Of what he has done, this is dearer to a reasonable man than any wealth, all fame, power, and any other human well-being; for a person who sincerely loves God, this is more desirable than the kingdom, because the true kingdom consists in gaining the favor and mercy of the Lord by a good life. For we must fear and dread Gehenna, not for the sake of that unquenchable fire, terrible punishments, and endless torments, but because we offend such a good Lord and become unworthy of His favor, just as we must hasten to the kingdom out of love for Him, in order to enjoy His grace. Just as the benevolence of our humane Lord towards us is more desirable than the kingdom, so the deprivation of His favor is more terrible than hell.

Have you seen how much benefit the mere name of the righteous man has brought us, and what treasure of thoughts has been revealed to us by the genealogy of this wondrous man? Let us also follow the rules of the Divine Scriptures, and if we wish to tell someone's genealogy, let us not expose either fathers, grandfathers, or great-grandfathers, but let us reveal the virtue of the one whose genealogy we are telling. This is the best way of genealogy. What is the use of coming from famous and virtuous fathers, and not having a virtuous life yourself? Or again, what harm will there be if you are descended from fathers and ancestors unknown and ignoble, and you yourself adorn yourself with virtue? And this righteous man, who became so great and gained the favor of God, did not descend from such parents – the Divine Scriptures do not mention them as being especially virtuous – and yet, in spite of so many obstacles and difficulties, he was able to ascend to the very height of virtue, so that you would know that whoever dares to be attentive and cheerful and diligently take care of his salvation, nothing will hinder this. Just as when we give ourselves over to carelessness, we suffer harm even from the most unimportant things, so if we wish to be vigilant, then, even if thousands of people lead us to impiety, nothing can weaken our zeal, just as so many could not make this righteous man less zealous for virtue. Therefore, do not blame another and do not lay the blame on others, but attribute everything to your own negligence. And what do I say to others? Nor should anyone think of the devil as being so powerful that he can block the path that leads to virtue; He deceives and seduces the negligent, but does not hinder or coerce. This is shown by experience itself, namely, when we decide to be vigilant, we show such firmness that even though many incline you to the path of wickedness, we do not follow their suggestion, but are stronger than adamant, and stop our ears from those who advise evil. And when we are negligent, even if no one advises or offends, we strive for wickedness of our own accord. If this were not in our will and not in the power of our soul, if the Lord did not create our nature free, then all people, as having the same nature and the same passions, would have to be either evil or virtuous. And when we see that those who are of the same nature with us, and those who are overwhelmed by the same passions, do not experience the same thing, but direct their nature with a firm mind, overcome disorderly movements, curb lusts, conquer anger, avoid envy, destroy hatred, despise the passion for riches, care less about (earthly) glory, do not value the well-being of the present life, but firmly strive for true glory, and prefer praise from God to all that is visible, is it not clear that by their own efforts they can do this with the help of the highest grace, and that through our carelessness we destroy our salvation, depriving ourselves of heavenly favor?

6. Therefore, I beseech you, constantly pondering and remembering this, let us never blame the devil, but always blame our careless will. And I say this not in order to absolve him from guilt – let it not be: he walks about like a ravenous lion, roaring and seeking "whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8); I only want us to be more careful, so that we do not consider ourselves innocent when we are so easily inclined to sin, and do not speak these empty words: why did God leave this evil one (the devil) to deceive and destroy us? These are the words of the greatest foolishness. And you reason thus: God has left him especially so that we, impelled by fear, and expecting the attack of the enemy, should constantly be vigilant and watchful, facilitating the work of virtue with the hope of rewards and the expectation of eternal and unspeakable blessings. And why do you wonder that He left the devil out of His care for our salvation, in order to awaken our carelessness and give us a reason to receive crowns? He prepared Gehenna itself so that the fear of punishment and the unbearable weight of torment would impel us (to strive) for the kingdom. Do you see the all-wise love of mankind of the Lord? (Do you see) how He uses all measures not only to save those created by Him, but also to vouchsafe unspeakable blessings? For this reason He has granted us free will, and has put into nature and conscience the knowledge of evil and virtue, and has allowed the devil to be, and threatens with hell, so that we may not experience hell, but receive the kingdom. And why do you wonder that He used all these and very many other measures for this purpose? "He, being in the image of God," deigned to take on "the form of a servant" (Phil. 2:6,7) and to experience all the rest pertaining to the body, – he was born of a woman and descended from a virgin, he was carried in his womb for nine months, wrapped in swaddling clothes, he considered Joseph the betrothed of Mary as his father, he grew little by little, he was circumcised and offered sacrifice, he hungered, thirsted and grew weary, and finally he suffered death – not an ordinary death, but it was considered the most shameful, that is, death on the cross; – and all this for us and our salvation was endured by the Creator of all, unchangeable, Who brought all things from non-existence into being, – "He looks upon the earth, and it trembles" (Psalm 103:32), – the splendor of Whose glory cannot be seen even by the cherubim – these bodiless powers, but, turning away their faces and covering them with their wings, bear witness to us of the miracle; Whom the angels, the archangels, and the darkness (spirits) praise unceasingly. For our sake and for our salvation, He was pleased to become man, and He revealed to us the way of a good life, and gave us sufficient instruction in that He Himself had walked (this path), taking on the same nature as us. What excuse will be left for us if, after so much has already been done for our salvation, we ourselves make all this useless for us, and by our negligence about it we lose salvation? Therefore, I beseech you, let us be vigilant, and let us not recklessly follow the custom of others, but let us examine our lives every day, and see in what we have sinned and what good we have done, and thus correct our sins, so that we may also obtain the highest mercy, and be pleasing to God, like this righteous man (Noah), and receive the kingdom of heaven, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, With Whom be glory, honor, and dominion to the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 24

"Noah begat three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. But the earth was corrupted before the face of God, and the earth was filled with wickedness" (Gen. 6:10-11)

1. Yesterday the genealogy of the righteous Noah brought us no small benefit. We learned the wonderful method of genealogy and saw that the righteous man is glorified not for the nobility of his ancestors, but for the goodness of his own morals. It was for this reason that he received such a lofty testimony from the divine Scriptures: "Noah," it says, "was a righteous and blameless man in his generation; Noah walked before God (Gen. 6:9). Yesterday we used the entire sermon for these brief words. Such is the property of the divine words that in a few utterances they reveal a great wealth of thoughts and bestow an ineffable treasure on those who wish to examine them thoroughly. Therefore, I beg you, let us not superficially skim over anything contained in the Divine Scriptures, but whether it be an enumeration of names, or an account of an incident, let us search for the treasure contained in them. That is why Christ said: "Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39), since it is not possible to immediately find the meaning of what is written everywhere, but a deep investigation is required of us, so that nothing that lies in the depths is hidden from us. For if the very name of the race, that is, the name "man," brought us such a useful subject yesterday, what good will we get if we consider with a careful and cheerful mind all that the Scriptures say? Our Lord is a lover of mankind: as soon as He sees that we are striving and exceedingly zealous for the understanding of the divine words, He does not allow us to need anything, but immediately enlightens our minds, grants us His illumination, and in His great wisdom communicates to our souls the true teaching. That is why, wishing to encourage us to do this and make us more diligent, He deemed worthy of blessedness those who show such diligence, saying: "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6). Notice the wisdom of the Teacher: He not only stirred up (to jealousy) with blessedness, but with the words: "Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" He also taught His listeners with what diligence one should strive to study spiritual words. Just as He says, those who feel hungry rush to food with unspeakable haste, and those who are burned with great thirst quickly run to drink, just as these hungering and thirsty must flow to spiritual teaching. Such people are not only worthy of gratification, but also receive what they seek: they are, it is said, "they will be satisfied," that is, they will be satisfied, they will fulfill their spiritual desire. And so, having such a Lord, so good, so generous, let us also run to Him and try to deserve His favor, so that He, in His love for mankind, may enlighten our minds to understand the power of the Divine Scriptures, and you will receive the spiritual teaching with great readiness, like those who hunger and thirst. And perhaps the good and all-wise Lord, in spite of our unworthiness and insignificance, for your benefit will "give" us a word to open our mouths (Ephesians 6:19), to His glory and our edification. And so, having placed all our hope in the grace above, and having called upon the help of Him Who "opens the eyes of the blind" (Psalm 145:8), and makes clear "the tongue of the dumb" (Isaiah 35:6), let us proceed to consider what we have recently read (from the Scriptures), and whatever He gives according to His love for mankind, we will also offer to your love. Only, I beg you, strain your mind, and, having removed from yourself all worldly thoughts, listen attentively to what is offered, so that we may be able to sow spiritual seed as it were into rich and fertile land, cleansed of weeds and thorns. "Behold," it is said, "the life of Noah: Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God." Thus ended yesterday's sermon; therefore it is necessary to suggest what follows next. "He begat me," it is said, "three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth." It is not without reason that the divine Scriptures have indicated to us both the time and the number of the sons of the righteous; no, and in this it wanted to show us, though not directly, the extraordinary greatness of his virtue. Above it said that "Noah was five hundred years," and immediately added: "And begat three sons" (Gen. 5:32), teaching us how extraordinarily great was his abstinence, and moreover, at a time when all the people of that time were given over to such intemperance and such debauchery, and every age, so to speak, rushed to evil. For you have heard the Divine Scripture say: "And the Lord saw that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thoughts and thoughts of their heart were evil" (Gen. 6:5), and by this it clearly shows us that the young men tried to surpass (in wickedness) the older ones, and the old men were no less mad than the youths, and that even the most innocent age was strongly attracted to vice.

2. And so, so that we may know how, in spite of the fact that all these people gave themselves up to such frenzy and debauchery, the righteous man alone asceticized, with other virtues, in chastity until the age of five hundred, the Scriptures, having said: "Noah was five hundred years," already says: "and begat three sons."

"And he begat Noah," it is said, "three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. But the earth was corrupted in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with wickedness." It seems to me that this righteous man has now allowed his abstinence and begat these sons, in obedience to God's dispensation. Since, as a result of increased depravity and extremely increased impiety, the universe was threatened with complete destruction, the lover of mankind was pleased to leave this righteous man as a kind of root and leaven, so that, after the destruction of those (impious contemporaries), he would be the firstfruits of future generations. For this reason, when he begat these three sons after five hundred years, he stops at them, showing by his very deed that he has thus acted in obedience to the goodness of God, which is to be revealed in relation to the human race. And to assure you that I am not saying this by mere conjecture, look at the accuracy of the words of the Scriptures. Having said that the righteous man "begat three sons," it immediately added: "But the earth was corrupted in the presence of God, and the earth was filled with wickedness." Do you see what a great and inexpressible difference there is in one and the same nature? Of the righteous man the Scripture said, "Noah was a righteous and blameless man in his generation," and of all others it says, "But the earth was corrupted in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with wickedness." By the name of the earth it calls the whole body of people. Since all their deeds were earthly, the Scriptures in the name of the earth signify their humiliation and the extreme degree of wickedness. As of the first man, when he transgressed the commandment and lost the glory that had previously clothed him, God, having subjected him to the punishment of death, said: "Dust art thou, and to dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19), so here, when evil greatly increased. The Scripture says: "The earth is corrupted." And it did not simply say: "The earth was corrupted," but – "in the presence of God, and the earth was filled with wickedness." By the word "corrupted" it signified all their vices, because it cannot be said that they were guilty of one or two sins; nay, they committed all iniquities in a great multitude. For this reason the Scripture added: "The earth is filled with wickedness." It was not simply or accidentally that they gave themselves over to impiety; No, they committed every sin with great effort. And see how the Scriptures no longer wish to vouchsafe them even a simple name, but call them simply earth, showing both the excessiveness of their depravity and the greatness of the wrath of God. "The earth was corrupted," he says, "before God," that is, they did everything contrary to the commandments of God, trampling on the commandments of God, and rejecting, in their carelessness, the instructor (conscience) invested in human nature. "And the earth was filled," he says, "with wickedness." Do you see, beloved, what evil sin is, how it makes people unworthy of the very name of man? Listen, then, to what is still next. "And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt" (Gen. 6:12). Look, they are called earth again. Then, when the Scripture called them earth once, and twice, and a third, so that no one would think that this was said about the earth of the senses, it says: "For all flesh has perverted its way on the earth." And now He has not deigned to call them men, but only wants to show us by the name of the flesh that this does not speak of the earth, but of men who are clothed with flesh and have given themselves over to earthly affairs. The Scriptures, as we have often noticed your love, have the custom of calling flesh people who have carnal dispositions and do not think of anything sublime, just as Blessed Paul says: "They that live according to the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:8). What then? Was not he who said this himself clothed with flesh? So. But he does not say that those who are clothed with the flesh cannot please God, but those who do not care in the least about virtue, but only care about the things of the flesh, pursue the pleasures of the flesh, and do not care in the least about the soul, incorporeal and rational. And so, when the Divine Scripture with these words pointed out to us the multitude of sins and the extreme degree of impiety, to the greatness of God's wrath and to the fact that for the commission of lawless deeds it called people once, and twice, and a third – earth, and also flesh, depriving them of the name of common nature (man), then in the following words it already shows us the ineffable love of mankind and the immeasurable condescension of God. What does it say? And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them. and behold, I will destroy them from the earth, v. 13.

3. Look, what immeasurable goodness! As with one another, so (God) converses with the righteous man about the punishment to which He wants to inflict on the human race, and says: "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them"; and behold, I will destroy them from the earth. What does it mean, "the end of all flesh has come before me"? Great, he says, I have shown long-suffering, great condescension, not wishing to bring about this punishment, which I intend to inflict; but since the excessive increase of their sins continued until this very time, it is already necessary to put an end to and stop their wickedness, so that it does not extend further: "the end of all flesh has come before my face." See here also that God, as He said above: "All the thoughts and thoughts of the heart" (Gen. 6:5), so now He says: "The end of all flesh." All, he says, are of the same disposition, all have aspired to iniquity, and it is impossible to find in such a multitude even one who cares about virtue. "The end," he says, "of all flesh has come before me." The time has come, that is, the time at which the knife must be used to stop the growth of the wound. "The end of all flesh has come before my face": as if no one had watched over them and had no one to demand an account of their sins, so they gave themselves up to lawless deeds, not thinking that it was impossible to hide from Me, Who sustained their very life, gave them soul and body, and communicated such an abundance of blessings. So, "the end of all flesh has come before me." Then, as if defending himself before the righteous, and showing that the excessiveness of their sins provokes Him to such wrath, He says: "For the earth is filled with wickedness because of them." Have they, he says, omitted anything that pertains to wickedness? They have done so much evil that wickedness has already spread and covered the whole earth. Therefore I will destroy them and the earth: "And behold, I will destroy them from the earth." Since they have already destroyed themselves in advance by iniquity, I bring about complete destruction and destroy both them and the earth, so that the earth may be cleansed and freed from the defilement of so many sins. Consider, then, what kind of soul this righteous man must have had when he heard this from the Lord. For even if he was conscious of being virtuous, he could not hear these words without sorrow. The righteous are loving and are ready to willingly endure everything for the salvation of others. How could this wonderful man have been moved by these words, already imagining in his mind the destruction of all people and the destruction of all creation, perhaps not expecting anything good for himself? He didn't know it yet. And so, in order that he might not be troubled by his mind, but that in this great tribulation he might have at least some small consolation, God, having shown him the immensity of the wickedness of his contemporaries, and that the time had finally come to subject them to a deep section, said to him: "All these people will be destroyed, "but thou shalt make thee an ark" (Gen. 6:14). What does it mean – "you"? Since you were not an accomplice in their wickedness, but spent your whole life in virtue, I command you to build an ark of gopher wood: make compartments in the ark and tar it inside and out. Three hundred cubits shall be the length, and the breadth thereof shall be fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. And thou shalt make a hole in the ark, and thou shalt bring it together at the top of the cubit, and thou shalt make the door of the ark at its side; build in it a lower, second, and third dwelling" (Gen. 6:14-16). Notice God's condescension, and ineffable power, and love that surpasses every word. At one and the same time He shows His care for the righteous man, commanding him to build the ark and the drawing and the form of the building, and the width and height of the ark – and gives him the greatest consolation, by the very building of the ark arousing in him the hope of salvation, and by the very construction of the ark He wants to bring those such great sinners to the thought of their deeds, so that when they repent, they do not experience wrath. In fact, not a little time for repentance was given to them by the building of the ark, but even very much and enough so that they, if they were not extremely insensible, could come to contrition and correct themselves from their sins. Each of them, seeing that the righteous man was building the ark, should have asked the reason for the construction, and, having learned of the wrath of God, should have come to the consciousness of his sins, if only he had wanted to. But they did not take advantage of this either, not because they could not, but because they did not want to.

And so God, having given the righteous man the command to build the ark, informs him of the very nature of the punishment that He wanted to inflict, and says: "You build this ark as I commanded, and I, when you finish the construction, will prosper your fate also." "And behold, I will bring a flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh that hath the spirit of life under heaven; everything that is on the earth will be deprived of life" (Gen. 6:17). See how God by His very threat shows the greatness of their sins, and says: I will subject both rational and foolish creatures to the same punishment. Since people have betrayed their high dignity and have stooped to the malice of the foolish, there will be no difference in punishment. "I will bring a flood" of water, "to destroy all flesh that has the spirit of life under the heavens." And the cattle, he says, and the birds, and the beasts, and the quadrupeds, and all the creatures that are under heaven, shall perish. And so that you may know that nothing will remain, He says: "Everything that is on the earth will lose its life." The universe is already in need of purification, but let it not trouble you, and let it not frighten your heart, because I, seeing the incurability of their wound, want to stop the flow of wickedness, so that they may not become guilty of even greater punishments. Therefore, even now, following My love for mankind and tempering anger with goodness, I impose on them such a punishment that will be painless and insensible to them. Judging them not by the greatness of their sins, nor by what they deserve, but, foreseeing the future, I want to inflict appropriate punishment on these people, and deliver them from their contagion. Do not grieve and do not be dismayed when you hear this. Even if their punishment commensurate with their sins befalls them, but with you "I will establish my covenant" (Gen. 6:18). Since all who have lived up to now have become unworthy and have not been obedient to My commandments, then with "thee" at last "I will establish My covenant." In the same way, the first man, after so many blessings, succumbed to deception, transgressed My commandments; Then, his son also plunged into the same abyss of evil, for which he was subjected, with a curse, to punishment for life. But his descendants did not come to their senses, and by his punishment, on the contrary, they increased their impiety, so that for this they are excluded from the genealogy. Then, having found Enoch to keep the law of virtue, I, as being very pleasing to Me, added him to the living, showing also to those who did virtue what rewards they were worthy of, and desiring to make those who lived after him zealots for him, walking the same path with him. But behold, all have deviated to wickedness, and in such a multitude I have found thee alone capable of recompensing thee for the transgression of the progenitor: wherefore I will make my covenant with thee, since thy past life vouches that thou shalt faithfully keep my commandments. Then, so that the righteous man would not be sad when he heard this, at the thought that he would be left alone, God, so to speak, comforting him, said again: "And thou shalt enter into the ark, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee." Although they were far inferior to the righteous man in virtue, they were nevertheless alien to the excessive impiety of their depraved contemporaries. However, they are saved for the following two reasons. Firstly, in honor of the righteous man. It is customary for God, the lover of mankind, to honor His servants and often grant them the salvation of others, as He did with Blessed Paul, the teacher of the universe, who poured out the rays of His teaching everywhere. When he sailed to Rome, a violent storm arose on the sea; And when all those who were on the ship, because of the great agitation, feared for their very lives and lost all hope, he called them all together and said: "I urge you to be of good cheer, for not one soul of you will perish, but only the ship. For the angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I serve, appeared to me that night and said, "Do not be afraid, Paul.. God has given you all those who sail with you" (Acts 27:22-24). Do you see how the virtue of this man has thereby gained salvation? However, not only his virtue, but also the love of the Lord. It was the same now for this first reason. The second reason is that God wanted to leave as it were a leaven and root for the race (human) that was subsequently formed, not because it was impossible for God to create man again, and to spread the human race from alone, but because He so deigned in His goodness.

5. See the goodness of God in the following. Since He, threatening punishment, said that cattle, and creeping things, and birds, and beasts would perish along with people, then, again, for the sake of the righteous man, He commanded that one pair of each breed of these animals should be brought into the ark, so that these pairs would be the seed and the firstfruits for the multiplication of animals in the future. "And of every beast, of every beast, and of every flesh, two by two, that they may live with thee; male and female, let them be. Of all the birds that are feathered after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after their kind, of all they shall come in two to thee, that they may live" (Gen. 6:19-20). Do not pass this by, beloved, without attention: think how confused the righteous man was when he thought that he was concerned about all this. It was not enough for him to care for his wife, for his sons and their wives: no, he was also entrusted with the care of so many animals and their food. But wait a little, and you will see the goodness of God – how He eases the care that lay upon the righteous. "Thou shalt take," says God, "all the food that is eaten, and gather unto thee; and it shall be food unto thee and unto them" (Gen. 6:21). Do not think, he says that you are left without my thoughts. Behold, I command to bring into the ark all that is necessary both for your food and for the sustenance of the animals, so that you also may not experience hunger and lack, and the animals will not perish for want of their proper food. "And Noah did," it is said, "all things: as God commanded him, so he did" (Gen. 6:22). Behold, here again there is great praise (to the righteous). "He did," it is said, "Noah did everything: as God commanded him." It is not that he fulfilled one command and ignored another; no, he did all that was commanded, and "so he did," as he was commanded. He omitted nothing, but fulfilled everything, and proved by his very deeds that he had justly been vouchsafed the favor of the Lord. With what crowns can this testimony which the righteous man received from the divine Scriptures not be compared? Who can be more blessed than he who has fulfilled all that God commanded him, and has shown such obedience to Him who commanded? And so that you may know what a prophecy he receives for this from the Creator of all creation, listen to what follows. "And the Lord said to Noah, Enter thou and all thy family into the ark" (Gen. 7:1). Then, so that we may know that He not only saves the righteous by grace, but also gives a reward for labor and reward for virtue, (God) says (to Noah): Therefore I command you to enter into the ark with your house, "for I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation." Important and reliable evidence! In fact, what could be more important than this testimony, when the Creator and Creator himself pronounces such a judgment on the righteous? "For thee," he says, "I have seen righteous before me." This is true virtue when a person performs it before God, when that incorruptible Eye pronounces judgment on it. Then, God, the lover of mankind, wishing to show us the measure of virtue which He then demanded of the righteous man (and He does not require virtue from everyone in equal measure, but in different ways, judging by the difference of time), says: "For I saw thee righteous before Me in this generation," which deviated into such great wickedness, in this corrupt generation, which revealed such insensibility. "I have seen thee righteous"; thee alone have I found thankful; I saw you earnestly caring for virtue; thou alone hast appeared righteous before me, while all these have destroyed themselves, I command thee to enter into the ark with all thy house; "And of the clean beasts" I command thee to introduce "by seven" (Gen. 7:2). Since He had previously commanded that all the animals should be brought in one pair without distinction, He now says, "Take every clean beast by seven, male and female, and of the unclean cattle two by two, male and female." Further, in order to show the reason for this, he added: "I will destroy all that exists from the face of the earth" (Gen. 7:4). It is proper to ask here and consider how the righteous man knew which of the animals were clean and which were unclean? At that time there was no division that Moses later legitimized for the Jews. How did Noah know? Of course, guided by the instruction placed in nature; and at the same time his reason decided. Of course, there is not a single unclean person among God's creatures. Indeed, how can we call any creature unclean, when the highest definition was once pronounced about them, and the divine Scripture said that "God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31)? But nature (human) itself made this distinction. And that this is just, consider how even now in some places some abstain from certain things as unclean and forbidden, while others, on the contrary, use these things in accordance with this custom. In the same way, even then, the very knowledge of the righteous taught him which animals were fit for food and which were unclean, although they were not really there, but were only considered so. Why, tell me, do we consider the ass unclean, although it feeds only on seeds, and we consider other quadrupeds fit for food, while they feed on unclean substances? So our teacher in this was the knowledge given by God to our nature. But on the other hand, it can be said that God, who gave Noah such a command, Himself communicated to him the knowledge of this difference. However, we have said enough about clean and unclean animals.

6. But here another question presents itself to us: Why is it (commanded to be brought into the ark) "of the unclean cattle two by two, and of the clean cattle by seven"? And then: why not six, not eight, but seven? Perhaps our word is already becoming very long; but, if you are not weary, and if you please, we will briefly settle this question of your love, as the grace of God will help us. After all, many people talk a lot about this, and on this occasion they make an observation of numbers. But that this is not an observation, but an invention of the misplaced inquisitiveness of people, from which a great many heresies have originated, you will now learn. In fact, we notice (and by this remark we hope to completely shut the mouths of lovers of fiction) that in the Scriptures the number of pairs is very often used. Thus, when Jesus Christ sent His disciples to preach, He sent them "two by two" (Mark 6:7), and there were twelve of them, and the Gospels were four in number. However, there is no need to discuss this before your love, since you have already been sufficiently instructed to block the ears of such (idle talkers). And it is necessary to say, why did God command to bring into the ark "of the pure by seven"? God commanded that more pure animals should be introduced, so that both the righteous and those who would use these animals with him might have some consolation; and as for the fact that they were brought in "by seven," then even this, if you know the reason, will be the strongest proof of the God-loving disposition of the righteous man. For God, the lover of mankind, knew the goodness of this man, and knew that he, being righteous, and having experienced such love of the Lord, and having escaped destruction from the flood, would intend, after being delivered from the calamity, and coming out of the ark, to show his good gratitude, and in gratitude for his salvation would be willing to offer a sacrifice, so that by this (Noah) (Noah) would not spoil the couple, (the Lord), such his gratitude, He commands to bring into the ark "seven" from each breed of birds, so that, after the flood ceases, the righteous man may both show his favor and not damage the pairs of birds and other animals. This, however, you will learn from the following teaching, when we come to this very place, where you will see that the righteous man did just that. Now you have learned the reason why it is commanded to bring into the ark "seven at a time" (from clean animals). Do not heed after this the fabulous words, which, contrary to the divine Scriptures, introduce into the divine teaching the fictions of their minds. And so, when God has given a clear command about everything, both about birds, and clean and unclean animals, and about their sustenance, He says to the righteous man: "For in seven days, behold, I will pour rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy all that exists that I have created from off the face of the earth," from man to beast (Gen. 7:4). Discern also from these words the immeasurable goodness of the Lord, as He, after such great long-suffering, still foretells seven days in advance, wishing to bring the people of that time to reason with fear and bring them to repentance. And in order to prove that He foretells in order not to fulfill His word, think of the Ninevites, and see what is the difference between these and those. These (Noah's contemporaries), after so many years, heard that misfortune was already at the door, and, nevertheless, did not abandon sin. Of course, we are careless and do not hurry to correct ourselves when punishment threatens from afar; but when misfortune is near to us, then we humble ourselves and manifest a great change in ourselves. So it was with the Ninevites. When they heard that forty days more and Nineveh would be destroyed (Jonah 3:4), they did not despair at these words, on the contrary, they perked up, and so resolutely refrained from sin, showed such strong repentance, that they made the dumb partakers of it, not so that the dumb would bring confession – for how is this possible when they do not have the gift of speech? – but in order to attract to oneself the mercy of the good Lord through them. Having declared, it is said, a fast, the king commanded that the sheep, and the oxen, and all the dumb ones, should eat neither food nor water (Jonah 3:7); Then, all the people, even the king himself, who sat on the throne, put on sackcloth, made a deep and earnest confession, although they did not know whether they would escape punishment. "Who knows," they said, "that God may yet turn away from us the calamity which He said He would bring upon us" (Jonah 3:8,10)?

7. Do you see the gratitude of the barbarians? Do you see how this brevity of time did not rob them of their vigor, and did not lead them to despair? Look also at these (Noah's contemporaries), how, after so many years, when they heard that "seven more days" and the flood would come, they still did not convert, but remained unrepentant, which serves as proof that the cause of all evil is our will. For these are men, and they are men: nature is given to them the same, but not the same volition. For this reason their fate was not the same, but some escaped destruction, because the good God, in His love for mankind, accepted their repentance, while others perished in the waters of the flood. "For," it is said, "after seven days I will pour out rain on the earth." Then, wanting to increase the fear, God says: "forty days and forty nights." Why is that? Could He not, if He had willed, bring all the rain in one day? What do I say – on the same day? In an instant (He could). But He does this with intention, desiring at the same time to increase the fear, and to give them the opportunity to escape punishment, although it was already at the very door. "And I will destroy all that exists that I have created from off the face of the earth," from man to cattle. See how God foretells once and twice, and yet they do not move. And He did all this to show us that He had justly inflicted such a punishment on them, and that no foolish person could reproach (God) and say that if He had shown long-suffering, they might have repented, perhaps they would have abstained from sin, and would have turned to virtue. For this reason He announces to us the number of years and commands (Noah) to build an ark. After all this, he also foretells seven days in advance, in order to stop the shameless lips of all those who dare to speak foolish words. "And Noah did," it is said, "all that the Lord commanded him" (Gen. 7:5). See how the Divine Scripture now proclaims the gratitude and obedience of the righteous man, showing that he did not ignore a single command, but fulfilled everything, and in this he presented a proof of his virtue.

8. It is this righteous man whom we also will imitate; let us try to fulfill the commandments given to you by God, and let us not be inattentive to the laws communicated to us by God, but, constantly keeping them in mind, let us be zealous for their fulfillment; let us not do carelessly that on which our salvation depends, especially when the higher degree of virtue is now required of us, the higher the blessings we have received. That is why Christ said: "Unless your righteousness surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). Let us look around, and let us not pass these words unheeded, but let us consider what punishment threatens those who not only do not try to surpass these (the scribes and Pharisees), but are even much inferior to them, who do not want to cease to be angry with their neighbor, nor to restrain their tongues from oaths, nor to forbid their eyes to have a pernicious view, whereas the Lord commands not only to endure offenses with good humor, but also to give more than they want to take from us. "Whosoever will sue thee," He says, "and take thy shirt, give him also thy outer garment" (Matt. 5:40). And we often offend our neighbor, or take revenge on him for an offense – we, who are commanded not only to love those who love us ("and the publicans," says the Lord, "do the same" Matt. 5:46), but also to harbor a good disposition towards our enemies, do not repay equal love to those who love us. Wherefore I grieve and am sick, seeing how rare virtue has become among us, and how, on the contrary, the vice increases from day to day, how neither the fear of hell stops our striving for evil, nor the love of the kingdom draws us to the path of virtue, but we all, so to speak, are drawn like animals, and do not think in the least of that terrible hour, nor about the laws given to us by God, on the contrary, considering only the opinions of people and pursuing their praise, we do not want to hear what the Gospel says: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from the one God" (John 5:44)? Just as those who aspire to human glory completely lose the glory of heaven, so, on the contrary, those who seek the ultimate glory do not lose even that glory. And the Lord Himself, even before that, said: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33), i.e. whoever seeks the kingdom, all the rest follows. In fact, whoever soars there with his mind looks with contempt at the present well-being, as if it did not exist. The eyes of faith, when they see its ineffable blessings, no longer notice the visible blessings: such is the distance between these and other blessings! But I do not see who would prefer invisible goods to visible ones.