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2Cor.1:1-4. Paul, by the will of God an Apostle of Jesus Christ, and Timothy brother, to the church of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints throughout all Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we too may be able to comfort those in any affliction with the consolation with which God comforts us ourselves! Why did the apostle write the second letter to the Corinthians? – Pavlovo’s humility. – God always consoles. - How to act in sorrows. 1. It is appropriate to first consider why the apostle appends the second to the first epistle, and why he begins it with an indication of God’s bounty and consolation. So, why does he write the second letter? Since in the first he said: “I will come to you, ... and I will test not the words of the proud, but the power” (1 Cor. 4:19), and at the end of it again in softer words he promised the same thing, saying: “I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia; for I am going through Macedonia. Perhaps I’ll live with you, or even spend the winter” (“I will come to you, having passed through Macedonia: for I am passing through Macedonia: but with you, if it happens, ... I will remain, or even overwinter”) (1 Cor. 16:5-6), meanwhile, after that a lot of time passed, and he had not yet come, even the appointed time had already passed, and he was still getting ready and delayed, being held back Spirit for other much more necessary matters, he therefore considered it necessary (to write) a second letter, which would not have been necessary if he had not delayed long. However, this was not the only reason, but also the fact that after the first letter the Corinthians became better. It was the one who had gone astray, whom they had previously applauded and were proud of, that they cut off and completely excommunicated the believers from the Church, as can be seen from the following words of the apostle: “If anyone grieved, he did not grieve me, but in part, not to say much, and all of you. For such a one, this punishment from many is sufficient” (“If anyone has offended, do not insult less, but in part, lest I burden you all. Sufficient for such is this punishment, even from many”) (2 Cor. 2:5-6). And further, continuing his message, (the apostle) again points to the same thing when he says: “For the very fact that you were saddened for the sake of God, look what zeal has produced in you, what apologies, what indignation at the guilty one, what fear, what desire, what jealousy, what retribution! In all respects, you have shown yourself to be pure in this matter” (“Behold, this very thing, even if you were offended by God, how much diligence has done in you? How much apology, and indignation, and fear, and desire, and jealousy, and severity. In all things, imagine being pure in this matter”) (2 Cor. 7:11). In the same way, they began to collect the alms that he asked from them with great zeal, which is why he said: “I know your zeal and I boast of you before the Macedonians, that Achaia has been prepared since the last year” (“we... your zeal, in which I boast about you, the Macedonians, that Achaia is ready from the past year”) (2 Cor. 9: 2). And Titus, whom (the apostle) sent, they accepted with all favor, which is again indicated by the words: “his heart is very well disposed towards you, remembering the obedience of you all, as you received it with fear and trembling” (“and his heart is extremely well disposed towards you, ... remembering the obedience of you all, as you received it with fear and trembling”) (2 Cor. 7:15). For all these reasons he writes his second letter. Yes, and it was necessary that he, just as he reproached those who had sinned then, now praised those who had corrected themselves and accepted them into his favor. That is why this entire epistle is free from threats and reproaches, with the exception of some passages towards the end of the epistle, which were needed because among the Corinthian Christians there were some of the Jews who thought highly of themselves and blamed Paul as a boastful man who did not deserve any respect. So they said: “in his messages he is strict and strong, but in his personal presence he is weak, and his speech is insignificant” (“the messages are poor, ... heavy, ... but the coming of the body is weak, and the word is despised”) (2 Cor. 10:10), that is, when he comes, he turns out to be worthless, because this (and what the words mean): “in the personal presence is weak” (“the coming of the body is weak”); Having departed, you highly exalt yourself in your epistles, which (the words mean): “in his epistles he is strict and strong” (“epistles ... are heavy”). And in order to show themselves worthy of respect, they pretended to be uncovetous, as the apostle hints at with the words: “so that in whatever they boast, they may be found to be the same as we are” (“yes, if they boast about him, they will find themselves just as we are”) (2 Cor. 11:12). At the same time, having the gift of speech, they were very proud of it, which is why (the apostle) calls himself “ignorant” (2 Cor. 11:6), showing that he is not ashamed of this, and does not consider (the gift of speech) to be some great acquisition, but, on the contrary, counts it as nothing. And since it was natural for some of the believers (hearing such reviews about the apostle) to waver in their trust in him, he, having first praised the faithful for the things in which they had improved, and disgraced the madness of the proud ones who demanded observance of Jewish rites - because it was no longer time to perform them - then reproaches them for this. So, this, it seems to me, is the reason for this message, as anyone can notice after reading it a little. Let us now turn to the beginning of the epistle and examine why (the apostle), after his usual greeting, began the epistle by pointing out the bounties of God. First of all, you need to make a note about the very beginning and find out why he here adds Timothy to himself, saying: “Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy is the brother” (“Paul is the messenger of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy is the brother”) (2 Cor. 1:1). Meanwhile, in the first letter, he promised to send him to them, and convinced them, saying: “If Timothy comes to you, see that he is safe with you” (“If Timothy comes, take care that he be with you without fear”) (1 Cor. 16:10). How does he say here at the beginning (of the epistle) that he is with him? This is because (Timothy), having come to them, according to the promise of the teacher, “for this purpose I have sent to you,” wrote Paul, “Timothy, ... who will remind you of my ways in Christ” (“for he sent an ambassador to you, Timothy, ... who will remember my ways in Christ”) (1 Cor. 4:17), and having corrected everything entrusted, he returned back, just as he had sent him, (the apostle) punished: “Send him out in peace, so that he may come to me, for I am waiting for him with the brethren” (“Send him out in peace, so that he may come to me: for I am waiting for him with the brethren”) (1 Cor. 16:11). 2. And so, since (Timothy) returned to his teacher, and (the apostle), having corrected with him what was necessary in Asia: “I will remain in Ephesus,” he says, “until Pentecost” (“I will remain ... for in Ephesus until Pentecostia”) (1 Cor. 16:8), again moved to Macedonia, then naturally he mentions (about Timothy) as already with him, because He sent the previous message from Asia, and the present one from Macedonia. He placed him with him (Timothy) in order to show him more respect, and to show deep humility in himself, because although (Timothy) was lower than him, love combines everything. (Phil.2:22); then: “for he does the work of the Lord, just as I do” (“he does the work of the Lord, just as I do”) (1 Cor.16:10); and here he also calls him “brother” (2 Cor.1:1). Thus, he presents him in all respects as worthy of the respect of the Corinthians - and especially since, as I said, he had already been with them and showed the experience of his virtues. “The Church of God which is in Corinth” (“The Church of God which is in Corinth”) (2 Cor. 1:1). (The Apostle) again calls the Corinthians the Church, desiring thereby to gather and unite them all into one. Otherwise, there cannot be a single Church where its components are divided among themselves and are at enmity with each other. “With all the saints throughout all Achaia” (“With all the saints who are throughout all Achaia”) (2 Cor. 1:1). With these words (the apostle) gives preference to the Corinthians when, through the letter written to them, he greets all others, and together he encourages the entire Church gathered together to peace and harmony. The name of saints shows that this greeting does not belong to the unclean. But why (the apostle), having written here to the main Church, writes with it to everyone else, while he does not always do this? So he did not send messages to the Thessalonians along with the Macedonians; Likewise, when writing to the Ephesians, he did not address all of Asia; and the letter to the Romans was not sent along with the rest of Italy. But here he does the same thing as in Galatians. And he sends this message not to one, not to two or three cities, but to everyone generally living in that country, when he says: “Paul is an apostle, chosen not by men nor through man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead, and to all the brethren who are with me - to the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace” (“Paul the Apostle was neither of man nor by man, but Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead, and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: Grace and peace to you" (Gal. 1:1-3). Likewise, he wrote one message to the Jews for everyone, without dividing them by city. What is the reason for this? It seems to me that the reason for this was the general diseases that prevailed there. For this reason, he sends a common message to everyone, that everyone demanded a common correction. After all, both the Galatians and the Jews suffered from the same disease. I think the same about the Corinthians. So, having united everyone together, and made a general greeting, according to his custom of greeting everyone: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:3), listen to how, in accordance with the subject he chose, he begins the message: “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” joy") (2 Cor. 1:3). But what is the relevance here, you say, to the chosen subject? The closest one. Look now. The Corinthians were very saddened and worried that the apostle did not come to them, despite the fact that he promised to come, but spent all this time in Macedonia, and seemed to prefer others to them. So, with this concern in mind, he tells them the reason why he did not come. However, he does not immediately open it, and does not say: “I remember that I promised to come, but I was delayed by the sorrows that happened to me, why forgive me, and do not accuse me of any contempt or negligence for you,” but he leads to this in a different way, much more majesticly and with greater conviction, trying to console them in advance, so that they no longer ask about the reason why he did not come. And he does this in exactly the same way as if someone promised to come to his friend, and, after overcoming very many disasters, came and said: “Glory to You, God, that You showed me my beloved friend! Blessed are You, Lord, from what troubles You delivered me!” Such praise of the one who has come is at the same time a justification for those who intend to accuse him, and does not allow the latter to complain about the delay of the former. He is already ashamed to call to court the one who brings thanks to God for deliverance from so many evils and demand from him an account of his slowness. Therefore (the apostle), beginning his speech with the words “Blessed is the God of generosity,” thus indicates his removal and deliverance from great disasters. Likewise, David does not call God the same everywhere, and does not derive His names from the same properties; but when he talks about war and victory, he says: “I will love you, O Lord, my strength! The Lord is my stronghold" (“I will love you, O Lord, my fortress, the Lord... my protector”) (Ps. 17:2-3); when he remembers his deliverance from the sorrow and darkness that possessed his soul, he says: “The Lord is my light and my salvation” (“The Lord is enlightenment... and my savior”) (Ps. 27:1). Sometimes he borrows His names from His love for mankind, sometimes from His truth, sometimes from His impartial judgment - according to the circumstances in which he found himself. So Paul here, at the beginning of the letter, calls (God) from the side of His love for mankind, saying: “God of generosity,” - that is, He showed such great generosity that He brought us out from the very gates of death. 3. Truly, to show mercy in this way preferentially before everyone is characteristic and akin to God. That is why he calls Him the God of bounties. But notice Pavlovo’s humility here too. Enduring troubles for the sake of preaching, he does not say that he is saved from them by God, but for the sake of God’s bounties. But he spoke about this even more clearly below. And now, continuing his speech, he says: “he who comforts us in all affliction” (“comfort us... in all tribulation”) (2 Cor. 1:4). He did not say: “he who does not allow us to fall into sorrow,” but “he who comforts us in sorrow,” because this both shows the power of God and strengthens the patience of those who grieve. “From sorrow,” he says (in another place), “patience comes” (“tribulation is patience.” does" (Rom.5:3) 1. The prophet also expressed this with the words: “In tribulation you gave me space” (“in tribulation you spread me out”) (Ps. 4:2). He did not say: “You did not allow me to fall into sorrow,” or “You immediately dispelled the sorrow,” but “during the continuation of the sorrow, You extended me,” that is, you gave great coolness and rest. The same thing happened with the three youths. He did not forbid them to be thrown into the furnace, and when they were cast in, He did not extinguish the flame; but when the oven was burning, he gave them coolness. This is what God always does. Hinting at this, Paul also says: “he who comforts us in all affliction.” But with this he shows something new. What is it? The fact that God does this not once, not twice, but always. Not so that now he consoles, and at another time he leaves; but always and in every time of sorrow it provides consolation. That is why the apostle said: “he who consoles” (“comforter”), and not “he who consoled”, and: “in all tribulation”; not in one or the other, but - “in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which God comforts ourselves” (“in every way... for we are able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the consolation with which we ourselves are comforted from God”) (2 Cor. 1:4). You see how he prepares his own justification, reminding the listener of the great sorrow? And at the same time he humbles himself when he says that this very mercy was not given for the sake of his dignity, but for the sake of those who should receive edification from him, God says, and comforted us, so that we could comfort each other. But in these same words he also makes one feel the dignity of the apostles when he shows that, having received consolation and relaxation, he does not indulge in carelessness, like us, but begins to excite, strengthen and restore others. Some also give the words (of the apostle) such a meaning that our consolation is also a consolation for others. And it seems to me that here, in the form of an introduction, he is also directing his speech against the false apostles, who boast in vain, sit at home and indulge in indolence. However, he does not hint at this directly, but as if in passing; his main goal was to justify himself in his slowdown. “If,” he says, “we ourselves are consoled in order to console others, then do not blame us for not coming to you, because we have spent all this time repelling the evil intentions, attacks and various evils brought against us.” “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, our consolation also abounds through Christ” (“For just as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds in Christ”) (2 Cor. 1:5). In order not to depress his disciples by too strong a description of his misfortunes, he also shows a great wealth of consolation, and thus encourages their spirit; and not only by this does he encourage them, but also by reminding them of Christ, saying about his sufferings that they are the sufferings of Christ, and thus, before any other consolation, he draws consolation from the sorrows themselves. Indeed, what could be more pleasant than to be a fellow member of Christ and endure suffering for His sake? What can equal this consolation? And not only in this way, but also in other ways, he restores the souls of the grieving. What? By saying: “they multiply” (“abundantly”). He did not say: “how the sufferings of Christ befall us,” but: “how they multiply” (“as if they abound”), showing that (the apostles) endure not only the sufferings of Christ, but even greater ones. We have endured, he says, not only the suffering that He endured, but also more abundant suffering. Christ was persecuted, persecuted, beaten, died. But we, he says, have endured more than that. This alone is enough for consolation. And no one suspects exaggeration here. So he says in another place: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you and make up for the lack in my flesh” (“Now I rejoice in my sufferings, and ... I fulfill the deprivation of the sorrows of Christ in my flesh”) (Col. 1:24). And there is neither insolence nor self-praise in either place. Just as (the apostles) performed greater signs than Christ himself (“he who believes in Me,” says the Lord, “... will also do greater things than these” (“believe in Me... he will do greater things than these”) (John 14:12), - although He does all this, acting in them - so they suffered more than Him - although this again belongs to the Lord alone, Who comforted them and gave them strength to endure the evils that happened. 4. That is why Paul, feeling for himself how much he said, see how he again softens what he said, saying: “Our consolation also abounds in Christ” (“so our consolation also abounds in Christ”); he attributes everything to the Lord, glorifying His love for mankind. Not only, he says, as much as we grieve, we are consoled, but much more. He did not say that consolation is equal to suffering, but: “consolation multiplies” (“consolation abounds”), so that the time of exploits is at the same time a time of new crowns. In fact, tell me what can be equal to enduring scourging for Christ and being worthy of conversation with God, being stronger than everyone else, triumphing over your persecutors, being above the whole universe, and expecting such blessings as “the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man” (“them the eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, and the heart has not sighed”) ( 1 Corinthians 2:9)? What can be equal to enduring sorrows for the sake of piety, and for this being worthy of countless consolations from God, receiving remission of so many sins, being worthy of the Spirit, sanctification and justification, not being afraid or trembling of anyone, and in the midst of the very misfortunes being the most glorious of all? Let us therefore not lose heart during temptations. None of those who love fun, carelessly rest and enjoy themselves, none of those who lead a pampered and distracted life can be a fellow member of Christ. But whoever spends his life among sorrows and temptations and walks the narrow path is close to Him. After all, He Himself walked along the same path, which is why he said: “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (“The Son of Man has no place to lay his head”) (Matthew 8:20). So, do not be sad if you endure sorrows, thinking about who you are sharing through them, how you are cleansed through temptations and what great benefit you receive from them. Truly, there is nothing grave and sad except an insult to God. If this is not the case, then neither sorrow, nor intrigue, nor anything else can sadden a godly soul. On the contrary, just as a small spark thrown into the great abyss of the sea immediately fades away, so every sadness, even the greatest, having caught up with a good conscience, easily dissipates and immediately disappears. That is why Paul always rejoiced, because he always labored in deeds pleasing to God, and did not even notice the great evils that befell him; although he felt sorrow like a man, he did not lose heart. So the great patriarch did not cease to rejoice, although many sorrows befell him. Look: he lost his fatherland, was forced to undertake a long and difficult journey; having come to someone else's land, he did not have even one inch of property on it; here, again, hunger met him and forced him to move from one place to another; famine was followed by the abduction of his wife, the fear of death, childlessness, war, danger, the malicious intent of neighbors, and finally the strongest of all sorrows - the difficult and unbearable slaughter of his only begotten and beloved son. He obeyed God without question; but don’t think therefore that he bore all this indifferently. Even if he was eminently righteous, which he really was, he was still a man and subject to the infirmities of human nature. And yet nothing could defeat him; he stood his ground like a courageous warrior, crowned with a victorious crown after every temptation. So blessed Paul, seeing the clouds of temptations that came upon him every day, among them, as if in the midst of paradise, was consoled, rejoiced and rejoiced. But just as one who rejoices in this joy cannot be captivated by despondency, so on the contrary, one who has not acquired it becomes easily susceptible to any sorrow, and suffers the same thing as a poorly armed person who is wounded by a light blow. On the contrary, one who is well armed from all sides conveniently repels every blow directed against him. Joy in God is stronger than any weapon, and whoever has it, nothing can lead him into despondency and cowardice; on the contrary, he endures everything courageously. What could be worse than fire, what could be worse than constant torment? Even if someone lost countless riches, or children, or something else similar, this (fire and torment) is more unbearable than all sorrows. “A skin,” it is said, “for a skin, and for his life a man will give all that he has” (“Skin for a skin, and all that a man has will he give for his life”) (Job 2:4). So, there is nothing more painful than torment; but joy in God and for the ear makes unbearable torment bearable and even pleasant. And if you were to remove a barely breathing martyr from a tree or from a frying pan, you would find in him such a joy that it is impossible to depict. But they will say: “How can I suffer now that the time of martyrdom has passed? What are you saying? Has the time for martyrdom passed now?” It never passes, on the contrary, it is always before our eyes, if only we are awake. After all, hanging from a tree is not the only thing that makes a martyr. If this had been the case, then Job would have been left without a martyr's crown. He did not stand before the judgment seat, did not hear the voice of the judge, did not see the tormentor, was not whittled in the ribs, hanged and raised to a tree. And yet he suffered more than many martyrs; the messages of the messengers coming one after another struck him more unbearably than any blow and pierced him from all sides; and the mouths of worms, fiercer than many executioners, tormented him from everywhere. 5. So, what martyr can he not equal? Verily (he is equal) with countless many. He withstood the struggle from everywhere and collected crowns - from the loss of property, and from the death of children, and from the rotting of the body, and from the reproaches of his wife, and from friends, and from enemies, and even from his slaves - because they also spat on his face - and from hunger, and from dreams, and from excruciating pain, and from the stench. That is why I said that he can equal not one, not two, not three, but countless martyrs. In addition to what has been said, time itself gives a great advantage to his crowns, because he endured these sorrows before law and grace, endured for many months, and all to the highest degree, moreover, all these misfortunes fell upon him suddenly, while each of them in itself is unbearable, not even excluding the loss of acquisitions, which, apparently, is (un)bearable than other evils. In fact, many suffered blows, but did not suffer loss of property; on the contrary, they preferred to endure scourging and many other torments rather than give up any of their acquisitions, so that their loss was considered the most severe blow for themselves. Thus, the loss of property is a kind of martyrdom for the one who bravely endures it. But how, you say, can one endure such losses courageously? You will learn this when you know that through one word of gratitude you will gain more than you lost. In fact, if, having heard about the destruction of our goods, we are not embarrassed, but say: “Blessed is God,” then we will acquire much greater wealth. And indeed, you will not receive as much benefit by spending your wealth on the poor, going everywhere and looking for the poor, wasting everything you have on the hungry, as you will gain with this one word. That is why I am not so much surprised at Job, who opened his home for the poor, as I am amazed and exclaim with surprise, seeing how he endured the loss of his acquisitions with gratitude. The same can be applied to the loss of children. And here you can receive no less a reward than the one who laid on the altar and was ready to slay his son, if, seeing your child dying, you thank the man-loving God. In fact, whoever does this will be lower than Abraham? Abraham had not yet seen (his son) lying dead, but was only preparing for this, so if he has the advantage in that he wanted to sacrifice (his son), reached out and took the knife, then, on the other hand, he concedes in the sense that his son is already lying here dead. In addition, Abraham was encouraged by the confidence that he was performing a valiant deed, and that this glorious feat was the work of his own courage; and the voice from heaven that he heard inspired him to this feat; here, on the contrary, there is nothing of the kind. That is why the one who sees his only begotten son, who was brought up in wealth and showed good hopes, prostrate and lying in the tomb, needs to have an adamantine soul in order to meekly endure the misfortune that befell him. And if such a one, having tamed his natural excitement, can say without tears with Job: “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away” (“The Lord gave, the Lord is taken away”) (Job 1:21), then for this one word he will stand in line with Abraham and together with Job will be glorified. And if, having stopped the cries of the wives and forbade the cries of the crying, he turns everyone to the praise of God, then he will receive countless honors from both God and people: people will be amazed at him, the angels will applaud, God will crown him with glory. 6. But how can I not cry, you say, when I am a man? (You can), if you think about the fact that both the patriarch and Job, being both men, have not experienced anything like this, and, moreover, both still lived before law and grace, and not yet knowing those godly laws that we have; if you realize that the deceased moved to a better country and passed on to a better inheritance, and that you did not lose your son, but only escorted him to a safer home. So, don’t say: “I can no longer be called father.” Why shouldn't you be called father when your son is alive? Have you lost your child? Have you destroyed your son? On the contrary, you acquired it, and you own it with greater security. Through this, you will not only be called father here, but also in heaven, and not only have you not lost the name of father, but have acquired the right to an even greater name: you will no longer be called the father of a mortal son, but an immortal one, the father of a courageous warrior who dwells forever in the house of God. Do not think that he has already died if he is not standing in front of you. After all, if he were now traveling, his physical absence would not stop the family connection between you. Do not fix your gaze on the face of the person lying down, because this will arouse suffering in yourself; but raise your thought from what lies down to heaven. This lying corpse is not your son, but the one who flew away and ascended to an immeasurable height. So, when you see closed eyes, closed lips and a motionless body, do not think about this: these lips no longer speak, these eyes no longer see, these legs no longer walk, and everything turns into decay - do not say so, but quite the opposite: these lips will speak better, these eyes will see more, these legs will be carried on the clouds, this decaying body will be clothed with immortality, and I will again receive a son, but a brighter one. If what you see saddens you, then tell yourself: this is clothing, and he threw it off in order to get it again, but more valuable; this is a house, but it is being destroyed in order to become brighter. Just as we, when we want to clean a house, do not allow those living in it to remain inside it in order to protect them from dust and noise, but we order them to leave for a while; when we have completely set up the house, then we fearlessly bring them in again - this is what God does: having destroyed the rotten church of the deceased, He took him into His fatherly house, even to Himself, so that after it was sorted out and rebuilt again, He would again give it to him in its best and brightest form. So, do not say that he is lost and that he will be no more; these are the words of unbelievers; but say: he sleeps and will rise; he set out on a journey and will return with the King. Who says that? One who has Christ speaking within him. “For if we believe,” says (the apostle), “that Jesus died and rose again and lives, then God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus” (“If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God... will bring with him those who died”) (1 Thessalonians 4:14). So, if you are looking for a son, look for him where the King is, where the army of angels is, not in the tomb, not in the earth, so that, while he is raised to such a height, you yourself will not remain defeated on earth. If we practice philosophy in this way, we will easily overcome all such sorrow. The God of generosity and the Father of all joy will comfort the hearts of us all, and with similar sorrows and other sorrows of those possessed, will grant us deliverance from all despondency, and will make us worthy to acquire spiritual joy and receive future blessings, which may we all be worthy to achieve by 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 the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: