For this reason I do not subject you to a speedy death, so that your deed may not be forgotten; I will make you drag out a life more grievous than death, so that you may know by your own experience what a crime you have committed. "And Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Gen. 4:13). Much and very useful for our salvation can be learned from here, if only we are willing to be attentive. "And Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear." Here is a complete confession! So great, he says, is the sin I have committed, that I cannot receive forgiveness. Behold, he will say, he confessed (sin) and confessed with great accuracy. But there is no benefit from this, beloved, because confession is not timely. It should have been done in due time, when the Judge could be bowed to mercy. Remember now what I said a little while ago, that on that terrible day and at that impartial judgment seat, each of us confessed his sins, having before his eyes those terrible punishments and inevitable torments, but would not receive any benefit from it if he missed the time.

Repentance also has an unspeakable power, until the punishment is determined (at the last judgment). Therefore, I beseech you, as long as this wondrous medicine can be effective, let us make use of it, and while we are still in the present life, let us accept the medicine of repentance, knowing for sure that there will be no benefit to us from repentance when the spectacle is closed and the time of podvigs is over.

4. But let us return to the subject. Cain had to confess his sin at the same time when he was asked by the Lord: "Where is Abel thy brother?" to confess his sin, to fall down (before God), to beg and ask for forgiveness; but at that time he rejected the medicine, and now, after the sentence, when everything is already over, when the blood of the brother lying on the ground has loudly accused him, he confesses and does not receive any benefit from it. Wherefore the prophet also said, "First in the litigation of his right" (Proverbs 18:18). So this one, too, if he had preceded the rebuke of the Lord, might have been worthy of a certain love for mankind because of the infinite goodness of the Lord. There is no sin, no matter how great, that overcomes God's love for mankind, if we repent and ask forgiveness at the right time. "And Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear." Confession is sufficient, but not timely. "And he said, Thou hast now driven me out of the face of the earth, and from thy presence I shall be hidden, and I shall be an exile and a wanderer on the earth; and whosoever shall meet me shall kill me" (Gen. 4:14). See what touching words, but spoken inappropriately and inopportunely, did not have any power (before God). "And he said, Thou hast now driven me out of the face of the earth, and from thy presence I shall be hidden, and I shall be an exile and a wanderer on the earth; and whosoever shall meet me shall slay me." If You, He says, have made me cursed by the earth, if You Yourself have turned away from me and subjected me to such punishment that I will groan and tremble, then nothing will prevent anyone from killing (me) in such a state and deprived of Your blessing. I will be defenseless against anyone who wants to kill me, because I myself cannot defend myself with my paralyzed trembling limbs; moreover, when they learn that I am deprived of Your protection, then anyone who wants to will boldly kill me. What then is the loving and good Lord? "And the Lord God said unto him, Not so" (Gen. 4:15). Don't think, he says, that this will happen. No, it is impossible for anyone who wants to kill you, but by continuing your life I will increase your sorrow, and teach a lesson to the generations that follow, so that your appearance may serve as an admonition to them, and no one will follow your example. "And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain shall be avenged with all his might." Perhaps much has already been said by us, and we have brought (your) body into no small fatigue? But what to do? Seeing your attentiveness and ardent zeal for listening, I want to consider and explain the rest as much as possible. What does it mean: "He will be avenged with all his might"? But again I am afraid lest the abundance of words prevent you from keeping in mind what has been said, and not appear to be a burden to you. If you are not tired, then be patient; Having explained the place that is before us, we will conclude the discourse. "And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain shall be avenged to the fullest. And the Lord made a sign unto Cain, that no man that met him should kill him" (Gen. 4:15) Are you afraid, he says, lest they kill you? Do not be afraid: this will not happen, because whoever does this exposes himself to a punishment seven times greater; for this I also put a sign upon you, so that no one will kill you out of ignorance and be subjected to such a grievous punishment.

5. But it is necessary to show you more clearly how the murderer of Cain is subjected to a sevenfold punishment. Be attentive, I beseech you. If now, when, as we have often said to your love in previous days, it is a time of fasting, and we enjoy such silence and are free from thoughts that disturb our minds, if we do not now consider carefully what is offered in the divine Scriptures, then at what other time can we know this? And so, I advise, beseech and pray, and just now I do not embrace your knees, let us listen to what is said, with a strained mind, so that we may return home with a noble and lofty acquisition. What does it mean: "He will avenge himself fully"? First, the number seven in the divine Scriptures is taken in the meaning of a multitude, and this can be found in many places, for example: "the barren woman gives birth seven times" (1 Samuel 2:5) and the like. And here it is pointed out to you the gravity of the sin, that he (Cain) committed not one sin, but seven sins, and for each sin he had to suffer a great punishment. How do we list them? If we calculate, the first sin was that he envied his brother for God's favor towards him: and this one sin was enough to punish him with death); the second, that he (envied) his own brother; the third – that he used cunning; the fourth – that he committed murder; the fifth, that he had killed his brother; the sixth, that the first committed murder; the seventh, that he had lied to God. Have you had time to remember what was said, or, if you wish, will we enumerate these sins again, so that you may see how each and one of them was sufficient to subject him (Cain) to the greatest punishment? Who will forgive a man who is jealous of another because he enjoys God's favor? Here is one, but the greatest and unforgivable sin. Then this sin is even greater, when a brother is subjected to envy, and one who has not offended in any way: this is again an important sin. The third sin is that (Cain) used cunning, deceived his brother, led him out into the field, and was not ashamed of nature itself. The fourth is the very murder that he committed. The fifth, that he slew his half-brother; the sixth, that he was the first to introduce this kind of murder; the seventh, that, being questioned by God, he dared to lie. Therefore, God says to Cain, whoever tries to kill you is punished seven times over. So don't be afraid of it. Behold, I put upon you also a sign, by which whosoever meets thee shall know thee. Your relaxation for the rest of your life will be useful for the next generation, and what you have done alone without witnesses will be known to all, seeing you groaning and trembling, and this trembling of the body as if saying and calling out to everyone thus: "No one dare to do such a deed as I have done, lest he suffer the same punishment."

6. Hearing this, beloved, let us not merely listen to what has been said, nor only look at it, so that we may gather here every day and enjoy a spiritual meal, for there is no use in hearing alone without doing what we have heard. No, thinking about why Cain brought himself to such an unforgivable and grievous sin – that out of envy of his brother, who had not offended him in any way, he dared to commit such a cruel deed, i.e. to kill his own brother, let us beware not so much that we ourselves do not suffer evil, as that we do not harm others. He really suffers evil who wants to harm his neighbor. And in order that you may be convinced of the justice of this, see here also, who suffered evil, the one who killed or the one who was killed? Obviously, the one who killed. Why? For he who is slain, even to this day is sung by the lips of all, is blessed and crowned as the first martyr for the truth, of which Blessed Paul also says: "After death" Abel "speaks again" (Hebrews 11:4). And even then the murderer led a life more miserable than all men, and in subsequent times he is subjected to universal condemnation and is presented in the divine Scriptures as rejected and cursed by God. And this is still in the real, final life. And what is to follow with both in the age to come, and what will each of them, according to his work, receive from the righteous Judge, blessedness, or contrary to it, what word is he able to depict? No one can depict either these joys or sorrows.

Listen to what Blessed Paul says: "Those who have sinned without the law are outside the law and will perish" (Romans 2:12), i.e. they will suffer a lighter punishment, because they have not received from the law reproof, nor threat, nor correction. "But those who have sinned under the law shall be condemned according to the law." These, that is, as those who acted with the help of the law, will be subjected to the most grievous and intolerable punishments. And rightly so, because neither the law nor the examples of others who have suffered such misfortune have made them more prudent and humble. Therefore, I beseech you, although from now on let us understand the examples of others and direct our lives to obedience to the Lord and obedience to His laws.

Amen.

CONVERSATION 20

"And Cain departed from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden" (Gen. 4:16).

1. And today, turning to what follows from what we have read, let us offer you instruction from here, and let us compose for you the usual discourse from the books of the blessed Moses, or, rather, from the words of the Spirit, which the grace of God has communicated to us through his mouth. But in order that the word may be clearer to you, it is necessary to remind your love of what has already been said, and where we have stopped the teaching, so that now, having begun the discourse with this, we may thus touch upon the beginning of what we have read. And so, you know that we, in reasoning about Abel, both by the events themselves and by the sacrifice made by each of them to the Lord, have shown that it is in our nature to know what we should do and what we should not do, that the Creator of all created us free, that He always either condemns or crowns us, according to our disposition (for this very disposition the sacrifice of one is rejected, and the gifts of the other are accepted)

Have you seen the Lord's love for mankind, how He wanted to punish Cain not only to bring him to his senses, but also to teach all subsequent people to avoid such an audacious act in every possible way?

Now let us pass on to what the blessed prophet tells you today, inspired by the power of the Spirit. When Cain heard the sentence, he "departed," says Moses, "from the presence of the Lord" (Gen. 4:16). What does it mean, "I went from the presence of the Lord"? It means that he lost God's protection for his abominable deed. "And he dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden." The Scriptures also tell us about the place where Cain later settled – it shows that he also settled not far from paradise, so that, living against it, he would constantly remember both what happened to his father for breaking (the commandment), and the importance of his own crime; he was subjected to such a punishment, not understanding the punishment of his father. And the very place where he lived constantly reminded not only him, but also all subsequent people, of trembling and trembling: the name "Nod" is a Hebrew word, and means: Heb. the verb "nud" means to hesitate; exists. "Nod" means: "exile". And so, the Lord placed him there in order that he might see in the very name of the place a rebuke, as if inscribed on a brass pillar. It goes on to say, "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and bore Enoch" (Gen. 4:17). Having already become mortal, people, naturally, took care in every possible way about the birth of children. But perhaps someone will ask: how is it, when the Scripture nowhere mentions another woman, that Cain had a wife? Do not be surprised at this, beloved: the Divine Scripture nowhere makes an exact calculation of the female sex, but, avoiding everything superfluous, briefly mentions men, and even then not all; and about them we are told very briefly, for example, that so-and-so begat sons and daughters, and died. And in the present case, it can be assumed that Eve after Cain and Abel gave birth to a daughter, whom Cain took as his wife. Since this was in the beginning, and meanwhile the human race needed to multiply, it was allowed to marry sisters. Therefore, the Scriptures, leaving it to us to complete the rest ourselves, only says: "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city after the name of his son, Enoch" (Gen. 4:17). See how (people) are already managing little by little. Since they have become mortal, they want to preserve forever the memory of themselves through children, through the names of places to which they were given the nicknames of children. But in all fairness, it can be said that all these are monuments of their sins and the loss of the glory that Adam and Eve enjoyed, which they used did not need any of this, but were above all. "Of Enoch was born," it is said, "Irad begat Mechiael; Mechiael begat Methuselah; Methuselah begat Lamech" (Gen. 4:18). You see how Blessed Moses presented the genealogy in an abbreviated way, mentioning only men, and not remembering a single woman. But just as he said of Cain that he knew his wife, but did not show us whence he got his wife, so here again he says: "And Lamech took for himself two wives, the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other was Zillah. And she gave birth," he says, "to Adah Jabal; he was the father of those who dwelt in tents with flocks" (Gen. 4:20).

2. Pay attention to the accuracy of the Scriptures. It has given us both the names of the sons born of Lamech's wife, and the occupations they had, namely, that one of them took up cattle breeding, and the other invented the bow and the harp. "Zillah also," he says, "begat (Fobel) Tubal-Cain, who was the smith of all instruments of brass and iron" (Gen. 4:22). Again (the Scriptures) showed the occupation of him who was born of Zilla, saying that he chose the blacksmith's trade. See how little by little the well-being of the human race was arranged. And, first, Cain built a city, which he named after his son. Then, of the sons of Lamech, one took up cattle breeding, another took up the blacksmith's trade, a third invented the bow and the harp. "And the sister of Tubal-Cain," says Noemah (ibid.). What news and strangeness is this! Now, for the first time, Scripture mentions a woman separately. It was not simply and not without reason that the blessed prophet did this, but in order to show us something hidden from it, which, however, we will postpone to another time, and now we will continue in order; this remark (about Noah) is not unimportant, but requires considerable study and the most careful interpretation, in order that, having explained everything satisfactorily, we may be able to derive much benefit from it. "And he said," it is said, "Lamech to his wives, 'Adah and Zillah! Listen to my voice; the wives of the Lamechs! Give heed to my words: I have killed a man to my wound, and a child to my wound. If Cain be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy times sevenfold" (Gen. 4:23-24). Exert your mind, I beseech you, and, putting aside all worldly thoughts, let us examine the words with precision, so that nothing may be hidden from us, but so that, descending as far as we are able to into the very depths, we may catch the treasure hidden in these brief words. "And Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah! Listen to my voice; the wives of the Lamechs! Give heed to my words." See how quickly the punishment inflicted on Cain served in his favor. Lamech not only does not wait for another conviction that he has fallen into the same or even more grievous sin, but although no one has accused or denounced him, he himself reveals himself, tells about his deed, explains to his wives the gravity of sin, as if fulfilling what the prophet said: "First in the litigation of his right" (Proverbs 18:18). Confession of sins contributes greatly to their correction, just as the denial of sin, after committing it, constitutes the gravest of sins, which the fratricide experienced, when, being questioned by the loving God, he not only did not confess his crime before Him, but even dared to lie to God, and thereby forced (as a punishment) his life to be prolonged. Lamech, therefore, having fallen into such a sin, and considering that denial would bring upon him the most grievous punishment, summoned his wives, and while no one compelled him to do so, no one rebuked him, confessed his sin with his own lips, and, comparing his act with the crime of Cain, determined his punishment for himself.

Do you see the providence of the Lord, how His very punishments serve as an expression of His love, and how this love is not limited to those who bear the punishment, but prepares saving medicine for others as well, if they want to use it? Otherwise, tell me, how else could Lamech have been forced to make such a confession, if not by the memory of Cain's fate, which constantly troubled his soul? "Said," it is said, "listen to my voice; Give heed to my words." See how he, having opened judgment against himself, exhorts them (his wives) not to listen to his words without heeding, for the words, "Listen to my voice," and "Listen to my words," mean this: Strain your mind, and listen attentively to what I have to say; I will not speak to you of unimportant things, but I will reveal to you the hidden deeds which no one else knows, but only I and that watchful Eye, which, fearing, I hasten and am forced to reveal to you what I have done, and what punishments I have deserved by my impious deeds. "I have killed a man for my wound, and a child for my wound. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy times sevenfold." Significant – very significant are these words and prove the great conscientiousness of (this) man: he not only confesses his transgression and declares the murders he has committed, but even assigns punishment to himself, comparing his sin with the sin of Cain. What excuse, he says, does he deserve who did not understand the punishment of another, but, having a living memory of it, nevertheless committed a double murder? "A man," he says, "he has killed a wound to me, and a child to my wound." It is not so much evil, he says, that I have done to those whom I have killed, as to myself, because I have subjected myself to the inevitable punishment of committing unpardonable sins. If he (Cain) was punished sevenfold for one murder, then I must suffer a punishment seventy-seven times greater. For what, and why? He, although he committed murder, and moreover on his brother, did not see that another who had done it before him, did not see another punished for such a deed and subjected to such wrath (of God): these two circumstances will increase my punishment, because I had before my eyes the crime of Cain, I saw also his terrible punishment, and, nevertheless, I did not understand anything about it. Therefore, even if I had suffered a punishment seventy-seven times greater than he, I would not have received a worthy retribution.