Правило 11. О судах Божиих и о страхе, какой должны они внушать

Chapter 1. One must not neglect the judgments of God, but fear them, although reward does not follow immediately. (Matthew 10:28): “Fear more the One who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Luke 12:45-46): “If that servant says in his heart: My master will not come soon, and begins to beat his servants and maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then the master of that servant will come on a day on which he does not expect, and at an hour in which he does not think, and will cut him up, and subject him to the same fate as the infidels.” (John 5:14): “Behold, you have recovered; “Sin no more, lest something worse happen to you.” (Eph. 5:6): “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for for this reason the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience.” Chapter 2. He who has been admonished after committing his first sins and has been deemed worthy to receive forgiveness, if he sins again, prepares for himself the most severe judgment of wrath. Chapter 3. When some fall under the judgment of the wrath of God, then others, being afraid, should come to their senses. (Luke 13:1-5): “At that time some came and told Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus said to them: Do you think that these Galileans were more sinners than all the Galileans, that they suffered so much? No, I tell you, but if you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way. Or do you think that those eighteen people on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them were more guilty than all those living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but if you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way.” (Acts 5:5): “Hearing these words, Ananias fell lifeless; and great fear came upon all who heard it.” (1 Cor. 10:10-11): “Do not murmur, as some of them murmured and were killed by the destroyer. All this happened to them like images; but it is described for the instruction of us who have reached the last centuries.” Chapter 4. Often others are given over to the most vicious deeds as punishment for previous wickedness. (Rom. 1:28): “And since they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do indecent things.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11): “because they did not accept the love of the truth for their salvation... for this reason God will send them strong delusion, so that they will believe a lie.” Chapter 5. It is not the multitude of sinners who inclines God to mercy, but the one who pleases God, whether it be a husband or a wife. (Luke 4:25-26): “Truly I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, so that there was a great famine throughout the whole earth, and Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a widow in Zarephath of Sidon.” (1 Cor. 10:1-5): “I do not want to leave you, brethren, ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and everyone ate the same spiritual food; and they all drank the same spiritual drink: for they drank from the spiritual stone that followed; the stone was Christ. But God was not pleased with many of them, for they were slain in the wilderness.” You might be interested in: