Слово 10. О Промысле

Why didn't God destroy the enemy who deceived man in the beginning? If he had overcome by force, then the question would have made some sense; if he is alien to such power and acts only by suggestion, and it is not in our power to obey him, then why are you taking away the pretext for glorification and destroying the reason for receiving crowns? Moreover, even if God had left him, knowing that he would defeat everyone, then even then he should not have been embarrassed, since if he wins, this comes from us, who voluntarily submit to him, and not by force. And if there were already many who defeated him and there will be many more subsequently, then why do you deprive those who are famous for their victory of such an honor? However, not everyone will defeat him. But it is much fairer that the valiant should have the opportunity to show their valor, and the careless should be punished for their own laziness, than for the sake of the latter to cause offense to the former. If a lazy person suffers an insult, it is not from the enemy, but from his own laziness, as evidenced by the many winners. Meanwhile, then the zealous would be subject to the intrigues of the lazy, if they did not have a goal for which they could use courage. Then they could complain about the creation of lips and eyes, because because of the latter, many desire what they should not and fall into adultery, while others are the first to utter blasphemy and proclaim destructive dogmas. But is it really because of this that people should have been born without tongues and eyes? In this case, we will cut off both hands and feet, some of which are filled with blood, while others flow towards wickedness. And after that the ears, because they too receive false rumors and transmit corrupt dogmas to the soul; if so, then food, and drink, and the sky, and the earth, and the sea, and the moon, and the choir of stars. What will they really be needed for when the one for whom they were created will be cut to pieces in such a pitiful manner? Do you see what ridiculous and ridiculous conclusions we are forced to reach? The devil is an enemy to himself, not to us, because if we want, we can even receive many benefits through him, contrary to his will and intention; and in this the greater miracle and excessive love of God is revealed. Indeed, when people become better, this in itself hurts and grieves the devil; when he himself is the culprit of this for us, he can no longer bear the insult. If God, some say, had not allowed it, the devil could not have approached man and deceived him in the beginning. What should we say to this? That if this had not happened, Adam would not have known how great a good he had, and would never have given up his madness. In fact, the one who imagined himself to such an extent that he even thought of becoming God, what would he not have dared to do if he had not been admonished? But suppose the devil did not give any advice. Would Adam have remained sinless if this had not happened? You can't say that. The one who was so easily convinced by his wife, if there were no devil, would soon fall into sin of his own accord. The one who so easily succumbed to the seduction of another was already careless and weak-hearted before the seduction, because the latter could not have had such success if he had turned to a sober and vigorous soul. But why did God give Adam such a commandment, knowing that he would sin? Because the giving of a commandment testifies to greater care than not giving. Let us assume that Adam had such a weak will, as the end showed, and at the same time would not have received any commandment, but lived to his fullest pleasure: would this weakness and carelessness lead to worse or better with such licentiousness? It is obvious to everyone that, living without any care, he would fall into extreme wickedness. If he, not having a firm hope of immortality, but knowing that this hope was still doubtful, fell into such arrogance and madness that he thought of becoming God, and, moreover, despite the fact that he did not see from anywhere that the one who promised deserved faith, then to what madness would he not have reached if he had a firm confidence in immortality? What sin would you not commit? When would you listen to God? If, after the giving of the commandment, he so despised the One who gave him this commandment, then, if he had heard nothing at all from Him, he would not, perhaps, have realized that he was under His authority. If none of the vicious were punished here, and none of the virtuous received rewards, then many of those who did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection would begin to avoid virtue as the cause of disasters, and follow vice as the cause of blessings. If, again, everyone here received what they deserve, they would consider the doctrine of the Judgment unnecessary and false. Therefore, so that the doctrine of the Judgment is not considered false, and many ordinary people do not become worse due to contempt for this teaching, God punishes many sinners here and rewards some of the virtuous; and by the fact that he does not do this in relation to everyone, he certifies the doctrine of the Judgment, but by the fact that he punishes some before the Judgment, he awakens those sleeping in a deep sleep. Indeed, due to the fact that the wicked suffer punishment, many awaken, fearing lest they suffer the same thing; due to the fact that not everyone here receives what they deserve, they are forced to conclude that this is being observed for another time. For this reason, when he sinned, God did not kill Cain, so that all subsequent people would be admonished through him and become better through the punishment that befell him. It was not all the same to hear that a certain Cain, who killed his brother, died, or to see the murderer himself being punished. If in the first case they might not believe the story of this event due to excessive hatred, now that the murderer is present and for a long time forces many to witness the punishment, he makes this event obvious and reliable both for contemporaries and for subsequent generations. Then, if God had immediately killed him, he would not have given him any time for repentance and correction, whereas, spending his life in fear and trembling, he could have received great benefit from such a life if he had not been extremely insensitive and more of an animal than a man. In addition, through this punishment, God made future torment less for him, because the sorrows and punishments brought upon us by God in this life destroy a considerable part of future torment. For this purpose, God usually punishes sinners who deserve the same punishment, not all together, so that the rest become better in view of the disasters that befall others. But often He punishes everyone together, as was the case, for example, with the flood, so that the path to further wickedness would be blocked for the sinners themselves, and subsequent people would receive greater benefits than those when the leaven, so to speak, and the basis of the vices would be removed along with those who committed them, and also would not have so many teachers of wickedness. In fact, if even without an example people can easily find vices, then what would they do if there were many inciting them to bad deeds? So, we only need to make sure that everything is arranged for our benefit by God, and in what way - not to ask about it, just as not to worry and not to be discouraged if we do not know it. Knowing this is both impossible and not useful; the first - because we are mortal, the second - because we soon fall into pride. God wants those who do not believe Him to be saved through repentance, just as He Himself says: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). Even after they, having received such care, do not want to become better and recognize the truth, He does not leave them; but since they voluntarily deprived themselves of heavenly life, he provides them with at least everything necessary for real life, commanding the sun to rise on the evil and the good, sending rain on the righteous and the unjust, and granting everything else necessary to support real life. If He has such concern for His enemies, then how will He despise those who believe Him and serve Him to the best of their ability? But why is the devil not completely eliminated? Let's imagine an opponent and two fighters who must fight him. One of these two fighters suffers from satiety, is careless about his work, powerless and relaxed; and the other is diligent, enjoys his health, studies in palestras and schools for bodily exercises and shows every effort to prepare himself for the competition. So, if you destroy the enemy, which of them will you offend? Is it the careless and careless one, or the diligent one who puts in so much work? It is clear that the diligent one. This latter, because of the careless, is offended if the enemy is eliminated; whereas to the careless one, because of the diligent one, if the enemy remains, no offense is caused, because he is defeated by his own carelessness. Thus, a weak-willed, careless and careless person, even if there was no devil, soon falls and plunges himself into the abyss of vice. In the same way, if we turn to our own members, we will find that they too are the causes of death - if we are not careful - not by their own nature, but due to our carelessness. Look here. The eye was given so that, looking at creation, you glorify the Creator and Master; but if you use your eye indecently, it becomes for you the author of adultery. The tongue is given so that you can sing songs and praise the Creator; but if you do not watch yourself enough, he becomes the cause of blasphemy and foul language for you. Hands are given so that you stretch them out in prayer; but if you do not behave soberly, you extend them to covetousness. Legs were given so that you would strive for good deeds; but if you are careless, then you will have bad deeds through them. Do you see that everything brings harm to a weak person, and even life-saving medicines themselves lead to death, not by their nature, but due to the weakness of such a person? The mere sight of God is sufficient to destroy the wicked; If the presence of saints makes the power of demons weak, then the presence of God is much more powerful. When we see frustration and confusion in affairs, let us not blame God and think that the course of real life is not provided for; true disorder and confusion is not in the course of affairs, but in the thought that is in such a state; and there will be no benefit for him from improvement in affairs, even if he enjoys the greatest improvement, until he destroys the disorder and confusion that is in himself. Just as a sick eye, even on a clear noon, will see darkness and one thing instead of the other, and for it there will be no benefit from a ray of sunshine, while a healthy and strong eye can correctly guide the body even in the evening, so the eye of our mind, while it is healthy, even though it has apparently seen disorder, will see beautiful order, and if it is damaged, then even if you take it to Heaven itself, and there it will find great disorder and confusion. For this reason, God does not punish everyone in this life, so that you do not reject the resurrection and do not lose hope at the Judgment, as if everyone here has already given the answer; just as not everyone is allowed to leave here with impunity, so that you do not think that everything is devoid of providence. If anyone does not believe in the resurrection, let him think how much God created out of nothing, and he will receive proof regarding the resurrection. Taking the earth, God mixed it and created man - an earth that did not exist before. So how did the earth become man? How was she herself, which previously did not exist, brought into existence? What support does she have? What's behind the earth? And what, in turn, follows this? How are all the endless genera of animals, seeds, and plants produced from it? All this is the bewilderment of the resurrection. In fact, it makes no difference whether to relight a lamp that has gone out or to show a fire that was nowhere visible; It makes no difference whether to restore a fallen house or build a completely new house. In the first case, if there was nothing else, at least there was a substance; in the second case, there was no substance itself. This is why God first created what seems most difficult to us, in order to roughly prove something easier through it. Likewise, at our birth, is not a small seed, which at first does not have a definite form and structure, plunged into the womb that receives it? Where does this structure of a living being come from? What can we say about bread? Is it not bare grain that is thrown into the ground? Doesn't it rot after being abandoned? Where does the ear, the awns on it, the stem and everything else come from? Does not a small grain of a fig tree, falling to the ground, often produce roots, branches and fruits? Then, you accept all this and do not subject it to unnecessary examination, but demand an account from God alone, who transforms our body? Could this deserve some kind of apology? But why did God leave the devil when he is so wicked that he attacks us unexpectedly? So that we, being prompted by fear and expecting an attack from the enemy, display great vigilance and constant sobriety. And why are you surprised if He left the devil for this? Taking care of our salvation and awakening us from carelessness, as well as providing a reason to receive crowns, He prepared Gehenna itself for this purpose, so that the fear of torment and the severity of punishment would direct us to the Kingdom. So, if you do something good and do not receive a reward for it in this life, do not be embarrassed: a reward awaits you with interest in the next century. Likewise, if you do something evil and do not suffer punishment, do not be arrogant, because there punishment will befall you if you do not change and become better. You become indignant, lose your temper and fill everything with confusion, seeing how many who live in wickedness prosper and enjoy good things here, and you complain about God’s patience. What are you doing, tell me? How many are waylaid and attacked on the roads? How many walls are being undermined? How many are poisoned? What then? Do we blame the judge for them? No way. If, when they are presented at the trial, he releases them and punishes the one who suffered, and acquits the one who caused the evil and releases him with honor, then he is truly worthy of accusation and all censure; but when they have not yet been brought to justice, why do you yourself bring him to account and condemn him in advance? Think about your own life, man, enter your conscience - and you will not only not praise your decision, but also change your mind, glorify the long-suffering of the Lover of Mankind and thank you for his condescension, marveling at His gentleness. If everyone were punished for sins immediately after committing them, then the human race would almost have been exterminated long ago. So, brethren, let us not lose heart: after all, we are not as concerned about our salvation as the One who created us, and we are not as concerned about not suffering anything calamitous as God, who gave us the soul. God does not allow people to remain always in misfortune, so that they do not fall into despair, nor in peace, so that they do not become careless, but He arranges their salvation in a variety of ways, changing one thing for another. If a ship cannot exist safely without a helmsman, but easily sinks, then how could the world exist for so long if no one controlled it? And in order not to say much, imagine that the world is a ship, below, like a keel, lies the earth, the sky - sails, people - passengers, the abyss lying below - the sea; How did it happen that there was no crash after such a long time? Leave the ship for even one day without a helmsman and swimmers, and you will see how it will immediately sink. Meanwhile, the world, which has been around for more than five thousand years, has not tolerated anything like this. What am I talking about the ship? Another builds a small hut in a vineyard and, after collecting fruit, leaves it, and often the latter does not last even two days, but soon collapses and falls. If, then, a hut cannot stand without someone looking after it, how could so great a creature, so beautiful and wondrous, remain unshaken for so long a time without someone's care? Think about the beauty of heaven, how old it is and how long it has not darkened; think about the strength of the earth, how its womb has not become exhausted, having given birth for so long; thoughts about sources, how they flow and do not part with the place of their birth; think about the sea, how many rivers it accepts and does not exceed its limit. It is fair to say about each of these phenomena: “How numerous are Your works, O Lord! You have done everything wisely” (Ps. 103:24). Isn’t it crazy for us, watching a builder and seeing how he splits and saws trees, not to demand an account from him and not to blame him; in the same way, in relation to a doctor who cauterizes and cuts the body, confines the patient in a separate room and torments him with hunger, do not show useless curiosity, but remain calm and silent; Meanwhile, about ineffable Wisdom, ineffable love for mankind, indulge in inappropriate curiosity and petty research? And to provide help, to spend money for the poor who are suffering from insults, you will not easily decide, but you will investigate in every possible way why such and such is poor, why such and such is poor, why such and such is rich. Then you do not lower your gaze and do not condemn yourself, do not put a bridle on your tongue and do not tame your mind, and, having ceased to be idlely curious about such subjects, do you not turn this inquisitiveness to your own life? Look at what you have done, at the sea of ​​your sins; and if you are curious and inquisitive, demand an account from yourself in words, in deeds - in what you said badly, what you did wrong. Meanwhile, now you leave yourself without testing, and you inflict judgment on God, and add new sins to your sins. Could this not deserve punishment? May we all escape it, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Ἐκλογαί άπό διαφόρων λόγων . Under this name are known collections of conversations compiled by various persons after the death of Chrysostom on certain topics, from those related to the topics and especially liked by the compilers of the works of the saint. The passages are given partly in a literal presentation, partly in a free retelling and are borrowed both from the original works of Chrysostom, and from works only attributed to Chrysostom, which have not only survived to this day, but have also been lost. These Eclogues (selections) were widespread and were used by both private individuals and kings. Known, for example, is the luxurious collection of Eclogues, owned by the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Botaniatus (1078–1081), registered among the codices of the Koalene Library under No. LXXIX. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: