Беседа XX

“And Cain went out from the presence of God, and dwelt in the land of Naid directly to Eden,” and so on. (Gen.4:16). 1. Today, turning to what follows from what we read, we will offer you a lesson from here and compose for you an ordinary conversation from the books of blessed Moses, or better yet, from the words of the Spirit, which the grace of God communicated to us through his mouth. But in order for the word to be clearer for you, it is necessary to remind your love of what has already been said, and where we stopped the teaching, so that now, starting with this conversation, we can thus touch on the beginning of what we read. So, you know that we, reasoning about Abel, both by the events themselves and by the sacrifice each of them made to the Lord, showed that our nature contains the knowledge of what we should do and what we should not, that the Creator of all created us free, that He always either condemns or crowns us, depending on our disposition (for this very disposition the sacrifice of one is rejected, and the gifts of another are accepted); and that Cain, being moved by envy, rushed to kill his brother, and after this wicked deed, although God wanted to call him to confess his sins, he however did not accept this healing medicine, but, adding a lie to the vile murder, brought upon himself a grave punishment and deprived himself of the highest favor, serving as an instructive example for all subsequent people, and by the very condemnation to which he was subjected, he cries out and appeals to the entire human race So: none of you dare to do this, so as not to fall into the same situation. You saw the Lord’s love for mankind, how He, with the punishment imposed on Cain, wanted not only to admonish him himself, but to teach all subsequent people to avoid such a daring act in every possible way. Now let’s move on to what’s next and see what that blessed prophet, inspired by the power of the Spirit, tells you today. When Cain heard the verdict, he “went out,” says Moses, “from the presence of God” (Gen. 4:16). What does it mean: “went forth from the presence of God”? This means that he lost the protection of God for his vile deed. “And they settled in the land of Naid directly to Eden.” Scripture also tells us about the place where Cain later settled - it shows that he also settled not far from Paradise, so that, living against him, he would constantly remember both what happened to his father for violating (the commandments), and the importance of his own crime; He was subjected to such punishment without understanding his father’s punishment. And the very place where he lived constantly reminded not only him, but also all subsequent people, of shaking and trembling: the name “Naid” is a Hebrew word and means “trembling” 130. So, the Lord settled him there so that in the very name of the place he could see the accusation, as if inscribed on a copper pillar. It further says: “And Cain knew his wife, and conceived Enoch” (Gen. 4:17). Having already become mortals, people naturally took every possible care about the birth of children. But perhaps someone will ask: how is it, when Scripture nowhere mentions another woman, that Cain had a wife? Do not be surprised at this, beloved: Divine Scripture nowhere makes an exact calculation of the female sex, but, avoiding everything superfluous, briefly mentions men, and not all of them; and he tells us very briefly about them, for example, that such and such gave birth to sons and daughters and died. And in the present case, we can believe that Eve, after Cain and Abel, gave birth to a daughter, whom Cain took as his wife. Since this was in the beginning, and meanwhile the human race needed to multiply, it was allowed to marry sisters. Therefore, the Scripture, leaving us to complete the rest ourselves, says only: “And Cain knew his wife, and when she conceived, she begat Enoch. And build the city... in the name of 131 his son Enoch” (Gen. 4:17). Look how (people) are already managing little by little. Since they became mortal, they want to forever preserve the memory of themselves through their children, through the names of places to which they gave nicknames to the children. But in all fairness we can say that all these are monuments of their sins and the loss of that glory, which, using, Adam and Eve did not need anything, but were above everything. “And Gaidad was born to Enoch,” it is said, “and Gaidad begat Maleleel 132: and Maleleel begat Mabusal: and Mabusal begat Lamech” (Gen. 4:18). You see how blessed Moses briefly presented the genealogy, mentioning only men and not remembering a single woman. But just as he said about Cain that he knew his wife, without however showing us where he got his wife from, so exactly here he says again: “And Lamech took for himself two wives, the name of one Hell; and the second name is Sella. And give birth, he says, to Adah Jobil 133; This was the father of the cattle feeders living in the villages. And his brother's name was Jubal; this one showed the singer and the harp” (Gen. 4:19–21). 2. Pay attention to the accuracy of Scripture. It conveyed to us both the names of the sons born from Lamech’s wife, and what occupations they had; namely, that one of them took up cattle breeding, and the other invented the singer and harp. “And Sella,” he says, “and she gave birth to Tobel: this was a Milatobian, a forger of copper and iron” (Gen. 4:22). Again (Scripture) showed the occupation of the one born from Sella, saying that he chose the craft of blacksmithing. Look how little by little the well-being of the human race has improved. And firstly, Cain built a city, which he named after his son. Then, of the sons of Lamech, one took up cattle breeding, another took up blacksmithing, and the third invented a singer and harp. “Sister Fovelova,” he says, “Noeman 134” (ibid.). What news and strangeness is this! Now for the first time Scripture specifically mentions a woman. It was not simply and not without reason that the blessed prophet did this, but in order to show us something hidden from here, which, however, we will postpone until another time, and now we will continue in order; This remark (about Noem) is not unimportant, but requires considerable research and careful interpretation so that, having explained everything satisfactorily, we can derive much benefit from it. “And Lamech said to his wives: Ada and Sella, hear my voice, the wives of Lamech, inspire my words: for I have killed a man for my wound and a young man for my sore. For I was marked from Cain by a week, and from Lamech by seventy weeks” (Gen. 4:23–24). Strain, I ask, your mind and, putting aside every worldly thought, we examine the words with precision, so that nothing can hide from us, but so that, descending as much as possible to us, into the very depths, we can catch the treasure hidden in these short words. “Then Lamech said to his wives: Ada and Sella, hear my voice, the wives of Lamech, inspire my words.” See how quickly the punishment inflicted on Cain worked in his favor. Lamech not only does not wait for another conviction that he fell into the same or even graver sin, but although no one accused or exposed him, he opens up about himself, talks about his actions, lays out to his wives the severity of sin, as if fulfilling what was said by the prophet: “The righteous is the one who is righteous in his own words” (Prov. 18:17). Confession of sins greatly contributes to their correction, and the denial of sin, after committing it, constitutes the most serious of the sins that the fratricide experienced when, being questioned by the man-loving God, he not only did not confess his crime to Him, but even dared to lie to God, and thereby forced him to prolong his life (as punishment). So Lamech, having fallen into such a sin and thinking that denial would bring upon him the heaviest punishment, calls his wives, and then, as no one forced him to do this, no one denounced him, he himself confesses his sin with his own lips, and, comparing his act with the crime of Cain, determines his punishment. Do you see the providence of the Lord, how His very punishments serve as an expression of His love, and how this love is not limited to those who bear the punishment, but prepares saving medicine for others if they want to use it? Otherwise, tell me, how else could Lamech be forced to such a confession, if not by the memory of the fate of Cain, which constantly disturbed his soul? “Speech,” it is said, “hear my voice, inspire my words.” Look how he, having opened the court against himself, exhorts them (his wives) so that they listen to his words not without attention, because the words: “hear my voice” and “inspire my words” mean this: strain your mind and listen with attention to what I want to say; I will not talk to you about unimportant things, but I will reveal to you secret matters that no one else knows, but only I and that watchful Eye, which, fearing, I hasten and am forced to reveal to you what I have done, and what punishments I have deserved with my wicked deeds. “Like I killed a man for my wound, and a young man for my sore. For I shall take vengeance from Cain in a week, and from Lamech in seventy weeks.” These words are significant - very significant and prove the great conscientiousness of (this) man: he not only admits his offense and announces the murders he committed, but even assigns punishment to himself, comparing his sin with the sin of Cain. What kind of apology, he says, does he deserve who did not come to his senses by punishing another, but having a living memory of this, nevertheless committed a double murder? “Like a man,” he says, “he killed me for my wound, and a young man for my scab.” He says that I did not so much harm to those whom I killed as to myself, because I subjected myself to inevitable punishment by committing unforgivable sins. If he (Cain) was punished seven times for one murder, then I must suffer a punishment seventy-seven times greater. For what, and why? Although he committed murder, and moreover, against his brother, he did not see that another who had done it before him, did not see another, punished for such a deed and subjected to such wrath (of God): these two circumstances will increase my punishment, because I had before my eyes the crime of Cain, I saw his terrible punishment, and yet I was not enlightened by any of this. Therefore, even if I were subjected to a punishment seventy-seven times greater than he, I would not have received worthy retribution. 3. You see, beloved, that God created our will free and that, just as by indulging in carelessness, we stumble, and by deciding to be cheerful, we recognize our duty. Who, tell me, forced this man (Lamech) to make such a confession? No one else but conscience and that impartial Judge. Since he, indulging in carelessness, carried out an evil enterprise, his conscience immediately rose up against him, crying out both about the severity of his sin and about the punishment he deserved. This is sin: until it is committed and brought into action, it darkens the thought and deceives the mind; and when it is perfect, it reveals to us its vileness; and so short-term and reckless pleasure causes us constant sorrow, deprives us of peace of conscience and covers its captive with shame. The humane Lord placed such a judge over us so that he would never be silent, but being inseparable from us, he would constantly cry out and punish for crimes. Anyone can be convinced of this by experience. So a fornicator or an adulterer, or another similar sinner, cannot be calm, even if he hid (his crime) from everyone; having such a strict judge, he is frightened by hints, trembles at the very shadow, fears both those who know and those who do not know (about his action) and, thus, carries in his soul a constant storm and continuous excitement. Such a person’s sleep is not sweet, but is full of fear and apprehension; food is not tasty to him, and the community of friends cannot entertain him and free him from internal struggle; carrying within himself as if an executioner who torments and scourges him incessantly, so he walks after such a bad deed, enduring, although no one knows, unbearable torment, and being his own judge and accuser. But if the one who has committed such a sin decides, as he should, to take advantage of the help of his conscience, to repent of his deeds and show the wound to the Doctor, who heals without reproaching, to accept medicine from Him, and privately, without any witnesses, to open to Him and confess everything in detail, then he will soon correct his sins, because confession of sins atones for them. If this Lamech did not refuse to announce the murders he committed to his wives, then what kind of forgiveness do we deserve when we do not want to reveal our sins to the One who knows in detail all our iniquities? Does He demand confession from us because He does not know our sins? He who knows all things even before they appear demands confession from us, not because he does not know, but because he wants us to feel our sins and show our conscientiousness during confession. Is it really necessary to spend money here and take a long journey? Does this treatment cause pain and suffering? No, it doesn’t require spending money, it’s painless, and it heals quickly. According to the disposition of the one who comes, the Lord also grants healing for wounds. So, whoever wants to quickly regain his health and heal spiritual wounds, let him begin with diligence, renouncing everything worldly, let him shed hot tears, show great zeal, bring strong faith, rely on the art of the Doctor - and immediately receive healing. Do you not see that the Physician's generosity exceeds the love of any father? Does He require anything difficult and burdensome from us? It requires contrition of the heart, humility of the mind, confession of sin, earnest petition (for forgiveness), and (for this) grants not only healing from wounds and cleansing from sins, but also makes righteous the one who was hitherto burdened with countless burdens of sins. Oh, great philanthropy! Oh, immeasurable goodness! A sinner, if only he confesses his sins, prays for forgiveness and shows determination in the future (to live well), is suddenly made (by God) righteous! And in order for you to be completely convinced of this, listen to what the prophet says: “You have spoken your iniquities before, so that you may be justified” (Is. 43:26). He didn’t just say: “you are the mouthpiece of your iniquity,” but added: “before,” i.e. do not wait for the accuser, do not wait for the accuser; warn yourself and begin to speak in order to block the mouth of the accuser. 4. Do you see the Judge’s philanthropy? In human courts, when someone decides to do this and, having preceded the informers, he himself admits to his act, then although he may be freed from torture and prolonged torture, if, however, he only finds a meek judge, he will certainly be subject to a death sentence; the goodness of the humane God and the Physician of our souls is indescribable and generosity is beyond all words. If we warn our accuser, i.e. the devil, who on that day (the last judgment) will rise up against us, and already in this life, before entering the judgment seat, we confess our sins, take the first word 135 and ourselves become our own accusers, then we will bow to the Lord for such mercy that He will not only make us free from sins, but will also number us among the host of the righteous. If this Lamech, not having a law that could teach him, and not having heard the prophets or any other instruction, but only by the action of the judgment embedded in (our) nature, having realized his crime, opened it and condemned himself, then how can we receive forgiveness when we do not show our wounds to the Lord with all care and do not accept healing for them from Him? If we don’t do this now, when it’s time for fasting, when there’s such calmness of thoughts, when all amusements have been banished, then at what other time can we think about our affairs? Therefore, I ask you to always be sober and watchful, and use your whole present life to avoid that unbearable torment and get rid of the fire of hell by diligently turning to (God). You need to do this with great zeal, especially now that, for the sake of fasting, you benefit from great and constant instruction. “And Adam knew Eve his wife, and conceived a son; and his name was Seth, saying: For God hath raised up another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew” (Gen. 4:25). Having brought the genealogy to Lamech, the Divine Scripture again returns to Adam and his wife and says: “And Adam knew Eve his wife, and having conceived, gave birth to a son; and his name was Seth, saying: For God has raised up another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. “Give birth to a son,” he says, “and his name is Seth.” Not content with naming her son, the mother says: “For God, raise up another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” Look how the mother, with the name of her newborn son, perpetuates the memory of that evil deed, and, so that subsequent generations can know about Cain’s crime, she says: “instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” These are the words of a grieving soul, outraged by the memory of the crime committed and at the same time bringing gratitude for the one born and in his name, as if on a pillar, depicting the crime of Cain. And truly, he caused his parents considerable grief, raised his hand against his brother, and let them see this dear and dear son thrown to the ground, dead and lifeless. If Adam had already received the sentence for himself: “You are earth and you will go back to the earth,” and: “If you take a day from it, you will die by death,” then this sentence was still expressed only in words, and (the first people) did not yet know what death was. But this one, out of hatred for his brother and consumed by inner malice, decided to kill Abel and was the first to present his parents with a terrible sight (of death). That is why the mother, as soon as she became somewhat encouraged and found relief from her unbearable sadness in her newborn son, gives thanks to the Lord and perpetuates the act of the fratricide, imposing the greatest punishment on him by commemorating his act to eternal memory. Do you see how great an evil sin is? To what shame and disgrace does it plunge those who do it? Do you see how for him (Cain) he lost heavenly mercy and became a disgrace to everyone? Do you see how, for his evil deed, he became hated even by parents, urged by nature itself to love their children? So, I beg you, let us avoid sin, which causes us so much evil, and let us be zealous for virtue, so as to earn favor from above and avoid punishment. “And Seth,” he says, “became a son: and his name was Enos: this one trusted to call on the name of the Lord God” (Gen. 4:26). Look how people little by little are already accustomed to expressing gratitude (to God) in the names of their children. And this one says, i.e. Seth, having given birth to a son, gave him the name Enos. Then Divine Scripture, wanting to explain to us the meaning of this name, adds: this is “the hope of calling on the name of the Lord God.” It is with him that the blessed prophet intends to begin his genealogy, consigning Cain and his descendants to Lamech to oblivion. Since Cain, with his evil will, humiliated the primacy given to him by nature, i.e. the right of primogeniture, then both he and his descendants are excluded from the (family tree) list; and Seth, through the rightness of his will, acquires what he did not have by nature, the right of birthright passes to him, if not by nature, then by the direction of his will, and his children are worthy of being included in the genealogy. And just as this Enos was called (so) because he called on the name of the Lord God, so those who descended from him are honored with the same name. Therefore, the blessed prophet, having stopped the story here, again begins another. 5. But so that we, having taken up this story, do not continue the teaching too much, here, together with the blessed prophet, we will stop the conversation, leaving the interpretation of what follows, if God wills, for a later time. Now, for now, I want to ask your love that you derive more benefit from our words and test yourself every day regarding what kind of edification you received from this teaching, which from another teaching, and that you not only receive our words by ear, but also introduce it into your mind, and strengthen it in your memory through constant reflection. It is desirable that you not only be sufficiently instructed yourself, but also become mentors for others, be able to admonish others, and, moreover, teach your neighbors a virtuous life not only in words, but also in deeds. Really think: if you, gathering here, wanted to acquire at least a small particle (of good) every day and gradually weaken the passions that disturb you, then how in a short time you would ascend to the highest degree of virtue! This is why we talk with you every day and preach to you about the most perfect life (Christian) in order to eradicate these disastrous passions, i.e. anger, envy, ill will. When these passions are destroyed, then it will be easier to curb the passion for money, and when this passion weakens, then vain thoughts and shameful desires will be eliminated with greater ease: “For the love of money is the root of all evil things” (1 Tim. 6:10). When we cut the root and uproot it from the very depths, it will be easier for us to control the branches. Greed for money is, so to speak, the stronghold of evil and the pinnacle of vices: therefore, if we decide to master it, then nothing will prevent us from freeing ourselves from this insane passion 136, and with it from plucking out and destroying all destructive passions. And do not think that despising money is a difficult and difficult matter. When I think that many, out of empty and vain ambition, needlessly spend a lot of gold, just to earn approval from low and insignificant people, which does not last beyond the evening, and often does not live until the evening, but even before the day is over, it is replaced by a lot of troubles for them; and others, deceived by the Hellenic delusion, also out of passion for human glory and a high opinion of it, throw away everything they have, and leaving themselves only a cloak and a stick, and spend their whole lives, deciding to endure all the difficulties and disasters of such a life because of human praise alone - so, when I think about this, I don’t know what justification or excuse we will have, who do not want for the sake of the commandment given from God, for the sake of the eternal and endless glory, donate the slightest part (of our property), but we become worse than those people, not thinking how great the difference is here. They spend so much (property) to receive empty praise from people like them, but we, for the sake of our Lord, who gave us what we have and promised those ineffable benefits, often do not want to share a little with those in need. With what eyes will we look at the Judge, having neglected such an easy commandment? Am I advising you to give up everything you have? Enjoy complete contentment, but when you have satisfied your own needs, use the rest that remains in excess and lies unused to satisfy the needs of others, share it with those tormented by hunger and exhausted by the cold, and send it through their hands to your fatherland, to which you yourself will move in a short time. These (poor) people will help you more than anyone else to transfer (your treasures) there, so that when you move there, you will find everything ready and you will enjoy even greater abundance there, seeing that these (your treasures) are increased by those who transferred them there, or better yet, by the goodness of God. Is this a difficult task? Does it require care and worry? For such a transfer you do not need any livestock, or guards, or anything else like that, because neither a thief nor a robber walks this way who could steal the treasures you have sent; Whatever you put into the hands of the poor, you will put it all in a safe depository - in the hand of God. He will keep them intact, and when you return to your fatherland, he will return them to you, glorify and crown you, and settle you in a spacious and calm place. So, I beg 137, let us give the excess to the poor, let us sow while there is still time: so that we can reap at the right time, and so that those who have missed the present convenient time will not repent in vain. Did the man-loving Lord give you a lot so that you would use what was given to you only for your own benefit, while locking the rest in chests and storerooms? No, not for this, but so that, according to the apostolic exhortation, your abundance will make up for the shortcomings of others (2 Cor. 8:14). You, perhaps, use beyond your needs, spend a lot of money on entertainment, on clothing and other luxury items, and partly on slaves and animals; but the poor man does not ask you for anything extra, but only to satisfy his hunger and satisfy a necessary need - to have daily bread to support his life and not die. But you don’t want to do even this and don’t think that death might suddenly snatch you away; and then everything you have collected will remain here and, perhaps, will pass into the hands of your enemies and enemies, and you yourself will leave, taking with you only all the sins with which you collected it. And what will you say then on that terrible day? How will you justify yourself, being so careless about your salvation? So listen to me and, while there is still time, give away the extra money in order to thus prepare for your salvation there and gain the reward of those eternal blessings that may we all receive through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. (σάλος) – Heb. the verb “nud” means “to hesitate”; noun "nod" means "exile" Zlat. contrary to Lucian. and other Greek lists, as well as Heb. text where it reads: υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ - “build the city, and name the city in the name of your son.” So Zlat. Μαλελεὴλ instead of Μαιὴλ according to Lucian. and other lists. Zlat. ᾿Ιωβηλ according to Lucian. sp. instead of ᾿Ιωβελ according to Alex. sp. or ᾿Ιωβηδ according to the Bodleian. sp. Zlat. Νοεμὰν instead of Νοεμμα according to Lucian. sp. or Νοεμὰ according to Alex. sp. ᾿Εκχέωμεν... τὰ ἀποκείμενα εἰς τὰς τῶν πενήτων γαστέρας – (literally) pour what has been put aside into the stomachs poor. You might be interested in: