Selected places from creations

Contents I owe you a lot Peace Sun Criminals and good news for them Vine and rods (branches) The king and his subject, asking for mercy from him About the same I can’t leave you anywhere Don’t be afraid, I’m with you Light and darkness Lamp Great Whose are you? Come back! The small tree went the wrong way. The bee stings with its sting. Why have you become? Sowing and harvest About the same A burning light A person called to judgment About the same Citizens awaiting their king in their city We hear people say to people: I owe you a lot. And this word shows the gratitude of the heart. People say this (this) to those from whom they received a lot of goodness, beneficence and help. It is correct and it is not hypocritical from a grateful heart, but it is spoken from the sincerity of the heart. For people should also be grateful to their benefactors. Christian! It is especially fitting for us to speak and confess this word with humility and sincerity of heart to our God: I owe You much, Lord; and we must confess every day, hour and minute, for we continually receive good things from the hand of the Lord. I will bless the Lord at all times; I will make His praise in my mouth (Ps. 33:2). There was no me: and lo (behold) I am and I live, like other people. You, Lord, have deigned me to be, and to be considered among the works of Your hands, and to see the works of Your hands, heaven and earth, with their fulfillment, and from the great and glorious works of Yours, to know You, the great and glorious Creator, and to be satisfied and comforted with Your blessings. Thy hands make me, and create me (Ps. 119:73). I owe you a lot for this, and I cannot repay you with anything! You did not create me as a soulless creature, not as a beast, not as a bird, not as a fish, not as any other dumb animal, which are all 3 and live, but do not understand their bliss; but He created (me) an intelligent person who can know and understand that I have the beginning of my being and life from You; I am Your creation, You are my Creator: I owe You a lot for this, and I can’t repay you in any way! Thus created from You, I cannot be and live without You and Your blessings. Thy hand, O Lord, sustains me, and gives me Thy blessings. I cannot live and live without light: Your lights, the sun, the moon and the stars, shine on me. I cannot live without fire: Your fire warms me and cooks my food. I cannot be whole and alive without air: Your air revives me and preserves my life. I cannot be without food: Your generous hand, Lord, gives me food. I cannot be without drink: Your goodness, Lord, has produced springs, rivers and lakes for me, and with these I cool and wash myself. I cannot, naked of God-woven clothes, be without clothing: from Your generous right hand I receive even that. I cannot be without a home: you give me a house for the repose of my weak and poor body. I cannot be without cattle: Your cattle serve and work for me. These and other countless benefits, like other people, my brethren, I also receive from You: I owe You a lot for this. But what will I repay to the Lord for all that I have repaid? (Ps. 116:3.) What would I be if You took away one of these blessings from me? What would my eyes use for me, if Your light did not shine on me? would certainly 6 wander like a blind man! How could I live if You did not give me Your food? I can’t live without air even for the slightest minute. So every creature of Yours is very good, and serves me poor. But receiving these blessings from You, I hope for future and better blessings according to Your false promise; and my spirit strives from the visible 7 to the invisible, and from the present to the future, and from the temporal to the eternal, and from the earthly to the heavenly. Even if 8 in exile and exile you give us so much goodness: you will give so much to your fatherland and your house! And even to those who know You and those who do not know You, those who honor You and those who do not, Your friends and enemies, You so generously open Your hand: how many blessings will those who love You be honored with in eternal life! The eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, and the heart of man has not sighed, what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 11:9). May Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we trust in Thee! (Ps. 33:22.) I am blind, like others, without Thy grace and enlightenment: my sin has blinded me. For this reason and in this, Thy goodness has philanthropically provided both for everyone and for me, the unworthy. For the enlightenment of both everyone and me, You have sent down Your holy word to us through Your chosen servants and servants. This 9 is like a light for those who sit in darkness, shining and showing harm and benefit, evil and good, sin and virtue, lies and truth, what is displeasing to You and pleasing, unbelief and faith: and thus drives away my blindness and enlightens my mind. Your law is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my paths (Ps. 119:105). I owe You a lot for this, Lord, and I cannot repay You with anything! From this I know You, my God and Creator. In this 10 I see that You have done and are doing glorious and wonderful works, which the hand of man and no creature can do; and from those 11 I know that You are also, working marvelously and gloriously in the world created from You, which the world created out of nothing: and from all this I know Your almighty power. Just as you can create things out of nothing, your almighty power can change those created. To turn rivers into blood, to drain water from stones, and to turn fire into dew, to enlighten a man blind from birth, to raise the dead, and to do other similar things, who else but Thy all-powerful right hand can do this? Thinking about this omnipotent power of Yours, I am convinced to tremble and humble myself before You, to humble myself under Your mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6). Why can’t I tremble and humble myself before Him, who has in His hand all the ends of the earth, including me? Both death and my life are in His hand. God, most gracious and merciful! spare me a poor sinner. In Your word I see that Your almighty right hand protects, preserves and saves those who fear, love and honor You: but the self-willed, not afraid and ungodly He humbles, punishes and executes You; rewards virtue, punishes sin. And from this I know Your righteousness, which rewards everyone according to their deeds, and I fear Your judgment; and thus I am convinced to repentance for past sins, and am compelled to cry out to You from the depths of my heart: God, be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13), Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living will be justified before You (Psalm 143:2). If you see iniquity, Lord, Lord! who will stand? (Ps. 129:3). This also warns me against other sins to which my weakness leads me. In Your word I see that You call all those who turn away from You and those who are ungodly to You; and those who have turned and come with repentance, and seek and ask for mercy from You, as a loving Father of lost sons, You lovingly accept and show Your mercy to them, and do not remember their sins and iniquities, and add them to the number of those who love and honor You. From this I recognize Your goodness and unconditional mercy towards poor sinners; and thus I myself do not despair for my sins, but with hope in You, the good and merciful God, I resort and ask for mercy. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity (Psalm 50:3). All Your creatures show Your goodness, Your word is preached everywhere, all Your animals know, Angels and men are surprised, repentant sinners kiss, the righteous feel, and insensible sinners are not deprived, because Your goodness endures them long and leads them to repentance (Rom. 2:4). I, a poor sinner, feel and kiss Your goodness, and I cry with Your prophet: taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 33:9.) And how many times do I feel Your goodness in my heart, so many times my heart is excited and kindled to Your love. Glory to Your goodness! glory to Your bounties! glory to Thy mercy! glory to your long-suffering! glory to Your love for mankind! I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my strength, and my refuge, and my deliverer, my God, my helper, and I trust in Him: my protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my intercessor (Ps. 17:2, 3). In Your word I see that everything that You reveal to us is exactly so; and what you predict comes true; and what you promised and promised, you fulfilled, for the Lord is faithful in all His words; and I see that heaven and earth will pass by, but Your words will not pass away. And from there I know Your truth, and am confirmed in my faith, and without a doubt I believe Your holy and merciful promise, and I am unshakable in my hope. Thy mercy, O Lord, and Thy truth quicken me, support me, preserve and strengthen me, and lead me to Thy future and eternal promised blessings. I know that the church of my body will be ruined, and my body, like earth, will be given over to the earth: but Your mercy assures me that the same body in which my soul now lives will rise by the power and omnipotent voice of Yours, and by Your grace will be transformed into its best and most beautiful form. For it is sown not in honor, but is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, but it is raised in strength: a spiritual body is sown, and a spiritual body is raised. It is fitting for this corruptible to put on incorruption, and for this dead thing to put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:43, 44, 53). And so with your holy church, the tea of ​​the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the next century, amen. I see in Your holy word that You have no beginning and no end. All things created from You, just as they began, can also end; and as they were not, they may not be. What remains depends on Thy holy will and almighty power. But you, just as you remain without beginning, will remain without end and cannot help but be. Before even the mountains did not exist and the earth and the universe were created, and from everlasting to everlasting you art (Ps. 89:3). In the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the works of Your hand are the heavens. They will perish, but You remain: and they all promise like a robe, and like I wear a garment, and they will be changed: But You are the same, and Your years will not fail (Ps. 102:26, ​​27, 28). And from this I see that You alone have immortality, in the living light you are unapproachable; alone you have the everlasting 12, alone you have the immutable life, or everlasting eternity, and the everlasting, eternal life, without which we cannot live and be alive, from which is the source of life. To be with You is life; Without You there is obvious death. To be with You is bliss; to be without You is damnation. To be with You is consolation, joy and sweetness; to be without You is sorrow and grief. Those who live with You truly live; those who live without You, live and die; They live before people, but in Your eyes they are dead, they remain in death. One must be dead if one moves away from the belly; just as one must be in darkness if one moves away from the light. Thinking about this, I tremble and fear that my belly will depart from You; I long and try to be with You, unworthy of Your creation. Do not cast me away, O Lord, from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from Me! Reward me with the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the Lord’s spirit (Ps. 50:13, 14). You are my Creator, You are my belly, You are my strength, Lord, You are my strength, You are my God, You are my joy. What is there in heaven? and what did You want on earth? My heart and my flesh have disappeared: O God of my heart, and my portion, O God, forever, For all who separate themselves from You will perish: You have consumed every fornicator from You. But it is good for me to cleave to God, to place my trust in the Lord (Ps. 72:25, 26, 27, 28). Listen diligently, very diligently, my soul, to that word; all who separate themselves from You will perish. Be careful to move away from the stomach, lest you end up in death; Beware of leaving the light, lest you remain in darkness. Sin separates and removes from God. The Angels sinned: they went away and died. The first parents sinned in paradise: they moved away from God and died. People still sin today; and they move away from God and remain in death. Beware, my soul, lest you suffer too. Cling to the belly, so that you may live in Him and with Him. Hold on to the light, and imash the animal light. Cling to bliss, may you be blessed. Hold on to essential joy and sweetness, so that you may remain in consolation, joy and joy. Die to sin and the vanity of this world, so that God may live. It is good for me to cleave to God! I see in Your holy word that You have a holiness beyond application and incomprehensible, with which Your chosen and holy Angels are amazed and horrified, crying out; Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 6:3). And I know that to be with You is life, to be without You is death. It’s scary to be away from You; but it is not possible for someone defiled and defiled to be with You. It is necessary for him to be and walk in the light, whoever wants to have fellowship with You, the living light, in whom there is not a single darkness (1 John 1:5, 6). This reasoning teaches me to fear all sin and to move away from it, and to be in repentance and contrition for past sins, and to pray to You with humility and repentance. Turn Your face away from my sins, and cleanse all my iniquities! (Ps. 50:11). Take away, O Lord, my iniquities from Me: and I will be Yours and I will be with You. It is good for me to cleave to God! I see in Your holy word that You are everywhere and in every place, and there is no place where You are not essentially present; and wherever I walk and turn, I walk and turn before You; and whatever I do, I say, I think, I begin: before You I do, I speak, I think and I begin, and You see and know everything; and you see and know far better than I know myself; and whatever I do, say, think, and begin, you write down in Your book, and You will reward me according to my deeds, thoughts, words, and undertakings. Just as you are everywhere, you see and know everything. Why can’t I hide from You anywhere or in anything? All my ways are before You, O Lord (Ps. 119:168). Where shall I go from Your Spirit? and will I flee from Thy presence? Even if I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I go down to hell, then if I take up my wings early, I will dwell in the last seas, and there Your hand will guide me, and Your right hand will hold me. And reh: the food of darkness will trample me, and the night of enlightenment in my sweetness? For the darkness shall not be darkened by Thee, and the night shall be brightened as for the day: as is its darkness, so is its light (Ps. 139:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). This teaching and reflection teaches me to always and everywhere fear You and tremble, with fear and apprehension to live and act, do, speak, think and begin as children walk before their father, servants before their master, subjects walk and turn before their king: as everything happens before You, and everything is clearly and openly before Your all-seeing eye. From this I learn everywhere and in every place to bow my knees before You, and to humbly call upon You, and to seek mercy from You, and to place my hope in You: for even if I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me (Ps. 22:4). Thou art my helper, I sing to Thee; For God art my protector, my God, my mercy (Psalm 58:18). I see in Your holy word that You are an immaterial Spirit, whom you cannot see with your eye, nor hear with your ear, nor touch with your hands, nor feel with any sense, but with the single eye of faith and mind you are seen and known. The Spirit is God (John 4:24). From this I learn to honor You not with substance, but with spirit (the Spirit is revered spiritually), and to bow to You in spirit and in truth. I see in Your word that You find a way to save us there, where it is not visible, and you lead everything as it should and to a good end; and from this I recognize Your incomprehensible wisdom, and I am amazed at it and see that, just as You created all things with wisdom, so You rule all things with wisdom. And from this I learn in everything, in my well-being and adversity, to surrender to Your wise and wondrous providence. Everything that is sent to me from You is sent for my good and my bliss: as if it is sent from the source of all good things. Will you lift me up? good for me! Do you humble me? good for me! Will you make me happy? good for me! Do you make me sad? good for me! Glory to You, God, about everything! Do everything and make me blessed. I will bless the Lord at all times (sad and joyful)! Thus, from Thy holy word I learn to know You, my Creator and God, by knowing to honor: and from this I receive great and ineffable benefit to my soul. What would I be if Thy holy word did not guide me? He would certainly walk and wander like a blind man and like one walking in darkness, like all the pagans 13 who do not have this lamp of Yours and do not heed it, walk and go astray, and do not know Your Creator and are content with Your blessings that You give them, do not understand You as a benefactor, but honor the creature instead of the Creator and the honor that You give to the Creator and they must repay their benefactor, they give to Your creature. Your Holy Word turns me away from this soul-destroying error and points me to You, my Creator, and leads me to You, and to know You, and to honor You alone as God and my Creator, and to worship and serve You alone, and teaches You to give honor to You. I owe you a lot for this heavenly gift of yours, Lord, and I can’t repay you in any way! I thank Thee, O Lover of Mankind, for Thou hast kindled this Divine lamp of Thy, and as before all, Thou hast placed it before me, the poor! Looking at this, I am illuminated and enlightened, and I understand and recognize You, my Creator and God, and I am instructed on the true path. In Your word I see what the Creator requires from His rational creation, the Lord from His servant, the highest benefactor from the one to whom he does good, and God from man, that is, such veneration, subjugation, worship, obedience and love, which veneration should not be given to any creature. And from this I learn to honor You as much as my faith and Your holy word teach. My conscience shows me this and convinces me to such reverence. In Your word I see who I am and who my neighbor is and what I owe him: that is, as I love myself, so I must love him, as man is a nature akin to himself, and beloved and venerable from You; and not to do anything to him that I don’t want for myself; and let him do everything I want for myself. This is what I owe to him: what do I learn from Thy holy word. In Your word I see that You, as the Creator, provide for all Your creation in such a way that not even a small bird falls without Your will (Matthew 10:29); but most of all about man, whom You created in Your image and likeness. In this I see that You have shown a wondrous and incomprehensible providence for the poor man in a philanthropic manner. Truly man in his creation is honored by You, his Creator, honored more than all Your creation by Your special advice; Let's create man. Created in Your image, and in Your likeness was created holy, pure, blameless, wise; and created for eternal bliss. But, seduced by the flattering advice of the evil serpent, he lost all his honor and bliss, and thus, having turned away from You, his Creator, he perished. Oh, disastrous advice! oh, the fierce fall! Man fell, and he who was created in the image of God and in the likeness of God, and created for eternal bliss, perished. Adam! where are you? Ah, My dear creation, created by My hands, created in My image and in My likeness, where are you? From what height to what depth, from what glory to disgrace, from what honor to what dishonor, from what bliss to what damnation have you fallen! The evil serpent deceived My venerable creation; the robber kidnapped and took into captivity the man created by My hands; a fierce beast tore My dear child to pieces. A man who is in honor and understanding, is likened to senseless cattle, and becomes like them (Ps. 49:13, 21). Thus the primordial man perished; We, too, his sons, perished! But you, good, merciful and humane God, did not tolerate seeing a poor man in destruction, but had mercy on him. Thy law was given to him, so that he who had fallen away from You would be converted and brought to You; but he only showed him his weakness, and did not heal him; denounced him and frightened him, and did not console him; showed his destruction, and did not save him: even so, he could not save someone so badly wounded and weak, because he could not fulfill him. You sent Your chosen servants, the prophets, to fallen man, and they only denounced man, and did not help man, but pointed to the One who was coming to save man, and they proclaimed Him, and thereby they gave some consolation to the poor man: he is coming, he is coming to save us, the One who is coming will come and will not become stubborn. Finally the time has come; and by Your most holy favor You sent to us Your only begotten Son, co-natural and co-essential and co-originating with You. He clothed himself in the flesh servile to us, and was born of the most immaculate Virgin Mother; and, this God without beginning, became an infant; and, the Heavenly King, lived on earth, about whom You from Your holy heaven testified with Your most Divine voice: This is My beloved Son, in Him You have been well pleased: Hear ye Him (Matthew 17:5). He was sent from You, our God and Creator, to us poor people to seek and save us who perished - Your creation, as He Himself preached comfortingly about Your unworthy love for us: so love the world, for He also gave Your only begotten Son to eat, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but through Him the world may be saved (John 3:16, 17). He declared to us Your most holy favor and Your highest mercy, having come to us, and with Your holy Gospel, which You brought to us, our hearts, saddened by the poison of the snake, comforted and rejoiced; preached to us that You leave our sins, with which You, our Creator and our God, were angry, and You call us to Yourself through Him, and open the doors of Your eternal Kingdom to those who believe in Him and listen to Him, as He Himself testified to our consolation: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Who, for the sake of the anointing of Me, preached good news to the poor, sent Me to heal those who are brokenhearted, preach remission to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, let those who are brokenhearted go away into joy, preach the joy of the Lord (Luke 4:18, 19). Having brought this all-pleasant news from You to us poor sinners, you lived with people like a man on earth; and to believe in You, and to please You and to do Your will, He taught us through Himself; and He showed us the way to Your eternal Kingdom and called us, and suffered and died from those who did not accept Him, and rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from where He came, and sat down at the right hand of You, God and the Father. Thus, through His suffering and death and the Blood shed for us, having cleansed us who believe in Him from our sins, He draws His Heavenly Father to You, like a good shepherd, Your lost sheep. For this humane, saving, wonderful and incomprehensible to our minds, Your providence, like all people, so I, a poor sinner, owe You a lot, Lord. But what will I repay to the Lord for all that I have repaid! I confess to You, Father, with Your only begotten Son and Your Most Holy Spirit! I sing Your love for mankind! I glorify Your goodness and mercy, unworthy and poor sinner! Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! for you have visited and created deliverance for your people, and raised up the horn of salvation for us in the house of your servant David (Luke 1:68, 69). Where would I be, a sinner and a lawbreaker, if not in perdition and in eternal death, lying like a defeated dead man? I would eat, like the demons, I would taste the eternally bitter fruits of my sins. Samples for sin are death (Rom. 6:23). Your goodness, mercy and love for mankind did not allow me to do this; but you saved me so wonderfully. I owe you a lot, Lord, for this! Bless, my soul, the Lord and all my inner being, His holy name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His rewards and so on. ( Ps. 103:1, 2 ). I see in Your holy word that the devil, that evil ancient serpent, who deceived my first parents in paradise, is also now jealous of our blessedness, to which you lead us by the grace of Your only begotten Son, like a roaring lion, walking around, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). From this enemy of ours, Your goodness warns both those who know You and those unworthy of me, and Your all-powerful right hand protects. Oh, how safe could I be, how would I not be consumed alive, if not Your almighty right hand had protected me? I owe you a lot, Lord, for this! Blessed be the Lord, Who did not let us be caught in their teeth (Ps. 123:6). But do not forsake me, O Lord, to the end, but deliver me from the evil one. Arise, O Lord my God, may Your hand be exalted; do not forget Your poor to the end (Ps. 9:33). Do not betray the soul confessing to You to the beasts: do not completely forget the souls of Your poor! (Ps. 73:19.) I see in Your holy word that Your holy angels, who stand before the throne of Your glory and who see Your most holy face, encamp around those who know and fear You and preserve them by Your commandment from the wicked demons (Ps. 33:8), and are sent into service for those who want to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14). For Thou hast not forsaken those whom Thou hast loved, and Thou hast redeemed with the honest Blood of Thy only begotten Son; but through Your holy servants, You preserve them and bring them to eternal rest. I, Thy unworthy and indecent servant, am worthy of Thy grace. I owe you a lot, Lord, for this! I know and confess with humility that I have sinned a lot to You, my Creator and my God, and I regret it; and I see other sins in my conscience, but I don’t see others, and I don’t see more than I see; Who understands the Fall? (Ps. 19:13.) I regret and lament that with them You, my good and humane God, my Creator, my Redeemer, my highest benefactor, the One whom the holy angels reverence, sing, worship with fear and trembling, - You, such and such a Lord, have been insanely and greatly offended by the last worm. And how many times have I sinned against You, so many times have You seen me sin; and how many times have you seen me, how many times have you endured me, so many times you have had mercy on me. And if You had acted with me according to Your most holy righteousness, my soul would have long ago descended into hell; but Your goodness and Your love for mankind and Your long-suffering restrained You, and did not allow me, a prodigal sinner, to my destruction. I owe You much, O Lord, and for this great mercy I owe to me! Let me confess to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever: for Your great mercy is upon me, and You have delivered my soul from the lowest hell (Ps. 86:12, 13). From these and others, whom I don’t even know, I see Your good deeds towards me, that I am completely contained in Your love for me and kindness, love for mankind and long-suffering and generosity. It is Your goodness, Lord, that I have not yet perished, I still live. I see that You are leading me to eternal salvation, which You promised to those who know You and honor You. Have mercy on me, a poor sinner to the end, and with the grace of Your only begotten Son, atone for all my sins, and save me into eternal life, so that together with all Your chosen ones for all Your good deeds I will thank, praise and sing to You with Your only begotten Son and the Most Holy Spirit, not by faith, but face to face to endless ages, Amen. From these considerations you see, Christian: 1) What you and I owe to God, that is, as I do, so you owe yourself everything: that you live, that you move, that is God’s goodness; and although no matter what you do, no matter how much you please God, even though you suffered through all your life for the sake of His name, and that would be nothing, you always remain a debtor before God. Thus we are and are favored by Him! For this one thing, that He created us, we cannot repay in any way or anything: but what about His other countless and highest blessings? What shall we render to the Lord for all that He has rendered to us? This alone is nothing! 2) From here we learn to humbly thank Him from the sincerity of our hearts, and recognize our lack and poverty in the fact that from Him, as a benefactor, we receive blessings every day and hour; but we cannot repay the benefactor with anything. 3) We must thank Him for all good things, but especially for His word, as His highest gift sent to us, and the saving coming of His only begotten Son to us, and for His sake the eternal life and bliss promised to us. In this way, God’s ineffable and incomprehensible kindness and love for us was revealed. 4) From here you see, Christian, how wretched and poor you are, that you cannot live even a minute without the blessings of God. The one who does not have food is wretched and poor; the one who does not have clothing, and so on: you do not have all this and the rest, but you receive everything from God, who is rich in mercy. And if the Lord had not given you all this, you would have been the poorest and most wretched of all creation. You see how poor and wretched you are! Recognize and acknowledge your poverty and misery, so that the Lord will enrich you with rich mercy. 5) From here you see that we cannot earn anything from God through ourselves, but we receive everything from His generous right hand. He, who is good and rich in mercy, seeing our poverty and misery, opens the treasure of His goodness, and from this He gives us everything. For His nature is such that it cannot but do good. 6) From the knowledge of God will follow renewal, correction, piety and holy Christian life, as you saw above. To know God truly and to live ungodly is disgusting to oneself. It is impossible for one who knows God not to be corrected and renewed; and the more he learns, the more he is corrected, renewed, and becomes better. 7) From here it follows that Christians who live lawlessly do not know God, although they confess His holy name, and pray to him, and go to church, and partake of the Mysteries of Christ, and so on. And this is what the Apostle wrote: and of this we understand that by knowing Him, if we keep His commandments. He says that he knows Him, but does not keep His commandments; it is a lie, and there is no truth in it (1 John 2:3, 4). All such people remain in death, as if moving away from the stomach; they live with their bodies, but are dead with their souls; They live before the world, but they die before God. It is impossible for one defiled by sins to have communion with the Holy God: but one who is separated from Him, like life, must be dead, according to what was said: all who separate themselves from You will perish. This includes fornicators, adulterers, all kinds of defilers, evildoers and avengers, predators, thieves and robbers, slanderers and scolders, charmers, deceivers and hypocrites, and others of the like. All such people have withdrawn from God through their evil behavior: and therefore they remain in death. 8) When the lawless person turns to God with all his heart and remains in true repentance, then by the grace of God he will come to life again. If you, a sinner, want to live with your soul and not with your body alone, then turn with all your heart to God the Life, who revives everyone, and hold on to Him with faith and truth: and you will live truly both now and in the next century; and although you die, you will still come to life and go forth into the resurrection of the eternal life. Praise the Lord, all pagans, praise Him, all people: for His mercy is established upon us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever! ( Ps. 116:1, 2 ). Praise the Lord, my soul: I will praise the Lord in my life, I will sing to my God until I am! ( Ps. 146:1, 2 ). Nothing happens on its own. Every hail is not from itself, but from another; every house is not built from itself, but from something else; Every letter is written not from oneself, but from another; every book is not composed from itself, but from another; in a word, every thing is not done from itself, but from something else. Thus, this world was not created from itself, but from its Creator. He spoke, and it was: He commanded, and it was created (Ps. 149:5). This Creator is our God in one nature, but in three persons, believed, confessed and worshiped - Father and Son and Holy Spirit. The world was not created by the Creator the way people create. People create one thing from another, that is, they make a thing out of some matter, and even then with difficulty: but God created this world, that is, heaven and earth with their fulfillment, out of nothing and without any labor, with a single will and word. It spoke, and it was: it commanded, and it was created. This deed is attributed to the almighty power of God. Our reason, which says that nothing comes from nothing, cannot understand how the great composition of this world is produced from nothing: but faith complements the lack of reason and convinces it to admit this, that to God, as the Almighty, everything is possible. For with God every word fails (Luke 1:37). By faith we mean to be perfected forever by the word of God, in which those things which are not seen are made to be (Heb. 11:3). She hears testimony from the Holy Spirit: in the beginning God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1). And he holds the taco without hesitation. Just as the writer of a book takes out words from his mind and writes them on a charter, and thus composes a book, and as if makes something out of nothing: so the wise and omnipotent Creator, who had in His Divine mind, and what He wanted, created everything and, as it were, a book, composed of two sheets - that is, heaven and earth, consisting of heaven and earth. In this book we see God's omnipotence, wisdom and goodness. Omnipotence: as if He created everything out of nothing by will and word. Wisdom: for thou hast created all things with wisdom: thou hast created all things with wisdom (Ps. 103:24). Goodness - as if He created everything not for His own sake, but for our sake. The good is in communication with itself 15. For God does not require anything for His own sake. As before the age, so now and forever and ever, he abides in perfect bliss. Before the sun rises, darkness and night remain: but as the sun rises, the darkness recedes and the light shines. Thus, before the coming of Christ, who is the righteous Sun, darkness covered the entire universe and the night was deep: but as this brightest Sun rose and emitted its warmest rays over the entire universe, the most favorable and sweetest day for our souls dawned. Then the prophetic word was fulfilled: the people who walked in darkness saw a great light: and to those who sat in the land and the shadow of death, Light was given to them (Is. 9:2, Matt. 4:16), The night has passed away, and the day has come. Let us put aside dark deeds and put on the weapons of light. For in the days let us walk in good manners, not in wickedness and drunkenness, not in fornication and adultery, not in zeal and envy: but put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not please the flesh in lust, says the Apostle (Rom. 13:12, 13, 14). Let us also do according to the Apostolic admonition, so that we may be sons of Light and day. All people walk before the sun shining in heaven, and the sun looks at everyone and everyone: so before God, who is omnipresent and watches over everything, people walk; and what anyone does, thinks, begins, intends, the eyes of the Lord see. The Lord looked down from heaven, and saw all the sons of men: from His ready dwelling He looked down upon all those who dwell on the earth: He who formed their hearts in one, considered all their works (Ps. 32:13, 14, 15). And again: Thy eyes, O Lord, are open unto all the ways of the sons of men, to give unto every man according to his way, and according to the fruit of his undertakings (Jer. 32:19). And: the eyes of the Lord are darker than the brightest sun, despising all the ways of man, and looking into secret places: before that which was created, all things were known to Him, and so also after the end (Sirach. 23:27, 28, 29). We must therefore 17 before God, who watch over everything and reward everyone along his path, walk with apprehension, fear and reverence, and do whatever His holy will pleases, so that we do not anger His Majesty. Be careful how you walk dangerously, not as if you were not wise, but as if you were wise, the Apostle tells us (Eph. 5:15). O man! God is looking at you; and no matter what you do, what you think, what you begin, what you intend, what you love, what you hate, what you console yourself with, what you are offended by, what you seek, what you run away from, what kind of relationship you have with Him - your Creator, how you treat your neighbor - he sees; and how and what you say, how and what you ask and answer, he hears: and he will reward you according to your path and according to the fruit of your undertakings. Be careful, beloved, how dangerously you walk, not as if you were not wise, but as if you were wise! When the sun shines in the sky, everything is clear: everyone sees the path to follow, and where to go, what to do and what to avoid; sees and recognizes one thing from another, and useful from harmful, and so on. And so everyone goes to his work, and to his work until the evening (Ps. 103:23). This is what happens in the soul, which Christ the righteous Sun will enlighten. Such a soul sees everything clearly, knows the charm and vanity of this world, knows good and evil, vice and virtue, harm and benefit, the path to destruction and the path to eternal life leading, it sets out to do things pleasing to God and useful to itself. To such a soul the word of God is sweet, like God Himself. Such a soul has everything pleasant and dear in this world for nothing, remembering the Word of the Sweet: what good is it to a person if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? (Matthew 16:26.) And she always strives for a blissful eternity: she has this on her mind, how to please God her Creator and be among those saved. Blessed is that soul which the Divine Light illuminates. When the sun goes down, there is night and darkness; then people see nothing, do not recognize one thing from another, and walk like blind people, fall into a ditch, and do not know how to avoid harm. This is the state of those souls in whom the light of Christ did not shine! They also touch, like blind people, they do not separate evil from good, they do not know benefit and harm, they fall from sin to sin; they grasp at what is nothing in themselves; they leave behind what is great in themselves; They think that they are following the straight path, but they do not realize that it is leading them into the pit of destruction. These are the essence that cling to the vanity of this world, and in this they only learn how to collect great wealth, ascend to a high honor, become famous in this world, and so on; but they care little about the treasure of eternal salvation, and treat it as the last thing. It is worthy of surprise, or even more regret! They see that those who die and those who come out of this world leave everything in the world, and naked they come out of the world, just as they entered the world; however, they are trying so hard to get rich so that they can live in peace forever. And it is not surprising that the pagans, who have no hope, are confused in such vanity: otherwise Christians, called to eternal life and eternal blessings, which they always hear about in the Gospel, do this. O poor and damned man! How can you not recognize the beauty of this world, chasing after what appears in small moments and soon disappears like smoke; do you abandon what truly is and endures forever? Everything departs from us, except for one virtue, whatever we have in this world: but it will never be separated from us, which we will receive in eternity. In order for a person to be freed from such blindness and darkness, and to be enlightened by the light of Christ, one must approach Christ the true Light, and ask Him with the blind: have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! (Matthew 20:30). And always look at the example of His holy life, and follow His holy footsteps; then the true Light, Christ, will enlighten such a person! For when we have light before us and look at it, we are enlightened; So when the soul comes to Christ, and looks at the image of His most holy life, and follows That, it is enlightened by His light. The closer we are to the light, the more enlightened we become. Christ is light: and so the closer one comes to this light, the more enlightened he will be, and will no longer walk in darkness: I am the Light of the world: whoever walks in Me will not have to walk in darkness, but will have living light (John 8:12). So, if he who walks according to Christ does not have to walk in darkness, he who moves away from this Light will certainly walk in darkness. The sun warms the whole of heaven, and, as it were, revives: so God the Sun, the eternal warmth of His love, warms and revives all creation, and especially the human race. For in Him we live and move and are (Acts 17:28). And most of all, He poured out all the warmth of His love on us in the message of His only begotten Son to us - to us who had departed from Him and perished. For God loved the world, for He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but through Him the world may be saved (John 3:16, 17). Praise the Lord, all you nations; praise Him, all you people! for His mercy is established upon us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever (Ps. 116:1, 2). Praise you too, my soul, to the Lord! May the name of the Lord be blessed from now to eternity! Think, Christian, about this great matter, and thank God! Everyone looks at the sun, and those who want to warm themselves with its warmth come to it: so all the faithful look to God, and are warmed by the warmth of His mercy. The eyes of all trust in You, and You give them food in good season, You open Your hand and fulfill every animal’s good pleasure (Ps. 145:15, 16). Hear us, O God of our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are in the seas far away! (Ps.64:6). Raise your eyes, Christian, to God, so that you may be warmed by the warmth of His mercy; and often say to the prophet from the depths of your heart: My eyes have lifted up to You, who dwells in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of a servant are in the hand of his masters, as the eyes of a servant are in the hand of her mistress: so are our eyes to the Lord our God, until he will show mercy to us (Ps. 122:1, 2). Without the sun, no fruit grows or ripens: without God, the eternal Sun, no good deed begins, is done, or is completed. Our good will, our good beginning, the middle and the end, His work is: He begins, does and completes in us. Without Him we cannot do anything; without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). Learn from here, Christian, 1) to recognize your weakness and wretchedness and insignificance, that you yourself are nothing more than a withered tree that cannot produce any fruit. 2) From this learn humility. 3) Attribute every good deed that you have done or are doing to God alone, lest you appropriate His work for yourself, steal His glory, and thus commit a grave sin. 4) At all times, sigh to God, so that He does not take His almighty hand away from You; and so, without God’s help, you will fall from sin to sin. Repeat often the Psalmist’s prayer: do not forsake me, O Lord my God, do not depart from me: attend to my help, O Lord of my salvation (Ps. 37:22, 23). 5) When God sends you adversity, grief and sadness, he wants to correct you and create you as a fruitful tree. So be patient with your Lord, as you endure a doctor who uses bitter medicine on you. Bitter medicine is sorrow and sadness for the flesh; but in this way the sick soul is healed. Therefore, be patient with the Lord, be of good courage, and let your heart be strong: and be patient with the Lord! (Ps.26:14.) The sun never ceases from its course, but always moves from the east to the west, and sends its light and warmth to the heavenly places: thus God never ceases from doing good, but always does good to us; for such is His nature. God is essentially good, so that no one is good except God alone, according to the testimony of the Savior (Matthew 19:17), and therefore cannot help but do good. The sun shines and emits its warmth on the evil and the good: such is the eternal Sun - God does good to both the good and the evil, the pious and the evil. Bless the Lord, my soul (Ps. 102). May we also imitate our Creator in this matter, and let us do good to the good and the evil, to those who love and hate us, according to the admonition of the Apostle: be imitators of God, like beloved children (Eph. 5:1). For His sun shines on the evil and on the good, and rains on the righteous and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45). The sun sends down equal warmth on all things; but some things melt with its warmth, such as wax, etc.; and others harden, like clay, and so on: thus God does good to everyone equally, and sends down the warmth of His goodness; but other people are softened by His goodness and repent; others become embittered and perish; once Pharaoh became embittered and perished. This is what is happening in the world today. O man! or are you careless about the riches of Her goodness and meekness and long-suffering, not knowing how the goodness of God leads you to repentance (Rom. 2:4)? Beware, O man, of being hardened by the goodness of God 19: but rather, move to repentance, and consider God’s long-suffering salvation for your salvation 20 . The sun is clearly seen in clean and quiet water, and its likeness is depicted: thus God the eternal Sun is shown in a quiet, immaculate and pure soul, and His image is depicted in it. Let us therefore, O beloved, cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, creating holiness in the passion of God, the Apostle exhorts us (2 Cor. 7:1); Yes, God the Eternal Sun will dwell in us, and so His holy image will be depicted in us. Bulky 21 and thick things, such as earth, stone and wooden walls, and so on, cannot contain sunlight; on the contrary, glass, pure water, crystal, etc. contain: so the mind, darkened by the sins and lusts of this world, cannot contain God’s enlightenment. Like fits into like. For this reason he says: Arise from sleep and rise from the dead, and Christ will illuminate you (Eph. 5:14). Repent and cleanse your soul with repentance and tears, and drive away the cloud of your vain thoughts; and then Christ will enlighten you! The closer the sun gets, the smaller the shadow is; the further away you go, the larger the shadow becomes; as the sun sets, the shadow disappears; Thus, the more God approaches man, the less man becomes in himself, the more he is destroyed and humbled; He sees his own unworthiness and insignificance, and God’s majesty, and therefore humbles himself. On the contrary, the more God moves away from man, the more man is exalted, magnified, and proud. And when God completely withdraws from man, man perishes: just as a shadow disappears when the sun sets. Beware, man, of arrogance, lest you fall like the devil; do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For everyone who exalts himself will humble himself; the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:14). Whoever wants to be enlightened and warmed by the sun must come out of a dark place and stand before the sun: so whoever wants to be enlightened by God the Eternal Sun and be warmed by the warmth of His sweetest love must leave the darkness of sin, hate lawless and unclean life, turn to Him and approach with repentance and contrition of heart, and pray; and then he will be enlightened by the Divine light, and his heart will be warmed by the warmth of His Divine love. Come to Him, and you will be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed (Ps. 33:6). Let us therefore, Christians, turn to God with all our hearts, so that we may be enlightened by His light and be warmed by love! It is impossible for sick eyes to look at the sun and see it: such a soul, sick with guile, vanity, pride, conceit, self-love, love of this world, is impossible to see the eternal Divinity. God is seen by the simple and sound eye of the soul. It is impossible to know and see God without God Himself. And He reveals Himself to simple and gentle babies. You hid this from the wise and prudent, and you revealed it as a child (Matthew 11:25). May we, Christians, be simple and pure in heart, so that we may see God. Whoever looks at the sun a lot and diligently listens to it, his eyes become darkened and damaged: so whoever looks curiously at God the eternal Sun and strives to experience His incomprehensible mysteries, his mind becomes darkened and falls into great delusion. Beware, man, of experiencing what you are not given to know. It is sufficient (enough) for us to reason only about God, what His holy word has revealed. Whoever goes to the sun, the shadow will follow; whoever departs from the sun, the shadow recedes from him: so whoever approaches Christ the righteous Sun and follows Him with faith and love, hatred, malice and persecution of this world will inseparably follow. The world, blinded by the lies of the devil, does not love the truth of God: and therefore, just as Christ hated and persecuted the truth itself, so it hates and persecutes a Christian who adheres to the truth; and this is what the Apostle wrote: and all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). However, about this, beloved Christian, do not grieve that the world hates you. Christ is greater and better than the whole world, and His sweetest love is greater than the whole world. Whomever Christ loves and has mercy on, the hatred and malice of this world do no harm to him. Just make sure that you are Christ’s: Christ will not forsake His own. He endured and suffered so much for you: will He leave you in your need? Hear His comforting promise to His servants: I am with him in sorrow, and I will destroy him (Ps. 90:15). How is it known who is Christ’s? The Apostle shows the sign: they are like Christ, having crucified the flesh with passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). And again: let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness (2 Tim. 2:19). So, be Christ, and all the world and all the devils will not harm you, for He is incomparably stronger than all, and all His Divine powers on earth and in the underworld tremble. When the sky is covered with thick and dark clouds, and a great storm comes, it seems as if the sun is leaving us; however, it always and at such times sends down its subtlest rays to us. So, when a dark cloud and storm of temptation comes upon us and covers us, then it seems as if God had abandoned us; however, God does not abandon His faithful one even in such darkness, but with His hidden power preserves him. And because he is faithful, he will not leave him to be tempted more than he can: but he will create with temptation an abundance, so that he can bear it (1 Cor. 10:13). Do not despair, beloved Christian, when any temptation befalls you, but pray and call on Him; then expect His help, according to His false promise: call on Me in the day of your sorrow, and wear you out, and glorify Me (Ps. 49:15). God expects your patience and effort in temptation, not despondency and indignation. Be patient with the Lord, be of good courage, and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord (Ps. 26:14), without whose advice and will nothing happens. As the bad weather and storm pass, the sun shines most pleasantly for us: so when the storm of temptation passes, the favorability and graciousness of God’s goodness is felt in the human heart. Then the sweetest bucket in the soul shines; then the soul is comforted, filled with peace and tranquility, like the sweetest supper; then in such a soul mercy and truth meet, justice and peace kiss each other (Ps. 84:11). Then the soul tastes and sees that the Lord is good (Ps. 33:9). Such sweetness, after undergoing temptation, will follow in the human heart. Be patient with the temptation that comes your way, Christian, and then you will feel a favorable and sweet well in your soul! Moreover, when we look at the sun, Christians, let us remember that Christ the Lord said: then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43). The chosen ones of God will be clothed with such great and wonderful glory that they will shine like the sun. Let us look with the eyes of our souls at this glory, and let us despise the charming glory and honor of this world. Criminals and good news for them 22 If any people had fallen into a significant sin before the king, he would have sent him to imprisonment or exile; and some kind of messenger from the king would come to them, and would announce to them that the king forgives them, and leaves their crime to them, and returns them to their fatherland and home, and lets them live in peace and quiet: what a joyful news it would be to those poor condemned people. Our forefather Adam and I all sinned before God the King of Heaven, and were sent from paradise to this world, like imprisonment and exile. Christ, the Son of God, the Angel of great counsel, came to us exiled and condemned, and brought sweet news from His Heavenly Father, and announced to us that God forgives us, and again accepts us in His mercy. And having come to bring peace to you, far and near, says the Apostle (Eph. 2:17). And Christ Himself preaches to us about Himself: preach the gospel to the poor, I am an ambassador (Father), to heal the brokenhearted, to preach release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the brokenhearted go into joy, to preach the pleasant year of the Lord (Luke 4:18, 19). As if he said: do not be afraid, do not be horrified, poor and rejected people! I brought you good news from My Heavenly Father. You have sinned: He forgives your sins. You have turned away from Him: He again turns you to Himself. You have withdrawn and been driven out from His presence: He again brings you back to Himself. You are lost: He saves you through Me. You were expelled from paradise through your sin: He, by His grace, gives you heaven instead of paradise. Receive Me as His messenger. Let not your heart be troubled! Believe in God, and believe in Me. In My Father's house there are many mansions (John 14:1, 2). I call you exiled to this monastery and return you. O news, dearest, sweetest and most auspicious to the whole world! Nothing truly could be more pleasant for us poor sinners than the message of sowing! Food is not as pleasant to the hungry, cold water to the thirsty, freedom to those captive, light to those in darkness, rest to the weary, health to the weak as this message is to us poor, removed from God, rejected, condemned and lost sinners. Do not be afraid, nor despair, poor sinner! Christ, the Son of the living God, the King and King of Heaven, the beloved and only begotten Son, sent from His Heavenly Father, came to save you and bring you into His Heavenly Kingdom. The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The word is true and worthy of all acceptance, for Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). God so loved the world, as He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved by Him (John 3:16, 17). We thank You, Lover of Mankind, only begotten Son and Word of God, that You brought us such sweet and comforting news from Your Heavenly Father, and with that you have sweetened our hearts, saddened by the poison of the ancient serpent! We believe in You, the Son of the living God, and the Heavenly Father who sent You; and through You, Who art the way, the truth and the life, we hope to come to Him and glorify You forever and ever with Your Father and the Holy Spirit! May Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we trust in Thee! (Ps.32:22). In You, Lord, let us trust, let us not be ashamed forever, amen! Take comfort in this sweet news or gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, O sad soul, one who has sinned and repents. Let this news be a cooling sensation in your life, during spiritual heat, and a living consolation in the hour of mortal struggle. The Son of God came to save sinners, not such and such, but all kinds, no matter what they were; If only sinners would repent and believe in Jesus Christ who came to save him: and paradise would be opened to them by the hand of the crucified Christ on the cross. Repent then, you sinner, and believe in this holy and sweetest gospel: and without a doubt you will go with the thief to paradise. Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and brought about redemption for His people, and has raised up the horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David: as His prophet has spoken on the lips of the saints of the world (Luke 1:68, 69, 70). What the vine and the rod are to each other: that is what Christ and Christians are to each other. The rods are connected to the vine: thus Christians are spiritually united to Christ. The rods from the vine receive juice and produce fruit: thus Christians from Christ receive the life-giving power of good morals and virtues, and give birth to the fruits of good deeds. Although fruit is seen on the rods, it is attributed to the vine: so although Christians bear the fruit of virtues, they are nevertheless attributed to Christ the Son of God. The rods themselves, without the vine, cannot create fruit: so Christians without Christ cannot create anything. The rods are cut off and cleansed from the worker so that they may bear better and greater fruit: in this way Christians are punished by the Heavenly Father, so that they may bear the greatest and most pleasant fruit of virtues. The rods are not red on the outside, but inside they contain good and pleasant juice and fruit: so Christians are not red on the outside, they are despicable, but on the inside they are good; They don’t speak well, but they live well. The more the rods are laden with fruit, the more they bow to the ground and lower themselves: so Christians, the more good deeds they do, the more they humble themselves. The rods produce fruit for the sake of the worker: Christians do good deeds according to the word of the Heavenly Father, from Whom all good comes. The rod that does not produce fruit is cut off from the vine: so a Christian who does not produce the fruit of good is cut off from Christ. The rod, cut off from the vine, dries up: so a Christian, cut off from Christ, destroys all his spiritual vitality and dries up spiritually. A withered rod is good for nothing other than burning: a Christian who is cut off from Christ and withered is given over to eternal fire (John 15:4, 5, 6). From this you see, Christian: 1) what a close union and communion of true Christians with Christ! This is the vine: these are the rods. 2) What great and lofty dignity there is! What is more glorious than to have fellowship with Christ the King of Heaven? It is glorious to have fellowship with an earthly king or prince; but incomparably more glorious with Christ, the King of kings. 3) How great is their bliss! If Christ is with Christians, who can be against them? The whole world and all hell can do nothing against a Christian: for Christ is his strength and strength. 4) Without Christ we cannot be virtuous and do good deeds, since the rods cannot bear fruit without the vine. 5) From here it follows that we must first be planted in Christ, and thus create the fruits of good deeds. An evil tree cannot produce good fruit (Matthew 7:18). 6) How poor is the condition of those Christians who, through lawless living, have been torn away from Christ! For they are like withered rods. 7) Anyone who wants to be saved must turn to the Lord with a pure heart, and wash himself with repentance and tears, and thus cling to Christ, the true vine. For apart from Christ there is no salvation outside. Christ is life and light: it is necessary for him to be in death and darkness who has been separated from life and light. Think about this, Christian, and wash away your sins with repentance and tears, so that your life will unite with Christ. The king and his subject, asking mercy from him 24 When a man stands before his king and asks for mercy from him: he looks at him with humility and reverence, kneels and falls before him, his whole mind and thoughts are gathered here, he strives and tries to bend the king to mercy and get what he wants. Do you see, Christian, how a man asks for mercy from a man! what attention, humility and reverence he shows when he wants to receive what he asks for! From this example we learn how we should stand in prayer before the Lord God and our King, look with tenderness at His most pure face, bow our knees with humility and fall before His Majesty and ask for what we want. Oh man! remember in your prayer that you are standing before God, talking with God, saying to God: Lord, have mercy! Lord, be generous! Lord, hear! Lord, save me! and so on. Who are you? earth and ashes and sinner. Who are you standing in front of and talking to? before the holy and terrible God, before whom all creation, visible and invisible, is as nothing. You are a small and poor worm, and also a sinner; you stand before the eternal, incomprehensible, omnipotent God and pray. Judge for yourself what kind of humility and reverence you need here! We stand before the king of the earth with humility and ask him: how much more so to the King of Heaven!... As we see, it is not possible to approach a king or some high-ranking person with a petition at all times and not at all places. To our God, Christians, it is not so. It is always convenient to approach Him everywhere and always. Everywhere and always ready to listen to our prayer. Night and day and morning and every time and hour is convenient for prayer. Thus, it is convenient to approach Him at any place. For everywhere and always it is found with all of us. We can therefore approach Him with our petition in church, in the home, in the meeting, on the road, in action, on the bed, walking and sitting, working and resting, and at all times. For everywhere and always we can raise our minds and hearts to Him and offer our heart’s petition to Him, and with heartfelt kneeling we can fall before His merciful eyes, and expect mercy from Him. We approach God not with our feet, but with our hearts. Come then, Christian, everywhere and always to your merciful Creator, confess and acknowledge your poverty, poverty and damnation: and receive the wealth of goodness from Him. I can't leave you anywhere 25 It happens that a person says to another for some reason: I cannot leave you anywhere. We hear this word among people: but, as you judge, it is incorrectly attributed to every person, no matter what he may be. For not only from the common man, but also from the kings themselves, even though they have long hands, it is possible to escape and hide, as we see. Why is this word: I cannot leave you anywhere; it is fitting for God alone to speak. We cannot escape from Him anywhere, no matter where we run; and we cannot hide anywhere, no matter where we decide to hide. Everywhere He precedes us, wherever we want to run; and there it is present, wherever we want to hide. Are there any in your house? God is here. Which way are you going? God does not leave you. Did you come to the apartment? God is here, Are you in the city or village? God is there. Will you run to the desert or to the end of the earth? there God comes before you. Do you want to hide in the earth or the depths of the sea? and there He is with you. Do you think: won’t I hide from Him in darkness and night? no, this is not a safe refuge! We have day and night, light and darkness; but with God there is no darkness, no night, but all is light and day. And the incomparably brighter eyes of God are the essence of the sun, seeing through all the paths of man, and looking into secret places (Sirach 23:28). The Psalmist learned this, that it is impossible to escape or hide from God anywhere, and he called out to Him; Where shall I go from Your Spirit? and will I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I descend to hell, There You are: If I take my wings early and dwell in the last of the seas, and there Your hand will guide me, and Your right hand will hold me. And reh: food darkness will trample me, and night enlightenment in my sweetness. For the darkness will not be darkened by You, and the night will be brightened like the day: as is its darkness, so is its light (Ps. 139:7-12). Once upon a time the prophet Jonah fled from the face of the Lord, but was restrained by the right hand of God, and saw himself in the belly of a whale; and from there by the same right hand of God he was cast out to the earth (Jonah 1:3, 2:1, 11). It is impossible to escape or hide from God anywhere. O poor sinner! Where will you run away from Him who is everywhere? and where are you hiding from Him who sees everything? Do you know where to run? Flee from His justice to His goodness, and from His judgment to His mercy. As is His majesty, so is His mercy. And hide yourself by faith in the holy wounds of Christ. This is the city of refuge to which Christians resort and hide safely from the wrath of God! Oh Jesus! The sons of mankind have hope in the shelter of Your wing (Ps. 35:8). Like chicks under the wings of Kokosha, so sinners hide under the shelter of Your goodness and love for mankind. Lord, you have been our refuge throughout generation and generation (Ps. 89:2). Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). It happens that a mother, seeing her child grieving and crying, consoles him and tells him: don’t be afraid, I’m with you. Such a merciful and man-loving God, who is the Creator and Father of generosity and the God of all joy, to a faithful soul that is in temptations and misfortunes, grieving and lamenting and afraid, says: do not be afraid, I am with you. I am your Creator, I am your Redeemer, I am your Savior, I am your Helper and Protector; I, Who hold everything in My hand and Whom everyone obeys, am the One with you. Zion said: The Lord forsake me, and God forgets me. When will a woman forget her childhood, lest she have mercy on the offspring of her womb? Even if the woman forgets these, I will not forget you, says the Lord (Is. 49:14, 15). Even if you pass through water, I am with you, and the rivers will not cover you; and if you pass through fire, you will not be burned, and the flame will not burn you. for the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, save thee (Isa. 43:2, 3). This is how the Lord was with His faithful Noah, and saved him from the global flood. He was with His faithful Lot, and saved the righteous from the execution of Sodom. He was with His servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and kept them in the lands of their coming, as it is written about them: Let no man offend them, and kings reprove them: touch not My anointed, and do not speak evil against My prophets (Ps. 104:14, 15). He was with Joseph, and in the temptations and sufferings that came to him, he preserved him and glorified him. He was with Israel in Egypt, from where he said: seeing the bitterness of My people in Egypt, and hearing their cry from the deeds of the overseers (Ex. 3:7). He was with the same Israel in their exodus from Egypt, and divided the Red Sea for them, and created a path for them in the middle of the waters, led them through the Red Sea, and saved them from the tormentor Pharaoh: from where he sang a song of thanksgiving to his Savior God. He was with the same Israel in the desert and fed Him with wonderful manna, and smote His enemies in the presence of Him, and brought Him into the mountain of His Holiness. He was with the same Israel, living in the Promised Land, and saved them, as the prophet sings: If the Lord were not in us, let Israel say: If the Lord were not in us, He would never rise as a man, for we would be devoured alive, and so on (Ps. 123: 1, 2). He was with David, His anointed, in various temptations and persecutions, and He kept His servant from his enemies. He was with Jonah in the depths of the sea, and kept him in the belly of the whale, and delivered him from the beast of the sea. He was with three youths in the cave of Babylon, and extinguished the fiery power for them, and taught them to sing a song of thanksgiving. He was with Daniel in the den, and stopped the mouths of the lions, and delivered him from there. He was with the Apostles, he was with the martyrs, and he preserved them in the midst of terrible torment; was with the hermits who lived in caves, dens and abysses of the earth, and saved them from the snares of the enemy; was, and is, and will be until the end of the age with His faithful servants, according to His unfaithful promise: Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age, Amen (Matthew 28:20). O Divine, O kind, O Thy sweetest voice! You truly promised to be with us until the end of the age, Christ! His faithful affirmation of hope gives us joy! From where His faithful servants, feeling His presence and living consolation with them, dare, exclaim and sing a song in the joy of the spirit: God is our refuge and strength, a helper in the sorrows of those who have found us great. For this reason, let us not be afraid, the earth is always troubled and the mountains are given into the hearts of the sea and others. The Lord of hosts is with us, our intercessor is God Jacob (Ps. 45:2, 3, 12). And again: even if I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, O God! (Ps. 23:4.) And again: The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom will I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, from whom shall I fear? and so on. (Ps. 26:1). Look, Christian! be only God's: but God will not forsake His own. (Ps.33:23, 28:11, 31:11). Believe Him heartily as God: please Him with faith and truth; Place all your hope in Him, and call on Him from your heart: and He is near you, with you is the Holy One of Israel, who will keep you; and wherever you are, in whatever sorrow and temptation you are, he is with you, and looks at your feat, and with an invisible hand strengthens you, and helps you; and although all the evil people will rise up against you, and the demonic regiments will bypass you, they will not have time to do anything. (Ps.144:18; 90:15; Isa.41:10). The Lord will protect you, the Lord will cover your right hand. During the days the sun will not burn you, but the moon will not burn you at night. The Lord will preserve you from all evil, the Lord will preserve your soul. The Lord will preserve your coming in and your going out from now and forever (Ps. 121:5, 6, 7, 8). Do not forsake me, O Lord my God, do not depart from me: attend to my help, O Lord of my salvation (Ps. 37:22, 23). Lord of strength, be with us! Otherwise, aren’t imams your helper in sorrows? Lord of hosts, have mercy on us. There is bodily and visible light; there is spiritual and invisible light; darkness is also physical and visible; there is spiritual and invisible. The body is illuminated by bodily light, but by spiritual light the soul; also by bodily and visible darkness the body is darkened and darkened, but by spiritual and invisible darkness the soul. God and the knowledge of God is the light of the soul; but ignorance of God is spiritual darkness. Faith is the light of the soul; but unbelief and superstition are spiritual darkness; the fear of God is the light of the soul; but fearlessness is spiritual darkness. Every virtue is the light of the soul; but every sin is spiritual darkness. Humility, belittlement and destruction of oneself is the light of the soul; but pride, arrogance and grandeur are spiritual darkness. Love for God and neighbor is the light of the soul; but immoderate self-love is spiritual darkness. Hope and trust in God is the light of the soul; but hope in man and other creatures is spiritual darkness. True and unfeigned prayer, singing and praising the name of God is the light of the soul; but neglect of this is spiritual darkness. Kindness and forgetfulness of malice are the light of the soul; but malice and remembrance are spiritual darkness. Fasting and moderation are the light of the soul; but gluttony and drunkenness are spiritual darkness. Loving and maintaining purity is the light of the soul; but fornication, adultery and all uncleanness are spiritual darkness. Grace, mercy and compassion for one's neighbor is the light of the soul; but unmercifulness and hardness of heart are spiritual darkness. Generous giving of alms from a pure heart is the light of the soul; but stinginess is spiritual darkness. Contempt for the vanity and pomp of this world is spiritual light: but love for it is spiritual darkness. The memory of death, the judgment of Christ and a blessed and unhappy eternity is the light of the soul; but the oblivion of those is spiritual darkness. In a word, true repentance and its corresponding fruits, good deeds are the light of the soul; but unrepentance also has associated evil fruits, dark deeds—spiritual darkness. You see, Christian, light and darkness - run away from darkness, so that you do not remain in darkness, and do not be cast into eternal and total darkness; love the light, so that you may remain in the light and pass to the eternal Light. Like a lamp in a house, that is living faith in the human heart. The lamp is lit by a person; The lamp of faith is lit by the Holy Spirit through the heard word of God, according to what is written: faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). When the lamp in the house is burning and shining, everything is clear in the house, and those who live in it see everything, and those who walk do not stumble, and everyone does his work, as everyone is illuminated by the lamp: so, when the lamp of faith shines in the heart, a person clearly sees everything spiritual: the invisible God as if he were visible, and other invisible things as he sees the visible, and does deeds befitting the Christian calling. When there is no lamp in the house, there is darkness in the house: so, when there is no lamp of faith in the human heart, there is nothing else but darkness and all error. So that the burning lamp in the house does not go out, one must add more oil: so that the lamp of faith in the heart does not go out, one must do: 1) Read, or listen to and reason about the word of God and other Christian books. 2) Pray diligently to God. 3) Communicate the Holy and life-giving mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ. 4) Do works of mercy. Blessed be the mercy, for there will be mercy (Matthew 5:7). Signs of the lamp of faith, burning in the human heart, are noted in the Holy Scriptures: 1) Such a person reads or listens to the word of God and diligently learns from it. 2) He sincerely calls on God, prays and thanks Him for all His good deeds. 3) With all zeal, he strives to live worthy of the title of Christian and the Gospel. 4) He shows his faith in God through good deeds, as the Apostle demands: show me your faith by your works (James 2:18). 5) He guards against all sin, and strives against all sin and does not allow it to take possession of him. 6) He lives in this world as a wanderer and stranger, and always raises his heart’s eyes and sighs to the heavenly fatherland, and therefore does not cling to worldly things with his heart, but uses everything with fear and out of necessity. Nothing in this world pleases such a person except one God and the hope of an eternal life. 7) A clear sign of the lamp of faith burning in the human heart is spiritual joy, felt in the heart, joy in the Holy Spirit, joy in God, which joy is depicted in the psalms: my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God (Ps. 84:3). For where there is faith in God, there is joy in God. Whatever we love, we rejoice in. From this it is clear what the signs of faith are that have faded in the human heart; namely: 1) Lawless living and contrary to the word of God. The faith of the fornicator, the adulterer, and every unclean person has faded away; the thief, the thief, the covetous, the rapist and the robber have lost their faith; the evil, hateful and vengeful one has lost his faith; the slanderer, the harasser and the scolder have lost their faith; the hypocrite, the deceitful and the flattering, has lost his faith; in a word, every lawless person who does not keep his conscience, but acts against it, has his faith extinguished, but instead of the lamp of faith, there is darkness in them of ignorance of God. What is the communion between light and darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14) Faith is light: lawless living is darkness. What communion is there between faith and the darkness of lawless living? Although such people pray to God, they do it hypocritically: because their hearts are far from God. This word of God befits them: these people draw near to Me with their lips, and with their lips they honor Me; but their heart is far from Me (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13). 2) Contempt for the word of God and disgust from it. 3) Leaving prayer. 4) Removal from communion of the holy mysteries of Christ; Without these, faith cannot exist and survive in the human heart. 5) Predilection for temporary things, wealth, honor, glory and luxury: faith is a gift from heaven; Therefore, the human heart distracts from earthly wisdom and moves towards heavenly wisdom. Such a person sins against the Apostle’s word: philosophize on things above, not on earth, etc. ( Col. 3:2 ). Christians who have the lamp of faith burning in their hearts, and will have that to the end, will go out to meet the Bridegroom Christ, who came to judge the living and the dead, and with Him they will enter into the palace of heaven, like wise virgins: be faithful even to death (who has this lamp in you), and I will give you the crown of life, says Christ the Lord to you (Apoc. 2:10). And those who do not have this lamp in their hearts will not be worthy to meet Christ the King and will not be allowed into his palace, but will remain outside it and will hear from Christ the King: “We know you not” (Matthew 25:12). Christian! Christians are afraid to hear this word from Christ: we don’t know you! Let us therefore turn to God with all our hearts, so that our lamps will be lit by His grace. Arise, sleep, and rise from the dead, and Christ will illuminate you (Eph. 5:14). You enlighten my lamp, O Lord: my God, enlighten my darkness (Ps. 17:29), We see that people offer a lot of things for great things: but for Christians the only great thing is that which is Divine and eternal. For they see and think that everything earthly and temporary, like a shadow, passes away; and therefore everything is like nothing to them. This is a right opinion! this is an irresistible truth! People consider it a great thing to be born of a king, and to be and be called a child of the king; but for Christians it is great to be born of God, and to be called and to be a child of God. The Holy Apostle is surprised at this and says with astonishment: You see what kind of love the Father has given us, that we may be called children of God, and we shall be. For this reason, the world does not know us, having not previously known Him. Beloved! Now we are children of God, and not having appeared, that we shall be: but we know that when He appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is (1 John 3:1, 2). The little ones received Him (Christ), and gave them the realm to become children of God, who believe in His name, who were not born of blood,... nor of the lust of man, but of God (John 1:12, 13). For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as were baptized into Christ, they put on Christ (Gal. 3:26, 27). From where the Lord speaks to the Apostles and to His other believers: I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God (John 20:17). For this reason, He commanded us to call His Father His Father, and to pray to Him like this: Our Father, who art in heaven, etc. (Matthew 6:9). Christian! truly great is - great is the honor and glory of being and being called a child of God, and incomparably surpasses all and every glory of this world; but from the lovers of this world it is despised. Christian! seek that great thing, and you will be truly honest and glorious! Children are born like their parents: Christians also need to be like God when they want to be children of God. Be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16; Lev. 11:44, 19:2). Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36). Be therefore imitators of God, like beloved children (Eph. 5:1). People consider it a great thing for a simple person to talk with the king, but for Christians it is great to talk with God, the heavenly and eternal King. And truly, how great is it not for a man who is earth and ashes, and also a sinner, to approach God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords and who lives in the unapproachable light, to approach, I say, to stand before Him and offer His conversation to Him? Here the Archangel Gabriel boasts: I am Gabriel, standing before God (Luke 1:19). Truly, a Christian stands before God and converses with God when he truly and sincerely prays to Him and sings to Him (Ps. 145:1–8, 37:10, 18:15). The angel's work is to stand before God and sing to Him. Angels stand before God and sing: holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts (Is. 6:3). People imitate angels when they sincerely pray to God and praise Him, just as Christians sing at the liturgy: Who secretly form the cherubim, and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity, and so on. Do you see, Christian, how great it is to pray to God and praise Him! But many Christians neglect this great thing, many leave it, many do it, but with extreme negligence. For they pray and sing either with great haste, and how can the tongue be corrected, or without any understanding, and so to speak, they do not know to whom and about what they are praying, to whom and about what they are singing. The word of God befits such: these people draw near to Me with their lips, and with their lips they honor Me; but their heart is far from Me (Matthew 15:8). Why does the prophet say to those who sing of God: sing to our God, sing: sing to our King, sing: for God is the King of all the earth, sing wisely (Ps. 46:7, 8). Christian! Do you want to always stand before God and talk with Him? Always be with your mind and heart with the most kindly God, and with your heart and mind worship Him and pray to Him and praise Him; and you will always stand before Him and talk with Him. It will be possible for you to do this in any place and always, day and night, morning and evening; and whenever you want, in public and in solitude, in business and without business, on the road and in the house, standing, walking, sitting and lying on a bed, in a word: always and at all times, and everywhere. Since God is everywhere, and is always and everywhere ready to listen to you (Job 19:25; Ps.33:16). Everywhere and always the doors to Him are open. But whoever wants to stand before God in prayer with benefit, and talk with Him and praise Him, and thus fulfill the angelic calling, must imitate the Angels in purity and virtues. People consider it a great thing to see an earthly king; why, wherever he happens, everyone rushes there to see him: but it is great for Christians to see the Heavenly King Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the One who, who is co-natural and co-essential with God the Father, the Word of the Father and His only begotten Son, the King and the Royal Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, deigned to be imagined 30 as a man, and lived on earth with men, and suffered and died for men, and rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father in the glory of the Father—that King is great for Christians to see! For to see Him is extreme bliss and eternal life, and joy more than any joy, and sweetness more than any sweetness; to see Him is the food of angels and the sweet drink of God's elect. When will I come and appear before the face of God? (Ps. 41:3) When will I come and see Him who, for the sake of me, a poor sinner, came into the world, and suffered, and suffered, and died, and thus redeemed me from the devil, death and hell? When will I come and see such and such a lover of mine, my benefactor, my Redeemer, my Savior? What is there in heaven? and what did You want on earth? My heart and my flesh are gone, O God of my heart, and my portion, O God, forever (Ps. 72:25, 26). I want and desire nothing, neither in heaven nor on earth, except You alone, the Word of God and the Virgin Son, Jesus Christ, my God, God of gods, Lord. Christian! Let us desire to see this King, and let us purify ourselves with repentance, and let us make our robes white in the blood of Lambs, so that we may enter His glorious palace and see that King of ours, whose Kingdom will have no end. People consider it a great thing to welcome the king of the earth into their home; but it is great for Christians to welcome into the home the hearts of their Heavenly King Jesus Christ. And it is truly great! What glory, what honor, what joy; and there will be joy in that house into which this heavenly and glorious guest will come, it is impossible to say. Peace and joy are there in heaven, and the Kingdom of God is there. For where Christ is God, there is the Kingdom of God and His blessedness. Behold, I stand at the door and understand: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come down to him and dine with him, and he with Me (Apoc. 3:20). O goodness, O Thy love for mankind, O Lord! What good is it to You, who sits on the throne of Your glory and lives in the unapproachable light, that You want to bring us into the homes of our humble souls? Is not the church of Your glory sufficient for You? Thy kingdom is the kingdom of all ages, and Thy dominion is in every generation and generation (Ps. 144:13). But the man-loving Lord says: Behold, I stand at the door and talk, and so on; for He, being good and philanthropic, wants and seeks our benefit, and not His, our bliss, and not His. Our salvation and bliss are His beloved self-interest. The king of the earth, upon request, enters the house of his subject and is established with the benefits prepared from the owner. The Heavenly King, Jesus Christ, is not like this: He Himself comes to the doors of our hearts, pushes at the doors and wants to come in to us; and having entered, he does not demand our food from us, but He Himself brings His own food, brings sweet and heavenly food; and is not established by our blessings, but by His invisible and heavenly ones He establishes us. Praise the Lord, my soul! But poverty and human wretchedness are the reason that man does not feel this great and dearest and heavenly guest. He comes and pushes everyone at the door; but the poor soul, deafened by the love of this world and various carnal whims by the noise, does not hear His sweet voice: and so the humane Jesus, having stood at the door and having accomplished nothing, goes away idle. More humane! It’s a shame not to let the king of the earth, or some lower ruler, into our house, how much more shameful is it not to let the King of Heaven in. Woe to the soul without Christ! is like a house without an owner; it is like a city devastated and devastated by its enemies; It is like a ship sailing on the sea without a helmsman; is like a sheep wandering in the desert without a shepherd; it is like a man who has turned aside from the right path and has gone astray; She is like a sick person abandoned by the doctor and others. But there is guilt in the soul itself, that it does not have Christ living within itself. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word: and My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him, says the Lord (John 14:23). Beloved Christians! Let us love Christ and each other: and with the Father and the Holy Spirit, this heavenly and loving guest will come to us and make an abode with us. Then we will truly be blessed, although the whole world will hate us! People consider it a great thing to defeat a multitude of people and take strong cities: but for Christians it is great to conquer oneself, that is, one’s own desires, selfishness, love of money, impurity, envy, anger, love of glory and other evils hidden within the heart, or, as the Apostle wrote, to crucify the flesh with passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). What a glorious victory! Such a glorious winner and warrior of Christ! Many conquer many people and the strong take cities; but they cannot conquer themselves, and become prisoners of their passions. Better is a man who is long-suffering than a strong man, and a man of understanding than a great farmer; but he who restrains his anger is better than one who lays down hail (Prov. 16:32). Christian! We strive to conquer ourselves, and achieve a glorious victory. The Spirit says to the churches: To him who overcomes I will give food from the tree of the animal, which is in the midst of the paradise of God, and again: To him who overcomes I will give food from the hidden manna, and so on (Rev. 2:7, 17). Yours, O Lord, is the victory, Yours the triumph, Yours the glory: for You are the praise of our strength! Sweetly, I will boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me (2 Cor. 12:9). People consider it great to have a healthy, strong and prosperous body; but for Christians it is great to have a healthy, strong and prosperous soul. Goodness is also physical health. But what is the use of having a healthy body, but a weak and weakened soul? What good is it for a Christian man that his body sees good, but his soul is blind in the knowledge of God and His holy will and for itself; his body hears good, but his soul is deaf and does not hear the word of God; the body is right, but the soul is crooked and bowed; the body is not lame, but the soul is lame: the body moves and walks strongly, but the soul is relaxed and immobile to any good deed; the body does not shake with fever and is not burned with fire 31, but the soul shakes with anger and rage and is on fire: the body is not tormented by demonic violence, but the soul is raging with passions and sins? Passion and sin are a fierce demon. What good is it that the body is clean, but the soul is leprous and stinks all over from sinful wounds: the body is red and good-looking, but the soul is vile and ugly? The body is mortal, but the soul is immortal. Physical health only serves us until death, but after death it crumbles into dust, just like infirm health. Look here, man, the beauty and beauty of the body! Truly, you will not know whether the body was healthy or weak. But the health of the soul is inseparable from the soul, and for the next century it goes with it and accompanies it, and appears with it before God, and is pleasing to His holy eyes. God loves a healthy and holy soul. Weakness and weakening of the body threatens with temporary death; but weakness and weakening of the soul threatens with eternal death. It rarely happens that a healthy soul lives in a healthy body, and for the most part and almost always in a weak one (2 Cor. 12:10). The health of the body opens doors for a person to many desires and sins, but the infirmity of the body closes it. A fierce and untrained horse goes berserk and often seeks its own destruction; but he restrains himself with the bridle, and struggles, and is tormented, and is distressed, and so becomes meek. Our flesh, without illness and infirmity, becomes ferocious like a horse and strives for all destructive passions; but through weakness and illness, like a bridle, he abstains and is tamed, and submits to the spirit. Oh, what great mercy God shows to those to whom he sends illness! He crushes his body, so that his soul will come to health; gives over the flesh to destruction, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 5:5). All those who are sick, and especially those living celibately, know and acknowledge this truth. The rich man of the Gospel was healthy, and dressed in purple and fine linen, having fun all day long; but after his death he went into a fiery flame, and through temporary joys into eternal torment: Lazarus was poor and rotten, and lay before his gates; but after his death he was carried by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham (Luke 16:19, 23). Thus one, through temporary suffering, departed into eternal rest, and the other, through temporary joy, into eternal torment. The same thing is happening now: many even now receive their good in their bellies, but there they suffer; and many here suffer, but there they are comforted. What is the benefit of having a healthy body, but a weakened and weak soul? It is great to have a healthy soul, a soul that is immortal and created in the image of God, even if the body is weak and rotten. We all truly desire to have a healthy body, but we do not know how to possess it. It is better for the body to smolder and rot, when it pleases God and is useful and necessary for us, as long as the soul receives its health. The Word of God and holy faith teach us that the body will one day be united with a healthy soul and will be healthy, strong, red, spiritual, incorruptible, immortal and prosperous forever. Even though our outer man decays, yet our inner man is renewed all the days (2 Cor. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:42, 43, 44, 53; Phil. 3:21). People consider it great to have the wealth of the world; but it is great for Christians to have spiritual wealth within themselves, that is, living faith, the grace of God and spiritual fruit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22, 23). Christians greatly esteem this treasure of the soul. The wealth of this world only serves man until death, but at death it departs from him: and departs for the next century, as one from the poor and wretched. Fear not, when a man becomes rich, or when the glory of his house increases, for when he dies, he will not take it all, his glory will come down from him (Ps. 49:17, 18). A person carries a spiritual treasure here inside himself, and goes away with it for the next century, and with that he appears to the Heavenly Father, and shows evidence of himself that he is a Christian in name and in reality. And the rich man, who has a lot of material wealth, but does not have spiritual wealth, what will he leave with for the next century, and what testimony will he show about himself that he was a Christian in this world? Is it because he had a lot? Both the Turks and the idolaters have a lot. Or that you confessed the name of God? and demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). What good is it to have chests filled with substance, but an idle soul? The rich man is poor who does not have spiritual treasures within him, although he has everything outside himself. People please him because they see a lot in him, but before God he is accursed, because God sees nothing in him except poverty (Apoc. 3:17). Christian! let us strive to have spiritual treasure within us and we will be truly rich; Let us acknowledge our poverty, so that God Himself will enrich us with His grace. For we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, for because of your poverty He is rich, so that through His poverty you may become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). Wonderful poverty that enriches us! Wonderful wealth that comes from poverty! This is the work of Christ, who was rich for our sake and became poor; So everything is possible. But this is also written: all things are possible to him who believes (Matthew 17:20; Mark 9:23). People consider it great to be a free person, to be noble, not to work for anyone, but to order and command others; but for Christians it is great to be free from sin, to have a noble soul, not to work for any sin: this is wonderful freedom, and this is true nobility! All outward nobility and freedom only serves man until the grave, but here it departs from him and becomes like one of the simple. Here it is impossible to know where the slave is and where his master lies; and who was the slave, who was the master, is not visible. And what, when a sinful soul lived in an ignoble body, and the one whom people served worked for sin - for everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34)? Why should someone like that show up on this global disgrace? With sin? This is terrible! It won't be the same there as it is here; there will be no acceptance of persons; noble and simple, masters and slaves will stand side by side before the Judge. This is not what spiritual freedom is like. She is here with man, and comes from this world with him, and accompanies him, and stops the lips of slanderers, and appears before God, and intercedes for him. How great is spiritual freedom and nobility! And although Christians are not without sin, they are not deprived of their freedom and nobility. Formerly, feeling and seeing their weaknesses in themselves, they continually sigh to the Heavenly Father, and recognizing their sins, they unanimously raise their voice to Him: Father, forgive us our debts; and they receive what they ask for, and thus are not deprived of their freedom. You see, Christian, both external and internal human freedom, and the nobility and Christian nobility of this world. Judge for yourself, what is the benefit of being free outside, but being low and a slave inside, accepting service from people with your body, but working for sin with your soul? It is characteristic of a noble soul to stand against all sin and struggle against it and not allow it to take hold of itself. It is better for man to work than for sin and the devil to sin. If the Son sets you free, you will be free truly, says the Lord our liberator (John 8:36). This is glorious freedom, our true nobility, our dignity, our honor, our glory, our beauty, our kindness, and our eternal bliss! Return, O Lord, our captivity, like the floods of the south! Those who sow with tears will reap with joy: those who walk and weep, throwing away their seeds; those who come will come with joy, grasping their hands (Ps. 126:4, 5, 6). Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity! and so on. (Ps. 50:3). People regard these other things as great: but among Christians the only great thing is that which is invisible, spiritual, Divine and eternal. Whoever reveres something great desires and seeks it with zeal. Faith alone is the guide to invisible, spiritual and heavenly things. Now faith is the revelation of things hoped for, the revelation of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). She represents the invisible as well as the visible, and the future as the present. Therefore, a faithful soul, having a living faith, sees everything and strives for those, with little or nothing in mind for the real ones. But whoever does not have such faith, he only considers and desires and seeks what he sees as great. Christian! Let us strive to have the lamp of faith in our hearts; and she will show us everything invisible, spiritual, Divine and eternal: and then we will be Christians. The entire essence of Christian bliss depends on living faith. We hear each other asking: whose are you? And the other one answers: I am the slave of such and such a master, or the son of such and such a father, and so on. So, when a Christian is asked, what should he answer? Every Christian must truly answer: I am Christ’s servant; for we confess Christ as our Lord (1 Cor. 7:22; Rom. 10:9; Col. 3:24). But look, Christian, into your conscience, are you working for Christ? Do you please Christ as a servant to your master? The holy martyrs, when their tormentors asked whose you are, answered boldly: we are Christians, we are servants of Christ. But they were so faithful to Christ their Lord that they did not spare their blood and belly for the sake of His holy name: they loved Him so much that not only the honor, glory and riches of this world, the weeping and tears of fathers and mothers, wives and children, but also terrible torment and death itself could not separate them from Christ’s love (Rom. 8:38, 39). These are the true servants of Christ, these are the true Christians, the sons of light, the sons of the holy Church, the meek sheep of Christ, the brave warriors of Christ the King, the most beloved souls of Christ, the children of the Most High God, and the heirs of His Kingdom? And to you, a Christian who professes Christ, but lives contrary to Christ, I say to you, how can I say - am I Christ’s servant? It is truly great to be a servant of Christ! This honor and dignity is incomparably greater and higher than being the son of a glorious prince or king of the earth. My soul will glory in the Lord (Ps. 33:3). Many boast: I am the servant of such and such a high master, or the servant of such and such a prince or nobleman, or the courtier of such and such a king. But Christians truly and worthily boast about their Lord: we are servants of the Heavenly King Jesus Christ. This is truly true praise, truly high glory, honor and dignity, to be and be called a servant of Christ! But how can he call himself a servant of Christ, who works for sin, the world and himself, and not for Christ? What is the use of being called Christ's servant, and not being Christ's servant? outwardly 33 and by profession 34 be a Christian, but inwardly in disposition be a pagan, or what is worse than that, a beast? The Holy Apostle declares to us the signs of Christ's servants, so that we may be tempted (tested) and know ourselves whether we are Christ's. Those who are, he said, are Christ's, having crucified the flesh with passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). These are the signs of Christ's people or slaves! Crucify your flesh, O Christian, with its passions and lusts: and you will truly be a servant of Christ, a Christian by confession and prophethood. Otherwise, a false Christian is one who is called a Christian, but does not have a Christian character and does not live like a Christian. Be a Christian on the inside, and not just on the outside: and then you will be a true servant of Christ. Why do you call Me: Lord, Lord! and do not do what I say? says the Lord (Luke 6:46). Do whatever the Lord wants; and then call Him your Lord, and He will recognize you as His servant. Come back! I went the wrong way 35 It happens in this world that a man turns a man walking back and shouts after him; do you hear? come back! I went the wrong way. Thus God speaks and cries out to man in his conscience when he wants to do evil: return, man! that's not where you're going. Turn away from evil (Ps. 33:15). Christian! Do you want to take revenge, harm, or, what’s worse, kill your neighbor? God cries after you: man, come back! Do you want to commit fornication and defile your body? God cries out to you; man, come back! Do you want to steal, kidnap and take away your neighbor’s property? God thunders in your conscience: man, turn back! Do you want to seduce and deceive your neighbor? God cries out to you: man, come back! Do you want to slander, condemn, curse and discredit your brother? God brings you back from that and says: man, turn back! Keep your tongue from evil (Ps. 33:14). Thus, God turns you away from other sins and in your conscience calls you: man, turn back! Avoid evil and do good. And what he says to you in his conscience, he says in his holy word. An infallible conscience and the word of God are in agreement. Whatever the conscience says is the word of God; from what conscience restrains and turns away, from that is the word of God; For whatever the conscience denounces, for that is the word of God; and for what the conscience praises, for that is the word of God. For example: your conscience convicts you for stealing, and God’s word also convicts you for it; Your conscience praises you for the mercy you have shown to your neighbor, and God’s word also praises you. Blessed with mercy. For this reason, when conscience turns us away from this and holds us back: behold, there is the voice of God, crying within us, turning us away and holding us back from evil! Christian! Let us listen to the voice of God and turn away from evil, according to the admonition of the Holy Spirit: today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (Ps. 95:7, 8). Yes, we too will call, and the Lord will hear us. We see that the small tree conveniently bends to every side, wherever it bends: for wherever it bends, it grows. This is how a young and small boy grows: what he learns, he learns; and whatever he gets used to, he will do at other times. Will he learn goodness in his youth? he will be kind throughout his life. Will he learn evil? as in youth, so it will be throughout life; and from a little youth there can be a devil and an angel. Whatever education and instruction one has, so it will be: from upbringing, like the fruit of a seed, the rest of one’s life depends. For this reason, the word of God exhorts parents, that they may raise their children in the discipline and teaching of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). And in the parables of Solomon it is written: he who spares his rod hates his son: but he who loves punishes diligently (Proverbs 13:25). Many teach their children secular politics; others teach foreign languages, French, German, Italian, and spend quite a bit of money on it; others try to teach merchants and other arts: but hardly anyone teaches children to live like a Christian. And without this, all science is nothing, and all wisdom is violence. What good is it for a Christian to speak Italian, French, or German, but live godlessly? What is the use of being skilled in merchants and arts, but not having the fear of God? Such artists and sages are more evil than unskilled simpletons. A young heart, as if inclined to evil, strives for all kinds of evil when it does not refrain from punishment through the fear of God and the bridle of punishment; and even more so those who sharpen their minds with sciences and arts, but do not correct their will, are skilled in all evil, as the very examples show. For this reason, Christian, let your first concern be to teach your children to live like a Christian. All your teaching and instruction are nothing without it. God will not demand from you whether you taught your children secular politics and foreign languages, but He will demand whether you taught your children to live like a Christian, whether you instruct them in piety. Woe to young children who have evil fathers! What can they learn from them other than evil? How can an evil person teach good? although it happens that an evil father punishes his children for self-will, he teaches this through his temptations. Young people learn more from deeds than from words and punishment: whence it happens that fathers are evil, and children are the worst. And so the poor man, having learned and become accustomed to evil, is filled with wickedness as with bread, and from evil to evil, and from lawlessness to lawlessness, and strives for destruction, like a stone thrown down from above a mountain. And although it happens that some from such people learn their misfortune and destruction, and shudder and are horrified, and begin to repent; but by habit, as if drawn by a rope, they turn to wickedness. This evil comes from evil upbringing. Woe to the young children; but extreme woe to fathers who not only do not teach their children good, but through their temptations give rise to all kinds of evil! Such fathers kill not the bodies, but the souls of Christians, for whom Christ died; and they are deprived of not a temporary, but an eternal belly. They will recognize their terrible misfortune there, where everything will be revealed and their deeds will appear before everyone’s eyes. For this reason, fathers, in whom there is a spark of piety, should try in every possible way to teach their children to live like Christians, and to pour the milk of piety into their young hearts, so that they may grow into salvation through it! (1 Peter 2:2). It is useful to teach sciences and arts; but one must learn to live like a Christian; for all science and art without Christian life is nothing. Pay attention to this, parents, so that the children you bring into the world do not become murderers. The true father is not the one who gave birth, but the one who raised and taught. The one who gave birth gave only to live; and he who raised and taught goodness let goodness live. There are also pagans living in the world who live in darkness and idolatry, and even more so the beasts themselves; but united Christians live well. For this reason, we are in debt to the fathers who gave birth to us; but the fathers who raised us well and taught us to piety are far from being in great debt. For the fathers who gave birth to us gave birth to temporary life, but the fathers who raised us well and taught us to piety give birth to eternal life. Blessed is he who does good and teaches good! (Matthew 5:16) Blessed is the parent who begot his children both for temporary life and for eternal life! A damned parent is one who gave birth to children during temporary life, but closed the door to eternal life for them, either through neglect of good upbringing, or through his own temptations! It is better for a person not to be born than to be born and end up in eternal destruction. Bee, stinging 38 They say that when a bee stings someone with its sting, it dies itself. A Christian suffers the same thing when he somehow offends and embitters his neighbor. He cannot offend his neighbor without causing great and grave offense; and the more he offends his neighbor, the more he offends himself; and the more he hurts others, the more he hurts himself. Even though he offends his neighbor, his offense touches God Himself; for the commandment of God destroys, which commands not to offend anyone, but to love everyone and do good to everyone. Love your sincere person as you love yourself (Matt. 22:39; Lev. 19:18). The one who offends himself more than the other - why? because he offends others in the body (in the body), but in the soul (in the soul); another's body, but wounds and embitters his own soul. The better and more honest the soul is than the body, the greater the resentment and bitterness than the body. With every sin that a person commits, his soul is wounded and embittered. He sins against his neighbor; for he accepts ulcers in his soul. With his sin, like a sting, he hurts himself. Satan, as a hostile spirit to man, always seeks and strives to lead man to sin. Are you sinning, man? you give yourself up to the devil to offend. Are you persecuting a person? The devil is already persecuting you. Do you steal goodness from a person? The devil has already stolen the good of your soul. Do you seduce a person and deceive him? The devil has already deceived and deceived you. Are you slandering a person? You have already given yourself over to the devil’s slander. Do you blaspheme and curse at a person? You have already given yourself over to the devil to reproach. Do you hurt and hurt people? For the devil beats and wounds your soul. Do you laugh at a person? The devil is already laughing at you. Do you despise and humiliate a person? the devil already despises and humiliates you, and so on. This is how every person sins and punishes himself! His very sin is execution. He offends another, he himself is offended; it hurts and is wounded; embittered, and embittered; beats and beats; kills and is killed; deprives, and is deprived; he slanders, and is slandered; condemns, and is condemned; blasphemes and is blasphemed; scolds and swears; deceives, and is deceived; deceives and is deceived; humiliates, and is humiliated; he laughs, and sometimes we laugh. In a word, whenever he does evil to his neighbor, he does greater evil to himself; He embitters his neighbor physically and temporarily, but he embitters himself spiritually and eternally. Thus, the sinner fills himself with excess of the measure that he measures for his neighbor! For this reason the Holy Spirit says: Come, children, listen to Me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is a person who, even if he loves his life, sees good things? Keep your tongue from evil, and do not speak flattery with your lips. Avoid evil and do good: seek peace, and get married, etc. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are upon their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to consume their remembrance from the earth (Ps. 33:12-17). It happens that when people who have gathered together work and toil for some cause, and only one of them stands lazy; then the other one says to him: what have you become? Thus, to those who have begun, but are weakening in the feat of piety, one can say for encouragement: other Christians are working in their work; and what have you become? Others repent with zeal and groan for their sins: why have you become? Others struggle against sin, the devil, the world and passions: why have you become? Others work diligently in the grapes of the Lord: why have you become? Others work diligently for the Lord: why have you become? Others diligently pray, beg and knock at the door of God’s mercy: what have you become? Others sow their own spiritual: what have you become? Others are generous and give alms: what have you become? Others do good to their neighbors: why have you become? Other wealth, honor, glory and all the vanity of this world, despising, look at eternal bliss and flow towards it: why have you become? Others humble themselves before God and people: why have you become? Others work with love for their neighbors: what have you become? Others go and flow to the honor of the highest calling: why are you looking, why are you standing and not going? Others are hungry for eternal life: why are you not eating? Others, having renounced themselves and taken up their cross, follow Christ, and will follow Him with patience, love, meekness and humility; and they follow Him into eternal life - life, where there is a dwelling place for all who rejoice; where there is joy, gladness, sweetness, honor, glory and eternal bliss; where God is seen face to face; where did sickness, sadness and sighing escape from; where the voice of joy and gladness is heard, the voice and noise of those celebrating and having fun is heard, where they sing a ceaseless and sweet song: Alleluia, where there is sweet and blissful friendship with the Angels, there go those who follow Christ, like sheep to a shepherd: My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they will come after Me, and I will give them eternal life, and they will not perish forever, and No one will snatch them away from My hand, says the Lord (John 10:27,28). What have you become? Why don’t you rush to a calm, peaceful and sweet place? All the saints went and entered there; entered the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Saints, Martyrs, Reverends and all who from the ages have pleased God by faith; and they settle there, and rejoice and have fun, and expect a general resurrection and perfect bliss, but God’s false promise: what have you become? Why don't you hurry there? They are waiting for us, with a great desire for us to go there and come. Heavenly Father is also waiting; waits, who did not spare His Son for our sake, but delivered Him up to death; He waits for whom He created in His own image and likeness; waits, may He bless us with eternal bliss in His Kingdom. What are we worth? Why are we dozing? Why aren’t we going? Why aren’t we rushing there? What bliss do we see in this world? what peace, peace and goodness? what fun and joy? Vanity of vanities, and all kinds of vanity (Eccl. 1:2). Troubles in cities, troubles in villages, troubles in deserts, troubles on earth, troubles at sea, troubles from the tongue, troubles from the hands of men; troubles from the flesh and passions warring against the soul; troubles come from the devil, who walks around roaring like a lion, looking for someone to devour! troubles from lying charmers and deceivers, troubles from relatives and false brethren, troubles from this world. The whole world lies in evil (1 John 5:19). What in the world is not sad? Wealth is associated with poverty, glory with disgrace, honor with dishonor, peace is not without anxiety, peace is not without confusion and rebellion, love is hypocritical, friendship is not without suspicion, sweetness is dissolved by sorrow. There is fear everywhere, fear, suspicion, danger and sadness. No truth, no loyalty. The truth has diminished from the sons of men! What good are we missing from this world? Vanity of vanities, and all kinds of vanity (Eccl. 1:2). Vain verb every time to the sincere; flattering lips in the heart, and evil words in the heart. ( Ps. 11:3 ) Woe is me! as if my coming will continue. O Jesus, the sweetness of life, the joy and joy of those who love You! To You, who lives in heaven, I lift my mournful eyes from this bitter and deplorable vale! draw me after them: let us run, where there is a dwelling place for all who rejoice. I lift up my eyes to You, Who dwells in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of a servant are in the hand of his masters, as the eyes of a slave are in the hand of her mistress, so are our eyes to the Lord our God, until He will reward us. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us! for we are filled with much humiliation: our soul is especially filled with the reproach of the gobblers and the humiliation of the proud (Ps. 122:1-4). Farmers have sowing and harvest; Thus, Christians also have their own sowing 42 and harvest. Farmers have seeds; Christians also have their own seeds. Among farmers, seeds are distributed from seeds: so too, among Christians, spiritual seeds are born from the seed of the word of God. For farmers, the seeds are: rye, oats, wheat, barley, etc.; For Christians, the seeds are: repentance, sorrow for God, sighing, tears, prayer, thanksgiving, singing, deeds of mercy, patience, and so on. These spiritual seeds are born from the seed of the word of God that fell on the hearts of men. Farmers have a decent time for sowing and harvesting: so Christians have the same time. Farmers know the time at which they must sow: so Christians also have a decent time at which they must sow their seeds; which time is the time of real life. Now is the time favorable! Behold now is the day of salvation! (2 Cor. 6:2.) Reasonable and wise farmers do not miss the time in which they should sow, but then they work and sow: so reasonable and wise Christians do not miss the time of real life; but they labor and sow their seeds, repent, do works of repentance, do works of mercy, and so on. The present time is only the time of sowing: but in the next century this will not happen. Now is the favorable time to repent, cry for sins, pray, do good to everyone; but in the next century all this will cease. Farmers work and sow with the hope of fruit, from the seed that will be born: so Christians work and sow with the hope of spiritual fruit, merciful reward from God. Farmers reap the ripe fruits of their labors during the harvest: so Christians will reap the fruits of their labors and seeds at the end of the age and in the resurrection from the dead. Farmers, collecting the fruits of their labors, rejoice: so Christians, seeing and collecting the fruits of their labors and seeds, will rejoice. Those who sow with tears will reap with joy. Those who walk walk and weep, throwing away their seeds: but those who come will come with joy, taking hold of their hands (Ps. 126:5, 6). Lazy and careless farmers, who do not sow at the right time, and do not collect fruits during the harvest: so foolish, careless, careless Christians, who now do not sow spiritual seeds, will not reap any fruit at the end of the age and at the resurrection from the dead, but will appear fruitless before the Lord. What will they gather then, when they have not squandered it now? What will they reap then, when they did not sow now? Christian! Let us labor and sow our seeds now, and then with joy we will reap the fruits of our labors. Poor farmers who have little harvested fruits, although they suffer need, nevertheless take care of them so that they have something to sow and so harvest fruits. Poor Christian! create, too, just as these poor and intelligent workers 43 create. You have a poor property, but do not waste it all on your household expenses; take care so that you have something to sow and harvest fruits at harvest time. Give a portion of the poor to Christ, who will give it to you a hundredfold in due time; Even though this seed is small, it goes into the hands of the poor, so that by the grace of God your fruit may multiply. Give to those who ask you with zeal and a little: from a willing giver, what was given as great will be honored and accepted by the philanthropic Jesus, just as he accepted two mites from a poor widow. Amen, I say to you, for this wretched widow is more than all those who are thrown into the treasure storehouse. All things were thrown down out of their abundance, but all that they had from their deprivation were thrown down, all their life (Mark 12:43, 44). So scatter your mites into the hands of the poor, like seeds into the ground: and in due time you will reap with joy. And the cup of cold water, given in the name of Christ, will be unforgettable before Him (Mark. 9:41). More humane! as the light burning before you, so is your life before you. The more the light burns, the more it diminishes: so, the more you live, the more your life is shortened. The light burns out and goes out: this is how a person ends his life and dies. When the light goes out, it seems as if it did not exist; when a person dies and is buried, it seems as if it never existed. You see, O man, what man is, and what his life is. Remember that your life will also go out, just as you see a candle go out; and prepare in advance for your death, so that you may die blissfully. Tell me, Lord, my death and the number of my days, so I understand that I am deprived? Behold, Thou hast laid down my days, and my composition is as nothing before Thee: indeed, every living man is all vanity. For a man walks like this, but is troubled in vain: he treasures treasures, and I don’t know who will gather them (Ps. 39:5-7). Man summoned to court 45 You see that when a person is called to trial, he thinks about this and puts all his care into it and consults with his friends, so that at the trial he will not be condemned and put to shame. Christian! you are invited to the judgment not of man, but of God; For it is fitting for us all to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that everyone may receive either good or evil for what they have done with their body (2 Cor. 5:10). How much more must you prepare and strive with all diligence so that at this judgment you will not be put to shame and not be condemned. It often happens that a person runs away from human judgment: no one can escape that judgment; for it will not be absolutely, but it will be everything. This is true, just as it is true that yesterday was and today is. At a human court, witnesses are required to find the truth, who will often justify the guilty; at this trial it is not like this: the judge does not require witnesses, but He Himself knows everything. In human judgment, silver and gold often help the guilty, as happens in lawless trials; At this court it is not like this: for this Judge does not require and does not accept gifts. At a human court, tall and strong persons and other assistants often defend the guilty; at this court they cannot do anything; They themselves will then hide and be like commoners. In human judgment, faces are often accepted; often the rich are preferred to the poor, the respectable to the commoner, the noble to the noble; at this court it is not like this: for this Judge does not accept persons, and does not look at persons, but at conscience and deeds; then everyone will stand side by side before Him, slaves and masters, kings and their subjects, rich and poor. At a human court, cunning will often justify the guilty: at that court it will become silent and numb, there will be no place for it; for the Judge, being omniscient, knows everything. In the judgment of man man is judged before a few; at this trial he will be judged before the whole world, before angels and men. At the human court, few know the vices of the person being judged: at this court, the evil deeds, words and thoughts of the judged sinners will be exposed before the whole world. At human judgment, before a few, there is shame and disgrace to the judged: at this judgment, before the whole world, the poor sinner will be ashamed and disgraced. From human judgment, nothing else will follow the guilty person except temporary death, or some other temporary execution: from this judgment, not temporary, but eternal death, the condemned sinner is given over. You see, Christian, some circumstances of the human and Christ’s judgment; You also see how a person prepares with all sorts of fear for human judgment, which before this judgment is like nothing. However, people are preparing for this judgment with all diligence, so that they will not be put to shame. A faulty Christian, who has clung to the vanity of this world, who never ceases to fearlessly break God’s law, who commits sin for little, or, what’s worse, for nothing! Have mercy on your poor soul, lift up your mental eyes to this terrible worldwide disgrace, in which people will give an answer for an idle word (Matthew 12:36). And prepare with all fear for that day, from which everyone should go either into eternal torment or into eternal belly. In this important matter, imitate the sons of this age, who are called to human judgment, preparing themselves with all diligence for this, so that they will not be ashamed. You will appear before the judgment of God, and not man, where there will be no partiality: think about this in advance, and prepare yourself for that great day. It happens that people, having committed a crime and recognized their sin, until they are called to trial, come to the king or some other authority, humbly confess their sin, fall before the authorities and ask for forgiveness: and they receive it. Christian! You know that if you are brought to the judgment of God and for all your sins, committed in deed, word and thought, you will be tortured; do thou also, as the wise sons of this age do; turn from your sins and come to Christ the Judge, the King of Heaven, against whom you have sinned; and confess your sins before Him with humility, fall before Him and condemn yourself now before Him, lest you be condemned by Him then; call to Him with the publican’s voice: God, be merciful to me, a sinner! and produce fruits worthy of repentance (Luke 18:13; 3:8). Then all your sins and iniquities will be blotted out and not remembered: for He will not judge those who have sinned, but those who have sinned and not repented; That’s why repentance was preached, so that when we have sinned, we will receive mercy from Him. Repent, then, and blot out your sins, written in your conscience, with sighs and tears, so that they will be blotted out in God’s book and will not appear at that judgment. This is preparation for that terrible judgment! There is nothing else besides this! Be therefore always in true repentance: and you will prepare for that judgment, at which you will inevitably appear; and thus, having begun a new Christian life, expect mercy from Him. The one who repents and lives a new Christian life will not be harmed by his former lawless life; The only thing that is required of us is that we correct ourselves and change ourselves for the better. Always think about those days and firmly hold that you, like others, will be called to that judgment, the judgment of God, and not human, by accident when the Archangel’s trumpet sounds. This very reflection will move you to true repentance and will keep you in humility and contrition of heart. The memory and reflection of this judgment will not allow you to commit sins or take revenge on your neighbor; will motivate you to diligent and fervent prayer. Remembering this judgment, you will not look for cheerful days in the world, but you will more than desire tears and crying and sighing. That people have fun and please the flesh and commit lawlessness is due to forgetfulness and lack of reflection about that judgment. So remember the judgment! and you will truly repent and be renewed every day and change for the better. You will not be the same as you were before. Just as fire is all stench, so the fear of its judgment will drive out all rottenness and stench from the soul and cleanse it hour by hour. Citizens awaiting their king in their city 46 We see that when citizens expect the coming of their king to their city, they prepare for a worthy meeting of him, and often say among themselves: the king will come! the king will come! will it ever be? at night or during the day? in the morning or in the evening? and with what retinue will he come? This and the like are spoken by citizens among themselves, awaiting the king's coming. Christian! we are waiting for the Heavenly King Jesus Christ to come to us. We saw His first coming to us; We expect the second one, and we will see it. We see that His first coming was in humility, poverty, meekness and long-suffering; the second will be in terrible and Divine glory. In the first, it came quietly, and fell like rain on the fleece, and like a drop dripping on the ground (Ps. 71:6. Judges 6:37, 35). In the second it will shine like lightning, which shines in the east and appears in the west (Matthew 24:27). Then he will come not to suffer for us (that has already happened), but to judge us and reward everyone according to their deeds. We see in the Holy Scripture what will happen then. We see that the day of the Lord will come, like a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass by with a noise, and the elements that are burned will be destroyed, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10). We see that then the sky will depart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island will move from their places, and the kings of the earth and the great and the rich and the thousand and the mighty, and every slave and every freeman will hide in caves and stones by the handful, and they will say to the mountains and stones: fall on us and cover us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath has come, and who can? (Apoc. 6:14–17). We see that then all who have died since the beginning of the world will rise from their graves, coming out having done good for the resurrection of life, and having done evil for the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28, 29). We see that then all the tongues from all the ends of the earth will gather and stand before the Heavenly King, the righteous Judge. We see that then all the people gathered will be divided into two parts: some will stand on the right side of the Judge, others on the left. Then the ultimate and final separation will be from each other. We see that then, forever and ever, a wife will be separated from her husband, a father and mother from their children, kings from their subjects, princes, nobles and masters from their slaves, friends from their friends, and those known from those they know. We also see that then the wife will stand on the right side of the Judge, and the husband on the left, and the husband on the right, and the wife on the left, the father and mother on the right, and their children on the left, and the children on the right, and the father and mother on the left; one brother is on the right, and the other is on the left. We see that then the same will happen to the leaders and their subordinates: we see that the king will stand on the right, and the subjects on the left, and the subjects on the right, and the king on the left; princes, nobles and masters will stand on the right, and their slaves and servants on the left, and slaves and their servants on the right, and masters, princes and nobles on the left. We also see that the now imaginary saints and revered by people will stand on the left side, and the imaginary sinners and even the wicked of the world will be on the right side. The saints and righteous who will stand on the right side; sinners and wicked ones who are on the left side. Then everyone will know truth and untruth, virtue and sin, holy and unclean. For then the judgment will be according to conscience, and not according to rank, according to deeds, and not according to persons, according to the inside, and not according to appearance and appearance. For the Judge will be God, who searches hearts and bowels, and judges by the inside of the heart, and not by the outward appearance of deeds. Man looks at the outer man; but God looks at the human heart. It often happens that a person is good before other people, but evil before God; holy before men, but unclean before God; virtuous before men, but wicked before God. We see that those standing on the right side will shine like the lights of heaven; then the righteous will be enlightened like the sun (Matthew 13:43). Those on the left side will turn black and appear in vile disgrace; for the sins that are hidden in them now will come to the top and create a terrible disgrace in them. Then it will appear to the whole world what they not only did openly, but also secretly, and what thoughts and undertakings they had in their hearts; Then all the ugliness of the soul that has stuck to it from sins will appear on the body of the sinner. Thus they will see their ugliness and the sinful abomination in which they lived tenaciously in this world! We hear that then the righteous Judge says to those on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, and to those on the left says: Depart from Me, the curse, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:34, 41). This lot is for those who stand on the right and those who stand on the left! Christian! It will be sweet and joyful to hear: come; It will be scary and sad to hear: go away from Me. But inevitably everyone, one or the other, will hear the voice. With these two voices this terrible and worldwide disgrace will end. All then, having heard the answer from the Judge spoken to themselves, will go to their own places, but different, they will go, but not equally. Some will go with joy and gladness and triumph into eternal life: others with crying, sobbing and despair into eternal torment. And these, says the Lord, go into everlasting torment: but the righteous into everlasting life (Matthew 25:46). Christian! This is the coming of our King Jesus Christ: let us prepare ourselves for a worthy meeting of Him. May our conversations be more often about this day; Let us also talk to each other: The King of Heaven is coming! The King of Heaven is coming to us! The righteous come to save, and sinners are tormented. It will come someday! in the nights or in the days? in the morning or in the evening? What month, days and time? His preachers know that they proclaim to us: The King of Heaven is coming: prepare to meet Him! Oh kindness, evangelists! tell us when He will come to us? when will the righteous Sun appear to us? when will His lightning flash and illuminate the universe? when will His holy throne be set up for judgment and we will all see Him? He is coming soon, they answer us, he is coming soon and will not become stubborn 47. The coming of the Lord is drawing near. Behold the Judge stands before the doors (James 5:8, 9). But you don’t know the day or hour at which He will come. Beware, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come (Matthew 24:42). Bear witness to this verb: I am coming quickly, Amen. Hey, come, Lord Jesus! (Apoc. 22:20). To him be glory forever and ever. Amen! What benefit would they bring me? Being without beginning and end. Love to communicate yourself. To be stubborn against the goodness of God.