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.

It is the custom of many to say this when we exhort them to strive for virtue, or to diligently exercise themselves in the reading of the Scriptures. It is none of my business, they say; Have I renounced the world, am I a monk? What sayest thou, man? Are monks alone destined to please God? God "wills that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4), and does not want anyone to neglect virtue. Listen to what He Himself says through the prophet: "Do I desire the death of the wicked? … Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23). Tell me, was this righteous man in any way hindered by cohabitation with his wife or the care of children? In the same way, I beseech you, let us not deceive ourselves, but the more we are burdened with these cares, the more we will receive healing from the reading of the Divine Scriptures. After all, these people were of the same nature as us; moreover, they did not have so many motives disposing to virtue.

If we continue to proclaim this spiritual teaching to you every day, and you continue to be careless, what will be the use of uninterrupted instruction to you? And what consolation will there be for us when we see that our great work remains useless and there is no true success from our efforts? For, tell me, are we not composed of two natures, that is, of soul and body? Why then do we not take the same care of both, but try to serve the body in every possible way, and give money to the doctors

Wherefore, thou who dost take such great care of the body, wherefore and why dost thou take so little care of the soul, and wilt neither give it its proper nourishment, that is, instruction from the divine Scriptures, nor apply useful medicines to its wounds and sores, which destroy its strength and weaken its vigor, on the contrary, thou hast neglected it, when it is faint from hunger, and from the plagues it decays, and serves as a prey, as it were to dogs, to evil and impure thoughts, which tear it to pieces and break all its strength?

Why do we not take care of the incorporeal and invisible soul as much as the visible body, while caring for it is not only convenient and easy, but also requires no expense and no labor? Thus, as regards the care of the body and the healing of bodily diseases, it is necessary to spend a great deal of money, partly on physicians, partly on all other necessities, that is, on food and clothing, not to mention the fact that very many people spend them with great immoderation even beyond need. And in relation to the soul, nothing of the kind is needed, but if, just as you deliver food to the body every day and spend money on it, you want not to allow the soul to perish from hunger, but you will give it appropriate food, that is, instruction from the Scriptures and from spiritual instruction ("not by bread alone," says the Scriptures, "man shall live, but by every word, proceeding out of the mouth of God" – Matt. 4:4), then you will dispose of it in the best possible way and give due attention to what is most precious to us. Therefore, just as you provide the body with various garments, taking into account the different seasons of the year and the variety of garments, so do not allow the soul to walk naked without good works, clothe it also with decent clothing: through this you will immediately restore it and bring it back to its natural state of health. What is this garment of the soul? Alms and generosity to the poor: this is the most beautiful garment of the soul, this is its bright garment. And if you wish not only to provide her with clothing, but also to adorn her like a body, then add the aid of prayer and confession of sins, and do not cease to wash her face with incessant tears. Just as you wash your bodily face every day with all care, so that no impurity that disfigures it is seen on it, so try to deal with the soul, and wash it every day, shedding hot tears. Washing away impurity from itself with this (tearful) water, the soul becomes brighter and brighter. And since very many women, out of great effeminacy, despising the commandment of the Apostles, which commands not to adorn themselves with braiding (hair), or gold, or pearls, or precious garments (1 Timothy 2:9), adorn themselves with great luxury, and not only wives, but also pampered men bring themselves to the weakness of their wives, putting rings on their hands, and adorning themselves with many costly stones, which they ought to be ashamed of, and blush, then let both these and those, having listened to our words, rather turn these jewels, which do much harm to both husbands and wives, to adorn the soul and adorn it with them. Put on the body, even if beautiful, they make it ugly; on the contrary, those placed on the soul, even an ugly one, give it great beauty. But how, you say, is it possible to put these jewels on the soul? Again by the hands of the poor: they, receiving (almsgiving), impart beauty to the soul (of the giver). Give them your jewels and scatter them in their wombs, and they will bring such beauty to your soul that you will attract to you the true Bridegroom by your appearance, and you will gain innumerable blessings: having attracted the Lord to you with this beauty, you will have the source of all blessings and possess untold riches. And so, if we wish to be pleasing to the Lord, then, abandoning the care of adorning the body, let us take care of the beauty of the soul every day, so that we may also attract for ourselves the goodwill of the loving God and receive unspeakable blessings, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory, dominion, and honor to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 22

"Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. When men began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them" (Gen. 5:32, 6:1).

I want to offer you today the remnants of yesterday's meal; but do not be grieved, beloved, listening to what remains. Of course, sensual foods, after a day or two, often spoil and become unpleasant and unfit for food, and with regard to the spiritual meal one should not be afraid of this; on the contrary, the more time passes, the more pleasant they become, and the fresher and tastier they become. So let us fulfill the promise we made yesterday by our very deeds, let us pay the debt of instruction and show honesty. This benefits not only those who receive, as is the case with (ordinary) debts, but also me, who pay the debt. And what do I say, To me, who pay? The nature of this spiritual debt is such that the more it is paid, the more it increases, and the more it brings abundance and unspeakable wealth to both the giver and the receiver. Do you see the extraordinary nature of the debt and the special kind of payment? Such is the spiritual: when it is distributed, it multiplies still more, and the greater the number communicated, the more it increases, so that even the giver does not feel any loss, on the contrary, his possessions still increase, and those who receive become richer. And if this is the nature of spiritual things, then with all diligence we will hasten to pay, and you prepare your ears to receive them, so that each of you may receive our words into the holes of the bosom of the soul and return home with it. The subject of our discussion will again be the righteous Noah, so that you may know his great virtue and God's ineffable love for mankind and longsuffering, which surpasses all understanding. Yesterday you learned how this righteous man, having received his name from his father, from his very birth was for all the people of that time a harbinger of misfortunes, and in his name he cried out and spoke thus: forsake wickedness, do virtue, fear the threatening punishment; A general flood will befall the entire universe. The wrath (of God) is very strong, because wickedness has also increased greatly. And so he exhorted, not for two or three years, but for five hundred years. Have you seen the long-suffering of the Lord? Have you seen immeasurable goodness? Have you seen the unspeakable condescension? Have you seen the multiplication of wickedness? Did you see their great recklessness? This, as you know, was the end of our sermon yesterday. Today it is necessary to learn how the humane Lord, in His goodness, did not limit Himself to five hundred years, but also showed a new experience, care for such great sinners. "Noah was," says the Scripture, "five hundred years old." The divine Scripture purposely indicated the number of years of the righteous man, so that we might see how long he exhorted his contemporaries, and how they, having chosen the path of impiety, perished on it, while the righteous man, following a completely opposite path, showed such a high virtue that he attracted the favor of God to himself, and while all others were punished, he alone and his family escaped it. From this we learn that if we are vigilant and not careless, then living in the midst of evil people not only does not harm us, but also makes us more thorough in virtue. For this reason the loving God arranged for both the evil and the good to live together, so that the wickedness of the wicked would be weakened, and the virtue of the good would be more brilliant, and the careless would receive the greatest benefit from dealing with the zealous (for virtue) if they wished. Imagine, then, how devoted this righteous man was to virtue, when, in the midst of so many people, striving with great strength for wickedness, he alone went the opposite way, preferring virtue to wickedness, and neither unanimity, nor such a great multitude (of the wicked) stopped him on the path of good, but he had already fulfilled in advance what the blessed Moses later had to say: "Do not follow the majority to evil" (Exodus 23:2). And what is especially surprising and wondrous is that while many, or rather, all inclined to impiety and evil deeds, and no one disposed to virtue, he himself rushed to it with such strength that he went against such a multitude; he was not afraid or frightened by the unanimity of the wicked; I did not act as the negligent usually do, who, when they see that many show unanimity in something, take advantage of this opportunity to cover up their negligence, and say: "Why should I, in spite of all these people, undertake anything new and special, contradict such a multitude and enter into a struggle with such a multitude? Am I more righteous than all of them? What is the use of such enmity to me? What is the benefit of such hatred? But (the righteous man) did not make such fruitless considerations, and did not even think of doing so; he again fulfilled in advance what the prophet said: "Better is one righteous man than a thousand sinners" (Sir. 17:3). Can communion, he thought, and agreement with the multitude of people who strive for evil, save me from punishment? He knew, he truly knew, that each would answer for his own salvation, and that it was impossible for another to suffer punishment for the sinner, or to receive someone else's reward. Therefore, the righteous man, like a spark in the middle of the sea, not only did not fade away, but every day he emitted the clearest light, teaching everyone by his deeds.