, if only we will give thanks to God unceasingly in times of tribulation. The three youths were cast into the furnace and, in spite of this, they did not forget their piety, they were not frightened by the flames, but, enveloped in fire, they prayed more diligently than those who sat in the palace and did not tolerate any evil. Wherefore the fire became for them a wall, the flame a garment, and the furnace a fountain; having received them bound, she returned them loose: she took mortal bodies and did not touch them as immortal; she did not know nature, but honored piety. The torturer bound his legs, and his feet bound the power of fire. Oh, wonderful thing! The prisoners were allowed to burn, and then he himself was bound by the prisoners. The piety of the youths changed the nature of things, or rather, it did not change nature, but, what is even more surprising, without changing nature, it stopped (it) action. It did not quench the fire, but forced it, even in its grief, not to exert its power, and, what is also wondrous and wondrous, this happened not only to the bodies of the saints, but also to their clothes and shoes. Like the apostles, Paul's garments drove away diseases and demons, and the shadow of Peter put death to flight; so here also the shoes of these youths extinguished the fire. I don't know how to say it, because a miracle surpasses any story. The fire was both extinguished and did not go out; for when he touched the bodies of the holy youths, then he faded away, and when it was necessary to break the fetters, he did not fade away; and he broke the fetters, but did not touch the heels. You see what a coincidence. The fire did not lose its power, and did not dare to go beyond the fetters. The tormentor chained, and the flame was released, so that you would know both the ferocity of the barbarian and the obedience of the elements. Why did the torturer bind them, intending to throw them into the fire? - So that the miracle would be more majestic, so that the sign would be more wonderful, so that you would not take what is happening for a trick of the eyes. If this fire had not been fire, it would not have burned the fetters, and, what is more, would not have burned the soldiers who were outside the furnace. But now he showed strength on those who were outside, and on those inside the furnace he showed his obedience. And notice everywhere how the devil, by arming himself against the servants of God, destroys his own power, not of his own will, but because the all-wise and well-disposed God turns his weapons and cunning on his own head, which also happened here. The devil, at whose instigation the torturer was then acting, did not permit the saints to be beheaded with the sword, nor to deliver them over to beasts, nor to execute others in any similar way, but inspired them to cast them into the fire, so that even the remains of the holy youths would not be preserved, when their bodies were destroyed and their ashes were mixed with the ashes of the wood. But God turned this very thing to the overthrow of wickedness, and in this way.

Fire is recognized by the Persians as a god, and the barbarians living in that country still worship it. Wherefore God, desiring to bring down wickedness at its very foundation, permitted such a kind of plague, in order to grant victory to his servants before the eyes of all the worshippers of fire, and to convince them by their very deed that the gods of the Gentiles fear not only God, but also the servants of God.

4. Also note how the enemies weave the crown of victory, how the enemies themselves become witnesses of the triumph! "And Nebuchadnezzar sent," says the Scriptures, "to assemble the satraps, the governors, the governors, the chief judges, the treasurers, the lawyers, the magistrates, and all the governors of the province, that they might come to the solemn unveiling of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they were gathered together" (Dan. 3:2-3). The enemy makes a spectacle, gathers the spectators himself, appoints the contest himself; and (constitutes) the spectacle not from accidents, not from ordinary people, not all from the most honorable and rulers, so that their testimony may be more reliable for the people. They were all called together for one thing, and they saw another; they came to worship the image, but departed with contempt for it, being amazed at the power of God, revealed in the miraculous events with the youths. And notice: where the spectacle was arranged. Not in a city, or in any village, but in flat and open fields, this public spectacle is arranged. In the field of Deir, outside the city, an image was set up, and the messenger, passing everywhere, cried out: "It is announced to you, peoples, nations, and tongues: while you hear the sound of the trumpet, the pipe, the harp, the harp, and the symphony, and all the musical instruments, fall down and worship the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar has set up" (and indeed, to worship the idol meant "mouth"); "And whosoever shall not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the fiery furnace" (Dan. 3:4-6). You see what a difficult struggle, what an insurmountable net, what a deep abyss and rapids on both sides! But do not be afraid: the more intrigues the enemy uses, the more he will reveal the courage of the youths. For this purpose the harmony of so many musical instruments was prepared, for this the furnace was kindled, so that the souls of the spectators might be seized either by pleasure or by fear. Who is firm and unyielding? Let the charming melody of harmonious music soften it, said the tormentor. Is it worth it above this network? Let the sight of the flame frighten and strike him. Thus both fear and pleasure worked: pleasure crept into the soul through hearing, fear through sight. However, neither the one nor the other defeated the courage of the youths; but as they were cast into the fire, they overcame the flames, so they laughed at all pleasure and fear. All this the devil had prepared for them, because he did not doubt the king's subjects, on the contrary, he was firmly convinced that none of them would oppose the king's command. But when all have fallen and have been defeated, then only the youths are brought into the middle, so that the victory may be more brilliant because of this, that they are victorious and triumphant among such a multitude of people. It would not have been so surprising if they had shown courage in appearing first, before anyone stumbled.

Look also at the malice of the accusers, how they both cunningly and cruelly accused the youths: "There are," they say, "men of Judah, whom you have appointed over the affairs of the land of Babylon" (Dan. 3:12). Not only did they remind them of their origin, but they also mentioned honor, in order to kindle the king's anger; It is as if they were saying: slaves, captives, deprived of their fatherland, you have made our leaders, and they despise this honor, and insult him who has honored them with such an honor. Therefore they say: "These men do not obey thy commandment, O king, nor serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Dan. 3:12). This accusation is the greatest praise; These reproaches are approval and testimony beyond doubt, because it is presented by the enemies themselves! What about the king? He commanded them to be brought out into the middle in order to frighten them in every way; but nothing shook them, neither the anger of the king, nor the fact that they stood alone in the midst of such a multitude, nor the sight of the fire, nor the sound of the trumpets, nor the fact that everyone looked at them with eyes sparkling like fire; but having laughed at all this, they, as if about to throw themselves into the streams of a cool spring, entered the furnace, pronouncing these blessed words: "We will not serve thy gods, neither will we worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Dan. 3:18). It is not without purpose that I have told this story, but that you may be convinced that neither the wrath of the king, nor the cunning of the soldiers, nor the envy of the enemies, nor captivity, nor the wilderness, nor fire, nor the furnace, nor a thousand calamities, nothing can conquer or frighten the righteous. If where the king was impious, the youths were not afraid of the wrath of the torturer; how much more should we, who have a king who loves mankind and is meek, not lose heart, but thank God for this sorrow, having learned from what has been said that sorrows make more glorious, both before God and before men, those who know how to endure them courageously. If the youths had not become slaves, we would not have known of their freedom; if they had not become captives, we would not have understood the nobility of their souls; if they had not lost their homeland, we would not have learned that they are worthy of the heavenly homeland by virtue; if the earthly king had not been angry with them, we would not have understood the good will of the King of Heaven towards them.

5. Therefore, if He is pleased with you, do not despair, even if they cast you into the furnace; and if He is angry, do not give yourself over to presumption, even though you are in paradise. Adam was in paradise, but as he angered God, paradise did nothing to help him; the youths were in the furnace, but how they pleased (God) that the furnace did not harm them. Adam was in paradise, and he fell, because he became careless; Job sat on a festering pot, and conquered, because he was vigilant. How many times is paradise better than festering?.. Yet the superiority of the dwelling did not help the inhabitant when he gave himself up, just as the uncleanliness of the place did not harm him who was guarded on all sides by virtue. Let us also strengthen our souls, and then we will be the most blessed of all, even if the loss of wealth and even death reach us, if only no one steals our piety from us. This was also commanded by Christ, saying: "Be ye wise as serpents" (Matt. 10:16). Like a serpent, he is ready to lose his whole body in order to save his head; so do not lose heart, even if you have to lose wealth, even if you have to lose your body, even if you have real life, even if you have everything, even if you preserve piety: for if you depart with it, God will restore everything to you in greater splendour, and will resurrect your body in greater glory, and instead of riches He will give you such blessings that no word can express. Did not Job sit naked on a festering pit, leading a life that is more painful than a thousand deaths? But since he did not abandon piety, he again received in abundance all the former things - health and beauty of body, all the composition of children, possessions, and, what is most important, a resplendent crown of patience. As it happens with trees, that even if someone plucks the fruit with leaves, even if he cuts off all the branches, but if the root remains, the tree grows again in perfect integrity and even greater beauty; so it is with us: if the root of piety remains, then, even if wealth is taken away, even if the body is upset, everything returns to us again with greater glory. Therefore, abandoning all spiritual anxiety and excessive solicitude, let us turn to ourselves, and adorn both body and soul with the beauty of virtue, "presenting the members" of our body "as instruments of righteousness" and not "as instruments of iniquity" (Romans 6:13); And first of all, let us accustom the tongue to be a servant of spiritual grace, spewing out from the mouth every poison of backbiting and foul language. It is in our power to make each member an instrument of both deceit and truth. Listen to how they have made their tongue an instrument of sin, and others an instrument of righteousness: "their tongue" is a "sharp sword" (Psalm 56:5); and another says of his own tongue: "My tongue is the reed of a scribe" (Psalm 44:2). That tongue committed murder, and this one wrote the divine law, and therefore this one was a sword, and this one a reed, not by its own nature, but by the will of those who used it; the nature of both is the same, but the action is not one. And in relation to the mouth one can again see the same thing. The lips of some were full of rottenness and deceit, and therefore the one who rebuked them said: "Their lips" are "full of curses, deceit, and lies" (Psalm 9:28), but his own mouth is not so; nay, "my mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditations of my heart shall be knowledge" (Psalm 48:4). Others, again, had their hands defiled by iniquity, and condemning them, he again said: "Who have wickedness in their hands, and whose right hand is full of bribery" (Psalm 25:10); and his hands were not exercised in anything else but to reach out to heaven, which is why he said of them: "The lifting up of my hands is like an evening sacrifice" (Psalm 140:2). And in relation to the heart, one can again see the same thing. Their heart is vain, but his heart is true, and therefore of their heart he says: "Their heart is vain" (Psalm 5:10), and of his own: "A good word has poured out of my heart" (Psalm 44:2). The same can be seen in relation to hearing. They had a beastly hearing, merciless and implacable, and condemning them, he said: "Like a deaf adder that stops its ears" (Psalm 57:5); but his hearing was the receptacle of the Word of God, which he showed when he said: "I will incline my ear to the parable, and with the harp I will reveal my riddle" (Psalm 48:5).

b. Therefore, knowing this, let us guard ourselves on all sides with virtue, and thereby turn away the wrath of God. Let us make the members of our body instruments of righteousness; let us accustom the eyes, and the mouth, and the hands, and the feet, and the heart, and the tongue, and the whole body to serve one virtue. Let us also remember the three commandments of which I spoke to your love, when I urged you not to be at enmity with anyone, not to speak ill of anyone who has offended you, and to cast out from your lips the sinful habit of swearing. We will speak of the other two commandments at another time, and throughout this week we will speak to you about oaths, beginning with an easier commandment. It is not at all difficult to overcome the habit of swearing, if we want to make at least a little effort, reminding each other, admonishing each other, reprimanding each other, and subjecting those who forget to punishment and responsibility. And what good is it for us to abstain from food, if we do not expel vicious habits from the soul? Now we have spent the whole day without food, and in the evening we will set ourselves a meal, unlike yesterday, but different, more modest. But can any of us say that today he has changed his life, as well as his meal, that he has abolished the vicious habit, as well as food? I don't think so. What is the use of fasting for us? Therefore, I urge and will not cease to persuade you, taking each commandment separately, to use two or three days to fulfill it. Others compete with each other in abstaining from food, and enter into a wondrous competition among themselves: some spend two whole days without food, while others, having removed from their table not only wine and oil, but also all concoctions, use only bread and water during the whole of Great Lent. In the same way, we will begin to compete with each other in order to eradicate the use of oaths: this is more useful than any fasting, it is more beneficial than any strict life. Let us show in abstaining from oaths the same diligence that we apply to abstaining from food; otherwise we will be accused of extreme foolishness, that we do not pay attention to what is forbidden, but show all concern for indifferent things. It is forbidden not to eat, but it is forbidden to swear; and we, by refusing what is permitted, encroach on what is forbidden. Therefore, I ask your love to make some kind of change, and show us the beginning of it from here. If we spend the present fast with such zeal that this week we cease to swear altogether, the next week we will extinguish our anger, the next week we will eradicate backbiting, and in the future we will correct ourselves in many other things; then, ascending higher and higher by this path, little by little we will reach the very summit of virtue. Then we will avoid the present danger, and propitiate God; and the multitude of people will return to our city, and now we will teach those who have fled to entrust the hope of our salvation - not to places of safety, not to some kind of refuge and solitude, but to spiritual piety and good morals. In this way we will attain both earthly and heavenly blessings, which may we all be worthy of, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ABOUT STATUES

CONVERSATION FIVE