Three Conversations about David and Saul

"Three Discourses on David and Saul" refers to 387 St. John Chrysostom cites David as an example of love for enemies, who did not hold a grudge against Saul and was generously rewarded by God for this. In the first conversation, David's life is presented as a high Old Testament example of meekness: his modesty, removal from his fatherland to stop his anger against Saul. His prayer to the Lord to prevent him from sinning against the life of the king is considered: “Who could easily refrain from praying for the death of the enemy?.. And he, offering a prayer, ... asks not to allow him to take revenge, ... speaking of the enemy as if he were a son, as if he were his own child.” St. John exhorts us to tame our anger by remembering godly men. In the second conversation, the saint calls it a great good not only to strive in virtue, but also to praise it. David, having overcome his anger, made a sacrifice to God. His victory over passions is no less amazing than the salvation of the three youths and the prophet Daniel. Using the example of David’s deep sorrow over the death of Saul and his song, the saint exhorts to forgive enemies during life and mourn them after death. In the third conversation of St. John Chrysostom urges people not to go to spectacles, as this is disastrous, leads to adultery and is the cause of displeasure and discord. He calls on those who go to the spectacles to cleanse themselves of sin before entering the church. The saint says that slander from enemies is more useful than the flattery of friends. David's meekness and forgiveness of his enemy brought him glory on earth and in heaven. The conversation contains an exhortation to imitate David in his care of the paralytic son of Saul. *The title of the work in Greek is Εἰς τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ϫαυῒδ κα τὸν Σαούλ. *The title of the work in Latin is De Davide et Saule homiliae 1-3. Conversation 1. About David and Saul, also about kindness, and about the fact that one should spare enemies and not slander those who are absent The need for long-term instruction to eradicate sinful passion. David is the great Old Testament example of meekness. David's benefits to Saul; the recklessness of the latter's suspicion of the former and the encroachment on his life. Despite the exploits, the modesty of David and his removal from the fatherland to stop the malice of Saul. David's extraordinary kindness towards Saul in the cave, as God's anointed, despite the advice of David's companions. His prayer to the Lord to prevent him from sinning against the life of the king and an exhortation to tame his anger by remembering pious men. When the body suffers from long-standing and severe inflammation, then it takes a lot of time and labor, a lot of prudence in the use of medicines, to completely weaken its strength. The same is true for the soul. If someone wants to root out a passion that has taken root and lived for a long time in the soul, then for this correction a one- or two-day exhortation is not enough, but one must talk about this subject often and for many days, if only we want to preach not out of ambition and for pleasure, but for good and benefit. Therefore, what we did regarding oaths 2, having talked with you about the same subject for many days in a row, we will do the same regarding anger, we will offer a lengthy exhortation about it, to the best of our ability. This, it seems to me, is the best way of instruction - do not stop suggesting, no matter what, until we see that the suggestion has turned into action. Whoever speaks today about alms, tomorrow about prayer, the day after tomorrow about meekness, then about humility, will not confirm his listeners in any of these virtues, because he constantly runs from one subject to another and from this again to another. On the contrary, whoever wants his listeners to put his words into practice must not stop his admonition and advice on the same subject and move on to some other subject until he sees that the previous admonition is well rooted in them. Teachers do the same: they do not move on to syllables with children until they are convinced that they are sufficiently familiar with letters. So, having recently read to you the parable of the hundred denarii and ten thousand talents, we showed how destructive rancor was. In fact, whoever was not destroyed by ten thousand talents was drowned by a hundred denarii; They canceled the forgiveness that had already been given, and took away the gift, and the one who was freed from the trial was again brought into the judgment seat, and from there they were thrown into prison, and thus they handed him over to eternal punishment. And today we will turn the word to another subject. True, anyone who wants to teach humility and meekness should himself set examples of these wonderful virtues, in order to instruct both in words and in deeds. But since we ourselves are very poor in them, we will reproduce before you the image of one of the saints (famous for these virtues) and, (as if) placing it before your eyes, we will give you a convincing and strong admonition, urging both you and ourselves to imitate the virtues of the righteous, as a kind of prototype. Who can be presented (as an example) when speaking about meekness? Who else but the one who received the testimony from above, and thereby especially deserved surprise? “I have found,” it is said, “David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart” (Acts 13:22). When God gives a definition, then there can be no contradiction: this definition is not partial, because God does not judge by partiality or hatred, but pronounces a sentence judging only by the virtue of the soul. However, we present David as an example not only because he received a testimony from God, but also because he was one of those brought up in the Old Testament. It is not at all surprising if someone under grace, after Christ’s death, after the granted remission of sins, according to the commandments filled with the spirit of love, does not stain himself with anger, forgives insults to enemies and spares offenders. But if anyone in the Old Testament, when the law made it possible to tear out an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and to pay for an insult with an equal insult, rose above the requirements of the law and achieved apostolic perfection, then which of those who hear this will not be amazed, from which of those who do not imitate (such an example) will not all apology and justification be taken away? And in order for us to become more thoroughly acquainted with the virtue of David, let me begin the word from the previous one and talk about the benefits that this blessed man showed to Saul. Simply not taking revenge on an enemy who has offended you is not at all surprising. But to spare a person who has been shown many and great benefits and who, for these benefits, once, twice and many times, attempted to kill a benefactor, - having captured (such a person) in his hands and having the opportunity to kill, not only to spare, but also to save from the intent of others, knowing, moreover, that he will again take up the same thing - such an act, what still lacks to the highest degree of perfection? So, listen patiently to a brief account of what, when and how David did good deeds to Saul. The Jews were once beset by a most severe war. Everyone was struck with fear and plunged into despondency; no one dared to raise their heads, but the entire state was in extreme danger. Death was before everyone's eyes, everyone expected death every day and led a more pitiful life than those led to the abyss 3 . At this time, David came from the (flock of) sheep to the military camp and, despite his age and inexperience in military labor, took upon himself the war for everyone and accomplished feats that surpassed all expectations. Yes, even if he had not been completely successful, then for his zeal and determination alone he should have been crowned. It would not be surprising if a mature warrior did this: it is a duty under military law. But David had no urgent need, on the contrary, many held him back (after all, his brother dissuaded him, and the king, in view of his young age and excessive danger, restrained and stopped, saying: “You are not able to go ... as you are a child, this man has been a fighter from his youth” (1 Sam. 17:33)), and however, not being caused by any need, but completely by himself inflamed with divine jealousy and love for the fatherland, he fearlessly rushed towards the enemies, as if he saw sheep in front of him, and not people, and as if he was going to drive away the dogs, and not such a horde of people. And then he also rendered the king the service that even before the battle and victory he encouraged him, who was downcast in his gaze, so that he not only benefited the king with subsequent deeds, but even before that he consoled him with words and convinced him to have cheerfulness and good hope about the future, saying: “Let not my master’s heart be dismayed at this, because 4 your servant will go and fight with this foreigner” (1 Samuel 17:32). Is it a small thing, tell me, to sacrifice your life without any need, and rush into the midst of enemies to save others, without ever receiving any good from them? Shouldn’t it have been right after this to call him ruler, to proclaim him the savior of the entire state - him, who, by the grace of God, saved the dignity of the king, and the foundations of cities, and the lives of everyone? What other benefit could be greater than this? He did good not for money and not for glory and power, but for the life (of the king) itself: he snatched him from the very gates of death, and as far as it depended on the person, thanks to him the king remained alive and retained power. What reward did he give after that? When considering these great exploits (it turns out) that even if Saul had taken the crown from his head and placed it on David, he still would not have rewarded him according to his deserts, but would have remained obliged to him: after all, David saved his life and his kingdom, and he would have given him one kingdom. Let's look, however, at his awards. What were they like? Saul immediately began to suspect him: “And he has not spied on David from the day of his life” (1 Sam. 18:9). For what and why? The reason for suspicion must also be indicated. But no matter what you say, you will not find any just reason: what, in fact, could there be a fair reason for suspicion about the one who saved the soul and gave life? Let's look, however, at the very cause of the enmity, so that you know that for the very thing for which he was later subjected to suspicion and intrigues (of Saul), David deserved no less honors than for the victory. So, what was the reason for the suspicion? When David took the head of a foreigner and returned with the spoils, “the (virgins) came forth, - it is said, - rejoicing,... singing... and saying 5: Conquer Saul with his thousands, and David with his thousands. And Saul was angry... and spied on David from the day thereafter” (1 Sam. 18:6-9). Why, tell me? Even if these words were unjust, then even in this case Saul should not have been at enmity against David, since his good disposition towards the king was evidenced by deeds; and knowing, moreover, that David was exposed to such danger of his own free will, and not by anyone’s coercion or insistence, (Saul) should no longer have suspected anything evil in him. But in fact, the praise (of David’s wives) was fair; and what is even more surprising is that those who spoke (in a similar way) flattered Saul more than David, and he should have been content with what only thousands were given to him. Why is he indignant that he was given tens of thousands? If (himself) he had done at least something to end the war and had taken even a small part in it, then by the way it would have been possible to say that “Saul with thousands, and David with tens of thousands.” But after he sat at home in fear and trembling, expecting death every day, and David alone did everything, was it not the greatest absurdity on his part to be indignant at the fact that he received less praise - he who did not in the least struggle with those dangers? If one is indignant, then David should have been indignant that, having done everything alone, he shares the glory with another. But passing all this, I will point out the following: so be it, the wives did something bad, and for this they are worthy of condemnation and blame; What does David have to do with this? He did not compose these songs; I did not inspire or arrange for the wives to say what they said, so that praise would be of this kind. So, if you were annoyed, then you should have been annoyed with the wives, and not with the benefactor of the whole kingdom, who was worthy of a thousand crowns. But Saul, leaving them, went against David. If this blessed one, proud of such praise, began to envy the sovereign, insult him and despise his power: then (Saul’s) malice would perhaps have some basis. But if David became even more meek and modest, and did not leave the ranks of subordinates, then what just excuse did Saul’s grief have? When the recipient of honors rebels against his patron and uses these honors with offense to him, then the suspicion has some basis; but since he remains respectful, even more obliging, and submissive in everything, what basis can hatred then have? So, in addition to (David’s) further merits, one should have loved him even more for the fact that, with such an opportunity to assume power, he observed the modesty that was fitting for him. Not only the previous ones, but also the subsequent, much more important matters did not overwhelm him. What are they? “And,” it is said, “David was in all his ways, and the Lord Almighty was with him” (1 Sam. 18:14); “And all Israel and Judah loved David, because he came in and went out before the people” (1 Sam. 18:16); “and Michal the daughter of Saul” (1 Sam. 18:20), “and all Israel loves him” (1 Sam. 18:28), “and David was wiser than all the servants of Saul and honored his name greatly” (1 Sam. 18:30); “And Jonathan the son of Saul loved David dearly” (1 Samuel 19:1). And yet, having won over all the people and the royal house itself, winning battles everywhere and never experiencing failure anywhere, and receiving such rewards for these good deeds, he did not become proud, did not desire the kingdom, did not take revenge on the enemy, but continued to do good and wage wars for him. Whoever, both brutally cruel and ferocious, would not be forced by this to leave hostility and stop malice? But nothing swayed this cruel and inhumane husband. Having closed his eyes to everything, giving in to envy, he plots to kill David. And when? When he - which is especially remarkable and surprising - played and tamed Saul’s fury: “And David,” it is said, “girded with his hand... all the days; a spear was in Saul’s hand” (1 Sam. 18:10). “And Saul took a spear, and said, I will smite David, and smite 7 against the wall: and David turned away from his presence twice” (1 Sam. 18:11). Is it possible to imagine the highest degree of malice? The same was what happened afterwards. The enemies had just been driven out, the state was encouraged and everyone was offering thanksgiving sacrifices for the victory, Saul decided to kill the benefactor, savior and author of such blessings during his game (1 Sam. 19:10). Even the best deeds did not tame this frantic madman: he threw a spear once or twice in order to kill him. These were the rewards Saul paid David for his dangers! And he did this many times, and not in one day. But this saint, even after all this, continued to serve him, exposed himself to dangers for his salvation, fought in all wars, saved his murderer with his own dangers, and neither in words nor in deeds offended this wild beast, but in everything he yielded and obeyed. He did not receive the reward promised to him for the victory, but he never reminded (about this reward) either the soldiers or the king, because he accomplished that feat not because of a human reward, but in the hope of reward from above. And it is surprising not only that he did not demand a reward, but even more so that, out of extraordinary modesty, he refused the offered reward. When Saul, despite all his attempts and efforts, could not kill him, then he builds bonds through marriage and invents some new kind of dowry and gifts for the bride “the king does not want gifts,” it is said, “but only one hundred and eight circumcisions of foreigners to take revenge on the king’s enemy” (1 Samuel 18:25). These words mean: kill me a hundred men, and this will be given to me instead of gifts. So he spoke, wishing, under the pretext of marriage, to betray him to his enemies. However, David, judging things with his usual modesty, refused this marriage not out of fear of dangers and enemies, but because he considered himself unworthy of kinship with the king; and this is what he said to his servants: “Food is easy before your eyes, so that I may be the king’s son-in-law, for I am a humble man and not honored” (1 Samuel 18:23). This marriage, of course, was a duty (on the part of the king), retribution and reward for David’s labors, but he had such a humble heart that, even after such exploits, after such a glorious victory and solemn promise, he considered himself unworthy to accept the reward due to him. And so he thought (of himself), preparing to expose himself to new dangers. Having defeated the enemies and taken (in marriage) the king's daughter, “David... played..., and Saul sought to smite him with a spear, and smite 10 and retreat David..., and hit Saul with the spear against the wall” (1 Sam. 19:8-10). Which of the most devoted to virtue would not be enraged by this and prompted to kill an unjust persecutor, if for nothing else, then for his own safety? After all, this would not even be murder, on the contrary (David) and in this case would become above the law 11. The law commands to tear out an eye for an eye; and David, even if he had killed Saul, would have done only one thing for three murders, moreover, for three such murders that did not have any plausible pretext. However, he did not attempt anything like that, but decided it was better to flee, leave his father’s house, become a wanderer and a wanderer and with grief acquire the necessary food for himself, rather than become guilty of the murder of the king. He cared not about avenging himself, but about freeing the king from passion. Therefore, he hid from the eyes of the enemy in order to tame his anger, extinguish the fire (of passion), and curb his anger. It is better for me, he said, to be exposed to disasters and suffer a thousand evils, than to subject him to the judgment of God for unjust murder. Let us not only heed this, but also imitate it; Let us endure, and do, and endure everything, just to reconcile (our) enemies with us. We will not seek whether they are angry with us justly or unfairly, but only so that they stop being hostile against us. And the doctor cares about how to cure the patient of his illness, and not about how guilty he is of his illness. And you be a doctor for the one who insulted you: try only one thing, how to destroy his illness. This is exactly what the blessed one did: he preferred poverty to wealth, the desert to his homeland, labor and danger to pleasures and safety, continuous flight to home life in order to save Saul from anger and enmity against himself. But this did not bring any benefit to Saul. He continued to pursue David and looked everywhere for someone who had not offended him in any way; on the contrary, he himself suffered extreme insults from him, and for these insults he also did an extraordinary amount of good. Finally, unexpectedly for himself, he falls into the very snares of David: “And there,” it is said, “a den. And Saul went down and was gone, and David and his men were in the inner den for 12 days. And the men of David said unto him, Behold, this is the day, as 13 The Lord hath spoken: I will deliver 14 thine enemy into thine hand, and do unto him as is pleasing before thine eyes. And David arose, and cut off Saul's garments. And it came to pass that David's heart trembled, like a garment cut off in tears 15 . And David said to his husband: “It is not of the Lord that I should do 16 this word to my master, the Christ of the Lord, to lay my hand upon him, for this is the Christ of the Lord” (1 Samuel 24:4-7). Did you see how the nets were spread, the prey was captured, the catcher stood over it, and everyone forced him to plunge his sword into the chest of the enemy? Appreciate his feat, look at the struggle, at the victory, at the crown. The place of the competition was that cave; the struggle was wonderful and extraordinary: David fought, anger attacked him, Saul served as the reward, and God was the judge of the competition. Not only that, he fought not only with himself and his passion, but also with the warriors who were with him. Even if he himself wanted to be moderate and spare the offender; but he still had to be wary of the soldiers, lest they kill him in the cave, as the destroyer and traitor of their salvation, preserving the life of their common enemy. So naturally, each of the warriors could think with bitterness: we became fugitives and wanderers, left home, fatherland and everything else, shared all the disasters with you; and you, having in your hands the culprit of all these evils, think to release him, depriving us of the hope of ever getting rid of these disasters, and, trying to save the enemy, you betray your friends. Where is the justice here? If you do not care about your own salvation, then spare our lives. Doesn't the past upset you? Don't you remember the evil you suffered from him? Kill him for the sake of the future, so that we do not suffer even greater and graver evils. All this, and even more than this, if they did not express it in words, at least they changed their minds in their minds. But the righteous man did not think about any of this; he had only one thing in mind, how he could be adorned with the crown of kindness and perform a new and special act of virtue. After all, if he had spared the enemy, being alone and on his own, it would not have been as surprising as it is now surprising that he did it in front of others, because the presence of soldiers doubly hindered his action. So, often we ourselves decide to leave anger and forgive anyone for their offenses, but when we see others, under the influence of their instigations, we abandon our decision and follow their words. This did not happen to blessed David; on the contrary, even after the convictions and advice of the soldiers, he remained unshakable in his decision. And it is surprising not only that he was not carried away by the advice of others and was not afraid of them, but also that he oriented them in the same spirit as himself. It is a great thing to overcome one’s own passions, but it is much more important to convince others to accept the same way of thinking, and others - not meek and modest people, but soldiers accustomed to battle, tired of many works, who wanted to calm down at least a little and knew that not only the immediate end of their disasters depended on the death of the enemy, but also the acquisition of countless benefits, because, after the death of Saul, nothing would prevent the kingdom from immediately passing into the hands of David. However, despite the fact that there were so many (circumstances) that irritated the warriors, this valiant (husband) found the strength to overcome all this and convince them to spare the enemy. It is worth delving into the very advice of the soldiers: the cunning of persuasion reveals all the firmness and inflexibility of the will of the righteous. They did not say: behold, who caused you countless evils, who sought your destruction, who plunged us into unbearable disasters. Since they knew that he neglected all this and did not pay attention to the insults made to him, they pointed out to him the sentence from above, saying: God betrayed him, so that, having submitted to the highest court, he would rather decide to kill. Are you avenging yourself, they said; You obey and serve God. You carry out His judgment. But what they especially counted on, this very thing prompted him even more strongly to spare the enemy, since he knew that God had delivered Saul to him in order to give him an opportunity to earn greater glory. And you, when you see that the enemy has fallen into your hands, use this not to punish (the enemy), but to save him. It is then that we must especially show mercy to our enemies when we gain power over them. But perhaps someone will say: what is especially surprising about having an enemy in your power and sparing him? Many other kings, having achieved power and having in their hands people who had once insulted them, often considered themselves unworthy, at such a height of power, to take revenge for insults: the very greatness of power served as an incentive to forgiveness. But this does not apply to the present case. David had Saul in his hands, not yet having achieved power and not having received the kingdom, and, despite this, he spared him, so that no one would say that the greatness of power extinguished his anger. On the contrary, he knew that even after mercy (Saul) would take up the same thing again and expose him to even greater dangers, and yet he did not kill him. Let us not compare him with other (kings). It is easy to show mercy when they have a sure guarantee of their safety in the future; and even though he knew that he was releasing the enemy to himself and saving his persecutor, he still did not kill him, and even when there were so many incentives for this murder. In fact, the absence of those who would help Saul, and the conviction of the soldiers, and the memory of the past, and the fear of the future, also the fact that, having killed the enemy, he would not be judged for murder, and the fact that after this murder he could become above the law, and much more, more than this, inclined and encouraged him to plunge the sword into Saul. But he did not yield to any of this, but stood firm like adamant and unwaveringly observed the law of virtue. Then, lest you say that he did not experience these - so natural - feelings, and that his act proves not the greatness of his soul, but his insensibility, look how he tamed his irritation. Waves of anger arose in him and a strong agitation of thoughts occurred, but he tamed the storm with the fear of God and fought with his thoughts (his own), as can be seen from the event itself. “And he rose...,” it is said, “and he cut off the cry of Sauli’s clothes.” Do you see what a storm of anger has arisen? But it did not intensify any more and did not cause a shipwreck, thanks to the fact that the helmsman - the spirit of piety - immediately sensed (the danger) and restored silence instead of the storm. “And David’s heart trembled,” it is said, “and he bridled his anger like a galloping and mad horse (1 Samuel 24:5–6). Such are the souls of saints: they rise before they fall, and before they reach sin, they restrain themselves, because they are sober and constantly awake. Was the distance between the body and clothing large? However, David had so much strength not to go further, and for this he most severely condemned himself: “David’s heart trembled when he cut off the garment of Sauli, and David said to his husband: “I am not from the Lord.” What does it mean: “not like me from the Lord?” That is, may the Lord be merciful to me, he says, and even if I myself wanted to, may God not allow me to ever do this, and may He not allow me to reach this sin. He saw that such a feat almost exceeded human nature and required help from above, that he himself was almost inclined to kill: therefore he prays that the Lord will keep his hand clean. What can surpass the meekness of this soul? Should we still call him a man - him who, in human nature, accomplished an angelic feat? Only Divine laws will not allow this. Tell me, who would really dare to offer such a prayer to God? And what am I saying – such a prayer? Who could easily refrain from praying for the destruction of the enemy? Many have reached such atrocities that when they feel weak and powerless to do harm to those who have offended them, they call upon God himself for vengeance and ask Him to give them the opportunity to punish those who have offended them. And he, offering a prayer that is completely contrary to the prayer of all such people, asks not to allow him to take revenge, saying: “It is impossible for me from the Lord ... to strike my hand,” speaking of the enemy as if he were a son, as if he were his own child. He not only spared (Saul), but also comes up with an excuse for him, and look how reasonable and wise. Since, considering the life of Saul, he did not find anything good in it, and could not say: I was not offended by him and did not suffer any harm from him (this would have been refuted by the soldiers who were with him, who experienced Saul’s malice), he goes from the other side, trying to find a plausible justification. Not being able to find this either in the life or in the actions of Saul, he resorted to his dignity and said: “For this is the Christ of the Lord.” What are you saying? - they will say. After all, this is a villain, a wicked man, full of countless vices, who has done us all kinds of evil? But he is a king, he is a boss; he has been entrusted with power over us! Moreover, he did not simply say: king; but what? “As the Christ of the Lord is”; presented him as venerable not for his earthly rank, but for the sake of his election from above. Are you, they say, looking down on your fellow servant? Almost the Lord. Do you abhor the ordained? Fear the One who ordained you. If we fear and tremble at the lower rulers appointed by the king, even if they were evil, predators, robbers, unjust or the like; if we do not despise them for their wickedness, but respect them for the sake of the dignity of the one who placed them, then all the more should we do this in relation to God. (God), says David, has not yet taken away his power and made him a private man. Let us not pervert the order, let us not fight with God, bringing into play these apostolic words: “In the same way, one who resists authority resists God’s command; But those who resist themselves accept sin” (Rom. 13:2). And not only did he call Saul his anointed one, but also his master. To call the enemy by names expressing respect and submission is a matter of extraordinary prudence. How important this is can again be seen from what happens to others. Thus, many cannot call their enemies by simple and ordinary names, but (call) them by other very abusive names, such as, for example: scoundrel, madman, lunatic, madman, destroyer - they pick up many other similar names and apply them to their enemies. And that this is true, I will present you with an example not from afar, but from close, namely in Saul himself. Due to strong hatred, he could not call this righteous man by his own name, but noticing his absence at one festival, he asked about him like this: “Where is the son of Jesse?” And he called him this way, on the one hand, because he hated his name, on the other, because through his father’s ignorance he wanted to diminish the glory of the righteous man, not knowing that what makes a person famous and glorious is not the nobility of his ancestors, but the valor of his soul. This is not what blessed David did. He did not name Saul by his father, although he was of very low and ignoble origin; He didn’t even call him by his simple name; on the contrary, (named) according to rank, according to power. His soul was so gentle. And you, beloved, be jealous of him and learn, first of all, never to call your enemy names of contempt, but honor. And if the lips become accustomed to calling the offender by an honorable and pleasant name, then the soul, having heard this and being admonished and taught by the tongue, will willingly reconcile with him. Words themselves will be the best medicine for a heart ulcer. I said this today not so that we would only praise David, but also so that we would be jealous of him. Let everyone paint this story in his heart, constantly depicting with his thoughts, as if with his hand, this double cave - Saul, sleeping 17 inside it, bound in sleep, as if by some kind of chain, and lying under the arm of the one who suffered the greatest insults from him, - David, standing over the sleeping one, - the soldiers who were present at the same time and instigated the murder, - blessed David, out of love for virtue, curbing his anger and his his own, and his own (warriors) and interceding for the one who did him so much harm. And we will not only imagine this in our minds, but also constantly talk about it with each other in meetings; We will always tell these events to both our wife and children. Do you want to talk about the king? Here is the king. Is it about soldiers, or about the house, or about public affairs? You will find a lot of stories about all this in Scripture. These stories bring the greatest benefit. After all, it is absolutely impossible that the soul engaged in these stories could ever succumb to passion. So, so that we do not waste time in vain and do not waste our lives on empty and useless conversations, let us study the stories of pious men and let us constantly talk about them. And if any of your interlocutors wants to talk about shows or about horse racing, or about matters that do not concern you at all, you, having distracted him from that subject, offer him such a story, so that we, having kept our souls pure, freely enjoying pleasure, having acquired meekness and condescension towards all those who have offended us, go there, not having a single enemy, and achieve eternal blessings through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom glory forever. Amen. Conversation 2. About the fact that not only to strive in virtue, but to praise it is a great good; also that David won a greater victory by sparing Saul than when he overthrew Goliath; and that by doing this he did more good to himself than to Saul; finally, about his justification before Saul Praising the hearers for their favor and love for David. Having recovered from his anger, David made a wonderful sacrifice to God; his victory over passions is no less amazing than the salvation of the three youths and the prophet Daniel; the beneficial consequences for David of the mercy he showed Saul. David's modesty even after this feat; the evidence he presented to Saul of his respect for him and kindness. David's deep sorrow over the death of Saul and his song. The exhortation is to forgive enemies during life and mourn them after death. You recently praised David for his patience, and I marveled at you for your goodwill and love for David. Not only diligence and competition in virtue, but also praise and admiration for those who strive in it bring us a considerable reward, just as not only sin itself, but also the approval of those living in it, exposes us to considerable punishment, and, surprisingly, (punishment) much more severe than that which those living in sin incur on themselves. And that this is true, Paul shows in the following words, in which he, having enumerated all types of sin and accused everyone who tramples on the laws of God, said in addition about those who “understand the justification of God, that those who do such are worthy of death, not only do they themselves create, but they also deign to do so. For this reason you are irresponsible - O man” (Rom. 1:32, 2:1). You see that the apostle said this in order to show that the approval of those who do evil is more criminal than the very doing of evil. Therefore, the approval of those who sin deserves much greater punishment than the commission of the sin itself. And quite rightly so, because such approval reveals a soul corrupted and suffering from an incurable disease. Whoever, having committed a sin, condemns it, can someday correct himself over time; but whoever praises sin deprives himself of the medicine of repentance. Therefore, the apostle rightly recognized the approval of sin as more criminal than the very act of sin. Consequently, just as not only those who do evil, but also those who approve of them, are subject to the same or even more severe punishment, so those who praise and respect the virtuous are participants in the crowns that are prepared for them. And this very thing can also be seen from Scripture. Talking with Abraham, God says: “I will bless the one who blesses you, and I will curse the one who curses you” (Gen. 12:3). Everyone knows that the same thing happens at the Olympic Games. Here, not only the wrestler, adorned with a crown, not only the one who has endured labors and feats, but also the one who is surprised by the winner receives considerable pleasure from this glorification. Therefore, I please not only this valiant man (David) for his generosity, but also you for your favor towards him. He fought, won and received the crown. A. you, having glorified his victory, left the church, having received a considerable part of his crown. So, to increase the pleasure and benefit, we will offer you the rest of the story. Having cited the words with which David rejected the murder, the writer added that he “would not allow them to rise up and kill 18 Saul” (1 Samuel 24:8); by this he wanted to indicate the desire of the soldiers to kill and the courage of David. Many of the enemies, who apparently love virtue, although they themselves will not kill, do not dare to prevent others from committing murder. David did not do this: on the contrary, having received, as it were, some kind of pledge in which he must give an account, he not only did not touch the enemy himself, but also prevented others from killing him, and thus became the best bodyguard and protector instead of the enemy. Therefore, it will not be wrong to say that David was then exposed to greater danger than Saul. Of course, he endured a considerable struggle, trying in every possible way to rid Saul of the evil intent of the soldiers; and he was not so much afraid of being killed himself as he was afraid that one of the soldiers, carried away by anger, would kill this man; That's why he resorted to this method of justifying (Saul). The soldiers accused, the one who slept was accused, the enemy justified, God was the Judge, and He approved David’s decision. Indeed, without God's help, David could not have overcome the fury (of the warriors); but the grace of God sat on the lips of the prophet and imparted the power of persuasiveness to his words. David also contributed a lot to this: since in the previous time he raised them (the warriors) in this way, during the struggle he found them ready and obedient. He ruled over them not as a leader over the soldiers, but as a priest; and that cave was like a church. As if endowed with episcopacy, he spoke to them in a conversation, and after this conversation he offered a wonderful and extraordinary sacrifice: he did not lay a calf on the altar, nor slaughter a lamb, but, what is much more precious than these sacrifices, he offered meekness and gentleness to God, slain insane rage, killed anger and put to death “your afflictions even on the earth” (Col. 3:5). He himself was a victim, a priest, and an altar, because the mind that sacrificed meekness and gentleness, and this gentleness, and this meekness, and the heart on which they were offered, were all from him. So, when (he) made this wonderful sacrifice, won such a victory and did not omit anything that (was needed) for the triumph, the subject of the struggle, Saul, finally stood up and left the cave, not knowing anything that had happened. “And David also went out after him” (1 Samuel 24:9). Now he looked at the sky with free eyes and rejoiced at this time much more than when he overthrew Goliath and cut off the head of a foreigner. Of course, this victory was more glorious than that, and the booty was more significant, and the profit was more important, and the triumph was more brilliant. There, a sling was needed, and stones, and a collision (with the enemy); here everything was accomplished by reason, and victory was won without weapons, triumph was achieved without the shedding of blood. So, David went out, carrying not the head of a foreigner, but mortified rage and exhausted anger; and he brought this spoil not to Jerusalem, but to Heaven, to the city on high. Now it was not the choirs of wives who greeted him with songs of praise, but the face of the Angels from above applauded him, marveling at his wisdom and meekness. He won the victory, inflicting countless wounds on the enemy; He saved Saul, and defeated his true enemy, the devil, with many blows. After all, the devil, as an enemy of peace, a hater of harmony and the father of malice, just as much as he rejoices and triumphs when we indulge in anger, quarrel and attack each other, he grieves and grieves just as much when we maintain peace and harmony and curb our anger. So, David came out (from the cave) with a crown not only on his head, but also on his hand, precious as the whole world. Just as kings, for a successful fight, often decorate the right hand of the fighter or winner in other games with a wreath, instead of a head, 19 so God crowned the hand that was able to keep the sword clean, present the weapon to God unstained with blood, and withstand such pressure of anger. David did not capture Saul’s crown then, but he received the crown of righteousness; He did not acquire the royal scarlet robe, but he clothed himself with meekness that surpasses human nature, such clothing that is more brilliant than any vestment. He came out of the cave with the same glory with which the three youths (came out) from the oven: they were not burned by fire, and he was not scorched by the flame of anger. The fire that embraced them did nothing to the youths; and David had burning coals within himself, and outside he saw the devil, who set fire to the furnace by the sight of the enemy, the suggestion of soldiers, the convenience of committing murder, the absence of those who would help (Saul), the memory of the past, fear for the future (all this, of course, aroused a brighter flame than brushwood, resin, straw and other substances that kindled the Babylonian furnace), and yet did not ignite and did not suffer anything that was natural was (to endure in a similar situation), but came out (of the test) clean. The sight of the enemy further inspired his determination. Seeing him sleeping, motionless and unable to do anything, he said to himself: where is his anger now, where is his malice, where are so many malicious intentions and slander? All this went away and disappeared with the light touch of sleep; and the king lies tied up, although we did not think or care about it at all. He looked at the sleeping man and thought about the death common to all: after all, sleep is nothing more than temporary death and daily demise. It is very opportune to remember here about Daniel. Just as Daniel came out of the den, having defeated the beasts, so David came out of the cave, having defeated other, more fierce beasts. Just as that righteous man was surrounded on both sides by lions, so this one was attacked by the most ferocious of all lions - passions: on the one hand - indignation for the past, on the other - fear for the future. However, he pacified and curbed both beasts, teaching (us) by the very act that there is nothing more harmless than sparing enemies, and nothing more dangerous than the desire to pay and avenge oneself. Behold, Saul, who wanted to pursue David, lay naked, unarmed, abandoned by everyone, betrayed (to the enemy) as a captive; and meek and always compliant, not even daring to pursue justly, David captured the enemy into his hands without tricks, without weapons, without cavalry, without troops, and, most importantly, attracted even greater favor from God. Not because, of course, I please this righteous man because he saw the enemy lying at his feet, but because, having captured him in his own hands, he spared him. This was a work of God’s power, and this was his generosity. And how then the soldiers had to be obedient to him! What love to have for him! If they had a thousand souls each, wouldn’t they willingly give everything (souls) for their leader, having learned in fact, out of mercy for the enemy, his love for his own? If he was meek and lenient towards those who offended him, all the more could he be so disposed towards his well-wishers. And this served as his best guarantee of security. However, the warriors not only became more devoted to him, but also began to fight their enemies more diligently, having learned that they had God as their champion, who was always present to their leader and made all his affairs easier. And they obeyed David no longer as a man, but as an angel. Thus, before the reward from God, he still received more benefits here than the one he saved (Saul), and now won a more glorious victory than if he had killed him. Indeed, how could he have received as much benefit by killing the enemy as he received now by sparing him? So you too, when you capture someone who has insulted you, reason in this way that it is much better and more useful to spare him than to destroy him. Whoever destroys (the enemy) will often condemn himself, and his conscience will bother him, reproaching him daily and hourly for this sin. And whoever spares and holds on for a short time, later has fun and rejoices, nourishing joyful hopes and expecting rewards from God for patience. And if he is ever exposed to any danger, he will rightfully ask God for a reward, just as David experienced all this, who later received great and wonderful rewards from God for sparing this enemy. But let's look at what follows. “David went out,” says the Scripture, “following Saul from the den, and David cried out after him, saying 20: My lord 21 to the king! And Saul looked after him, and David bowed his face to the ground, and worshiped him” (1 Sam. 24:9). This serves to David's honor no less than saving the enemy. Not to be proud of the benefits shown to one's neighbor, much less to act like the majority of people who look with contempt at those who have benefited them, as if they were slaves, and raise their eyebrows high in front of them - this was the work of an extraordinary soul. Yes, blessed David was not like them: on the contrary, having shown a good deed, he was even more modest. The reason is that he did not consider any of these good deeds to be the fruit of his efforts, but attributed everything to the grace of God. Therefore, he himself is the one who saved (Saul), he himself bows to the saved one, and again calls him king, and calls himself a slave, humbling his pride before his dignity, taming anger and eradicating malice. Let's listen to his explanation. “Why do you listen to the words of men who say: Behold, David seeks your life” (1 Sam. 24:10)? Above, the writer said that all the people were on David’s side (1 Samuel 18:16–28), that he enjoyed the love of the king’s servants (1 Samuel 22:2), that both the king’s son and the whole army stood at one with him (1 Samuel 19:1). How does he say here that there were people who reviled (David), slandered him and irritated Saul? That Saul did not persecute the righteous man at the instigation of others, but by arousing this anger in himself, the writer of the book also already pointed out to this, explaining that envy was born from praise and then increased every day (1 Samuel 18:9, 18:29). Why does David now lay the blame on others, saying: “Why do you listen to the words of people who say: Behold, David seeks your life?” (1 Samuel 24:10) In order to give him a chance to stop his anger. This is often done by fathers and sons: when it happens that one of them has a son who goes bad and does a lot of evil, then, although the father is completely convinced that the son turned to evil on his own, he often blames his misdeeds on the other, saying: “I know that it was not your sin; others have seduced you and spoiled you; They are to blame for all this.” Hearing this, the son is more likely to, little by little, moving away from evil, return to virtue, because he is ashamed and ashamed to be unworthy of such an opinion of himself. This is what Paul did with the Galatians. After many lengthy words and strong accusations that he expressed to them, at the end of the Epistle, wanting to soften the accusation so that they, having a little rest from the accusations, could achieve justification, this is how he says: “I hope for you in the Lord, that you will understand nothing else: but the one who troubles you will bear the sin, no matter who he is” (Gal. 5:10). David did the same here. With the words: “Why do you listen to the words of people who say: Behold, David seeks your life,” he showed that others irritated (Saul) and upset, trying in every possible way to make it easier for Saul to justify his guilt. Then David, justifying himself, says: “And behold, your eyes have seen this day 22 that the Lord 23 betrayed you into my hand in the den, and did not desire to kill you, but spared you, and decided: I will not lay my hand on my lord, for the Lord 24 is the anointed one” (1 Sam. 24:11). They slander me with words, he says, but I justify myself with deeds, refuting the accusation with actions. I don’t need words when the very outcome of things can show more clearly than any word who they are and who I am, and that the denunciation made against me is a lie and slander; I call no one else as a witness to this, but you yourself, who have been blessed by me. But how, someone will say, could Saul be a witness? After all, when this happened, he was sleeping, and did not hear a word, nor did he see David himself when he was near him and talking with the soldiers. How can we answer so that the proof is clear? If David had presented the people who were then with him as witnesses, Saul would have become suspicious of this testimony and would have thought that they were saying this to please the righteous. And if he had decided to justify himself through inferences and probabilities, he would have deserved faith even less, because the mind of the judge was upset. In fact, whoever, after so many good deeds, persecuted a person who did not do him any harm, how could he believe that the offended one, having captured the offender in the hands, spared him? People, for the most part, judge others by themselves. Thus, a person who is constantly drunk will not easily believe that there are people who live sober; he who is attached to dissolute women considers those who live honestly to be dissolute; the thief of someone else’s property will not easily believe that there are people who give away their own. Likewise, Saul, having once given himself over to anger, would not have easily believed that there is a person who has so risen above this passion that he not only does not offend anyone, but also saves his offender. So, in view of the fact that the mind of the judge was upset, and the witnesses, if presented, could be suspected, David prepared such a proof that it was strong to block the lips of even the most shameless people. What kind of proof is this? Edge of clothing; showing it, he said: “Behold, the garment 25 cried out in my hand, but I took it away 26 ... and did not kill you” (1 Samuel 24:12). The witness is silent, but he testifies louder than those who have a voice. If I, he says, had not been close and stood next to your body itself, I would not have cut off parts of your clothes. Do you see how much good came out of David's indignation at the beginning? If he had not been moved to anger, we would not have recognized the sublime soul of this man (many would rather have thought that the mercy was made not out of generosity, but out of insensitivity); then he would not have cut off the edges of the clothing, and without cutting, he could not have convinced the enemy with anything else. Now, angry and snapping, he presented undoubted proof of his thoughtfulness. Having thus presented true and irrefutable evidence, David now calls on the enemy himself to be a judge and witness of his respect for him, saying: “Understand and see this day that there is no malice in my hand, lower than ... contempt, ... but you seek to take my life” (1 Sam. 24:12). His generosity deserves special surprise in the fact that he borrows his justification only from the events of that day, which he indicates with the words: “understand and see today.” I said nothing, I don’t talk about the past; The present day is enough proof for me. He could, if he wanted, count many great benefits that had already been shown to (Saul); I could remind him of the single combat with a foreigner and say: when the foreign war, like a flood, threatened the entire state with ruin, and you were all struck with fear and despondency, and expected death every day, then I came; and, although no one forced me, on the contrary, you stopped and held me back, saying: “You are not able to go, for you are a child, but this man has been a fighter from his youth” (1 Samuel 17:33), however, I could not resist, but went ahead of all the others, grabbed the enemy, cut off his head, stopped the attack of the enemies, swift as a stream, and strengthened the wavering state - thanks to me, you also have a kingdom and life, and all others, along with life, fatherland and houses, children and wives. And besides this victory, he could point to other, no less important wars that he happily ended. He could also add that, although (Saul) not once or twice, but repeatedly attempted to kill him, and even threw a spear at his head, he did not remember the evil; that even after this, intending to give a reward (to David) for the previous battle, Saul demanded from him a gift not of gold and silver, but of death and complete destruction; Yes, and it didn’t stop there. All this, and much more than this, David could say: however, he did not say anything like that, because he did not want to reproach him with his good deeds, but only to convince him that he (David) was one of those who love and honor him (Saul), and not one of those who plot and enmity against him. Therefore, leaving everything else behind, he justified himself only by what happened that day. So he was alien to pride and any vanity, and had only one thing in mind - the will of God! Why does he say: “May the Lord judge between me and you?” He said this word not because he wished Saul punishment and revenge, but in order to frighten him with a reminder of the future judgment, and not only to frighten him, but also to justify himself. Of course, he says, I have very strong evidence in my very actions; but if you don’t believe them, then I call God himself as a witness, who knows the secrets of the heart and can test everyone’s conscience. He said this, making it clear that he would not have dared to call upon the impartial Judge and submit the matter to His court if he had not been absolutely sure of himself that he was clean of any evil intent. And that what I said is not a guess, that he recalled this trial, wanting to both justify himself and bring Saul to his senses, this is sufficiently shown by previous events; but what follows can convince them no less of this. When he again captured Saul, who even after that mercy pursued him and wanted to destroy him, when he had the opportunity to destroy him with his entire army, and then he let him go, without causing him any trouble, which he naturally could have been exposed to. Therefore, seeing that Saul was incurably ill and would never leave hostility against him, he disappeared from his sight and lived with foreigners in slavery, in humiliation, in reproach, acquiring the necessary food for himself with difficulty and grief. And not only is this worthy of surprise, but also the fact that, having heard about the death (of Saul) in the war, he tore his clothes, sprinkling ashes on himself, and wept with such a cry as another would have wept, unless he had lost his only and beloved son, constantly repeating his name along with the name of his son, composing a song of praise for them, emitting a pitiful cry, remaining without food until the evening and cursing the very places that received the blood. Saul. “Mountains of Gilboa,” he said, “let not the dew fall on you, nor let the rain fall on you; mountains of death 28 For there the shield of the mighty was broken down” (2 Samuel 1:21). What fathers often do, turning away from home and looking sadly at the road along which their (dead) son was carried, David did the same, cursing the mountains on which Saul was defeated. I hate, he said, this very place because of those who fell dead there. Do not be watered anymore by the rains of heaven, because you were once watered, unfortunately, by the blood of my friends. And he continually repeats their names, saying: “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and beautiful, inseparable... in her life, and in her death she was not separated” (2 Samuel 1:23). Not being able to embrace their absent bodies, he embraces their names through pronunciation, thus, if possible, delighting his grief and alleviating the severity of misfortune. And while for many the fall of both on the same day seemed an unbearable misfortune, he turned this very thing into an object of consolation. This, and not something else, is shown by his words: “Be inseparable in your life, and in your death you will not be separated.” It is impossible, he says, to say that a son mourns his orphanhood, and a father weeps over the loss of his son; no, what did not happen to anyone, happened, he says, to them: together, on one day, they lost their lives, and neither one survived the other; otherwise, life would not be worth living for each of them if they had to part with the other. Are you now moved, crying, troubled in spirit, and your eyes are ready to shed tears? Remember, everyone now, while your heart is still burning with sadness, about your enemy and offender, take care of him during life and mourn him after death, not for show, but from the soul and from a pure heart. At least you have to endure something, so as not to offend the offender, do and endure everything, in the hope of great rewards from God. So he (David) received the kingdom, and did not defile his hands, but put on a crown with a clean hand, and ascended the throne, and the fact that he spared the enemy and mourned him when he fell contributed to his glory more than the shine of the crown and scarlet. For this he is not only glorified during his lifetime, but also remembered after his death. So, if you, a man, want to receive everlasting glory here and enjoy unchanging blessings there, then imitate the virtue of (this) righteous man, be jealous of his generosity, show in practice the same patience, so that, having endured the same labors as him, you will be rewarded with the same benefits that we all may receive, by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom the Father, with the Holy Spirit, glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Conversation 3. About the fact that going to spectacles is disastrous, that it leads to adultery and is the cause of displeasure and discord; also that David exceeded every measure of patience in relation to Saul; finally, that to endure theft with meekness is as much as to give alms A stern denunciation of those who went to the spectacles and a call on them to cleanse themselves of sin before entering the church. The severity and fatality of the sin committed by visitors to the spectacles. The benefit for our lives of the high example of the virtues of David and the inexcusability of a Christian who does not forgive his enemies. Forgiving his enemy brought David glory on earth and in heaven. Slander from enemies is more useful than the flattery of friends, and the example of the Pharisee and the publican. The influence of David’s kindness on Saul and the admonition to show honor to one’s neighbor in advance. There is nothing more powerful than meekness, as it brings the enemy to the consciousness of the evil caused and brings heavenly rewards. David's care for Saul's paralytic son and exhortation to imitate this. Many, I think, of those who recently left us and went to the spectacles of lawlessness are here today. I would like to see them with my own eyes in order to expel them from the sacred vestibule - not so that they remain outside it forever, but so that they correct themselves and then enter here again. So often fathers drive bad children out of the house and away from the table, not so that they are forever deprived of both, but so that, having become better from this admonition, they return under the parental roof with due honor. Shepherds do the same thing: they separate sheep covered with scabs from healthy ones, so that, having been freed from a malignant disease, they can safely return to the healthy ones, and so that the sick ones do not spread the same disease to the entire flock. That's why we wanted to see them; but if we cannot consider them with sensual eyes, then the word will mark them and, touching their conscience, will easily convince them to voluntarily leave (from the church), instilling in them that within (it) there is only one who has a disposition of spirit worthy of being here, and the one who comes to this sacred assembly with corrupt morals, although he enters here in body, is cast out (from here) and removed much more than those who stand behind the doors and cannot be partakers of the Holy Meal. Those expelled and remaining outside (the church), according to God’s commandment, still have good hopes, because if they want to correct themselves from the sins for which they were expelled from the church, they can enter again with a clear conscience. But those who have defiled themselves and shamelessly come (to church), despite the prohibition to enter here, until they are cleansed of sinful filth, intensify the disease and irritate the wound. It is not so much the committing of a sin that is criminal, but rather the shamelessness after (committing) a sin and disobedience to the priests who impose such prohibitions. But would you say that these people committed such an important sin as to expel them from this sacred enclosure? And what other greater sin do you need when they, having made themselves complete adulterers, shamelessly, like mad dogs, rush to this Sacred Table? And if you want to know the very method of adultery, then I will tell you the word - not mine, but the very One who will judge our whole life. “Everyone,” He says, “whoever looks upon a woman lusts after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). If a woman who accidentally meets in the square and is dressed haphazardly can sometimes catch a person with her appearance who looks at her out of curiosity, then how can they say about themselves that they did not look with lust, those who go to the theaters not simply and not by chance, but for this purpose and with such zeal that they neglect the church, spend whole days with their eyes fixed on dishonest women, where depraved speeches, lewd songs, a voluptuous voice, tinted eyebrows, rouged cheeks, outfits chosen with special skill, a gait full of charm, and many other lures to seduce and captivate the audience; where the soul of the viewer is in carelessness and great absent-mindedness, and the place itself excites to lust; where the melody of the preceding and subsequent songs, played on trumpets, pipes and other similar instruments, enchants and relaxes the power of the mind, prepares the souls of those there for the seductions of harlots, and makes them easy to catch. If lust often, like some cunning robber, secretly enters here too, where there are psalms and prayers, and the hearing of Divine words, and the fear of God, and great splendor, then how can those who sit in the theater and see and hear nothing sensible be free from this evil lust, and being filled with vileness and carelessness, are affected through all (the senses) - both through hearing and through sight? If they are not free from this, how can they ever be free from the guilt of adultery? And those who are not free from the guilt of adultery, how can they, without repentance, enter this sacred vestibule and participate in this wonderful meeting? Therefore, I exhort and ask them to cleanse themselves in advance by confession and repentance, and in all other ways from the sin they committed in the spectacle, and then listen to the Divine words. This sin is not unimportant; Everyone will see this clearly from the examples. If any servant were to put a dirty and lice-covered servant's dress in that drawer where the expensive and gilded master's clothes are kept, would you, tell me, endure such an insult with indifference? Or if someone were to pour dung and dirt into a golden vessel in which fragrant ointments were constantly kept, would you not even use beatings to punish the person guilty of this? So is it really possible that we will take so much care about boxes and vessels, clothes and fragrant ointments, but we will honor our soul worse than all this, and where the spiritual world is poured, we will put devilish suggestions, satanic fables and prodigal songs? How, tell me, will God tolerate this? Meanwhile, the distance between fragrant ointment and dirt, and between the lord’s and servant’s clothing is not as great as between spiritual grace and this evil deed. Are you not afraid, man, to look with the same eyes both at the stage in the theater, where the vile acts of adultery are presented, and at this Sacred Table, where terrible sacraments are performed? Do you listen with the same ears to both the foul-mouthed harlot and the prophet and apostle who teaches you the mysteries? With the same heart accept both deadly poison and a terrible and holy sacrifice? Is this not where the corruption of life, the breakdown of marriages, discord and quarrels in families come from? In fact, when you, excited by the spectacle there, having become more voluptuous and lustful and a complete enemy of chastity, return home and see your wife, you will be completely unpleasant to look at her, no matter what she may be. Inflamed by lust at the sights and captivated by someone else's seductive face, you do not value your chaste and modest wife, the friend of your whole life, you insult her, shower her with a thousand reproaches - not because you have anything to blame her for, but because you are ashamed to express passion and show the wound with which you returned home from then on; you weave other pretexts, looking for crazy reasons for a quarrel; You look at everyone at home with disgust, completely indulging in that vile and unclean lust with which you are wounded, and, carrying in your soul the sound of a voice, a step, a look, movements and all the images of prodigalness that has sunk into it, you do not look at anything at home with pleasure. And what am I saying about my wife and home? You will look at the church itself with great displeasure, and listen to words about chastity and purity with annoyance; they are not a lesson for you, but a condemnation; Having fallen little by little into denial, you will finally move completely away from this generally beneficial teaching. Therefore, I ask all of you that you yourself avoid a disastrous stay at the spectacles, and distract those who attend from them. After all, everything that happens there does not bring entertainment, but death, torment and condemnation. What is the use of this short-term pleasure when constant sorrow comes from it, and you, wounded by lust day and night, become painful and unpleasant to everyone? Look at yourself, what you are like when you return from church, and what you are like when you leave the theater; compare both these days, and you will not need our words. Comparing these two days will sufficiently show you how much benefit there is from being here, and how much harm there is from being there. What I have now said to your love, I will never stop saying, because through this we will alleviate those suffering from such ailments and bring greater security to the healthy. A word about this is useful to both; some in order to fall behind (from the passion for theaters), and others in order not to fall (into this passion). But since one must be moderate in reproof, then, stopping our exhortation here, we will offer you the end of our previous conversations and return again to David. Painters, wanting to paint a portrait similar (to the original), usually sit for a day, two or three in front of those from whom they want to paint, in order to make the image unmistakably true with the help of prolonged observation. And since we now have to paint not an image of a physical appearance, but the beauty of the soul and the goodness of the spirit, we also want David to sit in front of you today and for all of you, looking at him, to each depict in your soul the beautiful appearance of a righteous man, his meekness and modesty, generosity and all other virtues. After all, if images of the body give viewers pleasure, then even more so images of the soul. Those images cannot be seen everywhere, but you must remain constantly in one place, and the image of the soul can be easily transferred wherever you want. Having placed it in the treasury of the soul, you can constantly look at it wherever you are and receive great benefit from it. And just as those with sick eyes, holding sponges and rags from green clothes and constantly looking at them, receive some relief from their illness from this color, so you, if you have the image of David before your eyes and constantly look at him, then, even if anger angers and darkens the eye of your mind a thousand times, you, looking at this image of virtue, will maintain perfect health and purity of soul. Let no one tell me: I have an enemy - an evil, wicked, depraved, incorrigible man. Whatever you call him, he is no worse than Saul, who, having been saved by David once, twice, and many times over, then plotted countless intrigues against him, and then, instead benefited, continued to harbor malice. What, in fact, can you say: that he cut off your lands, offended you in demarcating your fields, violated the boundaries of your possessions, kidnapped your slaves, caused you damage, took away your property and brought you to poverty? But he has not yet taken your life, which he attempted; if he attempted to take away his life, then perhaps he dared to do it once, not twice, not three times and not many times, like that one; and if (he attempted) once, and twice, and three times, and many times, then he was not so favored by you, not after he fell into your hands once, and twice, and was saved. But even so: even in this case it is impossible to compare with David. Yes, it is not the same thing to be distinguished by such virtue in the Old Testament and to show such benefits now, after the manifestation of grace. David did not listen to the parable of the ten thousand talents and the hundred denarii. David did not hear the command that says: “Forgive people their debts, as did our Heavenly Father” (Mark 11:25; Matt. 6:12); I did not see Christ crucified, nor His precious Blood shed. He did not listen to countless lessons of Divine wisdom, did not taste such a Sacrifice, did not partake of the Master’s Blood - and yet he reached the very height of virtue, worthy of the times of grace, being brought up in a law so imperfect, which did not require anything like that. Moreover, you often bear a grudge, being angry only for the past, and he, moreover, had to fear for the future, knowing well that there would be no place for him in the kingdom, and life would not be good for him if he saved the enemy, and despite all this he did not stop caring about him and did everything on his part to support the life of the enemy. Who can show greater patience than this? And so that you can see from modern life that it is possible, if we only want, to soften every person who is at enmity against us, then (I ask); What's fiercer than a lion? However, he is tamed by people; their art takes precedence over nature; the fiercest and strongest of the animals becomes more humble than any sheep and walks around the square, not scaring anyone. So, what justification will we have, what excuse will we have if, while taming animals, we say about people that we cannot in any way soften them and win them over? Meanwhile, meekness is not natural for a beast, and cruelty is not natural for a person. So, when we conquer nature, what excuse will we have for saying that we cannot correct free will? If you still persist after this, I will tell you that if (your enemy) is incurably ill, the more work and care you have to take care of the terminally ill. Therefore, let us take care not to ensure that we do not suffer anything bad from our enemies, but only to ensure that we ourselves do not do any harm. Then we really will not tolerate any evil, even if we were exposed to countless dangers, just as David did not tolerate any evil, despite the fact that he was persecuted, fled from his fatherland, and was even subjected to plans for his very life; on the contrary, he surpassed Saul in glory, respect, and love from everyone - not only from people, but from God himself. In fact, what did this righteous man lose, who suffered so much from Saul at that time? Isn't he still being sung today? Isn’t he glorious on earth, and isn’t he even more glorious in heaven? Do not unspeakable blessings and the Kingdom of Heaven await him? And what did that unfortunate and pitiful man gain, who plotted so many intrigues? Has he not lost his kingdom, suffered an unfortunate death together with his son, is he not condemned by everyone, and, what is even more terrible, is he now suffering eternal punishment? And then, what remains, pointing to what, do you not want to make peace with the enemy? Did he take your money? But if you generously endure this kidnapping, you will receive the same reward that you would receive if you gave them to the poor, because the one who gives to the poor and the one who does not take revenge on the kidnapper and does not curse him, both do it for God; and since they have one motivation for donation, it is obvious that there is one crown. Or did your enemy make an attempt on your life, planning to kill you? If you count an attacker who has shown his malice even before this as a benefactor and do not stop praying for him and begging God for mercy towards him, this deed will be charged to you as a feat of martyrdom. Let us not look at the fact that God did not allow David to be killed; but pay attention to the fact that from the wiles of Saul he received three, or even four crowns of martyrdom. In fact, for the sake of God, saving the enemy, once and twice, and repeatedly throwing a spear at his head, and sparing him when he had the opportunity to kill and, moreover, knowing that even after mercy he would begin to pursue him again, David, obviously, died a thousand times by will; and having died a thousand times for God, he receives many crowns of martyrdom. And just as Paul said about himself that for the sake of God he dies every day (Rom. 8:36), so David endured for God. He could have killed the enemy, but for God’s sake he did not want to, and decided it would be better to be exposed to danger every day than to free himself from so many deaths by committing a murder, albeit a just one. If one should not take revenge and repay with hatred one who makes an attempt on one’s life, much less one who inflicts some kind of insult on another. For many, the most unbearable death of all is when their enemies spread bad rumors about them and bring suspicion upon them. Let's consider this too. Has anyone said anything bad about you, called you a fornicator and an adulterer? If this is true, correct yourself; if it's a lie, laugh at it; if you are aware of what has been said, understand it; if you don’t realize it, ignore it; It’s better (to say), not only laugh and ignore, but also rejoice and be glad, according to the word of the Lord, who commands to do so: “Whenever they revile you,” He says, “and say all kinds of evil things against you, you lie 29... rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12); and again: “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy when they separate you... and carry your name as evil for the sake of the Son of Man” 30 (Luke 6:22–23). If (the enemy) speaks the truth, and you bear his words with meekness, do not take revenge on him and revile him, but bitterly groan and condemn your sins, then you will receive a reward no less than the first. I will also try to confirm this to you from Scripture, so that you will know that just as much harm as our friends do to us when they praise and caress us, just as much good does our enemies bring when they speak ill of us, although fairly, if only we want to take proper advantage of their reproaches. After all, friends, out of love, often flatter us; and our enemies expose our sins. Out of pride we do not see our shortcomings, but out of enmity they look at us more attentively and with their slander put us in the need to improve; and so their enmity becomes for us a source of greatest benefit, because, admonished by them, we not only recognize our sins, but also lag behind them. In fact, if the enemy reproached you for a sin that you are aware of, and when you heard this, you did not answer him with an insult, but bitterly rebelled and prayed to God, thereby you have already laid aside all sin. What could be better? What is more convenient for liberation from sins? And so that you do not think that we are instilling this in you without reason, I will give evidence of this from the Divine Scripture, so that no doubt remains in your mind. There was a certain Pharisee and a tax collector. The publican reached the extreme of wickedness; The Pharisee cared about high righteousness, gave away his property, fasted, and was a stranger to greed, while the publican spent all his time in predation and violence. They both came to the church to pray. And so the Pharisee stood and said: “God, I give you praise, for I am not like other men, predators, unrighteous people, or like this publican” (Luke 18:11). But the publican, standing at a distance, did not reproach (the Pharisee) mutually, did not repay him with reproach, did not say to him, as many say: “And you dare touch my life and reproach me for my actions? Am I better than you? So I will reveal your crimes, and I will make sure that you will never enter this sacred vestibule again.” No, he didn’t say any of those crazy words that we say every day, reproaching each other; but, groaning bitterly and hitting himself on the chest, he said only this: “Be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13) - and came out justified. See how soon? He received the reproach and washed it away; realized his sins and freed himself from them; reproach for sin served to eradicate sin, and the enemy, contrary to intention, became a benefactor. How much would a tax collector need to work in fasting, in reclining on the ground, in staying awake, in distributing property to the poor, in wearing sackcloth for a long time and sprinkling ashes on his head in order to have time to cleanse his sins! But without doing anything like that, he cleansed all sins with just one word; the reproaches and insulting words with which (the Pharisee) thought to humiliate him brought him the crown of righteousness, without effort, without labor, in a short time. Do you see that, even if someone spoke the truth about us, exactly what we ourselves know, but if we do not offend the one who is saying this, we cry bitterly and beg God for our sins, then we will have time to atone for all our sins? This is how the publican was justified: he did not repay the Pharisee for the reproach with a reproach, but groaned about his sins; therefore, “and this one is justified more than this one.” You see how much benefit insult from enemies brings if we endure it generously. If our enemies benefit us by telling lies and the truth, then why do we grieve? Why do we get frustrated? If you, a man, do not harm yourself, neither friend, nor enemy, nor the devil himself can harm you. Since both offenders and property thieves, even those contemplating life itself, bring us the crown of martyrdom, as we have explained, and others blot out our sins and provide us with justification, as was the case with the publican, why are we angry against them? Let us not say: so-and-so irritated me, so-and-so forced me to say bad words; We ourselves are to blame for all this. If we want to preserve virtue, the demon himself will not be able to move us to anger. Among many other things, this will also be evident from the story of David that follows, which we should continue today, first reminding your love where we left off. So where are we? On David's justification. This means that today we need to quote the words of Saul - to see what he answered David in response to his justification. We will see the virtue of David not only from the words that David said, but also from what Saul answered. If it turns out that this one also answers modestly and meekly, then we will attribute the reason for this to David, who changed such a person, enlightened him and put his soul in order. What does Saul say? Hearing the words of David: “Behold, the cry of a garment is in my hand,” and everything else that he said further in his justification, (he answered): “Is this your voice, child of David” (1 Sam. 24:17)? What a sudden change occurred! The one who previously did not want to call him simply by name, hated his very name, now even brought him into kinship with himself, calling him a child. What is more blessed than David, who made a father out of a murderer, and a sheep out of a wolf, filled the furnace of wrath abundantly with dew, turned the storm into silence, and completely extinguished the flame of rage? After all, it was David’s words, which penetrated the soul of this bitter one, and produced in it all this change that is revealed in these words of his. He did not say: are these your words, child of David? but what? “Is this your voice, child David?” Now the very voice softened him. Just as a father, after a long separation, hearing the voice of his son returning from somewhere, experiences excitement not only at the sight of his face, but also from the very voice of his son, so Saul, after David’s words penetrated his soul and drove out anger from there, finally recognized the saint, and, putting aside passion, gave way to other feelings: having extinguished the anger, he felt complacency and compassion. Just as at night we often do not recognize a friend even close up, but during the day we recognize him from afar, so it usually happens in enmity. As long as there is hostility between us, as long as we hear the voice differently, and we look at the face with an upset thought; and when we leave anger, then the voice, previously hateful and disgusting, seems to us soft and very pleasant, and the face, disgusting and unpleasant, turns out to be sweet and amiable. The same thing happens in bad weather. The thickening of the clouds does not allow the beauty of the sky to open up, and then, even if we have the sharpest vision, we cannot see the heavenly azure. When the warmth of the sun's rays, penetrating the clouds and tearing them apart, reveals the sun, then the beauty of the sky is revealed again. This happens to us in moments of anger: enmity, like a thick cloud, standing before our eyes and ears, makes both voices and faces seem different to us. But if someone, having reflected, puts aside enmity and dispels the cloud of sorrow, then he begins to impartially see and hear everything. Saul experienced this himself. When the cloud of hostility dissipated, then he recognized David’s voice and said: “Is this your voice, child of David?” Which one is this? He who overthrew Goliath, delivered the kingdom from misfortune, restored safety and freedom to all who were threatened by slavery and death, tamed the fury of Saul himself and did him much great good. Indeed, this voice then overthrew the foreigner: he was defeated by the power of prayer before the stone, because David did not throw the stone simply, but, having said in advance: “You come against me in the name of your gods, 31 but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Hosts, Him whom you have humbled this day” (1 Samuel 17:45), then he also threw the stone. This voice gave direction to the stone; he also embarrassed the foreigner; he took away the enemy's courage. And why are you amazed that the voice of the righteous pacifies anger and defeats enemies, when he also drives away demons? The apostles only just began to speak, and all the opposing forces ran away. The voice of the righteous often stopped the elements and changed their actions. So Joshua said only: “Let the sun and the moon become” (Joshua 10:12), and they did. So Moses rebuked the sea, and it submitted. So the three youths extinguished the fiery power with their songs and voices. Therefore, Saul, softened by the very voice (of David), said: “Is this your voice, child of David?” What about David? "Your servant, my lord the king." A dispute and competition is already beginning about who will honor their neighbor more. One introduces kinship with oneself; the other calls himself a slave. The words (of David) mean this: I seek one thing—your salvation and success in virtue. You called me son; and it will be pleasant and kind to me if you consider me your slave - just leave your anger, just don’t suspect me of anything bad, and don’t consider me an intruder and enemy. He fulfilled the apostolic commandment, which commands “to give honor to one another” (Phil. 2:3), - not as many do, who, in their feelings worse than beasts, do not want to be the first to speak to their neighbor, and consider it a shame and humiliation to say a simple greeting to someone. What could be funnier than this madness? What is more shameful than this arrogance and arrogance? It is then that you humiliate yourself, man, then you are covered with shame and dishonor, when you wait for your neighbor to speak to you first. What's worse than this arrogance? What is funnier than this arrogance and vanity? If you speak first, then God, most importantly, will approve of you, and people will praise you, and you will receive the full reward for this greeting (to the enemy). But if you wait for him to honor you first, and then you will honor him, then you will not do anything special, because whoever warned you to honor you will anticipate the entire reward for the reconciliation that has taken place between you. So, let us not wait for others to honor us first; on the contrary, we will hasten to do honor to our neighbors and will always be the first to greet them; Let us not think that it is an empty and base thing to be affectionate and friendly. Neglect of this matter dissolved many friendly ties and gave rise to much enmity, while its careful execution more than once stopped long-lasting quarrels and strengthened existing friendly ties. Do not neglect, beloved, to take care of this; but if we happen to meet anyone, we will be the first to greet them with greetings and everything else. If another warns you, do him the greater honor on your part. Paul commanded this, saying: “Do yourselves the greatest honor to one another” (Phil. 2:3). David did the same: he was the first to honor (Saul), and when he himself was honored by him, for his part he showed him even greater honor, saying: “Your servant, my lord, the king.” And look how much benefit he received. After David said this, Saul could no longer hear his voice without tears; but he wept bitterly, and with these tears he discovered the mental health and good mood 32 that David had told him. Who could be more blessed than the prophet, who in a short time so transformed the enemy, and suddenly plunged a soul that thirsted for blood and murder into tears and lamentations? I marvel not so much at Moses that he brought forth streams of water from solid stone, as at David that he brought forth springs of tears from stone eyes. He conquered nature; this one triumphed over free will. Moses struck the stone with his rod; David struck the heart with a word, not in order to sadden it, but to make it pure and meek, which he achieved, thereby showing (Saul) an even greater benefit than before. Of course, the fact that he did not thrust the sword or cut off the enemy’s head also deserves praise and the greatest surprise. But he deserves even greater crowns because he changed his very will, made him better and instilled in him the same meekness that he himself had. This benefit is greater than that, because it is not the same to give life and pacify the soul; it is not the same - to free one from the anger that breathes unjust murder, to distract one from murder and to put an end to the very insanity that pushes one to commit atrocity. By preventing his bodyguards from killing Saul, David did him good for this life; and, having driven out malice from his soul with gentle words, he granted him, as much as it depended on him, a future life and unchangeable blessings. So, when you begin to praise David for his own meekness, then marvel at him even more for Saul’s change. In fact, to triumph over the madness of others, to tame a flaming heart, to turn such a storm into such silence, and to fill the eyes that looked with murder with hot tears is much more important than to conquer one’s own passions. This is what deserves complete surprise and respect. If Saul had been one of the meek and moderate people, it would not have been a very great thing to return him to his characteristic virtue; but an enraged man who has reached the point of extreme anger and who strives for murder to force him to extinguish all this anger in a short moment of time - such a feat will not eclipse who among those who were ever famous for the teaching of virtue? So you, when an enemy is in your hands, do not worry about how to take revenge on him and, showering him with countless curses, expose him to shame, but about how to heal him, how to return him to meekness; and until then, do not stop doing and saying everything, until with your meekness you defeat his cruelty. There is nothing more powerful than meekness. Pointing to this very thing, someone said: “A soft tongue breaks bones” (Proverbs 25:15). What's harder than bone? However, at least someone was as firm and cruel (as she), and he will be easily defeated by the one who treats him meekly. And again: “A humble answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1). From here it is clear that you, more than your enemy himself, have the power to both irritate and tame him. Indeed, it is up to us, and not those who are angry (at us), to both extinguish the flame of their anger and fan it further. And this same thing was explained again by the one who said the previous words with a simple example. If, he says, you blow on a spark of fire, the flame will ignite, and if you spit, you will extinguish it; both are in your power: “both proceed from your mouth” (Sir.28:14). So it is with your neighbor’s enmity: if you speak to him impudently and arrogantly, you will light a fire in him, fan the coals, but if you speak meekly and kindly, you will extinguish all the anger before the flames rise. Do not say: I suffered this and that; I heard this and that. It's all up to you. It is up to you to ignite or extinguish anger, just as it is up to you to light or extinguish a spark. When you see an enemy, or it comes to your mind how much trouble you have heard or suffered, try to forget all this; if you remember, attribute it to the devil, and remember what (the enemy) has ever said or done to you. If you dwell on this memory, you will soon stop the hostility. And if you intend to both expose the enemy and get even with him, then first suppress your passion and extinguish your anger, and then settle accounts and get even with him: then you can easily defeat him. In anger we cannot say or listen to anything sensible; and free yourself from this passion, and we ourselves will not utter an offensive word, and we will not hear others say something like that - because usually we are irritated not so much by the very nature of the words, but because we were already enveloped in enmity before. So often, when the same offensive words are spoken to us either by friends jokingly and in a cheerful mood, or by small children, we not only do not feel anything unpleasant and do not get angry, but we also smile and burst into laughter: this is because we listen not with an upset spirit, not with a soul overwhelmed by anger. Therefore, in relation to your enemies, if you extinguish your anger and put aside enmity, then no word will be able to upset you. And what do I say: no word? (He will not grieve) any of the deeds, like blessed David. Seeing that the enemy was encroaching on his safety and using everything for this, he not only did not become embittered, but also felt even greater compassion; the more he plotted against him, the more he mourned him. He knew, knew well, that not the one who suffers, but the one who does evil, is worthy of tears and mourning, because he destroys himself. That is why David made such a lengthy excuse to him and did not end it before disposing of Saul himself to apologize with tears and weeping. Now, listen to what he said, inhaling, exclaiming sorrowfully and sobbing heavily: “Thou art more righteous than me, for thou hast rewarded me with good, and I have rewarded thee with evil” (1 Samuel 24:18). Do you see how he condemns his own malice, and glorifies the virtue of the righteous, and apologizes, without being forced to do so by anyone? Do the same. When your enemy is in your hands, do not blame him, but justify him in order to make him blame himself. After all, if we blame the enemy, he will become embittered; If we excuse him, he, ashamed of our meekness, will finally begin to blame himself. In this way, the accusation will not be suspicious, and the accused will completely stop being angry, as happened here. The insulted person was silent, and the insulted person blamed himself with great force. He did not just say: you did good to me, but: “you repaid me with good deeds,” that is, for treachery, for murder, for countless insults, you repaid me with great benefits; This did not make me any better, and after those benefits I stubbornly stood in my malice; but even then you did not change, but continued to act according to your rules and do good, despite my evil intentions. How many crowns does David deserve for each of these words! Although they were uttered by the mouth of Saul, they were planted in the soul by his wisdom and the art of David. “And thou,” says Saul, “thou hast declared unto me this day, that thou hast done good unto me, that the Lord hath bound me into thy hands this day, and thou hast not slain me” (1 Samuel 24:19). Here he testifies to another virtue (of David) - that, having shown a good deed, he did not remain silent, did not ignore it, but, having come, spoke (to Saul); and he did this not out of vanity, but in order to show and instill in his deeds that he was one of those who were devoted to him and cared for him, and not one of the slanderers and ill-wishers. You need to talk about your good deeds when you foresee great benefit from it. Whoever announces and divulges them without any reason is no better than a slanderer; and whoever does this in order to dissuade a person who is upset (in mind) and prejudiced against him, he becomes the trustee and benefactor of this person. This is what David did, not seeking glory from Saul, but wanting to tear out the anger that had taken root in him. For this reason Saul praised him, that he did a good deed and spoke about it. Then, looking for a reward and not finding one that would be worthy of David’s deeds, Saul offers God himself as a debtor to him, saying this: “And as if a man should find his enemy in sorrow, and let him go on a good path, and may the Lord reward him with good, just as thou hast done this day” (1 Sam. 24:20). In fact, could he fully pay for David’s good deeds if he had given David both the kingdom and the cities? David gave him not only cities and a kingdom, but also life itself; and Saul could not pay with another life. Therefore, he sends David to God and rewards him with heavenly rewards, which glorifies David and inspires everyone that great rewards will be prepared for us from God when we, having done a lot of good to our enemies, suffer the opposite from them. Then he says (Saul): “And now, behold, I have come to reign and have the kingdom of Israel in your hand: and now let me swear to the Lord, lest thou destroy my seed for me, and destroy my name from my father’s house” (1 Samuel 24:21-22). How do you know this, tell me? You have an army, you have money, weapons, cities, horses, warriors, all the strength of the royal weapons; and he is lonely, has nothing - no city, no home, no family. Why are you saying this, tell me? By the very way of action. Having nothing, unarmed and alone, he would not have defeated me, armed and possessing such strength, if God had not been with him. And now that God is with him, he is stronger than everyone. Do you see how sensibly Saul reasons after evil intent? Do you see how you can throw out all anger from yourself, change and turn to the better? So, let us not despair of our salvation. Even if we fall into the very abyss of vice, we can rise again, become better and leave vice altogether. What did Saul say then? “I swear to the Lord that you will not uproot my seed after me and destroy my name from my father’s house.” The king makes a request to a private person; the crowned one begs the exile, asking for his children. And the very fact that the enemy dared to make such a request testifies to the virtue of David. And that he demanded an oath did not come from distrust of David’s character, but from the thought of how much evil he had done to him. “Swear to me that you will not uproot my seed from me.” He leaves the enemy as the guardian of his children, and gives his descendants into his hands, with these words, as if taking them by the hand and making God the mediator. What about David? Did you laugh at all about it? Not at all; and at that very moment he agreed to the request. And when Saul died, he not only did not destroy his descendants, but also did more for him than he promised. He brought his son, lame and weak in the legs, into his house, seated him at his table and awarded him the greatest honor. And he was not ashamed of this, did not hide it and did not think that the royal table was disgraced by the youth’s injury; on the contrary, he still showed off and boasted about it. And in fact, everyone who shared a meal with him left him with a great lesson in generosity. Seeing that the son of Saul, who had done so much harm to David, enjoyed such honor from him, everyone, even if he was fiercer than all the animals, began to be ashamed and blush for himself, and made peace with all his enemies. It would have been great if David had given a table to the son of Saul in another place and assigned him a certain allowance; but allowing him to come to his own table is the height of generosity. You, of course, know how difficult it is to love the children of your enemies. And what am I saying – love? (How difficult it is) not to hate them, not to persecute them. Many, after the death of their enemies, transfer their hatred of them to their children. This is not what the generous David did; no, he saved his enemy during his life, and after his death he transferred his favor to his children. What is holier than David's meal, which was surrounded by the children of the enemy and the murderous enemy? What is more sublime than that feast upon which so many blessings were poured out? It was rather an angel, rather than a man, who called (to this feast). And indeed, what brings him into this (angelic) face is his benevolence and love for the children of a man who attempted to kill him a thousand times and retained such a disposition until the end of his life. So do you, beloved. Provide services to the children of your enemies both during life and after their death: during life, in order to thus be reconciled with their fathers, after death, in order to attract great mercy from God, receive countless crowns and also earn countless well-wishes from everyone, not only from those who have benefited you, but also from those who have seen it. This will protect you on the day of judgment; the enemies blessed (by you) will be strong intercessors for you in judgment; you will atone for many sins and receive a reward. Even if you have sinned countless times, if you offer a prayer that says: “Forgive your enemies, and your Father will forgive you your sins,” 34 with great boldness you will receive forgiveness of all your sins, and you will live here in good hope and enjoy universal favor. In fact, anyone who sees that you love your enemies and their children so much, won’t he want to become your friend and buddy, and do and endure everything for you? When you enjoy such favor from God, and everyone prayerfully wishes you all the best, what kind of trouble can you then be exposed to, and who will you not be happier in life? Let us not marvel at this only here, but even when we leave here, let us observe this: we will go everywhere and, having recognized each of our enemies, we will reconcile them with ourselves and make them sincere friends. If we need to apologize and ask for their forgiveness, we will not refuse this, even if we ourselves were offended. In this way we will prepare for ourselves a great reward and sure hope; in this way we will undoubtedly achieve the Kingdom of Heaven, 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 ages of ages, Amen. Three conversations about David and Saul, according to Chrysostom himself in the first of them (Section I), were spoken shortly after the conversation about the parable of the debtor of ten thousand talents; and this last one was pronounced in 387 (see “The Complete Collection of the Works of Chrysostom” vol. III, p. 1 and 923); These three conversations are also attributed to the same year 387. In this case, Chrysostom means, of course, his conversations with Antiochus. people, in almost every one of which he diverted his listeners from the sinful habit of swearing (see “The Complete Works of St. I. Chrysostom” vol. II, pp. 66–80, etc.) That is criminals condemned to be thrown into the abyss. οτι agrees with Lucian. sp.; in the ancient Vatican and other lists, as well as in the Hebrew text, and according to them in the Slavic Bible, it is not readable. αι χορευουσαι, αδουσαι και λεγουσαι, says Chrysostom, briefly outlining the contents of the 6th verse of the XVIII chapter of 1 Kings and at the same time closer to Lucian. list in which αδουσαι is read here. Παντοκρατορ according to Lucian. sp.; in other lists, as in Slav. B., this Divine name is not read here. και επαταξεν according to the Liturgical. and Tsarsky sp. (52 and 144 for Holmes); in Lucian. – is not readable, as in the Hebrew text and Slav. B. εδνα αλλ η εκατον according to Lucian. sp. (with the exception of οτι “as if” omitted from Chrysostom, read in the poem before αλλ); to Vatik. and so on. instead it reads: εν δοματι αλλ η Εν εκατον “with wealth, but only in stench” (Slav. B.). επιγαμβρευσαι με according to Lucian. sp., etc. sp., as in Hebrew. i.e., με is not read here. in general agreement with Lucian. sp. (according to “Holmes”; in “de Lagarde” και επαταξεν is not read, but according to “Holmes” it is read in Lucian. pp. 19 and 108); instead, in ancient Vatik. and others: παταξαι το δοπυ εις Δαβειδ: “strike David with a spear” (Slav. B.). το μετρον του νομου τοτε υπερβαινειν εμελλε. εν τω σπηλαιω τω εσωτερω; in Lucian. εν τω σπηλαιω εσωτεροι “internal in the den”; to Vatik. etc. – εσωτερον του σπηλαιου “inside the cave”. καθως instead of ην “about him” (Slav. B.), as read in Lucian. and so on. sp. according to Heb. t. Διδωμι according to Lucian. sp. (in which it reads: Ιδου εγω διδωμι “here I betray”) instead of παραδουναι “betray” (Slav. B.) in Vatik. and other sp. της διπλοιδος with the omission of αυτου “him” or Σαουλ “Saul” (Slav. B.) as read in Lucian. and other sp. ποιησαι instead of ει ποιησω “if I do” in Lucian. and so on. sp. αναστηναι και αποκτειναι agrees partly with Alex. and Lucian. sp. (in which it reads: αναστηναι και θανατωσαι) instead of ανασταντας θυσαι “to those who rose up kill” (Slav. B.) in Vatik. and other sp. Actually – “pankratiasta”, i.e. winners in five gymnastic games, namely: wrestling, fist fighting, running, discus and jumping. και εβοησεν οπισω αυτου ουτω according partly to the ancient. Vatik., Zittav., Paris. etc.; in Lucian. sp. these words are not readable (according to “de Lagarde”). Κυριε μου according to Alex., Ligur., Paris. (52 and 92 according to Holmes) and Heb. T.; in Lucian. – μου is not readable, as in Slav. B. Και ιδου εωρακασιν οι υφθαλμοι σου σημερον; instead in Lucian. sp.: και γε εν τη ημερα ταυτη εωρακασιν οι οφθαλμοι σου “and it was on this day that your eyes saw.” read then σημερον “today” in Lucian. and so on. sp. missing from Zlat. ουτος "this" read in Lucian. and so on. sp., not read by Zlat. Read then in Vatik. and other sp. σου “yours” (Slav. B.) is not read in Zlat. according to Lucian. sp. ο εγω αφειλον is similar to Lucian. sp. (except for ο, placed instead of πτερυγιον); to Vatik. and other sp.: εγω αφηρηκα “I took it away.” μη πεσοι εφ υμας according to Lucian. sp.; to Vatik. and Alex. sp. instead: μη καταβη... εφ υμας may it descend... upon you” (Slav. B.). ορη θανατου according to Lucian. and other sp. instead of και αγροι απαρχων “and the village of firstfruits” (Slav. B.). ενεκεν εμου “For my sake” according to the text of Minya is not read in Zlat. εν τοις θεοις σου; these words are not read in the Greek copies and were added by Chrysostom to clearly express the opposition between Goliath, who cursed “David with his gods” (1 Samuel 17:43), and David, who came forward in the hope of help from the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel. ανταποδω; in Alex. and Lucian. sp. ανταποδωσει “rewards” (Slav. B.); to Vatik. etc. – ανταποτισει “will repay”. Chrysostom conveys in his own words the commandment of Christ to forgive our neighbors for the wrongs they have inflicted on us (Matthew 6:14; Matthew 18:35; Mark 11:25–26). You might be interested in: