6. In fact, the remaining number of days will not be short for us, if only we wish to be more diligent, even if only a few. I say this not because only this short time is required for the correction of our sins, but because our Lord is loving and merciful, and that He does not need much time; if only we would approach Him with great zeal and readiness, renouncing all worldly things and giving ourselves over to the heavenly desire. Thus the Ninevites, burdened with so many sins, as soon as they showed full and sincere repentance, did not succeed in more than three days to propitiate God and cancel the sentence pronounced against them (Jonah 3:10). And what can we say about the Ninevites? The thief on the cross did not need even one day. What do I say - one day? Not even a short hour. Such is God's mercy to us! When He sees that our resolve (to reform) is firm, and that we approach with ardent zeal, He does not hesitate or delay, but soon reveals His goodness to us, and says: "You will cry out, and He will say, 'Here I am!'" (Isaiah 58:9).

And so, let us also decide in these few days to show some zeal and to make proper use of the aid of fasting.

God hates nothing, nothing so much and does not abhor (anything so) as a person who holds a grudge and constantly nourishes enmity towards his neighbors in his soul. So pernicious is this sin, that it turns away from us even God's love for mankind! And in order that you may be convinced of this, I would like to remind you of the Gospel parable, how one (debtor) received from his master the forgiveness of ten thousand talents, because he fell down at the feet of his master, and begged and besought him. "The prince," it is said, "having compassion on that servant, sent him away, and forgave him the debt" (Matt. 18:27). Do you see the mercy of the master? And when he fell down, he asked only for a respite: "Be patient," he said, "with me, and I will pay thee all," v. 26. But the kind, forgiving, and humane master, taking pity on the slave, gave him not as much as he asked, but as much as he did not expect. The Lord, as a rule, loves to always exceed and anticipate our petitions. Thus, when he begged for a reprieve and promised to pay off the entire debt, the Lord, Who overcomes our sins in goodness, took pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. Do you see what the servant asked, and how much the master gave him? Now look at the madness of this slave. After such condescension and ineffable benevolence shown to him, he himself should have become very compassionate to his fellow-men, but he does quite the opposite. "Going out," it is said, this same (slave) to whom ten thousand talents were forgiven... Listen, I beg you, with attention: what happened to this slave can penetrate to the depths of our souls and force us to expel this grievous illness from our hearts. And so, "when he went out, he found one of his companions, who owed him a hundred denarii" (v. 28). See what a difference. Here is a comrade who owes a hundred denarii; there is a lord demanding a debt of ten thousand talents. And yet (the master), when he saw that the servant was begging and imploring, he forgave him; And this (slave), "seizing him (his comrade), strangled him, saying, 'Give me what you owe.' What's next? "His fellow-man," it is said, "fell at his feet," v. 29. Notice how often the Evangelist repeats the word: "His companion," this is not without purpose, but so that we may know that there was no difference between them. And yet (the debtor-fellow) turns to his lender with the same humiliating request with which he himself addressed the master. "Have patience with me, and I will give you everything. No to... He went and put him in prison until he paid the debt" (v. 30). Oh, utter ingratitude! Still having in fresh memory the mercy shown to him, he did not want to be compassionate, but first strangled (his comrade), and then put him in prison.

See what happens next. "When his companions saw what had happened," says the Scriptures, "they were very grieved, and when they came, they told their lord all that had happened" (v. 31). Not the victim himself (and how could he, being locked up in prison?), but his companions, although they were not personally offended, nevertheless were so grieved, as if they themselves had suffered an offense, and when they came, they told everything (to the master). And see how angry the lord was at last. "Then his lord calls him," says the Scriptures, "and says, 'Wicked servant!'" (v. 32). Truly, from this we can see how pernicious is rancor. When the master demanded (from the slave the payment) ten thousand talents, he did not call him evil; but now, when this slave has been cruel to his fellow, the master says: "Wicked servant! all that debt I have forgiven thee, because thou hast begged me" (v. 32). See how the master rebukes the servant of extreme anger. Have you, he says, presented me with anything more than words alone? And yet, have I not accepted your request, and have I not forgiven you all this great and incalculable debt? "Ought it not behooved thee also to have mercy on thy fellow-man, as I also had mercy on thee" (v. 33)? What forgiveness can you deserve, that I, your lord, have forgiven you so great a debt because of those words of yours alone, v. 26, and you have not even had compassion on your companion and brother, and have not bowed down to mercy or shown compassion for him, remembering the condescension I have shown you, but have appeared merciless and cruel, and will not have mercy on your companion? So now you will really know how much evil you have done to yourself. "And his lord was angry, and delivered him up to the tormentors" (v. 34). See, now (the master) is angry with the slave and delivers him over to the tormentors precisely because of his cruelty to his comrade: what he did not do before, when he owed such a sum, he orders to do now. "He gave him to the tormentors until he paid him all the debt," until, that is, the slave returned the ten thousand talents in which he had already received forgiveness. Very great and ineffable is God's love for mankind: when He demanded His debt and the debtor asked (for a reprieve), He forgave him; And when he saw that he had acted cruelly and inhumanly with his comrade, then he already set a limit to his own benevolence, letting the debtor know by the very deed that he had not so much harmed his comrade as himself. As he (the slave) threw (his friend) into prison until he paid the debt, so the master delivered him over to the tormentors until he paid the entire debt. This (the Lord) did not say simply about talents and denarii, but here He understood the sins and the gravity of (our) iniquities, so that we might know that we, even though we were guilty before the Lord of innumerable sins, nevertheless, according to His ineffable love for mankind, receive forgiveness from Him; but if we ourselves are cruel and inhuman to our neighbors and brothers, who are of the same nature as us, and do not forgive their sins against us, but begin to bear a grudge against them also for these trivial sins (which is a hundred denarii in comparison with ten thousand talents, the same is the sins of our neighbors against us in comparison with our sins against the Lord), then we will incur the wrath of the Lord, and for what we have previously received forgiveness, we will again have to pay with torment. In fact, so that we may know for sure that the Lord offered this parable for our spiritual benefit, listen to what He added: "Thus will My Father in heaven deal with you, if every one of you does not forgive his brother his trespasses from his heart" (Matthew 18:35). And certainly, there is much benefit (perhaps for us) from this parable, if only we are willing to be attentive. Do we really have the opportunity to forgive (our neighbors) as much as the Lord forgives us? Moreover, if we want to forgive, we forgive our fellow servants, and we ourselves receive forgiveness from the Lord. See also how precise the words of the Lord are. He did not say simply: if you do not absolve people of their sins, but how? "Unless every one of you forgives his brother from his heart his trespasses." Notice how He desires that our very heart should be peaceful and calm, that our spirit should be serene and free from all passion, and that we should show perfect disposition towards our neighbors. And in another place, listen to what He says: "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you also" (Matthew 6:14). Let us not think that by forgiving our neighbor we do him a good deed or a great mercy; no, then we ourselves receive a blessing, we derive great benefit from it for ourselves. In the same way, if we do not forgive our neighbors, then through this we will not do them any harm, and we will prepare for ourselves the unbearable torment of Gehenna. Therefore, I beseech you, knowing this, that let us never bear grudges and harbor enmity towards those who have done us trouble or any other offense, but, considering what good and boldness they bring us before the Lord, and most of all that reconciliation with those who have offended us atone for our sins, let us hasten and not delay (to be reconciled with our enemies), and, reflecting on the benefit that comes from this, let us show such a disposition towards our enemies, as if they were our true benefactors. If we are vigilant, it is not so much the benefit of people who are sincerely disposed towards us and who try in every way to please us, as our disposition towards our enemies: it will make us worthy of heavenly favor and lighten the burden of our sins.

8. Indeed, beloved, consider the greatness of this virtue in regard to the rewards which God has promised in every way to those who perform it. He said: "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you"; and, since what was commanded was important and very exalted, He adds: "That ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven, for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:44-45). Do you see to whom is he likened, as far as it is possible for a man, who not only does not take revenge on those who have offended him, but also fervently prays for them? Therefore, let us not deprive ourselves, through negligence, of such great gifts and rewards, surpassing every word, but let us strive in every way to fulfill this (commandment), and, even using compulsion to ourselves, let us accustom our soul to submit to the commandment of God. For this reason I have made this exhortation today, I have offered a parable, and I have shown the greatness of this virtue (the forgiveness of offenses) and the abundance of benefits derived from it for us, so that, while there is still time, each of us who has an enemy will try to reconcile him with ourselves by our affectionate treatment. And no one shall say to me, I have asked him (the enemy) once or twice, but he has not consented. No, if we sincerely wish to be reconciled, we will not retreat (from the enemy) until we have conquered him by our earnest requests, until we have attracted him to us and forced him to cease enmity against us. Do we show him any mercy through this? No, the fruits of a good deed are transferred to us: by this we attract God's favor upon ourselves, we obtain forgiveness of sins, and we receive great boldness before the Lord. If we do so, we will be able to approach this sacred and terrible meal with a clear conscience, and with boldness to pronounce those words contained in the Lord's Prayer. The initiates (the faithful) know what I am talking about. Therefore, I leave it to everyone's conscience to know with what boldness we, having fulfilled this commandment, can pronounce these words in that terrible time (Liturgy). But if we neglect this commandment, then what condemnation shall we be subjected to, acting contrary to our words, daring to pronounce the words of the prayer foolishly and light-mindedly, accumulating for ourselves more and more fire (Gehenna) and stirring up the wrath of the Lord against us? I rejoice and admire, seeing that you listen to me with pleasure and show by your applause that you are trying to dispose yourselves (to reconciliation with enemies) and to fulfill this commandment of the Lord. This is the healing of our souls, this is the healing of our wounds, this is the best way to please God, this is the surest distinction of the God-loving soul, when we do everything for the sake of the law of the Lord and do not succumb to ignoble thoughts, but rise above the passions, imagining the blessings that God daily bestows upon us. In fact, no matter how hard we try, we cannot depict even the smallest part of the blessings that have already been given to us (from God), or those that are daily sent down, or those that are still prepared for us (in the future life), if we wish to fulfill His commandments. Therefore, every one of you, when you go out of here, do this work, hasten to it as to the greatest treasure, and do not delay in the least. Even if we have to work hard, or search, or make a long journey, or overcome some difficulties, let us remove these obstacles. Let us take care of only one thing, how we may fulfill the commandment of the Lord and receive the reward for obedience. I know that it is not easy or pleasant to go to someone who is hostile and angry against us, to stand and begin to talk to him. But if you reflect on the high dignity of this commandment, on the greatness of the reward, and on the fact that the benefit of this good deed is directed not to him, but to you, then everything will seem easy and convenient to you. Therefore, keeping this in our thoughts, let us overcome the (bad) habit and with a reverent disposition fulfill the commandments of Jesus Christ, so that we may be worthy of rewards, by the grace and love of mankind of His goodness, with Whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 28

"And God said to Noah, and to his sons with him, Behold, I make my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you, with the fowl, and with the cattle, and with every beast of the earth" (Gen. 9:8-10).

1. Having offered yesterday the blessing which Noah had received from the Lord because he had made an altar after leaving the ark, offered sacrifices of thanksgiving, and thereby expressed his gratitude to God, we could not extend further, explain the whole reading, and show the condescension and care which the humane God showed for this righteous man. As our discourse has become very long, we hastened to conclude it, so as not to burden your memory with a multitude of things, and not to damage what has already been said with what could still be said. For we are not only concerned with saying much, but with saying as much as you can keep in mind, and thus to get out of here for your own benefit. For if we also speak more than is proper, and you receive no fruit from our words, what is the use of this? Therefore, knowing that we have taken upon ourselves this work (preaching) for your benefit, and consider it a sufficient reward for us, if we see that you, carefully keeping our words (in memory), are progressing (in knowledge), and you compose them in the bosom of your soul, constantly meditating on them and reviving them in your memory. Remembering what has been said before, you can more easily accept what is to be said, and in this way in time you will become teachers for others as well. All our care, all our efforts are that you may all be made completely perfect, and that nothing contained in the Divine Scriptures may be unknown to you. Knowledge of the latter, if only we wish to be attentive and vigilant, will greatly help us in improving our lives and will make us more zealous for the feats of virtue. When we see that each of the righteous men, who have acquired great boldness before God, has been honored with rewards for having spent his whole life in temptations and sorrows and has shown great patience and gratitude (to God), then will we not also try to walk the same path with them, in order to receive the same rewards as them? Therefore, I ask you every day to make some progress (in good) and increase your spiritual edification, to preserve the good that has already been done carefully and with great vigilance, and to supplement what is still lacking, so that in this way you may attain to the very height of virtues, to our praise, to the building up of the Church, to the glory of Christ. And so I, seeing your tireless desire for spiritual instruction, do not cease daily, although I am aware of my great poverty, to offer you a feast from the Divine Scriptures, and whatever the grace of God gives me according to his love for mankind and for your benefit, to pass on to your ears. So let us show your love today the abundance of love that God has shown to the human race, and for this purpose let us offer the very words spoken by God to Noah. "And God spake unto Noah, and unto his sons with him," v. 8. After He had blessed Noah and his sons, and said, "Let them be fruitful and multiply," and gave them power over all the animals, and allowed them to be eaten in the same way as the "herbs," forbidding only the eating of flesh in blood, God, continuing His care for both the righteous man and his descendants, and always lavishing blessings upon our nature, added even greater blessings. "And God said to Noah, and to his sons with him, Behold, I make my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living thing that is with you, and with the fowl, and with the cattle, and with every beast of the earth that is with you, with all that came out of the ark, with every living creature of the earth. I make my covenant with you, that all flesh shall no more be destroyed by the waters of the flood, neither shall there be any more flood to desolate the earth" (vv. 8-11). Since the righteous man could still be troubled and indignant in spirit from fear, lest a similar flood should come upon the world when a little rain occurs, then that he and all his descendants should be calm about this, the good Lord, knowing that even the slightest trouble will be able to disturb him (the experience of past misfortunes can make a person very timid), - Since this righteous man could be dismayed and frightened by a small rain, the good God, wishing to encourage him, to deliver him from all fear, and to bring him to perfect calm and good humor, promises him not to inflict such a punishment again.

2. True, He had already promised this before the blessing, when He said, as you have heard, "I will curse the earth no more" (Gen. 8:21); Let men, that is, do much evil, yet I will not subject the human race to such a punishment. But now, manifesting His ineffable love for mankind, He again promises the same thing, so that the righteous man may be calm and not reason with himself in this way: God has previously vouchsafed our race a blessing and allowed it to multiply, and, nevertheless, has brought about such a general destruction. Therefore, in order to remove all anxiety from his mind and to assure him that it will no longer happen, God says: As I brought the flood out of love for mankind, in order to stop evil and stop its further spread, so now, in My love for mankind, I promise not to do this again, so that you may lead the present life without any fear. That is why He says: "I make My covenant," i.e., I make a contract. As in human affairs, when a man promises something, he concludes a contract, and thereby gives the proper assurance, so the good Lord says: "I make my covenant." He wisely said: "I set up" [in Greek, I restore], i.e., behold, I renew that which was utterly destroyed because of the sins of men, and "I establish (restore) My covenant with you and with your descendants after you." Notice the Lord's love for mankind: I extend the covenant, he says, not only to you, but I declare that it will be inviolable with your descendants. Then, to show His generous goodness, He says: "And with every living creature that is with you, with the birds and with the cattle, and with every beast of the earth that is with you, with all that came out of the ark, with every living creature of the earth; I make my covenant with you, that all flesh shall no more be destroyed by the waters of the flood, and there shall be no more flood to desolate the earth." Do you see the greatness of the covenant? Do you see the unspeakable importance of the promise? See how He extends His goodness to the dumb and to the beasts, and not without reason. What I have often said before, I will repeat now. Since these animals were created for man, now they also participate in the beneficence shown to man. True, the covenant seems to be equally common to him and to the dumb; But in fact, it is not so. And this is done for the comfort of man, so that he may know what honor he is worthy of, when the good deed does not stop at him alone, but because of him all these (animals) participate in the goodness of the Lord. And "all flesh shall no more be destroyed by the waters of the flood," he says, "and there shall be no more flood to desolate the earth."

"And God said, This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you" (Gen. 9:12). See what honor the righteous man has been vouchsafed. As man speaks to man, so God makes a covenant with him, and says, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you, and between every living soul that is with you throughout the generations forever." Do you see that the sign promised to all living creatures extends to eternal generations? God gives a sign not only to all living creatures in general, but forever, forever, to the end of the world. What kind of sign is this? "I set my rainbow," he says, "in a cloud, that it may be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth" (v. 13). Now, after the verbal promise, I give (says God) this sign also, that is, a rainbow, which some produce from the rays of the sun falling on the clouds. If, he says, My word is not enough, then behold, I also give a sign that I will not bring such punishment again. Looking at this sign, be already free from fear. "And it shall come to pass," he says, "that when I bring a cloud upon the earth, a rainbow shall appear in the cloud; and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and between every living soul in all flesh" (vv. 14-15). What say thou, blessed prophet? – "I will remember," he says, "my covenant," i.e., my contract, condition, promise; and this is not because God Himself has need of remembering, but so that we, looking at this given sign, do not fear any danger, but immediately, remembering the promise of God, be sure that we will not suffer such a misfortune.

3. Do you see how great is God's condescension, what care He exerts for our race, what love for mankind He shows, not because He already sees a change (for good) in people, but in order to inspire us with the thought of the immeasurable greatness of His goodness? "And there shall be no more," he says, "the waters shall be a flood to destroy all flesh," and such a flood shall be no more. Since God knows that human nature is afraid of this, see how often He repeats the promise, as if to say: If you ever see a heavy rainfall, and then fear no misfortune, because "the waters will no longer be a flood to destroy all flesh," such a flood will no longer be, such wrath (mine) will no longer be experienced by human nature. "And there shall be," he says, "a rainbow in the cloud, and I will see it, and I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul in all flesh" (v. 16). See what humble expressions He uses to inspire people with calm and complete confidence. "And I'll see," he says, "and I'll remember my covenant." Does sight awaken in Him remembrance? No, we should not think so, but in such a way that when we see this sign, we can calmly rely on the promise of God, (knowing that) the promises of God cannot but be fulfilled. "And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have made between me and every flesh that is on the earth" (v. 17). Thou hast received, saith he, the sign which I have given (as a covenant) between me and all flesh that is on the earth; Do not be troubled in your soul, and do not waver in your mind, but, looking at this sign, remain trustworthy yourself, and let all your descendants receive comfort from it; Let the appearance of this sign give confidence that such a flood will not befall the Universe. Let the sins of men multiply, but I will fulfill My promise, and I will no longer show such wrath against everyone. Do you see the abundance of God's goodness? Do you see the greatness of condescension? Do you see the power of caring? Do you see the generosity of the promise? God did not extend His beneficence only to two, three, or ten generations, but promised to keep it until the end of the world, so that we would be taught both - both by the fact that Noah's contemporaries were subjected to such punishment for their multitude of sins, and by the fact that, through the ineffable love of God, we were vouchsafed such a promise. For those who are sane are more inclined to fulfill God's commandments blessings than punishments.

Let us not be ungrateful. If God has vouchsafed us such a good deed even before we have done anything good, or rather, when we have done many worthy punishments, then what more mercies will He not vouchsafe us when we are grateful, when we show our gratitude for the former (blessings) and discover in ourselves a change for the better? If He does good to the unworthy and shows love for mankind to those who have sinned, then what will we not receive when we abandon sin and do virtue? For this reason He bestows upon us many blessings, before we do anything good, and vouchsafes us forgiveness when we sin, and does not send us punishment (for sins) suddenly, but in order to draw us to Himself by all things, both by good deeds and longsuffering. Often, too, when He punishes some, He wants to impress upon others that they, having come to their senses by the misfortune of others, should not suffer punishment themselves. Do you see how inventive is His love for mankind, how everything He does is accomplished solely for our salvation? Therefore, thinking about this, let us not be indifferent, let us not neglect virtue and transgress the laws given by Him. If He sees that we turn (to goodness), become modest, and in general lay down at least some beginning (of a virtuous life), then on His part He will help us, making everything easy and convenient for us, and not even allowing us to feel (the heaviness) of the feats of virtue. And in fact, when the soul directs its thoughts to God, it can no longer be deceived by the sight of sensual objects, but, passing by everything sensible, or rather these objects that are before our eyes, it contemplates objects that are invisible to the bodily eyes and are not subject to change, but are constantly present, unchangeable and unshakable. Such are the eyes of the mind: they are constantly fixed on the contemplation of heavenly objects, and, illumined by their brilliance, they look upon the objects of present life as shadows and dreams, without being in the least deceived or carried away by them. On the contrary, when they see wealth, they immediately laugh at it, knowing that it is more fickle than any runaway slave, passes from one to another and never remains in one place, and moreover causes many evils to its possessors and plunges them, so to speak, into the very abyss of vice. If they see bodily beauty, they are not deceived by it, imagining its fragility and changeability, as, for example, sometimes illness destroys all beauty, even without illness, old age makes a formerly beautiful face ugly and ugly, and death finally destroys all bodily beauty. If anyone is seen invested with glory or power, who has attained the highest degree of honor and enjoys full prosperity, he is looked upon as a man who has nothing solid and unchangeable, but prides himself on flowing away faster than the streams of the river. And indeed, can anything be more insignificant than all the glory of the present life, when it is compared to the color of grass? "All human glory," says the Scriptures, "is like a flower on the grass" (Isaiah 40:6; 1 Peter 1:24).

4. Do you see, beloved, how faithfully the eyes of faith see when the soul is directed to God? Do you see how they cannot be deceived by anything visible, but have a correct judgment about things and are not subject to any deception? However, if you wish, let us again pass on to the subject of the word, and, having offered a little more, let us cease the teaching, so that what has been said may remain in your memory. The Divine Scripture, having finished the narration of the divine sign, wants to give us more information about the righteous man and his sons, and says: "The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and of them the whole earth was inhabited" (Gen. 9:18-19). Here it may be asked, why did the divine Scripture, after mentioning the three sons of Noah, add: "Ham was the father of Canaan"? Do not think, I beseech you, that this should be added without purpose: there is nothing in the Divine Scripture that is said without any purpose, and does not contain great benefit. So why is it signified and added: "Ham was the father of Canaan"? The Scriptures want to show us the extreme intemperance of Ham, that neither so great a calamity (the flood), nor such a small life in the ark, could restrain him, but while his elder brother had not yet had children, he gave himself over to intemperance in the time of such wrath (of God), when the whole world was perishing, and could not restrain his unbridled lust, but even then and so early he revealed his vicious inclinations. And so, since a little later, for the insult he had done to his father, his son Canaan was to be cursed, the divine Scripture already shows and makes known to us both the name of the son and the intemperance of the father, so that when you later see that he shows great disrespect to his parent, knowing that he has long been so, and will not even be enlightened by misfortune. In fact, such a calamity could completely curb voluptuous lust, and indeed nothing is more capable of extinguishing this flame and this fury than great sorrow and great misfortune. Who, therefore, even in such a great calamity, has shown such unbridled lust, what can he deserve forgiveness?

But here we have another, so well-known and everywhere repeated, question: why is the son cursed for the sin of the father? However, in order that we may not now continue the discourse too much, let us postpone this question to another time, and when we come to the very place (in which it is spoken), then let us also propose the solution that God will inspire. In the divine Scriptures, as I have said above, there is nothing that is written without some foundation or reason. So far we know that Moses did not mention the name of the son (of Ham) in vain and without purpose, saying: "Ham was the father of Canaan." Then he says: "Three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was inhabited." Let us not pass without attention, beloved, even these words, but from them let us understand the greatness of the power of God. "Three," it is said, "were the sons of Noah, and of them the whole earth was inhabited." How did so many people come from three? How could they be capable of this? How did the whole world come into being from so few? How were their very bodies preserved? At that time, there was no doctor who would treat, there were no other benefits (to preserve health). The cities had not yet been built, and after such a calamity (flood) and being in the ark, they came out weary and weary. How, being left in such solitude and in such a terrible desert, did they not die? How did they not die? For fear and trembling, tell me, did not shake their souls and disturb their thoughts? Do not be surprised, beloved: God has done all this; all these obstacles were removed by the Creator of nature; It was His commandment, which said: "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Gen. 1:28), granted them (the sons of Noah) the power to multiply. In the same way, the Israelites in Egypt, though they were burdened with "their life bitter because of hard work in clay and bricks, and because of all the work of the field, and because of all the work to which they were forced with cruelty" (Exodus 1:14), nevertheless, and in spite of this, they multiplied still more, and neither the cruel and inhuman command of Pharaoh, who commanded that male children should be thrown into the water, nor the oppression that they suffered from the overseers of the works could reduce their number, on the contrary, they multiplied more and more, because the higher power acted contrary (to the desires of the persecutors).