These (poor) people will help you most of all to carry (your treasures) there, so that when you move there, you will find everything ready, and there you will enjoy even greater abundance, seeing that these (your treasures) have been increased by those who have carried them there, or, rather, by the goodness of God. Is it difficult? Does it require worries and worries? For such a transfer, you do not need any beasts, or guards, or anything of the kind, because neither a thief nor a robber walks this way, who could steal the treasures you have sent; whatever you put in the hands of the poor, you put it all in a safe storehouse – in the hand of God. He will keep them intact, and when you return to your homeland, He will return them to you, glorify and crown you, and settle you in a spacious and peaceful place. Therefore, I beseech you, let us give the surplus to the poor, let us sow while there is still time: so that we may reap in the time of need, and so that those who have missed the present convenient time may not repent in vain. Did the humane Lord give you much so that you would use what was given to you only for your own benefit, and lock the rest in chests and storerooms? No, not for this, but so that, according to the Apostle's admonition, your excess may make up for the shortcomings of others (2 Corinthians 8:14). Perhaps you make extra use of it, you spend a lot of money on amusements, on clothing, and on other luxuries, and partly on slaves and animals, and the poor ask of you not for anything superfluous, but only to satisfy his hunger and to satisfy the necessary need, to have daily bread in order to sustain his life and not to die. And you do not want to do this, and do not think that death can suddenly snatch you away, and then everything you have gathered will remain here and, perhaps, pass into the hands of your enemies and enemies, and you yourself will depart, taking with you only all the sins with which you collected them.

Amen.

CONVERSATION 21

"This is the genealogy of Adam: When God created man, in the likeness of God created him, male and female he created them, and blessed them, and called their name man, in the day that they were created" (Gen. 5:1-2).

1. A great and ineffable treasure, beloved, (consists) in the present reading. I know that many, listening to the enumeration of names and superficially looking at what they have read (from the Scriptures), think that these words contain nothing more than the simple names of names; but I beseech all of you not to overlook what is offered in the Divine Scriptures, because all that is written here contains a great wealth of thought. Since the blessed prophets spoke under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, therefore the sacred books written by the Spirit contain in them a hidden treasure. And do not be surprised that in enumerating the names I now promise to show you a great hidden wealth of thoughts: in the Scriptures there is not a single syllable, not a single feature, in the depths of which there is not a great treasure. Therefore, we must approach the divine words only when we are guided by grace from above and have received enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. In order to understand what is contained in the divine Scriptures, it is not human wisdom that is needed, but the revelation of the Spirit, so that we, having learned the true meaning of what is written, may receive great benefit from it. If, too, in the affairs of life, the writings composed by men, being damaged by time, derive great significance from the designation of the time at the beginning of this written monument, and from even from its syllable, how much more can this be found in the divine Scriptures composed by the Holy Spirit, if only we are attentive and do not run through it superficially, but, having strained our minds, consider everything carefully and do not yield to those who are not inferior in this. who show so much zeal for sensual objects. So those who dig ore do not stop at the surface, but, having descended very deep and finding grains of sand of gold, with great difficulty and effort separate them from the ground, and after such great labor they receive, however, a small reward for their labors. Although they know that they receive benefits that do not correspond to their labors, and often, after great vigils and efforts, they are completely deceived in their expectation, yet they do not stop there, but, nourished by hope, they do not feel the labors. Thus, if they show so much zeal for perishable, transient, and very uncertain things, then we, to whom it is impossible to be deceived in our expectations, are we who are offered both inalienable riches and inexhaustible treasures, all the more so that we need to have the same and even greater zeal, so that we may achieve what we desire, and, having received benefit from it, and knowing God's ineffable love for mankind, we will be grateful to our Lord, and having thereby attracted His favor to themselves, they became elusive to the snares of the devil. Therefore, having offered you the words now read, let us carefully examine each of them, so that you may return home having received the usual instruction. "This is the genealogy," it is said, "of Adam: when God created man, in the likeness of God created him, male and female created them, and blessed them, and called their name man, in the day that they were created." Pay attention to the wisdom of this wondrous prophet, or, better, to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, because by His (the Holy Spirit's) inspiration he tells us about everything; he gave his tongue, and through it the grace of the Spirit clearly teaches our race everything. See, then, how (Moses) has turned his word to the beginning, and as if he wants to begin the narrative again. For what and why? He saw that those who were already alive at that time showed great ingratitude (before God) and, not being wise in the fate of the first created, fell into the very abyss of evil: the son (of Adam) immediately, out of envy, rushed to fratricide, for which he was subjected to that terrible punishment of which we previously informed your love; and his (Cain's) descendants, not understanding his punishment, fell into even greater sins, as you heard yesterday about Lamech, who tells his sin to his wives and determines his punishment. And so, as he saw that their wickedness was gradually increasing, like a noxious moisture ready to be poured out over the whole body, he stopped the desire of evil, and did not even deign to mention the generations that were from Cain to Lamech, but, as it were, making a certain beginning, and desiring to comfort Adam and Eve in the tribulation which the fratricide had dared to inflict on them by arming his hand against Abel, thus begins the narrative and says: "This is the genealogy of Adam: when God created man, in the likeness of God created him, male and female he created them, and blessed them, and called their name man, in the day that they were created."

2. See how he used the same words that he used at the beginning, in order to impress upon us that he does not deign to mention those generations as useless, but begins his genealogy with him who is now born, that is, with Seth, so that you may know from here how much God cares for the human race, and how he abhors bloodthirsty people. Moses is silent about them, as if they did not even live, and by this he gives us an understanding of how great the evil of sin is, and how those who love it do themselves the greatest harm. These people are also excluded from the (genealogy) list, and if they are mentioned, it is only so that their impiety may be exposed to shame and serve as an admonition for future generations, and he who was unlawfully killed and killed by his brother's hand has been sung by all since that time until now, and time has not destroyed the memory of this (Abel), nor has it ceased the shame of that (Cain); but just as this one is praised by everyone every day, so he is constantly condemned.

"This is the genealogy," it is said, "of Adam: when God created man, in the likeness of God created him, male and female created them, and blessed them, and called their name man, in the day that they were created." See how the divine Scriptures, beginning again from above, remind us of the honor that was bestowed upon man. "When God," it is said, "created man, in the likeness of God He created him," that is, He made him the ruler of all things visible. The expression "in the likeness" indicates precisely power and dominion. The God of all, just as He Himself had power over all things, both visible and invisible, being the Creator of all things, so having created this rational being (man), He willed that He should have power over all things visible. That is why He also gave him a soul, so that he would also be immortal forever. But when (man) through carelessness fell and transgressed the commandment given to him, (God), in His love for mankind, did not turn away from him completely, but, having deprived him of immortality and condemned him to death, left him with almost the same power. When, later, his son fell into such a great frenzy, and was the first to commit murder, caused [his brother] a violent death, and revealed great depravity in himself, adding falsehood to the murder, then (God) wanted to bring him to reason with a long punishment, so that not only he himself would benefit from the punishment that had befallen him, but also show his descendants how great was his crime and excessive iniquity. But since his descendants, through great carelessness, gradually fell into great iniquities, (God), wishing to console Adam, as it were, was in such great sorrow, not only because of his own transgression, but also because of the iniquity of Cain and that unbearable misfortune [of course, of course, the death of Abel], which he saw with his own eyes [for they (the first people) did not yet know, how they die, although they have already undergone the sentence of death; and Adam's sorrow was double and threefold because they saw death appearing for the first time in the world, a violent death wrought by their son, and moreover inflicted on a brother born of one mother and one father, and having done no evil], so desiring to give him consolation commensurate with his sorrow, the loving God grants him another son, Seth, and thus sufficiently comforting him, – from this son the origin of the family already leads. For this reason the blessed prophet began thus: "This is the genealogy of Adam." Then, since he promised to tell about the offspring of men, see which one keeps the order. "Adam lived," he says, "a hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his own image, and called his name Seth. The days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Adam's life were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died" (vv. 3-5).

3. Was it not true that I said at the beginning that in the Divine Scriptures nothing is to be found written simply and in vain? And now with what precision this blessed prophet expressed himself. "He begat (Adam)," he says, "after his own likeness, after his own image, and called his name Seth." And about the one who was born before, that is, about Cain, he said nothing of the kind, already making it known in advance about his inclination to evil; and rightly so: Cain did not preserve the morals of his fathers, but immediately deviated to evil. Here Moses says: "In his likeness, after his own image," that is, (Adam begat a son) of the same kind to the one who begat him, with the same virtuous qualities, manifesting in himself through his deeds the image of the father, who is able by his virtue to reward the crime of the eldest (son). Here the Scripture, when it says, "In its likeness, after its image," does not tell us about bodily features, but about the state of the soul, so that we may know that this son (Seth) will not be the same (as Cain). Wherefore the mother, giving the name to this son, gives it with gratitude, and attributes the birth of the child not to nature and her own ability to beget, but to the power of God, which stirred up nature to beget, and says: "And she called his name Seth, because," she said, "God hath given me another seed in the place of Abel, whom Cain slewed" (Gen. 4:25). See how precise the words are. She did not say, "God gave me, but raise me up." Notice how this expression has since been indicated, though not clearly, the beginnings of the resurrection. It was as if she were saying: "Instead of the dead, he raised him up for me." Though he, he says, fell to the ground by his brother's hand and was subjected to death, yet the power of God raised him up in place of the fallen one. Since the time of the resurrection had not yet come, God did not raise up the fallen, but another in his place, wherefore Eve says: "God hath laid me another seed in place of Abel, whom Cain killed." Did you see your wife's gratitude? Have you seen the Lord's love for mankind – how soon did He give them (Adam and Eve) consolation? Let us all imitate Eve and attribute everything to the highest grace, because although nature also acts, it is not by its own power, but in obedience to the command of the Creator. And let women never complain if they do not give birth, but with grateful hearts let them run to the Creator of nature and ask (childbearing) from Him, the Lord of nature: let the birth of children not be ascribed to conjugal cohabitation or anything else, but to the Creator of all, Who, as He called your nature from non-existence into existence, is able to correct its defects. So Eve turned the very thing that was the cause of her sorrow into an inducement to praise, and attributes everything to the Lord, saying: "God has put me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." Do you see how she not only did not murmur or say a single sad word (the Divine Scriptures would not have omitted if she had said anything of the kind), but on the contrary, having magnanimously endured misfortune, she is vouchsafed a speedy consolation and shows even greater gratitude, proclaiming the good deeds of the Lord? See with what generosity the Lord also bestows His gifts. Not only did He give another son, but He also shows in advance that this son will also be virtuous. "He begat [a son] in his likeness, after his image." And in order that we may be immediately convinced of the virtue of this son, see how he himself expresses his God-loving soul in the name of his own son. "And Seth also had a son, and he called his name Enos; then they began to call upon the name of the Lord" (Gen. 4:26). Here is a name that is lighter than a diadem, more brilliant than a purple! What can be more blessed than a man who adorns himself with the invocation of God, and bears this very (invocation) instead of a name?

Do you see how in the simplest names, as I said at the beginning, a great wealth of thought is hidden? Here (in the names of the children) not only the piety of the parents is manifested, but also their great concern for their children, just as they taught the children born to them from the very beginning to cling to virtue by the very names they gave them, and not as they now give names, simply and as it happens. Let the child be called by the name of the grandfather or great-grandfather; But the ancients did not do so: they tried in every way to give their children such names as would not only arouse to virtue the ones who received these names, but would also serve as an instruction in all wisdom for all others and for subsequent generations. We will see this further in the course of the word. Let us not assign accidental names to children, let us not give them the names of fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and people famous by birth, but the names of holy men, who shone forth in virtue, who acquired great boldness from God. However, neither parents nor children who receive names should rely on these names, because a name without virtue does not bring any benefit.

That is why Christ also said to His disciples: "When you have done all that is commanded you, say, We are worthless servants" (Luke 17:10). Thus He humbles their minds and inspires them to be modest and not to be exalted by good works, but to know that the greatest of all virtues is that a virtuous man should remain humble.

4. But let us return again to the subject of the word, and look at those who were born in the following time. It is to be hoped that, little by little, we shall find a still greater treasure, a great and unspeakable riches. "Enos," this son of Seth, "lived ninety years, and begat Cainan. Cainan ... begat Mahalaleel. Mahalaleel ... begat Jared. Jared... begat Enoch. And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah. And Enoch, says the Scripture, walked with God, after begat Methuselah, three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, because God took him" (Gen. 5:9, ... 24.) Did I not truly say that if we go further, we shall find in these names a great and ineffable spiritual wealth? Notice here, beloved, the virtue of the righteous man, and the excessive love of humanity of the good God, and the accuracy of the Divine Scriptures. "Enoch lived," it says, "sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked," he says, "with God, after the birth of Methuselah."

Hear this, both men and women, learn the virtue of the righteous, and do not think that marriage hinders the pleasing of God. For this reason the Divine Scripture pointed out this repeatedly, saying that (Enoch) begat Methuselah, and then pleased (God), and again repeating the same thing: so that no one should think that marriage hinders pleasing God. If we are watchful, then neither marriage, nor upbringing, nor anything else can hinder us from pleasing God. So he (Enoch), being of the same nature with us, and (living then) when the law was not yet given, the Scriptures did not teach, and nothing else led to wisdom, of his own accord and of his own free will so pleased (God) that he is still alive and has not tasted death. If, beloved, marriage and the education of children were an obstacle to virtue, then the Creator of all things would not have introduced marriage into our lives, so that we would not suffer harm in the things necessary and most necessary. But since (marriage) not only does not hinder us in a God-pleasing life, if we wish to be awake, but also provides us with a great aid in taming the ardent nature, not allowing the sea to be agitated, but constantly urging the boat to sail to the harbor, therefore God has granted such consolation to the human race. And that my words are just, this righteous man proves. "And Enoch," says the Scripture, "walked with God, after the birth of Methuselah"; moreover, he asceticized in virtue for a considerable number of years, but, as the Scriptures say, two hundred years. And since, after the transgression of the first-created, there was found a man who ascended to the very height of virtue, and by his pleasing to God rewarded the sin of the progenitor, behold the excessive love of mankind of the good God. As He found a man who could compensate for Adam's sin, He also relocates him alive, showing by His very deed that He condemned the one who accepted the commandment (Adam) for breaking it, and not out of a desire to put our race to death. "And Enoch walked," says the Scriptures, "before God; and he was gone, because God took him." Do you see the wisdom of the Lord? He transposed (or transmigrated) the living, and did not grant immortality, so as not to weaken the fear of sin in the human race; He left (this fear) in all its power among people. Therefore, He wants to vaguely and secretly, so to speak, cancel the sentence pronounced on Adam. But he does not do this openly, so that fear may serve as admonition. Therefore, He changed the well-pleased Enoch. And if anyone wants to be curious and ask: where did he move him, and is he still alive, then let him learn not to be carried away by human considerations and not to inherit with curiosity the works of God, but to believe what is said (in the Scriptures). When God declares something, it should not contradict His words, but what is proclaimed from God, even if it is not visible to the eyes, should be considered more reliable than what is subject to our eyes. That God transmigrated Enoch, transmigrated alive and did not taste death, so that for his pleasing (to God) he became higher than the sentence pronounced on the human race, the divine Scripture said about this; but whither he moved him, and how he now lives, this did not add. Have you seen the goodness of the Lord, how He, having found a virtuous man, did not deprive him of the dignity that He had bestowed on the first man before transgressing the commandment, and thereby gave us to understand that he, too, if he had not preferred to deceive this commandment, would have been worthy of the same, or even greater blessings? "Methuselah," says the Scripture, "lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begat Lamech; And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begat a son, and called his name Noah, saying, He shall comfort us in our work, and in the labor of our hands, in the cultivation of the land which the Lord has cursed" (Gen. 5:25,28-29). See again in the name of the one now born of Lamech the greatness of the mysteries, the lofty prophecy and the ineffable love of humanity of the good God. Since, by his foreknowledge, he foresaw the future, seeing that the wickedness of men was multiplying, by the name of his son he foretold the calamities that would befall the whole human race, so that men, having come to their senses, at least by fear, might refrain from sin and turn to virtue. Notice also the long-suffering of the Lord: how many years in advance He gives a prophecy in order to show His love for mankind and to take away all excuse from those who will be punished!

But perhaps someone will say: Where did Lamech get such a great gift of divination? For the Scriptures do not mention that he was a virtuous and wonderful man. Do not be surprised, beloved: the Lord, all-wise and skillful, often allows unworthy people to predict wondrous and great things, and this is not only in the old, but also in the new testament. Listen to what the Evangelist says about Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest: "And he did not say these things of his own accord, but being high priest for that year, he foretold that Jesus would die for the people, and not only for the people, but also to gather together the children of God who were scattered together" (John 11:51-52). You will find again that something similar happened to Balaam. Being called to curse the (Jewish) people, he not only did not curse, but also predicted great and wonderful things, not only about this people, but also about the coming of the Savior (Num. 24). Do not be surprised that even now, Lamech, giving his son a name, gives him such a name (Noah); but ascribe all things to God, Who arranges all things by His skilful wisdom. "And he called his name Noah," and this name means: rest. Thus (Lamech) calls rest that universal destruction which was to take place after so many years, just as Job says: "[For what light is given] to a man whose way is closed, and whom God has surrounded with darkness?" (for death to the husband is peace – in the Slavonic text) (Job 3:23). For since wickedness causes much and very great difficulty, its cessation and destruction, which was to be accomplished by means of the flood, is called rest. "And he called his name," he says, "Noah," then, explaining to us the meaning of this name, he says: "He will comfort us in our work, that is, he will turn us away from wickedness, and in the labor of our hands in [cultivating] the land," – again the same thing, that is, from evil deeds. The Scriptures speak of this not because the hands were sorrowful, but because through their activity and evil deeds the sorrows of people were multiplied. And from "the land which the Lord cursed" – that is, He will free us from all the calamities that weigh upon us, from the labors and sorrows that are inseparable from the cultivation of the land, which was cursed for the transgression of the first man. Think now, beloved, how this child, growing little by little, served as a lesson for all who saw him. As soon as someone asked about the name of this child, the meaning of the name immediately told him about the impending death of people. If someone, by inspiration, simply said that it would happen, such a prediction would be forgotten, and not everyone would know about the heavy punishment; and now this man, who lived before the eyes of all, timely and untimely reminded everyone of the wrath of God. And in order that we may know exactly how long this son (of Lamech) by his name exhorted everyone to forsake wickedness, to cling to virtue, and thereby to escape so great the wrath of God, (the Scriptures) says: "Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth" (Gen. 5:32). And so another righteous man, with his wife and children, was very pleasing to God, choosing, in spite of all (his contemporaries), the path of virtue, and did not encounter any obstacle either from marriage or from the upbringing of children. But at the same time, one cannot help but be amazed at the ineffable long-suffering of God, and at the extreme ingratitude of the people of that time. For five hundred years this righteous man cried out and testified in his name about the flood that was to take place throughout the whole world for the increase of wickedness, and at the same time, however, they did not want to abandon wickedness. But the human-loving God, even after such a prophecy, and after so many years, does not yet subject Him to punishment, but, wishing to show greater patience, adds to the measure of His condescension a considerable number of years. He did not create the human race to punish it, but, quite the contrary, to grant it the enjoyment of innumerable blessings. That is why you see how He slows down and postpones punishments everywhere. But in order not to burden your memory with a multitude of objects, let us stop the word here, postponing the rest until the next day.

6.